Hawks (5) @ Knicks (4) - Playoffs Round 1 - Game 1 - SUNDAY May 23 - 7:00pm

[B8RcDeMktfxC]

At this point it is just superstition to have Payton start (or even play) in the play-offs.

Thibs is clearly going to be unable to take the rational decision. So could he ever take the semi-rational one - start Burks and use him in those first 6mins of Q1 and Q3? (Compensate as necessary elsewhere for Burks's recent minutes - as many astute commentators here have remarked, IQ and Rose worked ~as well as perming-2-from-3 of IQ, Burks and Rose as recently.)

[Obviously, all analytic roads lead to Frank taking those 12 minutes of Payton, whether they are game starters or bridges between Q1-Q2 and Q3-Q4. But that's a conversation for another thread.]

[prophet_of_rage]

Underrated storyline:

RJ gets his first taste of the playoffs at 20.
IQ gets his first taste of the playoffs at 21.
Obi gets his first taste of the playoffs at 23.

Mitch is unfortunately injured, but for those of us (like me) who always wanted to build through the draft, this is huge.

Good point and I believe Randle’s only 26 and getting his first taste

Funny to realize Randle's 26 - seems like he's been around forever.

7 years. AAU players start young.

Sent from my SM-N970W using Tapatalk

[HEZI]

Congrats to the squad for making the playoffs! Hoping for a good entertaining series in the opening round

[F N 11]

Trae Young when guarded by Payton this season

January 4th: Trae Young 4-10

February 15th: Trae Young 2-6

April 21: Trae Young: 1-5

Total combined for the season: 7-21 (33% FG)


This is basically the only matchup Payton is good at defensively apparently. So maybe we can survive this with Payton starting. Just trying to be positive here.

Trae was probably creating for others. That last game Trae destroyed Payton before getting hurt.

[Da_Mane_Man]

who would we play in the next round should we get past the hawks?

[Sark]

who would we play in the next round should we get past the hawks?

Philadelphia has the 1 seed; so them.

[B8RcDeMktfxC]

who would we play in the next round should we get past the hawks?

The winner of the 76ers against whoever is the #8-seed.

The Celtics play the Wizards to decide the #7 seed. My guess is the Wizards win.

The loser the plays the winner of Pacers x Hornets to decide the #8 seed. My guess is that the Celtics win that either way (assuming they lose to the Wizards).

So that would leave the winner of Knicks-Hawks to play winner of 76er-#8seed, which .... I don't see how that isn't the 76ers, unless Embiid becomes Embust through injury.

[Jump Shot]

Let’s bust some ass! Knicks + playoffs, still seems surreal.

[Capn'O]

One of us might need to step up & save Thibs from himself. Where is Tonya when you need her?

I think her family (and Gillooly) lives in the greater Portland area. I'll make some calls.

[Tracymcgoaty]

Knicks in 6...Alright i'll **** off now i know you guys dont want new friends.

[Clyde_Style]

One of us might need to step up & save Thibs from himself. Where is Tonya when you need her?

I think her family (and Gillooly) lives in the greater Portland area. I'll make some calls.

Tonya Harding: Hello?

Capn'O: I heard you make good omelettes. I've got a job for you to break some eggs if you know what I mean.

[HarthorneWingo]

Who the hell voted "Hawks in 4"?

Probably a Hawks fan. I go to other boards and vote in their polls all the time.

We need a username so we can torture their soul.

[gregzzy22]

Anyone know details about tickets?

[Guano]

LFG! Knicks in 3.

[TBri1974]

If Mitch can start to come back slowly by the end of the Hawks series and we win, and then he is in full beast mode by the series with Philly, I like our odds (considering it is a 4-1 series).

I love that Frank is getting more minutes and performing. I don't see him coming back next year, but I think he is going to make some team very happy, and I would love that to be us (at least for these playoffs)

[Ray Williams]

I know we’ll be represented in Atlanta, so whether we’re home or away, Knick fans at the games should chant ‘Luca Doncic’ every time Pube’s Young touches the ball.

[Kampuchea]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31434086/nba-playoffs-2021-everything-need-know-20-teams-mix

4. New York Knicks

2020-21 record: 41-31
BPI odds vs. ATL: 41%
Vegas title odds: +8000

After years of a swirling cycle of coaching changes, public drama and bottom-dwelling results, the Knicks have cracked the playoffs for the first time since the Carmelo Anthony era. They hired Leon Rose as the team's new president and made Tom Thibodeau their new head coach. The Knicks have stormed into the postseason behind the play of Julius Randle, who has ascended into a bona fide star this season, earning him his first All-Star appearance. The 26-year-old leads New York in scoring, assists and usage. And he is flanked by key rotational players, including R.J. Barrett, Derrick Rose and sharpshooter Reggie Bullock.

Biggest concern along their playoff path
Their lack of postseason experience. The Knicks' starters have played a combined 16 total playoff games: Nerlens Noel has competed in 12 postseason contests, and Reggie Bullock has appeared in four. Randle, who has led them through the regular season, will be playing in his first postseason. The Knicks have been exceptional in close games to end the regular season -- going 9-2 in clutch-time games since April 9, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. That is good for the second-best such record in the NBA in that time. Still, the deeper that teams go in the playoffs, superstar talent and experience tend to win out.

Matchups to watch in Round 1: Randle vs. the bigs, and Thibs' plan for Trae
There are two matchups to keep an eye on: Randle vs. Clint Capela and John Collins; and Thibodeau vs. Trae Young. Randle has been a force against the Hawks this season, scoring 40 points, 44 points and 28 points in each of their three matchups. (The Knicks won all three.) Capela and Collins could be tasked with containing him. On the other side, Thibodeau has seemed to draw up schemes to force the Hawks to try to beat them without Young's sharpshooting. Young shot 36.2% against the Knicks in the regular season, his second lowest against any team that he played at least three times.

Their playoff ceiling is ...
A second-round exit. The Knicks are 3-0 against Atlanta this season heading into their opening-round matchup, but a second-round series against a seasoned 76ers team could prove to be an insurmountable hurdle.

Fan attendance
The Knicks are permitted to allow 10% capacity at Madison Square Garden.

-- Malika Andrews

One stat to watch
The Knicks are back in the postseason by returning to their defensive ways under Thibodeau. New York has held opponents under 100 points in 24 games this season and leads the NBA in points allowed per game at 104.7. The last time the Knicks led the NBA in fewest points allowed was the 2000-01 season, when the team won 48 games -- and when Thibodeau was an assistant coach on that campaign's staff. -- Jason Joseph


5. Atlanta Hawks
2020-21 record: 41-31
BPI odds vs. NY: 59%
Vegas title odds: +5000

There have been two seasons for the Hawks, who were out of the East playoff picture at 14-20 when coach Lloyd Pierce was fired but have gone 27-11 under interim coach Nate McMillan to climb to fifth. A healthy Bogdan Bogdanovic has been a key part of the turnaround. He has averaged 18.0 points per game since the coaching change, turning Atlanta's second-unit lineups without starting point guard Trae Young from the team's biggest liability into a surprising strength as the Hawks return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

Biggest concern along their playoff path
Playoff inexperience. Of Atlanta's top five scorers, only center Clint Capela has ever appeared in the playoffs. ESPN's Zach Lowe has told the story of running into Hawks guard Kevin Huerter in his hotel in Philadelphia during the 2019 playoffs when Pierce brought Huerter to watch his former team and get a sense of postseason basketball. Watching from the stands is no substitute for the real thing, and playoff experience does have predictive power for team success. Atlanta's stars could struggle to adapt to defenses scheming for them in a different way than during the regular season.

Matchup to watch in Round 1: Battle of the second units
With Bogdanovic playing the majority of the minutes that Young doesn't, Atlanta has been surprisingly good without its star lately. The Hawks have outscored opponents by 3.9 points per 100 possessions with Bogdanovic on and Young off since the All-Star break. They'll be challenged to keep it up against a New York bench that ranks second in reserve scoring on a per-minute basis since the break, powered by Derrick Rose's 14.8 PPG coming off the bench.

Their playoff ceiling is ...
A second-round exit. There's no reason to think the Hawks can't win a first-round matchup against the similarly inexperienced Knicks, but knocking off one of the East's top three is a tougher task.

Fan attendance
The Hawks are permitted to allow 45% capacity at State Farm Arena.

-- Kevin Pelton

One stat to watch
Young is the first player in NBA history to average 25 points and nine assists per game in multiple seasons before his age-23 season. Oscar Robertson (1960-61) is the only other player to have one such season before an age-23 campaign. John Collins and Clint Capela have benefitted the most from Young's assists this season. Young has assisted on 267 Collins and Capela field goals this season; the only player with a higher assist total to a pair of teammates is Golden State's Draymond Green (290 to Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins combined). -- Jose De Leon

[YMMV]

Aww what's the matter KD? A little salty that BK isn't the talk of the town? FOH.

Read on Twitter

?s=21

[Kampuchea]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31434086/nba-playoffs-2021-everything-need-know-20-teams-mix

4. New York Knicks

2020-21 record: 41-31
BPI odds vs. ATL: 41%
Vegas title odds: +8000

Fan attendance
The Knicks are permitted to allow 10% capacity at Madison Square Garden.

5. Atlanta Hawks
2020-21 record: 41-31
BPI odds vs. NY: 59%
Vegas title odds: +5000

Fan attendance
The Hawks are permitted to allow 45% capacity at State Farm Arena.

[Kampuchea]

Who the hell voted "Hawks in 4"?

To be fair, the Knicks are actually ahead in the poll on the Hawks board.

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