Pulse of the NBA

(SportsNetwork.com) – “With 13th straight win, can we finally admit Hawks are legit contenders?”

That was the headline on the Washington Post’s web site after the Atlanta Hawks extended their winning streak to 13 games on Monday – one shy of tying the team record – with a 93-82 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

I know from talking to basketball fans there are still doubters out there that the Hawks are for real. But consider the following facts and maybe you’ll be a believer:

*At 33-8, the Hawks lead the Eastern Conference by five games and have the second-best record in the league.

*They’ve won 27 of their last 29 games.

*They’ve won 12 straight on the road and have the top road record in the league at 17-5, which includes wins against the Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers.

*The Hawks are 10-2 versus the Western Conference and 17-5 against teams that would currently qualify for the playoffs.

*They’re tied for the sixth in the league in scoring (106.4 points per game), tied for fourth in field goal percentage (47 percent), third in 3-point field goal percentage (38.6 percent), second in assists (26 per game) and third in assists to turnovers (1.94).

*On defense, the Hawks are allowing the fewest points in the league (96.3 per game) and are ranked fourth in opponent field goal percentage at 43.5 percent. The Hawks’ success on offense is due to sharing the basketball and lots of ball movement which creates a ton of good looks.

According to 15-year veteran Elton Brand, the team’s mentality on offense has led to such great results on the other end of the court.

“Sharing it like that, it translates to defense,” Brand said. “Moving the ball, everybody’s touching it, now you’re on defense, you’re trying to get stops and it’s fun to play like that.”

Brand expanded on that thought, saying, “If you’re watching one guy dominate the ball or dribble the ball, massage the ball, take all the shots, it kind of deflates you a little bit. But when you’re touching it, even if you’re not shooting it, if you’re touching it and you’re running and you feel a part of that offense, it makes you want to be a part of that defense.”

Yes, everybody gets their touches on the Hawks, but the player who makes the offense run so smoothly and is referred to by coach Mike Budenholzer as “our engine” is sixth-year point guard Jeff Teague.

The 26-year old Teague is averaging a career-best 17.2 points, 7.3 assists. 2.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals.

But those stats don’t even come close to telling the whole story. Teague has more than held his own, and on many nights, has outplayed some of the elite point guards in the league.

Case in point, in the Hawks’ 107-98 road win against the Clippers on Jan. 5, Teague got the best of Chris Paul, putting up 20 points, nine assists, four rebounds and four steals, while Paul had 10 points, 10 assists and six rebounds before fouling out.

Teague also has a penchant for playing well with the game on the line as he did when the Hawks won in Portland. He scored six points in the final 3:24, including a driving layup with 1:38 left to stem a 10-0 run by the Blazers.

“Jeff Teague, he’s been doing that all year,” Atlanta forward Paul Millsap said. “He’s our go-to guy in the fourth quarter. That’s what he do. Put the ball in his hands and me makes plays.”

Teague is thriving under Budenholzer’s system and gets to the play the game exactly as he envisioned it. “I always wanted to be in a system where they passed and moved the ball,” Teague said. “That was always how I wanted to play basketball.”

He also gives his coach a lot of credit for the growth in his game.

“He just gave me an opportunity to be myself,” Teague said. “Not to say that nobody else did, but I guess he believed in me a little more. He put the ball in my hands and gave me an opportunity. And I think he did that for every player in here. I think he puts so much confidence in you and he builds your confidence up so high that you have no choice but to go out there and give it your all.”

Teague, Millsap, and Al Horford form Atlanta’s “Big Three,” and because they’re not household names like some of the other prominent trios in the league, they’re still not getting quite the respect they deserve in some circles.

But the simple fact is they and the rest of their teammates are doing all the necessary things to win on a very high level, and on many nights, clearly outplay some of the top teams in the league.

Categorized in: NBA