Defense has Hawks on 50-win pace

Mike Woodson, the Hawks’ 50-year-old coach, felt good enough Wednesday to scrimmage and banter with the reserves who worked out on the team’s practice court at Philips Arena.

“Come on out here!” he barked from the top of the key, challenging any nearby guard to stop him. The occasional nothing-but-net shot that followed wasn’t his only reason to smile.

The Hawks are looking better at the midseason point than they have in 12 seasons. Their 25-16 record through 41 games is easily the best of his five seasons. All that talk about when Woodson would be fired has faded away.

“When I first came here, expectations weren’t that high because we had gutted the team and started over,” Woodson said. “We had all young players. I’ve been around the league a long time and I’ve never seen young teams win consistently.”

Those young players are maturing. Throw in Mike Bibby, the experienced point guard the Hawks used to lack, for a full season —- instead of just the 33 regular-season games he played after last season’s trade from Sacramento —- and what you have is a team nine games over .500 at this point for the first time since the 1997-98 team was 26-15.

After weathering a four-game losing streak that began a week into the new year, the Hawks have battled back to win three of four —- including the past two without forwards Marvin Williams and Al Horford.

“We’re right on schedule in terms of where we want to be,” Woodson said.

It’ll be a game-time decision whether Williams, who missed those two games with a concussion, will play Friday when the Hawks host Milwaukee. However foggy the bump on the head left him, it was clear to him why the Hawks are on a 50-win pace.

“You’ve got to give credit to our defense,” Williams said. “When we hold teams under 100 points, we usually win. We’ve snuck in a couple of wins when we didn’t, but I definitely think coach has been stressing that. That’s been his calling card.”

The Hawks are 20-5 when they hold opponents under 100 points, 5-11 when they don’t. They say they have played with a greater sense of urgency this season —- a direct result of what they learned by extending the Boston Celtics to seven games in their first-round playoff series last season.

“No one gave us a chance —- it was supposed to be a series sweep,” Woodson said. “And some of our guys were a little intimidated. They hit us dead in the mouth those first two games. When we won Game 3, it taught our guys to play hard, just like [the Celtics] were playing. And that set the foundation for our summer work, our veterans camp.”

The Hawks have lost only three games by 15 or more points —- on the road at Orlando and Indiana and at home against Philadelphia. Being able to win close games has made a difference, Williams said.

“Three years ago, we wouldn’t do it,” the fourth-year forward from North Carolina said. “But I think we can win 50. If we can get 20 on the road and protect our home court, winning 50 games in the East should get us a slot where we have home-court advantage [in the playoffs].”

Woodson will keep pushing, maybe even keep scrimmaging with them, although he knows Wednesday’s workout probably will leave him sore.

“I can’t fault my group,” he said. “Our guys tasted the playoffs and it left a great taste in their mouth. Now they’re playing like it.”

HAWKS’ 41-GAME RECORDS

Season ….W-L……Finished

2008-09….25-16….—-

2007-08….19-22….37-45

2006-07….15-26….30-52

2005-06….11-30….26-56

2004-05 ….8-33….13-69

2003-04….12-29….28-54

2002-03….14-27….35-47

2001-02….14-27….33-49

2000-01….14-27….25-57

1999-00….16-25….28-54

1998-99….24-17….31-19*

1997-98….26-15….50-32

*A lock-out shortened the season. Hawks were 14-11 at its midpoint.

NEXT FOR HAWKS

> Who: vs. Bucks

> When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

> TV; radio: SPSO; 790 AM