ATLANTA — The Hawks finally showed some fight against the Knicks in Game 6 of their opening-round playoff series. Unfortunately, Atlanta was down by 50 points at the time, and the fight ended in ejections.
It was that kind of (probably season-ending) night for Atlanta, which ended up trailing 83-26 at the half — the largest halftime deficit ever in an NBA playoff game.
The Knicks spent the first quarter-plus of Thursday night’s game kicking Atlanta up and down the court, riding a 40-15 first quarter and a combined 55-10 run to bury the Hawks long before halftime. With 4:39 remaining in the first half and New York’s OG Annunoby at the line, Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels and New York’s Mitchell Robinson tangled up … and then all hell broke loose.
The fight spilled over onto the front row of fans, seemingly involving most of the on-court members of both teams. After an initial review, referees ejected both Robinson and Daniels. Video reviews will surely determine whether further punishment will be necessary for any other players, (likely) next round for New York or next season for Atlanta.
The Hawks’ frustration was obvious, even though they had no one to blame but themselves for the mile-deep hole they were in at the time of the fight. The Knicks, meanwhile, rode the wave of the surprisingly large number of New York fans in Atlanta’s State Farm Arena, keeping the throttle down even after the ejections.
In almost any other game, this would have been the ugliest moment. But in this one, the fight didn’t come anywhere near the grotesque scoreboard. The game resumed after the ejections, a march to the inevitable for both teams.
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