As impressive as the Atlanta Hawks have been on the road these days, it’s easy to overlook that they have also built the best home record (16-3) in the East, second-best in the NBA. Armed with the best regular-season start in team history, the Hawks return to The Highlight Factory before a national audience to kickstart a seven-game homestand, part of a stretch of nine-out-of-ten games at Philips Arena. While Mrs. John Battle (Regina Belle) croons to the MLK Day crowd, the Detroit Pistons (2:30 PM Eastern, ESPN) and the conference’s other purported pre-season contenders are eager to make it like it was, the way it used to be.

The arc of the post-Smoove universe is long, but it bends toward winning. The Pistons (16-25) and the hobbled Charlotte Hornets are both hard-charging toward playoff contention, coming into this afternoon’s games just one game behind the Brooklyn Nets (“THE FIRST RULE ABOUT DRAFTSWAP IS…?”) Detroit is on an 11-2 tear since parting ways with Josh Smith, the sole losses coming at home to the Hawks, 106-103 back on January 9, and the Pelicans this past Wednesday. While the Pistons have mostly disappointed this season at the Palace, they’re the only would-be-lottery team with a .500 record (10-10) away from home.

Greg Monroe (at least 10 boards in eight of his last 10 games) and Andre Drummond (12.9 RPG, 2^nd in NBA) have been making themselves at home under opposing teams’ rims, as the Pistons lead the NBA with 47.1 RPG, 12.9 offensive, in away games. The Pacers forgot about Dre, whose tip-in of a high-off-the-glass layup attempt by Brandon Jennings (37 points) gave him his 16^th rebound (10^th O-Reb) of the evening, handing Detroit another road win on Thursday to zip past Indiana in the Central Division basement. There was no need for last-second heroics the next night, as Monroe and Drummond’s combined 28 rebounds were enough to subdue Philadelphia back at Auburn Hills.

Pero Antić was rested on Saturday and missed the January 9 game in Detroit as well. He can help Horford and Paul Millsap moderate the activity of Detroit’s big men by inducing turnovers, but has been less effective as a rebounder (9.3 rebounding percentage) relative to last season (13.1 Reb%). If boxing out becomes an issue and Antić struggles to hold up his end, Elton Brand may prove to be a superior option.

Drummond was apparently sickened by “The Dominican Bird Flu,” checking himself out as Al Horford hit three consecutive shots in the second half of the Hawks’ 106-103 win in Detroit on January 9. Horford (19 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists) took a 19-point first-half lead that Drummond (2-for-6, 4 points and 5 rebounds in 17 minutes) helped narrow, and promptly re-expanded it to a nauseating 20. The miracle cure was apparently the Brooklyn Nets, who Drummond (14 points, 6-for-9 shooting, 9 boards in 28 minutes) astutely handled the very next night.

Amid a four-game-in-five-nights string last week, the Hawks’ five starters individually led the NBA in net rating (Horford, Kyle Korver, Jeff Teague, DeMarre Carroll, and Paul Millsap, in that order), and the two hottest shooters in the league were Horford (127.4 offensive rating and 84.4 FG%, 1^st in NBA; 86.2 true shooting percentage, 2^nd in NBA) and Korver (125.3 O-rating, 2^nd in NBA; 95.4 TS% and 66.7 3FG%, 1^st in NBA). Drummond understands there are no defensive rebounds to nab when the ball keeps falling into the hoop.

For the Drumroe machine to be effective, Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy knows he needs somebody outside the paint to force tougher shots and turnovers from Korford. Getting the duo to sit with early foul trouble could work out even better. The 33-year-old Korver’s 33.1 minutes per game is second-highest on the team, and his league-leading 3FG% shoots up to 56.7% when he logs more than 35 minutes. Horford has exceeded three personal fouls just twice all season and just once since the third game of the season.

Kyle Singler and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, in particular, have to play better defense at the wing positions, and can’t get caught up simply trying to keep up with Atlanta’s efficient shot-making. KCP’s offense against Atlanta on January 9 (20 points, 4-for-16 3FGs, 8-for-23 FGs) amounted to throwing stuff at the glass and seeing what sticks. Despite shooting 3-for-6 on threes (16 points, five assists) in his last outing against the Hawks, Singler’s shooting has declined (39.4 FG%) since being moved into the full-time starter spot and probably needs to drive more. If the Piston starters fail to slow down Al and Kyle, that responsibility may fall onto Gwinnett County native Jodie Meeks (six steals vs. Philly on Saturday) and former Hawk Anthony Tolliver.

The momentum in Detroit ten days ago turned on the introduction of 3-and-OMG-is-that-D specialist Tolliver (15 bench points, 3-for-6 3FGs) to the fray. He seemed to be one of the few Pistons who had any clue what the Hawks were doing. Before his sixth foul with 17 seconds to go, Tolliver’s ten second-quarter points kept the game from becoming a complete laugher, while his timely second-half blocks of Paul Millsap and Horford brought the Pistons as far as he could carry them while Drummond sat.

Melo, KD, Stack, Mercer, Jennings. That’s Brandon Jennings’ opinion of the All-Time Starting 5 at Oak Hill Academy, as told recently to SneakerWatch.com. While his self-inclusion in lieu of Rondo is understandable, are there any questions what he thinks of his former Piston teammate as a small forward at any level? Jennings has picked up the offensive slack, or at least the usage slack, following Smith’s involuntary departure. Since then, Detroit is 8-0 when he takes more than 15 shots, 6-0 when he makes 20 or more points. Teague (three blocks and three steals at Chicago) and Dennis Schröder (rested ankle on Saturday) must persistently frustrate Jennings (25.0 PPG, 48.5 3FG% and 93.3 FT% last week) into drawing fouls and giving up the rock.

Shelvin Mack will be one less arrow in the quiver for Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer, as he’ll get some downtime for a calf strain. Detroit’s bench mob helped bring the Pistons back to par with the Hawks by game’s end ten days ago, and the Hawks will need a concerted fullcourt effort from Schröder, Antić, Kent Bazemore, Thabo Sefolosha (12 points, 5-for-5 FGs at Detroit on Jan. 9) and Mike Scott to keep the Pistons at arm’s length.

For over 45 years, Hawks fans have had a dream, occasionally deferred, that in 2015 may finally be forming into reality. With their conference rivals watching with rapt attention from below, and with national audiences and local skeptics watching as closely as ever before, the next several weeks in Atlanta will be another prime opportunity for the Hawks to demonstrate the content of their character as they march toward postseason glory.

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3