By: Colin Lacy

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

For the first time since the 2022-23 season, the Atlanta Hawks have marched into the postseason as the 6-seed in the Eastern Conference side of the NBA Playoffs bracket.

The Hawks finished the regular season with a 46-36 overall record and with a late push in the second half of the season propelled their way to the South Division title finishing with a 20-6 record after the All-Star Break.

As odd as it sounds, the shift in the season came when the Hawks traded away All-Star Trae Young in the first half of the year, but the team molded together.

Thanks in part to emerging stars CJ McCollum & Nickeil Alexander-Walker along with a commitment to the defensive side of the ball, the Hawks found the secret sauce in the ATL.

Now don’t get me wrong, one of (if not the single) headlines for Atlanta was Jalen Johnson who paced the team with 22.5 points per game, 10.3 rebounds and just shy of 8 assists per game in his first All-Star selection year.

As much as defense can be optional at times in the NBA, that wasn’t the case for Atlanta this year. Led by Dyson Daniels, the Hawks turned in a top 10 defensive rating this season.

In the Opening round of the NBA Playoffs, the Hawks drew the 3-seeded New York Knicks who finished the season 53-29 and secured the home court advantage in the opening round.

Game one of the series at Madison Square Garden went the way of the Knicks who leaned on the back of Jalen Brunson who scored 28 points along with Karl-Anthony Towns who helped seal the game with 19 of his 25 points coming in the second half of the game.

The second game of the series from “the Garden” came with dramatics. The Knicks led by 12 after three quarters, but the Hawks chipped back until taking a lead with 2:09 to play at 101-100.

A back-and-forth affair the last 2 minutes of the game traded baskets until Jalen Johnson slammed one home with 10 seconds left to make the game 107-103 Hawks.

Brunson would knock down a 3 to cut it to a 1-point game. The Knicks fouled CJ McCollum (who finished with 32 points on the night) with 6 seconds remaining.

As McCollum tried to ice the game at the line, he would end up missing both free throws. The Hawks would be able to take a sigh of relief as a Knicks’ fadeaway jumper would miss and give the Hawks the win and even the series at one each with the 107-106 final.

The series would come home to the ATL for game three on, but the dramatics would make the plane flight too. CJ McCollum once again found the ball in his hand at the end and would connect.

After the Hawks led by as many as 18 in the first half, the Knicks rallied to take the lead 108-105 with 1:03 remaining, but a few possessions later with 12.5 seconds left, CJ McCollum hit a 15-foot fadeaway to put the Hawks back on top and secure the Game 3 win 109-108.

Game four in Atlanta would swing the pendulum back in the way of New York with a 114-98 Knicks win. The Knicks would lead virtually the entire game thanks in large part to Karl-Anthony Towns finishing with a triple-double (20pts/10reb/10ast) to knot the series at 2 games apiece and send the series back to New York for Game 5.

The Hawks haven’t advanced past the Opening Round of the NBA Playoffs since the 2020-21 season but will rely on Jalen Johnson and CJ McCollum to try to change that in 2026 with a couple road wins at Madison Square Garden.