We all know about those teams in sports that just don't get the job done. They have the talent to make deep runs in their respective postseasons, but they struggle. They flounder. They disappoint. These are the underachieving teams of professional athletics.
In recent history, this label clouded that names of organizations such as the Washington Capitals in hockey, the Dallas Cowboys in football, and the New York Mets in baseball. And, true to form, there's a squad playing under the same name this month.
While most would point to the Dallas Mavericks, I'm not headed down that road. Sure, they've never been "right" since losing the 2006 NBA Finals. The loss in the first round of the 2007 playoffs to eighth-seeded Golden State definitely left a terrible taste in their mouths. The fact that this organization has won only one postseason series since June of '06 is very troubling. But these guys aren't the Atlanta Hawks.
The Hawks have been a franchise of "possibly"s and "could've been"s since losing in the Division Finals of the 1969-1970 season, when the Association consisted of 14 teams. From 1978 to 1999, Atlanta qualified for the second season all but four years. Unfortunately, those teams (usually led by Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins) ran into foes including the '80s Celtics, "Bad Boy" Pistons, Shaq-led Magic, Patrick Ewing-anchored Knicks, and '90s Bulls.
Post-2000, the Hawks needed to rebuild. After missing the playoffs in eight straight campaigns, Atlanta made it back in 2008. The young team consisted of fourth-year forward Josh Smith, third-year swingman Marvin Williams, and rookie center Al Horford. With veterans Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby settling the backcourt, the eighth-seed faced a Boston squad that finished with the best record in the league. In a surprising twist, the 66-16 Celtics needed a seventh-game beatdown to dispatch the 37-45 Hawks.
A 10-game improvement in the win column left Atlanta as a four-seed in the 2008-2009 postseason. That left them to battle it out with Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat in another seven-game tussle. This time, A-Town came out on top. Their reward: seven scheduled dates with LeBron James. The Cavs only needed four double-digit victories to easily dispatch their opponents. Sure, Atlanta was soundly crushed (lost by 18 ppg), but it was a step forward.
More hope and hype followed after they secured their first 50-plus win season since 1997-1998. The 2010 version of this squad looked to possibly reach that Conference Finals plateau for the first time in 40 years. But a hiccup came along in the form of the Milwaukee Bucks. No, the Bucks didn't beat Atlanta. They just made the Hawks appear extremely suspect in a full seven-game tilt. The Hawks needed to win Games 6 and 7 just to reach the place they had been only a year before.
The suspect feeling turned into a collapse that dwarfed last Winter's Metrodome roof fiasco. Orlando was merciless in a four-game sweep of their division rival. The beating was even worse than it was against Cleveland in '09 (the Hawks lost by an average of 25.25 ppg).
Tail squarely between their legs, the Hawks shuffled back to Atlanta, fired head coach Mike Woodson, and began to regroup. Now, a year later, and with Larry Drew running the ship, Atlanta finds themselves face-to-face with the same rival that thrashed them so thoroughly last season. And yeah, you can say that Orlando is different, due to the blockbuster trade that reconfigured that team back in December.
However, despite a blowout Tuesday night, the Hawks still lead the best-of-seven 3 games to 2. And it's not the fact that Atlanta's leading a first round series. We've seen that. It's the way they're leading it. After getting their lunch handed to them last year, this incarnation of the Hawks has more life, spirit, and poise. These attributes helped rattle the Magic's outside shooting in the first four contests of this series and put them on the brink of a third-straight Conference Semifinal.
All this is good in the "Dirty Dirty," but can it lead to something bigger? Can it be the start of a level not seen in a generation? If the Hawks can banish their 2010 demons to the nether regions, there could be an advantage heading into a series with top-seeded Chicago. The major pieces of the 2009 Cavs and the Magic 2010 had played together on deep playoff runs. These Bulls haven't had much postseason success as a unit. The way Indiana battled Chicago should expose some flaws for the rest of the conference contenders to attack.
Atlanta has the length, size, talent, and experience to not only bother, but defeat the Bulls. And I believe that after the Hawks redeem themselves on Thursday night, they'll redeem their franchise's history (a little) with a six-game shocker over the Bulls. For the team that can't quite climb the cliff, the would be as good a time as any to find that next foothold.
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