Preview: Hawks, Knicks set for Game 1 in MSG Share this story Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports The Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks will kick off their first-round series Sunday evening from Madison Square Garden. The matchup, which is between two teams with identical 41-31 regular season records, will be in a primetime slot on TNT. The Knicks notoriously swept the Hawks this season, which is why they have the tiebreaker over Atlanta in the matchup between the Eastern Conference’s No. 4 and 5 seeds. In the lone game Nate McMillan manned the helm for Atlanta vs. the Knicks this season, Trae Young got banged up in the second half and the Hawks lost in overtime. While the Knicks are touted as one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, the Hawks had no trouble scoring in that game, even after Young left the contest.