Atlanta Hawks. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
The Atlanta Hawks will have a totally different view of the play-in tournament this season. Last season, many experts believed that the Hawks would finish between seventh and tenth last season and therefore would compete in the tournament in an effort to make the playoffs.
While there was a case at the end of the season for the Hawks to qualify for the play-in tournament, they famously finished fifth in the Eastern Conference and qualified directly for the playoffs which gave them a dream run to the Eastern Conference Finals.