| 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 | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Team Colors | Red, Black and Gold |
| Head Coach | Mike Woodson |
| Owner | Atlanta Spirit, LLC |
| 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 a professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They play in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
2005-06 Record[]
26-56--------0.317
- 5th in Southeast Division.
- Streak - Lost 1
- Eliminated from playoff contention
Home arenas[]
- Wharton Field House 1946-1951
- Milwaukee Arena 1951-1955
- Kiel Auditorium 1955-1968
- Alexander Memorial Coliseum 1968-1972 and 1997-1999
- Omni Coliseum 1972-1997
- Georgia Dome 1997-1999
- Philips Arena 1999-present
Franchise history[]
The franchise was formed in 1946 as the Tri-Cities Blackhawks of the National Basketball League; it was based in the tri-city area between Moline, Illinois, Rock Island, Illinois, and Davenport, Iowa. When the NBL merged with the Basketball Association of America to form the NBA, the Blackhawks reached the playoffs in the NBA's inaugural year, under the leadership of coach Red Auerbach. However, the following season, after the team drafted Bob Cousy and made the blunder of trading his rights to the Chicago Stags (who would later surrender him in a dispersal draft to the Celtics after they folded), they failed to qualify for the postseason. In 1951, the franchise relocated to Milwaukee and became the Hawks. In 1953, the Hawks drafted Bob Pettit, a future NBA MVP. Despite this, the Hawks were one of the league's worst teams, and in 1955 the Hawks moved yet again, this time to St. Louis, Missouri.
With acquisitions in the draft and free agency, the Hawks became of the league's top teams. In 1957, the team advanced to the 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 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.
Relocation to Atlanta[]
The next few years the Hawks remained contenders, every year advancing deep into the playoffs and also capturing several division titles. In 1968, however, with new owners, Atlanta real estate developer Tom Cousins and Georgia governor Carl Sanders, the team moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Cousins' firm developed the Omni Coliseum, a state-of-the-art downtown Atlanta arena for the Hawks and the 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 CNN Center.
The years after the move showcased a talented Hawks team, including Pete Maravich, which won a division championship and advanced to the Finals yet again. However, after this period of success, the Hawks experienced a few years of rebuilding; the Hawks had all losing records in those years and never advanced past the first round of the playoffs.
In 1977 Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner bought the team and hired Hubie Brown to become head coach. In 1979 the Hawks team finished with 50 wins and won the Central Division. In 1982 the franchise acquired superstar Dominique Wilkins, and in the next four seasons the team had more than 50 victories each season. However, the team could not advance past the semifinals of the playoffs. In 1993, Lenny Wilkens was hired as coach. In the 1993- 1994 season coach Wilkens led the team to 57 victories, a team record, and in 1995 Wilkens broke the record (previously held by former Hawk coach Red Auerbach) for most victories by an NBA head coach with victory number 939.
However, in recent years the Hawks team has struggled, yet again becoming one of the league's worst teams. In March 2004 the team was sold to a group of executives by the name of Atlanta Spirit LLC [1] by Time Warner (who inheirited 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. After the change in ownership, though, the Hawks still struggled. In the 2004-2005 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 2nd pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks selected Marvin Williams of the University of North Carolina. Marvin Williams is considered to be the player with the most potential and marketablity of the draft class. Additionally, the Hawks have Josh Childress, Josh Smith, Salim Stoudamire, and nearly $25 million in cap space for 2005 free agent market. 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 2 future 1st round picks. They also signed Zaza Pachulia from the Milwaukee Bucks. These changes occurred after an ugly power struggle between the owners for nearly 3 weeks before the moves were made. [2]
Recently, the Hawks have shown some improvement. Even with a league-worst record, they still managed to triumph over the defending champion the San Antonio Spurs, 94-84. They also made a miracle win over the Detroit Pistons, who as of February 15th, 2006 have the leagues best record. The Hawks are known as a team with a bad record, but they can come out of nowhere and challenge great teams. They show little consistency.
The Hawks trail only the Golden State Warriors (12 in a row) in terms of the most consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance with seven in a row (see Active NBA non-playoff appearance streaks).
Players of note[]
Basketball Hall of Famers:[]
- Walt Bellamy
- Cliff Hagan (St. Louis)
- Pete Maravich
- Bob Pettit (St. Louis)
- Dominique Wilkins
Hagan, Pettit, Ed 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.
Retired Numbers[]
- 9 Bob Pettit, F, 1954-65 (1954-55 Milwaukee, 1955-65 St. Louis)
- 17 Ted Turner, team owner, 1977-2004 (17 for his cable-TV empire, which began with Atlanta's Channel 17, WTBS)
- 21 Dominique Wilkins, F, 1983-94
- 23 Lou Hudson, F, 1966-77 (1966-68 St. Louis, 1968-77 Atlanta)
- 40 Jason Collier, F/C 2003-05 (2000-2003 Houston Rockets)
Hudson and Wilkins have also been elected to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
Not to be forgotten:[]
- Stacey Augmon
- Zelmo Beaty
- Mookie Blaylock
- Bill Bridges
- Hubie Brown (coach)
- Jason Collier
- John Drew
- "Fast Eddie" Johnson
- Jon Koncak
- Christian Laettner
- Dikembe Mutombo
- Doc Rivers
- Steve Smith
- Spud Webb
- Dominique Wilkins
- Kevin Willis
Current roster:[]
模板:Atlanta Hawks
Coaches and others[]
Basketball Hall of Famers:[]
- Lenny Wilkens
External links[]
- Atlanta Hawks official web site
- Atlanta Hawks InsideHoops.com coverage
- Official Atlanta Hawks Summer Pro League web site
- Impending Firestorm Atlanta Hawks Blog
- AmIAnnoying.com - Atlanta Hawks
- Sports E-Cyclopedia
- Hawks Alternate Uniforms
模板:NBA