Who would be the best Play-In Tournament matchup for the Atlanta Hawks?

The Atlanta Hawks (37-37) postseason fate figures to be very matchup dependent. They are 3-3 over their last six with a tilt against the already-eliminated Indiana Pacers on Monday. Zoom out a little, and they have won six of their last nine which also puts their 8-6 record in March in an even more positive light.

There is work yet to be done. They have another road date against the Oklahoma City Thunder, as well as a home matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the current seven-seed.

Winning two of those matchups would give the Hawks their best winning percentage for any month in what has been a tumultuous season.

Of course, they will begin the next month with a couple of equally challenging games.

The Hawks first matchup of April is against the Brooklyn Nets who recently gained the services of Kyrie Irving full-time. This game will be in Atlanta. Still, the Hawks are 0-2 against the Nets already this season including a 113-105 loss at State Farm Arena. That points to a more big-picture question.

Which team should the Atlanta Hawks hope to match up against in the Play-In Tournament?

Unfortunately, the Hawks battles with health and inconsistency have left them trailing while the rest of the Play-In field – and conference – shuffles up and down in the rankings.

The top two seeds in the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat have the same record while the Milwaukee Bucks (third) and Philadephia 76ers (fourth) are just a half-game back with matching records as well. Just 2.5 games separate the Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, and Cavs.

Now, the Nets sit in ninth thanks to their loss at the hands of the Charlotte Hornets.

With so much movement still taking place, including potentially by the Hawks, let’s look at who they would fare best against in a one-game scenario.