Eastern Conference contenders beware: Former NBA stars warn the Hawks' surprising dominance makes them the East's most feared playoff spoiler.
The Atlanta Hawks are the hottest team in the Eastern Conference since the NBA All-Star break. After winning their 13th straight home game on Monday night against a strong Boston Celtics squad, people across the NBA media landscape are starting to take notice.
Atlanta is 43-33, and has lost just three games since Feb 19. The Hawks did not lose a game at home in March and recently went on an 11-game winning streak. A noticeable difference has been Trae Young's absence.
Former NBA player Chandler Parsons recently made a bold claim about how Eastern Conference teams should view the Hawks on "RunItBackFDTV":
“I don't know if they’re better or worse [without Trae Young], but they are the scariest team in the 5-8 seed for the East that none of the top dogs want to see in the 1st or 2nd round.”
Even DeMarcus Cousins sent a little jab at Trae Young on the same network:
“The defensive versatility this group shows now is way different than what we saw with Trae Young."
Those potential 'top dogs' Parsons is referring to are the New York Knicks or the Cleveland Cavaliers. If things hold for the remaining six games of the schedule, Atlanta could go 3-3 at worst, and probably still hold in either the fifth or sixth seed and earn a playoff series, which would be a huge win overall.
In terms of the teams the Hawks fans should theoretically be rooting against, it's the 76ers and Toronto Raptors, but even that doesn't mean a whole lot, except for play-in seedings.
The next Hawks game is on Wednesday against the Orlando Magic, and then follow that game up with the Brooklyn Nets. The Hawks' last four games of the regular season? Cavaliers twice, Knicks, and Heat.
