The Knicks crowd is one of the best in the league.
The New York Knicks put together their best game of the postseason on Tuesday night, blowing out the Atlanta Hawks 126-97 in Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series.
It was a reminder of why Madison Square Garden remains one of the hardest places in basketball to play as a visiting team.
Jalen Brunson was the engine behind it all, finishing with a game-high 39 points and eight assists while the Garden crowd roared from the opening tip to the final buzzer.
The Knicks grabbed control early, leading 35-25 after the first quarter, and by halftime it was 64-48 with Brunson already at 17 points.
The second half turned into a clinic as New York shot 57 percent from the field as a team and never let Atlanta find any real rhythm.
Brunson on the Garden Atmosphere
After the game, Brunson spoke about what makes playoff basketball at the Garden so different from anywhere else.
"It's really cool seeing them and the support they give us. Seeing former players come back and how energetic they can get is really cool too. There's no place like this place," Brunson said.
Hard to say it any better than that.
The Garden has always carried a different energy during the postseason and former Knicks greats showing up to sit courtside only adds to it.
It turns a home court advantage into something closer to a sixth man on the floor, and opposing teams feel it the moment they step onto the court.
Brunson and Towns Carry the Load
Brunson averaged 26.0 points and 6.8 assists per game during the regular season as the Knicks finished 53-29 and earned the third seed in the East.
His Game 5 output was the best individual scoring performance of the series and it came on an efficient night where he went 5-for-7 in the final seven seconds of the shot clock, punishing Atlanta every time they thought they had a stop.
Karl-Anthony Towns was just as important on Tuesday, finishing with 16 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two steals.
Towns averaged 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds per game in the regular season and his ability to dominate the glass while stretching the floor has made life miserable for the Hawks all series.
What Comes Next
The Knicks now head to Atlanta for Game 6 with a chance to close out the series and advance to a potential second-round matchup with the Boston Celtics.
The Hawks, who went 46-36 in the regular season and won the Southeast Division, have shown they can compete in tight games after stealing Games 2 and 3 by a combined three points.
But winning in blowout fashion at the Garden showed that the Knicks can flip a switch when the moment calls for it, and if they bring that same intensity on Thursday, this series could be over soon.