The New York Knicks are getting ready for round one of the playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks and Karl-Anthony Towns is primed to be a major part of the result, win or lose. 

Towns is in his second season with the Knicks and he's continued to be a dominant presence on the court.

His rebounding skills remain some of the best in the NBA, second only to Nikola Jokic in the regular season with an 11.9 boards per game and his scoring presence under the hoop is such a key part of the Knicks' scoring prowess as well as their spacing.

Towns hasn't missed a beat in his transition to New York from the Minnesota Timberwolves and with the physical Hawks waiting for them in the playoffs, Towns will be relied on more than ever.

Making that transition to a new team is tough on any player, especially in Towns' case where he was going from the only place he's ever known in the NBA in Minnesota to the bright lights of New York. 

It's no secret that Knicks fans have high expectations of their team and their judgement can be swift and brutal and their vitriol fierce is they sense that the Knicks are letting them down. With Towns suddenly thrust into becoming one of the faces of such a high-pressure environment, it would be natural to feel pressure.

But, that hasn't been his story. Towns continues to be a leader and even as the high stakes of the playoffs rapidly approach, he finds his confidence in everything he's done away from the spotlight to be ready for this moment.

"Trust my work. That's when my confidence is built. It's built when there's no lights, no cameras, no fans. Just me, the basketball and the hoop. And the great Mark Bryant," Towns said (via SNY). "We just really get to work. My confidence is built there. It's way before game one."

Mark Bryant is one of the Knicks assistant coaches and a 15-season of the NBA himself. Towns work with Bryant behind closed doors has helped keep Towns steady as he's established himself with the Knicks and now he's treating the playoffs as not just a mission, but an opportunity.

New York made is as far as the Eastern Conference Finals before being toppled by the Cinderella Indiana Pacers, but they're looking for a lot more now. 

The Knicks haven't even made it to the NBA Finals since 1999 and haven't won the championship since 1973. New York fans are hungry for a championship and the roster the Knicks have now look to be in one of the best positions in recent memory to get that done. 

That journey starts against the Hawks and that series will be the proving ground of all the work that Towns has done in the dark and whether or not it will be revealed when there are lights, cameras and fans.