Clint Capela Unimpressed by Knicks' Tough Guy Act
By Liam McKeone

The New York Knicks have their backs against the wall in the first round of the NBA playoffs. They're down 3-1 to the Atlanta Hawks, heading back to Madison Square Garden for a series-deciding Game 5. It's been a fun and surprising run to the playoffs for the orange and blue, but unless Julius Randle and his teammates kick it up a notch, it will come to a sooner end than many hoped.
The last few games have gotten rather physical between the two teams, especially at the end of Game 4, when Reggie Bullock tried to charge the Hawks bench and Randle committed a blatant flagrant on Danilo Gallinari with only minutes remaining in the blowout loss. It's chippy playoff basketball, simply put.
Clint Capela was not duly impressed by the display the Knicks have put on during this playoff series. He said as much to media today and essentially called them out for being fake tough guys.
ATL’s Clint Capela says NYK is “trying to play physical” but “it’s not working.”
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) June 1, 2021
“They’re trying to play tough, push our guys around & talk s-t but we can do that too”
“We’re coming to your home to win this game again & send you on vacation”
Full quote: pic.twitter.com/sOyxvNn6Ij
Well, well. Tell us how you really feel, Clint!
Gotta love it. Postseason play is when everybody gets too familiar with the opponent after playing game after game against the same team with the highest stakes possible and a tighter whistle. Rivalries are born. Trash is talked. Elbows are thrown. It's glorious. Great to see Capela leaning all the way into this.
Now he just needs to back that up by actually sending the Knicks on vacation tomorrow night. Otherwise he just gave prime bulletin board material to Tom Thibodeau's squad for nothing.