The game is not the story. Although the Nets will be back at Barclays Center Thursday evening for the first time since April and fans want to see more of Ben Simmons, Cam Thomas, etc., the world had other plans.
Maccabi Ra’anana, the Israeli second division team from suburban Tel Aviv, should be thinking of facing an NBA team in New York City. Instead, their minds no doubt are filled with anxiety and pain as their homeland reels from the weekend attacks by Hamas that have taken 1,200 lives and the subsequent response by the Israeli Defense Forces that has taken a thousand more in Gaza.