BOSTON -- The Hawks understand that they have to set the tone early in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference playoff series against the Celtics on Tuesday. Part of that is to make sure everyone gets involved and plays connected basketball.
Hawks players said they plan to take their aggressive play from the second half of Saturday’s 112-99 Game 1 loss and carry it over. The Hawks trailed by 30 points, 74-44, after the first half.
“We have to come out a lot more hungry,” Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter said. “I feel like they definitely punched us first, they hit us first. They were the aggressor. We were kind of on our heels, the whole first half. And I feel like in the second half, we kind of picked it up. But you know, it was too late. So just getting out to a better start right now helping throughout the game.”
When Hunter thinks back to how the Hawks attacked their play-in matchup against the Heat one week ago, he noted the team’s start in Boston was the complete opposite.
“You could just feel it, you know, as a team, you know when your team’s doubted and, you know, things are clicking, and we didn’t feel that,” he said. “And we also were missing a lot of shots. You can attribute that to our defense or whatever. But that can’t be an excuse.”
The Hawks went just 5 of 29 from 3-point range and they know that they’re capable of far better. They felt out of rhythm and with a couple days of practice under their belt, they feel like they can get that rhythm going quicker.
The Hawk had several games in the regular season where they played connected basketball, particularly as they figured out the spacing wanted by new coach Quin Snyder. Snyder, who is making his seventh straight playoff appearance and first with the Hawks, noted that over the course of the season, connectedness begins with listening to each other.
“When you get in the playoffs in order to really execute the specifics of, what are usually more sophisticated plans, especially over a seven-game series, it begins with listening,” Snyder said. “Those guys listening to one another, listening to us as a staff and the things that we’re trying to do to prepare them.
“And often times, execution, you know, is the connection and it really requires everyone, even if it’s something as simple as spacing and being ready to shoot.”
The Hawks know they can get more out of their backcourt tandem of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. Snyder has encouraged them to be more aggressive because of their ability to create shots for their teammates. Young had 16 points in Game 1 on 5 of 18 shooting and Murray had 24 points on 10 of 25 shooting.
“He definitely told us that we got to be more aggressive, but I still want to continue to get my teammates involved and look for them,” Young said. “But obviously, I gotta be more aggressive.”
When John Collins and Hunter get early touches, they settle into the flow of the game and it leads to opportunities for others because they can draw defenders.
“Just being comfortable. It’s kind of hard when you’re not in rhythm,” Hunter said. “When you don’t touch the ball for a few possessions, it’s kind of hard to read that. You’re just try and be aggressive at that point. So, just just reading the defense is saying what they give me and what they give us as a team.”
The Hawks coaches, of course, had a couple of days to make some adjustments.
“There’s nuances, there’s plays, there’s lots of ways that we can improve how you attack a team,” Snyder said. “I think as a staff, from a coaching standpoint, you can’t do everything. You have to be smart, and you have to do things that are significant. You have to do things that you feel like you can get executionn, that can impact.”
