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The Atlanta Hawks continued to shock the 2021 NBA Playoffs system after they took Game 1 over the Milwaukee Bucks to take a 1-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. Hawks superstar Trae Young put on an absolute show, torching the Bucks for 48 points on 17-of-34 shooting, to go along with 11 assists. Hawks-Bucks Game 2 should be a must-win for Milwaukee, as they definitely would not want to go down 2-0 when the series shifts to Atlanta. Meanwhile, the Hawks will want look to take advantage of the momentum from their come-from-behind Game 1 win and put the Bucks in a precarious situation heading into Friday.
Usually, the first few games of a series is usually where both teams feel each other out. However, with Atlanta taking home court advantage in the opener, this should now turn into a chess-match between the two East Finalists.
Hawks-Bucks Game 2 NBA Playoffs Takes
1. Milwaukee will contain Trae Young
Trae Young went nuts in Game 1, netting his playoff career-high. Ice Trae showcased his entire offensive repertoire throughout the game and the Bucks could not do anything to contain him. That is, until the fourth quarter. After lighting them up through the first three quarters, the Bucks made life difficult for the 22-year old in the final frame. Jrue Holiday pressured him as soon as he made it past half court. Likewise, the Bucks also sent multiple bodies at him to get the ball out of his hands.
In the fourth quarter, the Bucks held Young to just 1-of-7 shooting. Four of his attempts that period came in the form of long-range triples that were brought about by Milwaukee's stellar fourth quarter defense on him. Despite struggling from the field, Young made up for it by getting to the line a ton, going 9-of-10 in the period. His only made field goal came off a tough and-1 floater with 3:26 remaining in the game.
The Bucks look to have found a blueprint in that fourth quarter to contain the budding superstar for 48 minutes. Look for Milwaukee to emphasize limiting Young and making him more of a passer in Game 2.
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2. Bucks will tie up the series
Despite losing Game 1, the Bucks didn't actually play a bad game in the opener. In fact, they played pretty decent basketball. They just lost to a guy who put up one of the most special performances in NBA playoff history.
Giannis Antetokounmpo almost had a near triple-double with 34 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists, while Jrue Holiday broke out of his shooting funk with 33 points to go along with 10 assists. Khris Middleton was the missing link from their Big Three as he went just 6-of-23 from the field and clanked all of his nine attempts from three.
Sure, they could have executed better down the stretch and could have drawn up a play for one of their stars in crunch time (and not for Pat Connaughton). Nonetheless, even though Connaughton botched the attempt with an airball, it still generated a pretty decent look from a solid three-point shooter.
For the majority of the game, Milwaukee incorporated a lot of movement in their offense and did not get caught up with isolation basketball. They only lost by three points and it took every bit of Young's 48 points to beat them.
Look for the Bucks to continue executing their offense and make life tough for Young on the other end in Game 2. And that's our NBA Playoffs, Hawks-Bucks Game 2 bold takes.
