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The NBA playoffs are different when the New York Knicks participate.
The Knicks are in the conversation to represent the Eastern Conference for the first time since 1999, but first they have to get past the Atlanta Hawks.
The Knicks and Hawks have had a bit of a rivalry since the 2021 postseason after Trae Young became a Knicks killer and their biggest enemy.
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Kazeem Famuyide and The Kid Mero attend Netflix’s New York Premiere “The Rip” at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on January 13, 2026 in New York City. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
The teams will begin their series on Saturday at Madison Square Garden, but for New York radio host Kazeem Famuyide, the battle began several days ago.
Famuyide, part of “Mornings with Mero” on famed New York hip-hop station Hot 97, said Monday that his station “should not air Atlanta artists until the series ends.”
That means no Usher, Ludacris, TI, Lil Baby and many others.
“The first day of my music protest in Atlanta starts today, we won’t try to hear ANY of it until the first round lol,” Famuyide posted on X the next day.
Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks dribbles the ball during the first quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Madison Square Garden on March 24, 2026 in New York City. (Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
The station went down in Atlanta on Monday and Famuyide said the music was “still good and current.”
The Athletic noted that Famuyide said he wanted to “show some solidarity with New York” on Friday’s show. Famuyike also hosts a podcast with Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony.
If Atlanta decides to resist the same protest, they would be denying some of the greatest artists of all time, including The Notorious BIG, JAY-Z, Nas and Fabolous.
A general view of the New York Knicks logo before a game against the Los Angeles Lakers on February 6, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE)
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani weighed in on the Knicks-Hawks rivalry earlier this week, blaming the aforementioned Young for expensive playoff tickets at the Garden. Young, however, no longer plays for the Hawks.
The Hawks defeated the Knicks in five games in their last playoff game. New York has third place in the conference, while Atlanta finished sixth.
