NBA Atlanta Hawks

Three-Headed Beast Key to Atlanta Hawks’ Success

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By @ShaneRantSports

Getty Images

Getty Images

If you were to ask me where the Atlanta Hawks would rank in the NBA East at this point in the season, I would have said either just making the playoffs or just missing them.

With the halfway mark quickly approaching, the Hawks are shockingly in second place in the Eastern Conference. The team is fresh off at a newly improved 24-8 with their latest win over their 98-92 Utah Jazz. So, what has been the key to Atlanta’s newfound success?

Besides a weak East, it seems that the Hawks have all most adopted a philosophy close to that of the San Antonio Spurs, which features a balanced attack led by three key players. That is exactly what Atlanta has done with five players averaging double figures on the season and a three-headed beast to lead the attack. Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap and Al Horford make up the triangle that has Atlanta looking at an early playoff birth.

Against Utah Friday night, the three combined for 54 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists. On the season, they combine for averages of 48 points, 17 rebounds and 14 assists. I draw attention to the 14 dimes, because that has been the stat that has made the difference.

The Hawks’ “Big 3″ is distributing the basketball and getting their teammates involved. They rank third in the league with 25.6 assists per game. The team effort, ability to shoot at a high percentage and ability to put points on the board will always equal success in the win column. That sentence just made me sound like Hubie Brown.

The Hawks are 10-5 against teams above .500, and 13-3 against teams below. As long as the play stays consistent and the three-headed beast continues to produce, Atlanta could cause plenty of problems in the East.  Don’t be surprised to see the road to the Eastern Conference finals go through “Hotlanta” this year.

Shane Phillips is an NBA Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow Shane on Twitter @ShaneRantSports, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. You can also email Shane at [email protected].

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