 The Atlanta Hawks have become a perennial playoff threat over the past two seasons, and will be running a lot this year trying to score baskets in the open court. Between first-round draft pick Jeff Teague and the acquisition of Jamal Crawford, the Hawks now have two more players who like to run and score, and along the likes of Al Horford, Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, and Mike Bibby on the court at the same time, Atlanta should once again be very difficult to defend. Forget that Atlanta's season was ended as they were swept from the second round of the playoffs by Cleveland, and that their first-round series win over Miami has been classified as one of the worst in NBA playoff history. Looking at the big picture, the Atlanta Hawks improved upon their 2008 first-round playoff exit, actually earned home-court advantage in a playoff series, and made clear strides as a franchise. The Hawks were the best team in the East behind Cleveland, Boston, and Orlando last year, with the latest job being for head coach Mike Woodson and the rest of his staff to get Atlanta to break into the "Top Three". Woodson is constantly getting more and more out of Atlanta's athletic but not always perfect lineup; as poor as their half-court offense was at times, the Hawks jumped higher and fought harder than most of their opponents due to the lengthy range, springy legs, and considerable reserves of energy, of their squad. Exactly how good the Hawks are this year may well depend on their defense. Horford and Smith can rebound and block shots, but the perimeter players will have to step up and play solid defense against opposing guards. In order for the Hawks to accomplish this, a few things have to happen. First and foremost, Al Horford has to remain healthy for an entire season, thus providing Atlanta with an impressive combination of scoring and toughness near the rim. Zaza Pachulia can definitely battle in the paint, but the center simply cannot score the way Horford can. Horford will have to take on the heavy lifting if the Hawks are to have another big, and even better, year. Second, the athletes have to become students. Josh Smith and Joe Johnson simply must become more intelligent on offense; not standing around in half-court sets or forcing long jumpers as the shot clock runs down, while incorporating improved decision making into each and every possession. This has to be coach Woodson's most important task if he wishes for the Hawks to achieve even more than they have in the past few successful seasons. Finally, backup point guard and Wake Forest draftee, Jeff Teague must be able to spell Mike Bibby throughout the season. It's not as though he has to take over the Hawks, but the speedy Teague simply must be capable of providing some quality minutes in order to save Bibby's aging legs for the playoffs. If Bibby can remain fresh come playoff time, perhaps he can rekindle some of the magic that brought him within one victory of the NBA Finals with Sacramento in 2002. There is a great deal of optimism for the Atlanta Hawks to once again improve on their previous success as they have the past couple of seasons. Get your tickets now and be there to witness the Hawks as they light up the Philips Arena, looking to make an impact on the final order of the Eastern Conference in 2009-2010.
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