Atlanta Hawks Projected to be Eastern Conference 10th Seed

The Hawks are once again below .500.

One step forward, two steps back. As I've written so many times before, it's been the story of the season for the Atlanta Hawks. They scratched and clawed their way up a .500 record only to drop a crucial game to the Charlotte Hornets last night. 

Computer programs from ESPN and FiveThirtyEight have gone from bullish to bearish on the Hawks in less than 11 days. The Hawks are more than capable of making another postseason run, but the odds of that happening have been cut in half. Let's look at the Play-In picture with 15 games remaining in the regular season.

Eastern Conference Play-In Odds

Cleveland Cavaliers

© Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Few expected the Cavaliers to be as good as they have been this season. Despite being tied with the Toronto Raptors in the standings, both ESPN and FiveThirty give the Raptors much better odds of avoiding the Play-In tournament.

Record: 39-30

Tankathon Remaining Strength of Schedule: 21st

ESPN Projection: 46-36 (32.6% chance of making playoffs)

FiveThirtyEight Projection: 45-37 (79% chance of making playoffs)

Brooklyn Nets

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

There's no sugar coating it; the Nets season has been a mess—first, Kyrie Irving's ongoing drama, and second the James Harden trade. While Irving has excelled when available, the newly acquired Ben Simmons has yet to make his season debut.

Record: 36-34

Tankathon Remaining Strength of Schedule: 20th

ESPN Projection: 43-39 (64.7% chance of making playoffs)

FiveThirtyEight Projection: 43-39 (68% chance of making playoffs)

Charlotte Hornets

Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Hats off to the Hornets for what they have accomplished so far this season. They accelerated their rebuild by trading for Montrezl Harrell at the deadline. Additionally, they have a clear identity - run and gun. They are one of the more exciting teams to watch play on any given night.

Record: 35-35

Tankathon Remaining Strength of Schedule: 10th

ESPN Projection: 41-41 (32.6% chance of making playoffs)

FiveThirtyEight Projection: 41-41 (24% chance of making playoffs)

Atlanta Hawks

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong this season for the Hawks. A Covid outbreak exasperated a slow start. They have dropped several winnable games along the way. Now they are without John Collins, and it's unclear how long it will take for his injured finger/foot to heal fully. 

Following last night's loss to the Hornets, Trae Young admitted that there was "more luck" on their side last season. It's hard to deny that, given how inconsistent the team has been this season.

Record: 34-35

Tankathon Remaining Strength of Schedule: 28th

ESPN Projection: 41-41 (27.4% chance of making playoffs)

FiveThirtyEight Projection: 42-40 (39% chance of making playoffs)

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Games are won and lost on the hardwood, not on Excel spreadsheets. The Hawks are not yet out of it. Whenever you have a generational talent at point guard, your team has a chance at making noise in the playoffs. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's AllHawks.com for breaking news, highlights, and analysis.

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