Source: Atlanta Hawks shock Philadelphia 76ers en route to second Eastern Conference finals in 50 years
On Sunday night, the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 103-96 to make their first conference finals since 2015. It can definitely be considered an upset; they were the 4th seed team, defeating the team with the best record in the Eastern Conference. But on top of that, the Hawks as a franchise had taken a long, seemingly improbable journey to get to this point; even a recent as this season, they weren't favored to make it this far.
In the past three seasons, the Hawks were 73-158, the fourth-worst winning percentage over that span (2017-20). Last season, they weren't invited to the bubble in Orlando, Florida. The losses just continued to pile up. On March 1, 2021, things looked like more of the same; the Hawks were 14-20 and they had just fired their head coach. Three and a half months later, they are waltzing into the Eastern Conference finals. It was the franchise's first win in a road Game 7 in 10 attempts. The win sends the Hawks to the conference finals for only the second time in the past 50 years -- and to a place that seemed unthinkable to many when Nate McMillan took over as interim coach for Lloyd Pierce.
The Hawks are just the third team under the current playoff format (since 1984) to make the conference finals despite having a losing record at the All-Star break, when Atlanta was 16-20. The other two teams to do so -- the 2012 Celtics (15-17) and the 1984 Suns (19-24) -- did not make the NBA Finals.
McMillan is also the seventh coach in NBA history to take a team to the conference finals during a season in which he became the head coach during the season. The previous four coaches to do so -- Tyronn Lue (2016 Cavaliers), Pat Riley (twice: 2006 Heat, 1982 Lakers) and Paul Westhead (1980 Lakers) -- all led their teams to the NBA championship.
The Hawks came away with three wins on the road this series in order to advance and did so despite a poor shooting night from star guard Trae Young. The third-year point guard, who had been so steady so far in the playoffs, shot 5-of-23 from the field and 2-of-11 from the 3-point line.
However, Young came up with his second made 3-pointer at a crucial juncture as he nailed a 29-footer with 2:31 left to put the Hawks up by seven.
The Sixers were able to get the lead back down to one, but after Matisse Thybulle fouled Kevin Huerter on a 3-point attempt with 54 seconds to go, Huerter knocked down all three free throws to push it back to a four-point game. On the ensuing possession, Embiid turned the ball over on a spin move as Danilo Gallinari knocked the ball away. Huerter scooped up the loose ball and tossed it ahead to Gallinari, who slammed it home to quiet the Philadelphia faithful.
It was the second consecutive hostile environment the Hawks have had to play in after going through the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden in the first round. Young finished with 21 points and 10 assists. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, he is the second player in Hawks history to record a points-assists double-double on the road in a Game 7. The only other Hawk to do so is current Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers.
Young also now has 12 consecutive games with at least 20 points and seven assists, the longest such streak in NBA postseason history.
The Hawks last made the conference finals in 2015, when they were eventually swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Prior to that, they hadn't made the round prior to the NBA Finals since the 1969-70 season, when they lost the then-division finals to the Los Angeles Lakers. At that time, only one series victory was needed to advance that far.
The last time the Hawks reached the NBA Finals was in 1961, when the St. Louis Hawks lost to the Boston Celtics.
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