Hawks fly home after forcing Game 7.
by Tracy Weissenberg / @basketballista
Last season, the Hawks lost Game 2 at home to the Heat. The Hawks were able to get a rare road win in Game 4 to regain homecourt advantage, which proved useful when the series stretched to seven.
This season, the “I think I can” Bucks stunned the Hawks with a Game 5 victory at Philips Arena, where the Hawks had won 14 straight games. Losers of 10 of their last 11 Playoff road games, the Hawks would have to dig down deep to extend their season. Maybe it was the uncomfortable feeling of their backs against the wall or the scrutiny that would come with an early exit, but the Hawks secured a chance to win the series Sunday in Game 7. And lucky for them, it’s at home.
FIRST QUARTER
*Jerry Stackhouse said his teams had a 3-0 record when he sang the national anthem. He did the honors before the game, hoping the trend would continue.
*Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 6 points on 3-6 shooting. Al Horford added 4 points and 4 boards.
*Carlos Delfino scored 4 for the Bucks and John Salmons and Brandon Jennings combined for 2 points on 1-6 field goals. The Bucks bench continued to produce efficiently with 7 points on 3-4 shooting.
*The Hawks shot 38 percent and the Bucks 42 percent to finish with the Bucks up 19-16 after one.
*Most of these first quarter trends would continue. Both Salmons and Jennings never found their shot, while Delfino had the hot hand for the second straight home game.
SECOND QUARTER
*Jamal Crawford had 7 points in 7 minutes off the bench, and “The Difference” would prove to be the difference in the game.
*Delfino had 9 points on 3-6 shooting, and Kurt Thomas, Salmons, and Jennings added 2 points each.
*Both teams finished with 15 points. The Hawks shot 5-19 and the Bucks 
5-17. The Bucks took a 34-31 lead into half as it seems both the Bucks and Hawks left their offense in ATL.
THIRD QUARTER
*The Hawks picked up their offense in the quarter, scoring 29 points on 52 percent shooting.
*Horford was a presence inside on both ends of the floor with 9 points, 5 rebounds (3 offensive) and a block. Crawford added 6 points in 6 minutes, while Johnson and Mike Bibby both chipped in with 5.
*The quarter began with a Delfino layup before the Hawks would go on a 19-0 tear to turn a 5-point deficit into a 14-point lead with less than 4 minutes left in the quarter.
*The Bucks were held to 11 points on 3-17 field goals. Salmons had 4 points on free throws (0-4 from the field), while Jennings added 3 on his sole three point field goal of the night. He would finish the game 1-9 from beyond the arc.
FOURTH QUARTER
*The third quarter proved to be the difference of the game, as the Bucks would bring it to within 7 in the fourth, but never got closer.
*Crawford scored 11 points on 3-5 shooting. He scored 24 for the night, with 17 of those in the second half. He would be the only Hawks bench player to register any points.
*Horford added 2 points and 4 rebounds and finished with a solid double-double of 15 and 15.
*Johnson had 7 points in the quarter and 22 for the night on 8-24 field goals.
*Jennings scored 7 for the Bucks and finished with 12 points on 4-15 field goals. Salmons went scoreless in the quarter and finished with 8 points on 2-13 shooting. Salmons and Jennings combined for 20 points on 6-28 field goals, while the rest of the team scored 49 points shooting 19-48.
*Delfino added 5 for the quarter and finished with 20 points on 8-19 field goals. Delfino shot 4-9 from beyond the arc, while the rest of the Bucks went 3-17.
Game 7 is Sunday in Atlanta. The Hawks are 1-1 in Game 7s their last two Playoff appearances, with a loss in 2008 against the Celtics and a win last season against the Heat. The winner of the series moves on to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals to face the Magic.
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