National Basketball Association

Hawks remember playoff mauling;Atlanta looks to boost confidence after being swept by division

Published Oct. 18, 2010 10:09 a.m. ET

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It's just a preseason game for the Hawks so the result won't count in the standings and the particulars of the contest figure to be forgettable.

Yet because it's not just any opponent tonight at Philips Arena this exhibition game could be more significant than most.

"It's the Orlando Magic," Hawks center Zaza Pachulia said. "Obviously, we all remember what happened last year."

There are 101 reasons Atlanta will never forget. That was the NBA-record victory margin for Orlando in its four-game sweep of the Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals last May.

The fallout for the Hawks included vitriol from their fans and the eventual dismissal of coach Mike Woodson. The way the Hawks lost, barely putting up a fight, was a sharp rebuke to the organization's contention that the team was close to joining the East's elite.

The Hawks won't change any minds with a preseason victory against Orlando but perhaps they can take some small step to restore their pride.

"You want to set the tone from the beginning," Pachulia said "You want to make them feel like we are not the same team as last year [and] we got better and we are here to work."

The Hawks largely are the same team from a personnel standpoint. Team owners and general manager Rick Sund decided their philosophy of keeping the team's core intact had not run its course, viewing the listless loss to Orlando as part of a growing process.

If that's the case, the Magic should have stimulated plenty of growth for the Hawks by now.

Counting that playoff series, Orlando has won eight of its last nine games against Atlanta. The average losing margin for the Hawks in those games was 23 points and all the losses were by at least 14 points; their 114-71 loss in Game 1 of the East semifinals was the franchise's worst postseason loss since moving to Atlanta in 1968.

If the Hawks expect eventually to become a serious championship contender they can start by proving they can compete with their Southeast Division rival.

"Certainly after what happened last season, after what they've accomplished against us, we have to look at them as a team that is certainly standing in our way," said Hawks coach Larry Drew, Woodson's former lead assistant. "We are trying to reach our goal. We have to prepare ourselves against them throughout the regular season. They have shown to be one of the better teams in the East and the league."

After rolling past Atlanta the Magic lost to Boston in the East finals. The Celtics had the players to defend Orlando center Dwight Howard one-on-one and thus didn't have to risk leaving Orlando's many shooters open by double teaming.

The Hawks this summer focused on signing a center to deal with Howard but they struck out on Shaquille O'Neal, who instead went to Boston. Atlanta has Pachulia, Jason Collins and Etan Thomas behind All-Star center Al Horford.

The Magic also return most of the same players but, unlike the Hawks, they can stake a claim to being true contenders after earning berths in the 2009 Finals and last season's East finals.

"At the end of the day, they are always there at the top," Hawks guard Jamal Crawford said.

Drew said the Magic "are looking like a team that is on a mission" in the preseason. Among their four exhibition victories are a 105-67 victory over Chicago and a 135-81 defeat of New Orleans, with the latter representing Orlando's largest-ever preseason victory margin.

Drew said the Hawks, meanwhile, "still have a ways to go" before opening the season Oct. 27. Atlanta won its first preseason game Saturday against New Orleans but Drew said he's still not happy with the defense, rebounding and turnovers.

So there are incentives beyond last spring's embarrassment for the Hawks to play well against Orlando.

"We need to have confidence going into the regular season," Pachulia said. "We only have [three exhibition] games left. You want to feel good about yourself going into regular season. There's a lot of reasons to take this game seriously."

Next for Hawks

Who: vs. Magic

When: 7 p.m. today

TV; radio: None; 97.9 FM