Brooklyn Nets: What We Learned from the Bash at Borough Hall

The crowd was lively. The stars were shining. The hype was inciting. Most of all, the Brooklynites were confident.

There are great things on the horizon for the Brooklyn Nets.

Friday, July 13th was far from an ordinary day at Borough Hall. Although the streets are always active in the Plaza, never have they been so black and white. That, of course, is because of the black-and-white T-shirts that covered the street.

"Brooklyn's Backcourt."

As I entered the Plaza, shoulder-to-shoulder anxiety awaited me. From the fans donning Nets gear and neck-strapped cameras to the few uncertain who were curious as to what was about to transpire, the buzz was in the air. Something special was about to happen and the Brooklyn Nets were not about to let their new home borough walk away without hearing all about it.

In the backstage area sat none other than Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. Alongside them was head coach Avery Johnson, who had quite a bit of praise for his new dynamic duo. Johnson even went as far as stating that Brooklyn now had "the best backcourt in the NBA."

A claim that the Los Angeles Lakers would love to refute.

Joe Johnson would not allow the hype to die down, as he remorselessly answered the question of "Who is the best team in New York?" His answer, of course, was "the Brooklyn Nets."

Let the debates begin.

The remainder of the media press conference consisted of Johnson's heartfelt thank-you to the borough of Brooklyn for welcoming he and his family to the City of Dreams. Deron Williams echoed the sentiment and expressed his approval of the Nets' offseason moves.

And then the celebration began.

As PA announcer David Diamante hyped Joe Johnson up, fans began running from every angle of each surrounding street to get their snapshot. From high praise amongst friends to the simple nod of "This is it" from basketball diehards, the former Arkansas Razorbacks star brought more excitement to the crowd than his soft-spoken words would suggest.

That, of course, paled in comparison to the love for Deron Williams. Love that causes one to question what the chances really were of D-Will walking away from the relocated franchise.

Williams said all the right things, wore all the proper emotions on his sleeve and finished it off by sitting down to embrace his family. If you're looking for a franchise player, Deron Williams appears to be as great an option as they come. 

David Diamante reminded fans of such a belief, as he constantly referred to Williams as the face of the Nets' franchise. A claim that no Nets fan appeared to object.

Expectations are high. Excitement is higher. Brooklyn already loves its Barclays Center-bound Nets!