After an underwhelming presence in Game 3, Knicks fans turned State Farm Arena into Madison Square Garden South in Game 4.
They were not as raucous or as strong in numbers during the Knicks loss in Game 3. In Game 4, however, it was a different story.
They certainly were loud.
“It’s one of the coolest things that I will always remember when I’m done playing, is how crazy these Knicks fans travel,” Jalen Brunson said. “Whether they live here now or whatever, they know how to attack an away stadium. And it’s a really cool sight to see.”
There were noticeable crowd pops when the Knicks scored and went on runs. You could hear them chanting “de-fense” when the Knicks were on that end of the court. They even booed CJ McCollum, who was playing in what was supposed to be his home arena.
Hawks fans tried to drown them out. But given the one-sided nature of Game 4, that proved difficult.
“Knicks fans travel all around the world,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “It’s even more special — I already knew how special the Knicks fans were from last year, but to be going to Abu Dhabi in preseason and see the stadium packed with Knicks fans is crazy. So, they travel around the world. They bring us so much love and energy and just passion that you can just feel that kind of passion in the building and it helps us feel like every game we play, no matter if it’s away or in Abu Dhabi, around the world, it’s a home game.”
After their Game 4 win, the Knicks had wings from Magic City Strip Club, a staple in Atlanta, in the locker room.
Later, Magic City posted on Instagram: “We don’t wanna take credit for the win…. But …”
Ex-Knick Carmelo Anthony, a studio analyst for NBC, has been critical of Towns this year.
But after his Game 4 triple-double, Anthony gave Towns his flowers.
“We talk about KAT, about what we always want to see from KAT,” Anthony said on the network. “From him today to lead the team by his passing, by his aggressiveness and then took advantage of the defense when he could. He just played a complete game.”
