Dylan Backer
The New York Knicks are moving on to the second round for the fourth consecutive season. How they got the job done on Thursday night was in the form of a merciful beatdown of the Atlanta Hawks that showed what they’re truly capable of.
Knicks destroy Hawks in Game 6 to advance to second round
New York won the game 140-89, a margin of 51 points. That set a new franchise record for largest playoff win in team history, but that wasn’t the only type of record the Knicks set in their dominant performance.
The Knicks carried a 47-point lead into halftime, which is the largest halftime lead in NBA playoff history. Furthermore, the Knicks pushed the lead to 61 points early in the third quarter, which is the largest lead a team has had in a playoff game in the play-by-play era (since 1996-97 season).
Game 6 started to look like a competitive game, as Atlanta held a 9-5 lead and an 11-9 lead early in the first quarter. After that, it was literally all Knicks from there.
After Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who received his Most Improved Player award pregame, drilled a corner three to put them up 9-5, New York went on an absurd 71-16 run. That number looks fake, but it is very real.
New York strung together perhaps the most dominant performance in recent history of the playoffs, putting on a clinic on both ends with scoring in bunches and forcing a lot of Hawks turnovers.
The Knicks looked like a completely different team after Game 3
Since losing Game 3 on the road to put them in a series hole down 2-1, New York turned things up and absolutely crushed Atlanta. In the final three games, New York outscored Atlanta by a combined 96 points, and they were a +105 in the series overall. Both of Atlanta’s wins this series were by one point.
The Knicks finally showed that they can beat anybody when the focus is there. After a crushing Game 3 loss, they put their foot down and handled business, winning two of the last three games on the road, and are now on to the second round of the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.
They will now await the winner of the Boston Celtics-Philadelphia 76ers series, as that series is now being pushed to a Game 7 after Philadelphia won at home on Thursday. New York will be getting a playoff rematch one way or another, as they faced the Celtics in the second round last season and the 76ers in the first round in 2024.
New York suddenly looks like a true title contender again, and if this type of performance becomes a regular thing, it’s going to be hard for anybody to take down this Knicks team.
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