On the first of March, the Hawks were 14-20 and buried in 11th place in the East when management fired coach Lloyd Pierce and promoted Nate McMillan as his interim replacement.
But whatever deficiencies McMillan might have as a three-time casualty of the profession, he is a coach who values order.
A first half beset by missed shots at point-blank range and sloppy defensive rotations behind toothless double-teams revealed a squad that had — for the third straight game — yet to figure out how to contend with Embiid’s dominance and Young’s vulnerabilities.
And it was worse than that: Young, who wrecked the New York Knicks in the first round and continued his exploits in the Hawks’ Game 1 win in Philadelphia, was coping with a right shoulder injury.
“I got hit last game, and it’s been kind of sore,” Young said following the Monday’s victory.
After being shut out in the first quarter, Young notched his first two field goals of the game not as a primary ball handler but by working off the ball from the weak side.
“Like I do every game, I just read what the defense gives me,” Young said.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Hawks converted only 11-of-56 of their contested shots in Game 4, tied for the worst contested shooting game in the postseason since ESPN began tracking all playoff games in 2014.
John Collins, who is seeking a hefty payday as a restricted free agent but had played unexceptionally through much of the playoffs and in the first half of Game 4, wreaked havoc on the Sixers following intermission.
Turnovers are often the mark of less experienced or refined teams, particularly those like the Hawks who don’t rely on isolation.
Embiid’s woes aside, the Hawks cut off penetration more readily in the second half and limited the Sixers to only eight points in the paint, while contesting 15 of their 16 3-point attempts — 11 of them heavily.
This is still a franchise trying to reach the NBA Finals since it arrived in Atlanta 53 years ago, one beset by poor ownership through much of that history.
Yet in June 2021, the Hawks are one of only seven squads remaining in the NBA playoffs, pulling even with a team that has held the top seed for the majority of the regular season.