The Atlanta Hawks were a surprise playoff contender this season. They are now looking to secure their spot in the playoffs with games against two of the NBA’s best teams remaining on their schedule. The team has already broken some records and is popular among sports fans for its up-and-coming roster, but can it continue its momentum into the postseason?
The “red tailed hawk meaning” is a bird that has been spotted in Atlanta, Georgia. The red-tailed hawk is the state bird of Georgia and it can be seen on the logo for the Atlanta Hawks.
Fans may be forgiven for getting that old déjà vu sensation before the Atlanta Hawks’ loss to the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 31. Coming off an unexpected trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, Atlanta got off to a sluggish start. The Hawks are now 17–25 after a defeat against the New York Knicks on Jan. 15. They finished 12th in the East, 4.5 games off of a playoff berth.
At that time, something clicked. Atlanta has won seven games in a row. Since then, the Hawks have flown above the Knicks and the Washington Wizards into 10th place, putting them in play-in contention. It’s likely that the script will sound familiar to you. A year earlier, Atlanta pulled out a similar stunt.
In 2021, the Atlanta Hawks’ turning moment was a coaching change.
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In May 2018, the Atlanta Hawks hired Lloyd Pierce as their new head coach, replacing Mike Budenholzer, who had been dismissed. The Hawks began their rebuilding process when they selected Trae Young in the 2018 NBA Draft.
However, Atlanta suffered a lot of losses during Pierce’s first few years in charge. In 2018–19, the club finished 29–53, and in the pandemic-shortened 2019–20 season, the team’s winning percentage dropped. Their 20–47 record didn’t qualify them for the Orlando playoffs.
The Hawks began 10–9, but Pierce’s tenure ended on March 1, 2021, after a 4–11 slump. Nate McMillan, a veteran NBA coach, was promoted from assistant to temporary head coach. Atlanta won eight consecutive games on route to a 27–11 victory. Their 41–31 record earned them the Eastern Conference’s fifth seed.
In the first round, the Hawks stunned the Knicks in five games before stunning the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the conference semifinals. In a six-game Eastern Conference Finals, the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks put a stop to the Cinderella story. McMillan was offered a full-time position, and expectations were high.
However, there was a problem in Peachtree’s paradise.
Is there such a thing as addition by subtraction?
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The Atlanta Hawks started out well, winning three of their first four games. However, they have lost eight of their last nine games, plunging them farther down the rankings.
After six straight defeats, the Hawks went on a seven-game winning run. However, they were just 5–9 in December and 1–6 in January.
On Jan. 13, Atlanta startled the NBA by trading rookie wing Cam Reddish to New York. Then word got out that Reddish had requested a trade last summer. After losing their first two games after the deal, the Hawks went on a seven-game winning streak. With Young unavailable due to an injured shoulder, Toronto snapped the streak.
Reddish’s worth is based on his defense and future potential. He, on the other hand, regarded himself as a player that the Hawks did not. He apparently craves the ball and envisions himself as a prolific mid-range striker. Statistics, on the other hand, paint a quite different story.
Even with Reddish on the field, Atlanta’s defense was a shambles. The Hawks were 28th in the NBA before the deal, allowing 113.1 points per 100 possessions. The Knicks haven’t exactly converted into a lockdown team since Reddish’s departure. However, in their previous ten games, they have a defensive rating of 111.9, which ranks them 17th in the league.
More significantly, their net rating of plus-6.3 during that time period is the sixth highest in the league, thanks to a fourth-ranked offense with a 118.2 rating. The offensive efficiency before the transaction was 112.1 points per 100 possessions, with a net rating of minus-1.0.
The Atlanta Hawks’ improvement comes from inside the organization.
The Atlanta Hawks seem to have gotten a lift from De’Andre Hunter’s comeback from a wrist injury and the trade of Cam Reddish. | Getty Images/Jacob Kupferman
Kevin Knox, the ninth overall selection in the 2018 NBA Draft, is unlikely to be the catalyst for the Atlanta Hawks’ turnaround. Since passing his physical, he’s been a DNP-Decision Coach’s in four of Atlanta’s nine games, logging just 35 minutes in the five games in which he did come off the bench.
After missing over two months due to a wrist injury, De’Andre Hunter returned on Jan. 12. Since the Reddish trade, he’s started every game and is second on the club in scoring with 14.7 points per game. Hunter has a 48.6% overall shooting percentage and a 38.5 percent (15-of-39) 3-point shooting percentage. In that time, he’s scored more than 20 points four times.
Hunter is a more mature and powerful variant of Reddish. At 6-foot-8 and 225 pounds, the third-year pro is a versatile defender who can play small-ball 4 and yet cover guards on the defensive end.
Due to a damaged meniscus, the Virginia product missed the most of last season. Inside and outside the arc, he’s a better shooter than Reddish.
Few things can lower a team’s morale faster than having someone in the locker room who no one wants to be there. McMillan praised Reddish for his professionalism in dealing with his circumstance. But it’s difficult not to notice the team’s better play since Duke’s young winger got his wish.
To earn their second straight playoff berth, the Atlanta Hawks may have to battle their way through the play-in round. They are five games behind the Brooklyn Nets for sixth place. However, the squad looks to be rowing in the same direction after a season of ups and downs. The ATL might be in for another exciting second half of the season as a result of this.
Basketball Reference and NBA.com provided the statistics.
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