playoff streak

atljwilson

The Hawks.com team, with some help from Hawks PR, the Elias Sports Bureau and NBA Stats, put together a list of fun statistics as it relates to the Hawks clinching a playoff spot:

The Hawks clinched a playoff spot on March 3, the earliest a team has clinched since the 1995-96 Bulls clinched on March 2.  That Chicago team was the one that went an NBA-best 72-10.

Last season the Hawks clinched on April 12.  This season's March 3 date is 41 days earlier.  Quite an improvement.

Atlanta has qualified for the playoffs in each of the past 8 seasons, extending the longest active streak in the Eastern Conference.  Only the San Antonio Spurs (17 straight seasons) have a longer streak, and they are in position to extend that as well.

Just for fun, here is when the past 5 NBA Champions clinched playoff spots:

2010: Lakers clinch March 202011: Mavericks clinch April 92012: Heat clinch April 32013: Heat clinch March 82014: Spurs clinch March 22

Atlanta's 48-12 record is its best 60-game start in franchise history.  The previous best is the 42-18 record that the 1993-94 team posted after 60 contests.

The clinching win over Houston put the Hawks 36 games above .500 for the first time in franchise history.

The Hawks are 11-2 against the top 8 teams in the West and an NBA-best 22-8 against teams with winning records.

The Hawks clinched a playoff spot by winning their fifth game in a row Tuesday.  It is the fourth such streak of 5 or more wins this season.

playoff streak

8 Awesome Stats About the Hawks Clinching A Playoff Spot