How Far Can The Atlanta Hawks Go In The Playoffs?

Even though the Eastern Conference has been relatively weak as a whole this season, there has still been some dominance from the top teams.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers, now equipped with the NBA‘s best player in LeBron James, look ready to make a title run as the favorites in the East, while the Chicago Bulls have been unable to get their entire team healthy for any real stretch in the season, meaning that they have yet to show us their true potential.

There have been some struggles with teams that were expected to challenge more than they have like the Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors, but one squad has had the league on notice all year long as a pleasant surprise and title sleeper.

Atlanta Hawks fans could not be anymore pleased with what their team has accomplished so far. Currently sitting at 57-19, it’s no secret that the Hawks have overachieved in terms of where they were projected to finish in the conference. I’m not sure anyone had them finishing ahead of the Cavaliers or Bulls.

All season long, head coach Mike Budenholzer has gotten the team to buy into playing an unselfish brand of basketball, similar to the system that Gregg Popovich has employed over the years for the San Antonio Spurs.

That’s no coincidence, as Budenholzer coached under Pop for a number of years, meaning that he had a good amount of time to make his own notes and observations and even some tweaks to the system that he saw be successful for so many years.

Budenholzer hasn’t exactly had a true superstar to work with either. The team’s core is primarily point guard Jeff Teague, shooting guard Kyle Korver, forward Paul Millsap and center Al Horford. All four are good in playing to their role, but there isn’t an actual go-to guy among them.

So far that hasn’t mattered to Atlanta, however, as the team has been great at sharing the basketball and making the right plays at the right time. The Hawks move so fluently on offense that it’s a thing of beauty to watch night after night.

The pick-and-rolls, cuts and spot-up shots seem to come naturally to the Hawks. When watching them play, it looks hard to believe that Bud is even calling plays, as it just seems that the players are so well in tune with one another that they just know what to do at all times. They know where each other likes the ball and is the most effective. No team other than the Spurs and Golden State Warriors plays so well off of each other like the Hawks.

Defensively, the Hawks may not have the prototypical size down low that a lot of other teams do, but they play tough and don’t back down from anyone. They have the size around the perimeter and enough depth to be able to do a lot of switching off of pick-and-rolls similar to what the Warriors have done all year to be successful.

Horford is a decent enough rim protector for the system to come together, and Teague is a ballhawk in terms of going after steals and applying pressure to the opposing team’s lead guard. Even though one player isn’t particularly good on defense, they all work well together and have a feel for the game that is inexplicable unless you sit down and watch them enough.

This team had four All-Stars for a reason. They love playing with one another, and aren’t afraid of anyone in the league, even the Spurs.

So how far can this team actually go in the playoffs? Well, that remains to be seen, as the Hawks haven’t exactly gone deep enough in the postseason to reach the championship in recent memory. However, they did almost eliminate the Indiana Pacers last season as an eighth seed, proving that they may still be more underrated than they should be despite holding the East’s best record.

Atlanta has become one impressive home advantage for the Hawks, as fans have responded well to the team’s success and now come out in droves to support their team. Even though new statistics are indicating that home court advantage is becoming a thing of the past, it could still make all the difference the deeper the Hawks go into the playoffs.

Do the Hawks have a go-to guy? Not necessarily, but that doesn’t mean the team can’t execute well enough late in games to come out on top. This is a team that has both a top-10 offense and defense in terms of efficiency, meaning that this team knows how to stick to their system and play their own game. Surprisingly enough, the Hawks don’t push the tempo as much as one would think, as they rank in the middle of the league in pace.

Being able to run and execute an offense that can operate without relying heavily on transition basketball is one of the biggest keys to succeeding in the playoffs, as the game tends to slow down more often than not. The Hawks have one of the most lethal outside shooters in Korver, a master at penetrating the defense and causing havoc in the lane in Teague, and a mismatch nightmare both inside and out in Millsap.

Offensive weapons aren’t lacking in Atlanta, and as long as the Hawks can remain tough on the defensive end, then there’s no reason why the team shouldn’t at least get to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Hawks are a team that is built to win both now and in the future. As long as they continue to stick to their system and force others to play at their pace, then the Hawks could really challenge the Cavaliers for the East’s title berth.

Get ready Atlanta fans, you may finally have a Hawks team that is capable of bringing home a title not only this year, but for years to come as well.

*Statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference.

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