The Hawks are preparing for a grueling battle this April.
Playoff series aren't won through talent or the way the ball bounces - they're won through blood, sweat, and tears from everyone who sets foot on the hardwood.
Onsi Saleh and Atlanta's front office are very keen to this certainty. They've seen what Ice Trae and co. are capable of when the momentum starts to shift their way. They've seen the opposing crowd go silent in an instant, and they've seen their home crowd erupt in fervor as the Hawks snag victory from the jaws of defeat.
After finally granting Trae Young his wish of being surrounded by high-level talent to make a deep playoff run, Atlanta now has a prime opportunity to test its mettle against one of the premier contenders this coming April, according to a recent ESPN forecast.
ESPN has predicted the Hawks to reach the exact same win total (47-35) as the Detroit Pistons come April - good for the 4 vs. 5 match-up in the Eastern Conference.
The Hawks have already made critical additions to prepare for Detroit
The Pistons are an incredibly heliocentric team. As overused as that term has become, it's still apt to say that they're absolutely reliant on Cade Cunningham to be the pedal, the motor, and the tires of their high-powered V-12 engine of an offense.
The Hawks are fully aware of this truth - and they've made critical pickups this offseason to prepare for what seems to be an imminent battle staring them down all the way from April.
Cade Cunningham is one of the league's best pick-and-roll operators, being flanked by the elite lob partner Jalen Duren. Together, the two form a dynamic duo that defenses struggle to stop from generating easy Cade floaters and even easier Duren dunks.
The Hawks just happened to have added one of the league's best pick-and-roll defenders this offseason - Nickeil Alexander-Walker ranks in the 99th percentile of PNR defenders league-wide. This is no coincidence - and neither is the addition of Kristaps Porzingis to defend the other side of the pick-and-roll game.
Adding The Unicorn to swat shots and lobs away on the back line is just as important as acquiring a guard to slide around screens at the top of the key - and it's even more impactful when the two are flanked by the likes of Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, and Zaccharie Risacher - three lengthy, bouncy, savvy defenders that can clog up any other passing lanes that arise from Cunningham's PNR game.
The bottom line: if the Hawks stop Cade, they stop the Pistons. Flanking NAW with Dyson Daniels to always have an elite on-ball defender stopping the initial action is a dream scenario for Hawks fans - as is having the aforementioned luxury of elite back-line defenders.
Expect the Hawks to meticulously prepare for this epic showdown in April - and to dive into their four regular season matchups with the same passion as they would Game 7 of their slated series with the Motor City.