The injured Hawks started their west coast road trip with a loss against the Phoenix Suns. While losing to the Suns is not a bad thing these days, it’s the overall picture that makes it a rough loss. The Hawks have lost 11 of their last 12 largely due to injuries and tired legs. February and March is a rough time for any NBA team. Throw in injuries and you’re gonna have some problems. That’s why this upcoming road trip is so huge for the Hawks. They don’t have to win every single game, but a single win over the next three could go a long way.
It won’t be an easy road with the Hawks playing in Portland tonight to take on the Blazers. While Portland has appeared to have fallen back down to earth a bit, they are still one of the better teams in the NBA using an arsenal of – point shooters. They use LaMarcus Aldridge and his mid-range shooting ability to space the floor for their 3-point shooters. The Blazers problem is their defense is far from good and their bench isn’t that great.
Were the Hawks at full strength I’d say they had a really good chance at winning and possibly even be the favorites. However, no Horford, Millsap likely out, no Antic, and no Ayon, leaves them in a tight spot. They finally have three big men on the roster, but they’ve gone from having two all stars, a serviceable vet in Elton Brand, and a serviceable rookie to playing the vet major minutes while trying to scrape by on big men that were at the end of the bench earlier in the season. That is not an ideal situation for any team.
A victory for the Hawks will be extremely difficult, in fact you can even say it’s unlikely. However, there is one nice thing the Hawks can do against the Blazers and that’s change their perception. The Hawks will be playing the Blazers on ESPN. Many memories fans have of the Hawks is that really boring team that made it to the second round of the playoffs all the time. This Hawks team is the most exciting it’s been in years and has a chance to put on one hell of a show for the national TV crowd. If they win, they can help change their perception in the eyes of fans even more.
After the Blazers game, the road back to Atlanta doesn’t get any easier. A game against the Warriors is on Friday followed by a back to back against the Clippers on Saturday. The Hawks will finish their road trip with one final game against the Jazz on Monday.
With all the injuries, it’s way too late to throw in the towel and start tanking so the Hawks are going to try and keep the seed they currently hold on to. They’ve had some help in this aspect with the teams below them not able to get out of their own way. Between the dysfunction of the Knicks, the Cavs firing a GM, and the Pistons firing a head coach the Hawks really just need to stay the course to maintain that playoff spot. Once they’re healthy again Atlanta should be able to make a push at getting a better seed, but keeping their head above water is what’s most important right now. If the Hawks can go 2-2 over these next stretch of games that would leave them coming out of this road trip largely unscathed.
To get these victories, Atlanta is going to need Jeff Teague to play his best basketball. Teague can’t have any off nights; he’s too important to the success of the team right now. When Teague is penetrating, creating open shots, and getting to the free throw line it causes major problems for the defense.
Another key to getting some wins will involve hitting as many shots from deep as possible. The Hawks are one of the best teams in the NBA when it comes to ball movement and they need to use that ball movement to get open shots from deep. 3 pointers will be crucial in keeping them in games.
I don’t want to get too dramatic here but this next stretch of games might be Atlanta’s most important stretch of games this season. They need some wins to stay in the playoffs and possibly drop some old labels off of them as well. It’s time for them to step up.
