The Atlanta Hawks were a good team in the 08′-09′ season. The Hawks were swept in the second round of the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers – this would suggest the Hawks are yet to take the leap into one of the better Eastern Conference teams.

The Hawks finished second in the Southeast division behind the Orlando Magic with a 47-35 record and were swept in the second round of the playoffs. The first round win against the Miami Heat wasn’t that impressive either – every win and loss was in the double digits.

The 08′ playoffs against the Boston Celtics proved that the Atlanta Hawks were on the rise and should compete for the Eastern Conference Championship in the near future.

Johnson is a prolific shooter, especially from the perimeter, and Horford is an exceptional, multi-faceted basketball player whose presence has dominated the team greatly during his two seasons in the league. This is the man to build the team around for years to come.

It will be very tough to over take the Orlando Magic in the Southeast division this season. While the Magic have some new pieces in place surrounding Dwight Howard – they are still the favorites.

When you can’t score you must prevent the other team from scoring, the Hawks defense must improve because their opponent’s average for the season was 97 points per game – championship quality teams do not give up that many points.

The Eastern Conference just became stronger again with the acquisition of Shaquille O’Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers – how will the Hawks stop Shaq? That remains to be seen.

Coming out of the East won’t be easy and the Hawks will have to fight and claw their way through the upcoming season.

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