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New York Knicks: 3 biggest questions before Atlanta Hawks series

By Chip Murphy

DALLAS, TEXAS - APRIL 16: Julius Randle #30 of the New York Knicks celebrates with RJ Barrett #9 of the New York Knicks as the Knicks take on the Dallas Mavericks in the fourth quarter at American Airlines Center on April 16, 2021 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TEXAS - APRIL 16: Julius Randle #30 of the New York Knicks celebrates with RJ Barrett #9 of the New York Knicks as the Knicks take on the Dallas Mavericks in the fourth quarter at American Airlines Center on April 16, 2021 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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New York Knicks (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
New York Knicks (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

The New York Knicks are back. For the first time since 2013, the Knicks are in the playoffs. Not everyone is thrilled about it, but this is a family website, so I won’t channel DX here as my official response to the haters. They open the first round this weekend as the No. 4 seed in a matchup against the No. 5 seed Atlanta Hawks.

The Knicks swept the regular-season series 3-0, but the two teams are more evenly matched than that. They both finished with the same overall record, home record, and road record. The Knicks are ninth in net rating while the Hawks are just behind them at 11th.

The New York Knicks face the Atlanta Hawks in a first-round playoff series this weekend. What are the five biggest questions of the series?

New York had a signature nine-game winning streak that cemented their playoff status, but Atlanta turned their season around with eight straight wins of their own after Lloyd Pierce’s firing. With Pierce in charge, the Hawks were 14-20 and ranked 23rd in defensive rating.

The presence of veteran head coach Nate McMillan was key to Atlanta’s playoff run. Under McMillan, the Hawks went 27-11 and ranked 8th in offensive rating, 7th in net rating, and 12th in defensive rating during that span.

But the Knicks didn’t need a coaching change to start playing well. The Knicks went 23-14 themselves during Atlanta’s McMillan metamorphosis — ranking third and defensive rating and just behind the Hawks in net rating at 11th.

The betting favorite to win this series keeps changing, as evidenced by the fact that New York is currently just a one-point favorite in game one. The experts at ESPN almost unanimously picked the Knicks to win. That may be the biggest surprise of the entire season.

This should be a competitive series. These are the five biggest questions facing the Knicks before what promises to be a difficult series.

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