Can the 25-26 Knicks Tie Their First Round Series with the Hawks in Game Four?
On April 23rd, the New York Knicks went down 2-1 in their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks. With Game Four on Saturday, the Knicks look to turn their fortunes around and tie the series at two games apiece. With the Hawks at home, this puts all the pressure on New York to get the win on the road and have the series tied heading back to MSG. Atlanta’s mix of young and veteran players has shown to prosper since the NBA Trade Deadline, and they’ve been clicking on all cylinders, while New York has struggled to find rhythm, momentum, and a winning drive. In both Games Two and Three, the Knicks fell short by just one point. If they want to win this series, they’ll need to go all out in these next few games.
For New York, Mikal Bridges needs to find his groove again. He’s struggled throughout this series and went scoreless in Game Three's loss. The Knicks ‘Iron Man’ needs to figure out his glaring weaknesses and fix them before it’s too late. That means being confident on the offensive end and not letting the play of Atlanta’s scorers, such as CJ McCollum or Jalen Johnson, affect his play on defense. Also, this Knicks team needs to do a better job overall shooting the ball from beyond the arc. Four Knicks could not find their shot from three. That will be a huge issue New York needs to address before Game Four. Finally, the play of Karl-Anthony Towns will be huge. If he is not consistent, if he does not get at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, there’s a glaring issue, especially with him supposedly being the Knicks second scoring option.
Atlanta needs to continue to put pressure on the Knicks. The Hawks must force New York to commit easy turnovers, silly fouls, and be off-balance the entire night in Game Four. McCollum has been the veteran presence taking over the series, while Johnson and Jonathan Kuminga have fueled the youth movement for Atlanta. This Hawks team’s chemistry has shown how special it has blossomed since trading Trae Young. They must continue to be physical and challenge the Knicks on every play, offensively and defensively. A second win at home and going up 3-1 in the series would do wonders for the Hawks’ confidence and momentum.
The two biggest matchups will be Bridges against McCollum and Towns facing Onyeka Okongwu. Bridges needs to prove his versatility and ‘Iron Man’ like abilities in stopping the 2018 Most Improved Player in McCollum, as he will be looking to ignite the fuse that pushes each Hawks player’s mentality to be positive and unmoved by any bad plays. Also, Towns must be aggressive on the glass against Okongwu. His physicality and rebounding will matter in this matchup. Finally, both teams will work to stop committing bad turnovers and will warrant shooting the ball from beyond the arc. A big three-point barrage by New York or Atlanta could make or break this Game Four.
As much as I’d like to believe the Knicks are winning this game, I’d have to give the edge to the Hawks at this moment. They’ve shown to be the much better team, physically, mentally, and emotionally. The resurgence of McCollum has been huge for the Hawks, providing a spark that could take down an early-season NBA Finals favorite in the Knicks. If New York can tie the series, then yes, I believe they can still advance. However, at the moment, if the Knicks play the way they have, committing turnovers, can’t shoot from three, and look like individuals instead of a team, then this series will be all Atlanta.
