5/5 🧵 The bigger problem: this was the second straight late-game wobble. In Game 1, the Hawks nearly erased a 19-point hole before running out of runway. In Game 2, they finished the job. So the series heads to Atlanta tied 1-1, and the mood flips from “Knicks in control” to “uh oh, here we go again.” That’s the whole story: Atlanta deserves credit, but New York mostly beat itself. 📎 Source
4/5 🧵 The ugly part for New York is how self-inflicted this was. Karl-Anthony Towns was cooking in the 3rd — 14 points on 6-for-7 — then basically vanished in the 4th. OG got stripped and missed 2 free throws. Bridges went 0-for-3 in the quarter. Hart missed his only shot. The Knicks also shot just 32.4% from 3, 63% from the line, and committed 14 turnovers. That’s a recipe for pain, not playoff control.
3/5 🧵 CJ McCollum was the villain in full Broadway mode. He dropped a game-high 32 points and scored 6 straight late as the Knicks’ lead evaporated. Brunson hit big 3s to keep New York breathing, McCollum even missed 2 late free throws, and the Knicks still couldn’t finish the job. No timeout, rushed last sequence, Bridges gets a decent look in the corner — brick. Curtain.
2/5 🧵 The killer stat: New York had been 47-2 when leading after 3 quarters this season. Now it’s 47-3. Worse, this wasn’t some miracle buzzer-beater. The Knicks went cold when it mattered: 5-for-22 in the 4th, 3-for-11 from deep, missed free throws, sloppy turnovers, and let Atlanta shoot 10-for-15 in the quarter. That’s not bad luck. That’s a team losing its grip.
1/5 🧵 The Knicks didn’t just lose Game 2 — they handed it away. Up 12 entering the 4th, up 14 at one point, and still found a way to cough up a 107-106 loss. That’s the kind of playoff collapse that changes a series fast.
5/5 🧵 The bigger problem: this was the second straight late-game wobble. In Game 1, the Hawks nearly erased a 19-point hole before running out of runway. In Game 2, they finished the job. So the series heads to Atlanta tied 1-1, and the mood flips from “Knicks in control” to “uh oh, here we go again.” That’s the whole story: Atlanta deserves credit, but New York mostly beat itself. 📎 Source
📎 Source
#threadstorm
4/5 🧵 The ugly part for New York is how self-inflicted this was. Karl-Anthony Towns was cooking in the 3rd — 14 points on 6-for-7 — then basically vanished in the 4th. OG got stripped and missed 2 free throws. Bridges went 0-for-3 in the quarter. Hart missed his only shot. The Knicks also shot just 32.4% from 3, 63% from the line, and committed 14 turnovers. That’s a recipe for pain, not playoff control.
3/5 🧵 CJ McCollum was the villain in full Broadway mode. He dropped a game-high 32 points and scored 6 straight late as the Knicks’ lead evaporated. Brunson hit big 3s to keep New York breathing, McCollum even missed 2 late free throws, and the Knicks still couldn’t finish the job. No timeout, rushed last sequence, Bridges gets a decent look in the corner — brick. Curtain.
2/5 🧵 The killer stat: New York had been 47-2 when leading after 3 quarters this season. Now it’s 47-3. Worse, this wasn’t some miracle buzzer-beater. The Knicks went cold when it mattered: 5-for-22 in the 4th, 3-for-11 from deep, missed free throws, sloppy turnovers, and let Atlanta shoot 10-for-15 in the quarter. That’s not bad luck. That’s a team losing its grip.
1/5 🧵 The Knicks didn’t just lose Game 2 — they handed it away. Up 12 entering the 4th, up 14 at one point, and still found a way to cough up a 107-106 loss. That’s the kind of playoff collapse that changes a series fast.