So far this spring weve had two different sets of four: four straight nights when the Knicks and the Rangers alternated games over the course of . It will not surprise you to learn that the teams went 4-0 the first time (the while the Rangers did likewise to the Capitals) and 4-0 the second time (the Rangers grinding past the Hurricanes and the Knicks grimacing past the Pacers). Im often asked by reporters and talk-show hosts and out-of-town friends: Wheres the best place to watch a big game in Greater New York. And the fact is, there arent too many terrible options (well maybe one terrible one. Well get to that one soon enough). But this is how I always rank them: 1A. MSG, Knicks 1B. MSG, Rangers More From Mike Vaccaro Honestly, the one that gets the edge is probably due to your own personal favorite, because even 56 years after the fourth version of the Garden was built, its a place that gets louder than any other in New York (now that the acoustical wonders of Old Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium are gone, anyway). The Knicks enjoy quite the home-court advantage at Madison Square Garden. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Each experience is unique. The extended chant, and accompanying towel waving, after the Rangers score a goal never fails to astound in its length and gravity. And when the Knicks hit a big shot at the end of a playoff game, there is no singular sound quite like it anywhere else in New York. The fact its the been the last sporting playpen on Manhattan Island since the Mets abandoned the Polo Grounds in 1963 helps, too. 2. Citi Field The sad truth of the Mets is that theyve hosted a total of just 11 home playoff games in the 15 years since the place opened for busine s in 2009, and the results havent exactly been satisfying: five wins, six lo ses. But every one of those games at least hinted at the way Shea used to feel, without the requisite lower-stands rocking that always made you feel Shea was about to collapse in big moments. The Mets enjoy a nice home park at Citi Field. Bill Kostroun/New York Post 3. Yankee Stadium The acoustics in the new place simply arent what they were acro s the street when a crowd of 20,000 could still sound like 55,000 and a crowd of 55,000 might leave you asking friends to repeat themselves for three weeks, itd maul your eardrums so much. Though the thunder isnt as loud, its still Michael Jordan Jersey the most end-to-end engagement of any fan experience in town, from roll call at the start to throwing home run balls back to New York, New York at the end. 4. UBS Arena Its a beautiful building, and when the Islanders are playing a big game there, its hard not to get chills when the fans all rise to sing along to the national anthem. It follows that this should eventually become a tough place for a playoff foe to play, just not yet (2-3). 5. Red Bull Arena The hidden gem of area arenas and stadiums. Even if you are only a moderate soccer fan, its worth the trip to Harrison, N.J. New York Red Bulls midfielder Lewis Morgan (9) celebrates his goal against Vancouver Whitecaps FC during the second half at Red Bull Arena. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con 6. Barclays Center There were a few moments during the 2021 playoffs when it was hard to hear yourself think as the Nets came ever so close to the Eastern Conference finals. But its primary tenant is the Nets, and its secondary tenant, the Islanders, couldnt run away fast enough. 7. Prudential Center Theres nothing at all wrong with The Pru, especially when the Devils and Rangers electrified the place for four games last spring though it suffers from not having an NBA team. If Seton Hall ever rose to tough-ticket status, that could change things. 8Y. MetLife Stadium, Giants 8Z. MetLife Stadium, Jets MetLife Stadium is not usually viewed as a fan favorite. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post There are few things Jets and Giants fans can agree on. One is how fundamentally underwhelming MetLife is, which has been a virtual consensus since the day its doors opened in 2009. Part of this is the architecture: It looks like a stack of venetian blinds. Part is stadium envy: Its impo sible to believe the Cowboys could have built the palace they play in at the exact same time this was. And it hasnt helped that in 15 years of life, the building has hosted exactly one playoff game Giants 24, Falcons 2 on Jan. 8, 2011 and all that did was remind all 79,909 that they werent in Giants Stadium any longer. Vac whacks I can tell you from experience: One of the great challenges during the pandemic was generating sports content with no sports being played. My pal Joel Sherman rose to this with his brilliant series revisiting the epically brutal 1990 Yankees, out of whose dust a dynasty was born, and May 16 you can see the adaptation of that The show will be streaming on Peacock. Our guy Jay Horwitz took a temporary leave from baseball on his latest Amazin Stories podcast and asked Earl Monroe to talk . Jalen has great moves, his footwork is tremendous, Monroe says, which coming from Pearl is like Billy Joel telling a kid on a keyboard he can tickle the ivories a little bit. Im a Long Island kid, where most babies get their first lax stick in the cradle, so this is big news: New York State is guaranteed a championship. Starting next Friday, the Albany Firewolves and Buffalo Bandits begin their best-of-three National Lacro se League championship series at Albanys MVP Arena. I wish William Goldman couldve seen these Knicks. He endured a lot of years of Arron Afflalo and Langston Galloway and Jerome James. This wouldve been a fair payoff. Whack back at Vac Joel Tanenbaum : , Josh Hart vows to play 96 minutes. Vac : As my old man used to say: If he couldst, he wouldst. Phil MacDonald : Kevin Durant the coach killer does it again. Vac : This does beg the question: Whatever would happen if Jason Kidd the original coach-killer extraordinaire actually, you know, COACHED Durant, who has actually shattered all of Kidds coach-killing records? Mike Budenholzer is joining the Suns as their head coach. AP @MitchVisiob84 : Cleveland gets the first pick when generational local comes around. New Orleans gets it after its generational talent demands out. San Antonio gets gifted multiple No. 1s to stay relevant. But yeah, the Knicks finally got some calls in their favor. World on fire. @MikeVacc : Preach, Brother Mitch. Preach. Alan Hirschberg : Rick Pitino said of : Hes a jump shot away from playing for the Knicks. If he really wanted to play for the Knicks, hed be transferring to Villanova. Vac : It was sitting there for all of us, but it was Alan who pounced. Well done. Thomas Bryant Jersey