The Knicks lost Game 1 of this NBA playoff series on a heartbreaking, game-winning shot by Trae Young with 0.7 seconds left on the clock and in Game 2, the Hawks looked to do the same as they jumped out to a fast start. After leading by 13 at the half, the Hawks looked like they were well on their way to leading this series 2-0, but New York came storming back in the second-half to wind up winning Game 2 and even the series at 1-1. 

Not only was Madison Square Garden packed and roaring with some 19,763 fans, but Game 2 was yet another thrilling matchup between the Hawks and the Knicks that was decided in the final quarter of play. 

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New York outscored Atlanta 57-35 in the second-half of Game 2 and as a result, they now head to Atlanta with this series all tied up. From chants breaking out in supporting of the “anti-Trae Young movement,” to the ceiling in MSG almost erupting after Knicks’ rookie Obi Toppin was on the receiving end of an alley-oop, Game 2 was everything fans of the NBA needed and this series has quickly turned into “must-see-TV!” 

This series between the Hawks and Knicks definitely has the potential to go the distance and deliver us with one of the best 7-game series in the first-round in recent memory, but it also has the potential to end rather quickly if Atlanta takes care of business at home. 

These two teams have been known all season long to have great matchups against each other, as four of their five meetings to this point have been single-digit victories or have gone to overtime. Game 3 is going to offer us much of the same energy and excitement from both sides, but there are some big lessons each team can take away from Game 2. 

Let’s take a look at the three biggest takeaways from Game 2 between the Atlanta Hawks and the New York Knicks and see if any of these takeaways could wind up changing the series.