Hawks-Knicks Game 5 takeaways: Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are a problem

In a pivotal Game 5, in front of an array of celebrities and former New York Knicks legends, the Knicks put their best forward to ensure that Madison Square Garden was rocking. In what felt like their most complete team effort, the Knicks had the right mindset to control this game from start to finish on both ends, winning 126-97.

The Hawks have been game, but this was a reminder that the two games the Knicks lost in this series were by a total of two points. The Knicks responded with two straight games of holding the Hawks to below 100 points. What was once a 2-1 deficit has become a 3-2 advantage. Let’s talk about.

Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns were in an Empire (flow) State of Mind

One of the toughest parts about being a “lower seed” is the effort you have to put in to take away your opponent’s star players. You have to game-plan their individual tendencies, and build a scheme to keep them out of rhythm. The Hawks have had success moving pieces around the board, mixing defensive coverages, and working to force both of New York’s stars to work to find success. The problem is when they find it.

In Game 5, they did.

Jalen Brunson had 39 points and 8 assists on 15-of-23 shooting. Karl-Anthony Towns went 5 for 7, but ended with 16 pts, 14 rebounds and 6 assists. Putting all the effort to disrupt a team’s stars only for them to put everything back on the table late in a series is deflating.

Towns continued to have an impact. The Knicks’ off-ball movement allowed him to be involved, but he had the right mindset in this one. Timely drives, timely pops, timely passes. The Hawks started the game moving Onyeka Okongwu onto OG Anunoby and Dyson Daniels onto KAT, who was able to mix in some drives from the elbow with some post-ups. The big key was the Hawks deciding they needed to double-team him, opening up another pathway for the Knicks to get the Hawks in rotation.

Brunson can garner criticism for his playing style, but on nights like this you just have to grab your favorite beverage and compare it to the coldness of what Brunson is displaying. He’s exhibited a willingness to (try to) drive against Daniels, and you felt Brunson’s comfort with how the Hawks worked to defend him.

The best stretch came when Mike Brown flipped the rotation and kept Brunson on the court to start the fourth quarter. He worked in a two-man game with Mitchell Robinson to poke at the Hawks’ rotations and then he just … kept going to work. The best players tend to be the pressure points in the playoffs, and when they hit the right notes you have to work to reach for the ropes.

A complete team effort from the Knicks

The command from the Knicks on both ends of the floor was felt all night long. There was an intention on offense. Flow. Tempo. Working to get to a secondary action. It felt like they moved from being a one-action team to staying determined to force the Hawks to make multiple efforts defensively. The commitment to off-ball movement and actions helped them find the blend. Everyone felt involved, everyone continued to work, and the proof is in the pudding. They shot 60% or better in the first and fourth quarters, and 52% in the second.

Defensively, there was a level of activity, physicality and force that had not been consistent throughout the series. Make no mistake, the Hawks are a dangerous offensive team. But the Knicks worked to not let the Hawks establish their style of play. Consistently scoring the basketball forces the Hawks to play in the half-court, but limiting them to four fastbreak points felt key.

The Hawks wanted to put Brunson in action knowing the Knicks did not want to switch. What they did not know is that the Knicks were committed to flying around and rotating to take away openings. Josh Hart’s defense on CJ McCollum was important, KAT executed more aggressive pick-and-roll coverages against him. Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker have yet to find a consistent rhythm, and the Hawks could not find the pressure points in this one. Credit the Knicks’ defense for their efforts to protect the paint, close out to shooters and work to contain dribble penetration.

What’s next for Atlanta?

The good news for Atlanta is it gets to go home to try and save the series. The bad news is that elimination games can be weird. Atlanta has to work to make Brunson and Towns more uncomfortable, and get the Knicks deeper in the clock. Get those stops and push.

On the other end, the Hawks will have to execute in the half-court, find the pressure points to poke at the Knicks’ defense, and get back to their blend of ball movement and shooting. They have to find ways to play outside of the play, establish side-to-side movement and then rely on the individual talent of McCollum, NAW and Johnson to take it over the top. The formula is there, but if this ends up being a two-fold problem, the Hawks may be flying to Cancun.