The Atlanta Hawks have a chance to do what no one thought they could, beat the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs. Most NBA fans outside of the Hawks diehards cannot name the starting lineup for the team that got into the playoffs as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference thanks to a few last minute wins and a New York Knicks meltdown. Now they are hoping to make the impossible possible and move on to the second round.
The Hawks finished 18 games behind Indiana and yet the lead the series 3-2. They have spent most of their time building double-digit leads, losing two to close calls. They are coming off an impressive Game 5 where they put up a 30-point lead and held on for the 10-point victory. Now the series shifts back to Atlanta where the team can win it on home court as long as they avoid pitfalls like in Game 4 where they failed to hit a field goal in the final four minutes.
The Hawks postseason play cannot be ignored with much of the credit going to rookie head coach Mike Budenholzer who came to the city after working as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs. The Hawks have appeared most physical while getting key ball movement to out-match the Pacers. Their ability to hit the outside shot while also letting Jeff Teague drive inside has balanced the team out well. Four players have scored at least 20 points in a game during this round. Seven players in the team's nine-man rotation have put up double-figure games as the Pacers have looked lost most of the time trying to defend the small ball.
The Hawks are not a young team, but are winning as a sum instead of individual performances. Forward DeMarre Carroll is on his fifth NBA team. He has been waived twice and yet is averaging 10.6 points and 5.0 rebounds in the postseason. Kyle Korver has been letting his three-point shooting skills shine. Paul Millsap is reminding people that he is an All-Star in case anyone forgot.
If the Hawks shock the world and win they will become just the sixth No. 8 seed in history to knock off the top seed in an opening round. The Pacers will not go down without a fight. As one of the top defensive teams, the Pacers are not planning on getting embarrassed. However, so far they have not solved the puzzle that is the Hawks and Atlanta hopes they do not start tonight.
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