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Knicks Morning News (2026.04.14)

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  • 5 keys for the Knicks in first-round matchup against Atlanta Hawks – Newsday
  • Josh Hart’s fourth-quarter explosion helps Knicks hold on to 112-106 win over Celtics – SNY
  • Knicks vs. Hawks first-round preview and prediction for 2026 NBA playoffs – SNY
  • Hornets 110, Knicks 96: “Can already hear the ‘F*** Trae Young’ chants” – Posting & Toasting
  • Knicks vs. Hawks Playoff History: A Look Down Memory Lane & 7th – Posting & Toasting
  • Knicks’ Kevin McCullar: Drops 14 points in loss – CBS Sports

    • YT News

  • The Run.down Knicks vs Hornets Postgame Show – The Strickland
  • Brian Windhorst talks Knicks-Hawks and NBA Playoffs | The Putback with Ian Begley – Begley Putback
  • 3 Biggest Questions Headed Into Knicks vs Hawks! | PLAYOFF PREVIEW | Knicks Film School – Knicks Film School
  • Knicks Weekly: Knicks Season Recap | Player Grades | Knicks vs Hawks Rd 1 Preview| Ep 153 – Knicks Fan TV
  • How Kings vs Warriors Helps the Knicks Beat the Hawks – Knick of Time

    • 135 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2026.04.14)”

    Good morning, all. Welcome to a day where there are two games in which the stats don’t count for either regular season or playoff games, much like the Cup Championship. Is it still the regular season? Nope; that’s over, as all teams have played 82 games. Are they playoff games? Nope; these teams haven’t made the playoffs yet.

    The Hawks are simultaneously underrated and overrated.

    The people just looking at their record down the stretch are overrating them given the schedule was kind of soft, but they have an underrated defense that was even better after the trade deadline. If you focus too much on boxscore offensive metrics for the season or SRS you are missing why they were better down the stretch over and above just the schedule. Their defense and 3p efficiency was better also. That’s not all schedule.

    The Knicks are the better team and have home court, but if the Hawks remain hot from 3 variance could make this a very tough series.

    1

    The Hawks are simultaneously underrated and overrated.

    I’m voting Strat for comment of the day, try to beat this. 😀

    2

    Having somewhere to hide Brunson on defense gives the Knicks a good advantage in my view. If their offense can be just good enough, they’ll be fine, assuming no crazy outcome in 3 point shooting.

    Using that phrase is relatively common over here in the States. Nothing really remarkable about it. Plus, I kind of happen to agree with it in the case of the Hawks.

    There’s folks here worried about the Hawks?

    Y’all know raptors and hawks are basically the same thing right?

    A lot of this whole enterprise hinges on KAT, so if you’re bearish on him, you’re going to be worried. I’m not.

    Big, long term trend picture: Knicks are +2200 in Vegas for the Larry O’B, fourth in the East, and definitely longer odds than last year (*). Still a contender, but clearly trending down. (**) Trend line: wrong direction.

    Probably a “this year, or never” situation. It could be this year, and actually 22-1 isn’t a terrible proposition. Nothing like the 38-1 of two years ago, but still tempting. Any team with Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns on it is dangerous.

    (*) Though I don’t recall exactly how much longer, beyond “materially.” The archives would have it.

    (**) Though at least to some degree that has to be a relative lack of confidence in Mike Brown.

    oh yeah baby, it’s the NBA playoffs…well, sort of…

    gonna go with the hornets over the heat in the first game, and the suns over the blazers in the second…

    I’m pretty much always wrong about these play-in games, so we shall see…

    so nice to not be worrying about anything knick related for several days 😊

    This really does feel like a make or break postseason for this Knicks team.

    Let us hope that they make it! I’ve been watching a lot of older Knick playoff games on YouTube, and it sure is great to see winning Knicks playoff basketball.

    geo, that’s pretty funny, I’ve been paying very little attention to anything not Knicks-related, and thus I would have sworn that both the Suns and the Blazers were completely out of the playoffs…

    1

    Re: Mikal and all the picks

    Think its funny how no one in the media nor the fans mention that Brooklyn picked 5 players in the first round last year and not one of them is making the all rookie teams.

    How is Sean Marks still employed?

    1

    A lot of this whole enterprise hinges on KAT, so if you’re bearish on him, you’re going to be worried. I’m not.

    Particularly against the Hawks. They have the personnel to flummox Brunson but not KAT. In fact they were one of the few teams who played him straight up with a center this year and didn’t hide Okongwu on Josh Hart. (They need to hide McCollum on Hart because there’s nowhere else for him to hide unless Mikal Bridges decides to help out by disappearing.)

    I couldn’t be possibly be more bearish on KAT generally but this series is set up for him to dominate. And maybe, just maybe, if he gets off to a good start it will have a carry-on effect.

    what’s up silver lake, nice to see you taking a break mister KBPR from all that work and life stuff and comingling with the rest of us malingering knicks’ fan types…

    no more of that tanking nonsense stuff either…

    we are in it to win it sir…

    well, until we are not .

    Y’all know raptors and hawks are basically the same thing right?

    Since Feb 20
    Hawks 19-5
    Raptors 13-13

    These are not the same

    The Pelicans being tied for the 7th best odds at the #1 pick (to give to Atlanta) is the most hilariously embarrassing thing ever.

    In a league where everyone was desperately tanking, they were NOT tanking, and STILL ended up tied for the 7th worst record! How in the FUCK do you even POSSIBLY pull that off?!

    have you ever assigned yourself some theme music pags…was wondering the other day what that might be…

    mine is more human than human…all day ever day got that playing in the background of my mind…

    This really does feel like a make or break postseason for this Knicks team.

    We’ve had two years of watching this team. I’m down to get fully behind them and root like hell for them this spring, but this needs to be their last dance. We shouldn’t let a good run cloud our judgment like it did last year (when we really over indexed to one good week against Boston instead of the 90+ other games).

    We know who the core players are here (Brunson, Hart, OG, Mitch, Deuce). You can build a championship team around that, but not by spending $90M on KAT and Mikal. If those two play great, we should be thinking “cool, their trade value is going up”, not “this small sample means we should ignore the larger one and run it back.”

    If those two play great, we should be thinking “cool, their trade value is going up”, not “this small sample means we should ignore the larger one and run it back.”

    Sorry but if we do go on a run and win it all, you gotta run it back (with whatever tweaks and improvements you can make). You gotta at least TRY to go for the 2peat.

    If KAT plays a big part in a Knick title, I am okay with him getting a long-term contract where he get fat like Shawn Kemp.

    2

    If we actually win the title it means Brunson and KAT learned how to dominate together, not just separately. That would change everything.

    In fact, if they dominate together and don’t win a title, that would probably change my mind, too.

    What we can’t do is what we did last year: which was watch the starting lineup get outscored for the entire playoffs but get fooled into thinking everything was ok because an injury-ravaged Celtics team set an NBA record for missed open 3PAs.

    This team has a good chance to make a deep run. We’re beating the Hawks in 5 or 6 games. And I think the Celtics are overrated — we’re at least a coin flip against them, probably better IMO. And I feel the same way about the Cavs or Pistons.

    But to me the benchmark isn’t going further than last year. If the best players continue to not play well together, the deck should be shuffled this summer.

    Unless I’m missing something, James Edwards III’s preview article today has a pretty glaring mistake. He says:

    New York’s starting lineup is the only five-man group in the league that has played at least 350 minutes together and doesn’t have a double-digit net rating.

    That immediately seemed implausible to me, and a very quick search turned up multiple counter examples e.g. DDV-Edwards-McDaniels-Randle-Gobert being +7.7 in 710 minutes.

    I don’t mean to pile on the guy and there’s some worthwhile stuff in the article. I just don’t know how something like that slips through.

    This is not at all directed at you, hubert, it’s a totally unrelated point based on something I saw on Twitter (not saying you WOULD think I’m directing it at you, but just to be safe. ;)). When did NBA fans stop celebrating anything not directly connected to winning a title?

    Remember how big Starks’ dunk was in 1993? I don’t think that would be NEARLY as big nowadays, as it would be, like, “Okay, but they didn’t win the series, so who cares?”

    In a league where everyone was desperately tanking, they were NOT tanking, and STILL ended up tied for the 7th worst record! How in the FUCK do you even POSSIBLY pull that off?!

    Did you miss our entire history from about 2002 to 2022 or so (with the exception of 2013)?

    It’ll be interesting to see how long it takes Atlanta to switch Jalen onto KAT, who I imagine is the best matchup.

    KAT has been doing a better job passing. Not sure that’ll continue beyond the end of tank season, but it’d be huge if he can act as an outlet for Brunson without pausing the offense, especially when Dyson comes in.

    a double-digit net rating.

    I have heard this in regards to finals winners i.e. no modern finals winner has utilized a starting lineup with a net rating as low as out starting five (i think that Dirk’s Dallas team had the lowest with like +9 or something like that.)

    But yes, what Edwards is saying seems like a mistake. I’m also pretty sure our starting five net rating is the lowest among the top-five nba teams (after OKC, SA, Detroit, and Boston).

    The Pelicans being tied for the 7th best odds at the #1 pick (to give to Atlanta) is the most hilariously embarrassing thing ever.

    In a league where everyone was desperately tanking, they were NOT tanking, and STILL ended up tied for the 7th worst record! How in the FUCK do you even POSSIBLY pull that off?!

    Well, at least Derik Queen looks like a keeper.

    Joe Dumars’s Piston teams of the 00s were very good, the ’04 one was a masterpiece. He’s still a good talent scout, but he’s … not good … at relative asset valuation.

    1

    When did NBA fans stop celebrating anything not directly connected to winning a title?

    Back of the envelope: When analytics and the cult of the GM took hold. At some point along the way, building teams the “right way” grabbed hold of fans’ emotion and attention, leaving things like really cool moments in the present on the floor or on the field in the dust.

    Secondarily, tanking and punting on the future became feasible when owners could tank and still not lose their shirts from lost ticket revenue, and that became feasible when shared media revenues became far bigger percentages of total revenues.

    Because of YouTube and the explosion of media, we now know way more about the players of the future than before, and that makes patience easier. In my teen years, it was extremely hard to even know what a guy was hitting in Double A, now you can watch all his games. That makes patience and possible futures more immediately vivid to the imagination and therefore more compelling.

    1

    Our starting five’s net rating is terrible by the standards of even the fringiest contenders, both past and present. There’s no doubt about that. Since we’re not changing it for whatever obstinate reason, we can only hope Brown limits its total minutes.

    It did feel like he was starting to change the rotation patterns with that goal in mind towards the end of the season, but that kind of data is annoyingly hard to find some I’m not sure if that’s true.

    You can build a championship team around that, but not by spending $90M on KAT and Mikal.

    As long as the road to finals is through Boston Celtics and Jaylen Brown, Mikal is a necessesity.

    Regardless of how we finish the season, I’m not opposed to trade KAT for 2-3 really good two way $20m to 30m players.

    However, this multi team trade is nearly impossible to execute IRL.

    So, let just be honest with ourselves that (Ex. Giannis trade) KAT will be a NY Knick for next 5 years. I do think he will re sign for way less than the max too. He really craves stability…

    I feel you, Brian.

    FWIW I’m not title or bust. I just don’t want to watch a team that’s aggravating.

    This team has components that I love and I want to optimize them.

    It also has components that make this all less fun for me with their intermittent effort and frequent unhappiness, and I’d like to never watch them again after this spring.

    For two months I can get behind them. But I’m kinda basing it on the hope that this will be the last time I have to.

    I’m frankly shocked at how much Component 2 annoys me. Never would have expected it. Then again, nothing about him is really as advertised.

    Component 1’s flaws are certainly annoying, but net-net, I’m fine with him and am rooting hard for him this post-season. I’d love to see him on the podium with the LO’B. It’s possible that’s mostly aesthetic. No real accounting for such.

    Thank you kindly Geo.

    It’s always good to come back here and remember there was a long time horizon where the bar of hope was set at “meaningful basketball”.

    I’m excited for the playoffs. Hoping for Spurs – Knicks finals!

    Component 1’s flaws are certainly annoying

    There was a stat going around recently that KAT has turned the ball over on 25% of his post up attempts this year.

    (It was from Zach Lowe on a podcast, so I don’t have a link.)

    just watching sportscenter…this quintuple expressoed guy with slick hair and a shiny suit (normally betting odds guy) was breaking down an upcoming WWE match, noting that because of one of the participating wrestler’s corner man: there would be some additional “treachery” included in the match…

    wow, is there wagering available on that kind of stuff…

    The Athletic asked 146 NBA players who would win the NBA Finals, and NO ONE VOTED FOR THE KNICKS!!

    Are you fucking KIDDING me!?

    1

    yikes, if not, maybe the jokes on us…i mean, why not the new york knicks, why not this season…

    sure, the thunder and celtics are probably favored, after that though – feels pretty wide open in each conference…

    i mean c’mon, the freaking pacers made it to the finals last season…anything can happen…

    Edit: hmmmm, guessing none of them were knicks’ players…feels like we’ve been in several 6 or 7 game series the last few years…other than the coach, pretty much same crew, just healthier and deeper this year…

    “Edit: hmmmm, guessing none of them were knicks’ players…feels like we’ve been in several 6 or 7 game series the last few years…other than the coach, pretty much same crew, just healthier and deeper this year…”

    Players were not allowed to pick their own teams to win.

    Hey there, Hubie. Good to see you, brother.

    1

    The Athletic asked 146 NBA players who would win the NBA Finals, and NO ONE VOTED FOR THE KNICKS!!

    Are you fucking KIDDING me!?

    Honestly not that surprised

    The Athletic asked 146 NBA players who would win the NBA Finals, and NO ONE VOTED FOR THE KNICKS!!

    Are you fucking KIDDING me!?

    Why is this surprising? There are 4 contenders and we aren’t one of them

    Neither are a whole bunch of other teams that got votes. There are several more than four of them on the list.

    Which team, other than your own, will win the title this season? (2026 poll)
    Anonymous player poll, 146 votes cast
    Percentage of votes received in the voting for which team will win the NBA title via The Athletic’s polling of players. A total of 146 votes cast.
    Oklahoma City Thunder
    50.0%
    San Antonio Spurs
    25.3%
    Boston Celtics
    8.2%
    Denver Nuggets
    7.5%
    Detroit Pistons
    4.1%
    Cleveland Cavaliers
    1.4%
    Los Angeles Lakers
    1.4%
    Minnesota Timberwolves
    1.4%
    Atlanta Hawks
    0.6%
    Source: Anonymous NBA player survey conducted by The Athletic.

    It isn’t that weird that some other noncontenders got 1-2 votes randomly.

    I’ll amend my earlier statement to count Denver as a contender since they have the world’s best player and can punch above their RS weight by simply increasing his minutes.

    I’m a little surprised to see Cleveland there, but I also haven’t paid attention to how they’ve done post-Harden deal.

    I think Atlanta is there because they’re a new name. Knicks have been around the block a couple times and didn’t make any big changes.

    I’m a little surprised to see Cleveland there, but I also haven’t paid attention to how they’ve done post-Harden deal.

    I think Atlanta is there because they’re a new name. Knicks have been around the block a couple times and didn’t make any big changes.

    CLE has arguably been better than us since the Harden trade. They finished the season 28-10. Over the same span we went 27-11.

    They finished the season 28-10. Over the same span we went 27-11

    Wow. SO MUCH BETTER!

    1

    It’s about to get very fun around here, with Hubie, E, and Pags all back in tow. I’m looking forward to it.

    1

    Wow. SO MUCH BETTER!

    Not SO MUCH BETTER. Arguably better. You know, the thing I actually said instead of the thing you imagined.

    Some of y’all got Pagliacci Derangement Syndrome around here.

    1

    The Athletic asked 146 NBA players who would win the NBA Finals, and NO ONE VOTED FOR THE KNICKS!!

    Perfect. I hope this lights a fire under their asses. It’s ideal chalkboard material.

    2

    There’s got to be a betting market out there for our percentage of losing at least one of the first two games at home.

    Here is the same poll from last season:
    Which team, other than your own, will win the title this season? (2025 poll)
    Anonymous player poll, 137 votes cast

    Percentage of votes received in the voting for which team will win the NBA title via The Athletic’s polling of players. A total of 137 votes cast.
    Boston Celtics
    57.7%
    Oklahoma City Thunder
    17.5%
    Cleveland Cavaliers
    10.2%
    Los Angeles Lakers
    6.6%
    Denver Nuggets
    4.4%
    Golden State Warriors
    1.5%
    Milwaukee Bucks
    1.5%
    Minnesota Timberwolves
    0.7%
    Source: Anonymous NBA player survey conducted by The Athletic.

    See they players are blind, they couldn’t even see the Pacers coming. You guys’ll be fine.

    2

    it hurts me when you speak like that donnie…

    I’m beginning to get a very us versus them vibe…and, it seems more and more like you’re straying outside the circle of “us”…

    placate me donnie…tell me you still care our our feelings…

    See they players are blind, they couldn’t even see the Pacers coming. You guys’ll be fine.

    To be fair, they were right that the Pacers didn’t win.

    Boston Celtics
    57.7%

    I feel like some team knocked them out early, just can’t remember which one…

    it seems more and more like you’re straying outside the circle of “us”…

    I’m a Dodgers fan now.

    1

    So who we rooting for in the play in tourney?

    I’m leaning towards Magic getting 7 and Hornets getting 8. Neither of them will beat Boston or Detroit, but the Magic can beat up the Celtics a little and the Hornets won’t roll over vs. the Pistons.

    “Some of y’all got Pagliacci Derangement Syndrome around here.”

    You’re the Typhoid Mary of PDS, Pags.

    I’m with Pags here. And yeah, maybe a wet blanket but we’re really not that good of a team. We were built to beat Boston and they have a better seed. I want them to win of course, don’t get me wrong. But you’d think after all these lean years we’d be a bit more grounded in reality.

    I do think if they get past Atlanta they’ll be cookin with gas and can take on anyone in the east.

    I’m a Dodgers fan now.

    Oh yeah, the guy who funds ICE detention centers owns that team, right? Imma stick with Dolan.

    “We were built to beat Boston and they have a better seed. I want them to win of course, don’t get me wrong.”

    Huh? You want Boston to win?

    maxey fan, so would also like to see the sixers play on…

    I’m low key excited to root for Maxey against the Celtics, which I can do bc Embiid continues to get everything he deserves for taking down Mitch.

    That said it would probably be better for us if the dirty Magic plays Boston again. The injuries they put in the Celtics last year played a major role in our upset.

    1

    Make that down 7-0. At least the Red Sox are also down 6-0 to the Twins after getting shellacked last night.

    Seems like whatever team wakes up for a month will open a nice lead in the AL East.

    Wiggins looking like the number 1 pick

    Losing without Bam would be horrible for Charlotte

    By the way, Spoelstra is such a great fucking coach. How is this Heat team possibly going to make the playoffs?!

    Shockingly good play-in game, how the hell did the Bulls get bupkis for Coby White?

    3

    In 18 seasons as head coach Spoelstra has won 50 games just 4 times. So either he’s overrated or their front office is super overrated.

    Just sat down to watch an April baseball game featuring the LA and NY teams. See the NBA play-in game between two certain also-rans has gone into overtime. Should I switch over? (I’m NOT gonna miss Ohtani’s at bat, but will sacrifice the others if it is suggested here). I like elimination sports, but they’re just being thrown to the Pistons sharks right?

    LaMelo going from an absurd one-footed three to getting flamed on defense to making two perfect passes to Miller and Bridges kind of encapsulates the whole experience

    Oh, wait, nevermind, it’s Yamamoto pitching tonight. Sorry post-season NBA

    For all of Silver’s questionable moves, the play-in has been a brilliant addition to the season. You basically have 2 game 6’s and 4 game 7’s

    2

    what i love about it most z-man – I consistently pick the losing team to win…

    oh shit, the broadcast cut out…

    freaking noobs prime…

    1999 feels a long long way away. But there’s something that still warms my heart anytime I get to watch the last breath of the Miami Heat season

    1

    Does anyone care who wins between Portland and Phoenix?

    The east play in is way more interesting. There are scenarios where these bottom east teams can make a run. There’s almost no chance of that in the west.

    LaMelo gets 30 points on 31 shots. Is that good?

    Ask Cade Cunningham

    “LaMelo gets 30 points on 31 shots. Is that good?”

    Compared to Knueppel’s 6 points on 12 shots he was a marksman!

    Honestly, if Portland is fully healthy, they seem pretty formidable. Nice mix of vets and young guys and Deni seems legit.

    Coby basically picking up for Kon Nipple

    More like Non Knipple tonight.

    Does anyone care who wins between Portland and Phoenix?

    Yes, there’s definitely a few people in either Portland or Phoenix who care who wins between Portland and Phoenix, I’m certain of it.

    Not sure why Diaz and his trumpets didn’t happen, but Vesia striking out the side on 10 pitches was better than anything LaSmello may have done tonight in that other sport.

    Pretty sure you could put a baseball on a batting tee and you could strike out the Mets on ten pitches

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