CHICAGO -- When the young, playoff-inexperienced Atlanta Hawks fell behind, 105-98, with 4:18 to go in Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals, the reasonable expectation was that they'd fold against the battle-tested Milwaukee Bucks.
But these Hawks have done nothing but break the norm in these 2021 NBA playoffs.
They weren't supposed to beat the hungry, angry, and extremely physical New York Knicks in Round One.
They weren't supposed to climb over the majestic peak that is Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers in Round Two.
And yet there they were today, defying logic, and as eight-point underdogs, surmounting incredible odds.
Again.
Atlanta 116. Milwaukee 113.
Trae Young didn't just hang 48 points on the stunned Bucks, he did so with an entertainer's flair and laced the command performance with a mocking shimmy shake after a made 3.
Quickly, and loudly, he became the object of ire to the 17,341 fans inside Fiserv Forum in downtown Milwaukee.
And he relished every moment of it.
Like many of the great ones before him, Young lives for those moments where he can mute an entire arena while he casts his magic.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound point guard, the smallest man on the floor, drilled 17 of 34 field goals and grabbed seven rebounds. He fumbled six turnovers but made up for it with 11 dimes.
IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST 41-MINUTE ACTS IN NBA PLAYOFFS HISTORY.
Can somebody please check this kid's birth certificate, is he really 22 years and 278 days old?
Besides being Atlanta's leading actor, he is, apparently, also the director.
"He's calling most of the plays and I want that because I want him to have a feel for what's going on, how to get his teammates involved, and he's done a really good job of doing that," Hawks head coach Nate McMillan told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Trae Young is feeling it. And the Bucks are feeling the hurt.
But the notion that Atlanta is a one-man demolition derby is a fallacy.
John Collins and Clint Capela combined for 35 points and 34 rebounds while Kevin Huerter chipped in 13 to help Atlanta sink 47 of 95 field goals overall.
These Hawks are for real.
Meanwhile, what happened to the Bucks?
Their 3-point bombs were duds. They went just 8-for-36 from long distance and missed two big ones that could have salvaged Game 1.
Down 112-111 in the final 23.5 ticks Pat Connaughton air-balled a 26-footer while Khris Middleton, who finished 0-for-9 from 3, bungled a 27-foot heave that could have forced overtime.
The bigger, taller Bucks dominated the paint scoring, 70-54, but they were out-rebounded, 51-46.
Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists but he seemed hidden from the offense when the game tilted in the balance late.
That's the problem with these Bucks. Their superstar can't be depended to make free throws to save their lives.
Still, the larger problem for Milwaukee clearly is one Trae Young.
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