Atlanta Hawks Playoff Preview: Round One vs. Washington Wizards

Conclusion

A meeting between the No. 4 seed and the No. 5 seed should be the most difficult series to predict. This series is no different. The Wizards will be the favorite. They have the better record. They have home-court advantage. They won the season series.

That doesn’t mean Atlanta doesn’t have a chance. Three wins against the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers in the final week of the season will send them into the playoffs brimming with confidence. Whether or not that translates to anything meaningful in this series remains to be seen.

I suppose I have to make a prediction. Sadly, I think Washington’s backcourt will be too much of a handful for the Hawks. John Wall and Bradley Beal are difficult to contain and the Hawks don’t have enough elite perimeter defenders to handle them both.

Washington’s bench upgrades take away the one advantage Atlanta should have in this series. Atlanta’s bench has played well in the last week, but the Wizards don’t have the same dismal bench they had earlier in the season. At best that matchup is a wash.

I think this series will go the distance. I think the Hawks will have the chance to win the series with a good performance in a Game 7. In the end I think homecourt advantage and Washington’s star power will be too much to overcome.

Next: Atlanta Hawks Player Appraisal: Moose

Prediction: Wizards in 7