AJC: Atlanta Hawks at Cavaliers: Sliding Scale of Success

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They can still finish third in the East, above .500 on the road and win 50 games.

The Hawks' regular-season goals are on a sliding scale and even after that W over the Lakers they are trending down.

Remember when winning the division was the main thing that mattered? Well, due to their struggles to win on the road and Orlando's continued hot streak, the Hawks aren't going to do that. So they've moved the scale down a notch from winning the division to finishing No. 3 in the East.

That's an interesting development because it suggests the Hawks are thinking about where they want to be in the bracket. After all, they get homecourt in the first round and don't get it in the second regardless if they are No. 3 or No. 4. The only difference will be their first-round opponent (right now that’s Miami instead of Milwaukee) and whether they get Cleveland or Orlando in the second round (it’s the Magic as it stands). They'll never say it publicly, of course, but my guess is …

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