By Noah Hickman
Photo by @Overtime
Anybody who has been following my content on a regular basis probably remembers when I made predictions of which NBA teams are possible sleepers to make the conference finals.
It saddens me that all of my sleeper teams got eliminated in the first round and as I look back on it, there is one team I should have included -- the Atlanta Hawks.
Instead, I picked the New York Knicks because at the time I was in love with their defensive tenacity, overall effort and head coach Tom Thibodeau.
Little did I know, the Hawks would beat them at their own game -- bully ball.
I knew they had more talent and a better offense along with a great head coach (not interim) in Nate McMillan, but I knew just how much the Knicks had suffered and thought they would eke out a series win especially when considering they swept the Hawks in the regular season.
The playoffs are always a different animal though.
For the most part, Atlanta put its foot on the ground defensively and made the Knicks best player -- Julius Randle -- a non-factor.
Looking back, it was probably foolish of me to pick the Knicks over the Hawks considering that Atlanta has one of the best in the game.
For most of the season, the Knicks have dictated the pace by playing slow and physical basketball as they kind of had to with limited talent.
Thibodeau had Elfrid Payton in the starting lineup over Derrick Rose for most of the season which was considered controversial among Knick fans given the difference in production between the two.
As the Hawks-Knicks series went on, we saw a lot more of Rose and almost none of Payton.
The NBA is a point guards' game now and if one is to predict which team is going to control the pace, look at the starting point guard for each team...which brings me to Trae Young.
He is a baller who beats opponents with his scoring while dictating the pace and keeping his teammates involved by dishing out assists at an astonishing rate.
He also has come through in clutch moments even when things are not going his way.
There is not a better example than game seven against the Philadelphia 76ers where at one point he was 2-19 from the floor.
Young is the essence of what it means to be a baller.
Huge props to Coach McMillan as well; the Hawks learned how to close games they would have lost in the first half of the season.
Before former head coach Lloyd Pierce was fired midseason, the Hawks had one of the worst defenses in the NBA.
McMillan fixed that as he stepped in the role of head coach and now Atlanta has one of the most tenacious defenses in the NBA.
Statistically, Young is not better than he was last season but the one thing that stands out by not looking at the box score, he has shown more than ever that he is a winner at the highest level of basketball which means he is better than ever.
He hit a game-winning floater to propel the Hawks to victory in game one against the Knicks.
He hit a three from almost 30 feet out to assure an Atlanta game seven victory against the 76ers; this came as he shot 5-23 from the field on Sunday.
Not to mention, Young has played some of the best basketball of his career while being booed, getting chanted F*** Trae Young and even being spat on.
Now you may ask, why is a player like Young so ridiculed and hated on and did he do anything to deserve it?
Young is a good guy who has stayed out of trouble with the law and has avoided controversy, so it really is complicated to say if something about him rubs fans the wrong way.
If that is the case, it probably is not a very logical explanation.
I have seen him show cockiness but never have I ever seen him cross the line with it.
Keep in mind, I have been following Young since his days at Oklahoma and know the stories of how he would even get booed harshly in high school by opposing fans/students.
I don't understand all the vitriol but I will say that one of my favorite things the fans have done while Trae Young was in the building is holding up pictures of birds to distract Young at the free throw line.
Young suffers from Ornithophobia which is the irrational fear of birds.
This stemmed when he saw a friend of his attacked in high school and he's been scarred ever since.
It's quite ironic he plays for the Hawks as I imagine he tries to avoid any contact with Harry the Hawk.
This may sound silly but I believe Young overcame another obstacle when he first thrived with Atlanta.
This is only the beginning for a player who has had everything but the kitchen sink thrown at him and he has handled each situation with humility while not being afraid to have fun.
The media proclaims that he is the next great villain and in my heart I know that fans like him even more since he has that title, but Young is not a villain and should not be treated as such.
He has had a hell of a journey and it is truly remarkable how he has proven the doubters wrong at every turn.
I will not be surprised if he ends up getting his first ring this year and I believe that the Hawks will take down the Milwaukee Bucks because even though the latter has Giannis, the former has Trae buckets and he is the one who dictates the pace.
The Bucks have Jrue Holiday at point guard and he is pretty solid but he is not someone who scares the living daylights out of you.
I remember when the Washington Nationals shocked everyone except themselves when winning the world series.
It is time for the Atlanta Hawks to do the same and for Trae to leave his mark.
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