Can The Atlanta Hawks Make The NBA Finals?
via skysports.com
All things were going well until the unthinkable happened. Atlanta Hawks’ star point guard, Trae Young, appeared to sprain his ankle after stepping on the foot of an official just as the Hawks had the momentum, up three points to close out the 3rd quarter.
The Hawks then went completely cold in the fourth quarter, as Milwaukee Bucks star forward Kris Middleton outscored the whole Hawks team in that quarter, 30-17, resulting in a loss of 113-102. After a crushing defeat at home Sunday night against the Milwaukee Bucks the Atlanta Hawks are right back where they were a week ago, being down 2-1 against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Hawks have shown they have the resilience to fight back in a series after many never thought they would even get out of their first-round series against the New York Knicks. Under the stewardship of still interim coach Nate McMillan, the team has surprised a lot of people, as he has outcoached Tom Thibodeau and Doc Rivers, both of whom are widely respected as a couple of the top coaches in the league.
Trae Young injured his ankle during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. (via Getty Images)
In the previous series against the 76ers, the Hawks stole Game 1 then proceeded to lose two straight games, one being at home. As they find themselves in the same position again, Tuesday night’s Game 4 is a must-win for them.
Being down 3-1 and going back on the road to face a team like the Bucks is one thing the Hawks can’t afford to do especially with the health of their best player in question. Young is expected to play in the next game of the series but he looked very limited after coming back into the game and only scoring three points in the whole fourth quarter. The Atlanta Hawks have never been to the NBA Finals in their tenure in Atlanta, but if Game 3 showed them anything it’s that they belong here at this stage, and beating the Bucks will not be easy nor impossible.
Someone needs to step up in this series to help Young as Kevin Huerter did in Game 7 against the 76ers. Cam Reddish got into the blowout loss against the Bucks in Game 2 and showed some promise, though he hasn’t played 5 on 5 basketball in months. He came into the game and scored 11 points in 17 minutes while shooting 40% from the field.
Reddish could be the answer to provide a spark or give the Hawks a game if he takes over. He has the talent, given that he came out of Duke after playing withR.J. Barrett and Zion Williamson. He has guard skills and can create his shot so he could potentially be the key to the Hawks getting past the Bucks and into the Finals.
One thing is for certain though, the Hawks have their work cut out for them and will have to battle in every game to win the Eastern Conference title and a trip to compete for the Larry O’Brien trophy.