The NBA playoffs standings has the Atlanta Hawks and the Indiana Pacers tied at 3-3 after the Pacers won Game 6 in Atlanta at Philips Arena on Thursday night after a great game from Paul George and now the seires is all knotted up and Game 7 comes on Saturday and that will be in Indy and now the two teams are looking to advance to the second round.
The Hawks were up 3-2 and they are going for a 4-2 series win with Game 6 coming on Thursday and the TV schedule has the matchup at Philips Arena on the NBATV channel and the start time for the game is 7 pm ET and has Paul George and Jeff Teague looking to play well as they try to get their teams into the next round and this could be a historic postseason loss for Indy as a number one seed.
The Pacers were almost in a must-win situation on Saturday and they came through with a close victory while hitting threes down the stretch and they were able to keep the Hawks off balance at the end when the team tried to tie the game. The Hawks had chances to take control of Game 4 on Saturday, but the Pacers played better down the stretch and with the final play in Atlanta's hands, the team couldn't get the ball into the possession of Teague or Kyle Korver and instead they were forced to put up a three from their center and predictably it did not go in.
The Hawks won the first game in surprise fashion before getting blown out and then the team came back to win Game 3 and now the Pacers have tied things up in the series with Game 5 coming on Monday night. The game on Saturday saw Paul George take over and he ended up with 24 points and 10 rebounds in one of his best games of the series and he will be key for the Pacers if they want to advance to the next round. The team acted all season like it was a forgone conclusion that they would make it to the east finals and now they may not even make it out of the first round.
Paul Millsap led the way for the Hawks with 29 points, seven rebounds and two assists in the game and Korver ended up with nine rebounds, while Teague had seven assists. Teague has played very well in this series and he is one reason why the Hawks have had a chance from the beginning and with him being from Indy, he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder when he plays there. The Pacers have been dealing with plenty of adversity after starting the season 33-8 and then slumping hard and coach Frank Vogel said that his team has not given up on anything and that they are ready to play in Game 5 and they feel ready to win.
The Pacers were the second best defensive team in the league by points scored and they will need to use that skill on Monday night, as the Hawks have been able to push the tempo of the games. Roy Hibbert has been invisible for this series and now he has the chance to make everyone forget that. The Hawks know they can win in Indianapolis and this will be a major game to try and win, as the series is now a best of three and the Pacers still hold home court after the Hawks lost at home on Saturday in Hotlanta.
Check here for the standings and schedule for the NBA playoffs and series records.
