A Franchise Rich With Tradition: From Pettit To "Pistol Pete"

To The "Human Highlight Film"

When the subject is NBA tradition, the Atlanta Hawks

aren't the first team that comes to mind. However, the Hawks are as

venerable a franchise as any. The team's history extends back to

1946, when the squad was known as the Tri-Cities Blackhawks. At

that time the team was shared by three neighboring river cities

(Moline and Rock Island, Illinois, and Davenport, Iowa) that

straddled the Mississippi River. In later years the team played in

Milwaukee and St. Louis and enjoyed the services of a handful of

the NBA's most memorable stars. In 1958, as the St. Louis Hawks,

the club earned its only championship. The Tri-Cities Blackhawks

joined the National Basketball League in the 1946-47 season, when

the NBL included such teams as the Toledo Jeeps, the Youngstown

Bears, the Oshkosh All-Stars, and the Sheboygan Redskins. That was

the year that legendary center George Mikan played his first

professional games, competing for the NBL's Chicago American Gears.

The Blackhawks were owned by Ben Kerner and played in the

6,000-seat Wharton Field House. Tri-Cities finished out of the

playoffs in 1946-47 but improved its record to .500 the following

year and made it to the first round of the postseason. At the start

of the 1948-49 season Mikan's Minneapolis Lakers and three other

NBL teams jumped to the Basketball Association of America (BAA),

which had teams in major cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and

Boston. The 1948-49 Blackhawks featured Don Otten, the NBL's only

remaining 7-footer. He led the league in scoring with 14.0 points

per game and powered Tri-Cities into the playoffs with a 36-28

record. The Blackhawks survived the first round but were felled by

the Oshkosh All-Stars in the second.

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1949-51: Tri-Cities Joins The NBA

After three years of skirmishing, the NBL and the BAA

joined forces for the 1949-50 campaign. Only half of the NBL's 10

franchises survived the merger. Tri-Cities was one of the 17 teams

in the newly named National Basketball Association. In their first

NBA contest the Blackhawks squared off against the Denver Nuggets

(unrelated to the current franchise) and earned a 93-85 win. But

after six straight losses Head Coach Roger Potter was fired and

Arnold "Red" Auerbach was hired in his place. Auerbach posted a

28-29 record during his tenure at the helm-good enough to reach the

playoffs, but the Blackhawks lost in the first round to the

Anderson Packers. After the 1949-50 season Auerbach moved on to

Boston. Auerbach wasn't the only future legend to escape Tri-Cities

for Boston-Bob Cousy briefly belonged to the Blackhawks as well.

But the club sent Cousy to the Chicago Stags in exchange for Gene

Vance, who averaged only 8.3 points in five professional seasons.

When the Stags folded before the 1950-51 season, Cousy was picked

up by the Celtics. At the start of the 1950-51 season the NBA had

been pared down from 17 teams to 11. The Blackhawks went through

three coaches that year-Dave McMillan, John Logan, and Mike

Todorovich (the latter two served as player-coaches)-and finished

in last place in the Western Division with a 25-43

record.

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1951-55: Hawks Take Act To The Big City

Before the start of the 1951-52 season, owner Ben

Kerner transferred the club from Tri-Cities to Milwaukee, where a

brand-new 10,000-seat arena was waiting. That season the team-now

called simply the Hawks-played fairly lackluster basketball. The

only player to finish among the league leaders was 6-6

center-forward Mel Hutchins, who tied for second in rebounding with

13.3 boards per game. The team finished dead last in the Western

Division with a 17-49 record, but Milwaukee fans, who had supported

teams in Sheboygan and Oshkosh in the old NBL, still turned out to

watch the Hawks play. The 1952-53 Hawks fared better, winning 27

games, but they were still the worst team in the Western Division

and finished out of the playoffs once again. Milwaukee maintained

occupancy of the division cellar in 1953-54 as well, winning 21

games and losing 51. With 26 games left to play in the season,

Kerner brought in William "Red" Holzman as the new coach. During

the offseason the Hawks added the cornerstone of their future

success by drafting 6-9 Louisiana State forward Bob Pettit. The

youngster had a spectacular rookie season in 1954-55, averaging

20.4 points (fourth in the NBA) and winning NBA Rookie of the Year

honors. Milwaukee improved by a few games that season but remained

the weakest team in the West at 26-46.

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1955-56: So Long Milwaukee, Hello St. Louis

Milwaukee sports fans had by now shifted their

affections from basketball's Hawks to baseball's Braves. Shrewdly,

owner Ben Kerner moved the club to St. Louis and the Hawks were an instant hit.

Pettit was already well on his way to stardom, winning the

1955-56 NBA Most Valuable Player Award after leading the league in

both scoring (25.7 ppg) and rebounding (16.2 rpg). Halfway through

the season Kerner improved Pettit's supporting cast with the

addition of 6-7 Jack Coleman and 6-1 Jack McMahon, who were both

acquired from the Rochester Royals. After occupying the bottom rung

of the Western Division for the previous four seasons, St. Louis

climbed to a tie for second place with the Minneapolis Lakers at

33-39. The Lakers beat the Hawks in a one-game playoff and were

officially awarded second place. The two teams then met in a

best-of-three playoff series, and St. Louis won the first game by a

single point. Minneapolis notched a 58-point blowout in Game 2, but

the Hawks prevailed in Game 3 by a 116-115 tally to move on to the

Western Division Finals. They pounced on the Fort Wayne Pistons in

the first two games of the five-game series, but Fort Wayne bounced

back to sweep the next three and move on to the NBA

Finals.

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1956: The Day The Hawks Lost Bill Russell

The Hawks had the second pick in the 1956 NBA Draft.

Before the draft began, the Boston Celtics forfeited their

first-round pick by making Tom Heinsohn of Holy Cross a territorial

selection. The territorial system allowed a team to claim a player

who played college basketball in its immediate area, provided the

team gave up its first-round draft position. But even after

selecting Heinsohn, Boston Coach Red Auerbach coveted Bill Russell,

who had just completed his final year at the University of San

Francisco. Russell, with his unprecedented defensive ability, had

enabled the Dons to go two seasons without a loss. The Rochester

Royals selected Duquesne's Sihugo Green with the first overall

pick, then St. Louis drafted Russell. But Auerbach wasted no time

in getting his man, sending Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan to St.

Louis for Russell. The deal was a good one for the Hawks. The 6-8

Macauley had been a popular player at St. Louis University and was

coming off a season in which he had averaged 17.5 points. Hagan was

a promising rookie who was returning from two years of military

service.

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1956-57: St. Louis Struggles In Regular Season, Then Shocks All

In Playoffs

Despite the new cast, St. Louis got off to a slow start

in 1956-57. With the club at 14-19, Red Holzman was fired and

Slater Martin, a guard who had come to the club earlier in the year

from New York, took over as player-coach. The team went 5-3 under

Martin, but he decided he'd rather remain solely a player, so

reserve forward Alex Hannum was given the reins. Led by Pettit, who

finished second in the league in scoring (24.7 ppg) despite having

to play in a cast after breaking his wrist in mid-February, the

Hawks shared first place in the Western Division with the

Minneapolis Lakers and the Fort Wayne Pistons. That result wasn't

quite as impressive as it seemed-the three teams were 34-38, and

each would have finished in last place in the Eastern Division,

where the Knicks occupied the cellar with a 36-36 mark. St. Louis

beat Fort Wayne and Minneapolis in single-game playoffs to

determine the division champion. That gave the Hawks a first-round

bye in the 1957 NBA Playoffs, so the team sat back to wait for the

winner of the Lakers-Pistons series. St. Louis then swept the

Lakers in the Western Division Finals, taking the final game,

143-135, in double overtime. With that the Hawks earned the right

to face Boston in the NBA Finals. The Finals were expected to be a

Boston romp, but the Hawks surprised the Celtics in Game 1 with a

125-123 double-overtime win in Boston. The Celtics evened the

series the following night, and the two teams split a pair of games

in St. Louis. On April 9, Boston came out on top in Game 5,

124-109. Two nights later Cliff Hagan tipped in a Bob Pettit miss

at the buzzer, and the Hawks edged the Celtics, 96-94, to force a

seventh and deciding game. Game 7, which was played on Saturday,

April 13, was one of the most memorable contests in the history of

the NBA. The afternoon game was seen by a large national television

audience. It was a closely played affair, with the Celtics taking

command early and the Hawks fighting back. Pettit sank a pair of

free throws in the closing seconds to send the game into overtime.

With a few ticks left on the clock in the first extra period, a

Jack Coleman basket forced the game into a second overtime. Boston

forward Jim Loscutoff sank a free throw in the waning seconds, and

when Pettit's buzzer-beater caromed off the rim the Celtics had a

125-123 win and the franchise's first championship.

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1957-59: Hawks Seek Revenge In Finals Rematch

Tempered by the heat of the previous season's playoffs,

the 1957-58 Hawks cruised to the top of the Western Division,

finishing eight games ahead of the second-place Detroit Pistons.

Alex Hannum, who had retired as a player after the 1956-57 season,

devoted his full attention to coaching in 1957-58, and it paid off.

Pettit ranked third in the NBA in scoring (24.6 ppg) and second in

rebounding (17.4 rpg). The team played a control game, pounding the

ball inside to Pettit and forwards Cliff Hagan (19.9 ppg) and Ed

Macauley (14.2 ppg). A rematch of the previous season's climactic

Finals took shape after the Hawks eliminated the Pistons, four

games to one, and the Celtics took out the Philadelphia Warriors in

similar fashion. This time no one was predicting an easy go of it

for Boston, and the Hawks reinforced this with a two-point win in

the opening contest. The Celtics evened the series at one game

apiece, but fortune turned in favor of St. Louis after Bill Russell

suffered an ankle injury in Game 3. The Hawks took that encounter,

lost Game 4, then squeezed by the Celtics, 102-100, in Game 5. Game

6 was played in St. Louis, and Russell did his best to compete with

limited mobility, but after 20 ineffective minutes he was lifted.

Pettit, meanwhile, was unstoppable, setting a new NBA playoff

record by scoring 50 points. The Hawks won by a single point,

110-109, to dethrone the Celtics and claim the crown. Despite

winning the title, owner Ben Kerner opted to change coaches for the

1958-59 campaign. His first appointee, Andy Phillip, lasted only 10

games before Ed Macauley, who was approaching the end of his

playing career, took over. The Hawks also added center Clyde

Lovellette, a 20-point scorer during the previous three seasons

with Minneapolis and Cincinnati. Slater Martin and Jack McMahon

continued to hold down the guard spots. The tough veteran team ran

away with the Western Division. Pettit earned his second NBA Most

Valuable Player Award after leading the league with 29.2 points per

game and setting a new NBA record with 2,105 total points for the

season. The Hawks, who finished with a 49-23 record and a 16-game

lead over the second-place Lakers, were anticipating a third

straight Finals matchup with the Celtics. But St. Louis was shocked

in the Western Division Finals when Minneapolis, led by rookie

Elgin Baylor, took the series, four games to two. The Hawks

appeared to be in control after taking two of the first three

contests, but the Lakers answered by winning three straight,

including a one-point overtime win in Game 5 and a two-point

victory in Game 6.

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1959-61: Dominant Front Line Leads St. Louis Back To

Finals

In 1959-60 the Hawks ran away with the Western Division

crown for the third consecutive season. Once again they did it with

a defense that held opponents to a league-low average of 110.7

points per game. St. Louis's scoring, as usual, came almost

entirely from the front line. Pettit led the charge with 26.1

points per game, followed closely by Hagan at 24.8 and Lovellette

at 20.8. Fans who had been disappointed the previous season when

the anticipated Celtics-Hawks matchup had failed to materialize

were not let down in 1960. St. Louis dispatched Minneapolis in a

seven-game Western Division Finals, while the Celtics rolled over

Philadelphia. In the championship round the Celtics and Hawks

traded victories, with Boston taking Games 1, 3, and 5, while the

Hawks prevailed in Games 2, 4, and 6. Once again the two teams

faced a decisive Game 7. But 1960 was not a repeat of 1957. Russell

owned the boards, grabbing 35 rebounds, and the Celtics outscored

the Hawks by 18 in the second period to break the game open. The

final score was 122-103. Fickle owner Ben Kerner changed coaches

again during the offseason, replacing Ed Macauley with Paul

Seymour. The only other significant change was the addition of

rookie Lenny Wilkens. The 6-1 guard averaged 11.7 points in his

first year, but the bulk of the scoring once again came from the

Hawks' front line of Pettit, Hagan, and Lovellette, who combined

for 72.0 points per game. St. Louis took the Western Division title

by a 15-game margin.

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1961-62: A Steep Decline

Although the 1961 NBA Finals featured the usual

combatants-Boston and St. Louis-the real excitement came during the

Western Division Finals between the Hawks and the Lakers.The Lakers

now resided in Los Angeles and featured Elgin Baylor and Jerry

West. Los Angeles pushed St. Louis to seven games, but the Hawks

made it to the Finals thanks to a one-point overtime win in Game 6

and a two-point victory in Game 7. Boston then made short work of

the weary Hawks (the Finals started one day after the Hawks had

eliminated the Lakers). Game 1 was a blowout, and the Celtics took

Games 2, 4, and 5 in relatively easy fashion. Only a 124-120 St.

Louis victory in Game 3 prevented a sweep. The following season was

disastrous for St. Louis. In the wake of the Berlin crisis the

country's military reserves were activated, and two NBA players,

Baylor and Wilkens, were called to duty. Without Wilkens the Hawks

struggled, and after Lovellette went down halfway through the

1961-62 season with a heel injury, the team collapsed. Kerner

shuffled through three coaches, first firing Seymour after 14

games. His replacement, Andrew "Fuzzy" Levane, lasted 60 contests.

Pettit was tapped to lead the club for the season's final six

games. The Hawks finished with a dismal 29-51 record and fell to

fourth place in the Western Division, ending a five-year reign at

the top. The club also finished out of the playoffs for the first

time in six seasons.

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1962-65: Kerner Cleans House

After the disastrous 1961-62 season Kerner did some

major housecleaning. He started at the top, bringing in Harry "the

Horse" Gallatin as head coach. In a 10-year career spent mostly

with the Knickerbockers, Gallatin had averaged 13.0 points and

never missed a single contest after his rookie season. Gallatin

kept Pettit, of course, and Hagan. After a one-year absence Wilkens

was back from the Army. But Lovellette was gone. The American

Basketball League, a rival circuit in its second year, was

floundering, so the Hawks were able to add four ABL expatriates to

the squad. Another key acquisition was draft pick Zelmo Beaty. The

changes paid off. In 1962-63 St. Louis rebounded to post a 48-32

mark and finish second in the West behind the Los Angeles Lakers.

Pettit continued his scoring and rebounding onslaught with 28.4

points and 15.1 rebounds per game. Beaty was named to the NBA

All-Rookie Team after averaging 10.2 points and 8.3 rebounds, and

Gallatin won the first-ever NBA Coach of the Year Award. The Hawks

eliminated Detroit in the Western Division Semifinals, then pushed

the Lakers to seven games in the Western Division Finals before

bowing out. Two games into the 1963-64 campaign the Hawks acquired

seven-year veteran guard Richie Guerin from the Knicks. The 6-4

Guerin had averaged better than 20 points in each of the previous

four seasons. St. Louis finished in second place in the West again,

this time trailing the San Francisco Warriors by two games. The

Hawks got by Los Angeles in the opening round of postseason play

but were ousted by the Warriors in a seven-game Western Division

Finals. The Hawks got off to a poor start the following year.

Pettit missed 30 games with a knee injury, and Guerin was sidelined

with a leg problem. Prior to midseason the Hawks' record stood at

17-16. Kerner switched coaches again; he fired Gallatin and

replaced him with Guerin, who became player-coach. The team went

28-19 under Guerin to secure second place in the Western Division.

But the Hawks were upset in the first round of the playoffs by the

Baltimore Bullets, three games to one.

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1965-66: Pettit Calls It Quits

Pettit retired after the 1964-65 season. He finished

his 11-year career with averages of 26.4 points and an incredible

16.2 rebounds per game. He was an All-NBA First Team selection 10

times, the All-Star Game MVP four times, and NBA MVP twice. He was

also the first NBA player to score 20,000 points. Entering the

1965-66 season, Cliff Hagan was the only remaining member of the

Hawks' 1958 championship team. The team struggled with Pettit gone,

although center Zelmo Beaty was beginning to come into his own,

averaging 20.7 points and 13.6 rebounds. St. Louis finished in

third place behind Baltimore, then avenged the previous season's

playoff upset with a three-game sweep of the Bullets. The Hawks

then surprised everyone by taking the Lakers to seven games in the

Western Division Finals. Down three games to one, St. Louis came

back to claim Game 5 and Game 6 before dropping the deciding

contest.

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1966-68: "Sweet Lou" Makes His Debut

The Hawks selected 6-5 shooter Lou Hudson in the 1966

NBA Draft. Hagan moved on, joining the Dallas Chaparrals of the

ABA. The stars of the team were now Beaty, who averaged 17.8 points

(despite missing 33 games with a knee injury), fifth-year forward

Bill Bridges (17.4 ppg, 15.1 rpg), and Lenny Wilkens, who matched

Bridges's scoring output and led the team with 5.7 assists per

game. Hudson had a dazzling rookie season, leading the club with an

average of 18.4 points per game. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie

Team at season's end. St. Louis took second place in the Western

Division despite finishing three games under .500. In the playoffs

the Hawks swept the expansion Chicago Bulls before bowing to the

San Francisco Warriors in the Western Division Finals, four games

to two. During the offseason Hudson announced that he was jumping

to the new ABA, but at the last minute he changed his mind and

stayed with St. Louis. Ironically, he spent only half the season

with the Hawks before being called to military service. The 1967-68

Hawks made do. Guerin, who had retired as a player, was still the

coach. Beaty and Wilkens both averaged better than 20 points. On

the boards Beaty received help from Paul Silas, who emerged as a

starter after three years on the bench and averaged 11.7 rebounds

and 13.4 points. The team breezed through the Western Division,

taking the crown with a 56-26 record. However, the third-place

Warriors surprised the Hawks in the playoffs by taking a

first-round series in six games. On May 3, 1968, owner Ben Kerner

shocked residents of both St. Louis and Atlanta when he announced

that the Hawks had been sold to Georgia real estate developer

Thomas Cousins and former Georgia Governor Carl Sanders. Kerner

believed that a St. Louis franchise could no longer compete

financially in the NBA; the league now consisted of 14 teams and

had to compete with the ABA for supremacy.

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1968-72: Hawks Fly South To New Home

The new owners moved the franchise to Atlanta. The

Atlanta Hawks retained Guerin as coach and welcomed Hudson back

from his stint in the Army. But a contract dispute forced the new

management to trade Lenny Wilkens to Seattle for Walt Hazzard.

Hazzard was joined in the backcourt by Joe "Pogo" Caldwell, a solid

fifth-year player who had averaged 16.4 points off the bench for

the Hawks the previous season. In 1968-69 Atlanta finished seven

games behind the Western Division-champion Los Angeles Lakers, then

fell to the Lakers in the Western Division Finals, winning only one

game. The Hawks were Western Division champions for the 1969-70

season, but they had to do it without Zelmo Beaty, who jumped to

the ABA. The late-season addition of Detroit's Walt Bellamy helped,

but another trade that sent Paul Silas to Phoenix for the

little-remembered Gary Gregor was not as beneficial. Atlanta made

short work of the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 1970 NBA

Playoffs, then ran into Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor in the

Western Division Finals. The Lakers dismantled the Hawks in four

straight games. For the second consecutive year Atlanta was stung

by the ABA when Joe Caldwell defected prior to the 1970-71 season.

The addition of rookie scoring sensation Pete Maravich proved to be

a mixed blessing. Although Maravich finished second on the team in

scoring with 23.2 points per game (behind Lou Hudson's 26.8 ppg),

the team often didn't know what to make of his fancy passing and

showboat dribbling. For the first time since moving to Atlanta the

Hawks fell below .500, finishing at 36-46. The team was no match

for the New York Knicks in the opening round of the playoffs and

fell in five games. The 1971-72 season was a repeat performance.

The Hawks finished 10 games below the .500 mark and were booted in

the first round of the playoffs, falling to Boston in six

games.

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1972-74: Hawks Move To New Arena With A New Coach

During the offseason the team underwent two important

changes. After having shared Alexander Memorial Hall with the

Georgia Tech basketball team for five years, the Hawks moved into

the brand-new 16,500-seat Omni. The club also experienced the end

of the Richie Guerin era. After 71/2 seasons at the helm Guerin

stepped aside, leaving the team with a 327-291 career record. (Two

decades later he still owned the club record for coaching

victories.) To replace Guerin the Hawks hired Lowell "Cotton"

Fitzsimmons, who came to Atlanta from Phoenix, where he had piloted

the Suns to a 49-33 mark the season before. Propelled by the

high-scoring duo of Hudson (27.1 ppg) and Maravich (26.1), Atlanta

performed well under Fitzsimmons. The Hawks won in their debut at

the Omni on October 15, 1972, downing New York, 109-101. After a

10-13 start the club went 12-4 in December. Playing slightly better

than .500 ball the rest of the way, the Hawks finished at 46-36.

But for the second year in a row Atlanta fell victim to Boston in

the first round of the playoffs. This would prove to be the Hawks'

best season under Fitzsimmons. During the 1973-74 season Maravich

took more shots than anybody in the league and finished No. 2 in

the circuit in scoring with 27.7 points per game. But the team

finished 35-47 and out of the playoffs, ending an 11-year run of

postseason appearances.

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1974-77: "Pistol Pete" Ends His Firing Act In Atlanta

The Hawks unloaded Maravich in the offseason, sending

him to the expansion New Orleans Jazz for Dean Meminger, Bob

Kauffman, 1974 and 1975 first-round draft choices, and 1975 and

1976 second-round draft picks. Things went from bad to worse. An

elbow injury kept Hudson out of all but 11 contests during the

1974-75 season, and Atlanta won only 31 games, the team's lowest

victory total since the 1961-62 season. Using their No. 1 and No. 3

picks in the following draft, the Hawks took David Thompson and

Marvin Webster. Both stunned Atlanta by opting to sign with the

Denver Nuggets of the ABA. The Hawks held together for the first

three months of the 1975-76 campaign and reached February 1 with a

23-25 record. The emergence of second-year forward John Drew, who

scored 21.6 points per game, helped. But the team collapsed during

the second half, winning only 6 of its final 34 games. Fitzsimmons

was released with eight games left in the season. Hubie Brown took

over for the 1976-77 season. Two seasons earlier he had piloted the

Kentucky Colonels to an ABA Championship. But Brown couldn't do

much for the undermanned Hawks in his first season, and the team

finished out of the playoffs for the fourth year in a row, with a

31-51 record.

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1977-79: Turner Takes Over, But Hawks Stay Put

The big news that year occurred off the court. In

January, Ted Turner (who owned the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta

television station WTCG) announced that he had purchased the

franchise. He also put an end to rumors that the Hawks would leave

Atlanta by promising that the team would stay put. Atlanta traded

Hudson at the end of the 1976-77 season, sending him to the Los

Angeles Lakers for Ollie Johnson. In the 1977 NBA Draft the Hawks

made two key acquisitions, picking up 7-1 center Wayne "Tree"

Rollins and 6-2 guard Eddie Johnson. The team also added 5-8

Charlie Criss, a 28-year-old rookie who had been toiling for years

in the netherworld of minor league basketball. Coach Brown somehow

managed to coax 10 more wins out of his young squad, and the

1977-78 Hawks finished with a 41-41 record, earning the team a spot

in the playoffs and Brown the NBA Coach of the Year Award. Atlanta

continued its progress under Coach Brown. Dan Roundfield joined the

team for the 1978-79 campaign after three years in Indiana. The

Hawks improved to a 46-36 mark and took third place in the Central

Division, only two games behind first-place San Antonio. In the

playoffs Atlanta dismantled the Houston Rockets in a best-of-three

first-round series, then stretched Washington to the limit in the

Eastern Conference Semifinals before losing in Game 7.

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1979-82: Hawks Soar To First Division Title Since 1970

The Hubie Brown-era Hawks came into their own in the

1979-80 season. A well-balanced team led by Drew, Roundfield,

Rollins, and Johnson won 50 games and came out on top in the

Central Division. It was the Hawks' first division title since

1970, and the first 50-win season for the franchise since 1967-68.

Unfortunately, the club's solid regular-season play did not carry

over into the playoffs. A strong Philadelphia team led by Julius

Erving made short work of the Hawks in the Eastern Conference

Semifinals, winning the series, four games to one. Inexplicably,

the 1980-81 Hawks collapsed. The team finished 20 games under .500

and plummeted from first to fourth place in the Central Division.

Brown's tenure ended after five seasons. Owner Ted Turner brought

in Kevin Loughery as the new coach for the 1981-82 season. Loughery

took the same crew and turned it into a tight defensive unit. After

allowing 108.0 points per game the previous season, the team led

the league in defense in 1981-82, holding opponents to only 100.5

points per contest. The Hawks improved to a 42-40 mark and made the

playoffs, losing a first-round series to Philadelphia.

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1982-86: "Human Highlight Film" Rated "R"-As In Regal

On September 3, 1982, the Hawks made a move that would

shape their identity for the next decade. They sent John Drew and

Freeman Williams to the Utah Jazz for rookie Dominique Wilkins. The

former University of Georgia star and future "Human Highlight Film"

earned a spot on the 1982-83 NBA All-Rookie Team by averaging 17.5

points. Rollins led the league in blocked shots with 343.

Roundfield led the team in scoring (19.0 ppg) and rebounding (11.4

rpg). But the Hawks won only one game more than in the previous

season and were once again eliminated from postseason play in the

first round. Mike Fratello replaced Loughery prior to the 1983-84

campaign. In his first year the club fell to two games below .500

but made it to the playoffs. For 1984-85 the Hawks embarked on a

major rebuilding program. Roundfield was dealt to the Pistons for

6-8 Cliff Levingston, 6-9 Antoine Carr, and a couple of draft

picks. Atlanta also picked up 7-footer Kevin Willis in the 1984 NBA

Draft. Wilkins finished sixth in the league in scoring with 27.4

points per game, and the Hawks finished fifth in the Central

Division with a 34-48 record. In the offseason Atlanta drafted Jon

Koncak and then signed Anthony "Spud" Webb to a free-agent deal.

The Hawks were the second-youngest team in the NBA heading into the

1985-86 season, and expectations were low. The club got off to a

slow start, reaching the end of November with an 8-11 record and

finishing December at 15-15. But with the new year the team hit its

stride. Atlanta went 35-17 the rest of the way to nail down a

50-win season. Wilkins led the league in scoring with 30.3 points

per game and made his first All-Star appearance. Fratello was named

NBA Coach of the Year. Despite all that, the most impressive feat

was performed by the 5-7 Webb, who thrilled sports fans and

teammates alike by winning the NBA Slam-Dunk Championship on NBA

All-Star Saturday. After a one-year absence, the Hawks returned to

the playoffs in 1986. They got by the Pistons in the first round,

thanks to a double-overtime win in Game 4. But Atlanta was no match

for the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Boston

dispatched the Hawks in five games, routing the young team by 33

points in Game 5.

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1986-88: Two-Year Run For NBA Title Comes Up Short Both

Times

One year later the Hawks joined the league's elite. The

team jumped out to a 10-2 start as the 1986-87 season got underway,

then strung together 11 straight victories at midseason and cruised

to a Central Division title with a franchise-record 57 wins. The

club was led by Dominique Wilkins, who finished second in the

league to Michael Jordan in scoring with 29.0 points per game.

Glenn "Doc" Rivers finished fourth in the circuit with 10.0 assists

per contest. Tree Rollins moved into the No. 2 spot on the NBA's

all-time blocked shots list. With high expectations the Hawks

soared into the postseason and eliminated the Indiana Pacers, three

games to one, in the opening round. But Atlanta fell in five games

to the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Hawks

failed to repeat as Central Division champs in 1987-88 but managed

to win 50 games behind Wilkins's 30.7 points per game. It marked

the third straight season in which Atlanta had claimed at least 50

wins. They made a strong run in the playoffs, taking care of

Milwaukee in five games and then pushing the Celtics to the limit

in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. In a hard-fought series,

Boston prevailed with two-point victories in Games 6 and 7. NBA

fans will long remember the point-for-point, basket-for-basket duel

between Wilkins and Larry Bird in the fourth quarter of Game

7.

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1988-90: Injury To Willis Leaves Hawks On The Short End Of The

Stick

Having failed to get past the conference semifinals in

each of the previous three seasons, the Hawks made some monumental

deals prior to the 1988-89 campaign. On June 27 they picked up

Reggie Theus from Sacramento. Six weeks later Atlanta signed

13-year veteran Moses Malone to a free-agent contract. The team

seemed to be ready to challenge for a title, but prior to the

season Kevin Willis fractured his left foot and was lost for the

year. Even without Willis, the Hawks turned in another 50-win

performance. But the club was stunned by the Milwaukee Bucks in the

first round of the playoffs. The teams swapped close wins in the

opening two games, then split a pair of overtime struggles. In Game

5 the Bucks finally eliminated the Hawks, 96-92. Atlanta's run of

50-win seasons ended at four as the Hawks fell to 41-41 in 1989-90.

Injuries wiped out the backcourt and the bench, with starting

guards John Battle and Doc Rivers and backups Cliff Levingston and

Jon Koncak all spending time on the injured list. After a decent

13-6 start, Atlanta played .500 ball from early December to

mid-January and then lost 17 of its next 22 games. Despite a

late-season run that saw the club go 11-4 to end the year, a final

record of 41-41 was not enough to earn the Hawks a playoff

berth.

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1990-91: Weiss Replaces Fratello

After battling for the top spot in the Central Division

for four straight seasons, Mike Fratello lost his coaching job

because of his team's mediocre showing. He left the franchise in

second place on the club's all-time win list with 324 victories,

only 3 fewer than Richie Guerin. Atlanta courted former San Antonio

Head Coach Bob Weiss and named him the new boss on May 22, 1990.

The 1990-91 season was a bit of a roller-coaster ride. Always a

great scorer, Dominique Wilkins showed that he could contribute in

other ways by setting career highs for rebounds and assists. But

the once-ageless Moses Malone was beginning to show signs of wear

and tear, and his production dropped to 10.6 points per game. The

Hawks started slowly, closing out November with a nine-game losing

streak. During the next two months, however, the team looked like a

potential 50-game winner, claiming 11 wins in December and 9 in

January. Erratic over the final half of the campaign, Atlanta

finished with a 43-39 record. Back in the playoffs after a one-year

absence, the Hawks fell to the Pistons in a five-game first-round

series.

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1991-92: A Changing Of The Guard

The offseason brought a true changing of the guard. The

team sent Rivers to the Los Angeles Clippers and received the No. 9

pick in the 1991 NBA Draft and two future second-round draft

choices in return. Atlanta used the first-round pick to obtain

Stacey Augmon, a 6-8 swingman and defensive specialist from the

University of Nevada-Las Vegas. The Hawks also dealt Spud Webb to

the Sacramento Kings and then turned the point guard position over

to second-year player Rumeal Robinson. Despite its young backcourt,

by late January Atlanta had fashioned a respectable 22-20 record.

But in a January 28 game against Philadelphia, Dominique Wilkins

ruptured his Achilles tendon, ending his season. The Hawks went

16-24 the rest of the way and finished the 1991-92 season with a

38-44 record. It might have been worse if Kevin Willis hadn't

turned in the performance of his career-the 7-footer was second on

the team in scoring (18.3 ppg) and second in the league in

rebounding (15.5 rpg). Atlanta continued to tinker with the

backcourt, trading Robinson to New Jersey for Mookie Blaylock. The

trade gave the team a true point guard with solid ballhandling

skills. It also gave the Hawks a potent defensive tandem at the

guard positions in Blaylock and Augmon.

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1992-93: Wilkins Becomes Hawks' All-Time Leading Scorer

A mediocre team for the first four months of the

1992-93 season, the Hawks reached the end of February with a 26-29

record. The highlight of the season up to that point had come on

February 2, when Wilkins scored 31 points against Seattle to pass

Bob Pettit as the all-time leading scorer in franchise history. The

Hawks surprised the league with a great run in March, posting a

12-3 record. The team then stumbled through April at 5-7 and

entered the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference.

That meant a first-round appointment with the Chicago Bulls. The

three-game series was a rout. A 10-point loss in Game 3 was the

closest Atlanta could get to Chicago, which swept the

series.

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1993-94: Wilkens Coaches Hawks To Division Title

Lenny Wilkens, who replaced Bob Weiss as head coach for

the 1993-94 season, brought defense, winning, and excitement to

Atlanta. The team went 57-25, tying the franchise record for

victories in a season and capturing its first Central Division

title since 1987. Although the Hawks were upset by the Indiana

Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Wilkens was named NBA

Coach of the Year. By season's end his 926 career coaching

victories left him only 12 short of Red Auerbach's 938 for the top

spot on the NBA's all-time list. Wilkens stressed defense with the

Hawks, who responded by holding opponents to 96.2 points per game,

fourth best in the league. Starting guards Mookie Blaylock and

Stacey Augmon, both excellent defenders, improved on their

performances of 1992-93. Blaylock ranked third in the league in

steals (2.62 per game) and made the NBA All-Defensive First Team

and the Eastern Conference All-Star Team, while Augmon and

free-agent signee Craig Ehlo were also among the league leaders in

thefts. In the frontcourt Kevin Willis registered a career-high

19.1 points per game. The Hawks changed their lineup significantly

in February, trading their all-time scoring leader, Dominique

Wilkins, to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Danny Manning.

Wilkins left Atlanta having accumulated 23,292 points in 111/2

seasons with the team. The trade's effect on the Hawks was

difficult to assess, but the team didn't play particularly well in

the postseason. After needing five games to eliminate the Miami

Heat in the first round, the Hawks were upended by the Pacers, who

had won 10 fewer games than Atlanta during the regular

season.

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1994-95: Wilkens Becomes Winningest Coach In NBA History

Danny Manning didn't stay with Atlanta for long, opting

to accept a free-agency deal with the Phoenix Suns instead. The

Hawks then made a significant trade as the 1994-95 season opened,

sending Kevin Willis and a future draft pick to the Miami Heat for

Steve Smith, Grant Long, and a future second-round draft selection.

That trade and the loss of Danny Manning gave the team a decidedly

different look. Instead of relying on a strong front line, the team

depended on guards Mookie Blaylock and Smith. When those two were

hot, the Hawks were a good team. Blaylock averaged 17.2 points and

7.7 assists and broke a team record for three-pointers made with

199, while Smith contributed 16.3 points per outing. In addition,

Blaylock finished second in the league in steals (2.5 per game) and

was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. On March 22 he

recorded career steal No. 1,000, attaining that plateau faster than

all but three players in NBA history. Stacey Augmon was moved to

the small forward slot to start on the front line with Long and

Andrew Lang. A career .717 free-throw shooter entering the season,

Lang shot .809 from the line in 1994-95 to finish 40th in the NBA.

Atlanta suffered from a lack of offense all season, scoring only

96.6 points per contest, the fourth-lowest mark in the NBA. In

games in which the Hawks scored more than 100 points, they were

26-4. The team was strong on defense, however, allowing opponents

an average of 95.3 points per contest, third best in the league.

The Hawks nevertheless finished at 42-40 and were dispatched from

the playoffs by the Indiana Pacers in three games. The big story

for Atlanta in 1994-95 was Head Coach Lenny Wilkens, who became the

NBA's all-time leader in coaching victories. In his 22nd season as

an NBA coach, Wilkens passed Red Auerbach's 938 wins when the Hawks

defeated the Washington Bullets on January 6.

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1995-96: Hawks Take Flight In Playoffs

Although Atlanta completed the 1995-96 season without a

single player averaging 20 points, 10 rebounds or 10 assists, Lenny

Wilkens had the Hawks fying high, and made some personal history

along the way. On March 1, Wilkens became the first coach in NBA history to

post 1,000 wins, as Atlanta recorded a 74-68 win over the Cleveland

Cavaliers. More importantly, by achieving the milestone, he kept

the Hawks on pace to make the playoffs. The Hawks were led offensively by 18.1 points per game from

Steve Smith and defensively by the 2.62 steals per game from Mookie

Blaylock. The team was buoyed by a midseason trade for Christian

Laettner, who averaged 14.2 points and solidified the team's center

position. Wilkens finished the regular season with 1,014 wins as Atlanta

finished fourth in the Central Division with a 46-36 record. In the

first round of the playoffs, Atlanta surprised the Indiana Pacers

in five games, winning the decisive fifth game in Indiana. In the

Eastern Conference Semifinals, Atlanta was eliminated, 4-1, by the

Orlando Magic.

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1996-97: Mutombo Helps Hawks Fly High

Atlanta dipped into the free agent market during the

1996 offseason and came away with one of its biggest catches, both

literally and figuratively. Dikembe Mutombo, the 7-2 center from

Zaire, instantly transformed the Hawks into one of the finest

defensive teams in the NBA. Mutombo, one of eight new Hawks, led Atlanta to a 56-26 record

and a berth in the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the third time

in four years under Coach Lenny Wilkens. Mutombo finished second in

the league in blocked shots (3.3 bpg) and in rebounding (11.6 rpg)

on his way to winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award

for the second time in his career. One of his closest competitors

was teammate Mookie Blaylock, who led the league with 2.72 steals

per game. Defense was the Hawks' specialty, but Atlanta's offense was

potent as well. Christian Laettner enjoyed his best pro season,

averaging 18.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Laettner joined

Mutombo on the Eastern Conference All-Star team. The backcourt

tandem of Steve Smith and Blaylock also provided spark. Smith

scored a team-high 20.1 ppg, while Blaylock averaged 17.4 ppg and a

team-high 5.9 assists. On December 17, the Hawks set an NBA record with 19 three-point

field goals in a 109-73 win over Dallas. In January, the team won

10 straight games and set a franchise record for most wins in any

month (14) en route to the seventh 50-win season in Hawks history.

In their last season at the Omni, the Hawks went 36-5, equaling the

best home record in team history. In a first-round playoff battle with Detroit, Atlanta won the

decisive fifth game in front of the home crowd. Atlanta's second

round opponent, the eventual champion Chicago Bulls, gave the Hawks

a little more than they could handle even though in Game 2 Atlanta

became the first team in 14 tries to beat the Bulls in Chicago.

However, Atlanta's win seemed to rekindle the fire in the Bulls,

who won the best-of-7 series 4-1.

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1997-98: Hawks Overcome Obstacles

The 1997-98 Atlanta Hawks dealt with more than their

share of distracions. Atlanta was forced to split its home games

between the Georgia Dome and Georgia Tech while their new arena was

under construction. Despite the additional headache and a series of

injuries, Atlanta finished with a record of 50-32. The Hawks began the season on high note, going 11-0 to match the

Lakers for the best start in the league before suffering a series

of injures to key players, including Steve Smith, Alan Henderson,

Mookie Blaylock and Christian Laettner. Head Coach Lenny Wilkens further distinguished himself by

reaching a pair of milestones in February. Wilkens won his 1,100th

career game on February 10 at Milwaukee and coached his 2,000th

career regular season NBA contest on February 18 against New

Jersey. Smith earned his first All-Star berth, joining teammate Dikembe

Mutombo on the East squad. Smith led the Hawks in scoring at 20.1

ppg and was also the winner of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship

Award in recognition of his outstanding community service and

charitable work. Mutombo had another strong season in the middle,

averaging 14.4 points, 11.4 rebounds (fourth in the NBA) and 3.38

blocks (second) per game. At season's end, he was named the NBA's

Defensive Player of the Year. Smith and Mutombo weren't the only Hawks honored in the

postseason. Alan Henderson was named the league's Most Improved

Player, while Blaylock led the NBA in steals. Individual

achievements didn't translate to team success in the postseason. A

first round matchup with Charlotte went the Hornets' way in four

games, leaving Atlanta looking forward to next year and another run

at an NBA title in their brand-new state-of-the-art arena. In the cavernous Georgia Dome, the Hawks broke the all-time NBA

single-game attendance mark, drawing 62,046 fans against the

Chicago Bulls. The Hawks also broke the franchise all-time

single-season home attendance record, averaging 17,450.

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1998-99: Hawks Leave Nest; Defense Doesn't Rest

Despite being a team without a full-time home during

the lockout-shortened season, the Atlanta Hawks finished with a

winning record (31-19) for the seventh consecutive year and reached

the second round of the playoffs. Atlanta got the job done with defense, setting an NBA record by

allowing only 83.4 points per game. Dikembe Mutombo and Mookie

Blaylock led the way, with Mutombo averaging 2.94 blocks (fourth in

NBA) and Blaylock notching 2.06 steals per game (10th). In the first round of the playoffs, the Hawks beat Detroit in

five games. New York eliminated Atlanta in four games in the next

round. Starting forward Alan Henderson played only four minutes in

the postseason because of an eye injury. Three starters missed significant time during the regular

season: LaPhonso Ellis sat out the final 30 games and all of the

playoffs because of a sports hernia, leading scorer Steve Smith

(18.7 ppg) missed 14 games with knee problems, and Henderson was

out for 12 games with back, tailbone and eye injuries. The Hawks played at Georgia Tech and in the Georgia Dome because

The Omni, which opened in 1972, was demolished to make room for the

team's new home, Philips Arena, which was scheduled to open for the

1999-2000 season.

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1999-2000: Memorable for the Wrong Reasons

The 1999-2000 season turned out to be memorable for all the wrong reasons. After pulling even to a 9-9 record in early December, the Hawks went just 19-45 the remainder of the season. The 28-54 record was the poorest in Atlanta history. The season did see the opening of the state-of-the-art Philips Arena, in which the Hawks still managed to record a 21-20 mark for the season.

Rookie Jason Terry brought hope for the future, as the 10th overall pick was named to the NBA's All-Rookie second team. Dikembe Mutombo was once again named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team and won the NBA rebounding title for the first time in his career. He also finished second in blocked shots and field goal percentage. Following the season, head coach Lenny Wilkens elected to resign his position, setting the stage for the Lon Kruger era. Kruger, who spent 18 years as a college coach at Pan American, Kansas State, Florida and Illinois looked to duplicate his success on the pro level.

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2000-01: Kruger Takes Over, Rebuilding Begins

While 2000-01 was not a successful season from a won-loss standpoint, a strong foundation was laid, and the subsequent offseason provided an excitement level unmatched in recent years. Despite being on the losing end of the most contests in franchise history (57), Lon Kruger's group showed outstanding effort on a nightly basis and the team's attitude did not go unnoticed. Jason Terry avoided the sophomore jinx in a big way leading the team with 19.7 ppg, the highest by a Hawk since Steve Smith's 20.1 output in 1997-98.

A mid-season trade changed the look of the team's future, as center Dikembe Mutombo was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for three talents - Theo Ratliff, Toni Kukoc and Nazr Mohammed. Ratliff was named the Eastern Conference's starting center in the 2001 NBA All-Star Game, but was unable to play due to a fractured wrist. That injury also pushed his Hawks debut back to the 2001-02 season. Three-time NBA champ Kukoc and the unheralded Mohammed both made major contributions, with Mohammed playing so well he was re-signed in the offseason. The draft day acquisition of the Grizzlies' Shareef-Abdur Rahim provided a tremendous amount of buzz around the league, as the experienced, yet young 2000 U.S. Olympian will now lead his hometown team.

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2001-02: Improvement Evident, Despite Rash of Injuries

Unfortunately, injuries became the lead story of 2001-02, as the Hawks lost an NBA-high 319 games missed due to injury/illness. While there were some terriffic individual performances - Shareef Abdur Rahim's All-Star appearance, 50-point game and all-around consistent play - the loss of Theo Ratliff for 79 of the season's 82 games proved too much to overcome in a 33-49 campaign. Jason Terry also shined, averaging 19.3 ppg (his second straight season over 19 ppg), while the exciting DerMarr Johnson showed significant development over his rookie season. The Hawks delivered a solid performance over the second half of the season, going 17-16 following the All-Star break (after a 16-33 first half). Ira Newble, signed in mid-January, brought a toughness and defensive presence to the club, starting 35 of 42 games in which he played. The summer of 2002 saw another draft night trade, as the Hawks acquired Gonzaga point guard Dan Dickau from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for a future first-round pick. In the second round, Atlanta selected Australian David Andersen (37th overall). An early August trade added All-Star forward Glenn Robinson to the Hawks roster, bringing one of the league's best mid-range shooters and scorers to the Atlanta roster.

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2002-03: Coaching Change, But Strong Finish

With very high expectations entering the 2002-03 season, it became one of disappointment and change. After a 6-4 start through 10 games, the Hawks dropped 12 of 17, costing head coach Lon Kruger his job. Assistant coach Terry Stotts replaced Kruger and had a rough start as well, going 3-11. But the Hawks showed signs of life in mid-January, and really began playing solidly following the All-Star break. Speaking of All-Star, the 2003 classic, held at Philips Arena, was certainly a highlight for the franchise and the city, as the first-ever double overtime All-Star game ended with a 155-145 West win. Kevin Garnett (37 points) secured MVP honors in Michael Jordan's final All-Star appearance. Atlanta produced a 16-17 mark following the break, and posted a 6-2 mark in April. Glenn Robinson, Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Jason Terry combined to average 57.9 ppg, becoming the highest-scoring trio in the league on the season. Additionally, center Theo Ratliff returned to All-Star form in the season's second half.

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2003-04: Change On And Off The Court

After the first part of the 2003-04 season didn't go as planned, General Manager Billy Knight decided major changes had to be made for the franchise to move forward. Over a 10-day span in February, Knight pulled off three major trades, leaving the Hawks with massive salary cap room for the summer of 2004. In another move that changed the shape of the franchise, the Hawks, along with the Atlanta Thrashers and the operating rights to Philips Arena, were sold to a nine-man ownership group called Atlanta Spirit LLC on March 31, 2004. On the court, Stephen Jackson had a breakout season, while rookies Boris Diaw and Travis Hansen showed signs of things to come.

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2004-05: A New Beginning

Leading into 2004-05, the Hawks made several roster moves, including

the acquisitions of veterans Al Harrington, Antoine Walker, Tony Delk, Peja

Drobnjak and Kenny Anderson, and the return of former Hawks Kevin Willis and

Jon Barry. Additionally, the team stocked up with four draft picks - Josh Childress

(sixth overall), Josh Smith (17th), Donta Smith (34th) and Royal Ivey

(37th). By the time the smoke cleared, only two players remained on the roster

(Chris Crawford and Boris Diaw) from the start of the previous season. The season was a frustrating one in some ways (with a 13-69 finish), but

also led to opportunities for the team's young nucleus to get significant

playing time as the season went along. Childress and Smith especially made progress, with both earning NBA

second-team All-Rookie honors after solid rookie campaigns. The high-flying Smith captured the imagination of the entire league on

All-Star Weekend in Denver, single-handedly rejuvenating the Slam Dunk

Contest in the process. The 19-year-old rookie put together four devastating

dunks (three earned perfect 50's) en route to earning the title.

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2005-06: Starting to Turn the Corner

In the 2005-06 campaign, the young Hawks showed significant progress,

both individually and team-wise. The addition of the multi-talented Joe

Johnson was a huge step for the franchise, as was the drafting of Marvin

Williams (2nd overall) and Salim Stoudamire (31st overall). After a blockbuster trade to acquire him prior to the season, Johnson was

everything the team expected and more, coming up with four 40+point games,

the most since Dominique Wilkins' eight in 1992-93, leading the team in

several offensive categories, breaking the franchise's single-season record

for minutes played and earning a spot on the prestigious USA Senior National

Team program. Another offseason acquisition, restricted free agent signee Zaza Pachulia,

proved to be a great find in the pivot. Second-year man Josh Smith came on

especially strong after the All-Star break, and finished second in the NBA

in total blocks. Williams and Stoudamire showed promise as well, the former

improving his scoring and rebounding every month throughout the season. The club went 26-56, doubling the previous season's win total, improving

more than all but two teams in the league. With the club believed to be the

youngest in NBA history (avg age: 23), the sky seems to be the limit.

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2006-07: Injuries Derail Promising Start

The 2006-07 campaign saw continued growth of the team's exciting young

core, despite a devastating rash of injuries. Four of the team's top seven

players missed 20 or more games, and Atlanta only had six games with all top

seven players healthy. Joe Johnson stepped up as one of the elite players in the league, ranking

ninth in the NBA in scoring (25.0), while earning the team's first All-Star

berth since 2002. Johnson missed the first games of his six-year career due

to injury (missing 25 total), yet recorded 19 30-point games, and set a

franchise record by beginning the season with seven consecutive games

scoring 25-or-more. Josh Smith was outstanding as well, placing second in the league in blocks

(207), in the process of becoming the youngest player in NBA history (21

years, 88 days) to reach the 500-block milestone. But his all-around game

began to catch up as well, as he was one of just three men in the league to

rank in the top 20 in blocks, steals and rebounds. Still the youngest team in the NBA, Atlanta saw its win total improve for

the third straight season (Hawks finished 30-52), as all five of the team's

top players (Johnson, Smith, Josh Childress, Marvin Williams and Zaza

Pachulia) finished the season with career-high scoring averages.

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2007-08: Return to the Post-Season

The Hawks' patience over the last several years paid off in the 2007-08 season. After recording a 37-45 mark and reaching postseason play for the first time since 1999, Atlanta took the NBA's top regular season team and eventual champion (Boston) to seven games, before falling 4-3 in the thrilling first round series. The home contests (all Hawks wins) in particular generated tremendous support from the Philips Arena faithful, and raised eyebrows around the NBA. Veteran point guard Mike Bibby was added to the roster at the trade deadline, and the Hawks' picked it up offensively in the second half of the season, playing their way into the playoff picture. Several Hawks players pushed their games to the next level — Joe Johnson earned his second straight All-Star berth, Josh Smith again finished second in the league in blocks (and placed sixth in Defensive Player of the Year voting), Al Horford was the only unanimous selection to the NBA All-Rookie team

(finishing as the runner-up for Rookie of the Year) and Josh Childress was sixth in voting for the NBA’s Sixth Man Award.

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2008-09: Jumping Over .500

The momentum generated in the 2007-08 playoffs certainly carried over into the 2008-09 regular season, as Atlanta recorded its best (and first .500 or better) campaign in 10 years. Sporting one of the league’s best home records (31-10), the Hawks improved their overall mark for the fourth straight year, going 47-35, finishing second in the Southeast Division and fourth in the Eastern Conference. Joe Johnson made the All-Star game for the third straight season, and hit the 10,000 career point

plateau on Jan. 31. Atlanta reached the Eastern Conference semifinals (also for the first time since 1999), as they took out Miami, 4-3 in the first round, before falling, 4-0, to Cleveland.

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2009-10: 53 Wins and a Pair of All-Stars

The still-young team looked to continue that momentum in 2009-10. The 2009-10 campaign was notable for many reasons, not the least of which was the Hawks recording 53 wins, a superlative 34 home victories and once again advancing to the second round of the playoffs for the second straight season. While much of the '08-'09 team returned for '09-'10, a new face provided a major difference off the bench. Veteran Jamal Crawford, who was acquired in the summer of 2009, eagerly accepted and thrived in his substitute role, earning NBA Sixth Man of the Year honors. Joe Johnson was named an All-Star for the fourth straight season, and took home his first berth on the All-NBA team (third team). Josh Smith was runner-up to childhood friend Dwight Howard for Defensive Player of the Year honors, and made the NBA All-Defensive second team. Second-year big man Al Horford earned his first All-Star berth, giving Atlanta two players in the game for the first time in 12 years. After beating Milwaukee in the first round, the Hawks ran into a hot Orlando Magic squad in round two, suffering a 4-0 sweep in the Conference Semifinals for the second consecutive year.

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2010-11: Postseason Basketball at its Finest

Looking to take another step forward, the club installed longtime assistant coach Larry Drew as the club's new head coach, after 27 combined seasons in the NBA as a player and coach. He led the club to a red-hot 6-0 start (the best by a first-year head coach in Atlanta history) and in the season's first half, the Hawks became a dangerous road team, while maintaining their home dominance. Atlanta enjoyed a 10-game home win streak, as well as a six-game road win streak, during the campaign. After securing a playoff spot in early April, the Hawks rested most of their primary players, and finished off with a 44-38 mark, good for fifth in the East, earning a rematch with Orlando in the first round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs. After taking the series opener in a hostile environment in Orlando, the Hawks controlled most of the games, earning a 4-2 series win, and a measure of sweet revenge from the embarrassing loss in the '10 Playoffs. But Atlanta couldn't get past the NBA's best team during the regular season, the Chicago Bulls, in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Tied at two games each, and holding a lead in the fourth quarter of game five, the Hawks couldn't hang on. After losing the fifth game, Atlanta came home and fell in game six. But progress was certainly made, as the Hawks played their best basketball during the postseason.

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2011-12: Overcoming Injuries

The 2011-12 regular season was notable for several reasons. Shortened to 66-games by a work stoppage, the campaign tipped off on December 27 as the Hawks played nine games in the first 12 days of the season. Despite a number of major injuries to key players (including the loss of All-Pro center Al Horford for the remainder of the season after just 11 games), the Hawks persevered through the sprint, ending the season taking five-of-the-last-six to finish the season at 40-26, an equivalent to a 50-win season during a regular 82-game campaign. In fact, Atlanta finished with the fourth-best record in the East, taking home court advantage in the first round against Atlantic Division champion and longtime nemesis Boston. After the Hawks took game one of the series, the veteran Celtics bounced back to win three-in-a-row. After Atlanta trimmed the deficit to 3-2, they went to TD Garden and nearly pulled out a game six victory to extend the season. But a series of bad breaks down the stretch cost them, and the Hawks fell to the Celtics, 4-2. Despite not reaching the second round of the Playoffs for the first time in four years, Atlanta had a lot to be proud of -- overcoming the injuries and rugged schedule to take 40 regular season wins, and taking a tough Celtics bunch to the wire.

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2012-13: New Roster, New Era

Entering 2012-13, the Hawks' roster had a different look than the one that finished the prior season, as veterans Joe Johnson (Brooklyn) and Marvin Williams (Utah) were dealt in the offseason. But with the returning trio of Al Horford, Josh Smith and Jeff Teague, plus a collection of outside shooting threats, Atlanta looked to make postseason for the sixth straight year. In an excellent position for much of the year, Atlanta finished up second in the Southeast Division and sixth in the East with a 44-38 mark, setting up a first-round matchup with the physical Indiana Pacers. Trailing 2-0 after tough losses in Indy, Atlanta roared back with two solid home wins behind revved up crowds at Philips Arena. After dropping Game 5 at Indiana, Atlanta trailed late in Game 6 but fought back again, only to fall short and lose the series. Injuries were again a story, as key rotation players Lou Williams (14.1 points per game in 39 contests before tearing his right ACL) and Zaza Pachulia (5.9 points and 6.5 rebounds in 52 games prior to suffering an Achilles injury) missed extended portions of the season, including the playoff series.