The New York Knicks advanced to the second round of the NBA Playoffs on Thursday night, dismantling the Atlanta Hawks 140-89 at State Farm Arena.
This one was over before it ever really started. By the halfway point of the first quarter, the tone had already been set. And if you thought the last two games were bad, this one somehow managed to redefine just how far things could spiral for a team on this stage.
New York didn’t just beat Atlanta — they ran them out of their own building. What unfolded felt closer to a historic takedown than a playoff game, the kind of performance that belongs in the same breath as the 2019 St. Louis Cardinals, the 2016 Patriots, or even William Sherman’s March to the Sea.
For Atlanta, this season was supposed to be something entirely different. After clawing back from an abysmal start, the Hawks positioned themselves as a feel-good story, reaching the playoffs outright for the first time since 2021.
Instead, they collapse here will be what defines them.
After once holding a 2-1 series lead, Atlanta folded in stunning fashion, surrendering the largest halftime deficit ever recorded in a playoff elimination game. In a matter of days, everything flipped.
All of the momentum, all of the optimism built in the aftermath of the Trae Young trade — gone.
What was once a promising turnaround has now turned into a complete disaster.
And on the other side, the Knicks didn’t just win this series — they slammed the door on it.
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