Hawks playing well at right time
The Atlanta Hawks were the top seed in the Eastern Conference last year and played well before eventually falling in the conference finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The expectations were high this season, but things did not go smoothly. The Hawks stumbled out of the gate and some thought the team might be a one-hit wonder, but they have come storming back. With only one week to go in the season, Atlanta has positioned itself beautifully with a 47-32 record, sitting in the third seed of the East. As it stands, the Hawks are leading the Southeast Division by a narrow margin of a half-game over the Miami Heat, giving them plenty to keep playing for.
Atlanta has three games remaining, starting with the Boston Celtics on Saturday at Philips Arena before traveling to face Cleveland on Monday and the Washington Wizards on Wednesday to finish the regular season. Meanwhile, Miami faces the Orlando Magic in a home-and-home on Friday and Sunday before visiting the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday and Celtics on Wednesday.
Should the Hawks be able to hold on and capture the third seed, they have to like the way things shake out. Atlanta would likely face the Charlotte Hornets and then the winner of the Pacers and Toronto Raptors should they advance. This would help the Hawks avoid Cleveland until the conference finals, giving Atlanta the hope that the Cavaliers either get picked off or banged up.
Atlanta has the goods to give any team in the East some major problems. In this day and age of teams going smaller, the Hawks have a nice duo on the interior with Paul Millsap and Al Horford. Millsap is leading the Hawks with 17.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, while Horford is putting up 15.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per night.
For a team like Toronto, it would be tough to match up in the paint against those two rugged forwards. The Raptors are built to shoot with the guard play of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, and should the shots not fall, it spells doom.
Atlanta is not going to win the NBA title this season, but it is going to make some noise before all is said and done. Look for the Hawks to win a round or two and perhaps put a serious charge into the Cavaliers.
San Hinkie resigns from 76ers
On Wednesday, general manager Sam Hinkie resigned from his post of GM of the Philadelphia 76ers in a 13-page letter. Frankly, Hinkie should have made it short and sweet.
Certainly, no Philadelphia fan will be missing him. Hinkie came in before the 2013 season and watched as the team fell apart around him. Hinkie’s 76ers won 19 and then 18 games before this campaign, where they have a record of 10-68.
Hinkie finally made a good move.
