NEW YORK -- Paul Pierce thinks New York City eventually will be a Brooklyn Nets town.

New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton disagrees -- strongly.

"They will never take over the city. Because we've got 'New York' on our chest," Felton said Sunday. "They've got 'Brooklyn' on their chest, and we've got 'New York.' They'll never take over the city.

"[Pierce] saying that is just him talking. At the end of the day, it's all about rivalries. We understand that -- he knows that, I know that. He's just trying to fuel it."

Pierce said earlier this month that his hatred for the Knicks "has grown a little" since he joined the Nets in July following a blockbuster trade from the Boston Celtics.

"Everybody knows how much I disliked the Knicks when I was with the Celtics, but I think it's grown to another level," Pierce said on ESPN NewYork 98.7 FM's "The Michael Kay Show." "I think it's time for the Nets to start running this city."