After the commerce deadline, the Atlanta Hawks began enjoying some stable 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 had been enjoying surprisingly properly, although they weren’t actually a menace. Then, they began making some enormous adjustments to their roster. Atlanta lastly moved on from Trae Younger, whose period didn’t yield the outcomes they had been hoping for, akin to a championship.
Moreover, the Hawks additionally made sensible acquisitions akin to Jonathan Kuminga and C.J. McCollum. All of this made room for youthful members of the roster to develop and evolve. In brief 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, profitable video games two and three, giving them the lead within the collection. Being up two to 1 over New York positively 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 sport six. Making the scenario worse was how dangerous the ultimate loss was. New York took sport six by a rating of 140 to 89. They had 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 sport within the historical past of the NBA. Whereas that is nice for the Knicks, it isn’t a file any workforce desires to be on the incorrect facet of. It was a brutal finish to a wild playoff trip for the Hawks and their followers.
Subsequent season might be much more fascinating
The Hawks are a younger workforce who went into the postseason with a whole lot of new gamers and a comparatively inexperienced roster. Actually, Atlanta did fairly properly, all issues thought-about. Even making it to the playoffs this early of their comfortable rebuild course of is a significant accomplishment.
This was a fantastic studying expertise for this roster. Plus, it offers the entrance workplace an opportunity to try what labored and what did not, then attempt to make offseason adjustments accordingly. The Hawks have an enormous draft forward of them, which is able to solely give them extra firepower.
The 2026 NBA Playoffs had been a heck of a trip for Atlanta and their followers, and it got here to a brutal finish. On the similar time, it highlighted how far the Hawks have are available a comparatively quick time frame. Even this loss was an enormous step on this workforce’s path to the following stage within the league.
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