The New York Knicks are in a must-win situation in Game 5 against the Atlanta Hawks as Julius Randle and Derrick Rose are suddenly on the brink of elimination. Madison Square Garden was rocking, and things got a little heated early on in the all-important Game 5.

Emotions must have circled back from the end of Game 4 in Atlanta when Randle was called for a flagrant foul on Danilo Gallinari. In the days leading up to Game 5, Hawks center Clint Capela issued some interesting comments about the Knicks.

As a form of rebuttal, Rose and Randle issued their sentiments, although they both held back their true feelings and were solely focused on finding a way to win Game 5 and extend their season for at least another couple of days.

The first half was no exception as Randle threw an elbow and both teams have instilled a bit of a rivalry between the 4th and 5th seeded squads in the Eastern Conference.

At the end of the half, a couple of players from each side got involved in altercations on their way to the locker room with the Hawks up 52-47 after two quarters.

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The second half should be a fun one and this probably won't be the last altercation between the two sides as emotions run high in a potential close-out game.