Atlanta Has a New Attitude : Hawks Setting Sights on NBA Championship

You can feel the difference as the Atlanta Hawks prepare for the National Basketball Assn. playoffs.

In the past, the Hawks often were just going through the motions as if accepting the fact that they likely wouldn’t remain in the playoffs very long. This year, after posting the best regular-season record in the 38-year history of their four-cities franchise, the Hawks consider themselves championship contenders.

“We worked hard to get to this point,” said Hawk guard Randy Wittman after Atlanta won the Central Division by five games and finished with the second-best record (57-25) in the Eastern Conference. “Now, we have to take care of it in the playoffs.”

The Hawks have not made it to the NBA finals since 1961 and not to the semifinals since 1970. Last year, when their 50-32 record equaled their previous Atlanta best, they beat Detroit in the opening round by winning three of four games. But they were eliminated by Boston in the second round in five games.

The Hawks, whose best previous season record was 56-26 in 1968, begin the playoffs Friday night against the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers, 41-41, were seventh in the Eastern Conference, but the only team to beat the Hawks twice in Atlanta this season.

“We’re in a situation now where we can concentrate on one team instead of 22,” said Hawk assistant coach Brendan Suhr as Atlanta began preparation for the best-of-5 series with the Pacers. “No detail is too small. During the regular season, you can’t bog players down with a lot of things because they are playing against so many different teams.”

Willis Reed, another Hawk assistant, says concentrating on just one team can also be a disadvantage.

“During the playoffs, it’s hard to beat the same guy over and over,” said Reed. “That’s why you want to do everything you can to prepare for that team.”

The Hawks took Monday off after closing their regular season with a 118-107 loss at Boston, but scheduled double practices Tuesday and Wednesday.

“We’ll be working out right up to game time,” said Suhr. “We’ll be out for 90 minutes Friday to go through our offensive and defensive plans.”

The Hawks and Pacers split their six games this season. The Hawks won two out of three in Indiana, but lost two out of three at home.

“The Hawks are very good,” Indiana Coach Jack Ramsey said. “I still don’t know if we match up very well with them or not. I know we don’t have their quickness, so we don’t want to run with them. Still, if you are going to beat a good team, you have got to play at their level.”

The Hawks are led by Dominique Wilkins, the No. 2 scorer in the NBA with an average of 29 points per game. The top scorer for the Pacers is Chuck Person, a rookie for Auburn, who is averaging 18.8.

“We have no league leaders in any category, but that shows if you play together, you can win,” Ramsey said. “We get contributions from everybody on the team.”