Following their huge Game 4 win against Giannis’s Bucks in the ECF, Skip Bayless admits that the Atlanta Hawks have taken “control” of the series.
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Over the last couple of years, the Atlanta Hawks have been a lottery team, missing the playoffs quite often. This year, with Trae Young leading the team, and the franchise making notable offseason changes, the Hawks have surprisingly been one of the top teams in the league.
At the start of the 2020-2021 campaign, no one could’ve expected Atlanta to have such a successful campaign. Despite having their head coach fired in the middle of the season and having no All-Star selections from their tram this year, ATL finished with the 5th best 41-31 record in the East.
Despite their regular-season success, Nate McMillan’s boys were considered as the underdogs. Analysts and basketball enthusiasts had Trae Young and co. getting past the first round at the most.
Proving all their doubters wrong, the Hawks are one of the only four teams left in this campaign and are well on their way to make their first finals appearance in nearly six decades.
A Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Milwaukee Bucks team is the only obstacle standing between Atlanta and the NBA finals. Ever since the Bucks defeated the star-studded Brooklyn Nets, they were the instant favorites to win the championship. However, the Hawks don’t seem to shy down from the big stage, handing the Bucks a Game 4 loss on Tuesday night, leveling the series at 2 apiece.
“My gut tells me that the Hawks have taken control of this series”: Skip Bayless
After suffering back-to-back losses, a Trae Young-less Hawks team defeated Milwaukee 110-88 to even up the ECF. The match saw the Greek Freak suffer a gruesome knee injury, keeping him out for half of the game. Atlanta’s starting five, who together had a great +/- of 104, capitalized on that fact and won the home game.
Following the game, analyst Skip Bayless was quick enough to give the underdogs some huge props. On his “Undisputed” show, Skip even mentioned how he thought that the Hawks have taken “control” of the Conference Finals matchup. Bayless further added:
“My gut tells me, the Hawks have taken control of this series. And I’m not going to make the case that the Hawks are better without Trae Young, but I gotta tell you… That (Game 4) looked good to me last night.”
“That looked real to me because if you look at the final numbers, you can see what happened with the Hawks… Look at the assists. Look how they got spread.”
“I’m starting to like the coaching, the chemistry, the camaraderie. It’s Clippers-esque to me, that the Hawks seem like the tighter, better team right now.”
With Giannis and Young sidelined with some horrific injuries, it’s time for their supporting cast to rise up to the occasion. Both the teams look good enough to win this matchup. It all comes down to – which team is hungrier and will go the distance for the win.
