Atlanta Hawks: Successful Season or Exposed as Frauds?

The Atlanta Hawks entered the 2014-2015 season with modest expectations – they’d be a playoff team again, probably win about 45 games, maybe win a playoff series after pushing the Pacers to seven in the first round last year – and so by that measure, winning 60 games and reaching the Eastern Conference Finals means Atlanta just had its best season since 1994.

Success!

But are you basing the season on vastly exceeding regular season expectations? Or on postseason success, where Atlanta … was just OK? The Hawks struggled with Brooklyn, then barely got by Washington, and finally, despite homecourt advantage, were swept by the Cavs. Atlanta fans will probably choose the former; NBA fans who never believed much in Atlanta despite the 60-wins and #1 seed in the East, are more likely to believe the latter.

Look at it this way: If, during the final week of the regular season, somebody said, “the Cavs will be without Kevin Love, lose Kyrie Irving for two games, and still sweep the Hawks,” you would have laughed at them. It would have been a statement that would have gotten you blocked on Twitter.

Yes, the Cavaliers were still the favorites to come out of the East in April – but that was fully healthy.

So by that measure – homecourt advantage and the Cavs were beat up, and Atlanta could not win one game? – the season will be labeled a disappointment.

But NBA teams always have to walk before they can run, and we’re talking about a franchise that hadn’t won a playoff series since 2011. There were only two players from that team on this year’s 60-win club: Al Horford and Jeff Teague.

That was the year Horford really blossomed – 15.3 ppg, 9.3 rpg, career high 3.5 apg – but Teague was still a 22-year old coming off the bench.

As much as you want to get excited about the Hawks taking the next step in the 2015-2016 season: 1) LeBron’s still alive and in the East, 2) Paul Millsap is a free agent, 3) DeMarre Carroll is a free agent, 4) Joakim Noah & Derrick Rose might be healthy next year, 5) Paul George will return to the Pacers, 5) Chris Bosh and the Heat will be healthy, 6) the Bucks should be much-improved with a healthy Jabari Parker.

How difficult is it to make the jump? Check out Jordan’s tough years in the late 80s in the playoffs. Check out the Thunder after trading James Harden. Check out the Memphis Grizzlies the last few years. Good luck, Atlanta.