The Knicks have evened their series 2-2 against the Atlanta Hawks.
The New York Knicks knew they had to step things up if they wanted to continue to compete not only against the Atlanta Hawks, but in the playoffs as a whole.
Atlanta had jumped on them quickly to take a 2-1 series lead and how quickly that happened served as a wake-up call for the Knicks that the Hawks weren't a team to be underestimated and their response had to be just as severe as the way the Hawks had started out so strongly.
They certainly responded in game four. New York took down the Hawks 114-98 on Saturday to even the series and head back to Madison Square Garden with a 2-2 tie after outstanding performances from Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts after having his leg hit against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Dale Zanine-Imagn ImagesResponding to Hawks
For Brunson, it took an awareness of what the Hawks were prepared to do that informed the Knicks of how they had to respond to avoid letting the series get away from them.
"We understand what they're [Atlanta] capable of. They're a very good team. Very well coached. They do a lot of the little things and they're very detail-oriented," Brunson said (via SNY). For us, we just has to up everything that we had to do. I think the way that we fought back in game three helped us for this game."
Game three still ended in a 109-108 win for the Hawks, but as the one-point difference indicated, it wasn't a game that the Knicks let pass lightly. The Hawks went ahead early in that game with a 33-21 first quarter, but through the rest of the game the Knicks steadily fought back until they ultimately came up short.
Learning From Game Three
There was no better lesson than that game three. It made crystal clear what kind of emphasis the Knicks needed to put on both physicality and starting string themselves. Atlanta has, up to this point, played this series with a level of pace and desperation that has made any kind of slow start from the Knicks unforgivable.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) shoots over Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Dale Zanine-Imagn ImagesLetting that loss and what it took to come so close in that game inform the way the Knicks approach the rest of the series is exactly what they need to do to avoid repeating the history games two and three.
They can't afford complacency or any kind of lackadaisical effort against this Hawks team and that's something they won't forget any time soon. The adjustments they made tp win game four proved the formula for their success going forward.