There is a buzz in the city of Atlanta and the state of Georgia for that matter. The Hawks finished the regular season 41-31, their best season in my opinion since going 60-22 and losing in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015. Yes, in 2016 they did go 48-34, but it didn’t feel like the team had a clear shot of winning like in 2015 and this season in 2021.
The team is up 3 – 1 in round one of the eastern conference playoffs over the New York Knicks. And right now, the Hawks team is the only thing going right for the city of Atlanta and state of Georgia when it comes to professional sports. The Braves seem to be mediocre at best, not knowing what team will show up night in and night out. It’s the offseason for the NFL, and with the Falcons new head coach Arthur Smith and New GM Terry Fontenot, we just don’t know what this team will be like this upcoming season. The uncertainty of Julio Jones and where he will play this upcoming season puts a question mark on the Falcons team. The Atlanta United are a team right now that is up and down. If they can just finish the last five minutes of a match, they could be undefeated right now.
So back to the Hawks. It’s showing now why the Hawks drafted PG from Oklahoma, Trae Young over P/SG Luka Doncic, who went to the Dallas Mavericks, both in the 2018 NBA Draft. The Hawks needed a player to guide this team, and he has become the leader of this team, and the team rallies around him. Former coach earlier this year, Lloyd Pierce was not using Young to the best of his talents, and as Interim Coach Nate McMillian has stepped in, he is using Young’s talents to strengthen not only Young’s game, but the entire team’s game.
Earlier this season under Pierce, both Young and John Collins were at odds over playing time and how both were being used on the court. Under McMillan, both have reconciled and have become a dominate one, two, punch for this rising team.
We don’t know how the season will end, but this team has over preformed this year and it has been exciting. With packed houses back in arenas, it has felt like championship basketball all over again.
*Notes:
-John Collins rejected his contract extension earlier this season with Hawks. Let’s see if that changes with the turnaround the team has had under McMillan.
-Nate McMillan: Clock will be turned on after this season to see if the interim is taken off McMillan’s title to then become permanent head coach. Or does he really want to stay with Atlanta?
Header Photo Courtesy of Atlanta Voice
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