Knicks end curse after overcoming Hawks in first round of NBA Playoffs

The New York Knicks made a major statement on Thursday night in Game 6 of their first round series against the Atlanta Hawks. After going down in a small early hole, the Knicks responded with a massive run. Their lead got as big as 61 before they eventually settled for a 140-89 win to advance to the second round.

New York will now turn its attention to either the Boston Celtics or the Philadelphia 76ers, who will play a Game 7 on Saturday to decide the Knicks’ opponent.

The Knicks actually broke a curse with this series win over the Hawks. After winning the NBA Cup early in the season, the Knicks are now the only team to have won the NBA Cup and then advance out of the first round of the playoffs in the same season, via James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.

The Knicks didn’t have it all their own way in this series against the Hawks, even if Game 6 was one-sided for most of the night. However, it wasn’t long ago that the Hawks had stolen Game 2 and backed it up in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead.

This Knicks team is very talented and will be relieved to get out of the first round, but they are dreaming a whole lot bigger than just making it to the second round. The Eastern Conference is wide open this season, with the No. 1 seed Pistons on the ropes and the No. 2 seed Celtics going to a Game 7. If New York continues to play how it did on Thursday night, it will be a very tough out no matter who is on the other side.

If it does end up being Knicks-Celtics, Boston will be hungry for revenge from last season’s playoff defeat in six games in the second round. Boston will be the favorites if it can get past the 76ers, but the Knicks will be very confident no matter who they are playing.

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