When the New York Knicks traded Kristaps Porzingis during the 2018-19 season after Porzingis' trade request, the ever-so passionate Knicks fan base instantly turned on their 2015 No. 4 overall pick. In fact, whenever Porzingis visits New York, he still draws a ton of boos from The Madison Square Garden crowd.
That, however, wasn't the case with some New York fans that watched the game when the Knicks paid a visit to Dallas on Friday. According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, some Knicks fans, who watched their squad take a 117-109 road victory at American Airlines Center, apparently still have some love for the Latvian star. Interestingly, it came after their star Julius Randle lit up Porzingis to the tune of 44 points.
If the Knicks hadn’t traded Porzingis, who shot 8-for-20 for 23 points, they likely would never have signed Randle. But a gaggle of blue-clad Knicks fans hung around after the final buzzer and were cheering and yelling encouragement toward Porzingis, who went over to the sideline to wave, smile and point.
This is definitely an odd image, considering just how passionate Knicks fans are with their team. Nonetheless, it's probable that, as people from Dallas, they still have a ton of support for Porzingis, who just had a rough night against his former squad. It also must've been frustrating for Porzingis to have Randle, the player that eventually replaced him as the guy in New York — and a Dallas-native as well — put in some massive work against him on Friday night.
A lot have criticized Porzingis this season, especially with regards to his defense. Still, the 7-foot-3 unicorn is putting up pretty stellar numbers in his second season with the Mavericks. On the year, Porzingis is averaging 20.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks, while shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from long distance.
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