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The past few years have been a bit of a roller coaster ride for fans of the Atlanta Hawks.
In 2021, the team snapped a three-year playoff drought and made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Final before falling to the Bucks. They returned to the postseason the following year but quickly exited following a one-and-done showing against the Heat.
Atlanta’s play this season has left plenty to be desired, and the team relieved Nate McMillan of his coaching duties in February before tapping Quin Snyder to step into the role amid reports of some internal friction concerning Trae Young.
The Hawks haven’t necessarily imploded under the watch of their new head coach, but Snyder hasn’t exactly helped the franchise stage a dramatic turnaround as they currently sit in the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference with four games remaining in the regular season.
The 39-39 record Atlanta boasts as of this writing means they are the textbook definition of “average,” but that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to highlighting just how mediocre that team has been over the course of the ongoing campaign.
On Sunday, John Hollinger of The Athletic called attention to that reality in a tweet where he shared a few numbers that suggest the Hawks might be the most statistically average team in NBA history thanks to their staggeringly close points differential and their even more balanced record against teams in both conferences.
Hawks now 39-39. They have scored 9,209 points and allowed 9,210. They are 24-24 against the East and 15-15 against the West. They have been within one game of .500 for 72 consecutive days.
— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) April 3, 2023
In January, Atlanta capped off a five-game winning streak that put them two games over the .500 mark, but as Hollinger notes, they’ve experienced a remarkably balanced ebb and flow since then as they’ve continued to hover in the middle of the conference standing.
Hawks fans can take some solace in knowing that trend means they’ll likely secure a spot in the play-in tournament when everything is said and done, but it doesn’t exactly inspire a ton of confidence in the long run.