The Atlanta Hawks may have been playing terrible basketball lately. Luckily, most of the rest of the Eastern Conference elite are doing exactly the same thing, except for the first-place Orlando Magic. After starting the season 6-0, Atlanta has dropped three straight and seven of their last nine en route to moving to just one game above the break even mark.
↵Nevertheless, they are just a half-game behind the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls for the third spot in the East. So much for the Heat, who are trying to become the first ever 82-0, 78-4, 76-6 team.
If anything, the Flying Bron Brons have been even more of a disappointment than Atlanta's basketball team. Dwyane Wade struggled with his shot this week. Chris Bosh and LeBron James are fine, but the rest of the team is about as deep as the relationship between Paris Hilton and one of her made-for-TV bffs.
↵Karma appears to be biting the Heat on the rear end, who have lost key players to injury and have yet to mash as a team. They're loving it in Cleveland. There may be little heat from Miami on the boards after top rebounder Udonis Haslem was lost for the season due to foot surgery. The Heat's hopes will rest on the creaky shoulders of the 35-year-old Erick Dampier, who was still languishing around the league as a free agent after the season began. That should tell you eons about what the rest of the game's GM think about the aging former center's game.
↵Yes, the Hawks have issues with chemistry. They have issues with sharing the basketball. They have issues with putting forth a consistent effort. But if they can somehow manage to get it together, all is not lost in the Southeast.
↵↵↵↵
↵↵