With the Sixers ahead 3-0 in their first round series against the Wizards and game four being played tonight, it feels pretty safe to look ahead to the second round. The Sixers will play the winner of the 4-5 matchup between the Hawks and Knicks. Currently the Hawks have a 3-1 lead on the Knicks as the series moves back to Madison Square Garden. How do these two teams compare as potential matchups against the Sixers and which would be more favorable?
Atlanta Hawks
While this series between the Hawks and Knicks still has time to become more competitive, thus far the Hawks have looked like the much superior team. Lead by Trae Young, the Hawks offense has been too much for the Knicks to handle. Alongside Young, the Hawks have gotten very productive efforts from the shooters they put around him like Bogdan Bogdanovic, Danilo Gallinari, and Deandre Hunter.
Defensively, the Hawks have done a good job of silencing recently crowned Most Improved Player, Julius Randle. Throughout the regular season, the Knicks were a defensive focused team and they pieced together their offense enough to win 41 games. It's hard to say whether the Knicks' struggles are a direct result of the Hawks defense, or if the New York offensive attack is just not good enough for playoff basketball. Either way, the national perception of the Hawks has definitely changed over the last week and they are living up to the hype they received after a stellar offseason of upgrades.
Historically, the Sixers have had the Atlanta Hawks' number during the Joel Embiid era. Throughout his career, Joel Embiid has averaged 23.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game against the Hawks according to statmuse.com. He's shot 55% from the field and nearly 40% from three against Atlanta.
As good as the Hawks have been in their opening round series, it still feels like if you can slow Trae Young, the Hawks are not much of a real threat. Having players like Ben Simmons and Matisse Thybulle guarding Trae Young should limit the Atlanta offense. Joel Embiid is clearly the best player in this series and while it may not be a sweep, a series with the Hawks should be a relatively quick one.
New York Knicks
The New York Knicks have clearly been one of the best storylines of the season. Expected to be one of the worst teams in the league and ending up with home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs is truly remarkable. For the Sixers, regular season matchups with the Knicks have felt like grind-it-out playoff battles, but Philadelphia came out on top in all three games.
While the Sixers are playing the Washington Wizards in round one, their offense has looked locked in throughout their first series. The starters in particular have all been playing very well and though the Knicks are a solid defensive squad, they have not been able to slow down the best player in their first round series. Trae Young has been dominant and you'd have to imagine Joel Embiid would see similar results against the Knicks.
Playoff series are often times decided by whichever team has the best player on the court. For a series against the Knicks, the Sixers would have three players who are better than the Knicks best player. If the Knicks come back from down 3-1 to the Hawks, the Sixers should be ecstatic. The Knicks might be able to steal a game from the Sixers, but through and through, the Sixers are a lot better than the New York Knicks.
The Sixers should finish off the Wizards with a sweep tonight and no matter who they match up with in the second round, it should be another quick series. The Hawks look like the team with more ability to prolong the second round series, but the fact is, neither team has an answer for Joel Embiid defensively. It's important the Sixers take every series one game at a time, but as a fan, it's hard not to look ahead to the excitement of reaching the conference finals for the first time since 2001.
Photo: Sarah K. Spencer/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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