Sports

Bazemore said ‘it hurts' to see Hawks fans root for team to lose

By Michael Cunningham, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Kent Bazemore #24 of the Atlanta Hawks dunks the ball against the Indiana Pacers on March 9, 2018 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

By Michael Cunningham, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ATLANTA — The Hawks hurt their standing in the draft lottery by winning two games during the season’s final weekend. That created an upside-down scenario in which some Hawks fans expressed dismay because the team won games.

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Two Hawks players, Kent Bazemore and Malcolm Delaney, responded to those fans on Twitter by explaining that players always play to win. Bazemore was asked about the development Wednesday, a day after the Hawks concluded their season.

“It hurts,” Bazemore said. “For those guys that go out and give it their all every night and people want them to underachieve, it’s just beyond me. I don’t know when it’s been acceptable to not do your best and go out and try to lose. That’s not the culture here in Atlanta. It’s never been that.

“We’ve been in the postseason the last 10 years. We just lost a lot of games because of inexperience. But that stuff is beyond me. I don’t know why you live in a city, you want them to lose. It’s just baffling.”

The Hawks (24-58) finished tied with the Mavericks for third place in the draft lottery standings. The Magic (24-57) can also match them with a loss tonight against the Wizards.

This story was written by Michael Cunningham, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 

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