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No. 3: Atlanta Hawks
Last season: 60-22
1st place in East; lost 4-0 to Cleveland in Eastern Conference finals
Atlanta's All-Star foursome is returning after the Hawks won a franchise-high 60 games. The organization unveiled new uniforms, logos and color schemes. The team added champion big man Tiago Splitter in his prime for basically nothing.
Yet there doesn't seem to be optimism in Georgia's capital. And for good reason.
Three-and-D monster DeMarre Carroll left in free agency and the team has no rock-solid replacement at this point. Backup power forward Mike Scott was arrested on two felony charges and may face punishment from the league. And Kyle Korver is still working his way back from ankle surgery.
Was last season a one-hit wonder, like the 2003-04 Indiana Pacers, or do the Hawks have staying power?
As front-office turmoil hovered over the organization, the Hawks flew under the radar early. A fully healthy Al Horford, who battled pectoral issues the past couple of seasons, led the charge on both ends as the Hawks jumped out to a 21-7 record. On Dec. 26, they got blown out by 30 points at home to Milwaukee. Then, history.
The Hawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwks proceeded to win a franchise-record 19 consecutive games to earn sole possession of the best record in the NBA at 40-8. Korver made a scalding 55.4 percent of his 3-pointers during the streak and watched as the entire NBA shuddered in terror.
Of course, the team came back to Earth a bit, but they still steamrolled to 60 wins and the top playoff seed in the East.
So what changed? With a healthy squad, the defense got sharper, as Carroll and Horford led the way. Also, Dennis Schroder made the leap as a 21-year-old, achieving the biggest PER bump among qualified players last season.
However, the storybook season came to a screeching halt when Thabo Sefolosha suffered a broken leg while being handcuffed by New York City police, ending his season in early April. It got worse. Korver broke his ankle in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Cavs and that sealed the Hawks' fate. Despite a breakout postseason for Carroll, an impending unrestricted free agent, the Hawks were swept by LeBron James & Co.