Knicks Game Night: 2026 NBA Playoffs Round 1, Game 3 – NYK (1-1) at ATL (1-1); Prime Video

There is no way around it — Game 2 was a disaster. The Knicks collapsed late in the fourth quarter due to poor timeout and roster management, and they lost the game by a single point. It was one of the worst postseason collapses in franchise history.

The fact that Karl-Anthony Towns only attempted two shots in Monday’s fourth quarter is unfathomable. The Hawks do not have any players who can guard him one-on-one, so why aren’t the Knicks getting him the ball more? Towns’s involvement offensively is especially important when Jalen Brunson gets double-teamed.

The strategy is simple: Get the ball to KAT. The Knicks overpower Atlanta whenever he is on the floor.

It doesn’t matter how many points CJ McCollum scores or the momentum the Hawks will have in their building tonight. Just like it was before the first two games of this series, it is all about the Knicks. Not their opponent. Them. Because if they play their game consistently, it is too much for the Hawks to handle.

If the Knicks lose Game 3, this series will turn on its head. Okay, they let the Hawks in. Now, they have to inch back ahead. Tonight’s game is pivotal in this best-of-seven series. And it cannot – I repeat, cannot ­– come down to coaching. There cannot be a world for the Knicks where their shortcomings are a product of their head coach’s mistakes.

Mike Brown replaced Tom Thibodeau because the front office didn’t think Thibodeau could help the Knicks take the next step. That next step comes in the playoffs. It is defined as reaching the NBA Finals, and if the Knicks fail to reach the top of the Eastern Conference this season, their postseason exit cannot come in the first round.

They are too talented for that. They are too experienced for that.

If this Knicks team has shown us anything over the last few years, it’s that they are nothing if not resilient. They have what it takes to bounce back. They understand how to avoid digging their own grave. Towns and Brunson are a good enough duo to defeat Atlanta, but they have to work together.

The Knicks have won seven of the eight quarters against Atlanta in this series, but they failed when it mattered most. Tonight, they cannot fail. Tonight, they must stand tall for all 48 minutes. Tonight, they must win.