Jeff Siegel of Hawks Hoop: “The Hawks may have lost their franchise-record 19-game winning streak on Monday in New Orleans, but they were right back on track when the Washington Wizards came to Atlanta on Wednesday night. As soon as the game tipped off, news broke that the Hawks had won the Eastern Conference Player of the Month award for January. Not one player, but the entire starting lineup. Any worries that the Hawks would be looking forward to Friday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors were put to bed in the first quarter, in which Atlanta closed on a 16-3 run. The Hawks took a 13-point lead into halftime, but the Wizards were quick to bounce back, opening on a 20-10 run in the first six minutes of the third quarter and taking the lead late in the quarter. Atlanta took a slim 77-74 lead into the fourth quarter but turned up the heat, culminating in the Hawks’ Dunk of the Year.”
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report: “Statistics, standings and power rankings all agree: In the 2014-15 NBA season, it’s the Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors and then everyone else. Atlanta owns the season’s longest winning streak (19 games) and biggest conference lead (eight games). Golden State has the league’s highest winning percentage (.830) and best net efficiency rating (plus-13.0 points per 100 possessions). When these two teams take the floor for Friday’s highly anticipated heavyweight prizefight, it’s anyone’s guess as to how the contest will play out. Strange things can happen in a single game: The Dubs have already been defeated by the bottom-feeding Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz, and the Hawks have suffered losses to the Lakers and Orlando Magic.”
Michael Lee of the Washington Post: “ATLANTA – Of all the places, of all the teams, of all the times for everything to go right, the Atlanta Hawks entered this season as least likely to possibly begin a basketball renaissance. The “A” in Atlanta had stood for apathy three times over in a city that mostly ignored the existence of the Hawks for most of their 47-year history in town. The Hawks have been in a long-term relationship with dull after a brief affair with mediocre and haven’t had a must-see, sure-shot Hall-of-Fame talent in more than two decades. The organization was recovering from an offseason in which the owner decided to sell after the release of a racially insensitive email and the general manager went on leave after reading a scouting report that questioned the character of an all-star player because “he’s got some African in him.” The Hawks have distanced themselves from ignominy and controversy with a magic season in which they have the most wins in the NBA, staged the fifth-longest winning streak in NBA history, sent the most players and their coach to the all-star game on Feb. 15 in New York and already have two more sellouts at Philips Arena than the past two seasons combined. The players are clicking on the court with a selfless system. The fans are cheering – for them, for once – in the stands. And with trendy in-game promotions and a witty Twitter feed, the Hawks keep winning in every way possible.”
Chase Thomas is the proprietor of Daily Hawks. Follow him @CutToTheChaseT.
