The Hawks were 38 hours removed from the series-clinching win over the Nets when they took the floor for their series-opener against the Wizards Sunday afternoon.
The Hawks had little rest. The Wizards had a week off after sweeping their quarterfinal series over the Raptors.
The Hawks did not use fatigue as an excuse for the 104-98 loss to the Wizards in Game 1. However, it was noted among members of the team that the other Eastern Conference semifinal between the Cavaliers and Bulls does not start until Monday night. The Cavaliers and Bulls had series-clinching wins on April 26 (four games) and April 30 (six games), respectively.
Hawks center Al Horford shared text messages with his father, former NBA player Tito, about when the next series would begin.
When is the next game, Monday? No, Sunday. The late game? No, the 1 p.m. game.
“The schedule is very funky,” Horford said. “I’m not going to lie. It is. There is no question about it.”
