3 keys for the Atlanta Hawks to reach the NBA Finals

2. Play with pace throughout, but not be inherently reckless with the basketball

One of the underrated part of the Hawks’ playoff run thus far has been their ability to play with pace throughout and take care of the basketball more times than not. Admittedly, Atlanta is a better team when it is more methodical in its offensive approach. However, the Hawks are a younger team and therefore, a quicker group than most teams they have played in the playoffs.

While Milwaukee might be better equipped to run than the 76ers or the New York Knicks ever were, they too would prefer to be more methodical offensively than simply run the floor. What this does is put a lot of high-stress minutes on the Milwaukee starters and force head coach Mike Budenholzer to fall back into his old bad habit of using way too deep of a rotation in the playoffs.

Of course, this only works if the Hawks limit their turnovers offensively. They can miss transition 3-pointers, as long as they hustle back on defense or even get a handful of second-shot opportunities. This uptempo pace philosophy has allowed the Hawks to never truly be out of a game under interim head coach Nate McMillan. High speed can be volatile, but it can be effective.

Even if the Hawks do shut down second-tier stars and play with pace, it still will not be enough.