The New York Knicks are gearing up to take on the Atlanta Hawks in their first postseason appearance in nearly a decade. The Knicks surprised everybody this season with the rise of Julius Randle and the impact of head coach Tom Thibodeau. However, this was a team effort, finding their way to the playoffs despite most believing they would be one of the worst teams in the NBA.
They finished the regular season with 41 wins, 10 games above .500, and locked in the 4th seed with three consecutive wins to close out the season. Thanks to a Hawks defeat, the Knicks earned home-field advantage for the first two games of the series, which is a significant deal given the atmosphere at MSG and the fact that New York recently just opened up to increase the capacity at the arena.
Here’s what the Knicks Vs. Hawks schedule looks like for the series:
- Game 1 – Sunday, May 23 – Atlanta at New York – 7 pm ET – TNT
- Game 2 – Wednesday, May 26 – Atlanta at New York – 7:30 pm ET – TNT
- Game 3 – Friday, May 28 – New York at Atlanta – 7 pm ET – ESPN
- Game 4 – Sunday, May 30 – New York at Atlanta – 1 pm ET – ABC
- Game 5 (If Necessary) – Wednesday, June 2 – Atlanta at New York – TBD
- Game 6 (If Necessary) – Friday, June 4 – New York at Atlanta – TBD
- Game 7 (If Necessary) – Sunday, June 6 – Atlanta at New York – TBD
With the positive energy swirling at MSG, the Knicks have a fantastic opportunity to take an early lead against Atlanta in the series. The first game will be on Sunday at 7 PM, with the second game in New York that following Wednesday at 7:30 PM. The Knicks will then travel to Atlanta, or they can close out the series with a few more victories. However, the postseason is largely based on momentum, so if Thibodeau can will his team to victory in the first two contests, the Knicks will be in a fantastic position to steal the first series and move on in postseason play.