Atlanta Hawks 2021-22 NBA Schedule Info
Will the Atlanta Hawks win an NBA Finals this season? Find out how the Hawks do against their Southeast Division rivals in the Eastern Conference and a loaded Western Conference. Here's a closer look at the Hawks' 2021-22 regular-season schedule with all the marquee games and subplots.
Who Are the Atlanta Hawks?
The Atlanta Hawks are a professional basketball team in the NBA's Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded as the Buffalo Bisons of the National Basketball League (NBL) in 1946. The team spent just over a month in Buffalo before relocating to Illinois and rebranding themselves as the Tri-Cities Blackhawks. The Blackhawks joined the NBA when the NBL and Basketball Association of America (BAA) merged in 1949. The franchise moved again two years later to Milwaukee and became the Milwaukee Hawks for the next four seasons. The franchise relocated for the third time in 1955. The St. Louis Hawks enjoyed plenty of success for much of the next 13 seasons. Hall of Famer Bob Pettit helped the Hawks reach four NBA Finals and win their only championship. Pettit, who won two NBA MVPs, squared off against the Boston Celtics in the classic 1957 NBA Finals before falling in a double-overtime thriller in Game 7. Pettit and the Hawks exacted revenge by toppling the star-studded Celtics the following season to win the first and only NBA title in franchise history. The Hawks returned to the NBA Finals in 1960 and 1961 but lost to the Celtics each time. St. Louis won seven division titles and routinely made noise in the playoffs throughout the 1960s. The 1970s were a different story. The trio of future Hall of Famer Walt Bellamy, perennial All-Star Lou Hudson, and flashy future Hall of Famer Pete Maravich had three consecutive first-round postseason exits from 1971 to 1973 before missing the playoffs altogether the following year. Maravich was traded to the New Orleans Jazz in 1974 as the Hawks missed the playoffs for the next three seasons. Entrepreneur Ted Turner bought the Hawks in 1977 but the franchise had to wait several years before experiencing a Renaissance. Dominique Wilkins' arrival in 1982 breathed life back into the Hawks, who had four consecutive 50-plus win seasons from 1985 to 1989. Coach Mike Fratello led the Hawks back to relevance, but he couldn't get them to the promised land. Wilkins, however, put on quite a show at the time. He earned the nickname “The Human Highlight Film” for his electrifying dunking skills. Wilkins and Chicago Bulls' superstar Michael Jordan developed a dunking rivalry. The Hawks consistently made the playoffs with Wilkins but never reached the Eastern Conference finals. The Hawks had success under Hall of Fame coach Lenny Wilkens in the 1990s but still couldn't reach the conference finals. Atlanta had back-to-back 50-win seasons with two-time Defensive Player of the Year Dikembe Mutombo and defensive stalwart Mookie Blaylock in 1997 and 1998 but disappointed with early playoff exits. The Hawks cycled through four head coaches during an eight-year playoff drought from 2000 to 2007. They returned to the playoffs for the next 10 years. The Hawks' run to the Eastern Conference finals in 2015 snapped a 48-year span of failing to get past the second round of the playoffs. Budding star guard Trae Young upset the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the 2021 playoffs to reach the Eastern Conference finals. The Hawks lost to the Milwaukee Bucks, who went on to win their first NBA title in 50 years.
Atlanta Hawks Schedule for 2021/2022
The Atlanta Hawks won't be sneaking up on anybody after their spirited run to the Eastern Conference finals last season. Nate McMillan, who jump-started the Hawks after taking over as head coach midway through the 2020-21 campaign, has one of the deepest rosters in the league. The Hawks have plenty of versatile pieces to be a conference contender again, but Trae Young is the unquestioned centerpiece of the team. Young had a stellar playoff debut highlighted by a stunning seven-game upset of the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Young flashed his shooting, scoring, and passing ability en route to averaging 28.8 points and 9.5 assists in his first postseason. The nifty 6-1 guard also averaged 8.7 free-throw attempts in the regular season. Young's terrific court vision has made his passes on alley-oops virtually unstoppable. Young has led the NBA in assists on dunks in each of his first three years in the league. His ability to take the next step will go a long way to determining the Hawks' fortunes this season. If Young vaults into superstardom, he might be able to navigate the Hawks past all of the landmines in the Eastern Conference. It'll be a daunting challenge for such a young player. General manager Travis Schlenk has assembled a quality roster, but there are fair concerns about whether Young needs another bonafide star to help carry the load. Reigning rebounding champion Clint Capela, emerging difference-maker John Collins, perimeter defender De'Andre Hunter, and veteran scorer Bogdan Bogdanovic form a solid starting five. McMillan's bench includes shooters Kevin Huerter and Danilo Gallinari, the oft-injured Cam Reddish, veteran Lou Williams, and rookie first-round pick Jalen Johnson. But will it be enough to make another deep postseason run? The Hawks certainly have enough firepower to pull off just their third 50-win season of this millennium and first since 2015, but it'll be tough sledding to get past the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, star-studded Brooklyn Nets, re-tooled Miami Heat, and Philadelphia 76ers. Whether an NBA Finals trip is in the cards for 2022, McMillan's team will likely be playing meaningful games in March and April as they look to secure a second consecutive playoff berth. Check out TickPick to get great deals on Atlanta Hawks tickets for the upcoming season. You won't find better offers to watch a team ready to prove that last season's deep NBA playoff run wasn't a fluke than TickPick, which has a track record of providing customers with more affordable prices to live sporting events.
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