After Game Four Defeat, It is Time To See What This Atlanta Hawks Team Is Made of

There comes a time in every NBA series where the pressure shifts and a team has to respond to some adversity. After the Hawks won back-to-back games by one point to take a 2-1 series lead against the Knicks, they put all the pressure in the world on the Knicks. New York was two wins away from the NBA Finals last season and came into this season and postseason with expectations of making the Finals. The NBA was in wait-and-see mode as to how New York would respond after going down to the upstart Hawks squad.

New York sent a loud and clear message last night that they are not going to go down quietly. New York came out with great energy and physicality and the young Hawks were not ready for it and Atlanta star Jalen Johnson even said as much after the game last night:

“I think they just punked us. We just didn’t match their intensity from the jump. Guys like (Josh) Hart, we need to match their energy.”

“They wanted it more; they played harder,” said Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

Hawks head coach Quin Snyder noted the physicality for New York, especially at the start of the game.

"Well, I think more than anything, the start of the game, you know, their physicality bothered us. But we didn't do the things that we need to do to have success against them. You know, we turned the ball over. There's no transition when you're turning the ball over and bringing it up out of the net. We didn't crash the way we need to. It felt like there were 50-50 balls that they came up with. So we've got to be better."

After last night's win, the Knicks are once against favored to win the series and it becomes a best of three to see who advances to the second round of the NBA playoffs.

So that begs the question: What are the Hawks made of?

What to Expect

Quin Snyder Atlanta — Apr 25, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder follows the play against the New York Knicks during the second half during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

It has bee a roller coaster ride of a season for the Hawks.

They were expected to be contenders at the beginning of the season after the summer they had, signing Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard and trading for Kristaps Porzingis.

Things did not go according to plan, though. Trae Young and Porzingis could not stay healthy at the beginning of the season, and the team stumbled out of the gate. Young was traded to Washington in January for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, and just a month later, Kennard and Porzingis were shipped out for Gabe Vincent, Jonathan Kuminga, and Buddy Hield. It was once again a brand new Hawks team that ended up being 26-30 heading into the All-Star Break.

Then, the Hawks slowly but surely transformed into the team that they are today. They went 20-6 after the All-Star Break, getting out of the play-in tournament for the first time in five years and earning a top six seed. Their starting lineup was one of the best in the NBA numbers wise and there was not a hotter team going into the postseason than the Hawks.

After going up 2-1, Atlanta was met with the opportunity to put a stranglehold on the series and officially announce their arrival as one of the league's best teams. However, the Knicks showed that they were not going to go down without a fight and they punched Atlanta right in the mouth and continued to hit them until the blowout was over.

Now, the Hawks have to win at least one game on the road at Madison Square Garden in what will be a raucous environment. The Hawks have grown up right before our eyes this season and the rest of the series is the next evolution of that. Will it be remembered as when the Hawks overcame a blowout loss and punched the Knicks right back or will it be remembered as the series where the Hawks were a pest to the Knicks for the first round, but could not respond well to pressure?

Let's see what this young team is made of on Tuesday night.

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