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Areas Of Improvement For Playoffs

By Jonathan Savitske

Mar 30, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) grabs a rebound against Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas (17) and Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) for a rebound during the first half at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 30, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) grabs a rebound against Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas (17) and Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) for a rebound during the first half at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Atlanta Hawks are arguably the hottest team in the Eastern Conference right now, going 8-2 in their last 10 games; but after Wednesday’s loss to the Raptors, there is some cause for concern for the team as the playoffs approach.

Mar 30, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) grabs a rebound against Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas (17) and Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) for a rebound during the first half at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 30, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) grabs a rebound against Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas (17) and Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) for a rebound during the first half at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /

On Wednesday night, the Atlanta Hawks went into the Air Canada Centre riding a four-game winning streak and looking like a club ready to make a playoff run. Behind their excellent defense, the Hawks had seemingly righted the ship after a somewhat inconsistent start to the regular season.

However, the Toronto Raptors have been a team that for the past two seasons have given the Hawks a lot of trouble, exposing flaws in their game plan and providing fans and pundits alike reasons to doubt the Hawks come playoff time. Since the beginning of 2014, Atlanta is 1-6 against Toronto, with average margin of victory being more than 10 points.

Now of course, the regular season is an entirely different animal than the playoffs; but the Raptors shed light on what the Hawks’ biggest deficiencies are entering the playoffs, and what they need to do in order to rectify those issues. The Hawks are still a formidable team, but may have to alter their schemes if they meet Toronto in the playoffs.

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Here are the Atlanta Hawks’ biggest areas for improvement entering the postseason:

Next: Cleaning the Glass

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