Report by Austin Kent
Austin Kent takes a weekly look at the NBA teams in the Southeast Division - Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards - and breaks down what happened the week before and what to expect in the week ahead, as well as injuries and trades.
Recap Rewind: The Atlanta Hawks continue to look like a team that has no business in the playoffs, which is disappointing considering their relatively awesome start to the season. This week the Hawks dropped games on the road in Denver and Portland on Wednesday and Sunday, but stumbled into an easy game with the recently incompetent Seattle Supersonics on Friday which passed off as their only win.
Notable News: The Hawks, at 18-22, are slowly losing ground on the Washington Wizards for second place in the Southeast Division. The sudden slip back into mediocrity could even cause them to slid back into fourth place behind the Charlotte Bobcats it they're not careful... Third-year man Marvin Williams went off for a career-high 33 points Friday night against the Sonics and even added three steals in the effort.
Fast Forward: The next two games will round out the Atlanta Hawks five-game West coast trip, but the competition isn't getting any easier. On Tuesday the Hawks will head to Phoenix to take on the Suns before catching a break when they head south to Los Angeles to do battle with the slumping Clippers. On Saturday the Hawks will host the New Jersey Nets and will finish off the week with another home game, this time against Philadelphia.