Atlanta Hawks. Mandatory Credit: Elsa/POOL PHOTOS-USA TODAY Sports
The Atlanta Hawks have already had a better season than most people had predicted. They were thought of as a play-in caliber team, that would finish between seventh and 10th in the Eastern Conference.
Well, the playoffs came around and the Hawks finished in the fifth seed, qualifying directly for their first playoff action since the 2017 postseason. The Knicks did not up the fight that they showed in the regular season, losing the series in five games.
The Hawks’ defense was special on Julius Randle and the Knicks as a team could not respond.