The Hawks lost their past four games against playoff contenders that had every key player available. They hardly put up a fight against the Timberwolves and Heat.
The Hawks have since won an NBA-high seven games in a row (six at home). They’ve feasted on bad teams and decent squads with their best players in street clothes.
It’s easy to dismiss the surge as nothing more than the Hawks taking advantage of a soft spot in the schedule. I’m not doing that because the team has shown grit while new players work their way into the rotation.
Those developments will help the Hawks (34-31) once they start playing better opponents.
“I think we are becoming more mature,” Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker said. “The way we’ve won some of these games in this stretch, we are proving that we can respond in the middle (of games). That adjustment period that needs to be made for handling runs better.
“Our unity is, I think, more cohesive together as a group and it’s shown.”
The latest demonstration of that growth was the victory over the Mavericks at State Farm Arena on Tuesday.
The Hawks led by 18 points with five minutes left in the third quarter. The Mavericks tied the game when sharpshooter Klay Thompson got hot. The Hawks held the visitors to 21 points in the fourth quarter while winning 124-112.
The Hawks showed similar spirit during three other victories during the streak. They didn’t stay down when they fell behind early. When games got tight after they built big leads, they found a way to close out opponents.
With 17 games to play, the Hawks are 2 ½ games behind the Heat (37-29) for the final guaranteed playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
“We’re winning, but we understand that we have to be better moving forward,” Hawks forward Jalen Johnson said. “Because obviously we are going to have closer and tougher games.”
The schedule will be more difficult soon.
The Hawks close out this week with rematches against the Nets and Bucks at State Farm Arena. After that, they’ll play 10 of their final 15 games against teams currently aiming for the playoffs.
The stretch of games against struggling opponents has allowed the Hawks some breathing room. They’ve forged a new identity as newcomers settle into their roles.
The start of the winning streak coincided with coach Quin Snyder elevating CJ McCollum to the starting lineup in place of Zaccharie Risacher. Jock Landale, Corey Kispert and Gabe Vincent have become regulars off the bench.
The Hawks traded for Vincent and Landale just before the Feb. 5 deadline. McCollum and Kispert were part of the Trade Young trade in January.
Johnson said they’ve all contributed to the team’s good chemistry
“The communication part has been huge from the locker room, to practice, to halftime,” Johnson said. “The way we’re communicating with each other, and everybody is just speaking their mind, has been big for us.”
The Hawks have been the league’s most efficient team during the winning streak. They’ve outscored opponents by nearly 21 points per 100 possessions during the streak, according to Cleaning the Glass (garbage time excluded).
Strong play by the closing group has been key. The Hawks are hard to guard late in games with Johnson, Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels forming a formidable pick-and-roll trio.
“We have multiple threats at once,” Alexander-Walker said. “You’ve got one guy putting pressure on the rim, you’ve got ‘J.J.’ downhill and being the threat he is. And then, myself, just reading that and being able to make shots …
“We’ve got so many variety of looks in that last stretch in the fourth. We are able to execute really well. It’s something we work on and it’s starting to come to life.”
We’ll find out if the Hawks can keep it up when the opponents are better.
The closing stretch of 15 games includes six against teams that are among the top four in the East: Pistons, Celtics (twice), Knicks and Cavs (twice). Three of those games are on the road. The Hawks also will play at the Rockets, who stand third in the West.
I still believe the Hawks will have their weaknesses exposed when the competition stiffens.
They are playing an aggressive defensive style to make up for their lack of rim protection and rebounding. That’s harder to pull off against opponents with more scoring threats.
The Hawks don’t score well at the rim and depend heavily on transition baskets. Good defensive teams make them win by converting 3-pointers at a high rate in the halfcourt.
The Hawks haven’t defeated good teams during the seven-game winning streak, but they’ve beaten them soundly. They are learning how to play with a new group of players. The Hawks are creating good vibes.
Those are reasons why their recent surge can’t be easily dismissed.
You can now get my column sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for my newsletter here.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
