By Oliver Carter
The Atlanta Hawks have pushed out to a shock 2-1 series lead over the New York Knicks thanks to back-to-back one-point victories.
A 108-109 home win for the Hawks, led by CJ McCollum, Jalen Johnson and Jonathan Kuminga leads the Atlanta side to their first playoff series lead since 2021.
Is C.J the new Ice Trae?
An Atlanta Hawks point guard becoming a public enemy in the city of New York is no new sight, with McCollum looking to be the new face of villainy for Knicks fans.
The Ohio native led the Hawks’ shocking Game 2 victory in scoring with 32 points and won Game 3 with a fadeaway in the midrange with just 12.7 seconds remaining.
While Trae Young embraced his role as a villain earning the nickname ‘Ice Trae’, McCollum doesn’t seem willing to embrace the role.
Following Game 1, he said: “I’m no villain, man. I’m just trying to compete, man, and compete at the highest level.”
He went on to reiterate, “I’m a nice guy with two kids and a wife… I think it’s admiration, great, passionate fans in a hostile environment, it’s fun, it’s basketball, it’s the playoffs and if anything, it’s a sign of respect.”
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Knicks won’t back down
After taking the lead midway through the first quarter, the Hawks pushed their way out to an 18-point lead late in the second quarter, and held an 80-88 lead headed into the fourth.
A lead the Knicks erased, before taking the lead late in the quarter, an effort that unfortunately for them, wasn’t quite enough.
However, on a different day the outcome could have been very different, defensive leader Josh Hart only managed two points on 1/9 shooting.
As well as an inefficient game from bench scorer Miles McBride who managed 15 points on just 5/14 FG.
Mikal Bridges also struggled massively, ending up scoreless with four turnovers and a -26 on/off score differential.
The Knicks have reached at least the second round every year since they acquired Jalen Brunson, including last season’s trip to the conference finals.
Despite trailing the series and Game 4 taking place in Atlanta, the Knicks will still feel confident in their own abilities having lost the past two games narrowly.
How Atlanta changed their narrative
Midway through the season, the Hawks had an 18-21 record and were massively struggling to balance the injury woes of Young, who had missed all but 10 games of the season.
In the 10 games that Young played, the Hawks had a 2-8 record, but it was clear that it was time for a change in Atlanta.
And with the improvement of Jalen Johnson and the unexpected rise of signing Nickeil Alexander-Walker, the Hawks had a base to build around.
They traded away Young to acquire McCollum from the Washington Wizards as well as trading away injury-prone big man Kristaps Porzingis for Kuminga, who was struggling for minutes in Golden State.
With their new line-up, the Hawks closed the season on a 28-15 run to clinch the sixth seed and avoid the play-in.
While the seeding and records of the Hawks and Knicks show the Knicks should come out on top comfortably, the turnaround Atlanta has pulled off has changed their season entirely.
Some fans now see the Hawks as favourites to make the finals in the East.
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