For the Hawks, it’s all about the adverb.
Are they a good team?
Or are they a really good team?
A good team makes the NBA playoffs. A really good team is capable of winning a championship. The Hawks are about to find out exactly where they stand as the play their final five regular-season games and then advance to the postseason.
There is reason for concern. The Hawks are 0-5 against the Cavaliers and Raptors, the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks’ current two straight losses have come to those teams and they will face each again the in final two weeks. For the record, the Hawks are also 0-4 against the Warriors and Spurs, the top two teams in the Western Conference.
“I think we are a real good team now,” Paul Millsap said Sunday. “I think to make that next step you have to prove that you are a really good team, that’s winning in the playoffs.”
The Hawks have clinched their ninth straight trip to the postseason, the longest streak in the East and second only in the NBA to the Spurs’ 19 straight appearances. Last year, the Hawks advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the first in franchise history. They were swept by the Cavaliers despite winning three of the four regular-season meetings.
The Hawks next host the Suns on Tuesday. They host the Raptors on Thursday and the Celtics Saturday before ending the season at the Cavaliers next Monday and Wizards next Wednesday.
“The final five games are definitely important,” Kent Bazemore said. “Against (the Cavaliers and Raptors), you definitely want to win those games. … Like I said after (Friday’s) game, the playoffs are a totally different beast. Beating Cleveland three times last year meant nothing. Toronto, they caught us on the end of road trips. We have that looming there. We’ve been two totally different teams against both those teams. If we play our best, the way we played the second half of each (of last two games), I think we come out on top against both of those teams. It’s up to us to figure out how to get back to that mindset and sustain it for 48 minutes.”
The Hawks trailed the Cavaliers by as many as 21 points Friday before rallying to take a fourth-quarter lead. They lost 110-108 in overtime.
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer and players said they are not concerned with their current regular-season record against the Cavaliers and Raptors. They believe they are starting to play their best basketball of the year and the playoffs are simply different than the regular season.
“I wouldn’t phrase it that way,” Budenholzer said when asked if he was concerned with a 0-5 mark against the Cavaliers and Raptors, two teams the Hawks could face in a second-round playoff matchup. “They are obviously both good teams, having good years. We haven’t been able to get it done. If we play more of the way we did in the second half (against the Cavaliers), we’ll give ourselves chances. So basically, I would say no.
“I think there is a sense of what it takes to be really good and that’s what we are focused on. I think when we are defending and reacting, our competitiveness for the entirety of the 48 minutes is not where we need it to be. And then offensively, there are times when we don’t execute and play with the pace and ball movement that we need.”
The Hawks are currently in position to host a first-round series, although just a half-game separates the No. 3-6 teams in the East. They Hawks want to finish strong – and yes that includes beating the Cavaliers and Raptors.
“I think you have to have a little pride, approach the game like it’s a playoff game. I think teams feed off if they come down and beat the mess out of you or beat you down. It gives them a little bit of momentum going into the playoffs. I think it’s imperative that we come out and set a tone.”
And then on to the playoffs and those questions.
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