NBA Power Rankings: Playoff Edition

(48-34). Previous: . Atlanta Hawks. 7. team. 125. <p>The Hawks blew a golden opportunity to snatch the number three seed and avoid the Cleveland Cavaliers by losing their final two games of the regular season. However, Atlanta has been lights-out in the second half of the season, to the point where many people are beginning to see the Hawks in a similar light to last season’s 60-win team that was firing on all cylinders before the playoffs.</p> <p>In a similar way to the Charlotte Hornets that we discussed previously, the Hawks have put together a tremendously stingy defense in an unlikely way. Paul Millsap is getting some All-Defensive team love after a season when he exceeded 1.7 steals and 1.7 blocks per game, but aside from that, Atlanta is void of a traditionally “dominant” rim protecting big man or a world-renown wing stopper. Nonetheless, the Hawks finished the season with the second-best defensive rating in the NBA (trailing only the Spurs) and Mike Budenholzer has his squad grinding on that end of the floor.</p> <p>Unlike the Hornets, though, this team has an offensive ceiling that can scare folks. Atlanta’s ball movement is legendary when it is going well, and all five players can shoot at all times with Al Horford and Kris Humphries providing stretchy range from the center position. The ceiling for the Hawks might come down to point guard play, and that is scary with some of the inconsistency of Jeff Teague and Dennis Schröder, but this is a better team than even the 48-34 record indicates right now and they’ve shown that recently.</p>