The Hawks were one of the top stories on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” on Wednesday.
Well, sort of.
Their game against the Cavaliers on Tuesday was featured more for the facts that LeBron James sat out on his 30th birthday with left knee soreness, Kevin Love left in the third quarter with back spasms, Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 35 points and coach David Blatt’s early tenure has come under question.
Those items overshadowed the Hawks’ 109-101 victory, their 16th win in the past 18 games. They were 14-2 in December, tying the franchise record for most wins in a month. Still, the Hawks continue to get little attention nationally, though they easily are one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference 31 games into the season.
“We are just playing together,” Jeff Teague said after the latest victory. “We believe every game we can win. That is all that matters. When we come out and play hard as a team and play defense, we are a really good team.”
Entering Wednesday’s NBA schedule the Hawks (23-8) ranked second in the Eastern Conference, just a half-game behind the Raptors. They are tied with the Grizzlies for the fourth-best winning percentage in the NBA, trailing only the Warriors (.833), Trail Blazers (.788) and Raptors (.750). The Hawks’ 14-3 home record is tied for the best mark in the East, with the Raptors. They are 9-1 at home over their current stretch of 18 games.
One of the Hawks’ losses in the past 18 games came at the buzzer at the Magic, the second time this season they were defeated with a last-second shot on the road.
Against the vaunted Western Conference, the Hawks are 6-2. They get another test against the West with a three-game trip at the Jazz, Trail Blazers and Clippers that begins Friday.
“I think we’ve just been really consistent with our approach to the game,” Kyle Korver said. “That is really encouraging. It’s a long season and there are going to be ups and downs, but if you can continue to bring the energy and be focused every night, you can do a lot of things in the NBA. It takes good players and good coaching, too, obviously. Our approach has been good. We keep on getting better on who we are trying to be as far as the system and as a team.”
The Hawks are not completely under the radar. They have gained national attention by several outlets. In weekly online NBA power rankings, the Hawks are fourth by both NBA and ESPN. They are ranked fifth by Fox, sixth by CBS and seventh by Sports Illustrated.
The Hawks have made it clear they are not concerned with what others say. They remain focused on the task at hand — winning basketball games. They know ultimately, while their current run is a positive, they will be judged on their success in the playoffs.
Paul Millsap wanted to avoid looking too far ahead, but answered a question about the team’s season to date this way: “It’s a big accomplishment. It’s a stepping stone for us. We’ve got to use marks to get to where we are getting. It’s another steppingstone for us. We’ll use it to continue to get better.”
The Hawks’ mindset has filtered from the top down, according to Al Horford. The center has been a part of the past seven Hawks teams, and each made the playoffs, the longest current run in the Eastern Conference. In past seasons, the Hawks might have been elated with a near unprecedented run of success. There are bigger things ahead.
“It’s the regular season,” Horford said. “We are not going to win any championships with one game. We’ve had a stretch here where we have beaten a lot of quality teams. … It’s all Coach (Mike Budenholzer) and what he believes in, and we all feel the same way.”
