Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
When the Nets opened at Barclays Center after Hurricane Sandy, it gave the city a feeling of normalcy.
Every day until Dec. 31, reporters and editors from The New York Times will recall the people, teams and moments that made the last year memorable, and in some cases look ahead to 2013.
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After the Storm, Brooklyn's Moment
By Benjamin Hoffman
Everything had gone right for the Nets. Their new home in Brooklyn was complete, their apparel had become a huge hit among fans, they unexpectedly retained their signature star, and they were going to be able to show all of that off in a season opener against the Knicks.
Then Hurricane Sandy hit.
With the city's tunnels flooded, gasoline becoming scarce and the subway system shut down, suddenly the opener, scheduled for Nov. 1, had to be postponed and all of the excitement seemed to wither away.
Two days later, with the transit system still a mess and the city in a fierce debate over the cancellation of the marathon, it was decided that the Nets would go ahead with their scheduled game against the Toronto Raptors, a far less exciting opponent than the Knicks, risking empty seats in what they had hoped would be their grand debut.
A message posted to Twitter by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo that morning got things going in the right direction as he announced that the 4 and 5 trains would resume service, meaning that the large number of people in Manhattan hoping to see the game (including this reporter, who lives in Brooklyn but found himself working in Times Square that morning) would not have to brave the long lines for slow shuttle buses or break out their swim trunks for a jaunt across the East River.
As people shuffled onto the train at Grand Central Terminal, more than a few Nets hats were visible as everyone seemed somewhat unsure that the subways could really be back. Just days before, people had been walking to work across the Brooklyn Bridge and through a mostly abandoned and powerless downtown, but now the city was starting to feel more like itself.
Come game time, the crowd had filled out nicely, helped by a last-minute surge in ticket sales through online marketplaces like StubHub, and the Nets took the floor with Jay-Z watching and BrooklyKnight rappelling from the ceiling.
It was not a pretty game, with the Nets falling behind early and then struggling to catch up, but a strong second quarter led to the first major Brooklyn sports team since 1957 winning, 107-100.
Considering everything that had gone into the move from New Jersey, and the conditions surrounding the season's start, the actual basketball was the easy part.
* * *
A Stoicism That Can't Be Cracked
By Naila-Jean Meyers
A single clap. Andy Murray had just broken Novak Djokovic for the second time in the fifth set of the United States Open final, and all he got from his coach, Ivan Lendl, was one measly clap. In the previous set, when Murray won an exhilarating 30-shot rally and the nearly 24,000 fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium erupted, Lendl did not see fit to join that ovation either.
Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Ivan Lendl, center, had a hoot watching Andy Murray at the United States Open. Well, at least we think he did.
It was hard to take my eyes off Lendl that Monday night as the captivated crowd surrounding him gasped and roared at every lunging forehand and ripped backhand — even with the distraction of Sean Connery sitting nearby, wrapped in a blue blanket and pumping his fist for Murray, his fellow Scot.
As a summer's day became a blustery night, as Djokovic and Murray took turns muttering to themselves, Lendl was the model of stoic calm — awkwardly dressed in a red sweater and white shorts, often hunched over, elbow on knee, chin in hand.
But that's why he was there. That's why the mercurial Murray chose Lendl to be his coach this year. Lendl knew what it was like to come so close and fall short over and over. He knew, as Murray knew, as Britain knew. There would be no cheering until it was over.
Murray took us along on his emotional roller coaster in 2012. The heartbreak of his loss in the Wimbledon final, when he had Roger Federer on his heels, then the rain came, the roof closed, and it ended with Murray tearfully saying, "Getting closer." The leap for joy one month later when Murray dismantled Federer on the same court for the Olympic gold medal, part of the crescendo of British athletic greatness at the London Games. The relief — the word Murray chose when asked to summarize his feelings — when he outlasted Djokovic that September night for his coveted first Grand Slam title, becoming the first British man to capture a Grand Slam singles championship since Fred Perry in 1936.
When it was really, truly over, Murray was holding the trophy and thanking his coach in front of the crowd, saying, "I think that was almost a smile."
The match itself was a roller coaster. Murray won the first two sets, including a 12-10 first-set tiebreaker, then saw Djokovic fight back. They played for 4 hours 54 minutes, on the 15th day of another United States Open tormented by bad weather.
For the record, it wasn't even the longest Grand Slam final this year: that was Djokovic's 5-hour-53-minute victory over Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open. It was a can-you-top-this year for men's tennis. Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Murray each won Grand Slam tournaments. Federer reclaimed the No. 1 ranking for four months and won his first major title in two and a half years. Djokovic won six titles, returned to No. 1 and was the player of the year. All that was missing was a full-strength Nadal, who succumbed to bad knees after winning the French Open.
A liberated Murray. A persistent Djokovic. A determined Federer. A (hopefully) healthy Nadal. It's shaping up to be a 2013 season that might make even Lendl stand up and cheer.
* * *
Finding Security In a Different SEC
By Brad Smith
When I first moved to New York in 1981, I was pleasantly surprised to learn how much New Yorkers loved college football. As I moved from the South, where Saturdays in the fall rival Sundays for the holiest of days, my belief that it was a regional sport was put aside.
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