Indiana Pacers will face the Atlanta Hawks FREE: Live Streaming: Watch Online NBA Playoff Basketball 2014 from Phillips Arena at 7:00 PM ET
Despite a lack of recognizable players beyond All-Star forward Paul Millsap, talented young point guard Jeff Teague and perhaps 3-point specialist Kyle Korver, the Hawks have shown just how far hard work, intelligence and a steadfast belief in the system can carry a team.
Eighth-seeded Atlanta has a 3-2 lead against the top-seeded Indiana Pacers and can complete a stunning upset by winning at home Thursday night.
The Hawks finished 18 games behind Indiana during the regular season but have largely controlled the postseason series, building double-digit leads in all five games. Atlanta is coming off an especially impressive performance in Game 5, racing out to a 30-point lead on the road and holding on for a 107-97 triumph.
"Everyone wants to talk about what's wrong with us," Indiana coach Frank Vogel said. "I think a lot of this goes to the way they're shooting it and the way they're playing."
The Hawks could've wrapped up this series already, squandering a chance to take a commanding 3-1 lead at home in Game 4. Atlanta failed to make a field goal in the final 4 1/2 minutes and lost 91-88.
Now, they've got a chance to finish off the Pacers at Philips Arena.
Indeed, the players give much of the credit to rookie head coach Mike Budenholzer, who has brought to Atlanta the lessons learned as a longtime assistant under San Antonio's Gregg Popovich. That means physical, aggressive play at the defensive end, ball movement and penetration to create scoring chances, and a roster full of players who can hit the outside jumper.
The Hawks have shown the sum of the parts can outshine individual greatness. Four players have scored at least 20 points in a game during the series. Seven players in the nine-man rotation have contributed at least one double-figure performance against the Pacers.
"There are very, very few teams who just win because they have the best talent," Korver said. "The good teams in the NBA have great systems. Even Miami has a great system, even though they also have great players."
The Hawks are positioned to become only the sixth No. 8 seed in NBA history to knock off a top seed in the opening round of the playoffs, surely the most surprising performance in a postseason already filled with dramatic moments.
Regarded as one of the NBA's top defensive teams, the bulky Pacers are clearly befuddled at how to stop the Hawks, who use every inch of the court and keep defenses from packing the lane by letting pretty much anyone hoist a 3-pointer.
With one more win against the Pacers, maybe they'll finally get some well-deserved recognition.
"They're an eight seed and we're a one seed," George said, "but they're playing great right now."
The game will be live streaming on www.nbalivestreamfree.net
