What can the Hawks take away from the NBA playoffs thus far?
The second round of the NBA playoffs has been absolutely bonkers. Not only have underdogs won six of the seven matchups outright, but they’ve done so in exhilarating fashion, and Hawks fans should take notice. The Celtics have blown 20-point leads in the second half to the Knicks. The Cavaliers have done the same to […] The post What can the Hawks take away from the NBA playoffs thus far? appeared first on SportsTalkATL.com.
The second round of the NBA playoffs has been absolutely bonkers. Not only have underdogs won six of the seven matchups outright, but they’ve done so in exhilarating fashion, and Hawks fans should take notice.
The Celtics have blown 20-point leads in the second half to the Knicks. The Cavaliers have done the same to the Pacers. The Thunder blew a 12-point lead halfway through the fourth quarter to the Nuggets in Game 1, and the Warriors wiped the floor with the Timberwolves without Stephen Curry in Game 1.
OKC did dismantle Denver in Game 2, and Minnesota did the same to Golden State last night to give the favorites their first wins of the second round, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that the talent discrepancy isn’t as great as we once thought it to be, which is great news for an emerging Hawks team.
The club didn’t even make the playoffs; in fact, the Hawks lost to the Heat, who were flat out embarrassed by the Cavaliers in the first round. However, that was a hobbled Atlanta team that was playing a G-League frontcourt, outside of Onyeka Okongwu.
When healthy, especially with Jalen Johnson, this Hawks team is closer to competing than many people believe. As currently constructed, even with development from Zaccharie Risacher and Dyson Daniels, Atlanta still can’t win a championship, but another upgrade or two, and the Hawks could be on the cusp.
Internal development is important. Johnson, Risacher, Daniels, and Okongwu have to take their respective leaps; that will go a long way. But even still, the Hawks need external upgrades. It’ll be a balancing act; whoever the President of Basketball Operations is will have some difficult decisions to make this Summer.
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Photographer: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
The post What can the Hawks take away from the NBA playoffs thus far? appeared first on SportsTalkATL.com.
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