Kristian Winfield: The Hawks picked their poison — and it cost them Game 1 vs. Knicks
NEW YORK — Ahead of tipoff in Game 1 of the first-round Eastern Conference playoff series between the Knicks and Hawks on Saturday, Atlanta coach Quin Snyder detailed the many ways his team could potentially have trouble defending Karl-Anthony Towns, the six-time All-Star center who's averaged close to 30 points over the seven regular-season games he’s played against the Hawks since his 2024 trade to New York. Snyder called the Towns assignment a challenge. He was complimentary of the 7-foot scorer whose game he’d come to know well after coaching the Utah Jazz for the better part of a decade.
And in true candid fashion, Snyder openly admitted the matchup would be a problem for the Hawks, who only have one experienced, trusted center in Onyeka Okongwu available as Jock Landale recovers from an ankle injury. Snyder was so effusive of his praise — and steadfast in his desire to find a way to stop the Knicks’ center — one could surmise the Knicks’ big man was top priority on the Hawks’ scouting report. Which was Atlanta’s undoing in Game 1, because the second you forget about Jalen Brunson is the second you’ve hammered the final nail into your own coffin.
And in what became a wild game, Brunson put the Hawks on the grill: 28 points, seven assists and 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range. The Knicks have taken a 1-0 series lead over the Hawks with Game 1 looming on Monday. Snyder will make adjustments.
He said as much ahead of tipoff on Saturday. But he detailed the plight of this very quandary before the opening tip as well. “It’s a little bit of pick your poison, you know?
How do you handle [KAT] on the post with a mismatch? Do you just guard him? How do you handle pick and roll?