Upset? Don’t tell that to the Hawks.
It’s more than a matter of bravado — even though the team has heard all the talk and knows the long odds.
Sure, they are the No. 8 seed. Yes, they finished the regular season 38-44, the only playoff team under .500. OK, they are playing a No. 1-seed Pacers team that recorded 56 wins.
Despite all of that, it’s the Hawks on the verge of winning the Eastern Conference first-round playoff matchup. They lead the best-of-seven series, 3-2, and can close it out with a win Thursday night at Philips Arena. It would be the sixth time in NBA history that a No. 8 seed defeated a No. 1 seed.
DeMarre Carroll, small forward, defensive specialist and budding philosopher, had this to say about Game 6: “A seed is a number. On paper, they might look like the best seed, but you’ve got to play the game. My uncle always told me, ‘if you see me in a fight with a bear, you better help that bear.’”
The Hawks simply don’t consider themselves an eighth seed. Carroll said it early in the series, and several Hawks reiterated it following Wednesday’s practice. This is a healthy team, despite the loss of Al Horford. They won seven of 10 games to finish the regular season, which included wins at the Pacers, at the Nets and versus the Heat.
“We never looked at ourselves as the eighth seed because of the injuries and the things we had to go through during the season,” Elton Brand said. “Al Horford goes down. Then Paul (Millsap) goes down. Then Kyle (Korver) goes down. Then Jeff (Teague) and DeMarre go down. I’m sure if we were healthy the entire season we might not be an eighth seed. We don’t look at this like an eight beating a one.”
“We’ve said all season long, if we have all of our pieces, we feel like we have a good team,” Korver said. “… We don’t feel like we are an eight seed. We have an eight-seed record — or worse — but if we would have had a healthy team, we would not be an eight seed. But this is where we are. Whatever happened this season, happened.”
What has happened during the playoffs has fueled the Hawks. They have outscored the Pacers 479-467 over the five games. They have won twice on the Pacers’ home court. They led Game 5 by as many as 30 points and listened as boos rained down on the host Pacers.
Brand said the Hawks have a “guarded confidence” against the Pacers. Korver added the Hawks have a “healthy respect” for Indiana. Still for much of the series it has been the Hawks who have dictated the pace of the game.
They have forced the Pacers to get away from their inside game. They have made Pacers’ All-Star center Roy Hibbert look lost (although that started during the regular season) and have relegated him to a spectator the past four fourth quarters. They have forced the Pacers to make the major adjustments.
They have caused on-court bickering. They have played a part in Pacers coach Frank Vogel having to defend his job and admitting that the Hawks are a difficult matchup.
The Hawks have been successful in spreading the floor, as they lead all playoff teams in 3-pointers made (11.8) and attempted (30.2) per game.
A series-clinching win won’t be easy. The Hawks had a chance to take a commanding lead in the series at home in Game 4 on Saturday and lost. The NBA’s postseason motto of “Win or Go Home” became a reality for the Pacers.
“Close-out games are tough,” Korver said. “The other team knows if they don’t win, they are going home, so you get their best effort and all the energy they have. If you make it to the NBA you have a certain amount of pride and ego, you just do, so we are expecting a really tough game.”
Game 7 in the series, if necessary, would be Saturday in Indianapolis. The Wizards await the series winner after they easily disposed of the Bulls in five games in their first-round matchup.
“We had been playing a lot of good basketball,” Carroll said. “Coach (Mike Budenholzer) said we want to play our best basketball at the end of the season and let it carry over. That’s what we’ve been doing. We just have to keep grinding. We have to stay humble. We have to say hungry.”
About the Author
