Atlanta Hawks
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| Image:Soccerball current event.svg | For current sports news on this topic, see 2007-08 Atlanta Hawks season |
| Atlanta Hawks | |
| Conference | Eastern Conference |
| Division | Southeast Division |
| Founded | 1946 |
| History | Tri-Cities Blackhawks (1946-1951) Milwaukee Hawks (1951-1955) St. Louis Hawks (1955-1968) Atlanta Hawks (1968-present) |
| Arena | Philips Arena |
| City | Image:Flag of Atlanta, Georgia.pngAtlanta, Georgia |
| Team colors | Navy blue, Red, Silver |
| Owner | Atlanta Spirit, LLC (Michael Gearon, governor) Nintendo of America |
| General manager | Billy Knight |
| Head coach | Mike Woodson |
| NBA D-League affiliate | Anaheim Arsenal |
| Championships | 1 (1958) |
| Conference titles | 4 (1957, 1958, 1960, 1961) |
| Division titles | 14 (1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1980, 1987, 1994) |
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They play in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Contents |
[edit] Franchise history
With acquisitions in the draft and free agency, the Hawks became one of the league's top teams. In 1957, the team advanced to the 1957 NBA Finals, losing to the Boston Celtics in a double-overtime thriller in game seven. In 1958, the Hawks again advanced to the NBA Finals under coach Alex Hannum and captured their only NBA Championship in game 6 against the Celtics.
The Hawks remained one of the NBA's premier teams for the next decade. In 1960, under coach Ed Macauley, the team advanced to the Finals yet again, but lost - again to the Celtics - in yet another game seven thriller. The following year, with the acquisition of rookie Lenny Wilkens, the Hawks repeated their success, but met the Celtics in the Finals again and lost in five games.
[edit] Relocation to Atlanta
The next few years the Hawks remained contenders, every year advancing deep into the playoffs and also capturing several division titles. Despite the success, Kerner became wary of the now-aging 10,000-seat Kiel Auditorium. The larger St. Louis Arena (where the Hawks played occasional games) was not well-maintained since the 1940s, and Kerner wanted a new arena to increase revenue. However, he was rebuffed by the city on several occasions. In 1968, the team was sold to Atlanta real estate developer Tom Cousins and Georgia governor Carl Sanders and moved to Atlanta, Georgia. While a new arena was being constructed, the team spent its first four seasons playing in Georgia Tech's Alexander Memorial Coliseum. Cousins' firm soon developed the Omni Coliseum, a 16,500-seat, state-of-the-art downtown Atlanta arena, for the Hawks and the expansion Atlanta Flames hockey franchise, which opened in 1972 as the first phase of a massive sports, office, hotel and retail complex, most of which is now the CNN Center.
In March 2004, the team was sold to a group of executives by the name of Atlanta Spirit LLC [2] by Time Warner (who inherited the Hawks and Braves upon its merger with Turner Broadcasting in 1996), along with the Atlanta Thrashers pro ice hockey team, with which the Hawks share the Philips Arena, which replaced the Omni. After the change in ownership, though, the Hawks still struggled. In the 2004-05 season, the Hawks gained the notorious reputation of the league's worst team with a mere 13 victories (five less than even the expansion Charlotte Bobcats and the struggling New Orleans Hornets). Despite their league-worst record though, the Hawks only landed the number two pick in the 2005 NBA Draft (the first pick went to the Milwaukee Bucks). With the second pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks selected Marvin Williams of the University of North Carolina. At the time, Williams was considered the player with the most overall potential, though the Hawks were roundly criticized locally and nationally for ignoring their glaring need at the point guard position (with college stars Chris Paul and Deron Williams available), which still exists today. The previous year, the Hawks drafted Josh Childress and Josh Smith from the 2004 Draft and Salim Stoudamire in the second round of the 2005 Draft. In the 2006 Draft, the Hawks selected former Duke star Shelden Williams with the fifth overall pick.
However, despite the recent influx of talent acquired in the draft, they still hold the longest drought of not drafting an All-Star or Pro Bowl player in North American pro sports (23 years), going back to their 1984 selection of Kevin Willis.
In the summer of 2005, the Hawks completed a sign-trade deal with the Phoenix Suns that landed Atlanta Joe Johnson in return for Boris Diaw and two future 1st round picks. They also signed Zaza Pachulia from the Milwaukee Bucks. These changes occurred after an apparent power struggle between the owners for nearly three weeks before the moves were made. [3]. Unfortunately, while the power struggle over Johnson has been resolved, the ownership situation remains in flux, with litigation still ongoing.
With the Golden State Warriors qualifying for the 2007 NBA Playoffs, the Hawks now have the longest tenure in terms of the most consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance. (Eight in a row, see Active NBA non-playoff appearance streaks). They also hold the dubious distinctions of consecutive 50-loss seasons (four in a row), not making the NBA Finals since 1961, and the 2nd longest run (behind the Rochester/Cincinnati/Kansas City/Sacramento Kings) of not winning an NBA title (49 years). All of the franchise's NBA Finals appearances and lone NBA championship took place over 40 years ago when the team resided in St. Louis. Meanwhile, they have yet to advance beyond the second round of any playoff format in their entire Atlanta existence, which now spans 39 seasons.
However, hope and redemption might be on the horizon for the Hawks. With the third pick of the NBA draft, they selected Al Horford from the University of Florida. They also acquired, from the Indiana Pacers, the 11th pick of the draft, which they used to select Acie Law IV from Texas A&M University.
The season started brightly as they won the season opener against the Dallas Mavericks 101-94 sending hope to Hawks fans. In addition, the last time they won a season opener was 1998, the last time the franchise made the playoffs.
For the 2008 season, the Atlanta Hawks changed their colors and uniforms to navy blue, red and white, which marks the first time since their days in St. Louis that they wore those colors.
[edit] Season-by-season records
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, % = Win-Loss %
| Season | W | L | % | Playoffs | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tri-Cities Blackhawks (NBL) Record not included in totals | |||||
| 1946-47 | 19 | 25 | .432 | ||
| 1947-48 | 30 | 30 | .500 | Won first round Lost semifinals | Tri-Cities 3, Indianapolis 1 Minneapolis 2, Tri-Cities 0 |
| 1948-49 | 36 | 28 | .563 | Won first round Lost semifinals | Tri-Cities 2, Sheboygan 0 Oshkosh 3, Tri-Cities 1 |
| Tri-Cities Blackhawks (NBA) Record included in totals | |||||
| 1949-50 | 29 | 35 | .453 | Lost Division Semifinals | Anderson 2, Tri-Cities 1 |
| 1950-51 | 25 | 43 | .368 | ||
| Milwaukee Hawks | |||||
| 1951-52 | 17 | 49 | .258 | ||
| 1952-53 | 27 | 44 | .380 | ||
| 1953-54 | 21 | 51 | .292 | ||
| 1954-55 | 26 | 46 | .361 | ||
| St. Louis Hawks | |||||
| 1955-56 | 33 | 39 | .458 | Lost Division 2nd Place Won Division Semifinals Lost Division Finals | Minneapolis 1, St. Louis 0* St. Louis 2, Minneapolis 1 Ft. Wayne 3, St. Louis 2 |
| 1956-57 | 34 | 38 | .472 | Won Division Tiebreaker Won Division Tiebreaker Won Division Finals Lost NBA Finals | St. Louis 1, Ft. Wayne 0 St. Louis 1, Minneapolis 0 St. Louis 3, Minneapolis 0 Boston 4, St. Louis 3 |
| 1957-58 | 41 | 31 | .569 | Won Division Finals Won NBA Finals | St. Louis 4, Ft. Wayne 1 St. Louis 4, Boston 2 |
| 1958-59 | 49 | 23 | .681 | Lost Division Finals | Minneapolis 4, St. Louis 2 |
| 1959-60 | 46 | 29 | .613 | Won Division Finals Lost NBA Finals | St. Louis 4, Minneapolis 3 Boston 4, St. Louis 3 |
| 1960-61 | 51 | 28 | .646 | Won Division Finals Lost NBA Finals | St. Louis 4, Minneapolis 3 Boston 4, St. Louis 1 |
| 1961-62 | 29 | 51 | .363 | ||
| 1962-63 | 48 | 32 | .600 | Won Division Semifinals Lost Division Finals | St. Louis 3, Ft. Wayne 1 Los Angeles 4, St. Louis 3 |
| 1963-64 | 46 | 34 | .575 | Won Division Semifinals Lost Division Finals | St. Louis 3, Los Angeles 2 San Francisco 4, St. Louis 3 |
| 1964-65 | 45 | 35 | .563 | Lost Division Semifinals | Baltimore 3, St. Louis 1 |
| 1965-66 | 36 | 44 | .450 | Won Division Semifinals Lost Division Finals | St. Louis 3, Baltimore 0 Los Angeles 4, St. Louis 3 |
| 1966-67 | 39 | 42 | .481 | Won Division Semifinals Lost Division Finals | St. Louis 3, Chicago 0 San Francisco 4, St. Louis 2 |
| 1967-68 | 56 | 26 | .683 | Lost Division Semifinals | San Francisco 4, St. Louis 2 |
| Atlanta Hawks | |||||
| 1968-69 | 48 | 34 | .585 | Won Division Semifinals Lost Division Finals | Atlanta 4, San Diego 2 Los Angeles 4, Atlanta 1 |
| 1969-70 | 48 | 34 | .585 | Won Division Semifinals Lost Division Finals | Atlanta 4, Chicago 1 Los Angeles 4, Atlanta 0 |
| 1970-71 | 36 | 46 | .439 | Lost Conference Semifinals | New York 4, Atlanta 1 |
| 1971-72 | 36 | 46 | .439 | Lost Conference Semifinals | Boston 4, Atlanta 2 |
| 1972-73 | 46 | 36 | .561 | Lost Conference Semifinals | Boston 4, Atlanta 2 |
| 1973-74 | 35 | 47 | .427 | ||
| 1974-75 | 31 | 51 | .378 | ||
| 1975-76 | 29 | 53 | .354 | ||
| 1976-77 | 31 | 51 | .378 | ||
| 1977-78 | 41 | 41 | .500 | Lost First Round | Washington 2, Atlanta 0 |
| 1978-79 | 46 | 36 | .561 | Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals | Atlanta 2, Houston 0 Washington 4, Atlanta 3 |
| 1979-80 | 50 | 32 | .610 | Lost Conference Semifinals | Philadelphia 4, Atlanta 1 |
| 1980-81 | 31 | 51 | .378 | ||
| 1981-82 | 42 | 40 | .512 | Lost First Round | Philadelphia 2, Atlanta 0 |
| 1982-83 | 43 | 39 | .524 | Lost First Round | Boston 2, Atlanta 1 |
| 1983-84 | 40 | 42 | .488 | Lost First Round | Milwaukee 3, Atlanta 2 |
| 1984-85 | 34 | 48 | .415 | ||
| 1985-86 | 50 | 32 | .610 | Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals | Atlanta 3, Detroit 1 Boston 4, Atlanta 1 |
| 1986-87 | 57 | 25 | .695 | Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals | Atlanta 3, Indiana 1 Detroit 4, Atlanta 1 |
| 1987-88 | 50 | 32 | .610 | Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals | Atlanta 3, Milwaukee 2 Boston 4, Atlanta 3 |
| 1988-89 | 52 | 30 | .634 | Lost First Round | Milwaukee 3, Atlanta 2 |
| 1989-90 | 41 | 41 | .500 | ||
| 1990-91 | 43 | 39 | .524 | Lost First Round | Detroit 3, Atlanta 2 |
| 1991-92 | 38 | 44 | .463 | ||
| 1992-93 | 43 | 39 | .524 | Lost First Round | Chicago 3, Atlanta 0 |
| 1993-94 | 57 | 25 | .695 | Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals | Atlanta 3, Miami 2 Indiana 4, Atlanta 2 |
| 1994-95 | 42 | 40 | .512 | Lost First Round | Indiana 3, Atlanta 0 |
| 1995-96 | 46 | 36 | .561 | Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals | Atlanta 3, Indiana 2 Orlando 4, Atlanta 1 |
| 1996-97 | 56 | 26 | .683 | Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals | Atlanta 3, Detroit 2 Chicago 4, Atlanta 1 |
| 1997-98 | 50 | 32 | .610 | Lost First Round | Charlotte 3, Atlanta 1 |
| 1998-99 | 31 | 19 | .620 | Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals | Atlanta 3, Detroit 2 New York 4, Atlanta 0 |
| 1999-2000 | 28 | 54 | .341 | ||
| 2000-01 | 25 | 57 | .305 | ||
| 2001-02 | 33 | 49 | .402 | ||
| 2002-03 | 35 | 47 | .427 | ||
| 2003-04 | 28 | 54 | .341 | ||
| 2004-05 | 13 | 69 | .188 | ||
| 2005-06 | 26 | 56 | .317 | ||
| 2006-07 | 30 | 52 | .366 | ||
| 2007-08 | 15 | 15 | .500 | ||
| Totals | 2254 | 2360 | .489 | ||
| Playoffs | 119 | 152 | .438 | 1 Championship | |
* Division 2nd place not counted in playoff totals.
[edit] Home arenas
- Wharton Field House 1946–1951
- Milwaukee Arena 1951–1955
- Kiel Auditorium 1955–1968 (Occasionally used the St. Louis Arena)
- Alexander Memorial Coliseum 1968–1972 and 1997–1999
- Omni Coliseum 1972–1997
- Georgia Dome 1997–1999
- Philips Arena 1999–present
[edit] Players of note
[edit] Basketball Hall of Famers:
- Walt Bellamy
- Cliff Hagan (St. Louis)
- Connie Hawkins
- Bob Houbregs (Milwaukee)
- Moses Malone
- Pete Maravich
- Ed Macauley (St. Louis-player and coach)
- Bob Pettit (St. Louis)
- Lenny Wilkens (St. Louis-player; Atlanta-coach)
- Dominique Wilkins
Hagan, Pettit, Macauley, Lenny Wilkens, and Bob Ferry, all of whom played for the Hawks in St. Louis, have been inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
[edit] Retired numbers
- 21 Dominique Wilkins, F, 1982-94
- 23 Lou Hudson, F-G, 1966-77
- 40 Jason Collier, C, 2003-05
- 9 Bob Pettit, F, 1954-65
[edit] Not to be forgotten
[edit] Current roster
[edit] Coaches
- Roger Potter 1949-1950
- David McMillan 1950-1951
- Doxie Moore 1951-1952
- Andrew Levane 1952-1953
- William Holzman 1954-1956
- Slater Martin 1957
- Alex Hannum 1958
- Andy Phillip 1958
- Ed Macauley 1958-1960
- Paul Seymour 1960-1961
- Andrew Levane 1961-1962
- Bob Pettit 1962
- Harry Gallatin 1962-1964
- Richie Guerin 1965-1971
- Cotton Fitzsimmons 1972-1976
- Bumper Tormohlen 1976
- Hubie Brown 1976-1981
- Mike Fratello 1981
- Kevin Loughery 1981-1983
- Mike Fratello 1983-1990
- Bob Weiss 1990-1993
- Lenny Wilkens 1993-2000
- Lon Kruger 2000-2002
- Terry Stotts 2002-2004
- Mike Woodson 2004-present
Tri-Cities Blackhawks/Milwaukee/St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks Head Coaches |
|---|
| Potter • Auerbach • McMillan • Logan • Todorovich • Moore • Levane • Holzman • Martin • Hannum • Phillip • Macauley • Seymour • Levane • Pettit • Gallatin • Guerin • Fitzsimmons • Tormohlen • Brown • Fratello • Loughery • Fratello • Weiss • Wilkens • Kruger • Stotts • Woodson |
[edit] High Points
[edit] Individual Awards
- Bob Pettit - 1956, 1959
NBA Defensive Player of the Year
- Dikembe Mutombo - 1997, 1998
- Bob Pettit - 1955
NBA Most Improved Player of the Year
- Alan Henderson - 1998
- Harry Gallatin - 1963
- Richie Guerin - 1968
- Hubie Brown - 1978
- Mike Fratello - 1986
- Lenny Wilkens - 1994
- Stan Kasten - 1986, 1987
- Bob Pettit - 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964
- Dominique Wilkins - 1986
- Frank Brian - 1951
- Slater Martin - 1957, 1958, 1959
- Cliff Hagan - 1958, 1959
- Bob Pettit - 1965
- Lou Hudson - 1970
- Pete Maravich - 1973
- Dan Roundfield - 1980
- Dominique Wilkins - 1987, 1988, 1991, 1993
- Dikembe Mutombo - 2001
- Dominique Wilkins - 1989
- Kevin Willis - 1992
- Dikembe Mutombo - 1998
- Dan Roundfield - 1980, 1982, 1983
- Wayne Rollins - 1984
- Mookie Blaylock - 1994, 1995
- Dikembe Mutombo - 1997, 1998
- Bill Bridges - 1969, 1970
- Joe Caldwell - 1970
- "Fast Eddie" Johnson - 1979, 1980
- Dan Roundfield - 1981, 1984
- Wayne Rollins - 1983
- Mookie Blaylock - 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
- Dikembe Mutombo - 1999
- Zelmo Beaty - 1963
- Lou Hudson - 1968
- Pete Maravich 1971
- John Brown - 1974
- John Drew - 1975
- Dominique Wilkins - 1983
- Stacey Augmon - 1992
- Jason Terry - 2000
- Josh Childress - 2005
- Josh Smith - 2005
- Marvin Williams - 2006
[edit] External links
- Atlanta Hawks official web site
- Atlanta Hawks Summer Pro League web site
- Atlanta Hawks at the New Georgia Encyclopedia
| Preceded by Boston Celtics 1957 | NBA Champions St. Louis Hawks 1958 | Succeeded by Boston Celtics 1959-1966 |
Saint Louis Hawks 1957-58 NBA Champions |
|---|
| National Basketball Association (2007-08) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Conference | Western Conference | ||||
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| Annual events: Playoffs · Finals · All-Star Game · Weekend · Rookie Challenge · Three-point Shootout · Skills · Shooting Stars · Slam Dunk · Draft | |||||
| Other: Current team rosters · Midwest Division · Dress code · Salary Cap · Arenas · D-League · WNBA (Finals) · Europe Live Tour · Larry O'Brien Trophy · Finals MVP · 50 Greatest Players | |||||
Sports teams based in Georgia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | MLB: Atlanta Braves, SAL: Augusta GreenJackets • Columbus Catfish • Rome Braves • Savannah Sand Gnats, SCL: South Georgia Peanuts • Macon Music | Image:Flag of Georgia (U.S. state).svg |
| Basketball | NBA: Atlanta Hawks, CBA: Atlanta Krunk, ABA: Atlanta Vision • Georgia Gwizzlies, WBA: Atlanta Hardhats • Marietta Storm • Gwinnett Ravia-Rebels • Rome Gladiators, WNBA: unnamed | |
| Football | NFL: Atlanta Falcons, AFL: Georgia Force, af2: South Georgia Wildcats, AIFA: Augusta Colts • Columbus Lions, IWFL: Atlanta Xplosion | |
| Hockey | NHL: Atlanta Thrashers, ECHL: Augusta Lynx • Gwinnett Gladiators, SPHL: Columbus Cottonmouths | |
| Soccer | USL-1: Atlanta Silverbacks, PDL: Atlanta Silverbacks U23's | |
| Roller Derby | WFTDA: Denim Demons, Sake Tuyas, Toxic Shocks, Apocalypstix | |
| College athletics (NCAA Division I) | University of Georgia • Georgia Southern University • Mercer University • Georgia State University • Kennesaw State University • Savannah State University • Georgia Institute of Technology | |
Sports teams based in or very close to Atlanta | ||
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | MLB: Atlanta Braves | Image:Downtown Atlanta.JPG |
| Basketball | NBA: Atlanta Hawks , WNBA: Unnamed , ABA: Atlanta Vision, CBA: Atlanta Krunk, WBA: Marietta Storm | |
| Football | NFL: Atlanta Falcons, AFL: Georgia Force | |
| Hockey | NHL: Atlanta Thrashers, ECHL: Gwinnett Gladiators | |
| Soccer | USL-1: Atlanta Silverbacks, PDL: Atlanta Silverbacks U23's | |
| College athletics (NCAA Division I) | Georgia State University • Kennesaw State University• Georgia Institute of Technology | |
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