Skip to main content

Let’s Talk About Trae Young…

Mark the date. 2021 is the year of the young fella’s! With the old guard sustaining injury upon injury and diving deep into their bag of excuses, the bright young stars of the NBA have taken it upon themselves to provide some of the best post season performances in recent history. However, for one reason or another, it seems Trae Young and the Hawks have flown pretty much undetected to this point, only turning heads for a spitting fan in New York and a Game 7 in Philadelphia. I think it’s most people’s opinion that the Hawks are destined to be defeated and sit at the very bottom of the remaining teams in terms of winning this years NBA Championship. But if Trae Young continues the way he’s playing, that Championship trophy mirage may just materialise in a few weeks time. 

Trae Young and John Collins - skysports.com

After missing every single All-NBA team, Trae Young has definitely been attacking these playoffs with a chip on his shoulder. After leading the Atlanta Hawks to a 5th seed in the East whilst averaging 25.3ppg and 9.4 apg in the regular season, most would suggest Trae Young is closer to an MVP vote more than anything. Nevertheless, for one reason or another, the NBA big wigs decided to light an additional flame under this Oklahoma alumni - the problem is, it’s showing no signs of going out. 

After arriving in the playoffs for the first time in 7 years, I imagine every sports fan in New York already booked their trip to the second round when they saw the Atlanta Hawks pop up in their playoff bracket. 5 games later and Trae Young had sent the Knicks packing whilst averaging 29.2ppg and 9.8apg in one of the most hostile environments the NBA has to offer. Sadly, the Sixers met a similar fate in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals and over a seven game span were unable to find an answer for Young, who ran riot once again averaging 29.0ppg and 10.9apg. 

Trae Young vs Philadelphia - theathletic.com

Young continued his playoff dominance last night with a Game 1 Eastern Conference Finals win against the Bucks where he poured in 48 points and 11 assists - not bad for a first appearance. 

So at what point do we start taking Trae Young and the Hawks seriously? They have performed 2 major upsets, both on away turf, and on track to come good against the Bucks for a place in this years NBA Finals. Their sheer arrogance is reminiscent of the 2004 ‘Bad Boy’ Detroit Pistons, who performed one of the greatest NBA Finals upsets of all time defeating the 3-peat Lakers (which was home to 5 future Hall of Famers) over five games. Who’s to say the Trae Young and the Hawks can’t make lightning strike twice? 

Trae Young - bleacherreport.com




















Comments

Popular posts from this blog

"Pistol Pete" Maravich - The Most Underrated NBA Legend of All Time

When people talk about inventors that were ahead of their time, some might say Leonardo Da Vinci, Plato, or Hero of Alexandria. But if you ever want to find a man that was born into the wrong era, look no further than "Pistol Pete" Maravich.  Now, I'll admit, Pete Maravich isn't exactly a household name in today's NBA and I doubt you'll find him on any all-time lists. However, in the basketball world, there are two main things that Maravich is known for:  1. Having very bad knees. 2. Being one of the best NBA guards of all time.  As the son of a tough basketball coach, Press Maravich, Pete was sculpted into the mould of a great basketball player. The legend of "Pistol Pete" started at Louisiana State University from 1967-1970 and he immediately set the college basketball scene alight. Over 3 seasons, he averaged 44.2 points per game, an NCAA record that still stands to this day and is a stat that arguably makes him the greatest college basketball pla...

We Were Wrong

International football is a strange paradigm. The same fans who pushed England to the brink of their best result in 55 years are the same fans that have brought nothing but disgrace to themselves and the nation after Sunday nights heartbreaking exit at Euro 2020. After just 1 minute at 37 seconds, Luke Shaw raised a nation to it’s feet, only for Italy to bring us crashing back down to our sofas with our heads in our hands 66 minutes later. Despite the outrageous home advantage, it was always Italy’s game to lose and with a 33 game winning streak on the line, they showcased not only why they are the best team in Europe, but maybe even on the planet - something our young lions may one day possess (just not in the immediate future).   There were several major errors both on and off the pitch that ultimately cost the lions their first international trophy since 1966. In fact, England’s problems started long before any ball was placed on a penalty spot. After a scintillating 45 minutes ...

VAR – The Superhuman vs The Supervillain

We truly live in a golden age of football. World-class talent is truly worldwide, both club and world football are closer than ever, and we have the privilege to watch some of the best players to ever play dual it out on a weekly basis. The simplicity of football is what makes so loved the world over. 22 world-class athletes, competing for glory over 90 minutes by kicking a ball into a net. This formula is used for every football game; from kids in the park to athletes in a stadium. Until recently, it seemed there was no need for change, but with the introduction of technology into the modern game, people have become increasingly worried about what is fair and just, and how this impacts the outcomes of games. This is where VAR has stepped in and has slowly started to suck the soul out of this once beautiful game.  As human beings, we are all inclined to make mistakes, as everyone knows this is how people grow and learn. Adjacent to this understanding is the fact that the higher you...