Atlanta Hawks: The playoff picture with one game left

As I said in the last update, the Atlanta Hawks have qualified directly for the playoffs. This is an incredible achievement considering where this franchise was last season. They have doubled their win tally from last season, where they only had 20. They have the chance to make it 41 against the worst team in the league, the Houston Rockets in the final game.

The best thing for the Hawks is that they have one game to go. They are also half a game ahead of the chasing Miami Heat and the New York Knicks. Despite losing the season series to the Knicks, it is more likely that the Hawks want to face the untested Knicks in the playoffs.

The Heat showed that they are not afraid to get their hands dirty in the postseason. They have the sublime talents of Jimmy Butler who is willing and able to step it up when the regular season ends. Last season, he was the only reason the Heat were not swept in the playoffs.

The Atlanta Hawks have the potential to rest some players

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Now that the Hawks have two days off until their final game, they are going to be able to assess before the final game if they want to rest key players. The problem for the Hawks is that they have battled injury all season long.

As a result, some of their players have been pushed too far. There are some end offseason niggles and soreness which is popping up on the Hawks injury report prior to every game. They have also not been helped by how compressed the season has been.

If the Hawks don’t need to play some key players like Bogdan Bogdanovic, Trae Young, Kevin Huerter, Clint Capela, and Danilo Gallinari, then the other rotation pieces might get a full game. The Hawks have barely played Kris Dunn since his return.

As the playoffs start on the 22nd of May, it is possible that the Hawks could start then or on the 23rd, depending on when their game is fixtured. This could be nine or ten days rest they can get into their star players’ bodies which will help them as they embark on their first postseason action since 2017.