Trae Young doesn't seem to be losing his position as the No. 1 opponent at Madison Square Garden any time soon.
As the Hawks star ran out his time dribbling during Atlanta's 108-100 NBA Cup quarterfinal win over the Knicks on Wednesday night, he looked into the bright lights of Madison Square Garden with his eyes on Nevada. I enjoyed looking at the logo in the center of the court below.
Young established himself as a villain in the eyes of New York fans by stopping in front of the Knicks logo, picking up face dice and rolling them as if he were playing craps in Las Vegas. Las Vegas is where the Hawks will play in the tournament this weekend. Semi-finals.
“the [a] A love-hate relationship. I think I got a lot of love and a lot of hate from them, but I also got a lot of love from them. It's respect,” Young said on court in an interview with ESPN after the win.
Jalen Brunson said after the game that if the outcome had been different, Young's trolling would never have happened.
“If we don't want him to do that, we should win the game,” he said.
The rivalry between Young and New York began in earnest during the 2021 playoffs, with both teams playing hard-fought games, with the Hawks winning the series 4-1 and Knicks fans using chants of “Fk Trae Young.” I started.
The series culminated in a decisive Game 5 at the Garden, when Young scored 36 points and bowed out late in the game after making a deep 3.
Young defeated the Knicks in that series, averaging over 29 points.
The Atlanta guard cemented his status as a nemesis earlier this season by leading the Hawks to a victory over the Knicks in a November game packed with Knicks fans at State Farm Arena.
“I hope the fans in New York get to the exits really quickly.” Young said with a laugh in his postgame interview.. “Boo, everyone go home.”
Young scored a game-high 22 points with 11 assists and five rebounds on Wednesday, securing another win for the Hawks.
The Hawks will play the Bucks at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday for a berth in the NBA Cup title game.
