“Worry About Trae’s Safety”: Trae Young Provokes a Divide in NBA World With Controversial Celebration

It has happened again. The Atlanta Hawks have beaten the New York Knicks in another elimination matchup. Trae Young and the Knicks have a heated rivalry. It all started in the 2021 playoffs when Young dominated the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. He dropped 32 points and 10 assists, silencing the crowd with his iconic shushing gesture. The Hawks ended up winning the series, with Young averaging a ridiculous 29.2 points per game.

Since then, the rivalry has only intensified. And once again, Ice Trae has all the bragging rights.

The Hawks scored 108 to the Knicks 100. It wasn’t Young’s best shooting night, but he still put up 22 points and 11 assists. His playmaking was key in the second half as the Hawks rallied for a big win at MSG.

Young was feeling himself after the Hawks’ win over the Knicks. He pulled off a funny little trick, pretending to roll the dice on the Knicks’ logo. It was a playful taunt that got a lot of people talking. He loves to rub it in when the Knicks lose. And fans have a jolly good time seeing this rivalry!

Fans obviously had to express themselves after the Knicks were knocked out and Young did this gesture in New York.

Some fans in support, some in opposition

“Ok now I’m starting to worry about Trae’s safety in NYC after he did that *skull emoji*” said one fan and rightly so. It’s clear that Young enjoys getting under the skin of Knicks fans, and he’s become the villain they love to hate. The rivalry between Young and the Knicks is one of the most intense in the NBA right now, and it’s only going to get more heated in the future. It is a little exaggerated but the hate is strong.

Young has dished out the talk and backed it up. “Trae owns the Knicks *laughing emoji*” expressed one user. Young has indeed owned the Knicks in recent years. He has consistently dominated the Knicks, averaging 25.4 points and 9.6 assists against them. His ability to score from anywhere on the court and his knack for drawing fouls have made him a nightmare for the Knicks’ defense.

Some fans thought his performance wasn’t worthy of this celebration. One netizen wrote “That’s not the most respectful thing he could do lol! He better drop 30 and win or that looks like a poor choice”. Young attempted 8 three pointers but made only 2. He went 8 of 22 from the field, which is just 36.4 %. But he did take over in the third quarter. He scored 12 points and led the Hawks on a big run to erase a double-digit deficit. So do you think this celebration was warranted?

Another netizen wrote “knicks not have an enforcer on the team? no way that gets done on my teams home court *laughing emoji*”. This highlights a glaring issue with the Knicks’ roster construction: the absence of a true enforcer or physical presence to protect their home court. Historically, successful teams have relied on enforcers to set a tone of toughness and hold opponents accountable for on-court antics.

Mitchell Robinson has size and defensive prowess, but his game centers more on rim protection than imposing intimidation. But he out for this match. This void allowed Young to comfortably make his statement, a stark contrast to what might have happened in past eras.

“In Ohio this would now be a felony, I believe.” But thanks to this victory, the Hawks and Young will be heading to Las Vegas, where this is completely legal. They face the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo on Saturday afternoon. If they win they go the finals of the NBA Cup.

What do you think will the Hawks make it to the finals?