It didn't take long for Paul Pierce to ignite a New York rivalry between the Knicks and his Brooklyn Nets, and J.R. Smith isn't taking it lightly.
Pierce, who was traded from the Boston Celtics to the Nets in June, spoke candidly about his hatred of the Knicks earlier this month.
"Everybody knows how much I disliked the Knicks when I was with the Celtics, but I think it's grown to another level," Pierce said per ESPN. "I think it's time for the Nets to start running this city."
If Pierce has an idea of the Nets taking over New York City, Smith has other ideas, and said he believes Pierce is just bitter.
"I just look at him as a bitter person just getting out of Boston," Smith told ESPN. "He doesn't really know what New York is all about. He's been playing in Boston his whole career."
Added Smith: "He just knows, just know that his words have consequences and he's going to have to pay for them."
Pierce recently stated that while the Knicks may own the majority of New York City's hearts, it will be the Nets one day very soon.
"Right now it might be like 70-30 [in percentage favor of the Knicks] but we're gonna push that the other way," Pierce told Complex Magazine.
Smith and his Knicks teammates have other ideas.
"They will never take over the city. Because we've got 'New York' on our chest," Ray Felton said in reference to the team's jerseys, according to ESPN. "They've got 'Brooklyn' on their chest, and we've got 'New York.' They'll never take over the city."
A video showing how "New York" Smith is can be seen below:
Whether or not the war of words transfers onto the court will not be known until Dec. 5 when the two teams meet on the hardwood for the first time in the 2013-14 season at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Both the Knicks and Nets enjoyed some success in the 2012-13 season. The Nets went 49-33 in their inaugural season in Brooklyn, good enough for second place in the Atlantic Division and the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference before the team fell to No. 5 Chicago in seven games in the first round of the playoffs.
The Knicks, meanwhile, went 54-28, finishing first in the Atlantic Division and second overall in the Eastern Conference before falling to the No.3 Indiana Pacers in the second round of the playoffs in six games.
As both teams look to win an NBA championship in the 2013-14 campaign, they are also vying for New York City's love.
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