Saturday's Game 1 against the New York Knicks wasn't Jalen Johnson's first playoff game ever, but it might as well have been. He played in eight playoff games in his rookie and sophomore seasons (and scored 26 total points), but that was a completely different version of the Hawks' now star. Now the leader of the entire franchise, Johnson never looked overwhelmed on Saturday, but it did take him a half to remember exactly who he is and what he's capable of.
Once he did, though, he looked like the All-NBA caliber player Hawks fans saw him morph into late in the regular season. Johnson shot 6 for 12 for 15 points in the second half against the Knicks after going just 2 for 7 in the first half, and it's obvious that Quin Snyder told him something along the lines of you know they can't stop you, right?
The game as a whole was disappointing, of course, as the Hawks played from behind all game, sometimes inching within just a few points, before the Knicks blew it open for good before fending off a Hawks comeback. But if Johnson plays the rest of the series like he played the second half, the rest of the series should be much more competitive for 48-minute increments.
Jalen Johnson should take some momentum into Game 2
The series doesn't start until a road team wins a game, and the much more experienced Knicks team looking sharper in Game 1 isn't a death sentence for the young Hawks. But even so, starting a series on the road can quickly turn into a psychological advantage if you can steal one in a hostile environemt; MSG, of course, is as hostile as they come.
Jalen Johnson's next evolution as a star is to show that he can change the outcomes of games and series by himself. Game 1 is about feeling out your opponent, learning their tendencies and tricks. With that out of the way, and nerves no longer a factor, the Hawks can regroup. The series is as close as it possibly could be right now, after all.
It's not like Quin Snyder and the Hawks want Johnson to score 40 points every game this series. If he could, that would sure be cool, but if he's putting pressure on the rim constantly and making the Knicks defense stop him while continuing to make plays — he had seven assists in Game 1 — then good things will come. It's relatively simple.
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