GeoNBA: Atlanta, the Best in the West?
When Atlanta (almost) ruled the Western roost
Ed. Note: “GeoNBA” should be pronounced as Gee-own-bee-ay!
Welcome back to GeoNBA! Where we assail the NBA’s geographic logic. Previously we detailed the absurdity of Baltimore being in the Western Division. Well, today we’re checking out the nearly-as-ludicrous situation that had Atlanta in the West.
Since the NBA’s formation in 1949, the Hawk franchise had always been in the West. Whether in Tri-Cities, Milwaukee, or St. Louis as the Blackhawks or Hawks, they were in the West. And given the league’s composition it made 99.9% sense.
Then came the duel programs of NBA expansion and relocation. More and more franchises began populating the Pacific Coast and the Midwest blurring the old lines between east and west.
By the Hawks’ final season in St. Louis (1967-68), they had gone from the NBA’s westernmost outpost (along with Minneapolis) in the pre-expansion/pre-relocation era to right along the fault line between east and west that the banks of the Mississippi River usually signify in the American imagination.
By this point the NBA had 12 franchises. Six were demonstrably further east than St. Louis, while four were further west. With Minneapolis gone to Los Angeles, the Chicago Bulls were St. Louis’s new partner stuck in the middle.
Then came the Hawks’ shakeup for the 1968-69 season.
Two more expansion teams joined the league (Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns) and the Hawks would be moving to Atlanta. As usual this caused geographic headaches.
Understandably, the NBA wanted to keep some competitive balance by having the twin expansion clubs in opposite divisions. This meant the Bucks were placed in the Eastern Division and the Suns in the Western Division.
However, logic also should have dictated that the Hawks should now be in the Eastern Division since Atlanta is in Georgia. You know, Georgia… a state with an Atlantic Ocean coastline.
HOWEVER, the NBA sat on its hands and left the Hawks in the Western Division.
Further ridiculousness should be noted. Such as the NBA leaving the Chicago Bulls in the Western Division even as Milwaukee was in the East. A natural division rivalry between the two cities was thus scuttled.
What kind of idiot leaves Atlanta in the West when they just could have switched them with Milwaukee and solved the geographic imbalance? Oh right, the NBA.
So, for their first season in Atlanta, the Hawks’ closest division opponent was still the Bulls followed by the *checks map* Phoenix Suns? Their other division opponents were the Los Angeles Lakers, San Diego Rockets, San Francisco Warriors, and Seattle SuperSonics.
Worst travel schedule ever.
And if you think the geography was bad, wait till you see the playoff seeding!
The #1 seed Lakers (55 wins) were matched up with #3 San Francisco (41 wins) while the #2 Hawks (48 wins) got #4 San Diego (37 wins). Yes, your reward for the best record in the division was playing a better opponent in the first round than the second place finisher. So the Hawks benefited there.
Despite the stupid seeding, the Lakers and the Hawks each defeated their first playoff opponents and met in the Western Division Finals.
Behind the trio of Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, and Wilt Chamberlain the Lakers trounced Atlanta in five games. The series was closer than it looked with the Hawks losing Games 1 and 2 by two points each.
Ah well, better luck next season for Lou Hudson, Zelmo Beaty, Joe Caldwell, & Co. as the NBA would surely correct its 1969 mistake.
For the 1969-70 season, the NBA did not correct its mistake. The divisions were left the same and it still retained its stupid playoff format.
Atlanta again finished with 48 wins, but this time it was good enough for first place as the Lakers sank back to 46 wins since Chamberlain was lost to a knee injury for most of the season. The Hawks endured a loss of their own when Beaty jumped to the ABA, but they replaced him at center by trading for Walt Bellamy.
Come playoff time the Hawks pasted their old friends in Chicago, 4-1, in the semi-finals, while the Lakers came back from 3-1 series hole to defeat Phoenix. Unfortunately for Atlanta, Chamberlain was back in the lineup and although not 100%, he was better than the alternative. Sorry, Mel Counts, but it’s true.
The Lakers proceeded to sweep the Hawks. It was particularly annoying for Atlanta because they lost starting point guard Walt Hazzard in the second game, so coach Richie Guerin (aged 37 and well past his All-Star days) had to suit up as an emergency guard.
For the 1970-71 season, the NBA finally fixed its geographic shit show thanks to further expansion.
The Buffalo Braves, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Portland Trail Blazers all joined the league. Shockingly, the Braves and Cavaliers were sensibly placed in the East while Portland was put in the West.
Atlanta and Milwaukee also finally switched places as the Hawks went east and the Bucks went west. That wasn’t all, the Detroit Pistons were transported to the west as well.
However, as the NBA made general geographic sense it still committed specific atrocities.
The league now stood at 17 teams—the most since its founding in 1949—and two divisions were no longer enough. In its inaugural season, the NBA employed a somewhat confusing three division model, but did not re-employ that plan.
Instead the league elevated the East and West into conferences and divided each one into two divisions.
The Eastern Conference got the Atlantic and Central Divisions. The Western Conference got the Midwest and Pacific Divisions. What the difference is between “Central” and “Midwest” I’ll never know.
Anyways, onto the specific atrocities… The “Midwest” Division had Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, and… Phoenix? Meanwhile the “Atlantic” Division had New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and… Buffalo? Lastly the “Central” Division had Atlanta, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and… Baltimore?
The only division that made 100% sense was the Pacific Division which had all five of its teams on the Pacific Coast.
Seems to me it would have been more logical to have Buffalo in the Central Division and Baltimore in the Atlantic Division. As for Phoenix being in the Midwest, there was no easy answer given the NBA’s overall structure. But at least they had them in the West instead of playing in the Eastern Conference.
Little things like this count as progress in GeoNBA.
Stick around for our next edition where we’ll look at how everything is bigger and dumber in Texas!