The New York Knicks are known to have one of the most passionate fanbases in all of sports. However, Gilbert Arenas shared one fatal flaw with the Knicks faithful that might be holding back the city’s basketball franchise. They’ll cheer for an offensive explosion no matter which team it’s coming from.
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“The only flaw of a Knicks fan is they love basketball. That’s the negative, it doesn’t matter who has given them the great basketball is the problem,” the former Washington Wizard said on his podcast, Gil’s Arena.
While Gil praised the fanbase for being basketball purists, he underlined how the crowd’s fickle nature at Madison Square Garden often affect the morale of the home team. “Because imagine you’re a Knick point guard and Steph Curry’s coming in there. Steph Curry hits a few threes, Knicks fans is, ‘Oh, sh*t’. So, they’re cheering. This is not how to do it,” Arenas added.
“Like I know you enjoy the greatness of the game itself cause you’re a purist. But y’all don’t know how to be fans. You supposed to be booing that man [Curry],” Arenas concluded.
“You’re supposed to be booing [Steph Curry]. F*ck him!”
New Yorkers don’t know how to be proper Knicks fans pic.twitter.com/yAU46oDNZW
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) December 15, 2024
But while Arenas’ sentiment may be true in general, New York is also known for its hostility to other teams. The Knicks’ first-round series against Trae Young’s Atlanta Hawks in 2021 is a prime example of that, when ‘F*ck Trae Young‘ chants reverberated around MSG throughout the series.
In addition, New York is not the only opposing crowd Curry garnered cheers from.
Stephen Curry has heard MVP chants in multiple cities
Gilbert Arenas made a reasonable argument against Knicks fans cheering on opposing stars, but Curry has proven to be a leaguewide exception to boos when the Warriors travel on the road. In fact, the 36-year-old has received MVP chants on several occasions in rival cities, especially during Steph’s first season back from injury in 2020-21.
Chef Curry was notably greeted with admiration in back-to-back road matchups against the Brooklyn Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers respectively. Even Cavs fans, who have been defeated in crushing fashion numerous times in the NBA Finals at the hands of Curry and the Warriors, couldn’t help but to heap praise on the future Hall of Famer.
Even during the Dubs’ most recent title run in 2022, Curry was getting swarmed by fans in Boston looking to get an autograph from the legendary point guard.