Eastern Conference Playoffs: Where Do The Bucks Fit In?

May 20, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer and forward

(4) react during the fourth quarter of game one of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Philips Arena. Cleveland won 97-89. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

2) Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks were the first seed in the East last season, and should look to continue a lot of their success this season. Much like his sensei Gregg Popovich in San Antonio, Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer and his team are going to be counted out a lot, and respond with nothing but more success.

This team only lost some bench players and DeMarre Carroll (the only non-All-Star on the Hawks starting five) and gained a promising young scorer in Tim Hardaway Jr. and a championship-experienced big man in Tiago Splitter. Splitter can come in and relieve Al Horford and Paul Millsap, who can both play power forward very well.

That makes for a great three-way rotation at the four and the five, which should ensure all three bigs get both minutes and rest when necessary. Jeff Teague continues to be a very good NBA point guard, and I imagine Hardaway Jr. will start the year at shooting guard with Kyle Korver (ever an underrated NBA defender) slotting in at small forward.

This team will still be strong, and they won’t have forgotten how they battled to the top of the Eastern Conference last season–teamwork and open looks. Those are things they can still do even with a modified core–don’t be surprised when the Hawks rattle off a ton of wins this season.

Next: The First Seed