Are the Atlanta Hawks suffering a playoff hangover?

The Atlanta Hawks have gone from being the hunters last season to the hunted this season.They have been picked by some pundits to be one of the top three teams in the Eastern Conference and this has it’s own set of pressure.

The Hawks are no longer a team that anyone takes lightly as they announced themselves in the playoffs. Firts they surprised a number of pundits by taking care of the New York Knicks the way that they did in five games.

They were then expected to be beaten by the No. 1 seed in the East last seasion the Philadelphia 76ers. History tells us that the Hawks refused to lie down, beating the 76ers before bowing out to the eventual NBA champions, the Milwaukee Bucks, in six games. Who knows what may have happened if Trae Young had not injured himself on the referee’s foot.

That Atlanta Hawks are struggling with a playoff hangover

According to a recent article by Erin Walsh of Bleacher Report, Young expressed that he was unhappy with how the team is going as they are not winning. However, he also stated that the regular season is boring compared to the playoffs.

The probloem is that as we all know, you have to have a good regular season to make the playoffs. However, I can only assume once you have tasted playoff basketball, the grind can be even tougher. The best players and teams over the years have been able to work through the grind so that they are in the best position possible for the playoffs.

This is something that the young Hawks are going to have to figure out. They need to go out and play each game with an intensity close to the playoffs, but not burn themselves out prior to the post season starting.

This is an incredible difficult balance to find, but if the Hawks want to see a deeper run into the playoffs, they have to find it. They have one of the best coaches in the business and a core of incredibly talented players, they just need to get their chemistry right and the rest will follow.