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Knicks vs. Hawks: 4 matchups to watch, plus prediction of NBA first-round playoff series – Newsday
Knicks vs. Hawks Playoff History: A Look Down Memory Lane & 7th – Posting & Toasting
Jalen Brunson scores 17 points in fourth quarter to lead Knicks over Hawks, 108-105 – SNY
Knicks playoff outlook: 5 reasons why (or why not) New York can reach NBA Finals – The New York Times
Knicks First Round Series Primer: Atlanta Hawks – Posting & Toasting
Josh Hart’s fourth-quarter explosion helps Knicks hold on to 112-106 win over Celtics – SNY
Knicks Vs Hawks Playoff Overview – Knick of Time
Knicks vs Hawks Game 1 Preview đĽ Playoffs Begin! | Match-Ups, Analysis and Predictions! – Knicks Fan TV
Knicks vs Hawks Series Preview w/ Alex of Hawks Fan TV | PLAYOFF PREVIEW | Knicks Film School – Knicks Film School
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47 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2026.04.16)”
G’mornin’, all.
Masterclass in defensive strategy by Steve Kerr and a masterclass in defense by Draymond Green.(*)
Clippers’ loss gives the Thunder another lottery pick.
(*) On a scale of 1 to 10 in “not meaning anything because it isn’t going to lead to a title,” if Starks’s dunk was a 1, this game was a 10, but still. Excellent basketball game.
Itâs crazy to think that the best team in the nba could potentially add the two best players from the ncaa championship team (Lendeborg, Mara) to their roster this offseason.
On the one hand, I love seeing Curry advance. They’re not winning the title, but for as long as that guy can play playoff basketball, I’m happy.
On the other hand, watch the Thunder jump into the top 4 with that Clippers pick.
On the flip side, for many, Sam Hinkie’s imaginary “championship” is more real and meaningful and tangible than Starks’s dunk.
That confirms BC’s theory for sure — but it’s still *extremely* weird.
Who said life is fair?
Why are we talking about the Starks’ dunk?
So we’re 5 1/2 point favorites for game 1 vs the Hawks and the Celtics are 12 1/2 point favorites for game 1 vs Phllly
I get that the Hawks are better than the Sixers (but not by that much IMO) and the Celtics are the juggernaut heading to the NBA Finals, but that discrepancy seems a little extreme no?
I feel like the Celtics are getting a little too much smoke blown up their asses because of how well they’ve done relative to the expectations coming into the season with Tatum out most of the season.
Obviously they’re good. But I think, objectively, they aren’t as good as last season and might be a regular season paper tiger kind of team.
Maybe I’m wrong and Tatum potentially has a full 2 weeks before facing us in the second round to round into form. But, unlike last playoffs, I would not consider ourselves to be huge underdogs against them if we do face them again.
There are so many pieces in play for successs/failure, but I keep coming back to the Knicks’ best sharpshooter, Josh Hart (okay, tied with Deuce at .413). If he can keep it up we’re going to be a very tough out, and if he pulls a Starks (and I don’t mean the dunk) we’re in serious trouble.
đśthe time slips away
Leaves you with nothing, mister, but boring stories ofâŚ
Glory daysđś
Agree with Raven. If I recall correctly, Hawks have not played their starting C on Hart. That said, if Josh cannot maintain the 40% 3 pt shooting, then Knicks will need Mikal to revert to his PHX Suns playoff version, a tall order.
I’m feeling pretty confident in this team despite not liking everyone on it very much. And I noticed the two things are intertwined.
I’m confident this team’s floor is the ECF, for instance, as long as Mikal Bridges doesn’t disappear for long stretches and Karl-Anthony Towns doesn’t mope around and/or do a lot of dumb shit.
But I don’t like this team very much because I can’t be confident that Mikal Bridges won’t disappear for long stretches and Karl-Anthony Towns won’t mope around and/or do a lot of dumb shit.
I’m totally fine if a team doesn’t win a chip. But I struggle to support a team where I can’t count on all the guys to show up for the playoffs.
This isn’t a prediction that KAT and Mikal won’t show up. It’s just an acknowledgment that there’s a possibility they won’t, and I don’t feel that way about the MFers on this team: Brunson, Deuce, Hart, OG, Mitch.
Ant’s appeal was denied.
This potentially moves Jalen to third team All-NBA, and probably means KAT doesn’t make any of the teams.
Yeah, thatâs pretty big news
I skipped most of yesterday due to the early unpleasantness, so apologies if this already came up. But on Macri’s podcast with Katz, Fred talked about how every front office in the league “loves” Mitch. That whole segment felt like they were saying he’s gone in free agency without actually saying it. If so, I hope we can at least pull off a sign-and-trade, which the iHart situation didn’t allow us to do.
A lot of my confidence has to do with the fact that boy do I think our first two opponents are overhyped.
I’ll say this about the Hawks: talk of them not having a closer is far too dismissive of CJ McCollum. That guy will make shots in close games.
But can we please stop highlighting the portion of the season where all they did was play teams trying to lose? Give me a break.
The media is nearly unanimous that Knicks/Hawks is the most likely series for an upset, and I think they’re missing the boat. It’s Celtics-Sixers.
No disrespect to Jaylen Brown, but the Celtics are a try-hard team with a lot of limited and unproven guys. I find it absurd that they’re heavy favorites to win the East. Jayson Tatum is back but he’s not Jayson Tatum. His 54.1 TS% is proof of that. And I don’t know if he’s injured or getting old but Derrick White doesn’t look like himself. Tyrese Maxey will run him ragged.
I like the Knicks in 5 competitive games over the Hawks. And I think Celtics-Sixers will go 7 games, with the Celtics prevailing. And then I’m very confident we’ll beat the Celtics (as long as Mikal Bridges doesn’t disappear for long stretches and KAT doesn’t mope around and/or do a lot of dumb shit).
We’ll see what happens after that. I think Detroit is a giant hiding in plain sight. I’ve never seen a 60 win team get so little respect. They have the 4th best odds to win the East! I can’t wait to bet on them against the Cavs.
I did not believe last year’s team could win a championship, even when we got to the Conference Finals, but I believe this year’s team has a puncher’s chance.
Our odds of winning a championship probably depend on San Antonio winning the West. I don’t think it was a fluke we played so well against them this year. Wemby has a real problem against Mitchell Robinson, the kind of problem no other player in the NBA seems to present. I think Leon would have been wise to have locked Mitch up by now. Some cap space team in the West will have noticed this by now (I suspect the Lakers are getting their offer ready).
The Sixers without Embiid are a bad team. If Paolo could put the ball in the hoop Orlando wins easily last night .
Boston is light years better than Philly
If Leon doesn’t want to pay Mitch we should fire Leon and pay Mitch. There’s no doubt who is worth more to this team.
Hubs always gotta be so melodramatic.
So if Mitch wants the max amount of money and years that we can offer him, Leon should just give it to him even with his injury history or else Leon should be fired?
But how does Mitch feel? Doesn’t he reportedly love it here? (Plus, he’s “homegrown,” drafted by us.) I don’t think it would be as easy for another team as the iHart situation, where he was just swayed by a boatload of money. Mitch is a different kind of dude (which is partially also why we love him).
If Brunson focuses on ball movement and getting everyone involved (especially Towns) and saves the one on one or one on two hero ball for late in the possession we are going have one of the best offenses in the playoffs.
If they come out with consistent high energy effort on defense (especially Mitch in his minutes), the net of both may be good enough to get them to the conference finals or finals.
If either one of those are lacking, they could get beat in the first round.
yeah i would be very worried the Lakers will make a big offer to Mitch. he would be perfect with Luka and would really clean up their defense. I really wish we did not give Mikal what is probably at least a 50% overpay contract.
Add Mitch, get rid of Lebron and add a couple of solid role players and watch out.
Mitch plays 20 minutes a night and doesnât play back to backs . Kessler is more likely to get a look from the Lakers or Mark Williams (didnât they try to trade for him before )?
They *did* trade for him before, and actually had him in-house. Then they pretended all Baltimore Ravens-style that he had failed his physical when he was clearly playing fine both before and after the trade. Buyer’s remorse, and then they ended up with Ayton, who is likely worse…….so they got what they deserved.
The “Donte DiVincenzo is a playoff risk” thing that caused such verklempt in certain circles now seems positively tame.
At least some of Detroit’s relatively low odds are because of Cunningham’s potential hangover with the lung.
I do think the Knicks will beat the Hawks. Too early to say re the Celtics. (As with all simliar statements, all health caveats apply.)
In terms of Mitch, what I called “Moneyball” BITD, with its focus on offensive rebounding (*) is now having something of a moment in the association, with several teams going in that direction (Charlotte with Diabate, Phoenix with Williams, etc.). In part, teams are realizing the potential for a big to cause a scramble around the offensive glass, which can then, if you grab the OReb, lead to a three against a scrambled defense. Trifectas against a scrambled defense are very efficient shots.
As the “originator” of the strategy, and one of its finest practitioners, Mitch’s value is as high as it’s ever been.
(*) That wasn’t literally the definition, just a component of it.
good to see luka and cade both got their 65 game threshold waived for post season awards…
feeling fairly greviance free at the moment, so hoping luka and AR make it back to troll KD/rockets…even would like to see embiid come and wreck boston, they seem vulnerable up front and on the boards…
okay, all this mitch talk…
put a number and year to it, plus any health stipulations…
we’ll get some definitive answers in several months…
I’ll go first, started off the season thinking he would be starting, playing 65 games or so…to me that mitch is worth up to 24 million a year for 3 years…
the knicks have wisely health managed his games and minutes this season…
mitch has played in 60 games, the first 40 or so pretty heavily limited in minutes…
he’s not a one trick pony…he’s got a few pretty top tier skillz (offensive rebounding, defense in general, hustle and energy)…
he missed some games during the season…60 game appearances though…maybe the med staff has him figured out (hope hope đ)…
right now I’d be cool with 18 million for 4 years, no health stipulations…
with the med staffs’ blessing, lock him up…try to get him to be a knick 4 life, we ain’t got many of those, heck mitch is actually already one of them đ )…
it’s a risk…60 games and healthy for the playoffs, he’s had a good year…
interested to hear some other folks’ contract thoughts…
Edit: will take a look at our roster salary overall to see what giving mitch 18 million means for the rest of the roster…
don’t expect us to pay much tax…can’t remember us ever even having the league’s top roster salary…
Your concern was that something would magically change in the playoffs. Mine is that something wonât.
Mikal has been disappearing for the last two years. KATâs been moping since training camp, and doing lots of dumb shit his whole life.
doing lots of dumb shit his whole life.
I know that someone mentioned earlier that OKC could end up with the 4th pick in the draft. If they win the lottery, can’t they end up drafting #1 overall?
Hubert, the problem with your hot take is that it’s painful cherry picking. Mikal has been disappearing a lot the last few years; but he’s also been showing up and playing really well a fair amount, too. KAT’s done a shit-ton of moping this year, but has seemed to come out of it lately and has been playing both smart and enthusiastically.
So in fact it is absolutely possible, I might even say likely, that Mikal and KAT show up for the playoffs. Of course there’s a non-zero chance one or the other reverts to their bad self, but there’s also a very strong likelihood that doesn’t happen.
Raven it’s not clear that you understand what my “hot take” actually is.
^ That’s it. Your statement was my hot take.
It shouldn’t be “possible” or even “likely” that two of your best players “show up for the playoffs.”
It should be taken for granted.
I mean…should it?
Any team that doesn’t win a championship can look at one of their top 4 or 5 guys and find one guy who “didn’t show up.”
two things true
Or the dilemma is solved with the realization/acceptance that assuming full health, Mikal is the team’s 7th best player behind Anunoby, McBride, Hart, Robinson, Towns, and Brunson.
It would be nice if he played well, but there’s plenty of glass here that can be broken in case of emergency. Whether Mike Brown picks up the fire hydrant is at this point an unknown.
I think you’re confusing showing up with playing well.
I don’t know Jalen Brunson is going to play well Saturday, but I do know he’s not going to give less effort bc he’s not happy about something. That’s showing up.
Who doesn’t like a good ensemble?
I would need more information.
To my earlier point about how badly I think the media is missing the boat right now:
OK, Michael Pina. Good luck with your Jalen Brunson short.
College hoop salaries are getting insane. The salaries of second round picks may have to go up to compete. From the Athletic:
See
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7198289/2026/04/15/college-basketball-transfer-portal-roster-cost-2026/
Stay in school, baby! Get an education!
AND generational wealth, all at the same time!
With the Dodgers off today, thought maybe Iâd take in a basketball game. The NBA really doesnât want my business this season.
The more I think of it, the more I think the Knicks are gonna do a number on the Hawks.
Fun little read in The Athletic by Joe Boylan: “Basketball analytics corrected decades of bad intuition. Then it created new blind spots.”
A nice description of how a lot of what we talk about with the Knicks’ lineups maybe isn’t quite what we should be saying.
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