As the Knicks got ready to welcome the Warriors, there was a noticeable absence in the lineup. The glue holding New York’s offense and defense together, Karl-Anthony Towns. It wasn’t an injury, but a personal matter. When head coach Tom Thibodeau was asked if Towns would at least join the team on their West Coast trip, his response was a cryptic, “I can’t answer that.” Naturally, this left people wondering. That’s when his girlfriend, Jordyn Woods, dropped a bombshell tweet, “F**k cancer.”

Who was diagnosed with cancer? Was it a family member? Was it something even more unthinkable with the player or Woods involved? All were left guessing since no explanation was given. But luckily, Knicks insider Stefan Bondy came to the rescue, revealing that KAT will be available for the game against the Lakers tonight. That’s a huge sigh of relief for the Knicks. But for the Lakers? Well, looks like the common narrative has come true.

Their new member, Luka Doncic, had heard whispers about a common conspiracy, which he mentioned he now witnessed firsthand. “They say if somebody is out a long time, then they play against the Lakers. I didn’t believe that in a long time. But obviously, it’s the Lakers. So I think that’s normal,” the Slovenian told the reporters in a locker room interview hours before the game. That was a dig at KAT, who missed the previous game and is likely back in the starting lineup against the Lakers. After all, it’s the Lakers. Apparently, every player, even after a long absence, seems to return just in time to play against the Purple and Gold.

A Lakers fan had a similar observation after Stefan’s news. They pointed out on X, “KAT missed the game yesterday against the Warriors. Tom Thibodeau said that KAT will likely not travel with the team on their west coast roadtrip due to personal reasons. Game 1 of the trip against LA, Towns is now completely fine to play.” That didn’t sit well with the Knicks fans, who quickly gathered in the comment section to defend their guy by attacking the LA fan.

Knicks community clash with Lakers fan over Karl-Anthony Towns’ return

If there was one statement that captured the essence of most comments under the post, it was “Worst fanbase in the league and it isn’t close.” Many others were reflecting the same sentiment. This was no surprise, as the Knicks fanbase had grown attached to Karl-Anthony Towns since his trade to their franchise this season. And in a sensitive time like this, their support was only to be expected.

Correcting the LA fan, someone wrote, “Thibs said he he didn’t know if KAT was coming and that when KAT was ready to play he would play.” The Lakers fan in his post made it seem like the coach confirmed the 7-footer center wouldn’t be suiting up, but what Thibodeau actually said was, “I just don’t know, so when he’s ready to come back, obviously we want him back. But he needs some time right now.” Thibs was clarifying there was something personal that Towns was dealing with which needed some time. The Knicks fan further lashed out stating, “Personal reasons ended up being a cancer diagnosis in his family. How can an entire fanbase be narcissistic.”

“Do some research before you start chatting,” another KAT supporter jumped in, sharing Woods’ tweet to give the post owner a clearer picture of what Towns was going through. The fan wanted them to understand the issue first before making rash judgments.

Meanwhile, a Knicks fan had enough. “I wish nothing but the worst for your fanbase,” they commented. The frustration boiled over into a curse as they felt that Lakers fans were more concerned about themselves than showing any empathy to Karl-Anthony Towns in this situation. But that wasn’t all.

“Laker fans are by far the worst fans in any sport possible,” one of the comments read. “Brothers family member got cancer and they think its so some gimmick to the reason why hes back tomorrow.” Like many other Knicks fans, this one was furious because the Lakers were dismissive of Karl-Anthony Towns’ personal situation. Instead of acknowledging the seriousness of his condition, they insinuated that Towns was recovering from the issue that kept him out of the game against the Warriors just because the team is facing the Lakers.

This post had fired up the entire Knicks fanbase. While it definitely soured their mood, the good news for them is that KAT is returning and hopefully, everything on his end is good and healthy.

The two sides will face off for their final East vs West showdown of the regular season. The Lakers hold the lead with one win under their belt this season, who do you think will take this one? Share your thoughts with us before the game kicks off at Crypto.com Arena tonight.