The Atlanta Hawks came crashing back to earth after their win in Game 1 which gave them the home-court advantage. Trae Young had the game of his career which should have set the series up for the Hawks to take advantage of the way that he played.
Unfortunately, the Bucks adjusted their defense in a way that the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers could not and they effectively nullified the impact that Young could have on the game. Jrue Holiday shut him down and the Hawks were not able to recover.
Usually, when Young is not shooting the ball well, another player steps up to take the slack. Kevin Huerter was struggling in the first half and Bogdan Bogdanovic is half the player he was at the start of the playoffs because of his knee issue.
Atlanta Hawks superstar Trae Young still took the blame for the loss.
Trae Young: “I take full responsibility for what happened tonight … I will be better.”
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) June 26, 2021
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Like the true superstar and leader of a team should, Young took responsibility for the loss. While he was not entirely responsible, he did have a big influence on how the team played. Young had nine turnovers in just under three quarters of basketball.
The single-game playoff record is 12, set by James Harden. Should Young have played the final quarter, there is a good chance that he would have broken that record, just one game after being simply unstoppable. What a difference a game makes.
Young was also awful from the field. This is the second game out of the last three that Young has not shot the ball well. It was not a problem in the seventh game of the 76ers series, but against the Bucks, the rest of the Hawks could not carry him through.
He was 6-of-16 from the floor, including 1-of-8 from deep. For Young to get some relief from being guarded as closely, he is going to have to shoot better from beyond the arc. If his words show his determination, then the next game in Atlanta will a special one for Young. The Hawks are counting on it.