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The Atlanta Hawks had a brief time last season when they were the best story in the NBA, but that went out the window after their playoff exit and the Golden State Warriors‘ ascendance.
This year, the Hawks have been largely invisible. The Cleveland Cavaliers are everyone’s presumed favorite to win the Eastern Conference in both the regular season and the playoffs, and the Toronto Raptors have ascended into an elite team as well.
But the Hawks are gelling at the right time. They probably peaked a little bit too early last season, but their defense has really started clicking in this campaign. Having two big men like Al Horford and Paul Millsap would be a credit to any team, and their defensive abilities have changed the way people have perceived the Hawks’ ceiling. ESPN’s Zach Lowe wrote recently about what Atlanta brings to the table on defense.
“Horford and Millsap have quick hands,” Lowe wrote. “And good instincts for those millisecond openings when they might reach in for a steal. Millsap is one of the great big man thieves in NBA history.”
The Hawks have the defensive desire and offensive rhythm to get things going now, and the playoffs will be a lot more entertaining than many analysts are currently predicting.
The Hawks have a chance to make a run in this postseason. The Cavaliers have proven to be fragile from a personality perspective, although their talent level might be so immense that it ends up not mattering. The Raptors, on the other hand, have fantastic synergy in the locker room, but their roster doesn’t feature as many marquee stars.
The Hawks have what might be the perfect mix of skill and chemistry, and they are a real threat to play spoiler to one of the top seeds in the East. They’ll need Kyle Korver to start raining in jumpers for that to happen, but he is definitely capable of making that happen. Head coach Mike Budenholzer has to be pleased with how his team responded to adversity, and it should be fun to watch what he can get out of this crew down the stretch.
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