The New York Knicks went down in game one of their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks, 107-105. In an interview following the loss, Derrick Rose was asked about the volatile exchange between the home crowd in MSG and Hawks guard Trae Young. Rose’s response was as follows in this tweet.
Rose went on to speak about dealing with similar situations in past postseasons throughout his career. For the Knicks, it was the franchise’s first playoff game in eight seasons. Sunday’s game also marked the first time since March 2020 that Madison Square Garden was host to approximately 15’000 fans. Known for their passion, the fans in New York acquainted themselves with the visiting team early during the game.
With the series moving to ATL for games three and four, a game two victory is crucial for New York. They will look to bounce back on Wednesday night.
Trae Young And The Atlanta Hawks
As for Atlanta, Trae Young’s performance in game one is what they needed to prevail. Selected fifth overall in the 2018 NBA draft, Young quickly became the Hawks’ franchise player. They’ve successfully built around him as they have returned to the playoffs following a three-year absence.
Young has made his presence known early on in the series. In what was his first career playoff game, Trae scored a game-high 32 points on Sunday. His last basket included this game-winning shot.
Panelists at TNT interviewed the Atlanta point guard after the game. Like Derrick Rose, Trae Young talked about how the MSG crowd played a factor throughout.
Atlanta faces a prime opportunity heading into game two. A win on Wednesday would give them full control of the series heading back home. In NBA history, about 94 percent of teams that go up two games to none in a series go on to win it.
