Atlanta Hawks: Top 10 moments from 2017-18 NBA season

1. Hawks beat Wizards and Celtics on end-of-season road trip

The best Hawks moment of 2017-18 is the most recent one. Atlanta closed out the 2017-18 season with three playoff-bound Eastern Conference opponents: the Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. The Hawks entered the trip with a 22-57 record. Conventional wisdom would say the team would pack it in and succumb to three season-ending blowouts.

Instead, the Hawks went out and competed against these top teams, coming out victorious in their road games against Washington and Boston. They only lost by eight to Philadelphia in the season finale, 121-113.

In D.C., the Hawks staved off 32 points from Bradley Beal and won 103-97. ATL shot 48.1 percent from the field and held the Wizards to 40.1 percent. Atlanta also outscored Washington in the paint 48-32. Taurean Prince led the way with 23 points and Dewayne Dedmon had a 12-point, 14-rebound double-double. Tyler Dorsey chipped in 22 points off of the bench.

The Hawks then shipped up to Boston. The Celtics were without Gordon Hayward, Kyrie Irving, Marcus Morris and Marcus Smart. However, we’ve seen from their first round series against the Milwaukee Bucks that this team competes no matter who is on the lineup. Atlanta passed this test as well, defeating the Celtics 112-106. All five Hawks starters scored in double-figures, led by Taurean Prince’s 33 points and eight rebounds.

Next: Full two-round 2018 NBA Mock Draft

I made this the top moment because unlike the Spurs-Pelicans series, these victories were more decisive. They also came at the end of the season. As a lottery team, Atlanta could have played a lackadaisical game and accepted a blowout to these eventual playoff teams. Instead, they competed and were rewarded with victory. After a rough season like 2017-18, that seems like a positive way to head into the summer.