The Atlanta Hawks face elimination against the New York Knicks after Game 5, pointing to physicality, rebounding and execution as key issues entering Game 6.
The Atlanta Hawks left Madison Square Garden down 3-2 after the New York Knicks controlled Game 5 with physical play and execution, putting Atlanta in a must-win situation entering Game 6.
After taking a 2-1 lead earlier in the series, Atlanta has dropped consecutive games, including a 126-97 loss Tuesday night, in which New York controlled the paint and limited transition opportunities.
“I think we’re playing a very physical team and it’s just a constant that we have to be that committed and focused and that competitive to move the needle on that,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said.
The Knicks’ approach has also affected Atlanta’s ability to play with pace. The Hawks have spent more time in the half court, with fewer chances to run off misses or turnovers.
“We want to play fast, but you can’t when we’re putting them on the free-throw line and not getting stops,” Dyson Daniels said. “We’ve got to be better defensively and keep them off the line.”
New York has scored inside and on second chances, keeping Atlanta on its heels defensively throughout stretches of the last two games.
“They pushed us under on rebounds, set really good screens, and did all the little things,” Daniels said.
On the other end, Atlanta has not consistently matched that physical play. Many possessions have ended with perimeter attempts rather than drives or touches near the rim.
“I feel like it was more self-inflicted, just more stuff we could have done better offensively,” Jalen Johnson said. “They just capitalized off our mistakes on offense.”
That’s led to fewer looks at the rim and less pressure on New York’s defense, limiting Atlanta’s ability to control the flow of the game.
“For us, what’s helped us when we were in the regular season — and it’s not the regular season — but the small things that have gotten us to where we are now, I think we’ve kind of shied away from,” Nickeil Alexander-Walker said. “And it’s about finding it.”
The Hawks said that physical play has carried over to both ends of the floor, making it more difficult to create consistent offense or string together stops.
“It’s both sides of the ball,” Snyder said. “Against a very good team, we just need to be better.”
Despite the losses, Atlanta returns home with a chance to extend the series. Game 6 will come down to whether the Hawks can match that physicality and sustain it over four quarters.
“They’ve been here — they’re a team that’s gone through the wringer and all that good stuff — and they’re applying pressure,” Alexander-Walker said. “They’re making game-plan reads, they’re making adjustments. So it’s just about adapting.”
For Atlanta, the next step is translating those adjustments into execution on the floor.
“We’ve got to come out more physical, play harder,” Daniels said. “We’re going to have to change things if we want to get Game 6.”