The Atlanta Hawks have clinched the seventh spot in the East after they defeated Miami Heat in the play-in tournament. The Hawks are now looking at a first-round clash against the Boston Celtics in the playoffs.
Hawks star Dejounte Murray feels that it is a great matchup for Atlanta and he is not afraid to face Boston in the first round of the playoffs. He shares his intentions of always going up against the best teams.
“I love (the matchup),” Murray said. “Obviously Boston’s at the top because they went to the Finals last year. But last year is last year.”
Murray relishes playing against the best teams and he feels that this is an opportunity to test himself against the top players in the league. Therefore we can look forward to a great series with some of the top players going up against each other.
“Me personally, I want the best. That’s how I was raised, to want to play the best. Boston is one of the best and it’s going to be a great series and we’re going to go out there and try to win,” Murray highlighted.
Atlanta have a 0-3 record against the Celtics this season. They also had a 1-3 record against the Miami Heat but they came up with an upset against them in the play-in tournament.
So the Atlanta Hawks are entering the series against the Celtics with the right attitude and the perfect mentality. Hopefully, they can put up a good fight against Jayson Tatum and company.
Atlanta Hawks head coach Quinn Snyder also opened up on the upcoming playoff series against Celtics. He also highlighted how he wanted the team to play better collectively and that happened in the play-in tournament.
“I think we’re trying to be the best version of ourselves at the end of the year,” Snyder said. “And the year’s not over, so hopefully we can take this and continue to build on it. It’s one game but it was our game. I want our team to understand what we did well and what gave us a chance to win the game as much as anything.”
Snyder shared that playing the Celtics will be a tough challenge as he pointed out the areas where they are brilliant and can be a cause of concern for his team. He hailed the offense and the understanding between the players. He was also impressed with the number of players who can handle the ball and dictate the play. But he holds onto his belief and the playoffs dynamics are always different.
“They have a feel for one another and how they play together and you can see that in the way they play. Their reads are terrific. They’ve got a lot of guys who can make plays and they want to do that for one another. They’re just really good. They’ve hit a lot of marks this year and it’s going to be hard. But it’s the playoffs,” Snyder pointed out.
