The NBA did not seem to be a fan of what Atlanta Hawks head coach Nate McMillan said about the league and the Knicks.
McMillan was fined $25,000 by the league for “detrimental public comments asserting bias,” the league announced on Thursday.
McMillan had recently said he addressed his team about how the league wants the Knicks in the playoffs as a sort of rallying cry, as well as going over what advantages and disadvantages may come with that as they prepare to face them in the first round starting on Sunday.
“Absolutely, I’ve talked about that to the team a lot,” he said, via Peter Botte of the New York Post. “I’ve gone as far as saying the league wants this. They need this, New York, this is a big market for the league, and New York has been out of the playoffs for a number of years.
“And this is a team that our league, they want to see — there’s a huge fan base — and they want to see New York in the playoffs.”
McMillan also pointed to the fact that the first-round matchup between his team and the Knicks was moved to a more favorable time slot on Sunday.
“So, yes, we have talked about that, about the advantages of this situation and some things that we’re going to have to face, going into [Game 1], with everyone picking New York to win and a lot of folks wanting to see New York in the playoffs,” he continued. “It’s a battle, it’s a challenge, just playing New York, all that comes with it. … They’ve had a really good season, and I think the NBA is excited about having them back in the playoffs.”
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The Knicks are in the playoffs for the first time since 2013 and clinched the No. 4 seed to give them home-court advantage in their first-round series against the Hawks.
The Hawks finished with the same record as the Knicks — 41-31 — but lost in each of their three matchups with New York.
The series will tip off on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
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