Are the New York Knicks given preferential treatment? Hawks coach has to pay a fine

Nate McMillan, the Atlanta Hawks’ coach, is asked to cash out by the NBA. The reason for the fine was because of statements by McMillan, who indicated that the NBA would like to see successful New York Knicks and that his team could be disadvantaged in the upcoming playoff series.

McMillan faces a $ 25,000 fine for his testimony. On Wednesday, the coach said in a zoom call with the media that the NBA would like to see the Knicks in the playoffs and that he had already spoken to his team about it.

“I told them the league wanted this,” said McMillan. “You need New York, it’s a big market and New York hasn’t been in the playoffs for many years. This is a team that you like to see. They have a lot of fans and that’s why they want New York in the playoffs.”

For McMillan, it is also a sign of the Knicks’ popularity that Game 1 of the series has been moved to Sunday. “Everyone is betting on New York and a lot of people want to see New York in the playoffs. It’s going to be a fight for us to play New York with all the things that come with it.”

The coach’s statement that “there will be a lot of calls that will probably not be to our advantage” was probably also problematic. McMillan appealed to his team to keep calm. The 56-year-old took over for Lloyd Pierce during the season and led Atlanta to fifth in the Eastern Conference with 27 wins from 38 games. Game 1 against the Knicks takes place in Madison Square Garden on Monday night at 1 a.m. German time.