Knicks fans came ready to make some noise for Sunday’s Game 1 against the Hawks, and they did—until Trae Young sent them home in stunned silence.
The combination of the end of the Knicks’ long playoff drought and the easing of New York’s pandemic-related restrictions made for a uniquely electric atmosphere inside Madison Square Garden. The crowd of 15,047 (the largest of the weekend’s eight playoff openers) made themselves heard all night long, even well before the game started. The “F--- Trae Young” chants started outside the arena as fans entered and continued in the game’s early moments.