To preview Saturday night's game with the Knicks, Hawks.com traded questions with Knicks.com to get some in-depth analysis of each team's season so far and where they are headed.

Here is a brief interview with Knicks.com's Tom Kertes discussing the team's chances of making the playoffs and the state of the team. A similar interview I did for their website will be posted on the Knicks website as well.

Hawks.com: Eddy Curry and David Lee have both been revelations this season. To what do you attribute their success?

Tom Kertes: Eddy Curry owns a great physique, fantastically gluey hands, and a tremendous amount of talent. With the concerns about his health finally behind him, he was ready both physically and mentally to get his game going in a big way. David Lee has probably surpassed everyone's expectations. He is one of  those rare players who are always around the ball, give you all kinds of intangibles, and it appears that all he needed was the one year of NBA experience to put it all together into a big-time winning package.

Hawks.com: The Knicks are right on the cusp of playoff contention. What do they need to do to make a run and get into the playoffs?
TK: To get away from their up-and-down tendencies and acquire consistency, focus, and grit on a night-in and night-out basis.

Hawks.com: Isiah gets a lot of grief, but he has proven himself on draft day. How have your two rookies, Renaldo Balkman and Mardy Collins, progressed in their rookie years?
TK: Balkman, a real sleeper-pick, has been everything the Knicks have hoped for, perhaps even a little more: an exceptional rebounder, defender, and all-around energizer off the bench. Mardy Collins has shown flashes of promise in very limited playing time. Now, with Jamal Crawford's injury, he'll have plenty of opportunities to display his stuff.

Hawks.com: Rumors have been flying all season that Isiah will be fired if the team doesn't reach the playoffs. Has that affected the team at all?
TK: I don't believe so. If anything, the team appears to have jelled behind Isiah Thomas.

Hawks.com: The last few years the Knicks have been big players in the trade market. Are you surprised no deals went down with your team before the trade deadline?
TK: Not really. For one thing, the Knicks are in a difficult position to make impact  trades. For another, Isiah Thomas has said all along that he is happy with the make-up of the roster at this point and is not really looking to make further changes.