Hawkward? Knicks face Atlanta in 2026 playoff opener

The most recent postseason meeting between the two teams is perhaps the most renowned, or at least infamous from a Knicks perspective: with the Knicks seeded fourth after the shortened 2020-21 campaign, Atlanta spoiled New York’s first postseason showing in eight years with a 4-1 series win. It was a series headlined by the antics of then-franchise face Trae Young, who became a playoff public enemy at Madison Square Garden for his antics.

Fortunately for the Knicks, only one participating Hawk from that series remains on the active roster in the form of Onyeka Okongwu. Atlanta, in fact, flourished after trading Young to the Washington Wizards.

Since the trade was announced on Jan. 7, Atlanta has posted a 29-14 record, the sixth-best mark in the Association in that span. The Hawks have enjoyed the All-Star breakout of Jalen Johnson, the efforts of offseason yield Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and the arrival of CJ McCollum, the primary gain from the Young trade.

The Knicks and Hawks (46-36) did battle three times this year, but only once since the Young trade. New York won two of three, including the outlier held last Monday night at State Farm Arena.

A fourth quarter surge from Jalen Brunson provided one of the most electric victories of the season in that recent bout: the captain scored 17 of his 30 points in the final period to secure a 108-105 victory, one that ended a 13-game home winning streak for the Hawks. CJ McCollum seemingly launched an equalizer from halfcourt but the ball was ruled to be in his hands when time expired.

That was the middle part of a late five-game winning streak for the Knicks, one that ended on Sunday against Charlotte (though the Knicks’ regular starters played just 23 seconds, all going to Mikal Bridges in the name of keeping his consecutive games played streak alive). The win over Atlanta was also the Knicks’ first over a winning team in a month but also the first of three in the aforementioned final five.

The Knicks entered Sunday’s action locked into the third seed. Atlanta essentially sealed its fate before tipping off its own finale by also keeping several of its main men out of a visit to Miami, which is bound for the Play-In Tournament against Charlotte.

Elsewhere in the East, the Detroit Pistons and Boston lead the way, each awaiting the winner of Play-In Tournament action that gets underway on Tuesday. The winner of the Knicks and Hawks’ bout will face the winner of Boston’s series. No. 4 Cleveland faces fifth-ranked Toronto in the other established matchup on the East bracket.