When fans first looked at the groups for the NBA Cup, the Atlanta Hawks were not the pick of many people to advance. While the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards were expected to finish at the bottom of the group, most had the Boston Celtics or the Cleveland Cavaliers coming out of Group C in the East. The Hawks had other plans. They shocked the NBA by winning their first group-stage game against the Celtics but still had to finish the job. They finished 3-1 in the group and, with their win over Cleveland yesterday, have clinched a spot in the knockout rounds.
Atlanta Hawks Onto The NBA Cup Knockout Rounds
The Atlanta Hawks got hot at the right time. In the first few weeks of the season, the Hawks had inconsistent play, especially on defense. This led to a 4-7 start before the NBA Cup group stage began. Heading into their November 12 matchup with the Celtics, many fans were not optimistic about their chances, especially when Boston beat them by 30 eight days prior. However, Atlanta picked up a huge win on the road, narrowly beating the defending champs 117-116 to start group play. They followed that up with a 129-117 win over the Wizards to start the tournament group stage 2-0.
The Atlanta Hawks slipped up a bit in the third game. They lost to the Chicago Bulls 136-122 and had to beat Cleveland to clinch the group. After beating Cleveland on Wednesday, the Hawks doubled up, dominating one of the hottest teams in the NBA, 117-101. While Boston also sits at 3-1 in group play, Atlanta holds the head-to-head tiebreaker, giving them the spot in the knockout rounds. This is huge for a team that is still below .500 on the season, but a strong showing in the NBA Cup could propel this team to success.
Other Teams In The Knockout Round
The Atlanta Hawks are the first team in the Eastern Conference to clinch a spot. In the other groups, two teams sit at 3-0 with a game next Tuesday to decide the group winner. In Group A, the Orlando Magic and the New York Knicks will battle for a spot. For Group B, the resurgent Milwaukee Bucks will take on the surprising Detroit Pistons for a spot in the NBA Cup knockout rounds. The losers will be in play for the final wild-card spot and will likely come down to point-differential.
In the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets have already won their groups despite only playing three of their group-stage games. Their 3-0 starts propelled them to easy group-stage wins. In the other group in the West, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and Phoenix are all 2-1 and will play for the group next Tuesday. The Spurs and Suns face each other while the Thunder will look to beat the Jazz while cheering for Phoenix to win. They beat Phoenix in the group stage but lost to the Spurs, so they need a win and a Suns win to advance.
Final Thoughts
This is what makes the NBA Cup so great. The tournament doesn’t take the eight best teams in the league. Are the Atlanta Hawks the best team in the NBA? Not at all. However, they won the games that mattered and will now have a chance to play for a trophy. These can be the type of confidence-building wins that can propel a team to season-long success. The quarterfinals start next Friday, and matchups will be set on Tuesday.
