The Atlanta Hawks Proved They Can Play Playoff Basketball
The Atlanta Hawks can still play at a high level. They just have to do it consistently.
The Atlanta Hawks played one of their most complete games of the year, and in the process, might have proven that they can compete in the playoffs.
Yes, Boston was on their second night of a back to back and had just lost 114-91 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. This was by no means a David versus Goliath match-up, but showing that they can play elite offense can do a ton to boost their confidence heading into late April.
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The Hawks survived the onslaught from All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas, and withstood surprising performances from Marcus Smart and Jae Crowder, who combined for 9 threes and and 42 points.
The Hawks will always have their defense to fall back on, as they rank Top 10 in both defensive efficiency and opponents points per game, so those performances are anomalies, not the norm.
The real problem with Atlanta is their inability to generate anything on the other side of the ball. They’re 28th out of 30 teams in offensive efficiency (the number of points a team scores per 100 possessions).
Which is why a game like this is a big deal.
It showed the world that Paul Millsap isn’t feeling any major side effects from his left knee injury. Millsap posted 26 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. It showed the world that Atlanta just needs to see some shots go in for their offense to find the light at the end of the tunnel.
With sole possession of the fifth seed, the Hawks most likely are not going to see the Celtics in the first round.
However, if the Hawks clean up what didn’t go too well this time, such as shooting 70.6% from the free-throw line, giving Smart too much space on pick and rolls, etc. Then Atlanta could be a playoff sleeper.
One game doesn’t change everything, but with the prime-time spotlight on Atlanta, the Hawks showed up in a big way.
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Keep an eye on these Atlanta Hawks, ladies and gentleman. They might just be able to cause a little chaos of their own.