The Atlanta Hawks deserve to be the favorites now
The Atlanta Hawks have had to dive deeply into their bag of tricks to keep the series alive against the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers. In the fourth game, they needed the get huge performances from Trae Young and John Collins to claw back an 18 point deficit on their home court.
Then in the fifth game of the series, with an injury cloud hanging over Joel Embiid, the 76ers jumped the Hawks from the opening whistle. Embiid, despite looking finished last game was such a dominant factor in the 76ers getting a 26 point lead.
This time the comeback started with Trae Young at the end of the third period. Then Lou Williams, ably backed up by rookie Onyeka Okongwu, helped engineer the comeback that the Hawks star players and veterans finished off, again winning by three points.
Why the Atlanta Hawks deserve to be the favorites right now.
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There are so many impressive aspects to the Hawks’ last two victories. As a unit they do not give up, they have a belief in themselves and each other which is irrepressible. Also, while both comebacks have featured Young, he has had the backing of multiple teammates which means the Hawks are hard to stop.
On top of that, they have taken the best blow that the 76ers can give them in both games, and both times they have come back to win. The 76ers appear to run out of legs and the Hawks appear to be younger and hungrier.
A big part of this is potentially related to the injury to their superstar Embiid. He has been playing with a torn meniscus in his knee and has still been huge. However, an injury like that takes it out of you, and when Embiid is not at his best, the 76ers are not as good.
However, the Hawks made this comeback without the services of Bogdan Bogdanovic who sat out most of the second half with five fouls. Put his offense back into this lineup and the Hawks are even harder to stop, particularly as the 76ers are also without one of their defensive specialists in Danny Green who is out for the series.
Next. John Collins: The Jekyll and Hyde experience. dark
The series now moves to the Hawks home floor, State Farm Arena, which they have defended with heart. Their fans will turn out in doves, hoping to help the Hawks get over the line and getting to the Eastern Conference Finals in what can only be described as a Cinderella run this season.