​Although the Atlanta Hawks were eliminated in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, they put up a bit of a fight before bowing out.They were able to force the eventual champion New York Knicks to six games in the opening round, something no other team was able to do against New York in the 2026 postseason.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe way Hawks veteran CJ McCollum sees it, his squad pushed the Knicks “to the limit” in the first round.At one time in the opening round, the Hawks held a 2-1 advantage against the Knicks and had a chance to take a 3-1 series lead as they prepared to host New York in Game 4.But the Knicks then rattled off three straight wins to end the series in six, and none of those three games were particularly close. The Knicks won 114-98 in Game 4, 126-97 in Game 5 and 140-89 in Game 6.As such, some may disagree with McCollum’s claim that Atlanta pushed New York to the limit. The Hawks did manage to steal a couple of wins against the eventual champions, which is no small deal, but by the end of the series, it was clear that the Knicks were the better team.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMcCollum, for his part, did have a strong series against New York, as he had some big moments and wound up averaging 19.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.He is now in line to help the Hawks continue building in the 2026-27 campaign. Atlanta signed him to a new deal in June to secure his place on the team this coming season. He clearly left an impression on the franchise this past season after being dealt to the Hawks from the Washington Wizards in January.His production and veteran leadership should help the team as it aims to turn the page on the Trae Young era. The Hawks have added lots of new young talent this offseason, and McCollum, 34, is a good figure to have around with his 13 years of NBA experience.Overall, McCollum averaged 18.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game in the regular season after being traded to the Hawks. He shot 45.6 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from beyond the arc. His play helped the team go on a memorable run in the regular season which set the stage for a decent Atlanta showing in the playoffs.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHawks Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Hawks. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.