The Atlanta Hawks need to continue to defend their home court
The Atlanta Hawks have become one of the toughest teams to beat at home since Nate McMillan took over as head coach two games before the All-Star break. They have gone 13-2 at home in that time, the two losses were against the Memphis Grizzlies and the Milwaukee Bucks.
This is an incredible record for a team that was 8-9 under former coach Lloyd Pierce, Yes, Pierce was dealing with a very high injury toll, but McMillan has not had a healthy team since he took over. So what is the difference?
Well, one part of the answer is McMillan has implemented systems and structures that have benefitted the playing personnel. However, their road record is still not great. Since McMillan took over they have a 10-9 record on the road.
The Atlanta Hawks do not play another regular-season season game away
The best news for the Hawks is that they do not play another game away from State Farm Arena in the regular season. They have won their last seven straight games at home, meaning they have turned their home floor into a fortress.
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Conversely, the Hawks have lost their last five games when they have traveled away from home. There are extenuating circumstances as to why. Firstly, two of their games have been the second half of a back-to-back.
Another two other games were when the Hawks had massive injuries for the baseball series against the Philadelphia 76ers who are the best team in the Eastern Conference. However, the best news is that the Hawks now have a favorable run with their last four games at home.
They face the Washington Wizards twice, in baseball series which has the power to decide the fate of two franchises seeding. Then they take on the Orlando Magic with their final game of the season against the Houston Rockets. It is not inconceivable the Hawks could win all four of these games.
This means that the Hawks would finish on an 11-game win streak at home. This should have them leap into the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. They will then give them the home-court advantage in the first round.
Next. Envisioning an alternative timeline. dark
This would go a long way to help them get into the second round of the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season.