It’s one of the weirdest adventures in the NBA right now, and it continued tonight with yet another success in its pocket. On the verge of implosion and at the heart of rumors a few weeks before the trade deadline, the Hawks seem to be finding their basketball in time. A 6th victory in a row, this time against Boston (108-92), which could definitely calm things down in Georgia over the next ten days.
Another smirk, seeing the run from the Hawks bench this Friday night against substitutes from Massachusetts.
But where had this team gone?
Conference finalists and expected this season in the top of the Eastern Conference, Nate McMillan’s men had a terrible first half of the season, so much so that we maintained offers including John Collins, Danilo Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanovic to name a few. than them, as the trade deadline approaches. Admittedly, no one really knew what the degree of the explosion in the workforce was going to be, but there was going to be an explosion. Finally, Cam Reddish has so far been the only one to leave Atlanta, and since then… it’s a whole group that is getting back in shape. Once the transfer of the young winger was recorded, several media close to the Hawks reported that Reddish had asked to leave the franchise already this summer, in order to obtain playing opportunities elsewhere. A situation that Cam’s teammates were apparently aware of, which may have contributed to a kind of unease on and off the pitch. From there to say that the turnaround comes only from the departure of the winger? No. But has that contributed to this ongoing renaissance? Certainly. As we have already developed recently, the Hawks have a multitude of elements that cross at the best time in recent days, and this is a total game changer compared to the atmosphere of a month ago. Worst defense in the NBA? If the overall figures remain mediocre, since December 15 all the statistics have been on the rise: with De’Andre Hunter, Onyeka Okongwu and Clint Capela present together, immediately it causes things differently in the rackets.
But the efforts also come from outside, and this was particularly seen this Friday evening. Kevin Huerter, aggressive from the start of the match, brought his arm length and height to hinder Jaylen Brown. A counter and an interception for the wizard, accompanied by John Collins who covers Jayson Tatum in the hoop, De’Andre Hunter who makes a stop and Clint Capela who deflects an alley-oop. Boston observers, of course, came to ask us two or three questions about the networks: who are these Hawks? Since when do they defend like this? Equivalent surprise on one side than on the other, since Trae Young also went there with his forceful passages caused or good pass readings, allowing Atlanta to have an entire group concentrated in its own half of the field. On the other side, in attack, the recent acquisition of a complete group necessarily makes the difference: Delon Wright, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Danilo Gallinari, Lou Williams and Onyeka Okongwu rolled over Boston substitutes, allowing the Hawks to take the lead in the first period. And even if we could only give a defensive label to two of these five players on paper (Delon and Big O), it was with pleasure that Nate McMillan saw the others give themselves to defense. The logical continuation of a five major which sets the tone, and allows Atlanta to unfold its game, that seen during the Playoffs last year.
So, inevitably, the killer question: will it last, and if so how long? The trade deadline is Thursday February 10th, so until then some heads may still be rolling. However, the momentum seems excellent and it will be interesting to see if Travis Schlenk still pulls the trigger by then. Excellent test to come this Sunday, the Lakers will be in town with LeBron and AD certainly back on the field together. When you know the history of the King in Atlanta, there is enough to shed two or three drops of perspiration. But when we also see the level of play in Los Angeles for some time, it would be very smart for the Hawks to play a pure game against the Angelinos. In that sense, if Atlanta were to hold and possibly even beat the Lakers in front of their home crowd, there could be a near closure of the Georgia franchise rumor book. Knowing that Toronto and Phoenix will also be passing through the State Farm Arena, there will be no shortage of opportunities to really gauge these new Hawks. But one thing seems certain, and quite nicely for this team’s fanbase, is that the insufferable and disinterested group in the fall is gradually giving way to a collective and focused team, the one responsible for the last 6 wins in a row. Come on, a little more effort and the clouds will definitely disappear from Atlanta, enough to lead a very exciting second part of the season.
Boston added to the list of teams that took the Hawks from the wrong place at the wrong time. Thanks to a very good John Collins and a very solid bench, Atlanta has confirmed its good form and will have to recharge the batteries. Sunday is Showtime against the Lakers, an appointment not to be missed under any circumstances.
