What Does The Atlanta Hawks Being The Only Team (So Far) To Beat The New York Knicks Mean?

It's no secret that the Knicks have been unbeaten in the playoffs outside of the two games they lost to the Hawks. What should fans take away from that?

Apr 30, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) passes the ball against the New York Knicks in the third quarter during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

On paper, the Atlanta Hawks failing to make it out of the first round for the fifth consecutive season would be a dissapointment. They went into the season with projections as one of the East's best teams and finished slightly below expectations as a No. 6 seed. There's certainly a lot of room for improvement and nailing this offseason will be crucial for the ceiling of the Jalen Johnson era.

However, it shouldn't be forgotten that the Hawks took two games off a Knicks team that is currently up 2-0 in the NBA Finals and riding a 13-game win streak. They were at a massive talent disadvantage, but out-executed the Knicks in the clutch and forced them to change their identity in order to win the series. Those changes proved effective - it's hard to say that Atlanta was the better team when the Knicks eliminated them by a 140-89 margin in Game 6.

Unfortunately, I don't think that winning two games against a clearly formidable opponent suggests the current state of the roster is capable of challenging in the Eastern Conference. It instead provides some credible reasons to buy in what the Hawks are doing without ignoring the flaws of the roster this season. Furthermore, it also shows that Atlanta needs to make some adjustments on their roster and in their coaching approach.

Small Guards Aren't Dead Just Yet (Especially The Vets)

Apr 23, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) reacts after a basket against the New York Knicks in the second quarter during game three of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Before the playoffs, there was a lot of discussion on the premium value of skill combined with size in the postseason. The small, offense-first guard seemed to be a thing of the past because of how much bigger ballhandlers were becoming. Instead, the playoffs are showing that the right small guards can make a massive impact.

CJ McCollum's heroics in Games 2 and Game 3 showed just how valuable dribble-pass-shoot threats still are. The Hawks don't win either game without every single one of the 56 combined points he scored in those two games. Most importantly, he did it while only making five combined threes. There's still a lot of value in small guards who can get to their spot in the midrange and finish around the rim, going right at the weaker defenders on the other team. McCollum also had seven combined stocks in those two games, bringing it on defense and holding his own despite his size and age.

It isn't just McCollum, either. Small guards with tons of NBA experience are having a resurgence. OKC acutely felt the loss of young guard Ajay Mitchell when they needed options outside of SGA and they didn't have the veteran ball-handlers to make a difference. Conversely, San Antonio won the series behind a great Game 7 performance from De'Aaron Fox with 15 points, five assists and three steals. Perhaps the zenith of how valuable the right small guards can be is the Knicks themselves - veteran guard Landry Shamet is currently shooting 59.4/63.6/80 splits while averaging 14 points off the bench over his last four games.

With multiple examples of how small guards can translate to the postseason despite a NBA that is trending towards bigger players, it shouldn't be taken as a given that veteran guards with height limitations are unplayable. These players can swing games on a night-to-night basis and that makes them secretly valuable in a league that is threatening to force them out.

The Knicks Needed A New KAT

Apr 30, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) shoots a free throw against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Jalen Brunson certainly deserves all the praise he's been getting for this Knicks run. He has been on a different level in the fourth quarter. Through Game 2, he's scored 112 points with staggering efficiency in the final frame. He's been vital to New York's offense and they would be a much worse team without him.

However, Karl-Anthony Towns has been the best story of the postseason.

KAT's playoff shortcomings were well documented up until this season - he gets targeted on defense in the playoffs, he's not aggresive enough when the moment called for it and he fouls at the worst possible time. That has changed entirely this year. He's averaging 17.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists a night on 57/48.1/90% splits in 15 games. It's an absurd level of efficiency from a player who's been guarded by a former DPOY in Evan Mobley and the current DPOY in Victor Wembanyama. He's been exactly the player the Knicks dreamed of getting when they acquired him and in my opinion, he should be Finals MVP if New York closes out this series.

If the Knicks had continued to play Brunson iso ball and not utilized KAT in the offense, it's possible their first-round series would have gone to seven games or they would have lost the series entirely. Jonathan Kuminga actually did a surprisingly good job of sticking with Towns as an iso defender and he didn't back down from the seven-footer. However, it was all over once the Knicks used KAT as a dribble hand-off hub and took advantage of him pulling Atlanta's beleaguered center rotation out to the perimeter for cuts into space. In the games New York lost, Towns had a combined six assists. He outperformed that in Game 4 alone with 10 assists and averaged around nine assists for the rest of the series.

Even though Towns dominated the series, the Hawks do have the personnel to make floor-spacing bigs work for it in a way that few others can. Outside of Evan Mobley, no one did a better job of guarding KAT than Atlanta's bigs.

Per Databallr's Matchup Matrix, Onyeka Okongwu held KAT to 17.3 points on an admittedly efficient 74.5 TS%. Intriguingly, Okongwu guarded KAT for the most possessions out of any defender thus far in the playoffs and KAT scored the second-fewest points per game against him. In fact, out of all defenders who guarded Towns for more than 50 possessions, Jonathan Kuminga held him to the third-fewest points per game (21.9).

Obviously, there's some missing context, but Victor Wembanyama is currently finding out how hard it is to guard Towns despite being one of the best shot-blockers the NBA has ever seen. Relative to the rest of the NBA, the Hawks were able to chase him on the perimeter and held up decently well, forcing him to impact the game more as a passer. They just need to re-think the depth at the center spot.

Patience Is a Virtue The Hawks Must Possess

Apr 30, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga (0) is defended by New York Knicks guard Jose Alvarado (5) in the second quarter during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

There's going to be a lot of calls for the Hawks to be aggressive this summer. They have a first-round pick in every draft going forward, their cap sheet is healthy and they have tons of avenues for improving the roster. However, letting things happen organically should be the priority for the front office.

Unless the Anthony Edwards rumors turn into a definitive trade demand, there isn't a single veteran player that the Hawks could acquire this summer that turns them into a sustainable contender. This roster needs time to grow and develop behind cost-controlled talent. Trying to rush the process because a roster that was put together at the deadline got embarrassed in Game 6 against a Finals team would be a huge over-correction.

New York showed them that they need one or two more playable wings who can shore up the defense, some more options in the backcourt and help in the rebounding department. Atlanta was a bad rebounding team all season and it killed them in the postseason when they went up against one of the best rebounding teams in the league. If they can accomplish even two of these objectives this summer and the players on the roster continue to progress, the Hawks might just find themselves in New York's position - a juggernaut two wins away from an NBA Finals victory.