3 keys for the Atlanta Hawks to reach the NBA Finals
By John Buhler
The Atlanta Hawks have a better shot than you think of winning the Eastern Conference Finals.
For the second time since 2015, the Atlanta Hawks are playing in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The last time they made it this far in the NBA Playoffs, the head coach they will be going up against was their head coach. That’s right. No. 5-seeded Atlanta will take on the No. 3-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in a best-of-seven series with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line. Milwaukee has not been since 1974, and the Hawks have not been since they played in St. Louis in 1961.
If the Hawks do these three things well, they will be the ones playing in the 2021 NBA Finals.
Atlanta Hawks: 3 keys to reach the 2021 NBA Finals over Milwaukee Bucks
3. Don’t let either Jrue Holiday or Khris Middleton regularly beat you offensively
This one is pretty simple. Atlanta has to understand that Milwaukee’s best player in Giannis Antetokounmpo is probably going to get his. Conversely, Milwaukee should probably feel the same way about Trae Young. Atlanta was able to get past the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games, despite seeing their best player Joel Embiid player tremendously well through his torn meniscus.
While Antetokounmpo is a worse 3-point shooter and a considerably worse free-three shooter when compared to Embiid, he is a guaranteed 25 points or so even on a bad night. If Antetokounmpo outplays Young in this best-of-seven series, Atlanta will have lost to a more seasoned team led by a two-time league MVP as the under-seeded team in the conference finals.
What is paramount though is Atlanta cannot allow the Bucks’ two other best players in Jrue Holiday or Khris Middleton to regularly get the best of them offensively. Of course, there will be a game where Holiday and/or Middleton will propel the Bucks to a thrilling victory with something along the lines of a 30-point performance, but that needs to be a one-off affair for Atlanta to win.
Atlanta cannot advance if either Holiday or Middleton ascend to Antetokounmpo’s elite level.