In a series in which the Knicks could find themselves in a 2-0 position of strength, they find themselves level with the Hawks, 1-1, heading to Atlanta for Game 3. In the 4th quarter of Game 2, New York blew a double-digit lead to essentially blow a stranglehold on the series. The pesky Hawks have a solid home record of 24-17 this season, while the Knicks have a road record of 23-19. Let’s dive into Game 3!
Knicks’ Keys To Success
For as much talent as this team has on the roster, Mike Brown needs to do a better job of having one of his two offensive superstars on the court at all times. For example, in Game 2, Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 18 points on 8/12 shooting, a very efficient performance. The only problem is that he scored 14 of his 18 in the 3rd quarter, when he took 7 of his 12 shots for the entire game. Guess how many shots and points he scored in the fourth quarter? Zero points on two shots.
Jalen Brunson is your point guard and number one option on the offensive end, but if you get KAT involved early, he’ll be there late. There are stretches in the game where he can be invisible on offense. With a player of his talent, get him the ball and let him go to work. Brunson took 26 shots in their choke job last game. The shot discrepancy shouldn’t be 26-12. I would love to see the Knicks make an effort to get him involved early.
Switching to Brunson. I understand that he is undersized and not a great defender, but holy hell, whenever he switches onto CJ McCollum, it’s time to get out of CJ’s way and allow him to have that dance. New York can do a better job by fighting over screens to avoid conceding a switch or going under the screen and giving up pull-up threes.
That’s honestly what they should be doing: allowing pull-up threes, because in the regular season, they shot 31.4%, which was 24th in the NBA, 33% at home, which was 18th in the league. In the playoffs, they are shooting 35% in those shots. So, they’re a little hot in terms of their pull-up threes at this stage in the season.
Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, it’s time to show the world why they traded for you and paid you two. You are the two defensive anchors. You two should be the ones telling JB, when they bring you into the action, to hedge and get back to the low usage player in the corner. They could trap the ball handler every single time Atlanta tries to get Brunson involved in the action and see if their young roster can make the right play.
Atlanta Hawks’ Path To Victory
One of the biggest adjustments the Hawks can make is to play more to KAT’s tendency to get into foul trouble at times. In 7 of the 18 playoff games last season, he either fouled out of the game entirely or finished the game with five fouls. Getting the Knicks’ second-best player off the court or out of rhythm, like in Game 2, was a contributing factor to their comeback and team success.
Jalen Johnson hasn’t exploded yet. We’ve seen him have a solid performance in Game 1, which they lost by double digits. Last game, CJ McCollum was on fire down the stretch. Will tonight be the night Johnson goes nuclear? We’ve seen him have strong performances against the Knicks this season. He’s averaged 19.7 ppg, 10 rpg, and 9.3 apg during the regular season. We know young and role players play better at home than on the road. Tonight is his night if they want to put all the pressure on New York.
Who Wins Game 3?
I think the New York Knicks take Game 3 in a tight, wire-to-wire affair. The Atlanta Hawks’ role players will start out hot and jump out to an early lead, and the dynamic scoring duo of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns will hang around just long enough to lead a scoring surge late in the game. The score will be closer to Game 2 than Game 1, but New York retakes home court advantage with a nice win on the road in the A.
Final Thoughts
This game should be as electric as their previous affair was. I did say this would be the most exciting series in the Eastern Conference First Round. What were your takeaways from the first two games? Are the Knicks in trouble in the series, and who wins tonight?
As always, thank you so much for checking out my thoughts on Game 3 between the New York Knicks and the Atlanta Hawks! Be sure to check out our other amazing content here at New Leaf News! We hope you’re enjoying your day and look forward to seeing you again soon.
