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Trae Young and Reggie Miller Had a Blast Taunting and Tormenting New York: TRAINA THOUGHTS

Trae Young took a bow, Reggie Miller mocked Spike Lee as Hawks eliminated Knicks from 2021 NBA playoffs.

Jimmy Traina

1. It was the perfect storm at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.

Hawks point guard Trae Young cemented his status as a New York villain while Reggie Miller called the action.

Miller, who stuck a few daggers into the Knicks and their fans in the ‘90s, gleefully twisted the knife a few times.

First was this ruthless line after New York’s Reggie Bullock sank a few three-pointers.

Then Miller went after his old friend Spike Lee for leaving the building early as the Knicks were getting blown out.

Of course, the big reason the Knicks were thumped Wednesday and lost their series to the Hawks, 4–1, was Young.

And while Miller famously went with a choke sign while knocking the Knicks out of the playoffs back in the day, Young opted for a bow.

After the game, Young dropped this great quote to explain the bow and then took to Twitter to put the final nail in New York’s coffin:

Many folks were amused by the Young-Miller similarities.

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2. A brand new Sports Illustrated Media Podcast dropped this morning, and it features two guests.

First up is ESPN's Doris Burke. The NBA analyst discusses the disturbing trend of disgusting fan behavior at games, whether the fans are too close to the players and how this was a concern for David Stern. Burke also talks about her bout with COVID-19 and having symptoms for nine months. Other topics discussed include whether the Nets are about to prove the NBA regular season is meaningless, whether calling the NBA Finals on television is a goal for her, still feeling resistance from men who don't want women broadcasting sports and much more.

Following Burke, Giants third baseman Evan Longoria joins the podcast to share his thoughts on Major League Baseball's unwritten rules. Do any unwritten rules make sense? Is throwing at a player rational retaliation? What do players feel about unwritten rules? Longoria also talks about getting into the trading card craze during the pandemic and what he enjoys about the hobby.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Stitcher.

3. Stephen A. Smith was livid Wednesday after the Celtics promoted Brad Stevens to president of basketball operations. 

4. Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies made sure the Nationals' Victor Robles was O.K. after Robles got hit by a pitch Wednesday night.

5. I have no idea what's going on with the WWE right now, but it's a wild time for the company.

A lot of people think Vince McMahon is getting ready to sell the company, which would be beyond stunning. 

I thought former WWE star CM Punk perfectly summed up what's going on right now.

6. The NBA hasn't gotten back to pre-pandemic viewership numbers, but the 2021 playoffs are up big compared to last year's bubble playoffs.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: It's a big day in movie history.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Stitcher. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.

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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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