After the commerce deadline, the Atlanta Hawks began enjoying some strong basketball. They even made it to the playoffs because the sixth seed and took on the Knicks. That collection was a hell of a rollercoaster for the Hawks‘ followers, which ended actually badly. That being mentioned, subsequent season has actual promise.
For the primary a part of the season, the Hawks have been enjoying surprisingly properly, although they weren’t actually a menace. Then, they began making some enormous modifications to their roster. Atlanta lastly moved on from Trae Younger, whose period didn’t yield the outcomes they have been hoping for, resembling a championship.
Moreover, the Hawks additionally made good acquisitions resembling Jonathan Kuminga and C.J. McCollum. All of this made room for youthful members of the roster to develop and evolve. Briefly order, Atlanta began enjoying nice basketball and carved out a spot for itself within the postseason.
Atlanta takes their followers on a postseason journey
Their first-round matchup was the New York Knicks, a collection the Hawks simply misplaced 4 to 2. Atlanta was within the combine at first, successful video games two and three, giving them the lead within the collection. Being up two to at least one over New York undoubtedly made the Hawks‘ followers really feel just like the second spherical was coming.
As a substitute, the Knicks would go on to win three straight video games, closing out the Hawks in Atlanta in recreation six. Making the scenario worse was how unhealthy the ultimate loss was. New York took recreation six by a rating of 140 to 89. They have been up on the Hawks by 50+ factors by midway by way of the second quarter.
Apparently, this was the biggest lead at halftime in a playoff recreation within the historical past of the NBA. Whereas that is nice for the Knicks, it is not a report any staff desires to be on the unsuitable facet of. It was a brutal finish to a wild playoff journey for the Hawks and their followers.
Subsequent season will probably be much more attention-grabbing
The Hawks are a younger staff who went into the postseason with a number of new gamers and a comparatively inexperienced roster. Actually, Atlanta did fairly properly, all issues thought of. Even making it to the playoffs this early of their delicate rebuild course of is a significant accomplishment.
This was an incredible studying expertise for this roster. Plus, it provides the entrance workplace an opportunity to check out what labored and what did not, then attempt to make offseason modifications accordingly. The Hawks have an enormous draft forward of them, which is able to solely give them extra firepower.
The 2026 NBA Playoffs have been a heck of a journey for Atlanta and their followers, and it got here to a brutal finish. On the identical time, it highlighted how far the Hawks have are available a comparatively brief time frame. Even this loss was an enormous step on this staff’s path to the subsequent stage within the league.
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