In the first leg, New York chose their favorite defensive tactics. But it didn’t work. Throughout the meeting there was an equal fight, but in the end the Knicks played worse. Tom Thibodeau’s wards fatally spent the last minutes of the match. The New York players missed a few important shots and allowed the opposition to win 107-105. In the second meeting, everything will depend on the successful actions of Burkes, Rose and Randle. If this trio plays at their level, then Atlanta will have some problems. The Knicks have nowhere to retreat, so they will come to this meeting with a great desire to win.
The Wizards have earned praise for their performance. The team made a lot of efforts to get into the playoffs, but in the first series, the rival of the capital club was Philadelphia. Washington played more than decently in the first match of the series against the Sixers (118-125), but even Bradley Beale’s double-double did not help. The leader of the “wizards” lacks support from partners, while Russell Westbrook does not act consistently in every meeting. Scott Brooks’ charges will need to try different tactics to hack into the opposition’s defenses, although doing so at Wells Fargo Center will be extremely difficult. True, no one canceled the fight.
