Atlanta Hawks (1968-Present)

Historical Moments:
1968/69: Upon arriving in Atlanta the Hawks had virtually the same team with the exception of Lenny Wilkens how would be traded to the Seattle Supersonics for Walt Hazzard. Hazzard would help lead the Hawks to a solid 2nd place season with a record of 48-34. In the playoff the Hawks would need 6 games to get past the San Diego Rockets to set up a match up with Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Finals. However, the Hawks would be dominated by the Lakers losing in 5 games.

1969/70: Despite losing Zelmo Beaty to the ABA the Hawks finished in first place with a record of 48-34, as the late season acquisition of Walt Belamy from the Detroit Pistons helped the Hawks finish the season on a strong note. In the playoffs the Hawks, would have no problem with Chicago Bulls needing just 5 games to reach the Western Finals. However, for the 2nd year in a row the Hawks would be dominated by the Los Angeles Lakers losing in 4 straight games.

1970/71: With realignment the Hawks are moved into the Central Division in the Eastern Conference as the NBA begins divisional play. The Hawks would lose Joe Caldwell to the ABA as they drafted the NCAA's all-time leading scorer "Pistol" Pete Maravich. Pistol would finish second on the team in scoring with 23.2 ppg. However, the Hawks were sometimes confused his fancy passing and showboat dribbling, as they finished in 2nd place with a disappointing 36-46 record. Despite their poor record the Hawks would make the playoffs but it would be a quick exit as they are beaten by the New York Knicks in 5 games.

1971/72: In a carbon copy of the previous season the Hawks finish in 2nd place with a 36-46 record before being eliminated in the first round in 5 games this time by the Boston Celtics.

1972/73: After playing at Georgia Tech's Alexander Coliseum for 5 seasons the Hawks get a nest of their own in a brand new 16,500-seat arena known as The Omni, as the Hawks guided by the 1-2 scoring punch of Lou Hudson and Pete Maravich finished in 2nd place with a 46-36 record under new Coach Cotton FItzsimmons. However, in the playoffs the Hawks would make a quick exit again falling to the Boston Celtics in 6 games.

1973/74: Despite "Pistol" Pete Maravich finishing second in the league in scoring with 27.7 ppg the Hawks struggled all season and missed the playoffs for the first time in 12 years while finishing in 2nd place with a disappointing record of 35-47. Following the season the Hawks would trade their tope shooter Maravich to the expansion New Orleans Jazz for Dean Meminger, Bob Kauffman, and 4 draft picks.

1974/75: Already playing without Pete Maravich after trading him to the New Orleans Jazz the Hawks lose Lou Hudson for the season to an elbow injury and struggle all season finishing in 4th place with a terrible record of 31-51.

1975/76: Hoping to improve themselves in the draft the Hawks select David Thompson and Marvin Webster with number 1 and 3 picks in the draft. However, both would chose to play with the ABA's Denver Nuggets, as the Hawks hit rock bottom finishing in last place with a miserable 29-53 record.

1976/77: The emergence of John Drew who led the team with 21.6 ppg had the Hawks hovering around .500 going into February. However, the Hawks would win just 6 of their final 34 games as they finished in last place for the second straight season with a record of 31-51, as Hubbie Brown took over the coaching reigns from Cotton FItzsimmons in the final 8 games of the season.

1977/78: In Hubbie Brown's first year as Coach the Hawks were significantly improved as draft picks Wayne "Tree" Rollins and Eddie Johnson had an immediate impact as the Hawks made the playoffs for the first time in five years with a record of 41-41. Along the way the future of the Hawks became more secure as media mogul Ted Turner purchased the team insuring they would stay in Atlanta. However their stay in the playoffs would be very short as they were shot down by the Washington Bullets in 2 straight.

1978/79: The Hawks continued to improve finishing just 2 games out of 1st pace with a solid 466-36 record, which was good enough for 3rd place and the playoffs. In the playoffs the Hawks would win the first series in 9 years as they beat the Houston Rockets in 2 straight games. However, in the 2nd round their season would be ended for the 2nd straight season by the Washington Bullets. However, it would take the Hawks would take the Bullets to a 7th game.

1979/80: The Hawks continued to come in their own as they won the Central Division with a solid 50-32 record with balanced attack led by John Drew, Dan Roundfield, Tree Rollins, and Eddie Johnson. However, in the playoffs the Hawks would not be able to carry over their regular season play as they are beaten by the Philadelphia 76ers in 5 games after a first round bye.

1980/81: Despite playing with the same team the Hawks plummet in the standings finishing in 4th place with a disappointing record of 31-51. Along the way Coach Hubie Brown would be dismissed, as nothing seemed to go right for the Hawks.

1981/82: Under new Coach Kevin Loughery the Hawks would rebound playing with an improved defensive system that allowed 8 less points per game as they finished in 2nd place with a 42-40 record. However, in the playoffs the Hawks would be knocked off quickly by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2 straight games.

1982/83: Prior to the start of the season the Hawks made a blockbuster trade sending John Drew and Freeman Williams to the Utah Jazz for rookie Dominique Wilkins, a star at the University of Georgia. Wilkens would have an impressive rookie season averaging 17.5 ppg as the Hawks finished in 2nd place with a 43-39 record. However, once again they would make a quick playoff exit losing to the Boston Celtics in a 3-game series.

1983/84: Under new Coach Mike Fratello the Hawks took a step backward posting a record of 40-42. However, due with the NBA expanding the postseason to 8 games the Hawks made the playoffs as the 7th seed. In the playoffs the Hawks would give the Milwaukee Bucks all they could handle before falling in a hard fought 5-game series.

1984/85: Prior to the season the Hawks embarked on a major youth movement trading Dan Roundfield to the Detroit Pistons for Cliff Levingston, Antoine Carr, and a couple of draft picks. In the draft the Hawks would pick up 7-footer Kevin Willis. However, with so many inexperienced players the Hawks would struggle finishing in 5th place with a 34-48 record despite a breakout season from Dominique Wilkins who finished 6th in the league in scoring with 27.4 ppg.

1985/86: With rookies Jon Koncak and Spud Webb the Hawks became the youngest team in the NBA. After a slow start the Hawks quickly transformed into one of the more exciting teams in the NBA, led by "the Human Highlight Reel" Dominique Wilkins who led the NBA in scoring with 30.3 ppg. However, the most exciting highlight of the season came when 5'7" Spud Webb won the Slam Dunk contest during All-Star Weekend. The Hawks would be one of the strongest teams in the 2nd half winning 35 of their final 52 games to post a 50-32 record. In the playoffs the Hawks would continue to fly beating the Detroit Pistons in 4 games. However, in the 2nd round they would be overmatched by the Boston Celtics losing in 5 games.

1986/87: The Hawks would come flying out of the get as they found themselves in the NBA's elite by winning 10 of their first 12 games. The Hawks would fly high all season cutting a music video in which they dubbed themselves "Atlanta's Air Force," as they won the Central Division with franchise best 57-25 record, as Dominique Wilkins finished 2nd in scoring with 29 ppg. In the playoffs the Hawks would have no problem with Indiana Pacers winning in 4 games. However, in the 2nd round Atlanta's Air Force would be brought down by the Detroit Pistons in 5 games.

1987/88: The Hawks continued to fly high as Dominique Wilkens finished 2nd in scoring again with 30.7 ppg, as the Hawks finished in 2nd place with a solid 50-32 record. In the playoffs the Hawks would need 5 games to get past the Milwaukee Bucks in a hard fought series. In the 2nd round the Hawks again would find themselves in a battle as they toe to toe with Boston Celtics for 7 games. However the Celtics would go on to the Eastern Finals with a win in Game 7 at the Boston Garden.

1988/89: After falling in the 2nd round 2 straight seasons the Hawks acquired Reggie Theus and Moses Malone in the off-season. However, they would lose Kevin Willis for the entire season with a foot injury suffered during the preseason. However despite the loss of Willis the Hawks again reached to 50-win plateau finishing in 3rd place with a mark of 52-30. However, in the playoffs they would be stunned by the Milwaukee bucks in a hard fought 5-game series.

1989/90: Injuries would hamper the Hawks again as their entire backcourt missed time due to injury. After playing .500 basketball into January, the Hawks went through a stretch where they lost 17 of 22 games endangering their playoff chances. The Hawks would close out the season on a strong note winning 11 of their last 15 games to finish with a 41-41 record. However, they would end up 1 game short of the postseason.

1990/91: Under new Coach Bob Weiss the Hawks played erratic basketball all season looking like an also ran during a 9-game November losing streak and a 50-win contender during an 11 win December. The Hawks would go on to finish in 4th place with a 43-39 record. However, in the playoffs they would be bounced in the first round by the Detroit Pistons in a hard fought 5-game series.

1991/92: The Hawks had a complete changing of the guard trading away Doc Rivers, and Spud Webb while turning over their backcourt to 2nd year player Rumeal Robinson and rookie Stacy Augmon. Despite the inexperience at the guard position the Hawks had a respectable 22-20 record in late January. However, their season came to a crashing halt on January 28th when Dominique Wilkins ruptured his Achilles tendon, ending his season. Without Wilkins the Hawks won just 16 of their final 40 games finishing in 5th place with a 38-44 record.

1992/93: Dominique Wilkins would return from his Achilles injury. However he would never quite be the same player, despite surpassing Bob Pettit as the Hawks all-time leading scorer. The Hawks would go on to make the playoffs as the 7th seed fueled by a great run in March in which they won 12 of 15 games, on the way to a 43-39 record. However, in the playoffs the Hawks would be swept in 3 straight games by the Chicago Bulls.

1993/94: To help get the stagnated Hawks jump-started the team hires Lenny Wilkens as their new coach. Wilkens who was a star guard for the St. Louis Hawks in the 60's was quickly moving up the all-time coaching wins list as he had successful runs with the Seattle Supersonics and Cleveland Cavaliers. Wilkens employed a defensive system as guards Stacy Augmon and Mookie Blaylock both were named to the NBA All-Defensive team, as the Hawks jumped out in front of the Central Division. However despite being in first place in February the Hawks would trade all-time leading scorer Dominique Wilkins to the Los Angeles Clippers for Danny Manning. The Hawks would go on to finish with a Eastern Conference best record of 57-25. However, the Wilkins trade would begin to backfire as they struggled to get past the Miami Heat in 5 games before being upset by the Indiana Pacers in 6 games in the playoffs.

1994/95: The Dominique Wilkins trade continues to backfire as Danny Manning departed as a Free Agent. To help restructure the team the Hawks trade Kevin Willis to the Miami Heat for Steve Smith, Grant Long, and a future second-round draft selection. With a new look the Hawks would struggle at times posting a mediocre 42-40 record, while collecting the 7th seed. Along the way Coach Lenny Wilkens made history by becoming the NBA's all-time winningest coach surpassing Red Auerbach on January 6th with win number 939. However, in the playoffs the Hawks would not have any wins as they are swept in 3 straight by the Indiana Pacers.

1995/96: Without a single player averaging 20 points, 10 rebounds, or 10 assists per game the Hawks played a solid team game posting a record of 46-36 along the way, as Coach Lenny Wilkens became the first NBA Coach to reach 1,000 wins. In the playoffs the Hawks would get a measure of revenge by stunning the banged up Indiana Pacers in a hard fought 5-game series. However, in the 2ned round the Hawks would provide little resistance to the Orlando Magic as they were knocked off in 5 games.

1996/97: The Hawks improved their team and strengthened their defense by picking up free agent center Dikembe Mutombo, who would capture the Defensive Player of the Year honors by finishing 2nd in the NBA in rebounding and blocked shots. Mutombo was not the only Hawk to excel on defense as guard Mookie Blaylock led the NBA in steals as the Hawks finished in 2nd place with a 56-26 record. In the playoffs the Hawks would be put to the test as they needed 5 games to get past the Detroit Pistons. However, on the 2nd round the Hawks would provide little challenge to the Chicago Bulls as they fell in 5 games to the eventual Champions.

1997/98: The Omnis is demolished to make room for a new arena, which the Hawks would begin, play at in 1999. However, while workers built the new arena the Hawks would split their games between the Georgia Dome, and their original home in Atlanta, the Alexander Coliseum on the campus of Georgia Tech, which had been recently renamed McDonald's Center. Despite not having a true home court the Hawks would post a solid 50-32 record as Dikembe Mutombo captured Defensive Player of the Year Honors again. Along the way the Hawks would make history as they set a single game regular season attendance record when 62,046 saw the Hawks take on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. However, in the playoffs the Hawks would be knocked off in the first round by the Charlotte Hornets in 4 games.

1998/99: During a season cut to 50 games by a 4-month lock out the Hawks continued to split their games between the intimate McDonald's Center and the cavernous Georgia Dome posting a 31-19 record good enough for 2nd place. In the playoffs the Hawks would fight off the Detroit Pistons in a hard fought 5-game series. However, in the second round the Hawks would be stunned by the 8th seeded New York Knicks who swept them in 4 straight games.

1999/00: The Hawks finally got a nest of their own again as the brand new state of the art Phillips Arena opened over the site of the old Omni. However, in their new arena the Hawks struggled all season plummeting into 7th place with a disappointing record of 28-54. Following the season Coach Lenny Wilkens would opt out of his contract taking over the coaching reigns of the Toronto Raptors.

2000/01: Under new Coach Lon Kruger the Hawks continued to struggle despite a solid performance from Jason Terry who led the team in scoring with 19.7 ppg. In the midst of horrid 25-57 season in which the Hawks finished in 7th place. Dikembe Mutombo would be traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for Theo Ratliff, Toni Kukoc and Nazr Mohammed. Mutombo would help guide the 76ers to the finals winning the Defensive Player of the year again.

2001/02: The Hawks showed slight improvement avoiding 50 losses by finishing with a 33-49 record as Shareef Abdur Rahim had a break out season making the all-star team for the first time. However, a poor post all-star record of 16-33 ended all playoff hopes. Following the season the Hawks made a blockbuster deal acquiring Glenn Robinson from the Milwaukee Bucks.

2002/03: The deal to acquire Glenn Robinson never worked out as the Hawks got off to a slow start. Hoping to get things jump started Lon Kruger was fired just after Christmas with the Hawks floundering at 11-16. Under replacement Terry Stotts the Hawks would not do any better as they missed the playoffs for the 4th straight season with a record of 35-47. Following the season the Hawks would begin the process of rebuilding again as Robinson is traded away after just 1 season, while the team was sold along with the NHL's Thrashers to a local ownership group, as Time Warner began divulging themselves of their struggling sports franchises.

2003/04: The Hawks continued to struggle as they got off to a poor start, winning just 3 of their first 10 games. With new ownership the Hawks began to look toward the future by cleaning house, as almost the entire roster was turned over with the intention of starting from scratch. One deal saw the Hawks ship leading scorer Sharif Abdur-Rahim to the Portland Trailblazers for Rasheed Wallace who they would deal on to the Detroit Pistons after just 1 game in Atlanta. The Hawks would go on to finish the season with a record of 28-54 finishing 7th in the Central Division. Following the season the Hawks would continue to retool acquired Al Harrington in a deal with the Indiana Pacers while landing Antoine Walker in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks.

2004/05: Even with the acquisition of Antoine Walker, the Hawks were not expected to be any good heading into the season, as they posted an awful 2-12 record in November, which was worse then the expansion Charlotte Bobcats. Walker would lead the team in scoring with 20.4 ppg, but at 9-34 at the end of January he would be put on the selling block for the trading deadline. Walker would eventually be sent to the Boston Celtics for Gary Payton who was released and resigned with the Celtics. Meanwhile the Hawks would go from bad to horrendous as they won just 4 of their last 35 games on the way to finishing dead last with a franchise worst record of 13-69.

2005/06: Coming off such an awful season there was no way for the Atlanta Hawks to go but up. However, things got off to a rough start when Center Jason Collier suffered a heart attack during the preseason and died suddenly died at the age of 28 on October 15th. The Hawks would stumble out of the gates again losing their first nine games on the way to a horrible 2-16 start. The Hawks would start to play better in December as they 4 of 6 during a mid month stretch that included a win over the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. However, the Hawks would still be among the worst teams in the NBA although they would double their win total while finishing in 4th place at 26-56.

2006/07: With a power struggle among the Hawks ownership continuing the team remained in flux on the court. However, they would play strong early winning four of their first five games. However, the lack of talent on the court continued to way down the Hawks as they entered the New Year with a 9-20 record. In January the Hawks would play slightly better as they posted a winning record, including a solid win over the Detroit Pistons. However, the rest of the way there was not much for Hawks fans to have pride over, as they landed in last place with a record of 30-52, while taking over the dubious distinction of the NBA's longest playoff drought at eight years and counting.