“New York Knicks’ biggest rival is their fans itself”: Gilbert Arenas makes bold claim about the New York fans attitude in Madison Square Garden during Knicks’ home games

Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas claims that the Knicks biggest detriment is its own fans and how certain players cannot deal with the pressure.

After making the playoffs for the first time in years, the New York Knicks and its fans are full of new energy and hope. Moreover, finally have a future they can look forward to. However, this was always not the case.

The fanbase, who has watched their team fail and be bottom feeders since they learned to walk. As a result of their team being not very good, the New York fans have a reputation for booing their own players. Carmelo Anthony was a victim of such harsh criticism. Melo comments on this in an interview –

“You’ve got to be cut from a different cloth to take this day in and day out. To deal with this all day long, every day. You’ve got to take the good with the bad. I don’t know how I do it, but I do it.”

However, it is not the only home players that receive this treatment. MSG fans have been overly hostile to opposition players as well. Recently, fans were chanting “F**k Trae Young” after the young star silenced the Garden by putting up a memorable performance in the playoffs last year.

 

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Gilbert Arenas elaborates on the Knicks fans’ hostile atmosphere in the Garden

In fact, former Knicks player Gilbert Arenas recently made a rather shocking statement about the fans. Elaborating about the same on No Chill with Gilbert Arenas.

“You know, so it’s one of those things is that New York’s biggest rival is New York fans, that’s their biggest rival. If those two can actually figure out how to coexist in the same building, it’d be hard to beat New York.”

He further explains –

Getting booed on the road means I’m killing you. You don’t like me because what I do. Getting booed at home in reality is you don’t like me.

Gilbert Arenas said that not every player can deal with this pressure. Players usually expect to be loved, embraced and cheered on home court. Not all can deal with that kind of stress of being booed by your own fans. The former All-Star cites Westbrook as someone who would do well under the pressure put on by the Knick fans.

Maybe there is some truth to this statement. That could be a possible reason why the Knicks and Julius Randle crumbled in the playoffs last year. There was so much pressure on them, both from fans and media alike.

We’ll see how it holds up, and if the culture within the fanbase will ever “evolve” and change with times.

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