NEW YORK -- Tyson Chandler, who has a championship ring socked away among his most prized possessions, has been trying to drive home a point to his New York Knicks teammates during their early-season run of success.

Enjoy every victory.

"There's a lot of players in this organization that have not had a lot of success," Chandler said. "It comes from winning some big games, overcoming little obstacles and putting into people's minds that it can happen. You have to believe and you have to learn to be mentally strong."

Chandler has found himself often referring back to his championship season with the Dallas Mavericks since the Knicks started training camp.

And while it can be dangerous to talk big and feel a sense of accomplishment before May -- much less before Christmas -- Chandler is convinced that Mavericks team emerged to become champions because of the way they bonded and grew throughout the 2010-11 season.

That's why he has been pushing his teammates to place value on games such as Tuesday's in Brooklyn. The Nets are struggling, they have lost four straight games and center Brook Lopez is questionable with a foot injury that has kept him out almost two weeks.

But last time these teams played -- the rescheduled opener that took place two weeks ago -- the Nets celebrated an overtime win over their cross-town rival in a game that felt more like June than late November.

Jay-Z, in a tweet that quickly became famous, wrote "the city is under new management."