Everything is coming up Hawks right now. Suddenly the hottest team in the NBA and stunningly in contention for the No. 6 seed in the East, the Quin Snyder-coached team is finally becoming the team fans thought they would get before the season started.
It all starts on the defensive end. With Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker leading the defensive charge, the Hawks always had the skeleton of a good defensive team. But the reality was pretty disappointing. In the 56 games before the All-Star break, the Hawks had the No.17-ranked defense in the league.