What’s wrong with the Pacers?
That question was the focus of much of the national attention following the Hawks’ convincing Game 1 victory over the top-seeded Pacers on Saturday.
What’s right with the Hawks?
That question was never really raised despite the Hawks delivering a second straight drubbing to the Pacers, the latter a 101-93 playoff win.
The Hawks say they are not bothered by the lack of credit on the eve of Game 2 in this Eastern Conference series Tuesday night.
“We didn’t get a lot of credit for the win,” Elton Brand said. “It was more about what is wrong with the Pacers. We don’t mind that. We don’t mind being the underdog. We did have a pretty bad regular-season record. It’s not like they are not the No. 1 seed for nothing. The national media didn’t follow the injuries and the things that we went through. We don’t mind.”
The Pacers, despite losing 13 of their final 23 games, finished with the top seed in the East with a 56-26 record. The Hawks, who endured a 1-14 streak, finished six games under .500 at 38-44. Few gave the eighth-seeded Hawks a chance even though the teams split their season series 2-2.
The Hawks continue to point to the fact that they are healthy again. Yes, Al Horford was lost for the season in December. But by the end of the season the Hawks finally got their new starting unit back together. Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, DeMarre Carroll, Paul Millsap and Pero Antic all missed time during the season with various ailments. On several occasions, just as one player rejoined the lineup, another went down.
“I think we are playing some of our better basketball right now,” Carroll said. “The carryover from the regular season is carrying over to the playoffs. We are just playing our brand of basketball. A lot of people forget that we are healthy. A lot of guys being in and out of the lineup, we haven’t had our starting lineup. … We can’t worry about what the media says. We have to be the underdogs.”
Underdogs they are and the Hawks are ready to move on. Coach Mike Budenholzer said he and his team will continue to keep an even keel. The Pacers have hinted that they will make some changes, possibly using Paul George to defend Teague after the point guard carved up their vaunted defense (28 points, five assists) in Game 1.
Don’t expect major changes from the Hawks. There may be in-game adjustments but the team is sticking to its formula.
“The way we’ve played all year and the structure and the reads, we just want to play,” Budenholzer said. “We are not a team this is going to play one-on-one in a lot of matchups. So, we want to move the ball and move people. We want to keep doing what we do. We are really not concerned too much with the other team.”
Millsap was a little more blunt.
“Why would we change?” Millsap said.
Only five times in NBA history has a No. 8 seed upset a No. 1 seed in a playoff series. It happened twice in 2011-12 when the Grizzlies and 76ers knocked off top seeds. Following Game 2, the Hawks will host Games 3 and 4 Thursday and Saturday.
“Our game plan is pretty much the same,” Millsap added. “We are not focusing on what they are doing. We have a blueprint on how we are supposed to play. That is what we are trying to stick with.”
