Atlanta Hawks: Expect a big game from John Collins in Game 4
The Atlanta Hawks have lost the last two games in their Eastern Conference Finals matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks. They won the first game, so what has happened to the team? Trae Young was off in Game 2 but what is telling is the performance of John Collins.
Prior to the second game of the series, Collins had collected four double-doubles in the previous five games. The Hawks have won all four of the games where he has collected a double-double, losing the game where he missed out, scoring only seven points in the sixth game of the conference semi-finals.
Collins has collected double figures in points in the last two losses against the Milwaukee Bucks. he has not been as effective on the glass. Collins only collected eight rebounds in both games, which is not enough given how proficient the Bucks are on the boards.
The Atlanta Hawks need John Collins to stay out of foul trouble
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Collins has fouled out of one game in the postseason, had five fouls three times, and four fouls on four separate occasions. We saw in the second game against the New York Knicks, without an active John Collins on the floor, due to foul trouble, the Hawks struggled.
In the third game of this series, Collins picked up his fourth foul after 49 seconds of play in the third period. He would not play the other 11 minutes of the period. When he came back on the court, he was not able to play with the same intensity as he could not afford to foul.
However, where Collins is going to want to improve is you could see how the loss impacted him at the end of the game. He is going to be fired up because he was unhappy with his own performance. You could tell how disappointed he was when he missed two free throws at the end.
Next. Trae Young's ankle injury is a cruel twist in the ECF. dark
Collins is going to have to figure out how to play Giannis Antetokounmpo without fouling him so that he can crash the boards with energy and be a vital cog in the offense. The Hawks’ chances of making the NBA finals may depend on it.