Trae Young is one of the brightest rising stars in the NBA. In two years, Trae Young has returned the Atlanta Hawks back to relevancy. The previous Hawks core kept Atlanta in the playoffs every year, from 2008 until 2017. During that span, only 2015 saw them advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they were promptly swept, despite having the East’s best record.
On the other hand, Trae Young made his playoff debut, in 2021, leading the Hawks to upsets over the Knicks and Sixers, the best in the East, before falling to the Bucks in six. Kevin Durant, meanwhile, finally debuted for the Brooklyn Nets. A playoff team, anyway, the Nets were expected to contend for a title. In the playoffs, they were upset by the Bucks.
Tonight, the Hawks and Nets faced off. Their game was a classic, which Brooklyn won on the road. But, the Hawks didn’t go down without a fight, literally. Shoved by Kevin Durant, Trae Young got in his face. The two had an exchange. It got close to blows, but the refs stopped that from happening. It definitely was an intense moment.
