"One team's gotta beat the other team for a rivalry."
That was the comment jokingly uttered by Atlanta Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk while previewing this weekend's home game against the New York Knicks.
The rivalry between the Hawks and Knicks really heated up recently due to the 2021 first-round playoff series between the two teams and the role that Hawks superstar Trae Young played in those meetings.
While the Hawks got the better of the Knicks in last season's playoffs, eliminating New York in five games, the Knicks actually won all three regular-season meetings between the two teams.
In fact, the Knicks have won eight of the last 10 regular season games against Atlanta.
Of course, Hawks superstar Trae Young spent some time in the offseason riling up the Madison Square Garden faithful.
After cracking the joke, Travis Schlenk answered the question about the Knicks coming to State Farm Arena a bit more seriously.
"They are a good team, they play hard, they're well coached," the Hawks GM said. "So it's going to be a physical game, certainly a game we have to bring our "A" game to."
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The Hawks host the Knicks on Saturday evening with a tip-time of 6:30 p.m. ET.