HAWKS PREVIEW: THREE THINGS THAT COULD GO WRONG

1. The Hawks managed to avoid major injury to any of their regulars (not named Speedy Claxton) last season. That paved the way for a puncher’s chance to make the playoffs after trading for Mike Bibby (right) on Feb. 16. Few teams are lucky enough to avoid the injury bug two years in a row. Even with the Hawks’ improved depth, the club is like any team in the league when it loses a major player (see the Washington Wizards and Gilbert Arenas for the most notable example).

2. A brutal opening month will send the Hawks on the road for 10 of their first 16 games. That’s a daunting task for any team. For a team that won just 12 road games last season, a totally unacceptable amount for a playoff team, it’s a monumental uphill climb from the Hawks’ recent past. If they can’t find a way to beat back the demons that plague them away from Philips Arena, they could spend weeks, or even months, trying to dig out of a hole built before Christmas.

3. What if the Hawks’ 82-game sample from last year (37 wins) is more indicative of who they are than the seven-game playoff sample (three huge home wins)? The Hawks hooked everyone, fans as well as executives, coaches and players from other teams, with their gutsy effort during their playoff series with the eventual champion Celtics. But where was that fight during the regular season? The Hawks must make believers out of everyone this year, and sooner rather than later.