1987–88 Atlanta Hawks season

(lost to Celtics 3–4) (John Sterling, Butch Beard) (John Sterling, Steve Holman)

The 1987–88 Atlanta Hawks season was the 39th season for the Atlanta Hawks in the National Basketball Association, and their 20th season in Atlanta, Georgia. In December, the Hawks traded Mike McGee to the Sacramento Kings, and acquired second-year center Chris Washburn from the Golden State Warriors.

The Hawks got off to a 6–5 start to the regular season, then won 16 of their next 18 games, and held a 30–15 record at the All-Star break. The team posted a 7-game winning streak between March and April, but then lost six of their final nine games of the season, finishing in third place in the Central Division with a 50–32 record, and earning the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Dominique Wilkins averaged 30.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, while Doc Rivers averaged 14.2 points, 9.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game. In addition, Kevin Willis provided the team with 11.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, while Randy Wittman contributed 10.0 points and 3.7 assists per game, Cliff Levingston provided with 10.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, and Tree Rollins averaged 4.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and led the team with 1.7 blocks per game. Off the bench, John Battle contributed 10.6 points per game, while Antoine Carr averaged 8.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, and Spud Webb provided with 6.0 points and 4.1 assists per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Illinois, Wilkins and Rivers were both selected for the 1988 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Eastern Conference All-Star team, while head coach Mike Fratello was selected to coach the Eastern Conference; it was Rivers' first and only All-Star appearance. Wilkins scored 29 points as the Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference, 138–133. In addition, Wilkins and Webb both participated in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Wilkins also finished in sixth place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Battle finished tied in eighth place in Most Improved Player voting.

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1988 NBA playoffs, the Hawks faced off against the 5th–seeded Milwaukee Bucks, who were led by Terry Cummings, Jack Sikma, and sixth man Ricky Pierce. The Hawks won their first two home games at the Omni Coliseum to take a 2–0 series lead, but then lost the next two games to the Bucks on the road at the MECCA Arena. The Hawks then defeated the Bucks in Game 5 at home, 121–111 to win in a full five-game series.

In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, the Hawks faced off against the top-seeded, and Atlantic Division champion Boston Celtics, a team that featured the All-Star quartet of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Danny Ainge. The Hawks lost the first two games to the Celtics on the road at the Boston Garden, but then managed to win the next three games, winning Game 5 on the road, 112–104 to take a 3–2 series lead over the Celtics. However, the Hawks lost Game 6 at home, 102–100 at the Omni Coliseum, and then lost Game 7 to the Celtics at the Boston Garden, 118–116, despite a 47-point performance from Wilkins, thus losing in a hard-fought seven-game series; this was the closest Wilkins had ever gotten to advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Hawks finished eighth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 572,460 at the Omni Coliseum during the regular season; as of 2025, this would be the last time the Hawks finished in the top ten in home-game attendance. Following the season, Wittman was traded to the Sacramento Kings, and Rollins signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Cavaliers.