There are plenty of new things about the Nets this season — a new city, arena, uniforms, roster.
But there’s also a different feeling around the team, as well. Coach Avery Johnson noticed that in Tuesday’s 97-96 preseason win over the Celtics in Boston, in which he saw his reserves engineer a late comeback to pull off the victory.
It may only be a preseason game, but the energy Johnson saw on the court, as well as among the players on the bench — still mattered to him.
“Like I told our team, we’ve got a different spirit this year,” he said after the game. “You can talk about it’s preseason and all of that, but our guys played tonight.
“Every guy that was in uniform came out there with a purpose … it’s just good that we have just a different spirit, and it showed tonight.”
The new feeling around the team extends beyond there, though. After spending the past few seasons playing in front of a fan base that knew the team was on its way out of New Jersey, Monday night’s preseason home opener at Barclays Center drew a crowd of 14,219 — a bigger one than most crowds the team saw for regular-season games last season in Newark.
“It’s not even a comparison,” Joe Johnson said of the atmosphere in Brooklyn. “It’s great, man. Everyone is excited, anticipation is high, and these fans, they want the best, and they want it now.
“So we’ve got to do our best to try and deliver.”
The new feelings around the franchise haven’t gone unnoticed around the league as well. While in the past the Nets were one of the more forgettable teams for players to play against on the road, things have changed now that the Nets play their home games inside the city limits.
“Well, everybody likes to be in the big city,” said Celtics guard Jason Terry after Tuesday’s game. Terry later described the Nets’ new uniforms as “hot.”
“It’s a big difference, playing in Jersey and playing in the city,’’ Johnson said. “From that perspective, I think it’s going to be great for the league. We don’t have to go across that bridge and in that traffic. Now we’re just right there in the city.”