General manager Rick Sund, after consulting with the ownership group, decided not to offer Woodson a new contract. So ended a six-year coaching tenure in which the Hawks won just 13 games in his first season, then improved their record every year since — including three straight playoff appearances.

Atlanta won 53 games this season, the most since 1996-97, and captured the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. But that wasn't enough to save Woodson's job, especially when the Hawks were routed by the Magic in the most lopsided four-game sweep in NBA history.

Sund held a morning meeting with Woodson to inform him of the decision.

"In this case, Woody has been here six years and had basically been the only voice that many of these players had heard," the GM said. "The shelf life for coaches and management in the NBA is short, particularly for coaches, maybe two or three years. In Woody's case, he has gone six.

The compelling thought for me was maybe it's right for a change." Woodson declined to comment on his ouster when reached by The Associated Press.

"I'm just going to take some time and go away and clear my head," he said. "I just want to get away." The firing of Woodson was the first move in a busy offseason for the Hawks. In addition to hiring a new coach, the team must deal with the possible loss of its best player, Joe Johnson, who will become a free agent this summer.

Woodson felt he deserved a chance to return after the Hawks became just the seventh team in NBA history to win more games than the previous season for five straight years.

But it was clear that some players had tuned him out, especially in the playoffs. Atlanta struggled to beat an undermanned Milwaukee in the opening round, rallying from a 3-2 deficit to win in seven games. Then came a total rout in the conference semifinals.

Still, Woodson felt the team was making progress.

"I would love to stay here in Atlanta because you don't start something and go through hell for six years and not want to finish it," he said Tuesday after meeting with his players for what turned out to be the last time. "I'm very proud of what we've done here as a staff." If the Hawks seek an experienced coach, Avery Johnson and Byron Scott could be on their list of candidates. If they decide to go with an assistant, former Hawks player Tyrone Corbin might be considered; he works on the staff of highly respected Utah coach Jerry Sloan. Another possibility is TNT broadcaster and former coach Doug Collins.