Editing Boston Celtics (section)

===Brooklyn Nets===
The Boston Celtics were once rivals of the [[Brooklyn Nets|New Jersey Nets]] during the early 2000s due to their respective locations and their burgeoning stars. The Nets were led by [[Jason Kidd]] and [[Kenyon Martin]], while the Celtics were experiencing newfound success behind Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker. The rivalry began to heat up in the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals, which was preceded by trash-talking from the Celtics<ref>{{cite news | url=http://articles.nydailynews.com/2002-05-20/sports/18200319_1_antoine-walker-kenyon-martin-paul-pierce | location=New York | work=Daily News | title=Celtics Talk A Good Game&nbsp;– New York Daily News | first1=Ohm | last1=Youngmisuk | first2=Darren | last2=Everson | date=May 20, 2002 | access-date=September 26, 2014 | archive-date=March 8, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308073957/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2002-05-20/sports/18200319_1_antoine-walker-kenyon-martin-paul-pierce | url-status=dead }}</ref> who claimed Martin was a "fake" tough guy. Things progressed as the series started, and on-court tensions seemed to spill into the stands. Celtics' fans berated Kidd and his family with chants of "Wife Beater!"<ref>{{cite web |author=Steve WilsteinAP Sports Writer |url=http://amarillo.com/stories/053102/spo_jasonkidd.shtml |title=Celtics fans' taunts hurt Jason Kidd's wife &#124; Amarillo.com &#124; Amarillo Globe-News |publisher=Amarillo.com |date=May 31, 2002 |access-date=October 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019040927/http://amarillo.com/stories/053102/spo_jasonkidd.shtml |archive-date=October 19, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> in response to Kidd's 2001 domestic abuse charge. When asked about the fan barbs being traded, [[Kenyon Martin]] stated, "Our fans hate them, their fans hate us." [[Bill Walton]] said at the time that Nets-Celtics was the "beginning of the next great NBA rivalry" during the Eastern Conference Finals in 2002 with the Nets advancing to the NBA Finals, though New Jersey would go on to sweep Boston in the 2003 playoffs. In 2012, the year the Nets returned to New York in the borough of Brooklyn, there were indications that the rivalry might be rekindled when an altercation occurred on the court on November 28, resulting in the ejection of [[Rajon Rondo]], Gerald Wallace, and Kris Humphries. Rondo was suspended for two games in the aftermath, while Wallace and [[Kevin Garnett]] were fined.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/30/sports/basketball/celtics-rajon-rondo-suspended-2-games-for-melee.html?_r=0 | work=The New York Times | title=Suspension and 2 Fines After Brawl | first1=May | last1=Peter | date=November 30, 2012 | access-date=February 6, 2017 | archive-date=November 8, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108035905/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/30/sports/basketball/celtics-rajon-rondo-suspended-2-games-for-melee.html?_r=0 | url-status=live }}</ref> The story was revisited on December 25, when Wallace grabbed Garnett's shorts and the two had to be broken up by referees and players alike. However, the rivalry between the Nets and the Celtics appeared significantly cooled off by the June 2013 blockbuster trade that dealt Celtics stars Garnett and [[Paul Pierce]] to the Nets in exchange for Wallace, Humphries, and others. This move was billed as a merger of the two [[Atlantic Division (NBA)|Atlantic Division]] teams.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/nets/bondy-prokhorov-mentality-reminiscent-boss-article-1.1403107 |title=Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov's win-at-all-costs mentality is reminiscent of late George Steinbrenner |newspaper=NY Daily News |date=July 18, 2013 |access-date=October 16, 2013 |location=New York |archive-date=October 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022143049/http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/nets/bondy-prokhorov-mentality-reminiscent-boss-article-1.1403107 |url-status=live }}</ref>