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Don’t look now, but the Atlanta Hawks are playing some good basketball. Sleep on them if you want to.
Atlanta has long been rumored the best night out for the NBA road teams set to play the Hawks. Over the past decade, as Atlanta has changed from a meaningless layover to the hottest destination in the South, teams have come to Atlanta, knowing they would have an easy game against the Hawks, and would party all night after the game, if not the night prior as well.
But those days are over. Not for the city of Atlanta, but for the Hawks. Teams, no matter how talented, can no longer waltz into Atlanta thinking they can go out the night before the game and pick an easy “W” the next night against the Hawks. The Hawks are not only an emerging force in the Eastern Conference, but as it stands now; they are the best team in the East.
The Hawks are 10-2, with the best record in the Eastern Conference, and there are several reasons why. Here are just a few.
Veteran Leadership
Don’t sleep on the veteran savvy this Atlanta Hawks team. They are no longer that upstart team that challenged the Boston Celtics and took them to a 7-game series 2 years ago. In fact, they are what they are, a team that has 2 more years of experience to add to that performance against Boston. Back then, every guy you named was young. Josh Smith was young. Marvin Williams was young. Al Horford was young. Now all of a sudden, Josh Smith is the best shot blocker in the NBA and takes smart baketball shots. Marvin Williams is a very savvy wing player. Al Horford is tactician in the post. Not to mention, Mike Bibby, Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford, all guys who know how to put the ball in the hole and make plays night in and night out.
Defense
Speaking of Josh Smith’s ability to block the ball, he’s not the only one on the team that can do that. Al Horford is the 11th most prolific shot blocker in the NBA, and Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams will meet any guard at the rim if need be. Then you have Zaza Pachulia and Maurice Evans, an inside and outside guy who can come off the bench and produce defensive stops and rebounds. This is also one of the longest teams in the NBA. No, Horford and Smith aren’t the biggest set up big men, but they have long arms and can switch with the perimeter players on picks. And having Marvin Williams and Joe Johnson out on the perimeter makes it very hard for guards to get around them and make plays from the wing.
Effort
Once upon a time, you could walk into a Hawks game and question whether or not they were going to put forth the effort they need to win the basketball game. That time was just a few months ago, when the Hawks were in the playoffs. Obviously, I could point to their series against the Cavs when they got swept, but the same question was apparent in the series they won against the Heat. There was no need for that series to go 7 games—the Hawks were clearly the more talented team. But one night they would defend Wade, and the next night they wouldn’t. One night they would run offensive sets, and the next night they would play one on one basketball. It was like Jekyll and Hyde.
But that mess stopped this season.
Now the Hawks are playing consistent basketball, matching their opponents’ intensity level, if not exceeding it, as they do on most occasions. So say what you will about the Hawks, but this isn’t your 2008 squad anymore. These are young men that we saw show potential 2 years ago, and now, 2 years later, they are fulfilling that potential. It’s funny; we all thought that the Cleveland Cavaliers were the up and coming team entering the 2007-2008 season having just gone to the NBA Finals. But they appear to be on the decline and the team with the long-term talent and the bevy of go-to players appears to be the Hawks. Look out East. Atlanta’s no longer a pit stop; it’s a 4-star franchise with talent to spare.
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