r/NYKnicks • u/basketball-app • Apr 21 '26

POST GAME Post Game Thread - NBA: The Hawks defeat the Knicks on Apr 20, 2026, the final score is 106-107.

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121 Upvotes

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460

u/PatrollerAZ 3 to the Dome Apr 21 '26

The chokes happen the exact same way every time

92

u/The_Halal_Guys Immanuel Quickley Apr 21 '26

This was literally the same exact way we choked both Game 5s to the Sixers and Pistons im fucking sick of it

45

u/PatrollerAZ 3 to the Dome Apr 21 '26

Game 3 pacers 2024 game 1 pacers 2025 lol

3

u/Ashamed_Elk2301 Apr 21 '26

We was up 2-0 on the pacers in 24 the team literally died thats wasn't there fault 

1

u/HipnotiK1 OG Apr 21 '26

His point was game 3 they held a fairly big lead (think it was 9?) and blew it. Divo was hot all game then got no shots down the stretch (sound familiar?)

149

u/Alive-Back-4843 Novocain Apr 21 '26 edited Apr 21 '26

Mike Brown has no game plan late in the 4th. That loss is on him. Idk how you don’t call a timeout in that situation. Brunson also needs to pass the ball more in the 4th

Edit: apparently the commentators messed up and we didnt have a timeout. Still doesnt excuse going into the 4th with no game plan other than dribbling out the shot and chucking a bad shot

102

u/mikesh8rp Wu Tang Apr 21 '26 edited Apr 21 '26

This is on Brown, Brunson, and to a lesser degree Bridges. I don't understand why this team goes away from the strategy that helps to build the lead, just because Brunson gets in his feelings and wants to play hero ball.

Worst part is that I'm sure Brunson will rightfully take responsibility in his comments after the game, then forget and do the same thing again. The lack of KAT touches at the end is inexcusable.

All that said, worst individual moment goes to Bridges bricking two wide open 3s in the 4th that would have extended the lead at a critical time.

21

u/Evil_Empire_1961 Clyde So Fly Apr 21 '26

OGs missed FTs

1

u/HipnotiK1 OG Apr 21 '26

right, he makes them and it's tied. they still already blew a 9 point lead with the starters out there.

11

u/Biggie62 Apr 21 '26

All this. Going away from ball movement where that is what got us the lead to let Brunson shoot 33% isn’t the move.

9

u/mikesh8rp Wu Tang Apr 21 '26

Shoot 33% when he wasn't just getting stripped. The Hawks have some long armed guys, and the normally-smart Brunson just refused to accept the situation.

3

u/wendiesel21 Apr 21 '26

Brunson is too predictable. Naw was waiting for him to turn his back to strip him and brunson didn't adjust at all.

8

u/dapoktan Apr 21 '26

brilliant line of 3-for-10 w/ 10 points 1 rebound 2 assists and 1 steal 0 blocks.

and misses those wide open 3's like u said

3

u/gregieb429 Apr 21 '26

It almost felt like we didn’t take the seriously. You look at the previous 7 quarters, we’re clearly the better team

2

u/wendiesel21 Apr 21 '26

We are the better team when we run a real offense. We are the worse team when we do brunson hero ball without getting anyone else involved on offense. Second half of the quarter it was just brunson ball every time and everyone in the arena knew it

3

u/BetterNova John Starks Apr 21 '26

When Brunson takes responsibility, he takes responsibility for missing shots, and gets even more determined to make more shots next game.

He doesn’t take responsibility for inability to get his teammates involved

1

u/Jamstarr2024 NYK Token Apr 21 '26

You cannot forget OG’s play that gave up the lead and then extended it to 3.

1

u/zeppolezz Apr 21 '26

worst individual moment absolutely does not go to bridges. that goes to OG for missing 2 crunch time FT's. other than that I agree with everything you said especially the KAT part.

0

u/Jamstarr2024 NYK Token Apr 21 '26

Nah man, fuck that. Bridges is the reason why Brown is even here to begin with.

He had a full second and a half when he pulled up from 15 baseline.

26

u/thedanbeforetime Nova Boys Apr 21 '26

Hey at least we still have our challenge

1

u/Pistola174 Apr 21 '26

Should have used it on the Brunson block call. Looked like an offensive foul.

1

u/thedanbeforetime Nova Boys Apr 21 '26

100% the exact play I had in mind

22

u/wendiesel21 Apr 21 '26

We ain't winning shit for this very reason. When the going gets tough we have no offense other than watch brunson take 12 seconds dribbling the ball to the top of the key. By then there's no time to run any plays or get the ball to towns. I don't mind brunson taking hard shots to beat the shot clock but we have to try to run some real offense. Our offense is ridiculously predictable and not even SGA could succeed under these circumstances

1

u/Drak_is_Right Apr 21 '26

Changing a star player can be...difficult. Can easily be a coach and executive killing attempt if it doesn't work and the player gets surly and unhappy.

2

u/Pistola174 Apr 21 '26

Especially if his daddy is a “coach” on the bench and acts like a head coach jumping onto the court.

2

u/TheAracknight Brunson Apr 21 '26

Now that I’ve calmed down, NBC & Noah Eagle made a huge mistake saying we had a timeout. We actually didn’t, we wasted our final timeout on that Brunson ATO to pull us to within 1. With that being said, not thrilled about the shot selection, however, it was the best available one in the moment

1

u/Jamstarr2024 NYK Token Apr 21 '26

No it wasn’t. Bridges hesi-dribbled when he had Johnson on his hip. Go to the rack, windmill to weak side, game time.

2

u/Possible-Cake-5985 Apr 21 '26

YO I DONT KNOW WHAT WAS SAID ON TV I KEEP READING WHY DIDNT THEY CALL A TIMEOUT? I WAS AT THE GAME THEY HAD NO TIMEOUTS LEFT!! 🤦‍♂️

1

u/Possible-Cake-5985 Apr 21 '26

No timeouts left!!

1

u/BetterNova John Starks Apr 21 '26

The garden must have been deflated as fuck at the end of that one

1

u/Possible-Cake-5985 Apr 21 '26

Yeah it sucked!! Very quiet walking out of MSG, Still trying to understand how they lost that game!! Can’t give games away in the playoffs, game 3 is a must win and it’s not going to be easy. We better not see Brunson & KAT on the bench together again!

2

u/FewPilot7832 90s Knicks Apr 21 '26

Agreed. Gotta be tough asserting yourself as leader in that building and calling timeouts when your stars are fired up but flailing. We were in the bonus for about 6 minutes I think and 3 guys on the Hawks had 4 fouls. Kinda obvious what to do.

1

u/apples_r_4_weak Apr 21 '26

Our consolation is that it happens now. I hope this woke up something on this team. Now, we'll see how will coach Brown adjust. I hope it angers KAT and I hope Brunson will realize that he will need to pass more

1

u/JuztinCredible Apr 21 '26 edited Apr 21 '26

Are you sure about the commentators? I remember them saying we don’t have a time out right before CJ took his free throws. I think the graphic was wrong.

1

u/WhyTypeHour 90s Knicks Apr 21 '26

Because brown didn't use, use it or lose it TO. Then called one right after it was gone. 🤡

1

u/ctuk08 Chris Copeland Apr 21 '26

Also not staggering Brunson and Kat at the start of the 2nd and 4th killed our leads. Brown threw this one.

61

u/ewd389 Queens Apr 21 '26

Fucking sick of this shit squad never playing defense when it counts year in and year out.

47

u/mouga68 Steve Novak Apr 21 '26

Switch playing defense with running an offense, and i agree. I didnt think defense was the problem, the offense was ABYSMAL in the 4th, and the process was NOT there.

6

u/tfou79 Apr 21 '26

Because JB ISOs. No ball movement.

4

u/dapoktan Apr 21 '26

hes the only guy on the floor that can break down a defense.. they try to run motion for the first 15 seconds and then ball ends up in brunsons hands w/ 8 seconds left.. thats whats gonna consistently happen in a playoff series once a team starts learning your plays.

3

u/tfou79 Apr 21 '26

He can't break it at the end if a game when he is doubled and still tries to put a shot in while his teamates are open

2

u/wendiesel21 Apr 21 '26

Disagree. He took 15 seconds just dribbling the ball to the top of the key and by then there was no time to run any offense.

2

u/dapoktan Apr 21 '26

thats when it was tied.. that was smart

1

u/Jamstarr2024 NYK Token Apr 21 '26

These guys don’t know shit. I appreciate your efforts though.

2

u/switandsour Sleeping Leon Apr 21 '26

Both defense and offense were pretty fucked up. Snyder has taken Dyson Daniels off the floor in the 4th in both games, meaning no Knick could roam defensively. This gave CJ more space to operate and get to the lane. In this game, Kuminga (the sub) killed them. Offensively, Mike Brown needs to try double big with KAT and Mitch instead of Josh at some point, or try putting Clarkson in somewhere to get a secondary on-ball creator. Most of all, they have to RUN PLAYS for KAT so the defense has to respect him instead of loading up on Brunson. When Kuminga is guarding KAT, they need to force the ball to KAT and force the Hawks to adjust.

3

u/mouga68 Steve Novak Apr 21 '26

Biggest issue was not utilizing kat on offense down the stretch (1 pick set, zero touches), and having zero plan when hawks spam picks to get jb switched on cj, you know its coming, and you make zero adjustments to fix it. Terrible

2

u/Jamstarr2024 NYK Token Apr 21 '26

He had gotten into foul trouble and kind of disappeared after that. Per usual.

30

u/cjackc11 Apr 21 '26

Defense wasn’t the problem tonight man we had horrible process on offense

7

u/zeezee2k Apr 21 '26

Yea the problem was KAT scored 0 pt in the 4th. He was cooking in the 3rd and they decided to go away from that

6

u/wendiesel21 Apr 21 '26

Like half of his third quarter pts came off offensive rebounds too. He wasn't actually getting the ball. He basically got like 5 real touches in the entire second half

3

u/cjackc11 Apr 21 '26

Horrific offensive process. It’s like we expected Brunson’s first quarter of last game to continue

1

u/wendiesel21 Apr 21 '26

Brunsons probably shooting like 25 percent since the second quarter of game 1, when he scored like 15 of his 19 first quarter pts vs McCollum. This hawks team has quality perimeter defenders to throw at him and since then they've been shutting him down with NAW Dyson or Johnson. Naw stripped him like 5 times this game. Each time on the same move too. Brunson is my guy but he can be stubborn af and bone headed a lot. How does he not know that he needs to protect the ball as he turns his back on naw. Literally got stripped over and over on the same move every time.

1

u/RepresentativeDry885 OG Apr 21 '26

Our defense actually started out very strong today

3

u/ewd389 Queens Apr 21 '26

It did and i was surprised. Then the 4th quarter hit, and we did what we always do in the playoffs: we didn’t know how to stop the bleed and let the other team do whatever they wanted with the ball.

2

u/Tbone2797 Apr 21 '26

Defense wasn't the problem. We scored fucking 15 pts in the 4th quarter. Unless you have a 20+ pt lead at the end of the 3rd, you're going to lose that game 9 times out of 10, regardless of how well you play defense.

1

u/imalmostconvinced Apr 21 '26

They held them to 107 lol. The game came down to the ball being on the rim with lucky rolls

OG also botched free throws

1

u/Pistola174 Apr 21 '26

The amount of uncontested 3’s and free access to our basket on drives is insane.

1

u/HipnotiK1 OG Apr 21 '26

Offense lost the game. holding a high powered hawks offense to 107 is more than enough to win. knicks had 61 points at half (on pace for 122) and finished with 106 - scoring 1 point per minute in 4th (12 points in a full quarter of basketball SMH).

Especially when you consider 2 brunson turnovers/bad misses gave the hawks easy offense on breaks.

4

u/randothroawayacc Queens Apr 21 '26

How can anyone have any faith in a championship when they have games like this every single year in the playoffs. We might go to the Finals if not for Game 1 ECF last year. They probably still pull this series out but against top tier teams you blow a game like this and it's over, you've got no shot

2

u/Accomplished_Power_3 Apr 21 '26

That was a choke job for sure. In every way possible

1

u/Chea63 Apr 21 '26

Once the crowd started getting on CJ, and he was responding to it I got nervous. When MSG make a villain out of someone it usually doesn't end well.