It was no small wonder that a healthy portion of the Barclays Center crowd showered the visiting team with hometown adoration Monday night, cheering Chicago’s Bulls as if they were straight out of Brooklyn. With the exception of being an N.B.A. champion, Derrick Rose & Co. are precisely what the Nets promised (and failed) to become while assembling the league’s richest roster.
If healthy, the Bulls would appear to be legitimate Eastern Conference contenders, with the talent, depth and work ethic that are worthy of any developing fan base. In contrast, in a must-win game, the Nets turned off potential new supporters by characteristically losing heart, and falling, 113-86.