Mar

12

Hawks’ Playoff Chances - Are They In Or Out?

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under Main 

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Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks are an intriguing in that they have a unique mix of youth with upside and some veterans.? And they’re in rarefied air in that they currently hold the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt.? With 19 games remaining on their schedule, it remains to be seen if the Hawks can hold on and visit the postseason.? And there are some compelling reasons on why they can make the playoffs and also reasons why they won’t.? Here’s some reasons for both sides of the argument:

Why they will

  • Their remaining schedule.? Of their remaining 19 games, 11 are against opponents whose win-loss record is south of .500 - including 3 against the New York Knicks.
  • Opponents.? Atlanta play Washington, Chicago (twice), New Jersey, Philadelphia (twice) and Indiana.? All of these teams are within 4 games in the standings.
  • Point guard Mike Bibby.? Since he was traded to the Hawks from the Sacramento Kings, Bibby has averaged 12.6 PPG, 6.4 APG in 14 games.
  • Joe Johnson.? Expect him to score even more; currently he is averaging 29.6 PPG over the last 5 games.
  • The Eastern Conference.??You have to admit - yet it is so obvious - that the Eastern Conference is weak this season; the Hawks are at 11 games under .500, yet hold the #8 spot.

Why They Won’t

  • Inconsistency.? There’s been a lack of quality winning streaks from the Hawks, as their longest winning streak all season took place in December; they’ve won back-to-back games only 4 times all season.? Not a good sign.
  • Lack of road success.? The Hawks are currently 7-25 on the road and of their remaining 19 games, 9 of them are away from Philips Arena.
  • No true center.? Al Horford, as good as he has been during his rookie campaign, is more suited for power forward.? And they, for the most part, have struggled in the paint; let’s not forget the inconsistency of Zaza Pachulia - but that’s another story.
  • Lack of defense.? In 9 of their last 13 games since the All-Star break, the Hawks have given up 100 or more points; of those, they lost 7.
  • Lack of experience.? Other than Joe Johnson (15 games) and Mike Bibby (51 games), the Hawks have a roster who have zero games of playoff experience.? ZERO.???

So there you have it.? From my observations, the lack of playoff experience and the fact that if the course remains as it is right now, the Hawks would more than likely face Boston in the first round of the playoffs.? But I have to say that the youth on the team (that isn’t necessarily a bad thing) and relative experience alone would preclude the Hawks from entering the playoffs this season.? I hope I’m wrong as I really like the Hawks roster as a whole, but I don’t like their chances.???



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