4 Reasons Why The Atlanta Hawks Will Make The Playoffs
Ruling the Southeast
The Miami Heat reigned supreme last season in the Southeast Division even though they had the same record as the Hawks and the Charlotte Hornets. Obviously, the Heat won the tie-breaker to win the division, but 2016-17 can look much different.
Much of the weight falls on whether or not Chris Bosh will be able to play for Miami. That decision alone could shift their win total from 33 to somewhere around 50. Assuming he doesn’t play because of his blood clot situation, the division should come down to the Hawks and the Hornets.
Like Miami, the Hornets lost a few valuable pieces in free agency in Jeremy Lin, Al Jefferson, and Courtney Lee. It’s likely that they take a step back after winning 48 games last season with those losses.
The Hawks finished 8-8 against divisional opponents last season. Again if the Heat don’t have Bosh, the Hawks have a great chance to win all four games against both the Heat and the Orlando Magic, who finished last in the division with a 35-47 record.
The tougher games will come against the Hornets and Wizards, but the Hawks are good enough to at least go .500 in those eight match-ups. If all this follows suit, they’ll finished with an improved record of 12-8 in the division, which could mean 50+ wins total and sitting pretty as the playoffs approach.
Next: A Balanced Mix