by Jonny Velasquez
As the 2011-12 NBA season comes to an end, the Atlanta Hawks have secured a playoff berth for the fifth consecutive season. The Hawks are second in the Southeast division behind the Miami Heat with a current record of 37 wins and 25 losses, averaging just under 100 points per game.
The Hawks currently hold the fifth seed, but could jump as high as third with a little luck. In the Eastern Conference, they’re 3 games behind the Indiana Pacers and a half game behind the Boston Celtics.
The Hawks success starts with an elite defense led by Josh Smith out of College Park, Georgia. The Hawks defense is ranked fourth overall, and they’re ranked ninth in team assists.
Josh Smith is the team-leading scorer, averaging 18.8 points per game. Joe Johnson is right behind Smith, averaging 18.5 points per game.
The Hawks remaining schedule is perhaps the toughest in the NBA. The remaining games are home at the Phillips Arena, but the visiting opponents are all playoff contenders.
On April 20, the Hawks host the Boston Celtics. With a win, the Hawks will jump ahead of the Celtics to the number 4 seed. On the 22, the Hawks host the New York Knicks. On the 24, the Los Angeles Clippers come to town. The season ends with the Hawks hosting the defending NBA Champions, the Dallas Mavericks.
Second year printmaking major, Charlie Cofer, commented, “I’m not excited for the Hawks in the playoffs. They’ll just be a disappointment again. We need to sign other big names besides Smith and Johnson. The problem is we wasted all our money on Johnson.”
The Hawks signed Joe Johnson for $119 million over 6 years. He’s making more money than Dwayne Wade, Lebron James and Chris Bosh combined. If the Hawks hope to succeed in the postseason, Johnson will need to play like he’s worth $119 million – something critics scrutinized during his previous playoff appearances.
Shaquille O’Neal commented, “I love Joe Johnson and I hope he doesn’t get mad with me, but he’s not a $20 million a year guy. Business-wise, Atlanta isn’t making that much money. But if you are going to offer a kid a lot of money, he’s going to take it.”
The Hawks made noise last year in the playoffs. They defeated the Orlando Magic in the first round before being defeated by the Chicago Bulls in a tough game 6.
The Hawks hope first round draft pick, Al Horford, will return for the playoffs. Horford has been out since January 12 with a shoulder injury. On April 17, Horford was cleared for contact practices.
Horford said, “Today was the first chance I got to play 3-on-3 with the guys, and I’m not where I need to be. I’m going to keep trying to work, but I’m not there yet.”