[Highlight] The Knicks can’t get a shot off on the final possession, Hawks win!
I am officially in panic mode.
I legit think the Hawks will win this series. The Knicks are uncomfortable against that length and athleticism.
Plus Brunson has been exposed this series.
Brunson is too small and not elite shooter as Curry which is no diss because Curry not the standard lol
Curry is also a much more mobile player, on and off ball
And better defender
And has a proportionally sized head
And is more handsome
I could kiss that man
I just don’t understand why they don’t feed the ball to Kat when he’s the biggest on the court
We are wondering the same thing. Believe me.
I think Brunson needs to stop his hero ball…
And have been all season…
Kat had a bunch of terribly ugly KAT possessions in the second half too. Dude loses the ball and runs over people and shit so often.
Because Mike Brown told KAT he has to make sacrifices this year. Which is codeword for “Rick Brunson told me only his son can be the star or else I can’t play Head Coach anymore”.
Why didn’t KAT, being the biggest on the court, simply eat the other players and win the game?
I don’t want to get cocky but I do think we’re legitimately a uniquely bad matchup for brunson. We’ve got athletic length all over the place and one of the rare teams that start 2 guards that can both guard brunson 1v1 as well as one of the best perimeter defending centers in the league. Then on offense all 5 players are big and skilled enough to attack brunson so no real place to hide.
Reminds me of the heat / hawk invitationals when Trae would get smothered
Been thinking the exact same thing. Weird being on the other side of it
You guys really are along with Detroit that’s why we really struggled against them too. Big body brunson just doesn’t work against guys with longer wingspans cause any amount of space that he can generate gets immediately negated.
Is CJ’s defense that good? I swear during his Blazers days the discourse was a backcourt of Dame/CJ will never work because of their defense.
No, I’m referring to Nickeil Alexander Walker, and obviously Dyson Daniels
We stole a game while JJ and NAW were blatantly cold lol.
Same as last game. It’s wild; we’d be down 0-3 without
*squints* Jonathan Kuminga?
Yeah, Knicks are a better team but this is actually such a good matchup for the Hawks.
knicks arent a better team
Atlantas biggest flaw is they dont have a real PG to create offence but neither do the knicks so it doesnt matter
it shows how basketball lacks transitivity–I think the Knicks would be a tougher matchup for the Cavs or the Celtics, but this matchup is hard for them.
Hawks also have a pretty weak interior (love Okongwu but rim protection is easily the weakest part of his game), but unless the Knicks are able to get KAT more involved it somehow seems that we won’t get punished for it
We’re describing the same problem.
If the knicks replaced Brunson with washed Harden kat would be averaging like 35 right now and the knicks would be up, no real point guard to create the looks their matchups should be getting
Harden would tell Mike brown to run 1 million pnrs with him and kat they would score like 1.5ppp
Post all star break hawks have been best in east
If the knicks really were a better team they’d be able to adjust
I blame our coach and the questionable decisions he’s made.
That sounds familiar
If the Hawks beat the Knicks after ditching Trae Young, I think that’s the final nail on the coffin of the small PG archetype that’s one-way, on-ball only in today’s NBA.
They hated Becky Hammond cause she spoke the truth
I don’t think you can win in the NBA at a high level when your 2 best offensive players are heavy negatives on defense
i always thought he was an issue. The man dribbles the air out of the ball while everyone else is cold. Even before mike brown the offense was really stagnant.
It doesn’t help that brown doesn’t call Plays and dude has to improvise in iso situations.
You should be. Bridges is terrible right now.
Its a Brown problem. He refuses to play into the teams advantages being size!
Agreed. Double bigs was a massive advantage last playoffs.
Mike Brown ruined my life
it’s over buddy
I think the Knicks win this series, but really if they wanted to make a run we needed to see Mike Brown show a noticeable improvement in the offense at the end of games, and it’s not there. At some point this team is going to stop being able to get away with just running predictable isos. Just a matter of when.
I think we can see that we’ve already reached that point. Putrid 4Q offense
just need 1 for home court back
Somewhere in washington, Trae Young is smiling
In Valhalla, RIP
We are Trae Young 🙏🏼
Counting or not counting Ben Simmons?
Rest easy brother
Menacingly
The “Brunson do something” offense in the clutch is infuriating to watch. No versatility, no plays drawn up, just spent the entire last possession trying to get the ball to Brunson and then they doubled and no one knew what to do.
Literally why we fired Thibs and nothing changed.
Mike Brown has always been a vibes coach like Rivers
There was all the talk about him changing after his time in Golden State but no, he’s still just the encouraging uncle.
Dude was getting carried by Jordi. After the Nets signed Jordi away from us and it became Mike’s offense the system went to shit.
We love jordi!
I watched his press conference when we hired him and was like “oh, that’s why he got the job” - he’s charismatic as fuck. I bet he interviewed extremely well. Man I was so disappointed that we went with him
Is it possible the players just… don’t listen to the coach?
I have trouble believing dribbling around the parameter was the call…
Oh then you haven’t watched enough Knicks games. We don’t run plays that’s beneath us.
They think he’s Toronto kawhi
It is genuinely infuriating watching the extremely predictable Brunson hero ball offense in the last two minutes when KAT is right there with a Kuminga mismatch
It wasn’t even two minutes, 5 straight minutes of Brunson hero ball. It felt like a pick up game where there is one ball hog that the whole team lowkey hates.
They did the same thing against us.
Captain clutch my fucking dick lol
KAT and OG are right there for screens on and off the ball or just use their gravity but apparently dribbling into a double on the baseline is the plan
That’s been his offensive philosophy since the days he had LeBron.
No doubt. When Towns got that ball he immediately gave it back to Hart so he can go screen for Brunson. That’s just bad.
START SPREADIN THA NEEEEWWWSSSS
I never want to hear OG slander ever again. He dragged them there kicking and screaming
We survived the OG shot clock cheese, shit was so frustrating lol
He don’t shoot tryna miss
I feel like og should have been the one to take the last shot.
I feel like literally anyone should have at least taken a last shot lmao
What a concept!
Yep, what a concept, I could use a little fuel myself
After the timeout I was just saying “please just get a shot off, don’t be stupid”
Knicks ended up being stupid. Shoutout to ATL
I do not feel that way because I wanted the Hawks to win.
Thought for sure they would get it to him for the last shot
if we had OG instead of ingram we’d be up 2-0 lol
Nice play Mr. Potatohead
Mike Brown ATO:
Hey it worked in Cleveland!
Thank you
Woodson doesn’t coach the Knicks anymore
Are you sure? The offense looks pretty similar.
Everyone and their mother knew Brunson would get the final shot. He should’ve drawn up a play for KAT and have Brunson be a decoy.
Shout out Warriors
THANK YOU WARRIORS
Kuminga has been awesome this series, a big factor on both ends of the court.
The one time Brunson decided to pass.. turnover lmao
He only passed because he had no choice, doubled and didn’t have enough time to make a good look.
He also over extended, he was practically under the backboard.
I remember a guy in our pickup, really good scorer, inside outside game.
We always egg him “Don’t leave him! He won’t pass it!” or any variations of that.
It messes him up and he always turns it over when he passes it lmao
2 minute report. KAT with an illegal screen…..again.
Massive miss there, imagine if the Knicks had won off the back of that missed call.
I mean, I get it honestly. If they refuse to call it, why would you stop?
imagine if the Knicks had won off the back of that missed call
Adam Silver: [weeps]
Adam Silver: What might have been…
Was it really a miss though? I just don’t see them calling it, even though they should.
He grabbed him our best defender by the hip and threw him on the floor, absolutely should’ve been called
I mean is it illegal if they are never going to call it? It is getting crazy though the refusal to call a game deciding illegal screens makes it so you got guys out there throwing pancake blocks
I guess it’s illegal if they say it is in the two minute report. But that report doesn’t do anything except make people mad. You think maybe the refs would say, “Hey, that other crew missed an illegal screen late in the game that could have changed the outcome. We should keep an eye out for that.” But nope
Fully hooked the defender until he fell, then stood over him with his hands up like “wasn’t me”. Glad they lost.
Hawks with game winning defense? It really is a new no longer mid age
Two games in a row, as a matter of fact
Know I’m gonna sound like a salty ass winner but the refs tried so damn hard to give the Knicks this damn game
Hawks got a playoff whistle. Knicks got a regular season whistle
Knicks already got a trophy this season
Please ensue they done get a chance at another Hawk bros
Kuminga and McCollum the castoffs were clutch as hell
trae young sends his regards
From heaven
First time I’ve heard being traded to the Wizards described that way but alright
“Dad where did Trae Young go? Is he dead?”
“No son, he went to a magical land with Wizards!” sob
Brunson was fucking horrible in the clutch wow
Dyson, Kuminga, NAW, okongwu being capable of corralling him has a lot to do with that…its a bad matchup for them when bridges and hart aren’t hitting
That and one was decent I guess
He used to be automatic during these moments too
Look at Kuminga all over the place with his defense
Steve Kerr is punching the wall right now.
It’s crazy that Kerr couldn’t figure out how to use him
TRAGIC BRUNSON 😭
The hawks survived the og and McBride magnet game
CAWWWWW
sick ATO play
Mike Brown baybeeeee
I can’t figure out who fucked this up. Brunson denies the screen, and Hart is definitely not expecting that. Brunson is really open right after, but Hart misses it, and then by the time Hart gets the ball to Brunson the defense is selling hard to double Brunson.
If Hart hits Brunson quick that’s a wiiiiiiiiiide open 3.
Hawks D is real
Brunson would rather lose than not dribble the ball for 20 seconds whenever it’s an important possession.
Two 1-point wins in a row for the Hawks. OUCH.
Kat just gets to do whatever fuck he wants grabbing and pushing people over??
Brunson lost the Knicks the game. This is my simplistic take
Hawks legitimately have good defense
Cawww cawwww welcome to the A
Embarrassing choke by Brunson, holy shit.
Knicks join us
if it gets mike brown fired yeah sure
So basically the play was brunson ball or die and Knicks had no plan b lmao
Fuck it all
ATO always a good way to tell who’s a good coach wtf was this
Are the Knicks about to get put out in the first round? I thought they were good?
They were always pretenders. Coaching is ass and can’t create offense without Brunson doing everything.
Brunson looks like Julien Newmen out there, just dribbling to dribble
LOOK AT THAT DEFENSE. Holy shit man. My heart, I can’t take more of these games man
Should’ve used Brunson as a decoy
Dyson violated Brunson tonight and it’s why he didn’t take that stepback he normally would
KAT with yet another obvious illegal screen
Another llegal screen and hold by KAT on Dyson Daniels there. But great feet by Okongwu there to stay in front of Brunson, and good trap and hustle to the ball by Kuminga.
What a stand
Been there
a thibs team would never choke this hard
pacers game 1
I’d argue that one was worse because they were winning and not the team coming back
Did you not watch Game 5 of the 2011 ECF and Game 1 of the 2025 ECF?
Better win game 4 Knicks
everybody is better than brunson until it’s time to be better than brunson
am I doing this right?
Damn that was a terrible play lol
That was a bad recovery from Brunson, dude went baseline and there was no hope. he should have passed it back to hart
The 2025 Pacers were possessed the 2026 Hawks
My heart can’t take this holy shit LFG
Can someone fill me in on why KAT does not at least have the first or second most FGA smh
It’s insane how undeutilized KAT is.
Having the best shooting big man at your disposal lol
Hawks taking this series, I can feel it.
Maybe run a play for KAT in the clutch? Pass him the ball in the post vs Kuminga?? Every possession is Brunson PnR, Brunson iso, Brunson iso, Brunson PnR… Hawks know exactly what’s coming every time and gameplanned for it perfectly.
If KAT had any sort of awareness he would have called for the ball back. He was WIDE open
Really nice completely legal non-moving screen from KAT.
Another KAT illegal screen in the last few seconds, but who’s counting?
The blatant no calls on KATS illegal screens to get Brunson open in the last 10 seconds is wild.
2 games in a row he has done it!
Refs literally working for New York and media to try and cook up a Brunson “game winning” shot. Sloppy…..
lol
Thibs
Thats my Brunson.
The one im familiar with.
That’s how you draw it up
Games on the line‼️ Hart I believe in you ‼️
Is it just me or was Hart’s reaction time like super fucking slow there lol (I know the whole possession was sloppy but still)
he was occupied with shoving dyson out of the way and couldn’t react in tîme
WOWWWW
What a smart baseline trap
He should of seen that coming earlier
He waited to long
They couldn’t get a shot off Cuz they’re garbage
Scrappy play. JB reminding me of choking version of Chris Paul in this possession (2014 Thunder vs Clippers game 5)
they really just hand brunson the ball and then fuck off and watch him lmao unreal
I imagine Celtics fans are enjoying this lowlight.
That is certainly an offensive play to draw up out of the timeout…
KAT not even looking to get the ball back - he’s not even looking at the defense, just blindly trying to run whatever the play was.
BING BONG!!!!
Oh brother what a group of bums
Watch that bum kat foul dyson on that final screen again smh
Incredible defense by the Hawks. The melted down a bit in the 4th but they still managed to gut out the win.
Insane they didn’t call an offensive foul on KAT there
Hart outscored Bridges…and he only had 2 points.
Becky Hammon was right
If Knicks don’t win the series, they gotta blow it up.
HAHAHAHA
Don’t see Bruson do that often…
I. WANT. TO. DIE.
That was such an egregious offensive foul by KAT to get Brunson open. Twice in last 2 games in a clutch possession, and once in regular season. This seems like a strategy from the coach.
One game can really change a lot in a series. Game 2 knicks were looking good until they choked. Now, the hawks have them questioning about themselves
Bro brunson keeps trying to be a DAMN hero, cost us the game. GG hawks, knicks don’t deserve to pass to the next round playing like this smfh