This is the second of a series of roundtable questions I’m asking the staff here at Peachtree Hoops about the Hawks as we approach the postseason. Today’s question: should the Hawks have pushed harder for the 5 seed to play the Cavaliers instead of the Knicks?
Wes: For me, no. Making sure your playoff rotation is as healthy as can be for the first round is a much bigger deal than any gap between how difficult the matchups are between the Knicks and the Cavs. There’s just no reason to have anyone turn
an ankle in a meaningless game against the Heat.
Jackson: No. I thought going in that New York was a more favorable matchup for the Hawks, primarily due to the Cavs’ size on the interior and the personnel they have to throw at Jalen Johnson defensively. The Hawks are understandably underdogs against New York as well, but things broke well for them matchup-wise in my opinion, and they didn’t risk suffering an unnecessary injury against a physical Heat team.
Malik: I don’t think so. There wasn’t much of a difference between playing the Cavs or Knicks, and neither team has something where I think they’d rather avoid just to play the other. I personally believe the Knicks were the better matchup for the Hawks because you don’t know what you’re going to get from anybody outside of Jalen Brunson on any given game, and that can benefit the Hawks.
Graham: I’m going to say yes, perhaps they should have. I think while both Cleveland and New York are very likely to beat the Hawks on the offensive glass in a series, I actually prefer the Cavaliers matchup for the Hawks than the Knicks, who averaged more offensive rebounds (15) per game in the season-series against the Hawks; Towns and Robinson kicked the Hawks’ ass when they played. I also believe there’s a postseason vulnerability with the Cavaliers, who flamed out after their stellar regular season last season. Donovan Mitchell hasn’t had deep playoff success, Mobley and Allen have disappointed previously in the postseason, and James Harden can be…hit or miss in the postseason.
I’m also thinking of the second-round matchups should the Hawks advance. I think all of the contending Eastern teams will be interested to see how the Detroit Pistons will fare in the postseason, and if I were the Hawks I would be one of those teams interested in testing that squad. That assumes the Hawks progress, which is absolutely not a guarantee, but I think the Hawks should have pushed more for that side of the bracket than the one they ended up in.
Hassan: I’m going to go with the majority here and say no, the Hawks should not have pushed harder on the final day of the regular season to try to face Cleveland instead of New York in the first-round of the playoffs. Given that the Hawks are currently operating on 24 year-old Jalen Johnson’s timeline, any postseason experience for this iteration of the team is a positive, and I don’t think the team’s odds of advancing out of the first-round would be significantly different if they were playing the Cavs rather than the Knicks.
Man for man, Cleveland has the most talented roster in the Eastern Conference, and as scary as Jalen Brunson is as a postseason closer, I don’t want any part of Donovan Mitchell either. New York’s first-four off the bench are Mitchell Robinson, Miles McBride, Landry Shamet, and Jordan Clarkson – not nearly as frightening as Cleveland’s options off the bench. Given Atlanta’s lack of depth, I think they’ll benefit from playing more of a top-heavy Knicks team.
Additionally, is there a better place to find out what this team is made of than Madison Square Garden – one of the most raucous playoff atmospheres in the league? What is for certain is that if any of Atlanta’s starters suffered an injury on the final day of the regular season, their chances of advancing out of the first-round – regardless of their opponent – would have taken a major hit. Simply put, not worth the gamble. Bring it on, New York!
