The Atlanta Hawks are eliminated from the playoffs, losing to the Boston Celtics in six games. The Hawks were not expected to win this series at all, and the team was able to grind out two wins and almost pushed the series to seven, yet ultimately failing. 

Game Five Takeaways

I expected the Hawks to lose this game as Murray was suspended for one game, but Ice Trae came ready to play. Trae came ready and firing, eventually carrying the bulk of the offense finishing with 38 pts and 13 13 assists. He even showed the world that Ice Trae is back, scoring the final 14 points for the Atlanta Hawks and putting away the Celtics with a logo 3-pointer. John Collins also played exceptionally well, pitching in 22 points and hitting a pair of 3-pointers to keep the Hawks within striking distance in the 4th. This is Collins’s best game of the series, showing flashes of his potential.

Game Six Takeaways

Like last game, Trae came out guns blazing, scoring 18 points in the first quarter. Eventually, the defenses focused on him, and the 44 minutes he played last game without Murray showed. Murray returned and was scoreless in the first half, but he got it going in the second half to keep the Hawks in the game. The Hawks eventually collapsed in the fourth quarter, allowing Boston to go on a 9-0 run in the last few minutes of the game, sealing their fate. This game was winnable for the Hawks and is the game that hurts the most, but all of the Hawks played well under such short notice. Trae got tired, and the whole Hawks team defense was getting picked apart by Brown and Tatum, causing the Hawks to lose the series.

Looking Ahead

Without Quin Snyder, the Hawks would not have gotten to game six, let alone make it to the playoffs. I am excited to see what an entire offseason with Snyder will look like for the Hawks. Snyder meshes well with Trae and Dejounte, as they often praise each other and pick each other’s brains during timeouts and practices. The Hawks also need to address their defense problem. Dejounte is not the defender who I thought to be. While he is not a negative on defense, he is not a positive either. He often gambles for steals and struggles to bother taller and bigger guards. This is the first year of the Dejoun-Trae duo, so their chemistry will only improve under Snyder and over time. However, for the Hawks to become contenders, they are missing that 3-and-D guy, as Hunter is often too passive, and John Collins is too much of a tweener. They both have shown flashes of improvement and their potential of what they need to play at, but it is a challenging problem that the Hawks need to address.

Ultimately, the Hawks overachieved this season, as the season looked like a bust at the all-star break. They were able to turn it around under the guidance of Quin Snyder, sneaking into the playoffs and even taking two games from the Finals favorite, Boston Celtics. The Hawks have many problems to address regarding roster construction if they want to be actual contenders, but for now, they have played their hearts out in this series.