The Atlanta Hawks have officially made this a series. The Hawks tied things up 2-2 against the Indiana Pacers after returning home and getting a crucial Game 4 win. Atlanta now has the momentum as the series heads back to Indiana. The Hawks have been traditionally been dismal in the postseason, especially on the road going 21-84 all-time. This team would like to turn that around this season.
The Pacers purely dominated the Hawks in the first two games of the series, but failed to show up when the series was being played back in the south. Indiana scored an average of 110 points in the first two games, winning each by at least a 16-point margin. They are counting on home-court advantage to help them get back on pace. They have lost 13 straight games in Atlanta, dating back to 2006. If they can win the next two at home then they will not have to worry about trying to break that streak this season.
Atlanta, on the other hand, has to figure out how to win on the road or their championship hopes are over. While playing at home, the Hawks went with a larger starting lineup, giving Johan Petro the start over Kyle Korver. While Petro is not a scoring threat, his size is when defending Roy Hibbert. Josh Smith moved to small forward and shot a career playoff high 29 points with 11 rebounds in Game 4. Kyle Korver finished with five straight 3-point shots off the bench, finishing with 19 points.
Indiana won 30 games at home during the regular season. If they can continue that success in the postseason, they will not have to worry about trying to get a win in Atlanta.
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