Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals was both frustrating and, in a strange way, encouraging for the Atlanta Hawks. On one hand, the team dug itself a seemingly insurmountable hole in the early stages of the contest, scuffling in a similar way to what transpired in last season's playoff match-up against the Cleveland Cavaliers. On the other, the Hawks battled valiantly to get back into the game, eventually taking the lead before running out of steam in the early going.
While there are many issues to dissect, the battle between the starting lineups.