Trae Young became an instant villain after silencing the Knicks and the MSG crowd when he hit a floater to lift the Hawks in Game 1. While the shot was enough to break Knicks’ fans hearts, it was Young’s gesture, “It’s quiet as f— in here,” to the crowd that made him the newest villain at the Garden joining the likes of Michael Jordan, Reggie Miller, Alonzo Mourning and Kobe Bryant.
So who is the best Knicks villain of all time? The Crossover made their picks.
Michael Shapiro
Does Amar’e Stoudemire’s fire extinguisher count?
Jokes aside, it’s hard to select anyone other than Reggie Miller here. Miller tormented the Knicks in the 1990s with an unmatched gravitas, taunting Spike Lee and the New York crowd at every possible opportunity. Michael Jordan buried the Knicks plenty of times, and Alonzo Mourning dragged Jeff Van Gundy across the MSG floor. But neither Hall of Famer can match Miller’s villainous ways at the Mecca.
Michael Pina
If I were a Knicks fan, the only answer here would be Michael Jordan, who faced New York in five playoff series and advanced to the next round every time. The soul-crippling classic in 1992, in which MJ finished Game 7 with 42 points in 42 minutes, was pure devastation. Jordan was more conqueror than rival, and there are millions of Knicks fans who still haven’t recovered from some of the beatdowns he delivered. Sounds like a pretty good villain to me!
Elizabeth Swinton
Michael Jordan can easily take this title as well, but Reggie Miller is known as “Knick Killer” for a reason. His “eight points in nine seconds” performance against the Knicks in the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals was legendary while he continually feasted against New York, particularly in the postseason. Miller had nine 30-point playoff games against the Knicks as the rivalry intensified throughout his career.
Jarrel Harris
I assume the majority of the staff is going to say Reggie Miller, but I will pick the guy who brought villain-like fear to the Garden and was a huge reason why Patrick Ewing and the Knicks went ringless in the 1990s. There are reports that MJ even considered signing with the Knicks in the ’96 offseason before returning to the Bulls and winning more championships.
Robin Lundberg
The real answer to this question is James Dolan, but given the season they’ve had, I’ll answer this in the right spirit and go with Reggie Miller. Not only did he have the iconic feud with Spike Lee, but unlike with Michael Jordan and the Bulls, the Pacers and Knicks of that era were actually peers. And it’s a testament to the power of Madison Square Garden and Knicks fans given that moment lives on and how Trae Young became a new villain almost instantly.
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