Knicks vs. Hawks NBA playoffs preview: Karl-Anthony Towns' impact, predictions and more

Atlantic76ersCelticsKnicksNetsRaptorsCentralBucksBullsCavaliersPacersPistonsSoutheastHawksHeatHornetsMagicWizardsSouthwestGrizzliesMavericksPelicansRocketsSpursNorthwestJazzNuggetsThunderTimberwolvesTrail BlazersPacificClippersKingsLakersSunsWarriorsScores & ScheduleStandingsThe Bounce NewsletterNBA DraftPodcastsFantasyNBA OddsNBA PicksTracking Awards EligibilityHot Seat WatchPlayoff Matchups As Of TodayInside NBA Sneaker CultureAnalysisKnicks vs. Hawks NBA playoffs preview: Karl-Anthony Towns’ impact, predictions and moreThe Knicks and Hawks met in the playoffs five years ago, with Atlanta winning that series 4-1. Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images Share full article1The New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks are set to meet in the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2021, and we all remember what happened then, right? Trae Young became the biggest villain in New York en route to a 4-1 first-round series win (and an eventual trip to the Eastern Conference finals) for Atlanta. That was five years ago, however, and both teams have since shaken things up. Young is no longer in Atlanta after being traded this season to Washington. Julius Randle and RJ Barrett (and more) are out in New York, and Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson (and more) are in to try to meet the Knicks’ title aspirations. What might this year’s first-round series bring? James Edwards (Knicks) and John Hollinger (Hawks) are here to guide you. Edwards: Does failing to reach the East finals cause major shake-ups this summer? New York went that far last season for the first time in 25 years before losing to the Indiana Pacers. It led to the head coach being fired and internal expectations going public. Owner James Dolan said during a radio interview in January that making the finals is something the Knicks “absolutely have to do” and that “they should” win the championship. Dolan doesn’t speak much publicly and, surely, doesn’t like to be embarrassed when he does. Anything short of the conference finals might not sit well with him. Plus, the Giannis Antetokounmpo situation in Milwaukee continues to get weird, and New York has shown significant interest in the future Hall of Famer for years. Lastly, this Knicks team is expensive. Can it justify the price tag without another NBA Finals appearance? This could be a make-or-break postseason. Hollinger: How much of Atlanta’s torrid close to the season reflected on its own roster, and how much it reflected on the quality of the opposition. The Hawks took advantage of a surfeit of tanking and/or extremely short-handed opponents en route to a 19-5 charge to the finish line after the All-Star break. Edwards: For the Knicks, it’s Mikal Bridges. There are games when you forget that he’s on the floor. When his jump shot isn’t falling, Bridges can contribute little to the scoring column because he doesn’t get to the free-throw line or attack the rim with a high volume in the halfcourt. There are times when the point-of-attack defense isn’t what it needs to be for the Knicks to be a top-10 defense. New York is a much better team when it can get steady production on both ends from the man for whom it gave up five first-round picks two summers ago. Bridges just needs to be consistent, not elite, especially against an Atlanta team that has good guards and wings. Hollinger: Jonathan Kuminga didn’t join the team until the trade deadline and missed several games after he was acquired, but in 16 contests as a Hawk, he averaged 12.3 points per game on solid efficiency, posted a 16.3 PER and helped stabilize Atlanta’s bench lineups when All-Star forward Jalen Johnson was off the floor. If Kuminga can be an ace sixth man in the postseason, it helps answer a lot of rotation and size questions that Atlanta faces in the matchup against New York. Again, the opposition was a factor (see above), but bench-heavy units of Kuminga with at least one of Zaccharie Risacher, Gabe Vincent or Corey Kispert had double-digit positive net ratings. Edwards: 3-point shooting. On the season, before Sunday’s regular-season finale, the Knicks ranked 12th in 3-point attempts per game and fourth in percentage. Since March 1, however, New York ranked just 19th in 3-point attempts and 14th in efficiency. The Hawks ranked eighth in 3-point attempts and fourth in 3-point percentage during the regular season, and the Knicks have struggled defending the 3-point line. Brown wants New York to get up 40 3s per game. The Knicks haven’t had that volume as of late and haven’t been making the ones that they do get up at a top-tier clip. Hollinger: Would you believe … Dyson Daniels’ 3-point shooting? He made at least one triple in five straight games in early April and closed the season on a 10-for-24 … well, I don’t know if “hot streak” is the right word, but when you start the year 12-for-93, hitting over 40 percent for any stretch is notable. The Knicks surely will let Daniels take as many as he wants — he went 1-for-3 in the meeting on April 6 — but if he can knock down a few, it places a lot of pressure on New York’s likely strategy of guarding him with Karl-Anthony Towns or Mitchell Robinson. Edwards: Karl-Anthony Towns vs. Whomever the Hawks put on him. The Knicks’ offense is noticeably more dangerous when opposing teams guard Towns with a traditional center. The offense tends to look more mortal when opposing teams guard Towns with an athletic or strong wing/guard. Every team knows this. The last time these two teams played, during the last week of the regular season, the Hawks primarily guarded Towns with Onyeka Okongwu, and while the Atlanta big man moves better than most traditional centers, he’s still not the ideal matchup to defend Towns. I’m not sure the Hawks have a good enough wing defender to put on Towns for an entire series. Jalen Johnson might be able to do it, but he’s had a down year on the defensive end since his offensive usage has shot up. Hollinger: Robinson against whoever’s job it is to block him out. Rebounding hasn’t exactly been a strength of the Hawks, and they are basically without a backup center until Jock Landale comes back from a late-season ankle injury. Recent signee Tony Bradley’s rough three-minute cameo in the early April loss to the Knicks provides little hope that he’s the answer behind Onyeka Okongwu, which leaves the rail-thin Mo Gueye masquerading as a center with the second unit and giving up 100 or so pounds to Robinson. Edwards: The Knicks and Hawks have had competitive games all season, except when Atlanta beat New York by 12 in one of the three matchups between the two teams. The Knicks won both of their games by three points. The Hawks have a potent offense and a starting lineup that has played as well as any five-man group in basketball since it was put together around the trade deadline. New York’s starting lineup hasn’t been nearly as good, but I think the Hawks will struggle with the rebounding of Towns and Robinson. Knicks in six Hollinger: The Hawks and Knicks played three very competitive regular-season games, and there’s no reason the series won’t give us more of the same. But in the end, New York is a tough matchup because of its size, rebounding and the ability of its wing stoppers to match up against Atlanta’s two best scorers. Knicks in six Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms