Even after their Game 1 win, the Atlanta Hawks were seen as major underdogs in their fight against the Bucks for the Eastern Conference crown.
After Game 2, in which they got absolutely wiped off the floor (125-91 in favor of Milwaukee), it only confirmed the predictions of countless people throughout the NBA community.
But for Shaquille O’Neal, he stands as one of the few who remains confident that the Hawks will win the series.
Here’s what he said after the game:
“I say six. The next conversation Nate needs to have with the team coming tomorrow, watch film, and say, ‘Guys, we can beat these guys, we did it. This last game we didn’t play well. We’re at home now, heck, play with confidence because guess what? Opportunities like this do not come around. We’re at home now, Trae take your ball, we can beat these guys if we play like we played in Game 1. Just bring the energy, I say five or six.”
The Hawks have their hands full in dealing with a Bucks team that not only has a 2x MVP in Giannis but also two All-Stars in Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton.
On Friday, we saw Atlanta struggle to keep up.
Still, the Hawks have always responded in these types of situations. When the odds are stacked against them, and everyone has them counted out, they seem to perform at their best.
Whether he’s right or not, you have to give credit to Shaq for sticking with his pick — at least, for now.
