They once again finished third in the Central but the wheels completely came off in the playoffs when they fell in five games to the Milwaukee Bucks. His habits are ingrained and have never changed.``ĭespite the distractions the team went on to win 52 games which was two more than they had the previous season. But on the court, his game is Reggie, just like 10 years before. Or he`s just kidding himself.``Īnd a Hawks` executive said: ``Off the court, you can`t meet a sweeter guy. Reggie told us he`d submerge himself in our system because he only wanted to win at this stage of his career to prove he was not a loser. ![]() Said former Hawks assistant Brendan Suhr: ``It`s been a disaster. ``But now I can see that`s just Reggie.`` ![]() ``For a while, I`d just thought he`d lost his game,`` said another. ``Reggie is the worst thing that`s happened to us all year,`` one teammate was quoted as saying last week. Teammates were quoted as the whole scene played out in the newspapers with players and coaches contributing to the stories. By April, a story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution painted the team as bickering group of players who had centered most of the blame on Theus. The team got off to a good enough start but the good feelings and team chemistry never fully materialized. It means we don`t have to go to Dominique (Wilkins) every time.`` ``Reggie`s fit in real well,`` adds point guard Glenn ``Doc`` Rivers. Now we`ve got to make it happen.``Ītlanta's point guard Doc Rivers' added that Theus had fit in well with the team and that he gave them another option as a go to scorer in the fourth quarter: The opportunity for us is there, the potential. ``It`s a real joy playing with guys like this. ``To be honest, I never knew basketball could be so easy,`` said Theus. Theus was happy to have escaped Sacramento and move to a team that had a real chance to make some noise as he told the Chicago Tribune's Sam Smith: The move gave the Hawks another good shooter and a third bonafide scorer as Theus was coming off of back-to-back seasons of averaging more than 20 points per game.Įarly on it looked like things might work out. Then Atlanta dealt a first round pick and shooting guard Randy Wittman to the Sacramento Kings for Reggie Theus. Malone was 33 years old but had a streak of 10 consecutive seasons of averaging at least 20+ points and 10+ rebounds. Dominique Wilkins and Larry Bird staged a memorable shootout in Game 7 and Atlanta went into the summer looking for a little more firepower with the hopes of crashing through the Celtics and the Pistons in the East.Ītlanta began their retool by replacing center Tree Rollins, who departed for Cleveland, by signing unrestricted free agent Moses Malone from Philadelphia. However, they came alive in the playoffs by taking the Boston Celtics to the brink before falling in seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals which to this day remains as close as any Atlanta Hawks' team has come to the conference finals. Atlanta had won 50 games and finished in third place in the NBA's central division. ![]() To set the stage for the moves heading into 1989 you must first begin one season earlier. More Theme Day: The Atlanta Hawks' failed playoff guarantee The 2003 Atlanta Hawks' guaranteed a playoff berth or they'd owe their season ticket holders money.
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