When the Atlanta Hawks handled the New York Knicks with ease in the first round of these playoffs, many saw it as both an impressive showing by the Hawks and an indictment of a Knicks roster that maxed out in the regular season but didn't have the horses for the playoffs. Atlanta would surely come back down to earth against the top-seeded Sixers.

Wrong.

The Hawks showed incredible resilience against the Sixers, erasing multiple huge deficits and winning Game 7 on the road to shock the world.

Okay, the Sixers were a flawed group with Joel Embiid playing on a torn meniscus, Ben Simmons going AWOL and Danny Green suffering a calf injury. A mostly healthy Milwaukee Bucks team would tear Atlanta to pieces, right?

Wrong so far.

It's only one game, but the Hawks did it again by winning a third consecutive Game 1 on the road in these playoffs. Trae Young put forth a performance for the ages, going for 48 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds. Young got plenty of help from John Collins (23 points, 15 rebonds) and Clint Capela (12 points, 19 rebounds) in the win.

The Bucks are still the slight favorite in this series, but the Hawks are already putting them on notice. And, quite frankly, it's time to stop underestimating this team.

It's still easy to do so when looking at their 41-31 overall record and No. 5 seeding. A number of their key players, including Young, are getting their first taste of postseason action. Some may want to chalk up this run to fluke circumstances against overrated Knicks and Sixers teams.

Let's stop doing this.

This Hawks team was 14-20 when they fired Lloyd Pierce and replaced him with McMillan. They finished the regular season on a 27-11 run and are now 9-4 in the playoffs for a 36-15 overall record with McMillan. That's an elite winning clip of over 70%, which only the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns hit in the regular season.

Atlanta is a deep, well-coached team led by a fearless superstar who can get buckets at will and create for his teammates like a wizard. Trae Young's overall shooting efficiency isn't that great in these playoffs, but he's putting up huge scoring numbers (over 30 a game) and his playmaking helps unlock the entire offense.

Perhaps more impressive has been the Hawks' defense. Young has always been known as a liability on that end, but he's battling and Atlanta is performing well despite giving big minutes to several players who aren't exactly known as defensive savants. They're also doing this with De'Andre Hunter out with an injury and Cam Reddish just returning from a long injury absence.

The Hawks have been relentless in these playoffs and never quit. Given the wide-open nature of this remaining field, we shouldn't count them out as a possible NBA champion. While it would still be surprising if they were to win it all, it wouldn't be that surprising given just how well they've played under McMillan. They've been playing like an elite team for a long time.

So, let's give this Hawks team their well-earned due. Even if the Hawks wind up losing to the Bucks, this has been one hell of a run for a team that has a bright future.