ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks interim coach Nate McMillan was fined $25,000 by the NBA after saying the league is rooting for the success of the New York Knicks and implying his team may struggle to get calls in the opening round of the playoffs. The Hawks face the Knicks in a best-of-seven series that begins Sunday at Madison Square Garden. McMillan called the Knicks one of the league’s glamour franchises, even though this is New York’s first appearance in the playoffs since 2013. McMillan said he put his team through a grueling practice where most of the officials’ calls were going against them, insinuating it will be that way in the opening round.
