Hawks fans turned out in Philips Arena this season. (USATSI)
Hawks fans turned out in Philips Arena this season. (USATSI)

The Atlanta Hawks have always had a decent fan base, but that fan base hasn't always been present at home games. Since 2001, league attendance percentage numbers had been below 90 percent for the Hawks in every season heading into the 2014-15 season. During this current campaign, the Hawks used their best team since moving to Atlanta to not only win 60 games and get the No. 1 seed in the East, but it also brought the fans out to Philips Arena.

The team went from attendance numbers of 76.6 percent capacity in the 2013-14 season to 93 percent in 2014-15. It was their best attendance of the last 15 years and we finally saw the fan base rekindle a love of this team within the home arena. During the 19-game winning streak in the middle of the season, Philips Arena finally became a home court advantage on some nights for the Hawks.

They appreciated the turnout by Hawks fans so much they released a "Thank you" note to their fans on Hawks.com the day after they were swept by Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals.

True to Atlanta.

When the season started this was our advertising tag line.

While the season unfolded it defined who we became.

Both on and off the court, this was an unprecedented year for our organization. Our vision from the start was to make our city proud and to prove the Hawks were worth Atlantans’ support. We committed to showing you not only that we love this city, but that we would play hard for it. You made your presence known both at home and away -- all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. While we fell just short of an NBA championship this year, together we achieved a historic season that we want to celebrate with you -- the fans.

  • We had the largest increase in attendance in the NBA and sold out Philips Arena 32 of the last 35 games.
  • We won a franchise-best 60 games, captured the Division Championship for the first time in 21 years and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in Atlanta history.
  • We had four players named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team - the most ever in club history.
  • We witnessed Mike Budenholzer named NBA Coach of the Year in just his second season at the helm.
  • We finished the month of January with a perfect 17-0 record, the most wins in an undefeated month in NBA history, earning our entire starting five the Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors.
  • We achieved record broadcast ratings on both television and radio, including the top 5 most-watched Hawks basketball games in club history.
  • We created an awe-inspiring and imposing home court environment, with an Eastern Conference-best 35-6 record at home.
  • We honored our greatest legacy, Dominique Wilkins, and erected a permanent statue to greet fans and players each time they enter the arena to celebrate his many accomplishments and contributions to our franchise.

This year was the foundation. Next month, our new ownership will be introduced, adding their vision and commitment to our city, our organization and our team provides us great opportunity to continue to build and grow. We will unveil a dynamic, new franchise brand to mark the beginning of the next chapter in our proud history. We will enter the draft and free agency looking to build on our team’s already successful foundation and basketball culture. We will continue to build bridges through basketball, whether by constructing and refurbishing courts in Atlanta neighborhoods, providing scholarships to our basketball camps, or surprising and delighting our fans with unique Atlanta Hawks experiences.

Thank you for being true to the Hawks this season and we look forward to continuing to be True to Atlanta,

They also tweeted out the note with the signatures of the players on the roster to add a personal touch from the team in their note of appreciate to Hawks fans.