If at the beginning of the season I told you that the four teams remaining in the playoffs were the Warriors, Rockets, Cavaliers, and the Hawks you wouldn’t be surprised with three of those teams. The Atlanta Hawks have been the surprise team of the year this season and for a good reason. They set a franchise record in wins with 60, took the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, and have made it back to the ECF for the first time in 55 years. Despite all of this they are still considered the underdog in their Conference Finals matchup and are not favored to win the title. The renaissance in Atlanta was sparked by Coach Bud, as he’s known to by many, and his pass heavy offense. After being an assistant to Gregg Poppovich for many years in San Antonio, he has taken what he learned and applied it in his own way to this team.
Bolstering 4 All-Star’s, the Hawks starting lineup is nothing to bat an eye at. The attack is led by the backcourt of Jeff Teague, the composer of the Hawks offense, and Kyle Korver, one of the deadliest three point shooters in the league. DeMarre Carroll is the versatile wing who will pull up from three on occasion, and then there is the two big men down low. Arguably the heart and soul of the Hawks is Al Horford and Paul Millsap. Both putting up 15 points and 7 boards, and 16 points and 8 boards respectively; they are who the Hawks will turn to in a time of desperation. They may not be the flashiest team in the league, or even a team that has a superstar that has carried them on his back to as far as they’ve come, cough LeBron James cough, but they are a team who plays team basketball; and in my opinion is the most beautiful and elegant way to play the game.
Their opponent however has the highest isolation rate in the league, and does not play this team brand of basketball. The evil empire, LeBron’s team, or simply the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs have been the favorite to win the championship from the minute that the big three was formed there. However thanks to Kelly Olynyk, they are now down a member of their tandem and are going to suffer from it. While people may say that they made it past the Bulls just fine without Kevin Love, it’s not going to be as easy to get past the Hawks. The Cavs are not known for being a defensive team, allowing almost 100 points per game on average to their opponents during the regular season. The Hawks can put up a lot points every single night on the court, and back it up with their defense as well. While Cleveland does still pose a threat with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, two of the best isolation players in the league, it will take more than LeBron putting the team on his back to bring down the Hawks.
In a way, it almost doesn’t make sense how the Hawks have ended up in the Eastern Conference Finals. They didn’t have a single player that averaged over 20 points a game this season, and really had faced some trials and tribulations with the injuries they’ve suffered throughout the year. But by defying the odds, and being another team to break the mold that you don’t need one superstar to lead your team, the Atlanta Hawks have almost made it back to the biggest stage, and are going to be here to stay. With the unselfish offense and the transition points, I believe the Atlanta Hawks will prevail over the Cavs and make it back to the NBA Finals.
Hawks in 6.
Bolstering 4 All-Star’s, the Hawks starting lineup is nothing to bat an eye at. The attack is led by the backcourt of Jeff Teague, the composer of the Hawks offense, and Kyle Korver, one of the deadliest three point shooters in the league. DeMarre Carroll is the versatile wing who will pull up from three on occasion, and then there is the two big men down low. Arguably the heart and soul of the Hawks is Al Horford and Paul Millsap. Both putting up 15 points and 7 boards, and 16 points and 8 boards respectively; they are who the Hawks will turn to in a time of desperation. They may not be the flashiest team in the league, or even a team that has a superstar that has carried them on his back to as far as they’ve come, cough LeBron James cough, but they are a team who plays team basketball; and in my opinion is the most beautiful and elegant way to play the game.
Their opponent however has the highest isolation rate in the league, and does not play this team brand of basketball. The evil empire, LeBron’s team, or simply the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs have been the favorite to win the championship from the minute that the big three was formed there. However thanks to Kelly Olynyk, they are now down a member of their tandem and are going to suffer from it. While people may say that they made it past the Bulls just fine without Kevin Love, it’s not going to be as easy to get past the Hawks. The Cavs are not known for being a defensive team, allowing almost 100 points per game on average to their opponents during the regular season. The Hawks can put up a lot points every single night on the court, and back it up with their defense as well. While Cleveland does still pose a threat with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, two of the best isolation players in the league, it will take more than LeBron putting the team on his back to bring down the Hawks.
In a way, it almost doesn’t make sense how the Hawks have ended up in the Eastern Conference Finals. They didn’t have a single player that averaged over 20 points a game this season, and really had faced some trials and tribulations with the injuries they’ve suffered throughout the year. But by defying the odds, and being another team to break the mold that you don’t need one superstar to lead your team, the Atlanta Hawks have almost made it back to the biggest stage, and are going to be here to stay. With the unselfish offense and the transition points, I believe the Atlanta Hawks will prevail over the Cavs and make it back to the NBA Finals.
Hawks in 6.