Rebuild pays off for Hawks
Atlanta is playoff bound for the first time since 2017
Atlanta Hawks clinch first postseason berth since 2017; New York also makes playoffs.
The Atlanta Hawks spent three miserable years totally rebuilding their team, all with the idea of finally making a big move this season.
Yet, as the All-star break approached, they were limping along with one of the worst records in the NBA.
Coach Lloyd Pierce was fired. Nate Mcmillan took over as the interim boss.
Suddenly, Shenendehowa graduate Kevin Huerter and the Hawks looked like a totally different team.
It all paid off Wednesday night, when Atlanta clinched its first playoff berth since 2017 by rallying for a 120-116 win over the Washington Wizards.
“This is what I came down here for, to try to help this team get to the next level,” said Mcmillan, who figures to get serious consideration for Coach of the Year honors despite his interim tag. “These guys have stood up and accepted that. I’m just thrilled to death that I can be part of this.”
The Hawks aren’t the only newcomer to the playoff scene.
The New York Knicks snapped an even longer drought, securing their first postseason berth since 2013 when Boston lost in Cleveland.
New York has been one of the NBA’S biggest surprises under their firstfor year coach, Tom Thibodeau, with a 38-31 record after seven straight losing seasons. The Knicks could have clinched their spot Tuesday in Los Angeles, but the Lakers rallied to beat them in overtime. They got in a night later. All-star Julius Randle made it clear the Knicks have bigger goals.
“Check it off the list. We not close to done,” he wrote on Twitter.
The Hawks were 14-20 when Pierce was fired on March 1, just days before Atlanta played host to the All-star Game.
Since Mcmillan took over, the Hawks are 25-11. The only team with more victories since the 34game point in the season? The Phoenix Suns, who are 26-9.
“It just shows we had it all along,” said Trae Young, the face of the Atlanta franchise. “We just needed to believe in each other and go out there and do it.”
The Hawks fell on hard times after posting a franchise-best 60-22 record in 2014-15, when they reached the Eastern Conference final in the team’s deepest playoff run since moving to Atlanta in 1968.
With some questionable personnel moves by thencoach Mike Budenholzer, the Hawks slipped for two straight seasons before Travis Schlenk was brought in as general manager and given a mandate to totally overhaul the roster by owner Tony Ressler.
Schlenk relied heavily on the draft to build the core of the team, landing Young, John Collins, Huerter and De’andre Hunter.
good measure, there was a shrewd trade to acquire rebounding machine Clint Capela.
Through the entire process, the Hawks were clearing out salary cap space with an eye toward making a big splash in free agency during this past offseason. Schlenk was able to sign Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari, both of whom brought much-needed experience and leadership.
It took nearly a halfseason for all the parts to mesh together — and Pierce wasn’t around to see it to fruition.
Schlenk made the coaching change after watching the Hawks continually blow leads in the fourth quarter. Of their first 20 losses this season, 13 were by 10 points or fewer. Only two of the defeats could be classified as blowouts.
Enter Mcmillan, who had 16 years of head coaching
experience with three different teams and had joined Pierce’s staff before this season to provide a seasoned assistant.
With Mcmillan at the helm, the Hawks are 12-5 when the margin is 10 points or fewer.
In the playoff-clinching victory, the Hawks rallied from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Young and Collins hit huge shots, and Atlanta clamped down on defense to hold the Wizards scoreless over the final 2 1⁄2 minutes.
“Really, where I’ve seen us grow is our finishes,” Mcmillan said. “We’ve been able to put together 48 minutes and finish those games.”
With two games remaining in the regular season (both at home against a pair of the league’s weakest teams, Orlando and Houston), the Hawks have a half-game lead for the No. 4 seed over Miami and the Knicks.