Miami Heat: Southeast Division Preview
By Chris Posada
#3 – Atlanta Hawks – 38-44, 4th in the Southeast; 8th in the East
Projected starters: Jeff Teague (PG), Kyle Korver (SG), DeMarre Carroll (SF), Paul Millsap (PF), Al Horford (C)
Oh, what could have been? That’s what Hawks fans must be thinking to themselves, as Atlanta was 16-13 and third in the East when Horford went down with a torn pectoral muscle. From there, the Hawks did everything in their power to cling to the final playoff spot in the East, fighting off such luminaries like the Cavaliers and Knicks. From there, they had a dogfight with the Pacers in the first round, and were three minutes away in Game 6 from pulling off the very mild upset of Indiana. Now Horford is back, but what about the Hawks?
How it can go right: Well, how about Horford doesn’t get hurt? He was averaging 18.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, as he was a major threat from both inside and outside on offense. Playing him alongside such an underappreciated player like Millsap (17.9 ppg, 8.5 rpg) give the Hawks a one-two punch down low that helped open things over for their shooters.
Oh, one of their shooters is Korver and he’s pretty good. Shooting 47% from downtown, Korver’s presence alone has defenses on high alert at all times. This team loved to fire away during the season, whether it was a good shot or bad, but for a guy like Korver, there’s rarely a bad three-pointer.
Teague came into his own as a point guard, averaging a career high in points per game (16.5), but took it up a notch in the playoffs, torching the Pacers for 19.3 ppg over the seven game series. Horford’s return should give Teague another toy to play with on offense.
How it can go wrong: Did I mention Horford getting hurt? That would suck, again. Atlanta finished the season 22-31 after Horford went down, and some wondered whether they would be better off tanking and get a lottery pick. Another injury could bring them down the same path.
The thing with this team is that you never know what they’re going to do. Atlanta tends to be in the limbo of being a piece away from making serious noise in the East, or trading a piece and fall into the lottery. They’re like that fantasy owner who is ready to make a deal, even if they have no idea what they’re trying to do with that trade. How they begin the season will dictate terms of which direction they’ll go.
First month (or so) of games: @Toronto, Indiana, @San Antonio, @Charlotte, New York, @New York, Utah, Miami, @Cleveland, Lakers, Detroit, @Washington, Toronto, New Orleans, Charlotte
Not exactly a murderer’s row. If they can go 2-2 in their first four games, they get a nice stretch of the back-to-back with the Knicks and Utah, before a division home game against the Heat, and a trip to Cleveland, before the schedule softens up to end the month. This can go either way.
Win/loss prediction: 46-36, 3rd in the Southeast; 6th in the East. This is such a weird team. If things can go their way, they could be a sleeper in the division. Their bigs in the paint can cause fits for teams like Miami and Charlotte, while giving Washington a solid matchup. It’s whatever consistency they can get from Teague, as well as production from their bench. Or they can trade Millsap and/or Horford and let it all go down the drain. I like and hate this team. Let’s move on before I change my mind.