The Atlanta Hawks needed a miracle on Monday — and they got one, ripping a win away from the Knicks in Madison Square Garden behind CJ McCollum, who’s quickly becoming the latest villain in New York.
It’s the kind of win that can flip a series. And now, a young Hawks team that nobody believed in suddenly has a real chance to take control heading back to Atlanta.
Arrival Of The Stars
Down the stretch of the regular season, the Hawks thrived because they didn’t rely on one guy. It was a collective effort, though Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker were the engines behind it.
Johnson earned an All-Star nod will likely receive All-NBA honors, showcasing one of the most versatile skill sets in the league — finishing second in triple-doubles behind only Nikola Jokic.
But through two games in this series, he hasn’t fully looked the part.
20 points and 7.5 rebounds per game isn’t nothing, but the playmaking hasn’t been there — just six total assists after averaging nearly eight during the season. Credit to Josh Hart and the Knicks for making him uncomfortable, but his strong second half in Game 2 — combined with the shift to Atlanta — could mean we see a different version of Jalen Johnson in Games 3 and 4.
Alexander-Walker has been equally as disappointing. After averaging nearly 21 points on 40% shooting from deep during the regular season, he’s down to 31% shooting and just 13 points per game in the series. His defense still matters — it was crucial late in Game 2 — but the Hawks relying solely on McCollum and Jonathan Kuminga offensively isn’t sustainable over a seven-game series.
Finding Answers For Size
The bigger issue, however, is inside.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson have been overwhelming for stretches, and without Jock Landale, Atlanta is thin in the frontcourt.
Quin Snyder turned to Tony Bradley in Game 2, and that’ll likely continue. But there’s no magic fix here — it has to be a collective effort. Gang rebounding. Physicality. Intensity for 48 minutes.
The Knicks are probably going to win the rebounding battle every night. The Hawks just can’t let it dictate the game the way it did for much of the first two games of the series.
Attack, Attack, Attack Jalen Brunson
If there’s a clear edge for Atlanta, it’s this: Jalen Brunson on the defensive end.
McCollum has gone right at him in both games, and that shouldn’t change. Everyone should be hunting those matchups. Brunson simply doesn’t have answers for Atlanta’s primary scorers defensively.
On the flip side, the Hawks are as well-equipped as anyone to defend him. Dyson Daniels has been elite at the point of attack, and Alexander-Walker gives them another strong option to throw at him if the Hawks want to remove Daniels from the floor to create better offensive opportunities.
Brunson is going to get his — he always does — but Atlanta has forced him into tough looks and made him work for everything. If the Knicks lean too heavily on their undersized star point guard instead of fully leveraging their size advantage, that plays right into the Hawks’ hands.
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(Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire)
