Atlanta
Hawks
Southeast
| Team Rating | |
| Offense | Defense |
| 110.0 | 108.6 |
| 9th Overall | 15th Overall |
Statistics through 1/25/09
W
26
L
17
PCT
.605
GB
9.5
CONF
18-11
DIV
6-2
HOME
17-5
ROAD
9-12
LinksStatistics | Tickets
|
Category | Grade | ||
 Injuries to Josh Smith and Al Horford at different points in the season have hurt the interior D, but 2005 No. 2 overall pick Marvin Williams is finally coming along and finding his game.
|
B |
||
 Joe Johnson has played at an All-Star level and point guard Mike Bibby has been a steady presence next to Johnson. Flip Murray and Mo Evans are solid off the pine.
|
B+ |
||
 No one in the backcourt plays clampdown defense, but Smith's shot blocking ability allows Hawks guards to pressure the ball. Injuries, however, have hurt the team's consistency.
|
B- |
||
 With Murray and Evans in the backcourt, the Hawks have offensive punch there, but Zaza Pachulia and Solomon Jones don't scare anyone on either end of the floor.
|
C |
||
 Considering Smith and Horford have played only 21 games together this season, Mike Woodson has done a great job having the Hawks nine games above .500 and in playoff contention
|
B+ |
||
B+
Summary
The Hawks are on a pace for 50 wins with virtually the same team that last season won 37 and took the Celtics to seven games in the first round. Having point guard Bibby in training camp and healthy has helped steady this still-maturing club. Few in the Eastern Conference have had a better season than Johnson.
Injuries to Smith and Horford, however, have hampered chances for the Hawks to maintain consistency, especially on the defensive end where Smith erases many mistakes. The Hawks also have only three wins against division leaders (Orlando, Cleveland and Denver) and the Magic have manhandled them in the teams' last two meetings.
Still, Woodson and the Hawks are the East's No. 4 seed right now and have a great chance to claim home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. -- Rob Peterson
Explanation of Marking System
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