The Atlanta Hawks had a rocky end to their season by suffering a sweep at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals but that most definitely did not take away the historical season that the team had.
The Hawks came into the 2014-15 season with the lightest of expectations. They came off a 2013-14 season in which they lost All-Star Al Horford for the season due to a pectoral injury in a December 2013 matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. That was Horford's second season-ending pectoral injury. He suffered the same injury in his other pectoral muscle in the 2011-12 season. The Hawks finished the regular season in 2014 with a 38-44 record and lost to the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the NBA playoffs in head coach Mike Budenholzer's first season.
In September of 2014, the team dealt with adversity. A letter by Hawks owner Bruce Levenson surfaced. It was a racially charged email that consisted of remarks towards the team's African American fans in Philips Arena and also the culture inside the arena, such as the cheerleaders and the type of music being played. Levenson immediately resigned. General manager Danny Ferry also took a leave of absence for the entire season as an email by him also emerged that discussed the African heritage of free agent Luol Deng in the summer while the Hawks were scouting him. The Hawks are now owned by billionaire Antony Ressler and the Atlanta Spirit Group era is over.
In the middle of their 2014 playoff series against the Indiana Pacers, the Hawks brought back the iconic "pacman" logo that was displayed throughout the 70s-90s. The team brought back the legendary logo for the 2014-15 season, and it turned out to be one of their best marketing moves in recent memory. Merchandise sales soared.
In the beginning of the 2014-15 season, the Hawks started 7-6 but soon followed that up with a nine-game winning streak. The turning point for Atlanta heading into the New Year was a December 26th loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in which they got blown out, 107-77. The team went to Milwaukee the following night and defeated the Bucks. That was the start of a 19-game winning streak for the Hawks. It also included becoming the first team in NBA history to go undefeated in a calendar month (January).
The Hawks' undefeated month of January resulted in all five starters earning Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors. The spectacular play of the starters even earned four of them trips to the NBA All-Star game. Among them were Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap, Kyle Korver, and Al Horford. It was Teague and Korver's first appearance, Millsap's second, and Horford's third. The Hawks highlighted All-Star weekend as many of them appeared in the weekend's various festivities, such as the All-Star game, skills challenge, and three-point shootout.
Coach Mike Budenholzer won two Coach of the Month honors and finished the season by earning the Coach of the Year award in just his second season with the team. Budenholzer coached the Hawks to a franchise-best 60 wins. Budenholzer was an assistant under Gregg Popovich for 17 years with the San Antonio Spurs.
The Hawks also won their first Southeast Division title in team history. They clinched the division on March 20th with a loss by the Washington Wizards. It was the Hawks' first division title since 1994, when they clinched the Central Division.
Atlanta was 22-8 versus the Western Conference. The Hawks went on separate winning streaks over the course of the season, but their dominance was questioned due to a suffering Eastern Conference. Among the wins Atlanta racked up against the West were against the Rockets, Clippers, Trail Blazers, Grizzlies, and Clippers. The Spurs were the only team in the West that the Hawks were not able to defeat.
The Hawks paid tribute to Dominique Wilkins on March 6th. The team unveiled a statue of him that would go on to be placed in front of Philips Arena. Wilkins played in Atlanta from 1982-1994. He was the team's all-time leading scorer and is 12th on the NBA's all-time list with 26,668 points. The Hawks followed up the celebration for Wilkins with a win against the Cleveland Cavaliers at home that night.
The Hawks suffered a major setback with the arrests of Thabo Sefolosha and Pero Antic at a New York nightclub in April. Sefolosha suffered a broken leg while he was being arrested by the NYPD. He would go on to miss the rest of the season.
The Hawks earned their first number one seed for the NBA playoffs since 1994. Atlanta struggled with the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards in the first two rounds but managed to win both series, 4-2. Their true test was against four-time MVP LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Atlanta's first ever appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Hawks battled injuries to DeMarre Carroll and Kyle Korver in the series and suffered a sweep. Atlanta did not end their season on a great note but that did not take away the history and accolades that were created over the course of the 2014-15 season.
The Atlanta Hawks had their best season in history and arguably their best team. Atlanta proved how effective team basketball is and how it can win games in numerous ways along with a new hero every night.
The Hawks have a busy summer ahead of them. Pero Antic is a restricted free agent and Elton Brand, DeMarre Carroll, John Jenkins, and Paul Millsap are unrestricted free agents. Carroll suffered a significant leg injury in the Cavaliers series but returned the very next game. If Carroll was not able to return in that series, it would have put a question mark on whether he deserved to cash out in free agency. Atlanta will still most likely take measures to retain him. Paul Millsap will most definitely be due for a major contract that will re-sign him with the Hawks. There is also speculation that Atlanta may hand him a max deal. Watch for the Hawks to look for a true center in free agency, such as Greg Monroe, Tyson Chandler, or Marc Gasol so they can move Al Horford to his original forward position.
The Hawks' historic season brought new energy to Philips Arena and the city of Atlanta. The team sold out 32 out of their last 35 home games and had the highest increase in attendance in the NBA. This season will bring anticipation to the city for the 2015-16 season in hopes of the Hawks returning to the Eastern Conference Finals and making an appearance in the NBA Finals.