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Best Underdog Series Upset in Hawks History?


lethalweapon3

HAWKS SHOCK THE WORLD!  

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1979: (5) Hawks (46-36) beat (4) Houston Rockets (47-35), 2-0

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51zXLYdp-oL._SY300_.jpg

“Hubie did WHAT? Who does that?”

The Rockets were ready for takeoff. They were stacked with future Hall of Famers Calvin Murphy and Rick Barry, and had guys like an emerging Robert Reid, the recovered Rudy Tomjanovich, and Slick Watts in his final NBA season off the bench. On top of all that, they also had 23-year-old league MVP and All-Star starting center Moses Malone in the prime of his career. Big Mo tallied 49 points and 41 rebounds in two games versus the Hawks.

Yet Houston had a problem in the form of Atlanta’s John Drew. He and Fast Eddie Johnson heated things up in the second half of Game 2, each finishing with 25 points apiece as the Hawks outlasted the Rockets 100-91 to pull off the surprising sweep in the Best-of-3 series. In the preceding Game 1, Malone’s 28-and-17 were met at the Summit, by Hawks newcomer Dan Roundfield’s 23-and-18. The Rockets misfired and struggled to keep up with Atlanta’s 39-point blitz in the third-quarter. Tree Rollins swatted a shot in the closing minute to salt the game away, the Hawks prevailing 109-106.

The degree-of-difficulty for this sweep was raised at the Omni in Game 2, when Head Coach Hubie Brown got tossed in the first half after drawing two quick technicals, his second and third whistles in the series.

The playoff sweep spelled the end of Head Coach Tom Nissalke’s short but significant tenure in Houston, replaced by Del Harris. Nissalke moved on the next season to coach the Utah Jazz.

The Hawks would go on to put a scare into the top-seeded Washington Bullets in the semifinal round, falling short in seven games to the eventual Eastern Conference champs.

1996: (6) Hawks (46-36) beat (3) Indiana Pacers (52-30), 3-2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSYRPhOdgwg

“Wait a minute… oh my Gawd! That’s Reggie Miller’s music!”

The way the script was supposed to go, Larry Brown’s 52-30 Pacers (second in the Central Division to the 72-10 juggernaut Chicago Bulls), had held on in the series long enough for Rated-R superstar Reggie Miller to return from a fractured eye socket, suffered just four games before the regular season ended. After all, this was the man whose heroics (8 points in 9 seconds, anyone?) incurred the wrath of the Madison Square Garden faithful in the prior two playoffs, raising him to folk-hero status in Indiana.

While keeping a healthy eye on Miller’s status, Steve Smith and the Hawks had plenty to contend with even as Miller struggled to get back on the court. The Dunkin’ Dutchman Rik Smits, Derrick McKey, and the Davis Boys were a formidable frontcourt. Point guard Mark Jackson was much improved. 36-year-old Ricky Pierce had been a thorn in the side of the Hawks all season long, and now started the series in Miller’s place. Heady vets like ex-Hawks Haywoode Workman and Duane Ferrell filled out a deep bench. Now with his fifth NBA team, Head Coach Larry Brown looked like he finally found a home. As the regular season wound down, Smith had raised the ire of Brown and the Pacers by hinting the Miller-less Pacers would be a preferable first-round opponent.

The Pacers had hoped they wouldn’t need Miller for this series, perhaps saving his energy up for Shaq, Penny, and the Orlando Magic in the next round. But Lenny Wilkens’ defensive-minded bunch had other plans. No one could match Smitty’s playoff-career-high 27 points in Game 1, or Grant Long’s playoff-career-high 14 rebounds. As the Hawks pounced on the Pacers in the closing quarter to win 92-80, the clamoring in Market Square Arena for their hero began.

Indiana came back on the strength of Smits’ 29 points and survived a Hawks fourth-quarter rally to survive in overtime of Game 2, 102-94, and even the series. Atlanta had no desire to come back to the Hoosier State, getting 8 steals from Mookie Blaylock and 24-and-8 from Christian Laettner to stifle the Pacers in Game 3, 90-83. But with a chance to close out the series at home, and no Miller around to save the Pacers, Atlanta flubbed Game 4 by shooting just 35 percent from the field, setting the stage for what was supposed to be a fateful Game 5.

Rocking protective goggles, Miller arrived in Game 5 and gave Indiana 29 points (and not a whole lot else). Despite their vaunted front line, Indiana could not keep Atlanta from racking-up critical second-chance points. Mookie Blaylock poured on 23 points, Sean Rooks and Matt Bullard suddenly found life off the bench. And Miller’s scripted game-winning heave fell off the mark, the All-Star chucking his goggles into the stands in frustration. Hawks win, 89-87.

The Pacers would crumble the next season (39-43), and Brown would be packing his bags for Philly, leaving the coaching job to Indiana state legend Larry Bird. After ousting the Pacers in 1996, the Hawks couldn’t do much with Shaq or Horace Grant in the next round, falling in five games despite 7 threes and 35 points (on 31 shots) from Smith to salvage Game 4. In the offseason, they upgraded the center spot by successfully wooing Dikembe Mutombo to Atlanta.

2011: (5) Hawks (44-38) beat (4) Orlando Magic (52-30), 4-2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWqg7X_wCos

“See you in the second round.”

After the Orlando Magic’s final regular-season loss in Chicago, Jameer Nelson embraced young league MVP Derrick Rose and offered up that forward-looking comment. Nelson’s famous last words were picked up on the ABC microphones and broadcast nationwide, drawing the ire of a Hawks team that had gone to two straight Conference Semifinals themselves.

But really, who could blame Nelson for thinking that way? Was it not just the year before that Dwight Howard and the Magic trounced the Hawks in all four games of the semis, the largest cumulative margin of victory in a Best-of-7-game series in the history of bouncing balls, on their merry way to their second-straight Conference Finals?

Now, one year later, Howard was about to win the Defensive Player of the Year for the third straight season, coming off of arguably his best all-around season at the still-jolly-green age of 25. Then Head Coach Stan Van Gundy’s club went out and added Q-Rich, and J-Rich, and cult-favorite Hedo Turkoglu, and former All-Star gunner Gilbert Arenas. Yeah, maybe they’ll miss backup center Marcin Gortat a little. But surely, there was no need for the Master of Panic, or anybody else, to fret about the Hawks.

Meanwhile, those Hawks? Their new starting point guard, Kirk Hinrich, just arrived in mid-February. And who is supposed the Dwight-Stopper this time? Jason Collins? Head Coach Larry Drew, you’re kidding, right?

Apparently, no one was ready for Jamal Crawford. America’s Best Sixth Man came off the bench and lit up Orlando with 23 points in Game 1, virtually matching All-Star Joe Johnson’s 25 points and 5 assists. Howard’s 46 points and Nelson’s 27 points made up nearly all of the Magic’s offensive firepower as they lost 103-93 at Amway Arena.

The next three games were battles of attrition, with Orlando evening the series by winning 88-82, then Atlanta pulling away at Philips Arena by scores of 88-84 and 88-85, largely on the strength of Joe and Jamal. Zaza Pachulia left Jason Richardson feeling like a mini-thug in Game 3, and Jamal took the air out of the Highlight Factory with a game-winning, series-momentum-shifting three-pointer from the top of the arc over Nelson.

Orlando finally got the laugher they anticipated in Game 5, winning 101-76. But, by then the prevailing view from the Hawks had become, “Orlando, we’ll see you in Game 6, back at our house.” With a packed house at Philips pulling for a “Dwight-Out”, iconic Hawks forward Josh Smith saved the day with a clean swat of Jason Richardson’s desperation three-point shot, sending the Magic packing with an 84-81 defeat and leaving Nelson's vow unfulfilled.

Crawford and Hinrich deluged the Magic in the series with long-range shots, nailing a combined 25-of-56. Playing Jason Collins against Howard soaked up a lot of fouls that would otherwise have been charged to the more talented trio of Smith, Pachulia, and Al Horford, the All-Star forward who finished the series with a double-double average of 12 points and 10.2 rebounds. It would be Crawford’s last postseason for the Hawks, signing a free agent deal with Portland the following winter as the Hawks made room for Joe Johnson’s expanding contract.

As for the Magic, the series served as a revelation that the supporting cast around Dwight wasn’t as sound or strong as he needed in order to lug a team to an NBA title. Dwight was still a monster in the series (27 points, 15.5 rebounds per game), but carrying his team took its toll, as he amassed a whopping 33 turnovers and 3 technicals while constantly preoccupied with foul trouble.The series upset opened the door to the possibility he’d seek greener pastures elsewhere very soon. By the close of the following season, Howard and Van Gundy were on the outs, Dwight dictating at different turns the alternative places he’d like to be traded.

Three minutes into the close of the game-clinching victory, Hinrich injured his ankle. He would be out for the next series against Rose and Chicago, leaving the starting point guard duties to second-year guard Jeff Teague, who had experienced all of nine minutes of action in the Magic series. Looking forward from that point, it remained to be seen whether Teague would ever be the kind of player who could win a playoff game for the Atlanta Hawks.

~lw3

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I was just a puppy in '79, but I remember the series vs. Indiana. To me, that 2011 series will always have a special place in my heart. For one, I had spent the year defending Jeff Teague...watching him come alive was beautiful. Secondly, sending Jameer home was one of the juiciest pieces of life that I have ever had the pleasure of tasting!

Lastly, I was so discontented with that team. Having been blown out by Orlando the previous season, I wanted change. I was griping and bitching all season. At the last moment, just before the playoffs started, my inner Hawks Fan came out...and I was so pumped up for the playoffs (might have been the Jameer thing too).

Honestly, for me nothing compares to 2008. Not even the 88' duel. That 2008 series was so beautiful. Kinda wish I could go back and relive it. That was our time, but we dropped the ball so bad........

WLOC..........

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That Hawks team played their hearts out against the Bullets in the next series in 79. Rollins was at his peak. I thought they had them, it was neck and neck with the eventual world champs.

Also loved that 96 team. Then went on to play the Bulls team that won it all. Jordan was just getting back in his swing. We actually had them on the ropes, as we figured out that Tony Kukoff could not guard Christian Laetnerr. Laetnerr (only brought on the team as a backup) would back Tony in and get a layup anytime he wanted. It was like watching college Laetneer again. We won game 2 and were on the verge of going ahead in the series in game 3, when the Bulls finally figured out to give up on Kokoff's offense and just play Rodman. Laetneer couldn't get by Rodman and that ended our chance at an upset.

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I was more into the Incredible Hulk in 1979 than the Hawks so I can't vote for that one. 1996 was special. I loved that team with Mookie, Smitty, Long, Dr. Alan Henderson n company. Knocking off Reggie Miller and co. was sweet. 2011 was awesome as well with Jameer running his might mouse mouth too soon. I'm gonna vote for 1996. I was a lot younger then and have a lot of fond memories so that puts it over the top for me.

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