Atlanta Hawks' Schedule Breakdown and Record Predictions for February
January was just one of those run-of-the-mill months for the Atlanta Hawks.
You know, the type of 31-day stretch where a team goes 17-0 and puts its conference's No. 1 seed in a complete stranglehold.
Obviously, I'm joking—January 2015 was a smashing success for the 40-8 Hawks, who had literally the best single month in NBA history. According to the Elias Sports Bureau via ESPN, Atlanta's 17 wins were the most victories by a team in any month without registering a defeat. Overall, the team sports a 19-game winning streak.
The Hawks are incapable of producing as good of a month in February, not because they aren't good enough, but because they only have 11 chances to win in the year's second month.
Some injury concerns for Atlanta could hold the team back from its potential in February: DeMarre Carroll has a strained left Achilles tendon, per The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Chris Vivlamore, Thabo Sefolosha is out six to eight weeks with a calf strain, according to the Hawks' official Twitter account, and Shelvin Mack is also recovering from a calf strain.
But the Hawks are a deep team and should remain very competitive despite their maladies.
Let's look at each game of February and then predict the overall record the Hawks will have during the month.
Feb. 1 Through Feb. 7
1 of 5
Key Matchup: Feb. 6 vs. Golden State Warriors (L)
It's the matchup everyone's been circling their calendars for: Hawks vs. Warriors, the beast of the East against the best of the West.
The two teams are tied in the loss column with eight apiece, while Atlanta has 40 wins to Golden State's 37. A victory for the Hawks will certainly improve their chances of securing home-court advantage against the Warriors should the teams meet in the NBA Finals.
While the game will get touted as a Finals preview and the level of basketball played will reflect it, it's important to remember this contest is still more than two months before the playoffs begin. A Warriors win on Feb. 6 won't necessarily prove they are a stronger title contender than the Hawks, and vice versa.
But who will come out on top? I have the Warriors winning by a nose by virtue of the injury to Sefolosha, who could've been key as a defender against Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson. And if by chance Carroll is still unavailable, the Hawks could be seriously undermanned on the wings.
Other Games: Feb. 2 at New Orleans Pelicans (W), Feb. 4 vs. Washington Wizards (W)
Although I'm picking Atlanta's undefeated stretch to end in February's first week at the hands of Golden State, I don't believe the winning streak will stop at 19.
The Hawks start off the week with a contest in New Orleans. Led by star power forward Anthony Davis, the 25-22 Pelicans have won five of their last six games and should present some difficulties for the Hawks.
In the end, however, the Hawks' superior guard depth will put the final dagger in the Pelicans' heart. Atlanta's Dennis Schroder, Kent Bazemore and John Jenkins have the clear advantage over Quincy Pondexter, Jimmer Fredette and Nate Wolters of New Orleans.
Two days later, the Hawks return home for a date with the 31-17 Washington Wizards. Washington has lost four of its last six, and Atlanta is 2-0 against the Wizards already this season. Expect the Hawks to contribute to Washington's slump.
Record: 2-1
Feb. 8 Through Feb. 14
2 of 5
Key Matchup: Feb. 8 at Memphis Grizzlies (L)
Coming off a loss to the Warriors, the Hawks will look straight down the barrel of a two-game losing streak as they travel to Memphis for a contest against the 35-12 Grizzlies.
In the first meeting of the season between the two teams on Jan. 7, Atlanta pulled away on its home court in the second half for a 96-86 victory. Unfortunately for the Hawks, there are three reasons the result will be different this time around: Zach Randolph, Jeff Green and the change of venue.
Randolph, absent for the Jan. 7 game, is the Grizzlies' heart and soul, a hardworking power forward and a tough competitor on both ends of the floor. When he plays, Memphis is 31-7. Without him, the team is just 4-5. The Grizzlies also added Jeff Green since the last meeting, an athletic small forward who was miscast as a go-to guy in Boston for the Celtics before a midseason trade.
Lastly, this game will be played in Memphis at the FedExForum, nicknamed the "Grindhouse" in honor of the Grizzlies' scrappy playing style. Memphis is 21-5 on its home court this year, and the extra energy, along with its added players, will push the Grizzlies past the Hawks in this game.
Other Games: Feb. 9 at Minnesota Timberwolves (W), Feb. 11 at Boston Celtics (W)
To use a baseball analogy, the Hawks will get a couple of fat pitches to knock out of the park leading into the NBA All-Star break.
The 8-39 Minnesota Timberwolves and 16-30 Boston Celtics are simply not talented enough right now to defeat the Hawks despite playing at home. Both teams are more invested in their futures than winning games in 2014-15.
Minnesota has won one game in its past eight contests, with the one victory coming against, you guessed it, Boston. The Celtics have lost seven of 10, and none of their wins have been by double digits.
Even if the Hawks have injured or resting players in either one of these games, expect two wins.
Record: 2-1
Feb. 15 Through Feb. 21
3 of 5
Key Matchup: Feb. 20 vs. Toronto Raptors (L)
After an eight-day hiatus courtesy of the All-Star break, Atlanta returns to the court for a home contest against the 33-15 Toronto Raptors.
The Hawks shellacked the Raptors in Toronto 110-89 on Jan. 16, so Toronto will certainly be looking for some revenge against Atlanta a month later.
While the Hawks caught the Raptors in a cold stretch of play last time, Toronto has started to heat up, winning its last six games. A five-game homestand for the team north of the border leading into the Feb. 20 contest should only increase its momentum.
Other than that, the main reason I see the Raptors winning this game is simply because they are more motivated to do so; Atlanta will be comfortably in the East's No. 1 slot, while Toronto will be fighting off the Wizards, Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers for the conference's second seed.
This is the Hawks' only game between Feb. 15 and Feb. 21, so the contest gets "key matchup" status by default.
Record: 0-1
Feb. 22 Through Feb. 28
4 of 5
Key Matchup: Feb. 28 at Miami Heat (W)
The Hawks close the month against their potential first-round opponent in the East playoffs, the 21-26 Miami Heat. The Heat currently sit at No. 7 in the conference but are just one game ahead of the eighth-seeded Charlotte Hornets.
So, essentially, we could very well end up seeing Atlanta match up against the four-time defending conference champions in a couple of months.
Well, it's a bit generous to refer to Miami as that considering LeBron James is no longer with the team, but there is still lots of playoff experience all the way down the Heat roster.
This matchup will also provide the Hawks a firsthand look at Miami's new shot-blocking monster, Hassan Whiteside. But the Hawks are ultimately a much better team, and they will end February with a victory in Miami on the second night of a back-to-back.
Other Games: Feb. 22 at Milwaukee Bucks (L), Feb. 25 vs. Dallas Mavericks (W), Feb. 27 vs. Orlando Magic (W)
The 25-22 Milwaukee Bucks have been the Hawks' biggest kryptonite this season.
The two teams have played twice, a home-and-home on Dec. 26 and 27. In the first game, the Bucks demolished the Hawks in Atlanta, winning 107-77. The next night, Atlanta returned the favor in Milwaukee, albeit in a much subtler way, coming out on top 90-85.
Overall, the Hawks' point differential versus the Bucks is minus-12.5, by far their worst among any team in 2014-15. Expect Milwaukee to pull out a hard-fought contest on its home floor.
Three nights later, the Hawks will return home to face the 32-17 Dallas Mavericks. While the Mavericks are a good team, the Hawks' vastly superior depth on the interior will help them top Dallas. The Mavericks' main reserve big men are Charlie Villanueva and Greg Smith, while the Hawks' main post players off of the bench are Mike Scott and Pero Antic. Advantage, Hawks.
Against the 15-35 Orlando Magic, Atlanta would need to play terribly to lose. The Magic are currently on an eight-game losing streak, which has effectively removed them from the playoff picture. The Magic may be pseudo-tanking for the rest of their campaign, so the Hawks should easily win at Philips Arena.
Record: 3-1
February Recap
5 of 5
Before you Hawks fans come at me with pitchforks complaining about the solid, but not spectacular, February record I have projected for them, please hear me out.
Atlanta has had an amazing first 48 games of the regular season. But with a seven-game cushion on the rest of the East, going all-in to win each and every game may be counterproductive. As the playoffs approach, the Hawks will probably lose some games they would have won earlier, simply because they aren't trying as hard as before or are resting players.
The team's strength of schedule (.537 opponent winning percentage) is also tougher in February than in any other month this season, past and future included.
So, with merely an above-average record in February, Atlanta can comfortably keep its No. 1 spot in the conference while keeping fresh for the postseason, where the team will ultimately prove itself to be a title contender.
A 47-12 record isn't too bad, either, and that's what I have the Hawks finishing February with.
Overall Record: 7-4
Note: All statistics are from Basketball-Reference.com and updated through Feb. 1 unless otherwise indicated.
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