Sports Channel: NBA 1986- Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 5- Atlanta Hawks @ Boston Celtics: Full Game

Source:Sports Channel- Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Fratello.

"Final de la Conferencia Este de 1986, disputada por Boston Celtics y Atlanta Hawks." 

From Sports Channel

The Atlanta Hawks of the mid and late 1980s were always so close to not just being an Eastern Conference contender, but winning the Eastern Conference Championship and being the clear dominant team in the East. They were always so close and yet far enough away where you could see why the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons could not just beat, but beat them fairly easily. 

The Celtics beat the Hawks in 5 games in the semifinals in 1986. The Pistons beat the Hawks in 5 games in 1987. The Hawks took the Celtics to game 7 in the 1988 semifinals, but that obviously wasn't the Celtics best team and it wasn't even the Hawks best team. They just got hot between games 3-5. 

Mike Fratello's Atlanta Hawks, remind me of the Portland Blazers of the early 1990s: big, strong, athletic, very fast and quick, excellent rebounding and defensive team, that lacked maturity and professionalism, which is they weren't very consistent. The best teams in the NBA tend to be consistently very good, if not great. The Hawks didn't have that in the 1980s. 

I think chemistry was a big factor with the Hawks: 

the Hawks best player in Dominique Wilkins, is taking 25-30 shots a game and a lot of bad shots, because he's either overconfident or doesn't trust his open teammates to make the open shots. 

Doc Rivers, who was really an off-guard, or a 3rd guard that you bring off the bench to play either the point or the off-guard and you have them as your full-time starting point guard. 

Randy Whitman is your off-guard, even though his range is only about 15-20 feet and he wasn't very consistent shooter even from there. And wasn't a player that could create shots for himself off the dribble and drive to the basket. 

Kevin Willis is your power forward, even though he was 7'0 and weighed 245-250 pounds, was very strong and should've playing center for a good team. 

Tree Rollins is your center and he only plays defense. He was a great shot blocker and defensive center, but gave the Hawks almost nothing on offense and wasn't a very good rebounder either. The Hawks have him as their starting center. 

For the Hawks back then to be a true NBA Finals contender back then for 5-7 year period, like the Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons, they needed better chemistry: 

Dominique needed to be a much more discipline player on offense. That means shooting less and taking a lot more good shots. 

They needed a true point guard who was a good outside shooter and defender. 

They needed an off-guard who was an excellent outside shooter, to complement Dominique, someone like a Dale Ellis or Sidney Moncrief. 

And they needed a true power forward who was a good rebounder and could defend either the power forward or center, if not both positions, someone like a Rick Mahorn and move Kevin Willis to center. 

I think the popular wisdom about the 1980s Atlanta Hawks was that they were just a couple players away. But they needed better chemistry as well to be a true Eastern Conference and NBA Finals contender back then. They were consistently playing better, more deeper teams, whose top players were better than their top players.