There is no need for extra motivation for this 60-win Hawks team.
They will simply continue to go about their business — citing the one-game-at-a-time mantra — as they enter the postseason. The No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Hawks will play the Nets in a first-round series that begins Sunday.
“It’s even easier to do it now, to me, than it is during the regular season,” Kyle Korver said of the Hawks’ mentality. “It’s really one game at a time. One game can literally turn a series. … If you’ve been in the playoff before, you know you don’t look ahead. We are going to focus on Game 1.”
As has been the case for much of the Hawks’ record-breaking regular season, they have garnered little national attention as legitimate contenders for an NBA championship. Despite their impressive record — second best in the league — many pundits don’t believe the Hawks will get beyond the conference finals. That praise and predication is being lavished on teams such as the Cavaliers and Bulls.
It doesn’t matter.
“Everyone finds motivation, and we all find it in different ways,” Korver said. “I kind of stopped using haters as motivation a long time ago because I got really tired. It seems like they never go away. Today, there are more and more of them. Everybody has a voice on social media.
“No matter what we do, there are probably going to be people who don’t believe in us, and that’s fine. We are going to continue to stay true to who’ve been all season. That is believing in our group and what we can do and trying to play good Hawks basketball.”
The Hawks have certainly played well against the Nets this season. They swept them 4-0, including two victories this month.
Several players were asked Friday what it meant to head into the playoffs knowing they showed their dominance over the Nets in the regular season. Here is a sampling of the responses:
Jeff Teague: “Nothing. It’s a totally different season, totally different game. The intensity is going to be at an all-time level.”
Paul Millsap: “Doesn’t matter. We have to win four games now. We have to win four more.”
Al Horford: “I personally, and us as a team, I don’t think we are getting caught up in that. We have this great opportunity in front of us. We understand it. We understand we need to make the most of it.”
Make no mistake, the Hawks are ready for the postseason to begin. Korver said it feels as if the team hasn’t played a meaningful game for a month. He’s right. The Hawks clinched the No. 1 seed in the conference March 27 and were well in control long before that.
“I’m very anxious — like a little kid before the first day of school,” DeMarre Carroll said. “No nerves. This is what I do. This is what our team does. We play basketball. We’ve been doing this our whole lives.”
There is precedent for a No. 8 seed to knock off a No. 1 seed. The Hawks nearly did it last season when they pushed the Pacers to seven games in the first round. Many, including the Hawks, still believe they should have won the series. They didn’t. There is a new opportunity in front of them.
The regular-season accomplishments and accolades are nice. They are not the ultimate goal. A championship trophy, a ring and a banner to hang from the rafters of Philips Arena are the next visions.
“Our confidence is high,” Millsap said. “We feel like we can do something. How far we go, it’s up to us. That’s how we approach every practice, every game. … We know what we are headed for.”
