Atlanta Hawks: How Trae Young sets up series with his Game 1 performances
The Atlanta Hawks have now won the first game of each of their playoff series in the postseason. They have managed to do this on the road which is the first time a team has done this since the 1999 New York Knicks who, incidentally, went on to make the NBA Finals that year.
The Hawks’ have done this on the back of three tremendous games for Trae Young. In the first game of the series against the Knicks, Young had 32 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds, almost collecting a triple-double in his first-ever playoff game. The Knicks simply had no answer for the way Young attacked their defense.
Then, against the Philadelphia 76ers, Young was again the key to the Hawks stealing home-court advantage again, collecting 35 points, ten assists, two rebounds, and two steals. He was the key in the first half when the Hawks stunned the 76ers, leading to the win.
Then the Atlanta Hawks superstar had the Trae Young game.
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Young opened the Milwaukee Bucks with one of the best games of his career. He had 48 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds, and a steal He played so well that at one stage it was only he and Kevin Huerter who keeping the Hawks in the game.
So while these numbers are incredible, it is the way that Young plays which sets the rest of the series up. The way that he plays during Game 1 is not the way he plays the middle or even the end of the series. The big reason for this is how the opposition reacts to him.
What Young does is that he forces the opposition to plan and adjust their defense for the way that he plays and then he goes and changes it. The Bucks drop back in their coverage of the pick and roll. This means that Young had the mid-range game going including that deadly floater.
If they step up and try and stop Young from covering, he gets the ball over the top near the rim so that his bigs have a high percentage shot. If they clog the lane, he can then pass the ball out to an open shooter on the wing for a good look.
Next. Nate McMillan will be the Hawks head coach next year. dark
Take a look at how Young’s game will evolve throughout the series as the Bucks try and stop him. If they can effectively stop him, then they move on to the NBA finals. If they can’t they Young will lead the Hawks to an improbable finals berth.