Atlanta Hawks: 3 keys to a Game 2 victory and 2-0 lead in the ECF

Atlanta Hawks keys to a Game 2 victory No.1: The Hawks playing speed has seemed to throw off their opponents

One of the most noticeable things about the Hawks is they rarely seem to rush anything. Even their quick triggers on offense seem to be telegraphed from beyond half court. And their opponents have still struggled to stop it, almost as if they are undecided on what to do at any given moment.

That’s because they are.

Young’s floater has gotten a lot of attention lately, and for good reason. His drives all look the same, whether he is going to shoot or throw up a lob, it appears the same to the human eye. That’s where Collins and Clint Capela come in. The duo does so much damage catching oops from Young that the mere action freezes defenders as they check for a dunker.

This kind of meticulous playing speed belies the Hawks ranking first in pace. Milwaukee often looked to be moving almost too fast and overplaying everything.

The Hawks lead the postseason in pick and rolls during the playoffs. That means defenders that were already guessing as to what Young was going to do are now doing so from a trail position or having to lunge at him after ducking under the screen.

Keeping the Bucks off-kilter has neutralized their length advantage.

Having to constantly bump against Capela took its toll as well, as the Bucks shot just over 51 percent on non-threes in the second half.

Teams also have to deal with knowing the Hawks can still knock down threes in bunches, despite their struggles this postseason. That feeling of no lead being safe is another reason we see teams try to force the issue unnecessarily against Atlanta.

Conversely, the Bucks are third among the playoff field in isolation possessions and are fourth in frequency. Only the Clippers, who have a higher frequency remain of the teams that rank above them in either category and they trail the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals 2-0. Seems like going heavy on isolations is a recipe for disaster for the Bucks.

Especially because they’re letting the Hawks off the hook.