Atlanta Hawks Hitting Their Stride At Perfect Time

The Atlanta Hawks have won 8 out of their last 10 games and 10 of 13 to move up to fourth in the Eastern Conference standings. This has put the Hawks in a great position to bring something into the postseason they lacked during their 60-win campaign in 2014-15: momentum.

Last season, the Atlanta Hawks went 17-0 in the month of January, and won a total of 19 straight games. After Head Coach Mike Budenholzer decided to rest the majority of his rotation players after locking up the top seed in the East in March 2015, the Hawks entered the postseason having gone 12-10 in March and April.

Having lost all the momentum and peak efficiency that they had displayed by going 43-9 from the start of the season to Feb. 6, the Hawks went 17-13 the rest of the way, and struggled in their first two playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets and the Washington Wizards, with each series going six games.

Now, this season has been somewhat of a letdown for many Atlanta Hawks fans, who placed high expectations on a team that had the best record in the Eastern Conference last season. But despite their inconsistency, over the past few weeks the Hawks have begun to perform in a similar way that they did during their hot streak last season.

This is incredibly important for the Atlanta Hawks, who thrive on team chemistry. You always want to play your best ball as the playoffs approach, which is exactly what the Hawks are showing right now.

The Hawks struggled for most of this regular season with demonstrating a level of consistency from game to game. One game you see glimpses of the team that won 60 games a year ago, and sometimes you see a time that may not secure a playoff spot.

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Recently though, it is defense, not offense that has given the Atlanta Hawks momentum. Since the turn of the calendar year, the Hawks defense has ranked first in the association in defensive efficiency, and is second in the league only to the San Antonio Spurs. Atlanta is limiting their opponents to less than 97 points per game since Jan. 1, which is best in the league.

Everyone on the Atlanta Hawks is contributing on the defensive end, including bench players. The oft-maligned Tim Hardaway Jr. — who has shaken off a rough start to his career in Atlanta — has shown how he has developed his defensive game while also scoring 21, 20 and 16 points in his last three contests, becoming a spark plug off the Atlanta bench.

The tandem of Kent Bazemore and Thabo Sefolosha consistently provide excellent defensive coverage on the wings, while Al Horford and Paul Millsap‘s quickness give the Atlanta Hawks mobility when defending opposing bigs, and are able to switch onto smaller players when the need arises.

While the defense has been nothing short of excellent, Mike Budenholzer’s offense has also improved as the season has worn on. Though the Hawks great passing was not entirely absent during the early going of the season, it is now back in full force.

Jeff Teague is returning to his All-Star form from last season, while he is flanked by one of the better backup point guards in the league in Dennis Schroder.

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As the postseason is less than a month away, the Atlanta Hawks can feel confident that they are peaking at the perfect time. With a smothering defense, and an offense that is beginning to fire on all cylinders, the Hawks are a dangerous match-up for any Eastern Conference team in the playoffs.

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