The Atlanta Hawks have lost two straight games, but they remain in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings with 14 games to go.
Atlanta controls its destiny. And while Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley expects the Hawks to win their division, he does not make the claim as an assertion of their dominance. Instead, Buckley believes the Hawks have been the best of a bad bunch.
“Ever done a quick scan of the NBA's division standings? Spend too much time looking at the Southeast, and your eyes might bleed,” Buckley wrote on March 17. “Things are all the way brutal down there. Perhaps the worst this league has ever seen. At this point, it's not only possible that the division winner won't have a winning record, it's entirely conceivable that it will take less than 40 triumphs to take the title.”
“This still isn't a good team, but it doesn't have to be to finish ahead of an Orlando Magic team with perpetual offensive problems and a Miami Heat bunch that has appeared rudderless since the Jimmy Butler drama boiled over.”
Buckley did note the Hawks’ new trio of Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, and Terance Mann.
Hawks could be sneaky tough in postseason
The Hawks have the sixth-best net rating in the East (16th in the NBA) and are 9-8 since the trade deadline.
Their record is fifth-best, and they have also shown a propensity to play the top teams in the East tough if not outright beat them this season. Notably, the Hawks have the fourth-best net rating against the East since the trade deadline.
All of this comes as they have been without Jalen Johnson since late January.
The Hawks also went through much of the early portion of the season without a viable backup point guard behind Trae Young, injuries throughout their lineup, and a rookie starting.
Buckley’s prediction may be equivalent to a backhand compliment for Quin Snyder's crew. The Hawks can only control what they do from this point on. And making it to the postseason means matchups against teams they have fared far better against than their overall marks may indicate.
To that end, nine of the Hawks’ final 14 games are against the East.
It is essentially now or never for the Hawks to improve their positioning before the postseason, especially with the Orlando Magic right on their heels.
The Hawks will face the Magic twice in the final stretch, giving them control over that head-to-head. So the end of the season sets up about as well as the Hawks could want heading into the postseason, where they could fare better than many expect.