Official Game Thread: Hawks at Knicks -- GAME 2

[lethalweapon3]

The Moment Knicks fans realized they got stuck with the wrong Italian.

 

Welcome to the Madison Square Garden branch of the New York Public Library.

Now, sssshhh, you blowhard New York Knicks fans. Can you not see, Trae Young is reading you up and down right now?

The Human Spoiler Alert, Trae and his Atlanta Hawks cannot get too far over their skis ahead of Game 2 (7:30 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, TNT). But when you form Mount Rushmores with LeBron (30-10-and-5+), D-Wade (game-clinching FG with under 5 seconds left), and Derrick Rose and CP3 (w/ LeBron, 30-10+) in your winning NBA Playoffs debut over a thirsty media darling, you get to dictate what’s going on with the Dewey Decimal System.

The Big Idea in The Big Apple was that Atlanta’s hush-puppy point guard would wilt in his postseason debut, perhaps confusing 2021 Trae with the young man who officially began his career in 2018 on this hell-owed Madison Square Garden floor. Then, his resounding Game 1 performance on Sunday (32 points on 10-for-20 2FGs and 9-for-9 all-4^th-quarter FTs, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 TOs) helped his Hawks gut out a 107-105 win and the playoff-starved host’s fanbase simultaneously. Now, the new Big Idea as Game 2 approaches is that it’s their one-time All-Star who gets the butterflies out of his system.

Reaching as high as #15 among all-time players with no NBA Playoffs experience under their belt (446 regular-season games, tied with Brandon Knight, Darius Miles, and Geoff Petrie), 2021 Most Improved Player award-winner Julius Randle is officially off the list, leaving behind Zach LaVine (411 games) as the new active leader. In the cases of the other three stuck at 446, no one was expecting those guys to lead a team’s charge into the playoffs by the time each reached appearance #400.

It turned out that the rust was real for Randle (6-for-23 FGs, would-be 6-for-24 had his mid-range heave gotten off in the final 0.9 seconds of Game 1, 1-for-2 FTs and 12 rebounds), much of it a product of the defensive activity by the Hawks’ John Collins to lure him into rushed off-screen jumpers rather than attacks around the rim, with help at turns by De’Andre Hunter and Danilo Gallinari. Randle has no choice but to be better in Game 2, but any incremental improvement may also be offset by one from the Collins-Clint Capela duo (combined 21 points on 9-for-16 shooting, 20 rebounds and 4 blocks) if coach Tom Thibodeau’s vaunted defense can’t thwart pick-and-roll penetration.

Randle’s second-in-command, second-year forward RJ Barrett (6-for-15 FGs, including 1-for-6 on threes) had a moment to remember but a night to forget. The Maple Mamba’s third-quarter, game-tying poster waffle served only to wake up Atlanta’s Bogdan Bogdanovic, who finished a syrupy sweet 4-for-6 from Times Square. Bogi also had two critical steals and a mid-floor stop on Rose in the second half.

Knick starters took a grand total of six free throws and shot a combined 17-for-53 from the field. At this stage, it borders on unfairness to classify Elfrid Payton (0-for3 FGs and 1 assist in 8 minutes) as a starter. Throw in Rose, the 32-year-old sixth-man logging a team-high 37.7 minutes in the series opener for Coach Thibs, and those six Knicks were a combined 4-for-21 on threes. Hawk defenders Hunter and Kevin Huerter did a fine job of shooing shooters off the three-point line in the clutch, keeping New York from pulling away.

Thank goodness, Spike and the Knicks fans must have thought, for Alec Burks (27 points, 9-for-13 FGs and 6-for-8 FTs in 26 “not basketball” minutes) heating up, rookie Immanuel Quickley getting some hero-shots to fall, and the oldest Knick on the roster, Taj Gibson (9 rebounds, incl. 5 offensive), being the beneficiary of some of those wayward Knick caroms.

New York starters have no choice but to be a better collective in Game 2. But any incremental advantage they gain may similarly be offset by a stronger performance from Atlanta’s Gallinari, whose binary bench production (1 3FG, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block) belied his 3-for-11 shooting display. Getting open shots from Gallo and Bogi to splash early can facilitate Trae putting games on Ice late.

The Hawks got just enough from Lou Williams, and drips and drabs from Tony Snell, to keep the team in position for Young’s silencing salvos, setting the stage for New York’s first home loss this season after leading through three quarters. The new goal for Atlanta is to build up enough of a fourth-quarter lead that the new #84 on the No-Playoffs-Yet list, Kris Dunn, gets to enjoy some floor burn.

He was radio silent on whether Washington Capitals goon Tom Wilson making frozen mincemeat of Rangers star Artemi Panarin’s face was hockey. And he struggles to say much of anything with his whole chest about his governor hunting aides around the office. But when it comes to the concept of Knicks opponents “hunting fouls,” it appears NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio has found his voice. “ThAt HaWk WoN’t FlY. I tHiNk ThE kNiCkS aRe GoInG tO tEaCh YoU a LeSsOn.” Shut Up and Politics, Billy De Whinyams!

Hizzoner knows a legitimate threat when he sees one. So does Barnes and Noble, the library-killing NYC-based store which took time out of their lengthy liquidation to name-check Mr. Young this past Monday morning. The threat is not so much the free throws Young earns, it’s the knowledge that you might have to smuggle pigeons and pizza rats into MSG just to distract him from making most, of not all, of them.

Nine years ago, both Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire were gifted nine freebies during a Game 2 loss against the heat in Miami, but each missed three of them. Stoudemire promptly assailed a sign that said “Break Glass in Case of Emergency,” and extinguished himself. Melo’s co-star’s lacerated hand left him wanting to punch himself as the Knicks failed to win Game 3 back home (despite 19 combined free throws by Melo and Tyson Chandler), all but sealing the deal of ever catching up with LeBron (12-for-13 FTs) and Friends in that first-round series.

Eight years ago this month, Paul George made 7 of his 8 foul shots in Game 1 at the Garden. He’d have made more had the Knicks’ J.R. Smith not come off the bench hunting for fouls (7-for-10 FTs) and snookering PG-13 out of the game. Alas, coach Mike Woodson’s Knicks let that critical home game slip away, allowing Indiana to hold serve at home and prevail in six games. The city is only now recovering from eight years of being New York Undercover.

The Knicks still want to win this series, but with all the hullabaloo after Game 1, it’s clear their fans, and the shrill shills in the media that finance their livelihoods purely off them, are simply starving to see their team win a playoff game in their own building for the first time since outlasting PG’s Pacers for a stay of execution in Game 5 of that 2013 series. Knick fans are all packed, ready to invade StubHub and head South. But quite a few will be checking their refund policies if their team finds themselves down 2-0.

Young, coached up by Nate McMillan, understands Atlanta needs more than one Hawk to fly. The Knicks have to either deny him the ball, or deny his paint penetration, and take away his shot-making threats. Even with Thibodeau’s layered schemes, it remains to be seen whether New York defenders can accomplish two of those three tasks for significant stretches of games, all while not getting caught hacking.

They’ll have to do the same with Bogdanovic and Williams, neither of whom found much resistance finding their own offense or their teammates when handling the rock. Staying true to McMillan’s edict, Young’s two turnovers were a team-high (six ATL player TOs in Game 1), and the “Fowl-hunting” Knicks have to be disruptive of more than just Trae to even this series.

Might the MSG Library close tonight? For the fanbase, waiting for a Game 5 to celebrate a Knicks home victory might prove to be a wait that’s a few days too long. The gnashing of teeth around Gotham is the realization that if they don’t turn it around convincingly, today, they might have to hold out another year, or eight, to get another chance.

Randle could be outta here by 2022, while Rose, Burks, Nerlens Noel (questionable for Game 2, sprained ankle) and Reggie Bullock could catch a payday somewhere else this summer. Due to term limits, Mayor De Bloviator knows 2021 is his last chance to artificially boost his ratings ahead of his next run for a job somewhere in the Empire State. By next year, playoffs or not, when Trae Young and Atlanta pays a visit, this place could become the New York Public Library, State Farm Arena North branch.

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[NBASupes]

f*** the Knicks! 2-0, let's go!

[JeffS17]

I want Trae to run the same action on the first play of the game and float in our first 2 points, as a nice reminder that he can and will get into the lane whenever he wants.  

When the doubles come, I hope Trae runs off ball and sets some off ball screens to leave the Knicks players wondering who to guard.  Their defense is tough, physical, and plays with 100% effort but their decision making isn't great.  We have to keep exposing them and forcing players to make decisions and communicate

[HawkingAwesome]

 

[JayBirdHawk]

19 minutes ago, JeffS17 said:

I want Trae to run the same action on the first play of the game and float in our first 2 points, as a nice reminder that he can and will get into the lane whenever he wants.  

When the doubles come, I hope Trae runs off ball and sets some off ball screens to leave the Knicks players wondering who to guard.  Their defense is tough, physical, and plays with 100% effort but their decision making isn't great.  We have to keep exposing them and forcing players to make decisions and communicate

Trae has to control his TOs like he did it game 1 and not settle for the quick 3 pointers. 

[JayBirdHawk]

Will the Knicks put

[REHawksFan]

Not gonna lie.  I'm expecting the series to come to ATL 1-1.  This is the game where NYK are going to ball out and play really really well, imo.  I can see them getting off to a hot start, Hawks struggling a little with new defense on Trae, not hitting shots early, and then never really getting back into the game.  Knicks by 8-10 imo. That's what I'm expecting.  

Now I need Trae to tell me to shut the F up and go out and LEAD this team to a HUGE victory!!  

 

[JayBirdHawk]

6 minutes ago, REHawksFan said:

Not gonna lie.  I'm expecting the series to come to ATL 1-1.  This is the game where NYK are going to ball out and play really really well, imo.  I can see them getting off to a hot start, Hawks struggling a little with new defense on Trae, not hitting shots early, and then never really getting back into the game.  Knicks by 8-10 imo. That's what I'm expecting.  

Now I need Trae to tell me to shut the F up and go out and LEAD this team to a HUGE victory!!  

 

I can tell you for him....Hawks will be back at The Farm 2-0.....(my magic 8 ball says ask me again after the first 5 minutes ).

[lethalweapon3]

Good news. There will be no TONY BROTHERS ALERT tonight.

~lw3

[ATLHawks3]

13 minutes ago, REHawksFan said:

Not gonna lie.  I'm expecting the series to come to ATL 1-1.  This is the game where NYK are going to ball out and play really really well, imo.  I can see them getting off to a hot start, Hawks struggling a little with new defense on Trae, not hitting shots early, and then never really getting back into the game.  Knicks by 8-10 imo. That's what I'm expecting.  

Now I need Trae to tell me to shut the F up and go out and LEAD this team to a HUGE victory!!  

 

[lethalweapon3]

Scatter 'em, cover 'em and smother 'em for Sarah!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

After an early dinner, I'm gettin' in 15 extra minutes of nap time.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Not to be outdone, The Varsity will be red-and-yellow.

~lw3

[macdaddy]

Going to go ahead and predict that at least 2 of Capela, Collins, Hunter will see early foul trouble tonight.   Refs are going to ticky tack us to try to throw us off our game. 

[Final_quest]

51 minutes ago, REHawksFan said:

Not gonna lie.  I'm expecting the series to come to ATL 1-1.  This is the game where NYK are going to ball out and play really really well, imo.  I can see them getting off to a hot start, Hawks struggling a little with new defense on Trae, not hitting shots early, and then never really getting back into the game.  Knicks by 8-10 imo. That's what I'm expecting.  

Now I need Trae to tell me to shut the F up and go out and LEAD this team to a HUGE victory!!  

 

I want to agree, but so far we have only seen the Knicks bench get results.  I need to see their starters show that they can handle us before I just concede that the Knicks are gonna hit back.  They are gonna try.  We might be ready for whatever they throw at us, and we might have Randle wrapped up.  

They have to show me before I believe they can do it.  I have seen Trae get careless with turnovers and I've seen him off with his shot, but have you seen a defense stop Trae?

[HawkingAwesome]

Imma be the first to get my waffles topped

[REHawksFan]

17 minutes ago, Final_quest said:

I want to agree, but so far we have only seen the Knicks bench get results.  I need to see their starters show that they can handle us before I just concede that the Knicks are gonna hit back.  They are gonna try.  We might be ready for whatever they throw at us, and we might have Randle wrapped up.  

They have to show me before I believe they can do it.  I have seen Trae get careless with turnovers and I've seen him off with his shot, but have you seen a defense stop Trae?

Knicks do not have a single player that can stay in front of Trae.  My worry is that they clog the lane to take away the floater and the lob and try to bait him and the whole team into being jump shooters only.  IF they do that and the team isn't hitting, I could see us getting behind.  

[Thomas]

Believe Trae will have big time help from another gunner tonight. Sensing it. 

[REHawksFan]

2 minutes ago, Thomas said:

Believe Trae will have big time help from another gunner tonight. Sensing it. 

What would be completely awesome is if they take away Trae's scoring only to watch him carve them up facilitating Bogie, Gallo, JC, and Clint all night long.  They completely ignore the fact that the Hawks have FAR more weapons than just Trae.  Beating them with the rest of the team would be really satisfying.  

[hawkman]

41 minutes ago, macdaddy said:

Going to go ahead and predict that at least 2 of Capela, Collins, Hunter will see early foul trouble tonight.   Refs are going to ticky tack us to try to throw us off our game. 

Them swallowing the whistle against the Hawks in Game 1 didn't work. I expect them to be more intrusive in Game 2. Thanks to Nate, the Hawks seem to expect shenanigans so they should be ok as far as keeping their emotions in check. Still, potentially losing Capela early and/or having him play 20ish minutes total due to foul trouble would absolutely hurt the Hawks. The Hawks would have to shoot the lights out to win at that point.