Halfway mark: Five reasons for Hawks’ success

It’s no longer early in the season.

Hawks coaches and players have tempered the team’s fast start with cautionary words about there being a lot of the NBA season left to play. There is. There is also a lot that has already been played. A fair and relevant sample size is available as the Hawks have reached the halfway point of the season.

Here is where the Hawks stand. They are 33-8 with the best record in the Eastern Conference, by five games, and the second-best record in the NBA. They have won 12 straight games, both overall and on the road. They have won 26 of the past 28 games with just two losses since Nov. 28. They have captured the attention of Atlanta and the nation with one of the most remarkable runs in franchise history.

Here are five reasons (and there are plenty more) for the Hawks first-half success:

Defense

It took a season and a handful of games for coach Mike Budenholzer to hammer home one point to his team. Yes, they can score. However, this team won’t win without a commitment to defense.

“I think our defense is moving in the right direction,” Budenholzer said. “It’s allowed us to have a little bit of success. But I think we’ve all seen if we are not good defensively, we are probably a very average team. We want to keep getting better there.”

The Hawks are fifth in the NBA in defensive efficiency at 99.8. Only the Warriors, Rockets, Bucks and Trail Blazers are better in the stat that tracks the number of points a team allows per 100 possessions.

Also, consider these top-10 numbers. The Hawks are tied for first in the league in opposition points allowed at 96.6. With a ranking of sixth overall in points scored (103.3), they are second in differential at plus-6.7. They are fourth in opponent points per shot (1.16), fifth in steals (9.0) and opponent field goal percentage (.437), seventh in opponent 3-point field goal percentage (.337) and eighth in turnovers (15.3).

“Defensively they are very connected,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “They play very hard and their numbers bear that out.”

Healthy Horford

The Hawks’ two-time All-Star center is back from a torn right pectoral muscle that cost him last season after 29 games. The team brought Horford along slowly, but it is clear he is at 100 percent now. Horford is a big part of the Hawks offense. The pick-and-roll game with Jeff Teague was lost last season. The Boss is back.

“I think the most important thing is they have an All-Star in Horford who is healthy,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “Early this season, he didn’t have the rust off the pipes, so to speak. Now he does.”

Horford is averaging 15.2 points and 6.6 rebounds this season. However, In January, he is averaging 17.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists. His shooting percentage, especially midrange, is again a staple of the Hawks offense. In the past four games, Horford is 27 of 32 (.844) from the field.

In addition, the chemistry between Paul Millsap and Horford has gotten better. While many think they are essentially the same player, the Hawks look at the combination as an advantage. So do opposing coaches.

“You forget that Horford is an All-Star type player,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He has already shown that. He is one of the elite bigs in the league. You add in Millsap it’s a tough cover. Their bigs can shoot. They can put it on the floor. They can post. They have a lot of weapons.”

Road warriors

The Hawks are winning on the road in impressive fashion. They are 17-5 away from Philips Arena, the most road wins of any team in the NBA. They also have the best winning percentage in the league away from home.

The Hawks currently have a 12-game road win streak. The run includes a just completed four games in five nights. They own road wins against the likes of the Rockets, Mavericks, Trail Blazers, Clippers, Wizards, Cavaliers, Raptors and Bulls.

The Hawks were 14-27 on the road last season.

Bench

There was not a lot of attention during the summer with the Hawks’ offseason acquisitions of Thabo Sefolosha and Kent Bazemore. They have added depth that has been invaluable this season. Both wings have excelled defensively and are starting to contribute offensively. They have provided defensive stopper relief behind DeMarre Carroll.

The bench is one of the biggest reasons the Hawks have been able to build and keep double-digit leads. They are 28-1 when they have a margin that big at any point during a game. There is there is no significant drop off when the reserves enter.

The improvement and growth of Dennis Schroder from his rookie year has been remarkable. Last season, he averaged 3.7 points and 1.9 assists. He had one game where he played just five seconds after committing a turnover. This season, he is averaging 8.1 points and 3.2 assists as the primary backup to Teague.

Mike Scott, Shelvin Mack and Pero Antic have all had big moments.

“You can’t overlook the contributions of Bazemore and Sefolosha,” Thibodeau said. “Their second-unit is very strong.”

Sharing is caring

The Hawks unselfish style of play, predicated on moving players and the ball, has been fine-tuned in the year and a half under Budenholzer. The Hawks are second in the NBA is assists at 25.8 per game. They are third in assist/turnover ratio at 1.92.

Teague is tied for seventh in the league with 7.4 assists per game.

The ball movement has opened up the floor for good looks at the basket. Kyle Korver is having a career-year from 3-point range, in part, due to the wide-open and in transition looks he gets. Korver leads the NBA with 3-point percentage of .536. Only 11 players are shooting better from the field than Korver is from long range.

“Somebody asked me if I was envious,” Casey said of the Hawks’ ball movement. “I’m not envious. I’m impressed. … They do it as well, probably not as well as San Antonio did it back in the day when they were younger and sprier, but it’s similar.”

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