The Knicks lost twice on Sunday.
After falling in a meaningless regular-season finale Sunday, the Knicks learned their first-round opponent will be the Hawks instead of the Raptors.
On paper, that’s a tougher series for New York, which won two close games against the Hawks in the regular season – and suffered a blowout loss at home – while sometimes struggling with Atlanta’s defense.
Conversely, the Knicks dominated the Raptors this season – going 4-0 – and would’ve been a good bet to drop Toronto in five games or fewer.
The Knicks, who finished with a 53-29 record after Sunday’s 110-96 loss to the Hornets, will still be favored against the Hawks but it’s a tougher matchup.
Plus, the Hawks clearly wanted that series after resting their top players in a blowout loss Sunday to the Heat. If the Hawks had beaten Miami, Atlanta would’ve instead faced the Cavs in the first round.
At the very least, the Hawks aren’t afraid of the Knicks.
Still, the Atlanta-New York series, which is a rematch of the 2021 first-round, required a surprising result elsewhere.
The Celtics, who were locked into the second seed and sat their top players, topped the Magic in a 113-108 victory. It left a two-way tie for fifth in the East, and the Raptors won the tiebreaker over the Hawks because of head-to-head results.
It could help the Celtics if the Knicks are locked into a tougher first-round matchup. Those teams are potential second-round opponents.
The Knicks were locked into the third seed before Sunday’s results and therefore rested most of their playoff rotation. The only active regular starter was Mikal Bridges, who logged 23 seconds to maintain his consecutive games streak.
Deuce McBride (21 points) and Jordan Clarkson (2 points, 15 minutes) were the other top-9 players.
More significant to the Knicks were the results outside of MSG, with the biggest games in Toronto (vs the Nets), in Miami (vs the Hawks) and in Boston (vs the Magic).
Coach Mike Brown said he’ll wait to hear about the Knicks’ first-round opponent, rather than scoreboard watch.
“Just wait until it’s over. At the end of the day, I’m sure somehow, some way, I might be told it,” Brown said. “But at the end of the day, I’m a firm believer that trying to ask for this opponent or that opponent is not good for you, when you mess with the basketball gods. So whatever happens, happens.”
Regardless, the Knicks have already been scouting potential playoff opponents.
“Our staff has been fantastic all year,” Brown said. “We’ve had guys assigned to that stuff already, on both sides of the ball. Our two advanced scouts have been doing a good job taking care of it, too.”
