5 reasons why Atlanta Hawks will beat Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals | 2021 NBA Playoffs 

The Atlanta Hawks are writing one of the best underdog stories in the history of the NBA playoffs with their 2021 postseason run. They beat the East leaders Philadelphia 76ers 4-3, despite going down 2-1 in the Conference semi-finals series.

The Hawks were 14-20 when Nate McMillan took over.They went 35-15 the rest of the way and are now in the Conference Finals. pic.twitter.com/RnkeXUQX67

— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 21, 2021

Trae Young has been absolutely fantastic in his debut NBA playoffs campaign so far, averaging 29.1 points, 9.3 assists and 1.3 steals per contest across 12 games. His ability to deliver clutch performances and give confidence to the Atlanta Hawks in away games has been key to their unexpected yet successful run in the postseason.

The Atlanta Hawks will now face their toughest assignment of the 2021 NBA playoffs when they take on Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Yet again, they will be heading into the series as underdogs. However, considering the kind of performances the Hawks have been able to put together so far, it would be a mistake to rule them out just yet.

On that note, we list five reasons why the Atlanta Hawks can get off to a great start with a win in Game 1 of the series.

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#5 The Atlanta Hawks thrive on the road

The Atlanta Hawks finished the regular season campaign as the fifth-best side in the Eastern Conference. They started their 2021 NBA playoffs on the road because of that and continued to be the team playing without homecourt advantage in both their previous series.

For a fairly young team that had to play in hostile environments like Madison Square Garden and Wells Fargo Center, the Atlanta Hawks seemed to enjoy that as they thrived under the pressure of playing as the away team.

Trae Young, in particular, earned the 'Villain' tag in the 2021 NBA playoffs campaign as he terrorized both the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers in their own backyard. The Hawks have won five of their seven games on the road, with three coming against the Knicks and two against the Sixers.

The Atlanta Hawks will be starting this series away from home as well, and one can expect them not to succumb to the pressure from the Bucks fans at Fiserv Forum.

#4 Bench production

Lou Williams

The Atlanta Hawks do not have huge squad depth like the Milwaukee Bucks, but the impact of their bench players and their production rate is something the Hawks do rely on. They have an experienced campaigner like Lou Williams, who helps them pick up the pace offensively with his ability to shoot well, providing them with a much-needed boost.

Game 5 against the Philadelphia 76ers is a great example of the 3-time Sixth Man of the Year's prowess off the bench. The Hawks were down 69-87 heading into the fourth, when Williams came off the bench to score 12 points in that quarter, making 63.3% of his shot attempts from the floor. Atlanta ended up winning that tie 109-106, which proved to be a key win for them in terms of the eventual outcome of the series.

has been an honor and a privilege to witness Lou Williams hit defenders with the same weak-side fadeaway for 15 straight years and nobody ever having the slightest chance of influencing it.

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) June 17, 2021

Danilo Gallinari is another player who has flourished as the sixth man off the bench. He averaged 14.7 points per game against the Sixers on 46% field goal shooting, including 44% three-point shooting. Having multiple players who can consistently step up on the offensive end apart from their starters has proved to be the key for the Atlanta Hawks.

It will also be crucial for the Hawks when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 as the Bucks do tend to take control early in the match and pull away with huge leads.

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#3 Stubborn defense

Clint Capela has been the Atlanta Hawks' main defensive anchor.

The Atlanta Hawks' solid defense has been the biggest reason why they have been able to make such a deep postseason run in the 2021 NBA playoffs. They have the fourth-best defensive unit among teams playing in the playoffs this year. The Milwaukee Bucks are a lethal side offensively, which the Hawks are equipped to deal with.

Clint Capela is their leader on the defensive end and he has been exceptional for them because of his ability to protect the paint and shot-blocking. It will be crucial against players like Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who are highly effective in attacking the rim. Capela is averaging 12.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game in the playoffs so far. During the regular season, he led the league in rebounds (14.3) and was third in blocks per game (2.3).

The Brooklyn Nets suffocated the Milwaukee Bucks on multiple occasions, despite not having someone as impactful as Capela. The Swiss international is also great at communicating with perimeter defenders, which could give the Atlanta Hawks an edge over the Bucks' long-distance shooters.

#2 The Atlanta Hawks are a clutch team

The Atlanta Hawks have been absolutely lethal down the stretch in their last few games. They won Games 4 and 5 of the series against the 76ers despite being 16 and 25 points down, respectively.

All their starters can be effective at both ends of the floor with the match on the line. The last game against the Sixers was the latest example of how composed the Atlanta Hawks are in the dying minutes of the game. They can force turnovers, knock threes and are remarkable with their free-throw shooting.

They are averaging 26.8 points compared to the Bucks' 23.9 points per game in the fourth quarter of the match. They also shoot 44.4% of their field goal attempts, which beats the Bucks' average of 41.8%.

#1 Free-throw shooting

Trae Young

Drawing fouls and getting to the free-throw line consistently has been an underrated yet effective aspect of the Atlanta Hawks' offense. With the kind of aggressive defense the Milwaukee Bucks play, the Hawks will likely take advantage of it to get to the charity stripe more frequently.

They are averaging 22 free throw attempts per game, converting 18 of their shots from there in the 2021 NBA playoffs. The Atlanta Hawks will look to get the Bucks' best players in foul trouble early on, something the Nets tried to do during their Eastern Conference semi-final series.

If the Bucks stars do end up accumulating more fouls, it will likely disrupt their rotation strategy, giving the Atlanta Hawks the exposure to capitalize on their absence from the floor.