NBA teams
Scoop Jackson, ESPN Senior Writer 9y

Q&A: Millsap on Hawks' rapid rise

Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz

Run by stars and not uberstars, the city known as "the ATL" has a basketball squad that is playing beyond any realistic expectations coming into this season.

Paul Millsap is one of the main reasons. But now the real work begins. The entire league knows the Hawks are serious contenders to the throne. They know this season is neither joke nor fluke. Hope floats through the 404 now.

The Hawks were the first to clinch a conference title: They were the "first to 50." And in the NBA's second season, maybe they will be the first to 16.


Scoop Jackson: Do you still feel surprised at what's going on with this team and everything going on in Atlanta? Or are you like, "This is finally the way it was supposed to be?"

Paul Millsap: I'm not surprised at all. This is the way it is supposed to be. Coming in we had goals, we had vision. We knew if we did the things we were supposed to do, things would go well. And things are going well for us right now.

Jackson: Do you feel that teams around the league are still looking at you all as the "surprise" team or has that underdog label faded?

Millsap: That's done. Once you are first in the East, one of the top teams in the league, you have a target on your back every night. We've been witnessing that these past weeks where teams really show up to play us.

Jackson: Has that target been difficult to adjust to?

Millsap: Honestly it has. It has. We just have to be consistent in our approach whether we are playing a playoff team or a non-playoff team. We have to approach the game the same. You know, we can't just go out there and expect to win every game. We have to, every game, put our best foot forward.

Jackson: Night in, night out teams are testing you. Now, a win over the Hawks can make someone's season.

Millsap: Absolutely.

Jackson: Do you all still feel like there's something to prove though?

Millsap: Not at all. We're not out to prove anything. We set goals for ourselves and we're just trying to fill out our goals, man. It's as simple as that. ...

I think we competed last year, especially in the playoffs, we pushed a really good [Pacers] team to seven games and I think we know what we are capable of doing. We're just waiting on the opportunity to have that chance again and hopefully the outcome is different.

Jackson: OK, now I'm about to ask you a straight-up selfish question: Are you happier with what you've been able to do with Hawks or are you more proud of what your brother's been able to do with the Jazz?

Millsap: That's a tough question. [Laughs] Um, I gotta be a little bit selfish and say what's going on with us in Atlanta. But I'm also proud of my brother in Utah and that one day if he continues to work he'll get to that level. I watch his games every time he plays and it's still shocking that this is where he's at. He's put in the work. But I'm definitely proud of our team.

Jackson: You cant even be mad at the Jazz, can you? (Millsap played for the Jazz for seven years before signing with the Hawks as a free agent in 2013.)

Millsap: [Laughs] I can't even be mad, I can't say anything bad about them. I actually didn't have a bad thing to say about them before this.

Jackson: I would ask who looks better in a Jazz uniform, but I think I already know that answer.

Millsap: Oh, me. Definitely me.

Jackson: I read that the Hawks are the second-most efficient team in the NBA when you are on the court. Do you ever think about that when playing? 

Millsap: Not at all, man. You just go out there and play the game. I'm a type of player that tries to do everything a lot to help our team. Setting screens to get guys open, trying to block shots. We're playing a game as far as that. So I don't even think about it.

Jackson: Now that the Hawks have reached a point where you are now "expected" to be good and the expectations have changed, is it harder for you all to live up to those expectations?

Millsap: I think it's a little harder to win games now. Like I said earlier, teams have a target on us. It seems like now every team brings their A games every single game when they play us. So I think it's up to us to go out there and do the things that has, up to this point, made us successful. And to have to do that every night I think is a little tougher.

Jackson: What is your greatest basketball fear?

Millsap: Retirement. [Laughs]

Jackson: Did you ever see yourself doing anything else in life besides this?

Millsap: Um, you know, I can see myself doing a lot of other things but in my life I've always had one goal throughout my life and that was to play basketball and try to be the best that I can out here at it. And I'm still trying to live up to that, man. Still trying.

Jackson: Finish these two sentences for me: Paul Millsap is ...

Millsap: ... a great person.

Jackson: The Atlanta Hawks are ...

Millsap: ... a basketball team. With an emphasis on team.

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