Knicks-Hawks playoff series: What to expect in Game 2
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns reacts after the three-pointer as Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu looks on in the 4th quarter in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference first-round playoff game at Madison Square Garden. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
1. Don’t let go of the rope
The Knicks have had a nightmarish time with starts to games this season and it has been a constant focus — including heading into the first game of this playoff series. And they responded, building a first-quarter lead and holding it for most of the night, although they did see a 19-point lead disappear quickly in the fourth quarter after an 11-0 run by the Hawks. The Knicks won the first game of this series and need to come out with that sort of physicality and intensity at the start in Game 2 to hold on to the home-court advantage.
2. Defensive adjustments
The Knicks did not close out on Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu and he made them pay, shooting 6-for-9, including 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. That’s nothing new for Okongwu, who has become a much more dangerous perimeter threat, but it was just too easy in Game 1. The Hawks do have a player whom the Knicks can leave open and beg to shoot from the outside in Dyson Daniels, who was 2-for-7 and missed both of his three-point attempts. During the regular season, Daniels shot 18.8% from beyond the arc. If anything is going to beat you, let it be a Daniels shooting night that no one sees coming.
3. Show togetherness
The Knicks got a sensational first-quarter offensive performance from Jalen Brunson — his 19 points were the most in Knicks postseason history for a first quarter — and a flawless fourth quarter from Karl-Anthony Towns in Game 1. But it sure would be nice to see the two of them, particularly with them working in tandem in a two-man game, trade off baskets and be less predictable in terms of whom the Knicks are relying on at any particular time. If the focus is on the two of them, and not just one, it can open things up for the whole team. Mikal Bridges had seven points in the opening minutes but finished with only 11.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
