Atlanta vs The World

(ESPN predictions on Hawks and Knicks series)

The 5th seeded Hawks play the 4th seeded Knicks this coming weekend in the 1st round of the playoffs in a best of 7 series. The Hawks fanbase looks at this series as more than just trying to advance to the 2nd round. This series with the Knicks for the fans is about respect. Its about getting the respect that fans have seemingly felt like the Hawks haven't gotten from the national media and analysts. The image above shows exactly what I am talking about. So what if the Atlanta Hawks beat the media darling and mega brand the Knicks? What if they did it in convincing fashion? Now I'm not saying that will happen but, I believe this will be a highly competitive series potentially six or seven games. The ideal result would be for the league to acknowledge the Hawks after this. The league being put on notice the Hawks are coming.

Both teams both have their own story of how we got here. The Knicks haven't made the playoffs since 2013 and have been at the bottom of the NBA for years. Missing on different players and coaches with the brand of MSG and the Knicks was starting to lose its luster. James Dolan was under constant fire as fans and the media wanted him to sell the team because they believed, he was the cause of most of the misfortunes. Then finally they had a stroke of luck hiring Scott Perry, Signing and drafting some good quality players without having to go for the homerun of a superstar. Then they got Tom Thibodeau and Leon Rose and this year the Knicks have finally broke through and now everyone in the media and Knicks fans say the Knicks are back. The NBA is better when the Knicks are good and their fanbase engaged, because the NBA can spotlight the team and pull tv ratings. So let me make this clear I'm not mad at all the Knicks are getting the coverage. The NBA HQ is located in New York. I just don't get why the Hawks are being overlooked.

(@SportstalkATL, local Atlanta media outlet)

Then there's the Hawks.

This past off-season General Manager Travis Schlenk made the call to go from a lottery team to a playoff team. The Hawks have a young core of Trae Young, John Collins, De'Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish and Kevin Huerter. Schlenk then acquired veterans like Danilo Gallinari, Bodgan Boganovic and traded for Clint Capela. This year was going to be a great year for the Hawks but from game one, something that would be the story of the Hawks season was injuries. Now injuries are apart of the game and everyone knew that with this condensed season that was more than likely to happen. The Hawks got the worst of it and all season that hindered this team from was showing their true potential. Then heading into the All-Star break the Hawks were 12-20 under HC Lloyd Pierce at the time and something didn't seem right with two games left before the break. This team seemed destined to head to the lottery again. Then out of the blue, Schlenk pulled the trigger and fired Pierce and Nate McMillian became the new Interim HC.

Everything changed once that happened.

The Hawks still dealt with injuries but they played with a different spirit and energy, McMillian finished 29-12 in games he coached, excitement was back in Atlanta. Hawks fans were starting to wonder how far could this team go as they saw how good and deep this team truly was. The Hawks are heading into this playoff season as healthy as they have been all season determined to make some noise. The only issue was outside of the Hawks fans and local media no one else within the National media really cared. I can briefly speak from personal experience. I have an Atlanta Hawks Fan Show that I host and interview people mainly from the media to talk about the Hawks. When I reach out to people within the national media at the big companies, I feel like I don't get turned down because my show is new or because I'm unknown. I feel like they just don't care to talk about the Hawks. The Knicks get most of the love from all the outlets and national reporters. The Hawks on the other hand it's a different story. It has felt like the Hawks get a tap on the back saying, "good job you're a playoff team and that's it". The players didn't say too much about it but, the Hawks fans and Atlanta media have certainly spoken out about it.

(Hawks Reporter Mike Conti)

The Hawks fan base and local Atlanta media have been going to bat for this team all year across all social media. This Knicks and Hawks series has had a lot of chirping between the fan bases that already began weeks before this matchup was even official. The Knicks beat the Hawks 3-0 in the season series so I understand why Knicks fans are feeling confident about this matchup. The thing is this isn't the regular season, this isn't the Lloyd Pierce coached Hawks, nor is this the same banged up Hawks. The playoffs are a new season, all the numbers don't matter anymore. Remember the Miami Heat with Lebron, Wade and Bosh that got swept in the regular season by the Nets when they got KG and Paul Pierce? Then Miami Swept them when they played each other in the playoffs. I'm not saying the Hawks are the Miami Heat of that time but, I'm just saying don't let the regular season fool you. The Hawks have truly embraced the underdog mentality for this entire playoff run.

So this series you have two teams who both deservedly belong here and have earned that through their play in the regular season. The Knicks right now are the team who everyone is paying attention to and look forward to seeing how they do. The Hawks are the team who is quietly going under the radar. People think the Hawks are just happy to be there but I truly think this team believes they can make some noise this playoffs. The Hawks are hoping to gain respect from the media, even the casual fan and change this narrative that has surrounded the franchise. Nate McMillian got fined by the NBA just because he said " The NBA wants New York in the playoffs". Some people even say it's the Hawks vs the League because they want the Knicks to win but, regardless coach McMillian will have these boys ready. The players have to just let their play do the talking and make a statement. One phase the players have used that I believe has set the tone for this team is #wemove. I think the team has embraced this term because at the end of the day win or lose, they can only control what they can control and right now they control whether they beat the Knicks or not. It's gonna be one hell of a series. Ladies and gentlemen the Atlanta Hawks are here and are here to stay so you better get used to it.

(@ATLHawks)