ATLANTA: Atlanta 99, Washington 127.
Whoa. The Hawks are at an all-time low. correct? Yes?
Though if this isn’t the lowest point, the Hawks can definitely see it from there. Things can always get worse.
After a dismal home defeat to the Indiana Pacers on Friday, which in theory ought to have inspired them, the Hawks were completely outplayed, outcoached, outexecuted, and outplayed by the lowly Wizards on Saturday.
It was embarrassing for a team that is ostensibly in “win-now” mode that this occurred on their home court against a Washington team that came to State Farm Arena with a 6-31 record and a scoring margin of minus-10.4 points per game that was among the lowest in NBA history. That was a waste of time because the Hawks are now 15-23 and ranked 11th in the Eastern Conference. They wouldn’t advance to the Play-In Tournament if the season ended tonight.
Atlanta was also not at fault for injuries: On Saturday, seven of its top eight players were available, which is above average for the NBA at this point in the season. The Hawks were only able to blame their roster’s limitations and the coach’s and front office’s failure to find a solution.
I’ll point out that the Hawks have been in similar situations in the past before we go on. In fact, the peach-flavored basketball Festivus is almost a yearly event on the local calendar.
The most notable was their 14–20 record in March 2021, the season that concluded with a trip to the Eastern Conference finals, after they replaced Lloyd Pierce with Nate McMillan. Before they turned on the jets to win 45 games and defeat Charlotte in the Play-In, they were 17-25 in 2021–2022. And they were 29–30 the previous season when Quin Snyder took MacMillan’s position.
They bounced back to defeat the eventual East champion Miami Heat on the road in the play-in round and defeat the Boston Celtics in two games in the opening round of the playoffs.
Trae Young remarked following the game, “We can be a lot better, even though our record is ass right now.” “I’m not worried; this is a process.”
This past weekend certainly seems like a good moment to be concerned, but maybe that history is giving the Hawks a false sense of security.
It’s difficult to describe to those who missed it how completely lifeless the Hawks appeared this past weekend. The Hawks, who needed to win some of their five-game homestand against weaker opponents, were destroyed 126-108 on Friday by the Pacers without Tyrese Haliburton and dominated 126-108 on Saturday by the Wizards.Specifically, the barrage of opponent layups has reached absurd proportions. Indiana led Friday’s opening quarter with 28 points scored in the paint. A day later, Washington easily destroyed the Hawks, scoring 99 points in the first three quarters, looking like a seasoned 50-win team taking care of business.
It appeared as though the Hawks had let go of the rope by the beginning of the third quarter. On this coast-to-coast drive through Deni Avdija, observe the “resistance”
