Trae Young has singlehandedly crushed the hearts and souls of basketball fans across the Northeast. In last postseason’s magical run, Ice Trae ended The Process and sent Ben Simmons into a spiral that he still hasn’t risen from. Philly ended up trading Simmons and Seth Curry for James Harden. In hindsight, it was a terrible decision; Harden seemed to be a shell of himself in the series against the Heat, and the Sixers are right back where they were last year — sitting at home after the second round of the playoffs.
But before that series, Atlanta shattered the souls of New Yorkers, who hadn’t been to the postseason in nearly a decade. In Young’s first playoff game, he dropped 32 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. It was his stage, and Knicks fans had a front row seat. The superstar point guard finished the series averaging 29.2 points and 9.8 assists on 44.1% shooting from the field, but a few individual moments in the grand arena of Madison Square Garden are what sparked the heated rivalry.
The people of New York vs. Trae Young is one of the most fascinating relationships in all of sports. Not only do Knicks fans voice their displeasure towards Young, but every New Yorker ever seems to have something to say about the generational point guard. On JJ Reddick’s The Old Man and the Three podcast, Young discusses the hate he receives.
Young is a killer, and even though he faltered this postseason against the Heat, nobody should forget what he did a year ago. The Hawks will reload around Young offseason after offseason until they get back to the Conference Finals and eventually the NBA Finals. It’s just the beginning for the young man from Norman, Oklahoma.
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