In yesterday’s press conference with the media, Nets’ general manager Billy King spent much more time discussing the likes of the Miami Heat than the New York Knicks.

The New York Times’ Howard Beck was in attendance and took note.

From the New York Times…

“By the time he rose from his seat, after 44 minutes of breezy preseason banter, King had referred to the Miami Heat, the N.B.A.’s defending champions, at least 10 times. When he mentioned the Knicks, it was mostly out of courtesy, an obligatory nod.

‘Our focus is not beating the Knicks or being better than the Knicks,’ said King, the Nets’ general manager. He added, ‘I don’t consume myself with the Knicks and anything they do.’”

Those certainly sound like fighting words, but it’s absolutely the right mindset for the Nets to have. The Knicks aren’t the team to beat in the Eastern Conference and they have their own issues. With both teams expected to compete for a top-four seed in the conference, things will only get more interesting from here on out.