NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
The Knicks’ playoff run begins on Saturday night when they open the first round against the hot Atlanta Hawks.
Game 1 will be a feel-out process for both teams, but the Knicks will need to take care of the glass and defend the three-point line well to take early control of the series.
Advertisement
Here are three keys to the series opener…
Getting Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns going early
New York’s All-Star tandem of Brunson and Towns is a lethal one-two punch. Both are capable of carrying New York’s offense for long stretches on their own. But as we’ve learned, there is power in teamwork.
One of the largest criticisms at times is the lack of synergy they have in playing together. As this season wore on, we saw both players build chemistry and unite. Down the stretch of New York’s wins against the Hawks and the Boston Celtics last week, the Brunson and Towns two-man game hummed.
Towns has a massive physical advantage in this series. The Hawks are guarding him with center Onyeka Okongwu and beyond the 6-10 starter, there’s not many other viable defenders for Atlanta to use. They could go to Jalen Johnson or one of their wings, but Towns and the Knicks should be able to handle any defensive strategy from the Hawks.
Advertisement
After establishing a pick-and-roll offense that works with Brunson and Towns, it would be less than ideal to go backwards now. New York should lean into their two stars more during this run.
Control the boards
The Knicks were seventh in offensive rebound rate this season. They owe that top-10 finish almost entirely to Mitchell Robinson.
In the seven-footer’s 1,175 minutes, the Knicks collected 39.5 percent of their misses, per NBA Stats, a figure that would lead the NBA. In 2,776 minutes with Robinson on the bench, that number dropped to 29.8 percent, a more pedestrian 17th in the league.
Against this smaller Hawks lineup, the Knicks should increase Robinson’s playing time after he averaged just 19.6 minutes in 60 games.
Dec 5, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) grabs a rebound in the first quarter against the Utah Jazz at Madison Square…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/knicks-vs-hawks-3-keys-134500037.html
Author :
Publish date : 2026-04-17 13:45:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
