A swarm of ecstatic New York Knicks fans partied the night away outside Madison Square Garden after their opening playoff win over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
The Knicks got off the mark in style after claiming a 113-102 victory over the Hawks in Game 1 of their first-round series, with star man Jalen Brunson putting up 28 points and seven assists for the hosts.
Despite the fact they still have a long way to go to reach the NBA Finals, the New York faithful poured into the streets in their thousands to celebrate their team hitting the ground running.
Just like last season, when they reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years, the huge crowd of buoyant Knicks supporters brought Seventh Avenue to a standstill as they made the most of their early playoff triumph.
You would be forgiven for thinking these were championship celebrations, such were the chaotic scenes outside MSG after this first-round Game 1.
As well as Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns also produced a masterful display to get the Knicks up and running after registering 19 of his 25 points in the second half.
A swarm of New York Knicks fans partied the night away after their opening playoff win
The Knicks got up and running in the postseason with a 113-102 victory over the Hawks
OG Anunoby added 18 points and Josh Hart had 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Knicks in their first postseason game under Mike Brown after making four trips in five years under Tom Thibodeau, capped by their first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals since 2000 last year.
The No. 3 seed in the East again this season hosts Game 2 on Monday night.
CJ McCollum had 26 points and Jalen Johnson added 23 for the Hawks, who went 20-6 after the All-Star break to earn the No. 6 seed.
‘We know that they’re going to be ready for Game 2,’ Brunson said. ‘So quick turnaround and extreme focus.’
Brunson, who already owns the Knicks’ record with eight 40-point games in the postseason, was almost halfway to another in the first quarter. He made his first six shots and had 19 points as the Knicks led 30-24.
Brunson didn’t do as much in the second half, but Towns took over after he was just 1 for 6 for six points at the break.
‘We did a great job as a team just fighting and continuing to find ways to score and also impact winning,’ Towns said.
