3 reasons why the 8th-seeded Hawks can upset the Indiana Pacers
The upset was trendy on opening night of the 2014 NBA Playoffs, but it was the Atlanta Hawks who provided the greatest upheaval, disposing of the Eastern Conference's top-seeded Indiana Pacers 101-93 on Saturday night.
Unlike most North American professional sports leagues, the NBA's bottom seeds, who occasionally carry sub-.500 records into the post-season, are set of up as sacrificial lambs. Yet, in a league striving towards greater parity, Atlanta's triumph shouldn't necessarily be a surprise, and their relevance in this series shouldn't be trivialized.
It's about as likely as Kyle Korver recording a block on Roy Hibbert, but here are three reasons why Atlanta can pull off the upset:
Two teams headed in opposite directions
They were hardly world beaters over the final month of the season, but the Hawks did play some of their best basketball down the stretch in order to qualify for the second season. Rallying behind the loss of Al Horford, the unselfish group notched six victories in their final eight contests - including a 107-88 triumph in Indiana - to hold off the New York Knicks' late-season surge.
The Pacers, on the other hand, have had their late-season struggles well-documented. Frank Vogel's disgruntled bunch have suffered 10 losses in 16 games played over the last calendar month.
Inner-mutiny
Indiana's late-season struggles exasperated a starting unit that revealed their true identity in wake of adversity. Optically, Roy Hibbert, David West, Paul George, Lance Stephenson, and George Hill appeared to have completely bought in. Obsessive, yet disciplined, Indiana's collective appeared dead-set on dethroning the Miami Heat from their perch atop the Eastern Conference. But, when things began to go sour, they turned against each other, rather than rallying.
While the Pacers are undoubtedly deeper and more talented, basketball, maybe more than any other sport, requires cohesiveness. Vulnerable again after striking late-season resolve, should the Pacers react to their 1-0 hole similarly adverse, the Hawks will gain the series' greatest advantage.
Precedent
Pulling precedent isn't exactly the strongest argument in favor of the Hawks, but the Golden State Warriors cracked opened the door in 2007 for teams like Atlanta to barge straight through.
Three teams have toppled a first-seeded giant, with Golden State representing the only team to do so in a seven-game series. They knocked off the defending Western Conference Champion Dallas Mavericks in 2007, primarily by forcing their opponent to play run-and-gun Warrior ball.
Similarly favored to that of the Pacers, the Mavericks also appeared unbeatable for the better part of the regular season, losing just 15 games before enduring another disappointing playoff ouster.