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Forget the Pre-seasoning?

Does the pre-season matter? If the results of the Hawks opening game against the Memphis Grizzlies are to be trusted, the answer is an emphatic “No.” The Hawks looked miserable throughout the course of 7 of 8 warm up tests, with the lone bright spot coming in a hotly contested game against the new look Miami Heat, before getting trounced in Charlotte (granted mostly reserves played) to close out. The Grizzlies on the other hand were coming off an undefeated pre-season, running their record to 8-0, among the most talked about stories in basketball circles. Perhaps this would be the year in which young talent finally pays off. Though it’s certainly still possible, night 1 saw the Hawks defeated the Grizzlies soundly by a score of 119 to 104, looking sharp and efficient on the offensive end, while making stops at necessary points in the game to secure the win.After looking flat and apathetic under Larry Drew’s new system, suddenly when a W was on the line the Hawks stepped up and made big buckets. So perhaps it’s a question of player effort in the pre-season that drives the vastly different results rather than an accurate assessment of player development. Teams with less to prove in the pre-season, like the Hawks for example, who are expected to cruise into the playoffs likely grabbing one of the top 5 seeds in the East, simply have less prove before the season starts and no need to set a winning tone. The Grizzlies on the other hand are a prime example of a young team, needing every ounce of confidence to transition talent into notches in the win column.If there’s any team that can relate to such frustrations it’s the Hawks. For years the so-called Highlight Factory produced more top plays on Sportscenter than wins, which is why the Grizzlies preseason is so strikingly similar to the Hawks 2007-08 campaign. True fans may remember the Hawks ran their record to 7-1 during that stretch, knocking off several competitive teams in the process. Though the Hawks proceeded to struggle in regular season that year, that year ultimately marked perhaps the biggest turning point in recent Hawks history. Squeaking into the playoffs despite a sub-.500 record, the Hawks would take the top billed Celtics to a full 7 games, nearly knocking off the 1 seed from the 8 spot. The next year the Hawks came out of the gates with some momentum from the playoff series and have advanced past the first round of post-season play in each successive season.Going into this year, Atlanta fans have been understandably nervous that the Orlando drubbing from the playoffs last year would have a long term negative effect on the team and that 1-7 preseason was a manifestation of such concerns. Fortunately, early returns indicate there will be no such case. Both the Grizzlies and Hawks have a lot to look forward to this season, with the Grizzlies evoking many memories of the Hawks just 3 short years ago. Hopefully each will take a respective step towards title contention in 2010-11.