Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks Game 7 Preview

(Source: Yardbarker.com)

Preview

It all comes down to a game seven in Atlanta. Will the Hawks be able to sustain the defensive intensity that they exhibited in Game six? After watching all six of the games in this series I really don’t know what to expect other than the unexpected. The Hawks pounced on the Bucks in games one and two. Scott Skiles and the Bucks adjusted and took games three through five. The Hawks finally made some defensive adjustments in game six and locked down the Bucks.

After 88 games of watching the Hawks not much has changed in what they need to do to get a victory. They should be energized by a home town crowd in a game seven situation. Defensively the Hawks need to continue and mix it up just to keep the Bucks off balance. If they keep the Bucks out of the paint and hold them to one shot then the Hawks will win this ball game. If they get beat inside then an upset is a very real possibility.

Offensively I would like to see the Hawks attacking the Bucks with movement. The Bucks defense is always aware of Joe Johnson and he could be huge in setting up teammates. However, that does require those teammates to move and it requires Johnson to be a willing passer. Of course that plan is probably not reality and the Hawks will have to feed off of their defense.

In summary the Hawks have home court for a reason. They are the more talented team, they just have to prove that they are the better team. Winning game six quieted a lot of doubters and now it is up to them to finish the job.

Sunday May 2, 2010

Atlanta Hawks (3-3) Milwaukee Bucks (3-3) First Round NBA Playoffs Game 7.

Venue: Phillips Arena

Time: 1:00pm ET

TV: ABC

Radio: 790TheZone, NBA Audio League Pass

Series:

04/17/2010 Hawks 102 Bucks 92 – Recap – Hawks lead 1-0

04/20/2010 Hawks 96 Bucks 86 – Recap – Hawks lead 2-0

04/24/2010 Bucks 107 Hawks 89 – Recap – Hawks lead 2-1

04/26/2010 Bucks 111 Hawks 104 – Recap – Series tied 2-2

04/28/2010 Bucks 91 Hawks 87 – Recap – Bucks lead 3-2