Atlanta, GA
First Thoughts On The Hawks-Knicks First Round NBA Playoffs Matchup
The NBA playoff matchups in the Eastern Conference are set.
After coming into Sunday as the likely No. 5 seed, the Orlando Magic’s stunning loss to the Boston Celtics paired with the Hawks losing and Raptors winning, means that the Hawks are going to be the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference and will face the New York Knicks in the first round.
These two teams met just last Monday, a thrilling win for the Knicks in the final minute. Here are my first three thoughts about this matchup.
1. The Hawks have to have an answer for Mitchell Robinson
With no new update on Jock Landale, the Hawks are going to have a big question at the backup center position. Assuming Landale is not able to go at least at the start of this series, Mo Gueye is going to have a big role in this series and he will be going against one of the top backup centers and rebounders in the league, Mitchell Robinson.
In nearly 20 minutes in last week’s matchup, Robinson scored eight points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Having Gueye go against him is going to be a big mismatch, as good as Gueye is defensively. Figuring out how to deal with Robinson is going to be key if the Hawks hope to spring the upset.
2. Can this group handle the playoff pressure?
Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Jonathan Kuminga, and Onyeka Okongwu have varying degrees of playoff experience, but not as starters. CJ McCollum has years of playoff experience, Nickeil Alexander-Walker helped Minnesota make back-to-back Western Conference Finals Appearances, and Gabe Vincent was a key role player for Miami during their runs recently. However, this group has only been playing together for a few months and have not been under the microscope of the posteason.
This Knicks team however was two wins away from the NBA Finals and has a lot of confidence that they can get back there and finish the job. They are a cohesive unit that plays well together and they are going to have a rowdy crowd at Madison Square Garden behind them. Can the Hawks handle the pressure they are about to face?
3. Hawks are capable of an upset
While the Knicks are certainly going to be favorites (deservedly so), I believe this Hawks team is for real and they are not going to be intimidated.
They have Jalen Johnson, who is set to make his first ever All-NBA team, Nickeil Alexander-Walker is the NBA’s front runner for most improved player, and Dyson Daniels is as good of a perimeter defender as there is.
These two teams as they are currently constructed have only played once, so there is not much to go on, but if this series is like that game that was played last Monday in Atlanta, It should be one of, if not the best series in the first round.
Nobody is going to pick the Hawks and the Knicks are an elite team, but don’t discount the Hawks chances.
Atlanta, GA
Midtown Atlanta sewer work to close part of 10th Street
ATLANTA – Drivers in Midtown Atlanta should prepare for traffic changes this week as a new roadwork project begins along 10th Street.
What we know:
The Atlanta Department of Watershed Management said part of 10th Street will close starting Wednesday for sewer repairs.
The construction will impact the eastbound lane between Charles Allen Drive and Monroe Drive.
Officials said the repair project is expected to continue for about four weeks.
Crews will work overnight on weekdays from 5 p.m. until 5 a.m. Construction activity will continue around the clock on weekends until the project is complete.
What you can do:
Motorists traveling through Midtown are encouraged to plan ahead and expect delays in the area during the closure.
Atlanta, GA
Three Biggest Questions Facing the Atlanta Hawks Following the NBA Draft Lottery Results
The 2026 NBA Draft has come and gone, and while the results did not go the way that the Atlanta Hawks had hoped, landing at No. 8 overall, but they are still getting a top-eight pick in a deep draft when they are coming off a season in which they won 46 games and made the playoffs. Atlanta had hoped that having the most favorable selection from the Pelicans and Bucks would turn into a top-four pick, but they are going to get a chance to add to their young core with a high-level talent.
Now that the NBA Draft Lottery is over, what are some questions facing the Hawks?
1. Who could they take with the pick?
We will get into other scenarios later, but for this exercise, let’s just assume that the Hawks are going to stick at No. 8 and make a selection.
While the top four picks are likely going to be (in some order) AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson, the rest of the draft does not seem to be as certain.
There is a popular sentiment that the quarter of guards consisting of Keaton Wagler, Darius Acuff, Kingston Flemings, and Mikel Brown Jr are going to be picks 5-8, but that is not as much of a certainity as the top four.
The Clippers are picking 5th, but they just made a big trade for Darius Garland. Brooklyn just took four guards in last year’s draft, and the Kings are always a wild card, though of these teams, they have the biggest need at guard and don’t seem likely to veer from that.
In the NBA, needs is usually ignored in the draft and the best player available is taken most of the time, but it will be interesting to see which players the Clippers, Nets, and Kings decide on.
If those teams do take three of those guards, the Hawks would have their choice of whoever is left over from that group or players such as Michigan center Aday Mara, Arizona guard Brayden Burries, or Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg.
2. Could the Hawks move up or down in the draft?
While I think as of right now that the most likely scenario is that the Hawks stay put at No. 8, they do have some interesting options to potentially move up or down depending on how things fall.
As I mentioned earlier, the Clippers just traded for Darius Garland and if the Hawks wanted to get ahead of the Kings and Nets to land the guard of their choice, they could try and put together an attractive package to try and make a trade with Los Angeles.
The Nets seem less likely to move down, but after taking four guards in last year’s draft, could they move down and try to target another position?
What about a trade down? If the Hawks had been at No. 7 or in the top four, I would say a trade down is unlikely, but at No. 8, there could be an opportunity there for Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh. Would Oklahoma City be interested in moving No. 12 and No. 17 for No. 8? That would give the Hawks three first round picks and if they like a player that could be in that range, that would be a possibility, though all of this is just hypothetical at the moment.
3. Do the Hawks attempt to move the No. 8 pick for an established star?
Saleh has been adamnat that the team is not one player away and that the Hawks wanted to add through the draft, but even in a draft as deep as this one, the odds of getting a star player at No. 8 are long.
It is tough to really gauge the trade market for this offseason right now, but the No. 8 pick is an attractive asset. Could the Hawks try to trade for Celtics star Jaylen Brown? Again, it is tough to know who else could be available this summer and I would bet against the Hawks moving this pick for a veteran player, but never say never in the NBA.
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Atlanta, GA
Braves News: Remembering Bobby Cox, strides from Spencer Strider, more
On a sad day overall for Braves Country, due to the passing of the legendary Bobby Cox, Spencer Strider gave Atlanta fans something to be happy and hopeful about with a stellar outing, shutting down the Dodgers potent offense for 6.0 innings with 8 strikeouts and 15 whiffs. He looked as good as he has in a long time. His fastball averaged 96.4 MPH, with 17 inches of induced vertical break and he had four pitches working nicely together. Even if Strider doesn’t quite return to his Jacob deGrom levels of dominance, having him as a true #1 or #2 quality starter would make a huge difference for this Braves team to pair with Chris Sale. Bryce Elder has been great this season, but shouldn’t be the second best starter in the rotation of a World Series contender. If Strider can keep something like Saturday night’s version of himself moving forward, that’s a huge development for him and this team.
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