Erik Spoelstra Issues Telling Statement on Quin Snyder After Hawks Beat Heat
The Atlanta Hawks took care of business on the road against the Miami Heat in their Play-In Tournament matchup and will move on to face the Boston Celtics on April 15.
“You do have to give them credit,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game in a video shared by NBA Interviews on YouTube on April 11. “I think Quin [Snyder] has done a great job of just creating an identity for that team. They’re different just in terms of how they really try to crash [the glass] and get second opportunities. And that was costly today.”
Atlanta ranked 12th in total rebounding before the All-Star break under former head coach Nate McMillan who was let go during the downtime. They ranked sixth on the boards after the break which does include two games under assistant Joe Prunty before Quin took over.
They have gone from 17th in second-chance points to ninth, ranking first since the break.
“Quin just brings a different speed,” Young told reporters via the Hawks’ YouTube channel. “And he’s so smart as far as getting guys shots and making it easy for guys on the offensive end. And just so detailed at what he brings to our team and just makes it easier for us to go out there and do our jobs and not necessarily think too much. He’s done a great job. Obviously, we’re not perfect and where we want to be and where we will be. But he’s done a great job with that.”
To that point, the Hawks went 1-3 against Miami during the regular season including going 0-2 under Quin.
But they made a concerted effort to start fast while Young also had additional motivation.
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Young tied his high in points against the Heat this season and set a new high for the year in rebounds this season in this contest.
The Hawks will now take on the Boston Celtics beginning on Saturday, April 15.
Quin Snyder proving to be a better fit for Atlanta Hawks than Nate McMillan
Things seemingly went South for former head coach Nate McMillan after the surprise run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021 when he changed over the coaching staff. Following a swift departure from last year’s playoffs thanks to the Heat, he made more changes but nothing could get the groove back he had found taking over for Lloyd Pierce.
“Coach Mac is more so, I’d say, suited for guys who are in a different part of their careers,” John Collins said. “And just us being as young as we are, I feel like we need to focus on just a couple different things
The Hawks went just 10-11 under Quin to close out the regular-season slate. But this was a big step toward reshaping this group in his image. Their next challenge will be to make things interesting for the second-seeded Celtics.
They went winless in three tries this year.
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“Boston is a really good team but I haven’t really looked too far ahead,” Young said. “Obviously, I’ve watched them all year. They’ve been playing really well.”