All Hawks

Four Takeaways from Hawks Win Against Cavaliers

The Hawks won the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament.

Pat Benson

David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
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As Kanye West rapped in the 2011 classic No Church In The Wild, "Sunglasses and Advil, last night was mad real." The Atlanta Hawks did the unthinkable and won two straight Play-In Tournament games, including a gutsy road performance without their starting front court. Before we move on to Miami, let's look back at what happened in Cleveland.

Lessons Learned Last Night

Trae Young - NBA's Best Point Guard

Trae Young waves to Cleveland fans after a win.
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

At halftime, the Hawks were down by 10 and could have easily given up. All-inclusive resorts in Cancun were calling their names. Instead, the bench mob stopped the bleeding, and Trae Young led the team with 32 second-half points with zero turnovers.

You knew the game was over late in the third quarter when Cleveland fans began chanting "**** Trae Young." It's the death rattle of fanbases suffering the terminal illness that is being Young's opponents. Honestly, it's unclear how anyone can watch Young's game and not think he's the best point guard in the NBA.

Family

David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

It didn't take long for a good portion of the Hawks bench to clear after Clint Capela went down with a hyper-extended right knee. Onyeka Okongwu and Gorgui Dieng filled in remarkably for the injured big man. But it's Okongwu's post-game quote that really stuck with me. The second-year player said, "As a brotherhood, I just wanted to take care of his duties."

Post-LeBron Cavaliers

Caris LeVert celebrates his three-point basket.
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Cavaliers had an amazing first half of the season. But when the injury bug bit them, they began taking on water at the worst part of the season. After losing on the road to the Brooklyn Nets, the Cavaliers hosted their first postseason game since LeBron James was in uniform (2018).

It's clear the Cavaliers have a solid foundation, which is progress. However, they still have more work to do. Also, it's safe to say the fans have a new nemesis in Trae Young.

Jarrett Allen

David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Kudos to Jarrett Allen for returning to play in this game. The All-Star center had been out since March 6 with a fractured finger. Despite missing over a month, Allen played 36 minutes last night.

Allen finished with 11 points (4-4 FG) and some spectacular dunks. However, the big man was held to just 3 rebounds, which is a far cry from the 10.8 he averaged during the regular season.

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Published
Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the Atlanta Hawks for Sports Illustrated's All Hawks. He has covered the NBA for several years and is the author of "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)".

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