NBA Power Rankings Roundup: Atlanta Hawks slipping?

Another week where the Atlanta Hawks record more wins than losses.  The Hawks are playing right now just to stay healthy for the playoffs.  Speaking of the playoffs, we may have gotten a first round preview with the game against the Brooklyn Nets. If we do happen to meet the Nets in the playoffs, hopefully that series will go as well as the blowout win did over the weekend.  So having said that, let's get started with this weeks power ranking roundup.

First up, Drew Garrison of SB Nation.com puts the Hawks at No. 4 in his list.

Paul Millsap may miss the end of the regular season after injuring his shoulder against the Nets, but the team expects him to be ready for the playoffs. Millsap hasn't gotten the individual attention many of his teammates have, but he leads the Hawks in minutes played and is behind just Kyle Korver for the highest net rating on the team. Atlanta outscores opponents by 7.7 points per 100 possessions when Millsap is on the floor, according to NBA.com's stats page.

Matt Moore of CBSSports.com keeps the Hawks at No. 3 and thinks the Hawks have come back together.

I like the way that Atlanta has responded the last week or so. It went through a rough patch after the All-Star break but the Hawks seem to have come back together and are prepared to start the most important postseason in franchise history.

SI.com's Matt Dollinger keeps the Hawks at No. 6 and hopes that Millsap will be back in time for the playoffs.

It would have been downright cruel for Paul Millsap to miss extended time with a shoulder injury. Instead, he’ll miss just two games. The Hawks star suffered the scary injury during a 32-point blowout win Saturday, which marked the team’s franchise-record 57th win of the season, a milestone it wouldn’t have come close to without Millsap’s services.

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports drops the Hawks to No. 7 and wonders if the Hawks should rest Millsap.

Forward Paul Millsap has a right shoulder sprain and a contusion and will miss the next two games. Should Atlanta rest him until the playoffs?

NBA.com's John Schuhmann drops the Hawks to No. 4 but points out the success this team has had against the Nets.

With another to come on Wednesday, the Hawks have won their three meetings with the Nets by an average of 22.0 points, improving their draft pick and sending a message to a potential playoff opponent. But Saturday's shellacking came with a Paul Millsap shoulder injury, which could ruin any remaining intrigue in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

ESPN.com's Marc Stein drops Atlanta to No. 6 and wonders if the Hawks will be ready for the playoffs.

The Hawks are a mortal 17-11 since that 17-0 January, which means the 60-win season that once seemed certain remains three wins away with six games to go. At this point, though, all that really matters is making sure Paul Millsap (shoulder) and Jeff Teague (ankle) shake their recent ailments.

The Hawks hold steady at No. 2 according to USA Today.

The franchise's first 60-win season is well within reach, could happen this week

Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk.com keeps the Hawks at No. 4 in this week's ranking.

Atlanta beating Brooklyn by 32 Saturday — even with Paul Millsap getting injured — is a preview of what the first round will look like in the East. Millsap is going to miss a couple games but is not in danger of missing playoff games.

That does it for the ranking and we see that the Hawks seem to be everywhere within the top 6. Hopefully we will see the Hawks get 60 get their 60th win this week.  As always, leave your thoughts in the comments.