The Atlanta Hawks have continued to feel the disrespect of the NBA after one poor season. They have one of the most talented offensive players in Trae Young and have remade part of their squad into one of the most dangerous in the entire NBA.
Firstly the Hawks were not given a Christmas Day game. They were robbed of their ability to showcase what they could truly accomplish last season due to the Covid-19 team outbreak. It is just frustrating to watch big markets get rewarded when the Hawks are putting together a team that will make some serious noise.
On top of that, the NBA was also petty with the Hawks’ schedule. It does not take an analyst to figure out that the Hawks have been sent back out of the big leagues. They are being forced to show their worth before the NBA gives them their flowers again.
The NBA has missed the boat with the Atlanta Hawks in rivals week.
Rivals week has been introduced by the NBA for the first time this season, going from January 24 to January 28. The Hawks have some great rivalries going with the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks just to name two franchises.
So, the question is, did they get one of the 11 nationally televised games that are the highlights of the week? Absolutely not. The Boston Celtics got two games, and so did the Los Angeles Lakers. The fact that they play the last nationally televised game is justified given their history.
Other teams with two games are the Memphis Grizzlies, the Brooklyn Nets, the Golden State Warriors, and the Philadelphia 76ers. How do the Grizzlies playing the Minnesota Timberwolves or the Denver Nuggets playing the 76ers trump the two Hawks rivalries mentioned earlier?
I mean Young has lived rent-free in the heads of the Knicks supporters since he eliminated them from the playoffs in 2021. The NBA needs to stop disrespecting the Hawks and give them the coverage that they deserve.