The Hawks have made the playoffs eight straight seasons – the longest active streak in the Eastern Conference. The run began the year the team drafted Al Horford with the No. 3 overall pick in 2007.
Coincidence?
This postseason has been different than any of the previous seven. The Hawks have finally broken through and advanced to the conference finals. The franchise last won two postseason series in 1958 when in St. Louis it won its only world championship. The last seven years have brought three first- and four second-round exits.
Not this season. With series wins over the Nets and Wizards, the Hawks are in the Eastern Conference finals for the first time.
“It definitely feels good,” Horford said of the Hawks being in uncharted territory. “I’m very grateful to be here and to have this opportunity. I feel like we have worked very hard to put ourselves in this position and I’m really just want to take advantage of this great opportunity.”
The Hawks open the Eastern Conference finals as the No. 1 seed against the Cavaliers on Wednesday in Atlanta.
Despite the run of playoff berths, the Hawks have hardly been a stable franchise the past eight seasons. In his career, Horford has played with 67 different teammates. That’s an average of more than eight new teammates a year. After his initial season, Horford has been on a team with six or more new faces five times. The three-time All-Star center’s tenure also includes three different head coaches.
“As a player you just focus on coming in and playing and letting everything else take care of itself,” Horford said. “I’m still not trying to get involved in any of that but I get the sense there is more order now and everyone, I feel like, is going in the same direction.”
With the 12 playoff games this season, Horford climbed to the top of the Atlanta Hawks’ all-time games played list with 60 as he surpassed Tree Rollins (56), Josh Smith (52), Dominique Wilkins (51), Mookie Blaylock (50) and Kevin Willis (49). Horford missed most of the postseason in 2012 with a torn left pectoral muscle and all of the postseason in 2014 with a torn right pectoral muscle.
“Al, that’s my guy,” said Jeff Teague, the second-longest tenured Hawks player. “That’s all I can really say. We’ve been here for the longest time. I’ve seen him work hard every year to get better. He’s had to deal with injuries and then came back and got another injury. For him to have this opportunity and to be playing in the postseason at a high level, I’m just happy for him.”
Horford has seven double-doubles this postseason and 23 for his career, good for fourth in franchise history. He has been a force during these playoffs by averaging 15.6 points and 9.9 rebounds. He won Game 5 of the semifinal series against the Wizards in dramatic fashion with his last second rebound and put-back. According to Elias Sports Bureau, he became the first player since Tim Duncan in 2005 to score a game-winning basket in the final two seconds of a playoff game in which he was the leading scorer and rebounder (outright or tied).
Horford will find himself in a position against the Cavaliers as he did against the Wizards. The Cavaliers will play a traditional big-man game with Tristen Thompson and Timofey Mozgov. Against the Wizards’ duo of Nene and Marcin Gortat, Horford was effective scoring off the pick-and-roll and the mid-range jumper off the pick-and-pop.
According to NBA Stats, Horford easily leads all postseason players as the roll man in pick-and-roll plays with 73 points. The Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol is second with 49 points. Horford’s teammate Paul Millsap is fourth with 40 points.
Horford paused for a moment to reflect on whether the current stability of the franchise – at least on the court – has been a factor is the advancement to the conference finals.
“It’s a couple things,” Horford said. “The stability, yes. But also getting the right guys in here and the coaches and everyone buying into what they want us to do.”
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