New York Knicks Rival No. 1: Atlanta Hawks
This one should be a bit straightforward. In last season’s playoff clash involving the New York Knicks and the Atlanta Hawks, Trae Young established himself as “the villain”, making him one of the most hated people around New York.
Trae Young is not a very likable person, to begin with, if you’re a fan of opposing teams. He is a scrappy scorer that almost always finds a way to torture you. Adding the fact that he gets a lot of unnecessary calls his way, completes the recipe of a player that is hardly adored outside of Atlanta.
It all started in Game 1, where he scored a game-winner in The Garden and proceeded to turn around and shush the crowd. Then, in Game 2, a renegade fan spat on him as he was waiting to inbound the ball on the sideline.
The epilogue of this story, for now, was written during the final minute of Game 5, as the Hawks closed out the Knicks in New York. Young made a deep three despite already being up by 12 with seconds left and took a bow in front of an entire arena that booed him.
The Knicks and the Hawks are two teams very similarly matched. They are approximately at the same level, chasing the same things, both looking to take the next step and become contenders as a result of a team that they built via the draft.
Even though the first meeting is set to take place in Atlanta in November, Trae’s return to New York will be an unmissable event. Christmas Day, in an arena filled with 19,812 angry basketball fans screaming at him. That guy just lives for that stuff.