Atlanta Hawks: Danilo Gallinari huge in Eastern Conference Semifinals

Throughout the Atlanta Hawks series against the Philadelphia 76ers, Danilo Gallinari wound up playing the role of unsung hero more often than not. He was the Hawks third-leading scorer in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and shot a team-high 44 percent from three-point range.

The 32-year-old Gallinari also managed to haul in nearly five boards per game.

To add to the matter, Gallinari had an off first round against the New York Knicks. He averaged just 9.4 points and shot 33 percent from the floor and 32 percent from outside.

He did shoot 90 percent from the free-throw line but shot just two free throws per game. That wasn’t providing much value as the 12-year veteran went up against the team d him the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks.

Danilo Gallinari’s play has picked up when the Atlanta Hawks have needed it the most.

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Everything changed for him in the Eastern Conference Semifinals with 14.3 points per game and shooting 46 percent from the floor.

The best part about what Gallinari has done for the Hawks is his scoring has been timely. He’s done most of his damage in the second half when he averages 8.4 points per game.

That was second to only Trae Young on the team in the round.

Game 5 saw him and Lou Williams provide some much-needed support to starters Young and John Collins as the only four Hawks in double figures. Despite the loss in Game 6, Gallinari had 16 second-half points as part of a late rally by the Hawks.

Game 7 was Gallinari’s fifth with 16 or more points and he continued his late-game scoring ways with seven points in the final frame.

He’s been especially timely because Bogdan Bogdanovic, who managed just four points in just over 21 minutes, was shooting poorly even before he injured his knee and has done it all while coming off the bench.

We knew that the Hawks would need a complete effort to beat the 76ers and that Gallo would have to be a part of that. No one could have predicted the Bogi injury or the perimeter shooting issues that plagued the rest of the roster.

Gallinari has been a nice veteran presence for a young, up-and-coming team. He never seems rattled and has been functional on the defensive end; a bonus with De’Andre Hunter out. All of that is a bit of a surprise because he had never been out of the first round himself. It was anyone’s guess how he would perform at this point but it’s been pleasantly surprising.

The Hawks need to continue into (and hopefully through) the Eastern Conference Finals.