BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- The NBA regular season tipped off on Tuesday night. New York fans will have an extra day to prepare for their teams. That's right, New York fans now have two teams to root for this year.

The Empire State acquired the former New Jersey Nets. They now go by the Brooklyn Nets. Both the Knicks and the Nets will face each other on Thursday, November 1st.

The Nets are coming off a disappointing season. They went 22-44 while the Knicks grabbed the 7th spot in the playoffs with a 36-30 record. This season will feature 82 games unlike last years abbreviated season due to the lockout.

Unfortunately for the Knicks, they'll be without their big man, Amar'e Stoudemire for potentially 6-8 weeks. Team officials announced Tuesday that Stoudemire will have a left knee debridement which is the removal of dead-tissue in his knee.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm in Brooklyn at the newly constructed Barclays Center.