CJ McCollum came up clutch for Atlanta in its two wins, while Karl-Anthony Towns’ triple-double fueled the Knicks in Game 4.
New York City can be a tough place to play for the home team if projections aren’t met and results aren’t realized. And it can suddenly be a satisfying place for the visiting team in that scenario as well, for obvious reasons.
The Atlanta Hawks discovered this twice in the playoffs over the last few years, first when Trae Young made big shots against the Knicks and then famously took a bow when he finished off the job and became a villain, and in Game 2 of this first-round series when CJ McCollum haunted the Knicks down the stretch.
Madison Square Garden will be either jubilant following Game 5 on Tuesday or troublesome, depending on whether the Knicks handle their business.
They didn’t anticipate being tied 2-2 with the lower-seeded Hawks, who have played well in three of the games and temporarily caused the sky to fall in Manhattan.
This is the swing game, one in which momentum and a lead are on the line for the winner. The Knicks still seemingly have the advantage, especially with Karl-Anthony Towns becoming a bigger part of the blueprint for success. But these are the playoffs, where anything goes.
“This is what we worked all year for,” said Knicks guard Jalen Brunson. “There’s not a lot of motivation left that’s needed. This is an opportunity for teams to go and put their names on history if they want it. That’s the number one motivation.”
Here’s what to watch for Tuesday at the Garden (8 p.m. ET, NBC & Peacock).
1. McCollum’s fuel tank
To say this series has worked out for CJ McCollum would be putting it mildly. He arrived from Washington at midseason, projected as a bench player mainly because the Hawks wanted to continue giving looks to younger players such as former No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher.
Not only did McCollum play his way up the rotation and have the ball in his hands when the Hawks need a big shot, but he’s also in the final year of his contract. His value on and off the court has soared since February.
“He’s crafty and plays with a pace that’s elite,” said Knicks guard Miles McBride.
But he is 34 and the Knicks’ defense is getting wise to him. New York is throwing different defenders and looks at him, meaning there’s the possibility they might finally figure him out. McCollum (24.5 points per game in the series) could continue beating his man off the dribble for pull-up mid-range shots. But logic says he could tire of this and could use help.
The best way to ease the burden from McCollum is if Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker finally play to the level they had during the regular season. Johnson is an All-Star and Alexander-Walker is the freshly-named Kia Most Improved Player, so they’re due for a step-up. Johnson seems meek at times and lacks aggression, while Alexander-Walker is simply inefficient at 34.6% through the series so far.
2. Bridges’ spot in the rotation
The patience of Knicks coach Mike Brown seems to diminish a bit when it’s about Bridges, who has struggled mightily to find an offensive rhythm. In Game 4, Bridges started the second half but, after a few brief minutes, was a spectator for the rest of the game.
Likely, Brown didn’t want to harm Bridges’ confidence by removing him from the starting lineup altogether. A common strategy in these situations is to let the player keep the starting job but cut the minutes and keep that player on the bench down the stretch of a tight game, which was the card played by Brown in Game 4.
McBride is proving to be more useful for the Knicks in this series because of his 3-point shooting as opposed to Bridges, who’s shooting 25% from deep. He’s also a blur who creates plays and the Hawks haven’t defended him well.
It’s probably that Bridges is just a bad fit against Atlanta and in this series, and if the Knicks advance, he could be more useful against Boston, assuming the Celtics get past Philadelphia.
But if Bridges’ problems continue into the playoffs ahead, and Knicks fans are raising the motherlode of first-round picks he cost the team in the trade with Brooklyn, then Brown may not have much choice.
3. New York’s skyscraper advantage
The Knicks have out-rebounded the Hawks in every game, which is no surprise. They offer a sizable advantage, pun intended, with Towns and Mitchell Robinson against Mo Gueye and Onyeka Okongwu.
“The start of [Game 4], their physicality bothered us,” said Hawks coach Quin Snyder. “We didn’t do the things we needed to do to have success against them.”
The surprise is that this hasn’t been a big enough difference to make the Knicks’ lives easier in this series. Towns is an established star who averaged a double-double during the season and takes up space in the paint. Robinson might be the NBA’s best offensive rebounder and a decent enough defender.
As for the Hawks, any help they’ll get for the power positions must wait until the summer, either through the draft, free agency or trade. Dyson Daniels, a 6-foot-7 guard, is their leading rebounder in this series and there isn’t much in the rotation in terms of rim protection.
Towns finally flexed his muscle in Game 4 with a triple-double, and the Knicks made a strong effort to get him the ball early and in the paint. Still, there’s a sense he didn’t cause enough damage because he took just 10 shots. If the Knicks push for more from Towns, the Hawks might have no choice but to offer up more double teams — clearing the way for Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby to take advantage of single coverage or maybe open shots.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at spowell@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.
