Hawks vs. Nets: 3 things you need to know

Not many people are giving the Eastern Conference No. 8 seed Brooklyn Nets much of a fighting chance against the No. 1 Atlanta Hawks. Not even Nets coach Lionel Hollins sounds too optimistic.

The Hawks swept the season series 4-0. Here's what you need to know.

The Nets will hope the Hawks go cold

This generally isn't the sort of game plan that produces championships, but it's basically the Nets' best hope. The likelihood of Brooklyn forcing the Hawks out of their comfort zone isn't good, especially with Kyle Korver's ability to navigate off the ball. Korver shot almost 62 percent from three in the four games against the Nets this season, a success rate he only bettered against the Sacramento Kings, Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons.

Hollins said Thursday that the Hawks' secret lies in their ball movement and spacing, something the Nets are ill-equipped to even slow down. Thabo Sefolosha's absence is a loss for the Hawks, but it's far from being a backbreaker in this series. The New York tabloids will likely look for more juice on the Sefolosha/NYPD angle when the series gets to Brooklyn, but that's unlikely to help the Nets on the floor.

If a miracle happened?

It would require Brook Lopez to more than sustain his solid play of late and Joe Johnson to find a time machine that takes him back to his Hawks days. 

The Hawks haven't been past the first round of the playoffs since 2011, but the team was much different then.

Teletovic cleared to practice

In a nice development for the Nets on Friday, power forward Mirza Teletovic was cleared to return to basketball activities. While the Nets have initially listed him as out, it remains possible he plays during the series. 

Projected starting lineups

Series outlook

*If necessary