NEW YORK -- At least the New York Knicks can say they won a city championship. Only the Brooklyn Nets have a chance to compete for a real one -- though theyd better play a lot better than this. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 16 points and the Knicks, playing without the injured Carmelo Anthony, beat the Nets 109-98 on Tuesday night to win the season series between city rivals. And in an otherwise massively disappointing season, apparently local bragging rights do matter. "Hell yeah," Knicks guard J.R. Smith said. "I mean, Im cool with some of those guys over there, so I can still say something when were in the gym this summer. As long as I can say they didnt beat us that many times, were good." The Knicks prevented the Nets from clinching the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and won their third straight in their too-little, too-late strong finish. Amare Stoudemire and Smith each added 14 points. Anthony had an MRI exam Tuesday that revealed a torn labrum in his right shoulder. He wont play Wednesday against Toronto, the final game of the first season in his 11-year career that wont end with a playoff berth -- and potentially his last as a member of the Knicks. He has said he will become a free agent in July. Marcus Thornton scored 24 points for the Nets, who werent sharp despite playing starters Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. The other starter, Shaun Livingston, remained sidelined with a sprained right big toe. The Nets still have a magic number of one for finishing fifth. But they could fall to No. 6 if they lose Wednesday in Cleveland and Washington beats Boston. "Tonight was an example of how not to take a step forward. We were off our game offensively, defensively, all phases of the game and thats not how you want to go into the playoffs," Pierce said. The Knicks would be in the playoffs themselves if they played against everyone else the way they did against the Nets while winning three romps. All four games were on national TV, though none was really worth watching after halftime. The Knicks won a pair of routs, 113-83 at Barclays Center in December and 110-81 at Madison Square Garden two weeks ago. The Nets won by 23 in their lone victory. The overhyped city series didnt live up to preseason expectations, much like the Knicks. Players from both sides had sparred in the press during the summer after the Nets made their big off-season moves, expecting to battle to be the best in New York and also the Atlantic Division. Well, the division champion isnt from New York -- or even the U.S. Toronto finished ahead of both teams. The Knicks have defeated the Raptors, Bulls and Nets, currently the Easts Nos. 3-5 seeds, in their last three games, and coach Mike Woodson said it was "irritating" that his team would be watching the playoffs from home. "If we had handled our business early on and didnt let some of the close games get away, we probably wouldnt be standing here. Wed probably be preparing for playoff basketball, but thats not the case," Woodson said. "We put ourselves in this hole and were going to have to live with it this summer and then try to figure it out next season." The Knicks led 29-18 after one and the game got fun midway through the second quarter. Stoudemire had a powerful follow dunk over Mason Plumlee, screaming into the rookies ear afterward. Plumlee responded in the best way possible, dunking on the Nets next two possessions. Plumlee finished with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds. But Brooklyn never really got into the game, and the only real interest in the second half were some occasional dueling chants between the split crowd. A "Goodbye Melo!" chant from a section of Nets fans was soon followed by a loud "Lets go Knicks!" NOTES: The Nets wore their Brooklyn Dodgers-inspired grey uniforms on Jackie Robinson Day. He debuted for the Dodgers as the first black player in the major leagues on this date in 1947. ... Pierce became the sixth player in NBA history to score 1,000 points in 15 straight seasons, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19), Karl Malone (18), John Havlicek (16), Elvin Hayes (15) and Robert Parish (15). ... Mirza Teletovics wife gave birth to twins earlier Tuesday and the Nets reserve forward also will miss Wednesdays game. Bob Watson Astros Jersey . Halak did not get the start in the Washington Capitals Tuesday night game against the St. Roberto Osuna Jersey . -- John Senden never imagined it would take more than seven years to win again. https://www.cheapastros.com/1733o-garrett-stubbs-jersey-astros.html . The 19-year-old Swiss centre back will initially have to impress in Uniteds reserve side to earn a spot in the first team. Veseli says "Manchester United has a long history of younger players coming through and hopefully I can follow and do the same. Ivan Rodriguez Astros Jersey . The Professional Referee Organization, which manages game officials for the U.S. Soccer Federation and MLS, notified the Professional Soccer Referee Association of the lockout and said replacement officials will be used. Chris Devenski Astros Jersey . Follow all the action live on TSN Radio 1050 in Toronto, TSN Radio 690 in Montreal, TSN Radio 1260 in Edmonton and TEAM 1410 on Friday at 3pm et/Noon pt.Criticizing NHL officiating is like picking low-hanging fruit. Every night we can assemble a collection of video replay evidence to shine a spotlight on missed or questionable calls. Such is the life of an NHL official. However, Thursday night in Pittsburgh featured an oddity - a very rare example of a minor penalty being rescinded. A case where something appeared to happen actually didnt and at least one of the two officials assigned to this game was 100 per cent sure it didnt. As our video shows (click here to watch the video), L.A. Kings forward Jarret Stoll was tagged for tripping as Pittsburghs Brandon Sutter went down inside the blue line. Stoll argued the call, but was swiftly directed to the penalty box by Greg Kimmerley who eventually waived Stoll out of the box after consulting with fellow referee Steve Kozari. Its clear a mistake was made and this isnt the first time on-ice officials have rescinded a penalty. However, a similar scenario almost always includes a high-sticking infraction when a teammate has caused the foul, as recognized by one of the games four officials. This wasnt that case. This was a tripping call the Penguins might argue shouldnt have been called back. As it turns out, Pittsburgh won the game and this isolated play had no impact on the outcome. However, while NHL officials shouldnt be beaten down for getting it right, some around the league worry about the precedent of this overturned call from now on. The games decision makers have worked hard at protecting the aspect of human error when it comes to NHL officiating. Of course, its the goal of every official to get it right, but those opposed to additional video review believe the discretion of the officials is traditionally an important piece of the fabric of the game. Perhaps a blown call in Wednesdays game between the Detroit Red Wings and Washington Capitals (click here to watch the video) raised the level of sensitivity in the NHLs officiating department. The Wings beat the Caps 4-2 after having a Drew Miller goal disallowed based on goaltender interference, though it was clear via video replay that Braden Holtby simply fell while scrambling to get back to his crease. This one should have been called back. Its unreasonable to overreact and sugggest these examples are going to force NHL general managers to re-write the rulebook.dddddddddddd But its likely these same GMs will take a much closer look at it the next time video review or a coachs challenge is tabled for discussion. Theres always a next time. Educating On Ebola To no surprise, the National Hockey League has an Infectious Disease Committee and recently sent an email to all clubs primarily related to the Ebola outbreak. But it also included steps and precautions to be taken to avoid certain infectious flu viruses, particularly during the fall flu season. By the sounds of things inside the St. Louis Blues dressing room, this memo was received a tad late. An infectious bacteria that leveled several of the Blues players continues to plague the team, causing sore throat symptoms and swelling described as similar to the mumps. The flu is nothing new and annually makes its rounds throughout the NHL, but those impacted by this bug in St. Louis say theyve never seen anything like it. Green-er Pastures? Were just over four months until the NHL trade deadline, so theres plenty of time for the Washington Capitals and veteran defenceman Mike Green to work on a contract extension. However, with the offseason signings of blueliners Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik, many believe Green may be viewed as the odd man out given the $6.08 million cap space he takes up. Sources say to date, theres been little to no contract discussions with Green - who is averaging close to 20 minutes per game and ranks fourth in that category behind John Carlson, Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik. Mike is playing exceptionally well this season under Barry Trotz and is a very valuable part of our team and our organization, Capitals GM Brian MacLellan told The Dreger Report. Per club policy, we dont comment on player negotiations, but we are very happy with the way Mike is playing right now. Based on his experience and the high value placed on a quality defenceman with a right-handed shot, trade speculation surrounding Mike Green will most definitely intensify. And count the Detroit Red Wings among those teams with interest. Have a great weekend and look forward to the next edition of Insider Trading, Tuesday on SportsCentre and TSN.ca. ' ' '