Hawks 113, Knicks 96: “It’s not over.”
The New York Knicks dropped their second straight game against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, falling into a 3-1 hole in their first round playoff series.
Well, that wasn’t fun.
I went on record and called Game 4 a must-win for the New York Knicks.
Apparently I overestimated the team’s head coach — and how willingly he’d make adjustments — because not only did they not win, but frankly, they weren’t anywhere close from halftime on.
Knicks fans and the team alike wanted the playoffs. Sometimes, oftentimes, this is what that looks like for teams of their caliber. But it didn’t start that way.
For the second straight game with Derrick Rose in as starting point guard, New York was able to avoid falling into a hole early on, even walking out of the first quarter with a lead.
That was a luxury once unthinkable, with Elfrid Payton at the helm.
The former MVP made three early buckets, two of them from the 3-point line, to give the Knicks a 13-12 lead halfway through the first quarter.
But the Hawks, as they have the entire series, matched everything New York threw at them.
Still, 10 points from Rose and seven from RJ Barrett carried the Knicks to just their second first quarter lead in four games, 26-25.
A continued effort on both ends of the ball saw the Hawks climb ahead of New York in the second quarter, with Trae Young leading the charge.
Barrett had the Knicks up 44-43 with three minutes remaining, but Atlanta scored 10 points to New York’s five to give themselves a 4-point lead at halftime.
With all of Rose, Julius Randle, and Barrett in double digits, there was a cautious optimism in the New York Knicks’ potential to even their series with the Atlanta Hawks.
But, as you no doubt know by now, it wasn’t meant to be.
In Game 3 it was the second quarter that Randle cited as the culprit for their 105-94 loss.
Expect similar discourse to circle around the third quarter of Game 4.
The Atlanta Hawks outscored the New York Knicks 35-22 in the second half’s opening quarter, with Bogdan Bogdanovic coming alive from three.
Young had nine points of his own in the quarter, giving his team an 88-71 lead walking into the final period, and ultimately sealing a second straight victory for the Hawks.
Despite continued, inspired play from Barrett, Toppin, and even Randle, New York wasn’t able to overcome the deficit from that disastrous third quarter.
But, as he would go on to later clarify, New York’s All-Star forward made sure to fire off one last warning shot in the fourth quarter. Randle shoved Danilo Gallinari after the Hawks veteran made a dirty play on Reggie Bullock under the basket.
Hopefully that same spark shows up earlier than down 24 in the fourth quarter in Game 5.
Head coach Nate McMillan emptied Atlanta’s bench with three minutes remaining, and Tom Thibodeau followed shortly thereafter, giving Kevin Knox his first run in the series.
So, the New York Knicks fall into a 3-1 hole. Their next game is expected to be the last.
The bad news: Thibodeau has never coached one of the 13 successful 3-1 series comebacks. He's 0-5 as a head coach in those situations.
But, good news! Thibodeau did extend one of those series to six games! His 2011-2012 Chicago Bulls team beat the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5.
Oh and even more good news!
No team coached by Nate McMillan has ever made it past the first round, and Atlanta sports are infamous for perennially blowing big leads on the biggest stages.
So, actually, shouldn’t we all be preordering tickets to Game 6?
Notes
So many fans were quick to once again blame Randle and Barrett after this one, but I really thought that both of them had decent games. At least, in comparison to their previous shortcomings in Games 1 through 3.
After scoring 44 points on 13-54 (24%) shooting through the first three games of the series, Randle was able to put together an improved 23-point outing on 7-19 shooting from the field, and 2-4 from the 3-point line.
And Barrett, after scoring on 13-38 (34%) shooting up until this point, finished Game 4 with 21 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals on 8-15 shooting from the field, albeit 2-6 from downtown.
Numbers aren’t everything, and the stat sheet doesn’t always tell the story. But both Barrett and Randle played better on both ends of the ball in Game 4. If they continue to find their footing in matchups with the Hawks personnel, then the Knicks have a better shot at extending this series than they’re currently being given.
We’ve said it after every game this series, and hopefully that trend continues, but shoutout to Taj Gibson. The 35-year-old big man finished with six points, three rebounds, two steals, and an assist and block apiece. Gibson put on a defensive clinic, constantly flashing the playoff IQ that partly earned him the starting spot ahead of Nerlens Noel.
It was expected, at least in some fashion, that John Collins wouldn’t be a non-factor for the entire series. And in Game 4 the Hawks forward broke out of his slump in a big way, scoring 22 points and grabbing eight rebounds, while playing arguably his best defense of the series on Randle, especially in the third quarter.
Obi Toppin had some great moments yet again, and seriously looks the part of a future contributor for this team. He finished with 13 points, but a few of those baskets came in garbage time. Thibodeau also finally rolled him out with Randle for a stretch with the game out of reach, so that could be something we see again in Game 5.
New York has got to get more from Reggie Bullock. If they don’t think it’s in the cards, then perhaps Thibodeau makes a Hail Mary lineup change, and swaps him out for Alec Burks. That would seemingly deprive the second unit of almost any offense, but Bullock wasn’t a flamethrower on Sunday by any means. In fact, it was his first scoreless game since a Jan. 22 loss to the Sacramento Kings.
I said before the series that the Knicks would live and die by the three, simply based on the Hawks’ arsenal of scoring options. They’ve made just 40 of their 122 attempts through four games, good for a 33% clip. It seems a point guard, as well as some additional 3-point threats, will constitute the offseason priority list.
Speaking of the offseason, this game/series should have little to no implications on Julius Randle’s pending extension. Tough postseason showing aside, he’s the only reason they’re here in the first place. Find someone who can help lift him when they come back, and hope he learns from his first(!) playoffs.
The New York Knicks’ next game won’t define their season, but Game 5 presents one last opportunity for them to overachieve this year by pushing the series to six or seven games.
With it taking place back home in Madison Square Garden, don’t count them out just yet.
As leader of the pack Julius Randle told reporters after the game:
“It’s not over. It’s not nearly over.”
