Brooklyn Nets

Barclays Center opened in 2012 and it brought NBA basketball across the bridge to a borough that was tired of commuting to see its teams play. The arena is right above the Atlantic Terminal transit hub, which makes it one of the most accessible buildings in the league - something like a dozen subway and bus lines converge there. The building design is distinctive, with the steel exterior and the hanging video board over the court that gives the interior a different feel from standard NBA arenas.

The crowd tends to run younger and more diverse than most NBA buildings, which tracks with the Prospect Heights neighborhood and the broader Brooklyn identity. When the Nets have had star power - and they have had serious star power - the energy in the building reflects a fan base that is genuinely invested. The borough has Biggie energy baked into it and games here feel local in a way that MSG across the river does not always manage.

Atlantic Avenue and the Dekalb Market Hall food court are the obvious pre-game moves - Dekalb Market Hall has vendors covering everything from dumplings to tacos to smash burgers, all within walking distance of the arena. The Barcade on Atlantic Ave handles the postgame crowd on weekends. Getting in and out via transit is legitimately easy, which is a rarity.

The Nets have gone through a couple of high-profile roster shakeups recently and the current squad is building toward something new - which makes this a good time to be paying attention before prices go back up.

Browse Brooklyn Nets tickets on Evil Tickets - a Barclays Center game in the winter is a good time, and getting a seat while the team is in rebuild mode means better prices than the next star era will offer.