ATLANTA (AP) — Two playoff wins turned out to be the ceiling for an Atlanta Hawks team that underwent a midseason roster overhaul and exceeded expectations to earn its first outright playoff berth since 2021.
Oddsmakers would call that overachieving, but the nearly 18,000 in attendance at State Farm Arena on Thursday night would find it hard to agree as the Knicks led by as many as 61 points in a stunning 140-89 loss, tied for the sixth-largest margin in NBA playoff history.
Just one week after the Hawks completed an improbable comeback to beat the Knicks 109-108 and take a 2-1 series lead, that same Atlanta team looked like a shell of itself. And New York came back with a vengeance to put an exclamation point on a 4-2 series win.
“Give credit to the Knicks, whether it's experience or what you attribute it to, I thought their physicality — they made it hard for us,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said after the game. “Even as the series progressed, you can see what a really good team they are and why they're a contender. We didn't have an answer for that tonight.”
As the series wore on, the Hawks found fewer and fewer answers against a Knicks core of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart. Quality shots were hard to come by on offense, and defensively, they were caught in a no-win choice between slowing Towns or Brunson.
The Knicks had the advantage in what Atlanta lacked: continuity, with three of their starting five — Brunson, Hart and Bridges — having experience together dating to their college days at Villanova.
The Hawks, meanwhile, relied on a group of newcomers who rallied around a joint cause to lead Atlanta to a pleasantly surprising spring.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, a new arrival who had his hand in the turnaround, wasn't interested in a participation trophy. Not after he shot 3 for 8 overall, 1 for 4 from 3-point range and had five turnovers.
“Disgusting," Alexander-Walker said, reflecting on his stats. “The way we lost was, I think, at no point in time at all this season were we that bad. But we were tonight."
Alexander-Walker was selected the NBA’s Most Improved Player after more than doubling his scoring average. It marked the second straight year a Hawks player won the award, underscoring the franchise’s commitment to developing young talent.
Next to Alexander-Walker on nearly every stat sheet was first-time NBA All-Star Jalen Johnson, who topped the Hawks in points (22.5), rebounds (10.3) and assists (7.9) in the regular season.
A breakout season ended on a sour note for Johnson, who was largely minimized during Atlanta's playoff run.
“This is a big learning experience, not only for myself, but just everybody in general. And I’m going to take a lot from this and continue to get better from it," the 6-foot-8 forward said. "We’re growing. We’re going to grow from this. We’re going to definitely be better from it.”
Johnson's message is what Snyder hopes for the young group: Feel the sting, but don't let it last too long.
“Right now, you’re trying to process a really tough night, and also keep in the back of your mind that these guys had a really good season,” Snyder said. “It’s easy, you know, for all of us in that locker room to forget that, particularly in the moment because of tonight, but hopefully, you know, we can do both.”
“You can’t help but have it knock you back,” he added. “That said, sometimes the most difficult things to handle in life are the things that you can use to drive you in whatever way, shape or form that comes.”
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