Atlanta Hawks: 3 keys to the Philadelphia 76ers playoff series

The Atlanta Hawks have already had a better season than most people had predicted. They were thought of as a play-in caliber team, that would finish between seventh and 10th in the Eastern Conference.

Well, the playoffs came around and the Hawks finished in the fifth seed, qualifying directly for their first playoff action since the 2017 postseason. The Knicks did not up the fight that they showed in the regular season, losing the series in five games.

The Hawks’ defense was special on Julius Randle and the Knicks as a team could not respond. However, the second-round matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers is going to be a lot harder. They finished with the best record in the East for a reason.

The Atlanta Hawks may have had a stroke of luck.

During the fourth game of their first-round series against the Washington Wizards, Joel Embiid went up for an easy layup against Robin Lopez. The Wizards center blocked Embiid and the 76ers star fell to the floor. He did not return and then did not play in the fifth game of the series.

Embiid has been diagnosed with a small tear in the meniscus in his right knee and has been listed as day-to-day according to Woj of ESPN. If he does not play in the first game or so then this will be an advantage for the Hawks. The rest of the team will be able to put up a tremendous fight so the games will not be easy either way.

Our friends at The Sixer Sense have the latest updates on Embiid’s injury.

Now, let’s delve into the keys to the second-round playoff matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers.