Dennis Smith Jr. #5 of the New York Knicks brings the ball up the court against the Charlotte Hornets during their game at Spectrum Center on February 26, 2020 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Credit: Getty Images/Streeter Lecka
Madison Square Garden was not a safe space for Knicks’ guard Dennis Smith Jr. last season, often subjected to the boos of the home crowd as he and the team struggled through another lost season.
But when the Knicks debuted the 2020-21 version of the team Wednesday night at home there were no fans allowed in, instead the arena was pumped full of recorded cheers and the boos left for the opposition, the Cleveland Cavaliers.