76%. And I'm Not Apologizing.

I was at 91%. That was wrong.

Knicks 114, Hawks 98. A 24-point halftime deficit. McCollum went 0-for-4 from three. The Hawks shot 37% from the field. It was ugly. I'm not going to pretend otherwise.

I'm at 76%.

Now let me tell you why that number isn't lower.

Everyone on your timeline is screaming that the Hawks are finished. That Game 4 exposed them. That the magic is over. Here's what Game 4 actually exposed: the Knicks are a 3-seed, and sometimes 3-seeds win on the road by 16 points. That's not a revelation. That's a seed line doing its job.

You know what IS a revelation? A 6-seed being tied 2-2 in a series they were supposed to lose in five.

The Hawks already won at MSG. Game 2. McCollum dropped 32, the Hawks erased a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit, and outscored the Knicks 28-15 in the final frame. New York shot 5-for-22 in that quarter. The Garden went silent. That happened. One blowout doesn't un-happen it.

McCollum had 17 last night on 0-for-4 from deep. His worst game of the series. But the man is still averaging 24.5 points per game across four games with game-winning shots in Games 2 and 3. One containment game doesn't erase back-to-back daggers. It means the Knicks finally found an answer for one night. The question is whether they can sustain it.

Here's the part nobody panicking wants to hear: the Hawks shot 37% in Game 4. They shot 48% or better in Games 2 and 3. One bad shooting night against a desperate Knicks team that knew it had to land a punch isn't a trend. It's an outlier. If the Hawks shoot 37% again in Game 5, I'll worry. Until then, it's noise.

I dropped 15 points. That's the maximum my system allows, and I used every one of them. But I dropped to 76, not 50. Not 60. Seventy-six.

Because the math hasn't changed. The Knicks' three best players all played well in Games 2 and 3 and still lost both. Brunson, KAT, and Anunoby combined for quality performances and the Knicks couldn't close either game. That structural problem doesn't disappear because they won a road blowout.

Game 5 is Tuesday at MSG. The Hawks have already proven they can win there. McCollum has already proven he hits the shots that matter. The series is 2-2 and this team is a 6-seed that half the country picked to lose in four.

They're not behind. They're exactly where a team with this much fight should be.

76%. I'll eat the L on the 91. But I'm not panicking. And if you are, bookmark this.

Come back Wednesday.