Atlanta Hawks flying high and Beating down the competition

The Boston Celtics, Cleveland Caveliers and Orlando Magic all share one thing in common — and it’s not their love of dance theatre — but, rather they are all looking up at the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference standings.

In an age where young guns have transformed into seasoned veterans and baby birds have learned to fly, one team has dared challenge the East’s natural pecking order.

The Hawks, a team universally considered to finish no better than fourth in the conference and second in their own division, have gotten off to a blazing start to begin the season 10-2 and forced the league to take notice. They sit atop NBA.com’s and ESPN.com’s weekly power rankings.

The national media descended upon Atlanta on Wednesday night to watch the Hawks dispatch their latest victims, the Miami Heat (7-4), at Philips Arena by a final of 105 – 90. It provided Atlanta with its sixth straight victory, and fourth consecutive game in which they held an opponent to under 100 points.

“Guys have figured out that when we play defense at a high level we’re tough to beat,” said forward Marvin Williams, now in his fifth season with Atlanta.

Tough defense, indeed. And it has started with the team’s top two players, all-star guard Joe Johnson and starting power forward Josh Smith.

In recording his second straight 30-point performance, Joe Johnson has had a hand in limiting his All-Star counterparts, Brandon Roy and Dwayne Wade, to only 17 and 15 points in consecutive victories over the Portland Trail Blazers and Miami Heat.

“Atlanta forces me to be more of a jump shooter,” said Heat guard Dwayne Wade after a frustrating night in which he shot only 6-of-18 from the floor and didn’t take his first free throw attempts until the game’s final quarter of play.

“They did a good job of forcing me out of the paint. You have to be smart when you play them, because they are a very athletic team and they will meet you at the rim.”

Josh Smith has been just as effective energizing both the team and the crowd with his dazzling array of high-flying jams and jaw-dropping blocks. He has pleased many a fantasy owner, filling up the stat sheets and offering plenty of material for the highlight reels.

Now, although Smith may still take the occasional ill-advised jumper, reminiscent of one from a six-year old at a local carnival, by and large, his play has been under much better control.

Watching from the bench, rookie point guard Jeff Teague gets one of the better views in the house.

“He plays so hard,” Teague said in a postgame interview. “The things he [does] on the floor, like blocking shots and rebounding and [other] things he doesn’t get credit for … I always try to pump him up when he comes off the floor to let him know that somebody’s seeing what he’s done and that we appreciate it.”

Said Johnson about the stellar play of his teammate, “We’re a tough team to beat when he’s playing like that. When he’s rebounding, playing defense and diving down in the paint for dunks and layups, it makes the defense collapse. That’s leaving guys like me and Mike [Bibby] open for shots.”

With Wednesday night’s 16-point, 14-rebound, seven-assist and two-block performance, Smith recorded his second consecutive double-double, and fourth in the last five games.

The accolades are coming from far and wide, and for longtime Hawks’ fans, this may take some getting used to.

Said Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra after last night’s contest, “Against an athletic team like this, you have to really keep your turnovers down. Otherwise, they will capitalize on it. They have long athletic defenders that do a good job of defending the paint.”

It’s not easy to forget just how far these Hawks have come. Three starters (Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams) and the head coach (Mike Woodson) still remain from the team that won only 13 games all season five years ago.

“I’ll never forget those 13 wins,” said Woodson. “I’ll never forget walking into the locker room and seeing those faces, knowing we couldn’t win many games.”

Oh, how things have changed.

After wins in Boston, at home and on the road against Portland, an early season rout of Denver, and most recently, the Miami Heat, this team realizes that it has a great chance to win every night it takes the floor. Through trial and error, they have learned how to play basketball.

They are no longer just an “athletic and talented” band of misfits. With the additions of veterans like Mike Bibby, Jamal Crawford and Joe Smith, and the natural process of their own maturation for players like Josh Smith, Al Horford and Williams, this team is as deep and well-rounded as any you’ll find in the league.

Said Crawford when asked about what he’s witnessed as an outside observer from afar, “They’ve grown. They’ve gotten better [as individuals] these last couple of years, and they’ve put some pretty good pieces around them.”

In their 10 victories this season, the Hawks have used a lethal combination of energy, athleticism and effort to outscore and frustrate their opponents.

“I can’t ask for anything better,” said Woodson. “I couldn’t be more proud of a group of guys that made a commitment when they came into camp this year.”

We are far from knowing who really is the best team in the East, and the sudden emergence of the Atlanta Hawks only complicated the matter. But we should all take notice that they have, at the very least, entered the conversation.

Will they stay there, is what remains to be seen.

By ATLien

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