When the Atlanta Hawks defeated the New York Knicks in the first round of the 2021 playoffs, a new villain was born in the world of New York sports (as seen in the video above). And every time that villain was set to come to Madison Square Garden from that point, a showdown was bound to occur.
Unfortunately, Young remained in COVID-19 protocols for the teams' Christmas Day game and so he couldn't be there in a game that the Knicks ultimately won by double-digits... but the fans at MSG certainly didn't act as if he was out of the building.
Right before halftime, fans throughout MSG started a not-so-nice and NSFW chant referencing Young, and a chant that we unsurprisingly have heard before (and will probably hear again).
Oh... and, and by "probably," I meant definitely. Because at the end of the game, with just minutes remaining, they started up again. And with the safety of a practically insurmountable lead, they got louder.
Young was evidently tuning into the game and he took note of the chants, though he didn't seem all that offended. Instead, he might have had the same mentality as when he reached top villain status in New York, embracing the role.
Had he been able to participate, the outcome might have looked a whole lot different — after all, a player averaging 27.3 points and 9.3 assists per game is no small void to have to replace. Instead, it was a point guard on the other side who continued a remarkable bounce-back tour with a triple-double.
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