The Hawks Are the Knicks’ Perfect First Round Test
On the 80th episode of Hot Hand Theory, XJ and Geoff break down the biggest question hanging over the New York Knicks heading into the NBA Playoffs: what if this team has another level we still haven’t fully seen?
After weeks of inconsistency, the Knicks finally gave fans a glimpse of something more dangerous: a version of this team built around elite Jalen Brunson–Karl-Anthony Towns two-man action, smarter spacing, and real tactical counters. So the big question is this: have the Knicks been coasting through the regular season… or has Mike Brown been quietly saving the team’s best stuff for when it matters most?
We dive into why Brunson and Towns remain the Knicks’ most unstoppable offensive foundation, why Josh Hart’s role changes everything depending on the matchup, and whether Mike Brown may have more playoff answers than fans think. We also talk through what this means for Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson, and the Knicks’ ability to adjust against smarter postseason defenses.
We cover:
🔹 Whether the Knicks may be hiding their best version for the playoffs
🔹 Why Jalen Brunson + Karl-Anthony Towns is still the key to everything
🔹 Mike Brown’s tactical approach and whether he has a real playoff “master plan”
🔹 How Josh Hart changes the Knicks’ spacing, ceiling, and matchup flexibility
🔹 Why the Knicks can look dominant in some matchups and vulnerable in others
🔹 The role of Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson in the Knicks’ playoff ceiling
🔹 What has to happen for the Knicks to make a real postseason run
💬 Let us know in the comments: Do you think the Knicks are saving their best for the playoffs or is this team in trouble vs the tougher competition of the playoffs?
If you value smart NBA analysis, real strategy, and deeper Knicks conversations than the usual hot takes, subscribe and catch every episode.
#knicks #newyorkknicks #jalenbrunson #karlanthonytowns #mikalbridges #oganunoby #joshhart #mitchellrobinson #mikebrown #nbaplayoffs #hothandtheory
_______
Timestamps:
0:00 | INTRO: The New York Knicks
1:15 | Introducing our Knicks Analysts!!
2:50 | What is the danger level of this Atlanta Hawks team?
7:49 | Mike Brown’s subtle influence in New York?
16:37 | Atlanta wants to win the possession game
22:05 | Why the Knicks are so tricky to analyze
25:42 | Have the Knicks put the starting lineup conversations to rest?
30:15 | The Josh Hart conversation
37:22 | Is Jalen Brunson overtasked on this New York team?
44:45 | The importance of Deuce McBride
53:15 | Does Mike Brown trust Deuce?
1:00:22 | Mike Brown has embraced the Knicks roster’s versatility
1:11:51 | If the Knicks lose, what went wrong?
1:26:20 | Like, Subscribe, and Comment
_______
Subscribe to Hot Hand Theory: https://www.youtube.com/@hothandtheory?sub_confirmation=1
_______
Subscribe to the Hot Hand Theory Clips channel! https://www.youtube.com/@HotHandClips?sub_confirmation=1
_______
Follow Hot Hand Theory
Website 🏀 https://www.hothandtheory.com/
Twitter 🏀 https://x.com/HotHandTheory
Instagram 🏀 https://www.instagram.com/hothandtheory/
TikTok 🏀 https://www.tiktok.com/@hothandtheory
35 Comments
👀
Ouu this finna be a good one 😭.
XJs favorite word Egalitarian 👀
Shax just posted a new substack ab this series – he agrees with me it seems and doesn’t think Atlanta has the luxury of putting a center on hart and having a wing guard towns. I don’t believe they have the wing personnel with Jalen Johnson
The 4 smartest podcasters covering the Knicks? 🤔
All star panel omg👀
Definitely a series the Hawks can’t win but the Knicks can lose
It took 2 years but Josh Hart finally has HHT approval as a starter!
Crossover time!
Hot take: The post season hinges not on mike brown, not on KB or KAT or even josh harts willingness to shoot…it all rests on the availability of Peter Patton.
I am actually surprised at historically how low KATs 3 point attempts are. Hardy of the jazz tipped me off to it in a presser last year when he said that you feel like kat has taken 7 , 8 3s and you look at the box score and its 2,3. The question i have is why doesnt he take more and what happens if he does (besides old head nba greats losing their minds)
Am I crazy for thinking this rotation is actually a 10 man, and we will see some alvarado mins? There is too much pressure on brunson to be the only ball handler… I can see a Brunson, Jose, OG, Kat, Mitch
I really wish HHT figured out the LUBE quotient yall discussed in the past. I have wondered if that might describe Harts impact or as Schwinny describes as verve.
Mikal not taking it to an extra gear is a crazy take, his extra gear won us 2 games vs Boston last postseason
Holy collab, this is a heatles esque superteam team up. Loved this episode, makes me more confident going into the series then I initially was.
Hawks in 5
This was a great panel! I would love to see if this can be done for every Knicks series.
I said this before on locked on Knicks, and I will say it again over here… The Knicks will benefit from having a tougher opponent. Similar to last year when we faced the Pistons. That first round with the Pistons got us ready for the Celtics. It will be the same thing for us this year.
Oh this is so lit. Basically my fav Knicks creators in one space
lol……why did I click on the clown brigade….hahahahahaha….this Knicks team WILL NOT WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!
Will we give Dyson Daniels the Josh Hart treatment and will it have a significant impact on the Hawks Offense?
I’m really starting to lean into the Deuce McBride worship a bit more but I hope he’s closer to the 95% health bar we need him at.
Wow, got Gavin and Shwin on, this was awesome and i feel like watching again a 2nd time before the playoffs begin, guys i do wish you brought in Stacy Patton from the Strickland, he's very smart, Lets go knicks and we can win a chip this year fully maximized!
I forgot how nuts Hawks fans were. It's crazy on socials lol😅😂
I don't think the Hawks are anything like the Knicks in 2021. I also don't think KAT and Brunson are better than Johnson. However Johnson is not as experienced or as clutch as Brunson at this point in his career. The ability of the Knicks to shoot the 3 pt shot well and execute pick and roll with Brunson will be critical to them winning the series. In addition KAT and Mitch's ability to control the offensive and defensive boards will be a big factor
Coulda sworn we were the 6th seed the way people are talking about Atlanta.
It's going to be absolutely hilarious when they just look ok against Atlanta and get fully exposed by a healthy Celtics team.
This was such a good convo damn can u guys get shwinny and gavin on more often
Good job by Jeff in recognizing Deuce has not been the "savior" others think. Good job overall defending the Knicks. Only time will tell.
Jock can shoot the 3 too
Got Knicks in 5-6 but it’s gonna be a dog fight
Knicks if they play optimally and play through KAT and Brunson PnR and Play off their counters, They Play up to their standards, They should be hoisting up Larry O Brien Trophy in June but Knicks need to be quick hook if SL gets off to a slow start, Knicks need to be willing to sit either Hart or Bridges if they aren't providing results or playing up their standards, Knicks need to trust the youth/depth don’t forget you have more options than you did last season, you need to be willing and able to trust Kolek and Diawara as they can play pivotal roles and provides the roster with solutions to a problem they face in the playoffs, and Knicks need to be willing change Starting Lineup if it is relatively mid or bad at the start for consecutive games, don’t let the problem linger for any longer, If Knicks can do any of these things, the Knicks can and will win NBA Finals and Be First Team in NBA History to win Domestic Double.
Hawks in 6 🥱
Awesome livestream.
Damn shwinny had a higher usage in this ep than Randal in the “we here” season.