NOTE: THIS IS PART TWO OF A FIVE-PART SERIES OUTLINING EACH 1ST-ROUND PLAYOFF OPPONENT OF THE RAPTORS. EACH PART WILL BE RELEASED OVER A SPAN OF FIVE DAYS.
If you have not read the series’ introduction, the link is as follows:
Related Story: Assessing the Raptors' potential first-round playoff matchups
My Eastern Conference seed projection: 7
I’m putting the Hawks at 7. As of today, they currently sit at 6th in the Eastern Conference, however their recent play has tailed off. In an almost opposite fashion from the Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta has resembled a Walking Dead legless zombie trying to win an Olympic marathon. To put it plainly, Mike Budenholzer’s squad must pick it up before the playoff dance begins.
Last 10 W/L record: 2-8
Look, another paragraph to vilify the Hawks! With one of the league’s worst ‘Last 10’ W/L records, this team is crumbling before our very eyes.
Regular season record vs. TOR: Hawks lead 2-1
Although Atlanta lead the season series versus the Raptors, any Hawks fan will tell you something is missing from this team. It’s like getting rid of Kyle Korver, Jeff Teague and Horford was a bad id-… Never mind. The Hawks have beat the Raptors by 4 and 6 in their last two meetings, respectively. That was after Toronto obliterated them by an embarrassing 44 points.
Best player and X-factor
Best Player: Paul Millsap
You’re probably not a Raptors fan if this name isn’t familiar to you. Millsap was (forever) rumoured to join Toronto as their long-desired 3rd option behind Lowry and DeRozan. Long story short, didn’t happen (Ibaka happened). Before the Ibaka acquisition, the Raptors genuinely had nobody who could successfully guard Millsap. Now, they do. Weirdly, Millsap is still underrated as he doesn’t deserve nearly the credit he gets for being one of the league’s best stretch-fours. The dude’s a beast.
X-Factor: Taurean Prince
Again, I could’ve easily put Hardaway Jr. here. The reason I deem Taurean Prince the X-factor is quite simply because his development as a rookie has been positive. This kid not only already plays like DeMarre Carroll, he kinda looks like him too. In all seriousness, Prince has turned into a 3&D weapon for the Hawks and is a promising piece for their future. If he played like he’s been playing recently over the full NBA season, he’d undoubtedly be in ROTY debates.
Not to mention, he has an incredible sense of humor too:
How the Hawks matchup vs. Toronto
TOR Projected Starting Lineup: Lowry, DeRozan, Carroll, Ibaka, Valanciunas
ATL Projected Starting Lineup: Schröder, Bazemore, Prince, Millsap, Howard
Like previous matchups, DeRozan will undoubtedly see Sefolosha and Bazemore. The difference? That kid above. Mike Budenholzer has put faith in Taurean Prince to guard some of the opposing team’s best wingmen over the past month or so. A steady rotation of those 3 players will be the definite strategy for defending DeMar. As for Lowry, he’ll mainly see Dennis Schröder who isn’t the best defender and doesn’t generate many steals (only 1.0 per game). Schröder, however has been a thorn to the Raptors this season, averaging an impressive 20.1ppg.
The key for the Raptors is to:
- Slow down that frontcourt. Millsap and Howard are both a handful and can dominate on any given night.
- Get ready to run. Schröder and the Hawks’ shooters thrive in a fast-paced game. In fact, Atlanta has run a movement-based offense ever since Budenholzer was hired from the San Antonio Spurs. This means a ton of running and running into screens. Toronto’s defensive communication will be key.
- Draw fouls. To increase their chances of winning, the Raps must put Atlanta into foul trouble early. The Hawks bench is no match for the Raptors’ opposing bench. One of the Hawks biggest weaknesses this year has been their subpar play at backup PG. It’s really simple: Go. At. Them.
Next up, the Chicago Bulls.