NEW YORK, May 24 (UPI) -- The New York Knicks, who have looked the title contender many people thought they would be when the season began, can put a cap on their Eastern Conference semifinal series with a win tonight at MadisonSquare Garden against the Atlanta Hawks. The Knicks, who are attempting to advance to the conference finals for the first time since 1994, lead the best-of-seven series, three games to none, after a 90-78 win on Sunday. They are also trying to become the first No. 8 playoff seed to advance past the second round. Latrell Sprewell has been a huge thorn in the Hawks' side in this series, averaging 26.3 points off the Knicks' bench while shooting 49 percent (26-of-53) from the field. Overall, he is averaging 20.4 points and is shooting 47 percent in the postseason. The Knicks are winning despite getting limited help in the series from their aging and ailing star center, Patrick Ewing, who scored only four points Sunday on 2-of-12 shooting and is still nursing injuries to his Achillies and ribs. New York has won six of its last seven home games dating back to the regular season and is trying to defeat an opponent four straight times in one series for the first time since the 1973 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. That year, New York dropped Game One before winning the next four to claim its second world championship. Atlanta is struggling on offense, shooting a paltry 32 percent (78- of-242) from the floor this series. Steve Smith, who shot 40 percent from the field in the regular season, is only hitting 28 percent (15-of- 54). The Hawks are also getting almost no production down low from Dukembe Mutombo, who is averaging just 9.7 points on 36 percent (9-of-25) shooting. He was 51 percent from the floor in the regular season. Atlanta is 0-3 on the road in the playoffs and has not won a postseason game outside of Georgia since Game Two of the 1997 Eastern Confernce semifinals against Chicago. The Knicks have not recorded a four-game playoff series sweep since 1969, when they eliminated the Baltimore Bullets in the 1969 Eastern Division semifinals before falling to the Boston Celtics in the division final. The Hawks hope to avoid their first four-game sweep since 1970 when the Lakers bounced them in the Western Division finals. Atlanta was swept in three games by Indiana in 1995.  