Paul Millsap must be team’s best player in order to keep active playoff streak alive.
By Joe Manganiello
The Atlanta Hawks have made the playoffs in six consecutive seasons, a quiet statistic that only the strongest Josh Smith proponents discuss. In a season where a significant portion of the Eastern Conference appears to be playing a different sport (See: 2014 NBA Draft) – and only two teams from the East appear to have a chance at winning a championship – there is plenty of room for Atlanta to make it back to the postseason, and with a decent seed.
Their playoff chances took a sizable hit, however, when Al Horford went down with a season ending pectoral tear on December 26.
The Hawks are working on the fly to replace Horford’s production, and are just 5-6 over the last eleven games without him. They have defended their home court, winning four of six contests in Atlanta behind 10.8 made threes per game; but they have struggled on the road, where under 41 percent shooting and over fifteen turnovers per game has led to a 1-4 record.
Atlanta added Paul Millsap this summer to an uber-valuable two-year contract which provided them great roster flexibility – a tradable annual salary if the Hawks were lottery-bound; and enough cap space to buy at the trade deadline if they wanted to push toward the playoffs. Millsap has been a big part of what the Hawks have been doing this season: the former Utah Jazz forward scored 20.6 points per content with 10.8 rebounds as the Hawks went 9-5 in the month of December.
January, however, has been much more harsh on Millsap without Horford to share the frontcourt. Millsap has only been scoring 14.6 points per game on 33 percent shooting, and collecting just seven rebounds. But things turned around on Monday, and against the Miami Heat no less, when Millsap shot 8 for 13 from the field and scored 26 points. Millsap knocked down 10 of 11 foul shots, collected seven rebounds and four assists, and led the Hawks in an impressive 121-114 victory.
Millsap is a borderline All-Star this season, and is a crucial player in the playoff picture of the Eastern Conference. If Atlanta can get Millsap consistent touches and trips to the foul line, the Hawks can make do with Pero Antic and Elton Brand splitting time at center and probably come away with the No. 3 seed – and a run at the second round of the playoffs.
Joe Manganiello (@joemags32) is a staff writer for PickinSplinters.com. He was published in the 2013-14 USA Today Sports College Basketball Preview. Peace, love, recycle and ball.
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