It has happened again. The Atlanta Hawks have beaten the New York Knicks in another knockout scenario. Trae Young and NY have a heated rivalry. It all started in the 2021 playoffs when Ice Trae dominated them at Madison Square Garden. He dropped 32 points and 10 assists, silencing the crowd with his iconic shushing gesture. The Hawks ended up winning the series, with their talisman averaging a ridiculous 29.2 points per game… Since then, the rivalry has only intensified. And once again, Young has all the bragging rights!

The Atlanta side scored 108 to the Knicks’ 100. It wasn’t Young’s best shooting night, but he still put up 22 points and 11 assists. His playmaking was key in the second half as the Hawks rallied for a big quarterfinal win away from home. Young was feeling the echoing tension in the MSG. While waiting for the final buzzer, he pulled off a funny little trick, pretending to roll the dice on the Knicks’ logo.

It was a taunt that got people talking. The hoopster loves to rub it in when the Knicks lose. And fans have a jolly good time seeing this rivalry! They obviously had to express themselves after the Knicks were knocked out and Ice Trae did this gesture in New York.

Some fans support, the rest oppose- Young’s victory gesture draws viral fan attention: “Trae owns the Knicks…”

“Ok now I’m starting to worry about Trae’s safety in NYC after he did that *skull emoji*”, said one fan, and rightly so. It’s clear that Young enjoys getting under the skin of Knicks fans, and he’s become the villain they love to hate!

The rivalry between Young and the Knicks is one of the most intense in the NBA right now, and it’s only going to get more heated in the future. But we wouldn’t want another Malice at the Palace, right? It is a little exaggerated but the hate is now stronger than ever.

Ice Trae has dished out the talk and backed it up. “Trae owns the Knicks *laughing emoji*” expressed one user. He has indeed owned the Knicks in recent years. The Hawk has consistently dominated them, averaging 25.4 points and 9.6 assists against the NY side. His ability to score from anywhere on the court and his knack for drawing fouls have made him a nightmare for the defense.

Some fans, though, thought his performance wasn’t worthy of this celebration.

A netizen wrote, “That’s not the most respectful thing he could do lol! He better drop 30 and win or that looks like a poor choice”. So, Young attempted 8 triples but made only 2. He went 8 of 22 from the field, which is just 36.4%. But he took over in the 3rd quarter. Trae scored 12 points and led the Hawks on a big run to erase a double-digit deficit. So, do you think this celebration was warranted?

Another fan wrote, “Knicks not have an enforcer on the team? no way that gets done on my teams home court *laughing emoji*”. This highlights a glaring issue with the NY side’s roster construction: the absence of a physical presence to protect their home court. Historically, successful teams have relied on enforcers to set a tone of toughness and hold opponents accountable for on-court antics.

Mitchell Robinson has size and defensive prowess, but his game centers more on rim protection than imposing fear. But he’s been out. This void allowed Young to comfortably make his statement, a stark contrast to what might have happened in past eras.

“In Ohio this would now be a felony, I believe.” But thanks to this victory, the Atlanta Hawks and Trae Young will be heading to Las Vegas! They face the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo on Saturday afternoon. If they win, they’ll be heading to the Finals of the NBA Cup! What do you think- will Ice Trae and Co. make it to the finals?