Atlanta Hawks Information

The 2005-06 Atlanta Hawks have a lot to prove. After posting a league worst 13-69 record, the Hawks set out to improve their roster by drafting Marvin Williams out of UNC with the second pick in the draft. Williams joins Josh Smith and Josh Childress, a pair of NBA All-Rookie selections, on the floor of the Philips Arena. Fans with Atlanta Hawks tickets are gearing up for the long haul, hoping the youth movement Hawks management is pushing for will bear fruit in the near future.

The Atlanta Hawks landed in Atlanta, Georgia in 1968. In their previous incarnations the Hawks played as the Tri-Cities Blackhawks (1946-47-1950/51), the Milwaukee Hawks 1951/52-1954/55, and the St. Louis Hawks 1955/56-1967/68. Arriving in Atlanta, the Hawks proceeded to post a solid season, with a record of 48-34 and a 2nd place finish in their division. The postseason brought a 6-game series win over the San Diego Rockets, but ended when the Hawks ran into the Lakers and lost in a 5-game series.

1970 saw the Hawks draft a young gun from LSU known as “Pistol” Pete Maravich. Maravich was the NCAA’s leading scorer and brought an element of style to the Hawks. Fans loved his anything-can-happen style of play that featured behind-the-back passes and ball handling skills never before seen in the NBA. Maravich finished the season as the Hawks second leading scorer with over 23 points per game and helped the team to a 36-46 record. Although they finished in 2nd place and made the playoffs, the Hawks were knocked out in the first round by the New York Knicks. The same scenario occurred for the next few seasons as Maravich and Lou Hudson dominated the team’s scoring, but failed to get the Hawks past the first round of the playoffs. In 1974, Maravich was traded to the New Orleans Jazz, returning him to his home state of Louisiana.

In the 90’s, the Atlanta Hawks showed some promise but failed to deliver on expectations. Dominique Wilkins was a star player for Atlanta, but suffered an Achilles tendon injury in the 1991-92 season that effectively ended the Hawks’ chances to reach the playoffs. Returning the next season, Wilkins play still suffered. Although the Hawks managed to reach the NBA Playoffs as a 7th seed in 1993 with a 12-3 record in the month of March, their playoff run was short lived as the Chicago Bulls knocked them out in the first round in a 3-game sweep. A barrage of player changes and coaching changes got the Hawks to the second round of the playoffs in 1997, where the Chicago Bulls eliminated them in the 2nd round.

Can Atlanta Hawks ticket holders hang on long enough to get past the front office squabbles and see the Hawks improve into an NBA Playoff team? Certainly the seeds have been planted. Certainly almost anything would be better than the Hawks last campaign. But the key to the Hawks future lies in the development of the younger players and the additions of some key veterans. The fans that fill Philips Arena are still waiting for the young crop of players to bear fruit and make Hawks tickets a hot item in the NBA.