Hawks' Trae Young: Negative Comments from Fans in Knicks Series a Sign of 'Respect'

Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young took it as a badge of honor that he became a hated figure in Madison Square Garden during the team's playoff series against the New York Knicks. 

Appearing on V103's The Big Tigger Morning Show (starts at 1:10 mark), Young called the booing and negative comments he heard from Knicks fans "a sign of respect."

Young immediately made himself a villain in Madison Square Garden with his game-winning floater in the final seconds of Game 1 against the Knicks. He followed that up by putting his index finger to his mouth in the universal symbol to quiet down.

Knicks fans started the rivalry before that game with a series of colorful chants about the All-Star guard as they were entering the arena for the first game of the series. 

The negative response to Young got out of hand at one point in Game 2. The Knicks announced that a fan who spit on the Hawks star during New York's 101-92 win on May 26 was banned from MSG indefinitely. 

After the Hawks won Games 3 and 4 at home, Young put a final exclamation point on the series when he took a bow late in the fourth quarter of the series-clinching win at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. 

It was an unceremonious ending for the Knicks, who made their first playoff appearance since the 2012-13 season. 

Meanwhile, Young and the Hawks will take on the Philadelphia 76ers starting Sunday at 1 p.m. ET in the Eastern Conference semifinals.