The Atlanta Hawks need to win the games they should win
The Atlanta Hawks are contenders for the championship this season and rightly so. They have all of the major parts, a superstar point guard, some stars in their starting lineup who are at the top of the league in many categories, and a really deep bench.
They are missing three of their key bench pieces in Danilo Gallinari, Lou Williams, and Onyeka Okongwu. They are expecting the two veterans back in the not too distant future. However, Okongwu will not be back until January, but he is looking at coming back earlier if possible.
This means that there is little to no excuse for them to lose to an up-and-coming team as they did in the second game of the season against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Hawks last too many of these games under Lloyd Pierce but barely lost any once Williams replaced Rajon Rondo in the Hawks squad.
The Atlanta Hawks cannot lose too many of these games.
As a young team, it is more difficult to win away from home and this was the Hawks’ first away game of the season. Their home needs to be a fortress as 41 wins at home will go a long way to qualifying for the playoffs.
However, it is a very difficult path for a team to win the championship if they cannot take games on the road, especially against teams that they should beat. Home court advantage is crucial for a franchise looking to win a title, it is slightly less challenging to beat the best team on your home floor, than on their floor.
John Collins got his bag last season but with great money comes great responsibility. He cannot be the third or fourth-best player on the floor. He needs to perform his role for the team every night. Yes, he did collect 12 rebounds in the Cavaliers game but six points in a loss is not good enough.
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There were plenty of players who were down in the Cavaliers game, not just Collins. This could also be understandable because they were so hyped up for the start of the season. As a squad they need to flatten out the emotional highs and lows, this will give them the best chance at competing for the Atlanta Hawks’ first NBA championship.