The lowly Brooklyn Nets slipped into the NBA playoffs during the final week of the regular season after a neck-to-neck battle with the Indiana Pacers. The Atlanta Hawks cruised to a first place finish in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks hold a 2-0 first round series advantage, but have only won those games by a combined 12 points. Atlanta’s offense has struggled with consistency and the Nets have held them to an eFG% of .473. Amazingly, Brooklyn’s eFG% is .494. The total rebounds column also belongs to the Nets, 96-80. So what has gone right for the Atlanta Hawks?

Despite the Nets shooting almost 50% from the field, the Hawks have been tenacious on defense. Brooklyn has turned over the ball 33 times in the series, resulting in a 15.9% turnover rate, that’s good for the highest in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Atlanta has forced 22 steals and 10 blocks to Brooklyn’s 14 and 5. The Hawks have also pushed the tempo in games, resulting in the second highest series pace in the EC. This has left Brooklyn’s older and slower players with their hands on their knees, huffing and puffing by the fourth quarter. Still, some are worried.

Atlanta sports fans will spin a tired narrative about the city’s teams failing under pressure as cause for worry. We ended the regular season with a few losses in favor of resting our starters. Al Horford dislocated his shooting hand pinky finger in game 1. Paul Millsap is dealing with shoulder soreness. Weeks before the season ended, top wing defender Thabo Sefolosha was arrested by the NYPD, resulting in a season ending leg injury. Pero Antic was arrested, too. Do these things have an impact on games? Of course. However, it’s important to note that these are different players, different coaches, different managers and most importantly, this is a different culture. The Hawks sit exactly where they should. They hold a 2-0 series lead over the 8-seed Nets. In reference to the Cleveland Cavaliers having to grind out a game 3 win over the Boston Celtics, Charles Barkley remarked, “This is like with Atlanta, you never felt like Boston actually had a chance.”

The margin of victory has been small so far, but the Hawks haven’t looked like they weren’t in complete control. It’s reminiscent of Atlanta’s 2014 first round playoff series against the 1-seed Indiana Pacers. They kept games close, won a few, but ultimately Indiana advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. It’s familiar territory, but this current series won’t even sniff seven games. Hawks fans, it’s okay to come out from under your blankets; the boogeyman isn’t real.