Many teams have spent the bulk of this offseason making their own case to be the NBA's most entertaining team of the 2026-27 season.
Of course, the Philadelphia 76ers immediately come to mind. Adding LeBron James and Jaylen Brown to an already-talented group instantly propels them near the top of the list. It's the Minnesota Timberwolves, however, that stand out as the most intriguing, and Hawks fans should be thrilled to run into them during the upcoming campaign.
The only problem: the two teams won't face each other until the tail-end of the season. Already in different conferences, the Hawks and Timberwolves won't become too familiar with one another.
Maybe that'll make for two insane battles.
Their two matchups are very timely...
It's pretty consistent, at this point, that March brings out the best in players during the regular season. Just before anyone has anything clinched, teams are still in the hunt for postseason positioning.
Atlanta and Minnesota are in similar positions in their respective conferences. Both are expected to finish just above the Play-In Tournament.
While the Timberwolves made the more shocking move of the offseason - trading for All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball - the Hawks have shaped themselves into an unquestionably better group, as well.
That duo up north, though, is going to be exciting to watch. Even Hawks fans should tune in. Pairing Ball with the electric personality and overall superstardom of Anthony Edwards - famously an Atlanta native - should be met with a new world of interested viewers.
The first time Atlanta plays Minnesota will fall on March 10, with the sequel arriving on March 29.
While meeting earlier in the season would add more excitement to a potentially-dry stretch of games, the best will be brought out in each group come March.
Two of the NBA's most elite defenses will go head to head
No, LaMelo Ball isn't any sort of elite defender, but the rest of their starting five is.
Same in Atlanta, really, where CJ McCollum is more of an undersized guard, yet the Hawks have surrounded him with a plethora of lengthy disruptors.
With Dyson Daniels, Lu Dort and Nickeil Alexander-Walker on one side, and Jaden McDaniels, Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert on the other, the final score of these matchups could be shockingly low.
Still, it's going to be exciting, especially since both groups should have something to fight for by the time they meet.
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