Thumbnail: Gamba The Bard (@GambatheBard on X)
The New York Knicks beat the Atlanta Hawks 114-98, evening their first-round series at 2-2. The Knicks wasted no time building a lead and never looked back.
New York turned up their defensive intensity and played a complete game without ever letting go of the rope. They’ve shown this level of defense in spurts, but this time they took no breaks. The Hawks looked frustrated with the physicality and never mustered enough offense to make a comeback.
The fourth quarter was the first time in the past seven quarters that Atlanta outscored New York. But that was due to garbage-time success rather than anything meaningful. The Knicks dominated Atlanta and turned the Hawks’ homecourt into a second Madison Square Garden by the final buzzer.
Let’s take a victory lap, going over the top performances.
