Atlanta Hawks: 10 Truths About The East's Surprise Package

Atlanta Hawks: 10 Points About The East’s Surprise Package

By Adam McGee | Dec 13, 2014

Dec 2, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Kent Bazemore (24) and guard Dennis Schroder (17) celebrate after a made basket against the Boston Celtics in the fourth quarter at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Celtics 109-105. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

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Nov 18, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) reacts after making a basket with guard Jeff Teague (0) in the fourth quarter of their game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Philips Arena. The Lakers won 114-109. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

Two-Way Force

Ranking seventh in the league in offensive rating and eighth in defensive rating, Atlanta are becoming the rarest of NBA beasts: a two-way force. They have long been a good offensive team, but defense has been a point of emphasis for Mike Budenholzer over the last few months and the results finally seem to be showing.

In many ways, there’s nothing flashy about the way the Hawks play, they’re just solid. One of the biggest compliments you can give Atlanta is that they do an excellent job of playing to their strengths.

An example of that being that the Hawks aren’t the biggest of teams in the league, and as a result, they rank 27th in rebounding, yet they still find a way to work around that and stay solid on both ends.

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