Unless something went incredibly awry the Hawks were going to clinch a spot in the playoffs this week.
Still, Josh Smith was leaving nothing to chance.
“The magic number is one,” Smith said before the Hawks played at Toronto on Monday night.
The Hawks put the matter to rest with a blowout victory over the Raptors to officially earn an Eastern Conference playoff berth with five games to spare. That was about the only thing the Hawks settled before beginning a season-ending homestand Wednesday against Detroit.
The Hawks could realistically finish anywhere from fourth to sixth in the East. Their opponent could be Boston or Orlando with home-court advantage or Indiana without it.
The Hawks have two centers (Al Horford and Zaza Pachulia) who are nursing injuries and other players who could use some rest. The team still isn’t in top form, especially on offense.
Hawks coach Larry Drew said all those factors come down to one goal.
“We are going to try to win as many games as we possibly can,” Drew said. “As long as there is an opportunity to move up, we want to try to take advantage of that.”
But the Hawks could improve their fortunes by moving down in the standings. Or maybe not, depending on which opponent they end up drawing.
It’s all a prelude to what the Hawks hope is a run to the conference finals for the first time since the franchise moved to Atlanta in 1968.
“I’m looking at it [like] it doesn’t matter who we play,” Smith said. “We have the capability to give a good fight to get past the first and second rounds if we believe in ourselves. Right now we just have to try to make it through without major minutes.”
Pachulia (foot), who has filled in admirably for Horford, said he could be out for the balance of the regular season. Horford (pectoral), an All-Star selection the past two seasons, participated in contact drills Tuesday for the first time since Jan. 17 surgery. He said he wouldn’t be at full strength if he returns for the playoffs.
The playoff picture remains cloudy because the Hawks entered Tuesday tied with Boston and Orlando for fourth place in the East. The No. 4 seed will play No. 5 and No. 6 faces No. 3.
The Magic appear to be the most favorable matchup for the Hawks. Atlanta defeated Orlando as an underdog in the first round of last year’s playoffs and won all three meetings this season, including two on the road.
Orlando also has suffered from a run of negative news. First Magic coach Stan Van Gundy publicly acknowledged that Howard tried to get him fired; then Howard was diagnosed with a herniated disk in his back that could keep him out of the playoffs.
The Magic lost 109-81 to the Hawks last week without Howard, but they’ve won two in a row since then and play at Boston on Wednesday. The Hawks play host to Boston on Friday, raising the possibility Orlando could finish the week with a chance to climb to fifth or fourth place and end up facing the Hawks in the playoffs.
The No. 6 seed likely will draw Indiana in the playoffs. The Pacers had a three-game lead for third place with five to play before facing Philadelphia on the road Tuesday night.
The Hawks won two of three games against Indiana during the season series and have defeated them in 11 of the past 13 overall. The Hawks have scored more efficiently against Indiana than against any of their potential opponents, an important consideration for what’s still an average offensive team.
But the Pacers are surging to the playoffs. Entering their game Tuesday night against the 76ers, they had won five in a row and nine of 10, including a victory against Western Conference leader Oklahoma City.
Then there’s the Celtics, who had posted a 21-8 record since the All-Star break before playing the Knicks on Tuesday night.
Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo won the 2008 NBA championship and the 2010 East title.
Smith figures the Hawks will end up facing Boston or Indiana in the playoffs and expects a tough series either way.
“Indiana got better; they’ve been on fire,” he said. “Boston is a veteran ballclub who knows how to win basketball games. We are going to have be faced with adversity in either of those matchups.”
About the Author
