NBA
Game 1 Preview: Hawks vs. Nets
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
#1 – Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks enter the postseason as one of the most underrated 60-win teams in the history of the league. The Hawks sit at the top of the East with home court advantage through the Conference Finals, at the very least. Atlanta swept the regular season series versus Brooklyn, winning three of the four contests by double digit margins – including a 32-point shellacking on April 4. While the Hawks lack a truly dominant star, the team features high-character guys who play within their system, rarely play outside of their individual strengths and possess strong team chemistry.
Part of what makes the Hawks special is their teamwork, which leads to maximum efficiency. The Hawks ranked second in the league in assists per game (25.7) driven by the fact that the majority of Atlanta’s rotation guys are capable of knocking down shots from the perimeter with range. Atlanta players have been extremely consistent in finding teammates for buckets throughout the campaign. Their ISO days of yesteryear are long in the rear-view mirror. The team was 49-6 during the regular season when out-assisting their opponents.
But the offensive side of the ball isn’t the only area where Atlanta thrives. Defensively, the team ranks seventh in overall efficiency (100.7) and finished fifth in steals per contest (9.1).
#8 – Brooklyn Nets
It took the Brooklyn Nets all 82 games of the regular season to punch their playoff ticket and as a congratulatory note now face the Atlanta Hawks, who were able to dominate and sweep them during the campaign.
However, the Nets have been a truly resilient bunch. After a rocky start to the season, the team rallied to post a 17-13 record after the All-Star break.
On paper, the Nets appear to be outgunned headed into their first round matchup, but the team does feature a couple of advantages they’ll look to exploit.
Former All-Star center Brook Lopez has been on a tear since the All-Star break, averaging 19.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 30 contests. Lopez scored at least 18 points in three of the four matchups versus Atlanta this season and there’s no doubt the Nets will look to exploit Atlanta’s feisty but undersized frontline in this series.
Who Wins Game 1?
The Atlanta Hawks will win Game 1 at home to start off the series.
