ATLANTA – After Game 1, the Hawks shrugged off the decided Knick presence in the crowd here. Some made jokes about it. Some said you live with it. One player likened the Knicks to the Dallas Cowboys, a team that has fans everywhere.

But after Game 2 last night, when the Hawks were fighting for their playoff lives and received what may prove to be a mortal wound as they dropped a second straight game on their home court to the Knicks, the Hawks did a little more than shrug it off. There was some anger and some disappointment.

“Damn,” said Dikembe Mutombo with a shake of his head. “It’s like playing on the road. It is something I’ve lived with for the past three years here. I don’t know what it will be like when we move to Philips Arena [next season] where we can feel the crowd.

“It is sad. The homecourt that we fought so hard for, what advantage? We have the same fans coming to the game every day cheering for the opponent. God,” Mutombo said.

All night, a small army of Knick fans clad in blue and orange started “Let’s Go Knicks” chants while the Hawks’ public address announcer repeatedly implored, urged and begged the crowd on hand to “C’mon and be the Hawks’ sixth man, Atlanta fans.”

That usually brought another chorus of “Let’s Go Knicks” which was met with “Let’s Go Hawks” cried from the Atlanta faithful.

“Like an NCAA Tournament game,” Steve Smith said. “One side this side, and one side that side.”

And now the Hawks are headed to the snakepit of Madison Square Garden where fans tend to get a little, oh, you know, loud.

“They’re crazy up there,” Tyrone Corbin said. “But I’m really looking forward to it. They are great fans and they create a great basketball environment. That’s what the playoffs are about. It’s gonna be crazy.”