If the Hawks made a couple more of what are among the highest-percentage shots in basketball, they'd be 8-1 and the talk of the Eastern Conference.
Yet they didn't make those free throws, and so they aren't getting all the plaudits.
Still, the Hawks did more than just survive a difficult schedule to start the season. Atlanta posted a 6-3 record over 12 days with a couple victories against East contenders Chicago and Miami.
A few lapses prevented the Hawks from laying claim to the best record in the conference. They recovered from potentially-demoralizing losses to deliver an impressive victory against Chicago on Saturday but they wanted more.
“Decent,” guard Joe Johnson said of Atlanta's play over the nine games. “It wasn't what we wanted it to be. Realistically we could have been 8-1. We let a couple get away. We have just got to try to validate this by stringing some more wins together.”
The Hawks still don't get much relief from the truncated schedule. Atlanta plays at New Jersey on Monday, at Indiana Wednesday and at home against Charlotte on Thursday.
The Hawks have already beaten the Nets twice and the Bobcats once. But nothing can be taken for granted in a schedule thrown off kilter by the lockout.
"We've got to stay focused and stay together,” said Hawks forward Josh Smith.
The Hawks could have come apart after blowing a 19-point lead to lose at Chicago on Tuesday and losing to the Heat (without LeBron James or Dwyane Wade) in triple overtime on Thursday. There were signs of fissures after the latter defeat, including finger pointing about defensive breakdowns.
Instead, the Hawks persevered to win in overtime at Charlotte Friday and then mustered the energy to bury the Bulls. After playing the toughest schedule in the league to start the season, the Hawks stood in fifth place in the East behind Miami (8-1), Chicago (7-2), Indiana (6-2) and Philadelphia (5-2).
“I think we did pretty good,” Hawks center Al Horford said. “There's definitely a [higher] ceiling to do better. But 6-3, I will take it. It's nine games in a short stretch of time, so I will definitely take that.”
In getting the victory against Chicago, the Hawks showed some improvement in areas that had become concerns.
Atlanta's crisp passing jolted life into its stagnating offense. Slumping forward Vladimir Radmanovic made all five of his 3-point attempts, Joe Johnson bounced back after a poor stretch and Jeff Teague finished strong at the basket while also recording eight assists with no turnovers.
Atlanta's energetic defensive effort rattled Chicago and created transition scoring chances. The Hawks even made their free throws: 6 for 6 after shooting 56 of 87 (64 percent) in the previous three games.
If the Hawks had made two or three more in the losses to Miami and Chicago, it would have been a stellar start to the season. They didn't, but it's still a good start.
“It was still a little disappointing because we let a couple games get away from us," Smith said. "All in all, I think we did a good job. We showed resilience and we played together.”
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