Jamaaliver wrote:
I hope so but he probably won't get in.
Moderators: HMFFL, Jamaaliver, dms269
Bleacher ReportRanking Every NBA Franchise on Historical Success
14. Atlanta Hawks
Best Team: 1986-87
Top Five in Win Shares: Bob Pettit, Dominique Wilkins, Cliff Hagan, Lou Hudson and Al Horford
Chalk this one up, at least in large part, to longevity.
Younger NBA fans maybe think of the Atlanta Hawks as a mediocre team that's rarely, if ever, truly contended for the title.
The 2014-15 team with Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, Paul Millsap and Al Horford won 60 games, played beautiful team basketball and captured our imagination, but they got swept by LeBron James in the conference finals.
The Dominique Wilkins-led squads of the 1980s never got past the second round. Ditto for Mookie Blaylock and Dikembe Mutombo in the 1990s.
But this history goes all the way back to 1949-50. They've been the Tri-Cities Blackhawks and the Milwaukee Hawks. As the St. Louis Hawks, they won a championship in 1958 and made three other Finals appearances.
Their leader at the time, Bob Pettit retired as one of the greatest big men of all time. He remains in that conversation to this day.
So, while recent history has been a bit less inspiring, there's enough on this resume to come in at No. 14.