New York advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs after dismantling Atlanta in epic fashion
NEED TO KNOW
- The Hawks lost to the Knicks on Thursday night
- Atlanta was eliminated from the playoffs
- The historic game featured fights, courtside collisions and hilarious halftime commentary
Facing elimination in the playoffs on Thursday, the Atlanta Hawks set records for futility in a game that featured one fight, two ejections, a courtside rapper hitting the deck and Shaquille O’Neal using a defibrillator to resuscitate a stuffed animal at halftime.
This game had everything — but seemingly no one could anticipate the New York Knicks would throttle the Hawks by 51 points (140-89) in a Game 6 that already had the latter team on the ropes.
Until Thursday night, the series was competitive, with the Knicks up 3-2, but the home team was seemingly out of it from the tip.
Shaq trying to revive the Hawks. 🤣🤣🤣
This is great. pic.twitter.com/6JClZTSlOX
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 1, 2026
The Hawks had 10 turnovers in the game’s first 13 minutes, leading to a 47-point deficit (83-36) — the largest in NBA playoff history — at the half.
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Shortly before the break, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels got tangled up with Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, which led to a fight after which both were ejected.
Knicks star Jalen Brunson also ratcheted up the entertainment when he went after a loose ball, collided with rapper Boosie Badazz courtside and then jokingly pulled the "Wipe Me Down" artist from his seat onto the floor.
Credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty
But Shaq may have set the tone for the second half when he staged a mock funeral for Harry the Hawk, the team’s mascot, after he tried to resuscitate the stuffed animal. He then put Harry inside a cardboard casket and launched into an off-key rendition of Boys II Men’s “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday.”
Things didn’t improve in the second half, and with 9:44 left in the game, the Hawks pulled Jalen Johnson, CJ McCollum and Nickeil Alexander-Walker — three of their four remaining starters — from the game.
“There’s really no excuse for it,” O’Neal said after the final buzzer. “Listen, the Knicks came in with a BTA mode, attitude, belt to a–. The Hawks didn’t play with any intensity, didn’t play with any energy, fans were not into the game, it’s quite embarrassing.”
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