In the middle of the regular season, the Atlanta Hawks looked like a team that had no realistic shot at making it far in the postseason. They fired their head coach and with players like Trae Young struggling, it was looking like another year of despair for the Hawks. However, once the team elevated Nate McMillan to interim head coach, the team started to play inspired basketball and they even made it to the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.
After knocking off the New York Knicks in five games, the Hawks were able to upset the Philadelphia 76ers en route to the Eastern Conference Finals. While the Milwaukee Bucks eventually beat them in six games, it was clear to everyone that a new era in Hawks basketball had arrived, and much of the success was due in part thanks to McMillan. Now, McMillan has been rewarded for his efforts with a new deal that makes him the official head coach of the team.
This is a huge deal for the Hawks as they will now have some stability on the bench for the next few years. Making the ECF again will prove to be a tough task although with this young core, anything is possible.
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