NEW YORK — No one has questioned the New York Knicks’ resiliency or what they look like when they’re desperate.

For two years now, New York has punched back when pushed into a corner, much like boxer Diego Corrales did against Jose Castillo. See the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics series last year. See the Atlanta Hawks series this season.

The Knicks have won two straight games in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the latest a 126-97 clipping of the Hawks in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead. The opportunity to put this too-close-for-comfort series to bed is Thursday.

Great.

We’ll find out just how serious the Knicks are very soon.

“We just understand what the situation is,” said Karl-Anthony Towns, who flirted with another triple-double in Tuesday’s win. “The toughest game to win is the one that ends someone’s season. We have to be super disciplined. We have to execute at the highest level that we have in this series. We have to be ready for a really tough game.”

This season, New York has made many fans bang their heads against a wall. Just when it looked like the Knicks had the answers to the test, beating teams in dominant fashion, they would fail the same test with the same answers, by either losing or playing down to the competition. A bad loss would follow a big win. A bad stretch would cap a nice stretch. A “WTF” quarter would come after a flawless one. So on and so on.

At times, there was a lack of focus. Other times, it felt like a lack of seriousness. The Knicks have been hard to figure out because of their inconsistencies. They’re talented individually, and that’s why they’ve often ended games as the victors, even if the process left you wanting more.

It’s not surprising that they’ve dominated Atlanta in two straight games. It’s also not surprising that New York needs, at least, six games to put this series to bed. From one game to the next, or every two games, the Knicks can look unrecognizable. That can’t happen Thursday. Not when it’s clear who the better team is, and not when the Knicks get a chance to end the first round on the same night their next potential opponent can do the same.

The Knicks have no reason not to end this series in Game 6. None. They have Atlanta figured out, as the last two victories have been decided almost from the opening tip-off.

New York knows that limiting turnovers and controlling the boards keeps the Hawks from flying around. It knows that hounding CJ McCollum with a big guard squashes Atlanta’s half-court offense. It knows that throwing two defenders at McCollum forces the rest of the Hawks to beat it in a way they haven’t been able to this series. It knows that making Atlanta defend multiple actions in a possession is the best way to generate points. It knows the Hawks don’t have an answer for Towns. It knows Jalen Brunson can take over a game on his own.

The Knicks know all of these things after three games of trial and error — and there was a lot of error — led to them falling behind in the series 2-1. They’ve now got every answer for what Atlanta can toss at them. The Hawks made adjustments after their Game 4 butt-whooping, and it didn’t matter. The talent discrepancy was obvious before a shot was taken in this series. It’s only been more obvious as New York has executed and learned its opponent.

“We’re not comfortable at all,” Miles McBride said. “We know we have a game to play down there. It’s a tough environment, and they’re a tough team.”

Jose Alvarado argues with referee Justin Van Duyne after a foul call in Game 5. (Brad Penner / Imagn Images)

It would be easier to believe that if there hadn’t been examples to the contrary this season. We’ve seen the Knicks lose to the Sacramento Kings. We’ve seen them trail a depleted Golden State Warriors team that started someone named Malevy Leons by 21 points, only to eke out a win. We’ve seen them down by 18 points to the Utah Jazz. We’ve seen them squeak out a one-point win over the Brooklyn Nets.

New York also dominated the Denver Nuggets this season. It went toe-to-toe with the Oklahoma City Thunder. It handled the Boston Celtics.

The Knicks can beat anyone. They’ve also shown themselves to be vulnerable against opponents who don’t have the status.

They could easily be bored with the Hawks. During the five games played in this series, they’ve already crumbled twice in a row. The Knicks could very well not go into Thursday with the urgency that the situation requires. It’s on them to change that narrative and show that the playoffs do, in fact, provide a greater sense of awareness inside that locker room.

“It’s the playoffs,” guard Jose Alvarado said. “Every little detail counts. We have to stay focused and keep the main thing the main thing.”

On the heels of another dominant win, New York is saying all of the right things. Doing them is another.

The Knicks have told on themselves. They’ve shown just how much better they are than the Hawks. The only thing that can stop them is themselves.

Their fans shouldn’t be able to see their team play inside Madison Square Garden for over a week — assuming the No. 2 seed Celtics take care of business against the No. 7 seed Philadelphia 76ers. The Knicks should put this series to rest Thursday in Atlanta and start preparing for a second-round rematch in Boston.

There shouldn’t be a Game 7, not based on what we’ve seen over the last two games. And not if the Knicks are serious about being true title contenders.