New York Knicks fans are over the 'Trae Young owns the Knicks' narrative that stems from the 2021 playoffs, but New York didn't do itself any favors on Wednesday. A strong third quarter propelled the Hawks to a 108-100 win over the Knicks in the NBA Cup quarterfinal.
Of course, Young rubbed the win in before the final buzzer sounded. He stood on the logo at MSG and pretended to roll dice as Atlanta will travel to Las Vegas for a semifinal matchup against Milwaukee.
Trae Young rolled the dice on the Knicks logo 👀
— ESPN (@espn) December 12, 2024
Next stop: Las Vegas 💰 pic.twitter.com/M707Rgvl0W
MSG's Alan Hahn asked Jalen Brunson postgame if what Young did bothered him, and the Knicks point guard answered honestly.
Jalen Brunson was asked about Trae Young rolling dice on the Knicks logo while dribbling the clock out:
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 12, 2024
"We should win the game if we don't want him to do that" pic.twitter.com/hShFpY1L19
Brunson's right. Was it annoying for New York fans to watch Young celebrate? Absolutely. However, Young earned the right to do so. Like Brunson said, the Knicks should've won if they didn't want Young to celebrate.
Brunson shows yet again why he's the right player to lead the Knicks
Brunson could've taken a jab at Young, but that's not the kind of person he is. He's not a sore loser. He takes accountability, especially on a night when he or the team didn't shoot the ball well.
Jalen Brunson on the Knicks' struggles from deep affecting the defense:
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 12, 2024
"It shouldn't, but we're all human. That shouldn't happen. At the end of the day we can't let missed shots affect our defense" pic.twitter.com/DPNYDJjgsy
Young and the Hawks earned the win. Losing is never fun, especially when it comes to losing to Atlanta. The media likes to act like Young has never lost to the Knicks, but his record against New York is 7-14. The NBA Cup isn't a do-or-die scenario for New York, but it certainly doesn't help that the Hawks eliminated the Knicks from advancing to Vegas. It gave Young another win to boast about.
Although a trip to the semifinals will not be on the line when Atlanta plays at MSG on Jan. 20, New York should be no less motivated to beat the Hawks. Wednesday's loss will sting for a while.
The Knicks are 0-2 against the Hawks this season after collapsing in Atlanta in November. New York will play Atlanta three more times this season, so the Knicks could still finish with a better regular-season head-to-head record.
New York isn't focused on its upcoming game against Atlanta. Instead, the Knicks are focused on the Magic, the team they'll play on Sunday. Consistency is an issue for New York, so let's see how the Knicks will respond after dropping a very winnable game against the Hawks.