Knicks-Hawks Playoff Game Descends into Chaos with Wild Brawl as Shaquille O’Neal Calls Out Atlanta’s ‘Embarrassing’ Effort

Anna Lazarus CaplanFri, May 1, 2026 at 5:08 PM UTC

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Credit: AP Photo/Brynn Anderson -

The Hawks lost to the Knicks on Thursday night

Atlanta was eliminated from the playoffs

The historic game featured fights, courtside collisions and hilarious halftime commentary

Facing elimination in the playoffs on Thursday, the Atlanta Hawks set records for futility in a game that featured one fight, two ejections, a courtside rapper hitting the deck and Shaquille O’Neal using a defibrillator to resuscitate a stuffed animal at halftime.

This game had everything — but seemingly no one could anticipate the New York Knicks would throttle the Hawks by 51 points (140-89) in a Game 6 that already had the latter team on the ropes.

Until Thursday night, the series was competitive, with the Knicks up 3-2, but the home team was seemingly out of it from the tip.

The Hawks had 10 turnovers in the game’s first 13 minutes, leading to a 47-point deficit (83-36) — the largest in NBA playoff history — at the half.

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Shortly before the break, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels got tangled up with Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, which led to a fight after which both were ejected.

Knicks star Jalen Brunson also ratcheted up the entertainment when he went after a loose ball, collided with rapper Boosie Badazz courtside and then jokingly pulled the "Wipe Me Down" artist from his seat onto the floor.

Jalen BrunsonCredit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty

But Shaq may have set the tone for the second half when he staged a mock funeral for Harry the Hawk, the team’s mascot, after he tried to resuscitate the stuffed animal. He then put Harry inside a cardboard casket and launched into an off-key rendition of Boys II Men’s “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday.”

Things didn’t improve in the second half, and with 9:44 left in the game, the Hawks pulled Jalen Johnson, CJ McCollum and Nickeil Alexander-Walker — three of their four remaining starters — from the game.“There’s really no excuse for it,” O’Neal said after the final buzzer. “Listen, the Knicks came in with a BTA mode, attitude, belt to a--. The Hawks didn’t play with any intensity, didn’t play with any energy, fans were not into the game, it’s quite embarrassing.”

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Source: “AOL Sports”