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Quin Snyder Makes Telling Admission About Hawks' Playoff Loss to Knicks
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- Quin Snyder Makes Telling Admission About Hawks' Playoff Loss to Knicks
(Brett Davis-Imagn Images)
The New York Knicks eliminated the Atlanta Hawks in six games in the first round in April. Two rounds later, New York beat the San Antonio Spurs in five games for its first NBA title since 1973. Jalen Brunson was the Finals MVP.
The Knicks also won the NBA Cup, becoming the first team to win the Cup and the championship in the same season.
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Atlanta led the series 2-1. The Hawks were the only team to beat the Knicks twice during the 2026 postseason, and the series ended with a Game 6 loss at State Farm Arena on April 30.
After that loss, the Knicks won 13 straight playoff games and 15 of their final 16. They allowed 104.5 points per 100 possessions across 19 playoff games, the best defensive mark of the postseason.
CJ McCollum averaged 19.2 points in the series. Jalen Johnson averaged 19.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 5.2 assists in the playoffs. The Hawks have not won a playoff series since 2021.
Snyder Says Playoffs Showed Hawks Where to Improve
Hawks coach Quin Snyder said Monday at the team's media day that playoff basketball accentuates the areas a team has to improve.
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"Everybody finished their season on a down note except for the Knicks," Snyder said. "The challenges we had in the latter part of the series ... you saw other teams have those same challenges. I don't think that's reason to dismiss the areas where we can get better. Competition provides a mirror for you to get better as a team - playoff basketball accentuates that even more. I think for our team to identify that, independent of the result, and carry it forward ... when you get in those moments, you need each other even more and you can understand that intellectually, but when you feel it viscerally and emotionally, you have more opportunity to grow."
Atlanta finished 46-36 and won the Southeast Division. The 46 wins were the franchise's most since 2015-16, and 20 of them came in 26 games after the All-Star break. Atlanta was the sixth seed after losing a tiebreaker to the Toronto Raptors .
The Hawks ranked 10th in defense for the season. After the All-Star break, they allowed 108.6 points per 100 possessions, second only to Oklahoma City . ESPN projects a 47-35 finish and the sixth seed this season.
Snyder Expects Hawks' Lineups to Keep Evolving
The combinations will keep changing over the season. Snyder sees Atlanta as a young team that still has room to discover which groups work best together.
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"It begins with the idea that we are a young team," Snyder explained. "Sometimes, when you see a group grow, you feel like that happens and it kind of slows down. What we have now is a direction that we want to grow - the players that we brought in, their ability to contribute, the combinations we'll continue to look at and see how different guys make each other better ... I think that's something that will happen over the course of the season."
"There's kind of an identity and culture that allows that to take place while we're still playing, while we're still sharing ... I've said before that growth isn't linear and that's true of both the players and the team," Snyder continued. "There's urgency over the course of the season and there's urgency in the immediate sense."
"Growth is part of the 82 games," Snyder added.
Atlanta added Luguentz Dort , Aaron Wiggins , and Dorian Finney-Smith in trades and drafted Kingston Flemings and Zuby Ejiofor in the first round. The Hawks carry 15 players on guaranteed contracts into training camp.
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Snyder Praises Nickeil Alexander-Walker 's Versatility
Nickeil Alexander-Walker won the Kia NBA Most Improved Player award last season, his first in Atlanta. He reached two Western Conference finals with the Minnesota Timberwolves before joining the Hawks.
Snyder sees Alexander-Walker's ability to adapt to whatever Atlanta needs as an important part of the team's identity.
"My expectations for Nickeil is a player that puts the team first and competes," Snyder said. "We saw him do that night in and out. He was one of the guys whose role evolved throughout the season. The Nickeil we saw in November evolved when we had injuries, the Nickeil we had in December evolved when we had trades. I think Nickeil's ability to find what the team needs is a calling card of his."
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"That versatility he has [as] a player and teammate, I think it's a foundation part of our identity," Snyder noted. "He's lived it, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. His focus has been making people around him better."
Alexander-Walker opened last season as a reserve and started 71 of his 78 appearances . His bobblehead night is one of four the Hawks announced for 2026-27.
Snyder Wants Hawks to Strengthen Bond With Fans
Late last season, Snyder felt a bond form between the team and the crowd. He wants Atlanta's competitiveness and unselfishness to remain recognizable parts of its identity.
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"As much as you respect other teams, I do care about our fans and how they see us," Snyder said. "We've got fans that understand that. You saw that towards the end of the year and what you could feel from the fans when we were competing towards the end of the year ... I think there was a bond there that you could feel in the arena. That was about competitiveness, unselfishness and that manifested in how we played."
"The things that make us unique, you would hope that other teams see those same qualities in your group," Snyder continued. "That's our path and every team has a different road to success. Our understanding of the journey and the road we have to take together is important and there's so many things that try to distract you along the way."
"I think we know the direction we want to head," Snyder added. "The decisions we made with the guys we brought in, it will continue to provide catalysts for us to head in the direction we want to. The strength of this team is the team and that's something these guys have embraced."
Atlanta opens training camp in Nashville on Tuesday. Snyder agreed to a multiyear extension with the Hawks in June.
