After the trade deadline, the Atlanta Hawks started playing some solid basketball. They even made it to the playoffs as the sixth seed and took on the Knicks. That series was a hell of a rollercoaster for the Hawks' fans, which ended really badly. That being said, next season has real promise.
For the first part of the season, the Hawks were playing surprisingly well, though they weren't really a threat. Then, they started making some huge changes to their roster. Atlanta finally moved on from Trae Young, whose era did not yield the results they were hoping for, such as a championship.
Additionally, the Hawks also made smart acquisitions such as Jonathan Kuminga and C.J. McCollum. All of this made room for younger members of the roster to grow and evolve. In short order, Atlanta started playing great basketball and carved out a place for itself in the postseason.
Atlanta takes their fans on a postseason adventure
Their first-round matchup was the New York Knicks, a series the Hawks just lost four to two. Atlanta was in the mix at first, winning games two and three, giving them the lead in the series. Being up two to one over New York definitely made the Hawks' fans feel like the second round was coming.
Instead, the Knicks would go on to win three straight games, closing out the Hawks in Atlanta in game six. Making the situation worse was how bad the final loss was. New York took game six by a score of 140 to 89. They were up on the Hawks by 50+ points by halfway through the second quarter.
Apparently, this was the largest lead at halftime in a playoff game in the history of the NBA. While that's great for the Knicks, it's not a record any team wants to be on the wrong side of. It was a brutal end to a wild playoff ride for the Hawks and their fans.
Next season will be even more interesting
The Hawks are a young team who went into the postseason with a lot of new players and a relatively inexperienced roster. Honestly, Atlanta did pretty well, all things considered. Even making it to the playoffs this early in their soft rebuild process is a major accomplishment.
This was a great learning experience for this roster. Plus, it gives the front office a chance to take a look at what worked and what didn't, then try to make offseason changes accordingly. The Hawks have a big draft ahead of them, which will only give them more firepower.
The 2026 NBA Playoffs were a heck of a ride for Atlanta and their fans, and it came to a brutal end. At the same time, it highlighted how far the Hawks have come in a relatively short period of time. Even this loss was a big step on this team's path to the next level in the league.
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