Hawks return home with chance to win over the city

The Hawks have done it three times during my time here.

I’ll never forget the deafening “A-T-L!” chants at the then-Philips Arena as the Hawks beat the heavily-favored Bulls in Game 4 of their 2011 playoff series.

The joint was jumping again when the 60-win Hawks beat the Wizards with Al Horford’s put-back basket in Game 5 of their 2015 series.

It was electric in the same building with a new name, State Farm Arena, when the Hawks blew out the Bucks in Game 4 to tie the 2021 Eastern Conference finals.

In those moments, the eternally middling Hawks made people here believe they could be something more. The Hawks have another chance to give them that feeling again.

The best-of-seven series against the Knicks is tied 1-1 with Game 3 at State Farm Arena on Thursday night. It looked as if the Hawks would return home down 2-0 when the Knicks had a big lead late in Game 2 at Madison Square Garden on Monday.

Then the Hawks rallied in the fourth quarter to steal a victory and change the nature of their homecoming. The Hawks have given their fans something to believe in again, and they’ll let them (and the Knicks) hear it at State Farm Arena.

“Very, very loud,” Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu predicted. “Obviously, Knick fans are going to be there as well, but I know the ‘ATL’ faithful will be there.”

The Knicks were the only team to beat the Hawks over their final 15 home games this season. The Knicks raised their level of aggression for the rematch in Game 1 on Saturday. The Hawks weren’t ready for it and lost 113-102.

The Knicks led by 12 points to begin the fourth quarter of Game 2. Then the Hawks played the style that sparked their late-season surge — defending hard, running often — and CJ McCollum finished off the Knicks for a 107-106 victory.

Hawks players showed admirable grit while pushing back on New York’s bigger and stronger bullies. Coach Quin Snyder figured out the right buttons to push. Now, the favored Knicks will have to win a game here to advance to the East semifinals.

“For us, or really for any team, when you find adversity, you find out how you handle it,” Snyder said. “Meaning, you are able to respond to it in the moment and able to win. Or, oftentimes it can go the other way and you need to learn from it and sometimes adjust mentally as much as any tactical adjustments.

“I think our guys, we’ve competed this season. We’re a competitive team, but so are the Knicks. That’s why it’s a series.”

Proving their mental fortitude in New York isn’t the only reason for the Hawks to feel good about coming home. They also found some tactical advantages to exploit in Game 2.

Snyder’s bold decision to go with Jonathan Kuminga over Dyson Daniels in the fourth quarter paid off. Daniels is an elite defender, but Kuminga’s physicality helped the Hawks. He held his own against Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns and attacked the basket.

Benching Daniels, a poor shooter, also prevented Knicks coach Mike Brown from protecting Jalen Brunson by assigning him to guard Daniels. McCollum took advantage of Brunson, who couldn’t stay in front of him at winning time.

The Hawks left New York with a tied series and the feeling that they still haven’t played their best game.

“That’s the best part about it,” Hawks forward Jalen Johnson said. “CJ had a hell of a game and he put us on (his) shoulders. Just knowing we can all continue to get better, I think that’s the fun part about it.

“On top of that, we are home now. That is going to give us more juice, more energy.”

It will be the first NBA playoff game here since 2023. That was the last gasp of the Trae Young era. The Hawks traded Young to the Wizards in January as the first of many moves that transformed the roster.

The Knicks saw the new-look Hawks for the first time during the final week of the season. The Knicks won that game and rematch in Game 1. They lost Game 2 while scoring just 15 points in the fourth quarter and missing 10 free throws for the game.