The Atlanta Hawks struggle to find their way as the NBA Playoffs approach
With the playoffs nearing, the Atlanta Hawks are facing all sorts of trouble as they continue to be dominated on their home floor. The Hawks boast a 40 – 32 record and need one more game to clinch a playoff spot in the east but their recent form has been
dismal at best.
Atlanta has recently looked like a disjointed group of players. The Hawks have recorded losses in 14 of the last 21 games and are quickly losing ground in the ever-changing eastern conference playoff scene. Sixth-place Philadelphia 76ers are hot on the Hawks’
heels and only 2 ½ games behind them.
With a 114 – 81 loss against the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday, Atlanta looked confused and too tired to fight-back. The Bulls led by 47 at one point in the game to embarrass Atlanta in front of their home crowd. Atlanta Coach Larry Drew was unable to fathom
why his team seemed to crumble when other teams made big runs, especially at home.
"It's something I've been preaching it seems like every day this month, about how to respond to runs," Coach Drew said. "This game is a game of runs. Teams make runs. You make runs. You respond to it and we just don't respond to it well at all. It looks
like we lose interest, lose confidence. We just don't handle it well."
The 100 -59 loss to the New Orleans Hornets in January, and another 117 – 82 loss to the 76ers in February have uncovered countless flaws in the way the Atlanta Hawks’ players react to tough opposition.
"Everybody on this team knows what we have to do to win. Yet still we don't come out and do it" guard Joe Johnson said. "We're a team that sits here in this locker room and talk all the time about what we want to do and what we need to do. Then we go out
on the floor and do things that are out of our character or that's not within ourselves. It makes us all look bad. "
Atlanta has now been routed in the Philips Arena more than any other team with a 50-plus winning percentage in the history of the NBA. The Hawks have been silenced by 20 points or more five times.
No other team with a winning record has ever looked as bad as the Hawks right now.
According to Joe Johnson there have been a lot of ‘player-only’ meetings this season aimed at deciphering the problem and finding a solution, but all of them have proved unsuccessful. Johnson, a five-time All Star selection has been having a bad year, averaging
less than 20 points for the first time in five seasons.
Forward Josh Smith believes it has to do with the Hawks’ inability to group together and help each other on both ends of the floor, to fight-back against the odds and still look for victory.
The Hawks have been also been mired by point-guard troubles, which resulted in Mike Bibby being traded to Washington in exchange for Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong. But after the trade, the Hawks are doing worse than they had planned. The Hawks main group
have been together for the past four seasons but still struggle to find their respective identities in the team.
While Coach Drew has considerably experimented with starting line-ups, shuffling players in and out, he hasn’t quite found the correct mix. From benching Marvin Williams to starting Jeff Teague at the 1-guard position, Coach Drew has tried everything.
But, to no avail.
Time is of the essence for the Atlanta Hawks, who need to shake out of their trance quickly and come together as a team if they plan to make a serious run in the approaching playoffs.
Tags: