With the regular season coming to an end, the Atlanta Hawks were able to scavenge a playoff spot (8th seed). The opponent with the the top seeded Indiana Pacers (1st seed), so that automatically eliminates homecourt throughout the entire postseason for the Hawks.
Many people across the NBA feel that the Hawks are the dark horse off this season's postseason, but Atlanta's head man Mike Budenholzer along with his team feel that they can beat any team that they have to face.
"It doesn't matter who we are playing," said Budenholzer, who did an admirable job in his first head coaching position after serving as a long-time assistant under San Antonio's Gregg Popovich. "We have high standards and we want to hold them up every night."
The player to watch for the Hawks has to be power forward Paul Millsap. After coming to Atlanta during the offseason, along with teammate DeMarre Carroll, to replace hometown hero Josh Smith, Millsap was selected to the NBA All-Star Game. Throughout the past 10 days Millsap has posted 19.9 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and a blocked shot per game, but he seems to be in a slump against the Pacers putting up 8.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.0 blocked shots per game.
The Hawks had just about an April collapse losing six games in a row, but have since then rebounded winning seven of their last 10 games.
"We just wanted to end the season playing good basketball," said guard Kyle Korver, who took on a leadership role after Horford went down with a torn pectoral muscle the day after Christmas. "We feel like we are playing about as well as we have played all year for the most part."
There series has yet to begin and injuries are already having an affect. Both team's centers, Al Horford and Andrew Bynum, will sit out the first-round playoff matchup.
"Coach Frank Vogel said Thursday that he believes the Pacers’ oft-injured center (when speaking of Bynum) could still work his way back for the playoffs. But he won’t be available for the first round, which opens Saturday in Indianapolis," as reported by WISHTV.
Atlanta Hawks Starting Lineup:
C: Elton Brand (5.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.2 blkpg)
PF: Paul Millsap (17.9 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.1 blkpg, 1.7 stlpg)
SF: DeMarre Carroll (11.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.5 stlpg)
SG: Kyle Korver (12.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.0 stlpg)
PG: Jeff Teague (16.5 ppg, 6.7 apg, 2.6 rpg, 1.1 stlpg)
Series Schedule:
Game 1 in Indianapolis: Saturday, April 19, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 2 in Indianapolis: Tuesday, April 22, 7 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3 in Atlanta: Thursday, April 24, 7 p.m. ET, NBATV
Game 4 in Atlanta: Saturday, April 26, 2 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5 in Indianapolis (if necessary): Monday, April 28, 8 p.m. ET, NBATV
Game 6 in Atlanta (if necessary): Thursday, May 1
Game 7 in Indianapolis (if necessary): Saturday, May 3
Many people across the NBA feel that the Hawks are the dark horse off this season's postseason, but Atlanta's head man Mike Budenholzer along with his team feel that they can beat any team that they have to face.
"It doesn't matter who we are playing," said Budenholzer, who did an admirable job in his first head coaching position after serving as a long-time assistant under San Antonio's Gregg Popovich. "We have high standards and we want to hold them up every night."
The player to watch for the Hawks has to be power forward Paul Millsap. After coming to Atlanta during the offseason, along with teammate DeMarre Carroll, to replace hometown hero Josh Smith, Millsap was selected to the NBA All-Star Game. Throughout the past 10 days Millsap has posted 19.9 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and a blocked shot per game, but he seems to be in a slump against the Pacers putting up 8.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.0 blocked shots per game.
The Hawks had just about an April collapse losing six games in a row, but have since then rebounded winning seven of their last 10 games.
"We just wanted to end the season playing good basketball," said guard Kyle Korver, who took on a leadership role after Horford went down with a torn pectoral muscle the day after Christmas. "We feel like we are playing about as well as we have played all year for the most part."
There series has yet to begin and injuries are already having an affect. Both team's centers, Al Horford and Andrew Bynum, will sit out the first-round playoff matchup.
"Coach Frank Vogel said Thursday that he believes the Pacers’ oft-injured center (when speaking of Bynum) could still work his way back for the playoffs. But he won’t be available for the first round, which opens Saturday in Indianapolis," as reported by WISHTV.
Atlanta Hawks Starting Lineup:
C: Elton Brand (5.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.2 blkpg)
PF: Paul Millsap (17.9 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.1 blkpg, 1.7 stlpg)
SF: DeMarre Carroll (11.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.5 stlpg)
SG: Kyle Korver (12.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.0 stlpg)
PG: Jeff Teague (16.5 ppg, 6.7 apg, 2.6 rpg, 1.1 stlpg)
Series Schedule:
Game 1 in Indianapolis: Saturday, April 19, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 2 in Indianapolis: Tuesday, April 22, 7 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3 in Atlanta: Thursday, April 24, 7 p.m. ET, NBATV
Game 4 in Atlanta: Saturday, April 26, 2 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5 in Indianapolis (if necessary): Monday, April 28, 8 p.m. ET, NBATV
Game 6 in Atlanta (if necessary): Thursday, May 1
Game 7 in Indianapolis (if necessary): Saturday, May 3