Hawks vs. Knicks: Can resurgent Atlanta pull off the upset? Series keys, schedule and prediction

The Eastern Conference’s third-seeded New York Knicks will take on the sixth-seeded Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs . The two franchises last faced off in the postseason in 2021 , with the Hawks slicing up New York’s defense en route to a 4-1 opening-round win, punctuated with a perfectly villainous Trae Young bow at center court in Madison Square Garden. Only one person who played in that series will play in this one, though: Hawks big man Onyeka Okongwu, who logged a grand total of 31 minutes .

So it’s probably not THAT predictive. (Knicks fans hope it isn’t, at least. ) What we know about the Knicks The Knicks return the core of last year’s Eastern Conference finals squad, led by All-Star bookends Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, 3-and-D+ wings OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, and dirty-work difference-makers Josh Hart, Mitchell Robinson and Deuce McBride.

They have been something like the fifth-best team in the NBA this season; whether you believe that’s cause for celebration or an existential crisis likely depends on how many phone numbers with 718, 212 and 917 area codes are saved in your contacts. Mike Brown was brought in to squeeze more toothpaste out of the tube than Tom Thibodeau did — and, broadly speaking, so far, so good. The Knicks’ 53 wins are the franchise’s most since 2013, and heading into a season finale where they rested everybody besides Bridges (who played 23 seconds), they had a better offensive rating, defensive rating and net rating than the previous season , while generating 3-pointers and free throws at a higher rate, getting out in transition more and grabbing a higher share of available rebounds.

Brown managed that while reducing the minutes workload for every starter save Brunson; providing increased opportunities for the likes of McBride, Landry Shamet and youngers Tyler Kolek and Mohamed Diawara; and navigating a (voice hushes to a whisper) load-management plan (back to full volume) for Robinson that has kept the offensive-rebounding goliath healthier than he’s been in years. (He also won the NBA Cup . So, y’know, he’s got that going for him.