The Student Newspaper of Saint Peter's Prep

The Petroc

The Student Newspaper of Saint Peter's Prep

The Petroc

The Student Newspaper of Saint Peter's Prep

The Petroc

Legitimizing “Spurs East”

On December 26, 2013, the Atlanta Hawks were sitting in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference, behind only the budding Indiana Pacers and a Miami Heat team at the height of the ¨LeBron era.¨ That same day, the Hawks season took an unexpected turn when Al Horford, the team’s starting center and arguably heart and soul, suffered a torn pectoral muscle for the second time in two years. Just like the 2012-2013 campaign, Horford’s season was ended. The Hawks finished last season as the 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, eventually being eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in the first round, continuing the trend of losing in the first or second round of the playoffs each year since the 2007-2008 season. ¨Same old, same old,¨ thought Hawks fans.

This season, the Hawks have often been referred to as ¨Spurs East,¨ arguably the loftiest compliment an NBA team can receive after the league witnessed the San Antonio Spurs completely dismantle a very talented Miami Heat team last year in the NBA Finals. What can account for this? The Spurs analogy really isn’t far-fetched at all. For starters, head coach Mike Budenholzer served as an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich for 18 years before taking over the reigns of the Hawks before the 2013-2014 season. He has implemented a similar system revolving around new-age analytic tactics, such as an emphasis on 3-point shooting and selflessness on both ends of the court. While there aren’t any Tim Duncans or Kawhi Leonards walking around Atlanta, General Manager Danny Ferry (former San Antonio Spurs VP of Basketball Operations), who has taken an indefinite leave of absence after racist comments he made privately were made public, has crafted a versatile roster reminiscent of well-balanced San Antonio teams of the past.

The Hawks are a collection of team-first basketball players, all with something to prove. The two tenured cornerstones of the organization, point guard Jeff Teague and the aforementioned Horford, have been with the Hawks since their respective Draft Days, building continuity within the Hawks roster, something essential to the Spurs’ winning formula. Around those two, the front office has been patient and shrewd in free agency, allowing long-time Hawks Josh Smith and Zaza Pachulia to pursue other teams, while filling their roles with cheaper contracts and better chemistry fits. They signed Paul Millsap and re-signed sharpshooter Kyle Korver to team-friendly contracts. These four, Teague, Korver, Millsap, and Horford, were all named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team for the 2014-2015 season. Another part of the Spurs’ secret to success is the importance of filling the roster with the right role players, and the Hawks have done just that through clever trades, free agent signings, and draft selections. In the past two years, the Hawks signed then ¨end of the bench guys¨ Pero Antic, DeMarre Carroll, Kent Bazemore, and Shelvin Mack to cheap contracts. Since then, these previously unproven risks have morphed into young and energetic role players. In the draft, they selected little-known German point guard Dennis Schröder in the mid-first round and took a risk on Mike Scott out of the University of Virginia with a second round pick. Likewise, these two have much to prove and provide high-energy, productive minutes off the bench. The Hawks even fulfill the Spurs quota of international players who weren’t raised in the AAU culture of America with Antic, Schröder, and defensive ace Thabo Sefolosha.

Odds are that the casual NBA fan might only recognize two or three of the Hawks players – and that is what makes them such an effective and dynamic group. All of them have something to prove, whether it be improving upon an otherwise average NBA career (Korver, Sefolosha), building a reputation after previously being unknown (Antic, Carroll, Shröder), or proving one’s worth after several injury-riddled seasons (Horford). The one common goal and desire that all Hawks share is the ultimate goal: winning an NBA championship. None of them have done so in their careers. And many NBA fans and experts alike prefer teams like the Golden State Warriors or the Cleveland Cavaliers this year because of the ¨star power¨ factor. All anybody is saying when it comes to the Hawks and their title aspirations is: ¨Yeah, they might be winning now, but who is going to take the last shot in the final minute of a playoff game?¨ Frankly, the Hawks don’t know. However, neither does their opponent, which makes it even harder to defend them. One final note to anybody who thinks that teams without a ¨star¨ player (like the Hawks) cannot reach the basketball pinnacle: the last team to win an NBA championship without having a player average over 20 points per game was … the 2013-2014 San Antonio Spurs.