Hoopinion: ESPN.com: Hollinger: Breaking Down the Best Playoff Races

[Hawksquawk]

In today's PER Diem, his first of 2011, John Hollinger looks at the NBA playoff races (Insider). In doing so, he furthers the notion that the Atlanta Hawks uniquely exist at the mid-point between truly good and truly bad NBA teams (see also the most recent NBA power rankings from ProBasketball Talk):

The Hawks and Knicks are overwhelming favorites to be fifth and sixth [in the East] in some order. Other than New York, no team projects to finish within five games to either side of the Hawks.

Emphasis mine.

A status that befits

a team ranked 10th in the league in defensive efficiency, 12th in the league in offensive efficiency, and which ranks between 10th and 13th in the league in half of the four factors.

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