The Big Apple is divided at its core this week as throughout the sports landscape, New York teams are going head-to-head.
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The Islanders and Rangers kicked it off Wednesday with the Brooklyn team notching a 2-1 shootout victory over the Manhattan club, while the Knicks will host the Nets at Madison Square Garden on Friday and the Jets and Giants will turn the common ground of MetLife Stadium into a war zone on Sunday to wrap up these Empire State battles.
The MLB may be in its offseason right now, but the Yankees and Mets have had some conflicts for the ages in their own right. As the Battle for New York continues to play out this week, here's a ranking of the Big Apple feuds.
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4) Jets vs. Giants
The NFL may be the most popular sport in America, at least where ratings are concerned, but the Battle for New York at MetLife Stadium is the weakest of the New York rivalries. That's not to say the feud between Big Blue and Gang Green is a snooze fest, as it's been very eventful through the years, but the games between these two tenants only count every four years.
Sure, there's the Snoopy Bowl, which Rex Ryan once thought was so important that he fed Mark Sanchez to the wolves during the preseason, but it just doesn't quite measure up. Also, the game is actually played in New Jersey.
The Giants have had the better of the regular season head-to-head meetings, defeating the Jets eight out of 12 times. Historically, Big Blue also boasts more championships (four) than Gang Green (one). The Giants last won the Super Bowl in 2011, while the Jets haven't won it all since 1969. Sunday's meeting will have plenty of playoff implications.
Edge: Giants.
3) Knicks vs. Nets
With the Nets now on their fourth season in Brooklyn, the drama between them and the Manhattan-based Knicks has increased, though both teams' recent mediocrity has hurt the rivalry as a whole. These teams will cross paths for the first time this season Friday at the World's Most Famous Arena.
The Knicks own the slightest of edges over the Nets with a 90-89 record against their now cross-town foe. These teams are rarely relevant at the same time, but the Knicks have toppled the Nets two out of three times in the playoffs. The former New Jersey club swept New York in four games in the first round the last time they collided in the postseason in 2004. The Knicks have two NBA championships (1970, '73), while the Nets have two ABA titles (1974, '76).
Edge: Knicks.
2) Mets vs. Yankees
This is close to the No. 1 rivalry amongst New York sports teams, but with the two not even playing in the same league, it's hard to truly coronate it as the best in New York. These franchises have a sordid past, especially when it comes to drama. Roger Clemens and Mike Piazza's feud was legendary and a huge storyline that eventually bled into the 2000 World Series, which was won by the Yankees in five games.
The Subway Series became an annual clash between these Queens and Bronx rivals in 1997, and the Yankees have had the edge over their New York City neighbors. The Bronx Bombers are 60-44 against the Amazin's in 104 games.. The Yankees also boast 27 titles, the last coming in 2009, while the Mets have just two with the most recent one being won in 1986.
Edge: Yankees.
1) Islanders vs. Rangers
The NHL may not be the most popular leaguein New York, but the city that never sleeps boasts a red-hot rivalry on the ice. The animosity between these clubs is evident in every teeth-chattering hit and it has only intensified with the Islanders now playing at Barclays Center. Though the Isles defeated the Blueshirts in their first meeting at the club's new Brooklyn home, they don't have the historic edge. The Rangers own a 124-104-19-8 record against their foes in 255 grueling meetings.
In postseason play, these teams have met eight times, with the Islanders taking three of those series. The Rangers have won the last two playoff meetings between these two clubs. Each has four Stanley Cup titles with the Islanders last coming in 1983 and the Rangers in 1994. If the intensity of their December regular season game is any indication, another playoff meeting between these franchises would be epic.
Edge: Rangers (but it's close).
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