Atlanta Hawks: Best, Worst, and Likely Paths to Finals
By John Buhler
The 2014-15 Atlanta Hawks made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last year. Does the 2015-16 team have what it takes to get back there? What are the easiest, hardest, and most likely paths for the Atlanta Hawks to ultimately get to an NBA Finals in 2016?
In all honesty, Atlanta lucked out last year with how the playoff seeding in the Eastern Conference shook out. By getting the top seed in the East, the Atlanta Hawks didn’t have to play either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Chicago Bulls until the Eastern Conference Finals.
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Though both the 8th Seeded Brooklyn Nets and the 5th Seeded Washington Wizards pushed both the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals and the Eastern Conference Semifinals to 6 games, respectively, I’m glad that we didn’t draw either the Boston Celtics or Milwaukee Bucks in Round 1 or the Toronto Raptors in Round 2.
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What I’m about to do is tricky, since so much of this stems from last year’s perceptions of the Eastern Conference. While I don’t think two teams with below .500 records make the Eastern Conference Playoffs in 2016, I don’t think we see a cataclysmic shift in the Eastern Conference hierarchy this season. It will likely come down to LeBron James‘ Cleveland Cavaliers and whatever is playing its best basketball down the stretch, whomever that ends up being.
So here are four scenarios that the Atlanta Hawks will have to navigate to win the East in 2016: Best Case Scenario (Absolute and Realistic), Worst Case Scenario, and Most Likely Scenario. Without further ado, here are the projected paths to the Finals in 2016 for your Atlanta Hawks.
Next: Absolute Best Case Scenario