Game 1 of the eastern conference semifinals Atlanta Hawks versus the Philadelphia 76ers was a doozy of a game as the fifth seed Hawks upset the one seed Sixers 128 to 124 behind Trae Young’s incredible 35 points and 10 assists.
Philly, after a gentleman’s sweep (4-1) of the Wizards, was looking like clear choices for the Eastern Conference finals but now people aren’t so sure. Despite the return of star center Joel Embiid the Sixers still dropped the ball and ended up losing Game 1 to a team with little to no playoff experience.
According to Bleacher Report. “Atlanta sent a message early with 42 points in the first quarter, eventually building a 20-point lead at halftime. It looked like it would stay an easy win until a furious comeback by the Sixers in the closing minutes. Philadelphia ultimately cut the lead down to three with less than a minute remaining until a clutch Bogdan Bogdanovic three quieted the crowd.”
Philly continued to try to claw their way to a win but Atlanta shot well enough from the free-throw line to stave off any hope of a late-game comeback.
Trae Young is a 22-year-old point guard from The University of Oklahoma Drafted 5th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in 2018. In college, he got a lot of praise for his shooting ability, mainly his skill to shoot the ball from absurd distances. This got him a lot of comparisons to a young Stephen Curry.
Trae Young impressed in the first round
Young and the Hawks breezed through the first round beating the New York Knicks in five games. Young was not particularly liked in the big apple as the fans treated him as a villain and Young gracefully accepted that role taking a bow after eliminating the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Young put up solid numbers in that series as he scored 29 points to put the Knicks away.
A bigger stage does not seem to overwhelm Trae Young as he continues to thrive in his first postseason appearance and it’s safe to say that Hawks fans are happy to finally have something to cheer about.
We will have to see how Trae Young fairs as we get deeper into the playoffs and this series but if game one shows anything Young and the Hawks mean business and The Sixers may need to watch their backs because the Hawks are coming.