New York state governor Andrew Cuomo is mandating half of Madison Square Garden's seating capacity be reserved for vaccinated fans as the Knicks prepare to host the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs.

Cuomo announced a new state policy asserting at least 50 percent of available seats must go to fans who have received COVID-19 shots. He added the Knicks could choose to increase the threshold if it so chooses:

“You can go to 100 percent vaccinated,” Cuomo said Monday, via Nick Garber of The Patch. “We want to encourage people to get vaccinated.”

Cuomo added the same policy will be in effect for the Brooklyn Nets as they host their first-round opponent at the Barclays Center.

Knicks owner James Dolan previously said Madison Square Garden would be able to host up to 13,000 fans for the team's matchup with the Atlanta Hawks. At least 6,500 will need to be vaccinated. Unvaccinated fans will have their own section and maintain social distancing procedures, per The Patch.

New York clinched the No. 4 seed and home-court advantage in the first round with a win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday.

Madison Square Garden should be rocking when the series gets underway this weekend. The Knicks are making their first playoff appearance since the 2012-13 season, when Carmelo Anthony and Co. led also led the team to a series victory.

The Hawks should pose an interesting test for head coach Tom Thibodeau's team. The Knicks went 3-0 against the Hawks during the regular season, but the playoffs are like another season entirely.

Regardless, MSG very well could be a madhouse for the first couple games of the series.