Atlanta Hawks Fully Embrace Play-In Tournament

The Hawks are once again below .500.

© Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Yesterday I was sitting on South Beach (flex alert) when I got an automated email from the Atlanta Hawks. The email said the following:

Trae Young put on a show in The Garden last night vs the Knicks for an exciting win! Ready to run back another exciting postseason with Trae, Bogi, Clint and the rest of the Hawks crew?

Get in on the action early by signing up for our ticket presale. By signing up for presale, you will be able to purchase tickets prior to the general public meaning you get better seating options and lower prices.

Presale for a home Play-In Tournament game will begin on March 30, 1pm EST. Sign up and find all postseason information including Play-In Tournament details by tapping below!

Oh? The words Play-In jumped out at me like when you're googling scary health symptoms (one of my oldest pastimes). Surely the verbiage was a mistake. But, no, a tweet from the official Hawks Twitter account came shortly after.

While it does seem like a foregone conclusion that the Hawks are destined for the dreaded Play-In games, it's still not official. Heck, less than three weeks ago, FiveThirtyEight gave them an almost 70% chance of making the playoffs. It has since plummeted to 34%.

Yesterday in my game day preview, I wrote how the Hawks were officially locked in following the win against the Knicks and would easily beat the second-worst team in the NBA on Wednesday night. Sike. The Pistons defeated the Hawks for the second team in just over two weeks. 

Heavy legs and back-to-backs go hand-in-hand. pic.twitter.com/zQYitMABs9

— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) March 24, 2022

Following the embarrassing loss, a phlegmatic Hawks head coach Nate McMillan said, "It's always tough on a back-to-back, and this is a tough team to play on a back-to-back. They keep a lot of pressure on the ball defensively. They make you work for everything that you get." 

Bet. That must be why the Pistons' defensive ranking is 24th in the NBA, and they give up 113.1 points per game. As for the fatigue factor, I grant you that it is difficult to string together two road games on consecutive nights. But what happened to "Win The Race"? 

Speaking of South Beach, when I was in Miami, the energy surrounding the Heat was palpable. They are first in the Eastern Conference have already clinched the Southeast Division. Are they coasting? Watch the video below and tell me if they are done holding each other accountable:

That's not drama or pettiness. That's a veteran and star player pushing each other to be their best. Championship teams are not built during times of little turbulence. I only wish we saw that kind of energy and attitude from the Hawks last night. Instead, they lay an egg and shrug their shoulders. That's why the Heat have sprinted to the Southeastern Division champs, and the Hawks are below .500.

If the season ended today, the Hawks would have to win two consecutive road games - one at Charlotte, and the other would likely be in Brooklyn just for the right to play a top-tier team. Every team dealt with Covid, and most teams have had worse injury luck than the Hawks. The winning teams just showed more resolve and fight this season. 

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