As the calendar turns to March, the NBA will begin its final full month of the regular season. With every passing day the playoff picture will get clearer as teams cement division titles and climb conference standings.
The month of March for the Atlanta Hawks will mark the one-year anniversary, of the day the franchise replaced Lloyd Pierce with Nate McMillan and proceeded to catch fire and finish the season on one of the greatest runs in franchise history, a run that ultimately ended in the Eastern Conference Finals.
But March of 2021 seems like ancient history as this current Hawks team that began the season with huge expectations find itself struggling almost nightly to win games.
The Hawks (29-31) currently hold the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference and will have to take part in the playoff play-in tournament unless they find a way over the final 22 games of the regular season to climb into the top six of the Eastern Conference.
Can this version of the Hawks go on another regular season ending flurry?
Most experts and analysts consider it a long shot for these Hawks to catch fire in a similar fashion as they did in 2021. But if they have any chance, All-Star point guard Trae Young will have to carry them and score a lot of points on a nightly basis along the way.
In the past six Hawks victories, Young has averaged 36.1 PPG. But when he struggles to score in bunches, the Hawks struggle to win.
When Mike Conti joined The Morning Show with John and Hugh earlier this week, he was asked point blank if he thinks the Hawks can climb into the top six.
“No, I don’t think there is any chance they can get to six,” he without hesitation replied. “Your goal is to get into the top-8”, is what Mike told John and Hugh should be a reasonable goal for the Hawks.
“If you are in the 7-8 game, and you lose, you get a second chance,” emphasized Mike when he explained to John and Hugh why he felt climbing a few seeds higher is the goal at this point.
“Your goal is to get into the top-8”, is what Mike told John and Hugh should be a reasonable goal for the Hawks.
The Hawks will take on the Boston Celtics (36-27) and Chicago Bulls (39-23) over their next two contests, with a fan base waiting and hoping for a repeat of recent history.
