The Hawks would clinch a spot in the playoffs with a victory over the Nets on Saturday night at Philips Arena.
Normally that would be a footnote considering that a postseason berth has been a formality for a while. But with the way things are going for the Hawks, making it official would give them something to feel good about.
"For the psyche, it would be great," coach Larry Drew said Friday, "having gone through what we have gone through this month."
It actually has been longer than that: Starting with a 117-83 loss to Philadelphia on Feb. 8, the Hawks have lost 14 of 21 games. They are 4-8 this month despite playing 10 home games.
That loss to Philadelphia is one of three at home by at least 30 points this season. If the Hawks (40-32) earn 42 victories they would become the only winning team in NBA history to suffer that many lopsided home losses, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
It would be easy for the Hawks to be downtrodden under the circumstances, but their spirits appeared to be high at practice Friday.
"You can't be," center Al Horford said. "If you do that, then you are really throwing in the towel. At times our team has shown that on the court, but you can't lose complete sight of everything [positive].
"We are in a position where technically, we are in the playoffs. We can't give up. We have to keep fighting to get over this slump. This big slump."
Drew said he has worked equally with the offense and the defense in practice and meetings. Both need work.
After an initial improvement in defensive efficiency (points allowed per possession) following the trade for guard Kirk Hinrich last month, the Hawks are struggling to slow opponents. Four of their past five opponents have scored more than 100 points, including middling offensive teams Chicago and Philadelphia.
The Hawks' offense has regressed, too. Last season the Hawks were No. 3 in the NBA in offensive efficiency. After ranking in the top third of the 30-team league for most of this season, they've slipped to 20th.
As bad as the numbers look, the Hawks' intangibles have been worse.
Drew said the team is "fragile" and gives in to adversity. Forward Josh Smith said the Hawks don't back up each other. Horford said they need to be mentally tougher.
Guard Joe Johnson has seemed most despondent, lamenting after the past two losses that all the players' talk hasn't resulted in action.
"[We are] not helping one another on both ends of the floor," he said. "You hear so much talk about us as players trying to do this and trying to do that. Then we get on the court, and it just seems as if it's different. We have just got to try to pull it together."
Drew said he has tried to keep players upbeat by trying to get them to focus on the remaining 10 games and the postseason. He said there's still time for the Hawks to gain some positive momentum.
"We can't feel sorry for ourselves," Drew said. "We can't point the finger. We can't blame the officials. We have to be men. We have to look in the mirror. We have to hold each other accountable.
"More than anything, we have to go out there and play the game the way it is supposed to be played. Play it with a passion and play it with heart. There are no secrets about it this time of year."
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