Hawks’ Head Coach Made Enemies in New York for This Comment

Atlanta Hawks' interim head coach Nate McMillan wasn't going to have a lot of fans cheering his name at Madison Square Garden this weekend to begin with. After what he told the media over Zoom earlier this week, that number shrunk even smaller.

McMillan was fined by the NBA yesterday for comments he made "asserting bias by the NBA relating to the 2020-21 Playoffs." McMillan's fine stems from comments he made about the NBA and their relationship from the New York Knicks, asserting the league may have had a hand in them making the playoff and, specifically, his Hawks.

So, let's dive into his comments, and see if his assertions hold any weight.

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Basically, I've gone as far as saying the league wants this," he said. "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." - ESPN

Oh boy. Oh goodness. Oh lord. He really went there.

Look, I completely understand that New York is the biggest media market in the United States, and therefore, carries the most weight in the sports world. To a man, everyone in the NBA league office would've preferred having the Knicks be competitive every year.

But we're REALLY going to sit here and say that you expect referee calls not to go your team's way in the series? REALLY?? Come on, Nate. Be better than this. The Knicks were able to get into the playoffs ahead of your Hawks with a young roster, and a few well-used veterans, deployed by a seasoned NBA coach. I have trouble believing this upstart team would've missed the playoffs if the NBA "hadn't intervened."

Just you wait, Knicks fans. If the Hawks lose, McMillan will be back and louder than ever.