New York Knicks

New York Knicks (41-31) finished the regular season in 4th place in the Eastern Conference standings, narrowly edging out the Atlanta Hawks in 5th place based on head-to-head advantage. Before the season, the Knicks' summer work was underestimated, and NBA analysts often joked that this organization was completely hopeless. However, those same analysts quickly began to change their opinions after the Knicks started the season impressively, racking up one victory after another, and Julius Randle even earned a spot among the MVP candidates.

Interestingly, just by looking at the team's roster, it wouldn't seem likely that this team could finish 4th in the conference and surpass teams like the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, etc., but the results speak for themselves. Julius Randle, who became one of the most improved players in the league and a true leader for the Knicks, spoke about how much he learned from his years with the Lakers playing alongside K. Bryant and is trying to instill a championship culture within the Knicks. Of course, this is also contributed to by the Knicks' head coach Tom Thibodeau, who is viewed ambiguously. You can like or dislike this strategist, but one fact remains – he does his job excellently, and although he didn't have significant achievements after leaving the Bulls, Thibodeau has shown his class since joining the Knicks.

It's hard to predict what we can expect from this team in the playoffs, as the squad is quite young and lacks significant achievements, but the same can be said for the Atlanta Hawks, making the competition very evenly matched. The Knicks might have to wait many years for more favorable circumstances to reach the Eastern Conference semifinals, so they must seize the opportunity now.

Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks (41-31) finished the regular NBA season in 5th place in the standings and were very close to having home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. This could be significant in this series, as the New York Knicks won all 3 games against the Hawks this season, with 2 of those games played at home. Of course, these are just regular-season results, and the playoffs are a completely different story, but an overall picture can be formed based on the initial results.

The Atlanta Hawks assembled a competitive roster this season – in addition to the annually improving Trae Young and John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanović and Clint Capela joined, further strengthening this young and talented team. Capela is one of the best defensive big men, who also excels in pick-and-roll situations and rebounds well, while Collins, playing in the PF position, has a good shot and can stretch the floor.

Although the Hawks played inconsistently throughout the season and had better and worse streaks, the team finished the regular season strongly – achieving 4 consecutive wins and entering the playoffs on a winning note. It will be interesting to see how this team continues its winning streak in the playoffs.

Prediction

This series could potentially be one of the most competitive and it wouldn't be surprising if it required all 7 possible games. The Knicks' home-court advantage could play a decisive role in this series, as the New York team plays better at home than away, and any advantage for young teams at this stage is a big plus.