Hawks Flying High
The Atlanta Hawks finished strong last season, taking the Boston Celtics to 7 games in the first round of the play-offs. They made the post-season as the 8th seed; the Hawks would be a 4th seed at this point in the season.
Atlanta played the Celtics the toughest of all Boston's play-off opponents last season. And that came as a surprise to many fans of the NBA, but I think the Hawks themselves felt they could actually beat Boston.
This season, the Hawks' 3-point shooting is much better. Their overall team chemistry is better - they're playing as a team. Take Joe Johnson; he's not just scoring anymore. He had his first career triple-double against the Thunder the other night. He is learning that he doesn't need to score to contribute to the total team effort.