They’re back: Knicks, Hawks to return with big playoff crowd

NEW YORK (AP) It’s being hyped as the largest indoor event in New York since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, with a crowd of 15,000 expected at Madison Square Garden. For a long time, like back when Tom Thibodeau was an assistant coach with the Knicks in the late 1990s, playoff games were a routine part of spring time in New York. Now, after seven silent seasons, Game 1 of a first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night is shaping up as a Garden party.