Revisiting the Hawks’ 2015 Magical Season

Coming into the 2014-2015 season, no one noticed the Atlanta Hawks engaging in the good issues that they did as a workforce. They did not have a real celebrity caliber participant, however they performed with such unselfishness and precision that led to them profitable 60 video games that season despite the fact that some folks overlook they began that season 5-5.

Earlier than the monumental success, let’s check out the place issues all started. In 2013, after dropping within the first spherical of the playoffs to the Indiana Pacers, the Hawks had been in retooling mode, having made the playoffs for six straight seasons. That they had misplaced each participant that they had acquired within the Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams trades the earlier summer season, in addition to misplaced Josh Smith to Detroit and Zaza Pachulia to Milwaukee. Head Coach Larry Drew had left after the playoffs, so the Hawks had been heading in a brand new path. They employed San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Mike Budenholzer and signed three of the 5 starters distinguished within the 2015 season: Kyle Korver, Paul Millsap, and DeMarre Carroll.

Though the 2013-14 season did not go as deliberate, with a season-ending pectoral muscle damage to Al Horford, the Hawks completed with a dropping report of 38-44, marking their first dropping report since 2008. The Hawks made the playoffs because of the lack of competitors within the Japanese Convention. Coming in because the eighth seed, the Hawks took the first-seeded Indian Pacers to seven video games and had a couple of assertion wins on this sequence, even going up 3-2 earlier than dropping the final two video games.

Former Hawk level guard Jeff Teague had this to say in regards to the sequence:

“Coach Bud was like, ‘Let’s simply shoot as many threes as we are able to, and we performed 5 out…We performed all small guys, and that was the primary time everyone was like, Oh.” Teague continued, “I watched the sport again and one of many announcers, Doug Collins, was like this isn’t a sequence for Roy Hibbert. That was when a small ball first kicked in”

The Hawks ran a 5 out offense throughout this sequence, making the Pacers defend the perimeter extra because of the constant taking pictures the Hawks had on the court docket. Even with the All-Defensive workforce defender Roy Hibbert on the court docket, the Pacers struggled, as he was an elite rim protector however too sluggish to protect on the perimeter, which led to simple baskets because of the Hawks’ spacing. Groups have used this technique in opposition to an identical participant defensively in Rudy Gobert, who has been a multi-time Defensive Participant of the 12 months, to Teague’s level about small ball getting used.

The Hawks unveiled on Could 1, 2014, that they might convey again a modernized model of the Seventies “Pac-Man” brand. This may come together with the notorious Pac-Man jerseys that the Hawks wore en path to their 60-win first-seeded season and is taken into account a fan favourite.

To start out this season, the Hawks did not have the most effective begin, as they had been on the lookout for an identification as a workforce by means of the primary 10 video games. The Hawks would in the end understand that to win video games as a workforce, they must adapt a extra “workforce first” model of basketball, as they did not have a definitive go-to celebrity participant. The sport plan would come with ball motion and balanced scoring by means of perimeter taking pictures and attacking the paint, in addition to being lively on protection by switching positions to match totally different offensive schemes. This play model would garner comparisons to the San Antonio Spurs, however was constructed equally, with Teague being the shifty guard, Korver being a lethal shooter, Carroll being the defensive glue man, Millsap being the underrated All-Star, and Al Horford being the rock/greatest participant on the workforce.

As soon as December arrived, the Hawks started to seek out their groove, going 11-4 in that month with some memorable wins, together with a victory in opposition to the Cavaliers and a comeback win in opposition to the Clippers. In January, the Hawks made historical past as the one workforce to go 17-0 within the month, and so they additionally led the NBA in three-point taking pictures and assists throughout that point. To finish January, all 5 starters had been named Co-Gamers of the Month, a feat that had by no means been achieved earlier than or since, which raised the query, “Is Atlanta an actual contender?” from many alternative sports activities media retailers.

In an ESPN article from January 2015, there was a query asking how far the Hawks might go within the playoffs that season. Within the article, ESPN writers Kevin Arnovitz and Kevin Pelton acknowledged:

“1. What is the largest purpose for the Hawks’ success this season?”

Kevin Arnovitz, ESPN.com: “Unselfishness. If that appears a bit treasured, it is as a result of just about each Hawks offensive possession seems like a clinic and each defensive stand is an train in timing. You already know these four-minute stretches when your favourite workforce is enjoying with flawless vitality (see the Golden State Warriors)? The Hawks play like that for halves at a time. That vitality is kind of fueled by the involvement of all 5 guys.”

Kevin Pelton, ESPN.com: “Depth. The beginning lineup is extremely balanced and loaded with above-average gamers and the bench has been practically pretty much as good because the starters. Atlanta reveals the worth in merely by no means enjoying a foul participant.”

By this level, the Hawks had made important cultural shifts in Atlanta, as many followers began to attend video games persistently and had been much more passionate than ever. In an ESPN First Take section, Stephen A. Smith spoke about attending the Hawks sport and the way followers had been coming as much as him whereas doing his clips for SportsCenter for the night time, speaking about how the Hawks had been a contender. Right now, the Hawks had three of their 4 All-Stars introduced after occurring this new 12 months’s tear and had been in talks with the Golden State Warriors for the most effective workforce within the league. Every week earlier than the All-Star sport, Kyle Korver was named as an damage alternative for Dwyane Wade for the Japanese Convention All-Star reserves.

By the point the second half of the season got here round, the Hawks had managed to enter the All-Star break with a report of 43-11 and had been the second-best workforce record-wise within the NBA with out a true celebrity participant. To finish the season, the Hawks would go 60-22, ok for the primary report within the Japanese Convention. They might put the NBA on discover by doing so, and Head Coach Mike Budenholzer would go on to win Coach of the 12 months. This may result in some turning into believers within the workforce, whereas others wouldn’t take them critically, and the fan base would imagine that they had a shot to make a deep postseason run. Let’s check out a thread of tweets made by Hawks and NBA followers in 2015:

To start out the playoffs, the Hawks would tackle the Brooklyn Nets, which might see that sequence go six video games as they took on former Hawks star Joe Johnson within the first spherical. Some memorable moments from that sequence are when Hawks followers let boo’s fly at Johnson each time he touched the ball, DeMarre Carroll scoring 20 or extra in 4 straight video games, and Paul Millsap and Al Horford stepping up large regardless of lingering accidents and would shut the Nets out in six video games.

Within the following spherical, the Japanese Convention Semifinals, the Hawks would face the Washington Wizards in one other back-and-forth sequence that may see the Hawks win in six video games. In sport one, Wizards All-Star guard John Wall fractured his hand and would nonetheless play by means of the damage. Down-to-the-wire video games, particularly, would outline the remainder of the sequence. NBA Legend Paul Pierce made an iconic game-winner in sport three, the place he acknowledged, ” I CALLED GAME” after making a stepback shot. In sport 5, Al Horford would return the favor as he made a game-winning layup within the ultimate seconds, giving the Hawks a 3-2 sequence lead. In sport six, nonetheless, the Hawks would go on to win, however not earlier than a controversial and but once more Iconic shot from Pierce as he made a fall-away three that may later be known as off as a late shot because the Hawks practically went to time beyond regulation with the Wizards.

The subsequent and ultimate sequence of that season would see the Hawks tackle the Cleveland Cavaliers within the Japanese Convention Finals in a sequence that may be a disappointing one to say the least, because the Hawks can be swept in 4 video games. In sport one, J.R. Smith would make eight three-pointers that marked a brand new franchise report. In sport two, the Hawks would lose Kyle Korver attributable to a sprained ankle, ending his season. Al Horford would additionally get right into a scuffle with Matthew Dellavedova, leading to a flagrant two. In video games three and 4, LeBron James would go off for practically a triple-double in each video games, successfully ending the sequence. Carroll additionally missed a part of this sequence attributable to damage, and the Hawks simply seemingly ran out of gasoline.

Now that we have revisited a loopy run, the place do the Hawks stand in NBA historical past? Even with out a title, they influenced a brand new enjoying model with ball motion and flexibility with out a star. That they had a Coach of the 12 months in Mike Budenholzer and 4 All-Stars, to go together with a prime 10 offense and protection. The unhappy a part of this workforce is that after this magical season, they might drop off because the workforce would cope with accidents and see a big regression, in addition to gamers and coaches leaving the workforce. This was surprising because the workforce was knocking on the door for years however could not get it completed, and began to point out age, resulting in gamers leaving for lesser roles on contending groups or chasing cash elsewhere attributable to Hawks possession not resigning them for giant cash.

In the summertime of 2016, Jeff Teague went to the Indiana Pacers, earlier than coming again to Atlanta in 2020, then went to the Bucks in 2021, the place he would assist coach Bud win a title, and Horford left for the Boston Celtics, the place he would win a championship in 2023. In the summertime of 2017, Paul Millsap went to the Denver Nuggets, and Kyle Korver was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the summertime of 2018, Dennis Schroder was traded to the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder earlier than bouncing across the NBA, and Head Coach Mike Budenholzer left in 2018 to go on and finally win one other Coach of the 12 months and an NBA Championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. Demarre Carroll would go on to a few different playoff groups, together with the Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets, and Houston Rockets, earlier than retiring in 2020. Carroll is now teaching in Phoenix for the Suns Summer season League workforce and can be an Assistant coach for the workforce.

This workforce is commonly regarded again on in a laughingstock and one-hit-wonder method because of the lack of star expertise, an enormous fall within the postseason, and the variety of groups that weren’t totally able to compete that season, which turned distinguished the next 12 months because the Hawks slipped from 2015’s success. Nonetheless, Hawks followers nonetheless look again at this workforce as one for the ages because of the profitable that befell that season.