Villains are sometimes tough to describe in the sports world. Sometimes, they are clear as day and, in recent years, Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young has taken on a villain role to the fans of the New York Knicks. Most of that is good-natured, at least on Young's side, as he clearly enjoys playing at Madison Square Garden and relishing in the boos that arrive when he steps on the court. There are also different types of villains and, in this space, we'll touch on four of the biggest villains toward the Atlanta Hawks, acknowledging that this is not a comprehensive list.
Larry Bird
Famously, the Hawks did not reach the Eastern Conference Finals for more than four decades after moving to Atlanta from St. Louis. While some may forget, the Hawks had nine 50-win seasons over that span, but Atlanta lost in the Eastern Conference Semifinals a mind-boggling 15 (!) times before finally breaking through in 2015.
Two of those semifinal exists came in the 1980's at the hands of the Boston Celtics. While we are using Larry Bird as the player villain, it could easily be "the Celtics" instead, as Boston was clearly Atlanta's biggest rival during this time. In 1986, the Hawks were a 50-win team that ran into a buzz saw, as the 1986 Celtics are always included on lists of the best teams of all-time.
The one that really burns is 1988, when the Hawks held a 3-2 lead and had two chances to advance to the ECF. Alas, Atlanta lost Game 6 and Game 7 by two points each, with Bird generating a 34-point, six-assist game in the clincher to overcome 47 points from Dominique Wilkins.
Bill Laimbeer
Many Hawks fans may not be old enough to remember this, but Hawks fans of a certain age are nodding right now. Laimbeer essentially body slammed Dominique Wilkins during the 1987 NBA Playoffs, and that didn't go over well.
The Hawks also lost to the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 1987 before being bounced by Laimbeer and Detroit again in 1991. Basically every fan base hated Laimbeer back then, but that certainly included Atlanta.
The NYPD
Okay, this is cheating a little bit, but hear me out. The 2014-15 Atlanta Hawks were arguably the best team since the Hawks moved to Atlanta. As noted above, it was the first time the Hawks made the Eastern Conference Finals in 40-plus years, but that team also has the best winning percentage (.732) in franchise history. The run included a mesmerizing, undefeated month of January and, despite the absence of a true superstar, the 2014-15 Hawks captured the city's attention in a way that hasn't happened since.
Sadly, the 2014-15 team was not full strength by the time the playoffs arrived. Of course, they still managed to win two series, and some of the absences by the end were related to on-court injuries. However, Hawks sixth man Thabo Sefolosha suffered a broken leg at the hands of the NYPD. The incident happened on April 8, and while Sefolosha was reportedly paid more than $4 million in damages, he missed the rest of the season and the playoffs.
If you weren't old enough to remember it well, it might seem crazy, because it was. But this did happen. Also, you may be rolling your eyes at the absence of a non-star player, but I'll leave you with a couple of numbers to illustrate how massive Sefolosha's absence was to a team predicated on cohesion and defense.
The Hawks had a plus-11.2 net rating with Sefolosha on the floor that season, headlined by a sparkling 94.6 defensive rating. In short, he was the team's best perimeter defender and, well, the Hawks really need their best perimeter defender in the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals.
LeBron James
Speaking of the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals, that wasn't the only time that LeBron James tormented the Atlanta Hawks, but it was the most prominent time. James averaged 30.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 9.3 assists per game in sweeping away the best Hawks team in franchise history that season, and that is just the beginning.
LeBron James has never lost to the Atlanta Hawks in a postseason game.
You're reading that right. It doesn't say that LeBron has never lost a series to the Hawks, though that is also true. He has never lost a playoff game to the Hawks.
The Hawks and Cavaliers met in playoff series in 2009, 2015, and 2016. Cleveland won all 12 games.
Of course, the 2009 and 2016 Hawks did not have the same expectations as the 2015 team, but they were good squads (47.5 wins on average) and the buzz saw effect transpired. It felt helpless, particularly in 2015.
This isn't a ranking but, if it was, LeBron would probably be No. 1 on the list.