Atlantaholic

Shiiiit. I hear ya man. One of my first memories on the boards was being pissed about Jason Terry getting traded. Needless to say I have been through some dark times with this team. About time I can enjoy us destroying all the teams that have shat on us in the past.

Jimmy Butler already starting to show signs of wearing down as he has been playing a totally insane 40 mpg for them.

Since he got starter type minutes against Philly his play has just been off the charts, better than Thabo who himself is playing lights out.

If you looked at minutes played lately by their starters and compare it to ours, we should be the much fresher team. BTW The +- from our starters tonight was almost +30. Goes to show you the benefit of resting some guys against terrible teams.

Dude was playing Mkie Bibby type defense. Not even exaggerating. Switching EVERY time is an embarrassment.

Since we started our run we have by far the most wins. 26 wins since Thanksgiving. GS has the second most wins and they only have 19. Best part is going to other teams' forums after we crush them. It's always the same "Trade everyone on our team" or "The Hawks are the best team in the league by far". All hail the Hawks.

I for one was not surprised. We have beaten waaay better teams (Clips, Dallas, Houston, Memphis, Portland) and done so convincingly every time. Toronto has come back down to earth after starting the season just blazing hot scoring one on one every time down the court. They don't pass the ball, and play 0 defense. If Lowry makes it to the All Star team and Teague does not it is flat out theft. Lowry only plays on one half of the court.

Resting starters plus playing the bench extra minutes during our toughest stretches travel-wise is smart any way you slice it. The bench has carried this team during times this season so Bud is rewarding them with extra playing time and resting our best players for the key back to back against our main competition in the East... Regardless, looking at the schedule there isn't any other stretch of the season like this so I doubt we see this again unless we are nearing the end of the season an have already locked up the top seed. Four games in five nights and ALL on the road is ridiculous, and Bud's decision has worked out perfectly.

Horford's back to the basket game is much improved and at least equal to Blake's. Blakes post up game consists of missing turnaround jumpers and crashing into the lane out of control and getting bailed out by "star" calls. Aldridge doesn't even post up anymore, he takes jumpers all game long. Go to basketball reference and look at the % of shots from post range and in and the FG%s and tell me Horford doesn't stack up.

If Al was putting up shots at the rate some of these elite scorers do he would be putting up monster numbers too. Obviously not Shaq numbers (arguably a top 5 player all time) but certainly Lamarcus Aldridge/Blake Griffin type of numbers.

Our current run is so amazing it's tough to say that anyone EVER could be doing a better job. We've won against playoff teams, we've won without our best player, we've won back to backs, we've won without our starters. If there was any stat that could show us what % of the time the Hawks have had the lead during the streak I think it would be comparable with the best teams in history over a 25 game stretch. We've not only won most of our games but a vast majority of the quarters too. Crazy stuff.

Over the last several years he is the best shooter at around 17 feet at his position hands down, and among the best at any position! How is that not elite???

Horf is underrated because of his unselfishness on the court and his unassuming humble attitude outside of the court. The story about how he told Doc Rivers to go ahead and play the other guys during his first All Star game is emblematic of Al. Now, pairing Al with a coach lik Bud has resulted in match made in heaven; the way both of these guys have transmited their unselfish no non-sense attitude towards playing winning team basketball to the rest of the team is amazing to see. It's the type of stuff that doesn't show up in the box score but is far more valueable than a few extra points and rebounds.

Loved the way he was fighting for offensive boards all game.

Thabo signing looking like another gem of a signing, just like the Korver and Demarre ones. After Lou got off to his torrid start in Toronto people were saying that letting Lou go was a mistake, but after all is said and done I think Thabo will finish with more win-shares than Lou this year. He is a lesser talent but the guy plays within the system and makes plays on defense all game long.

The Nets schedule the rest of the way is brutal. They have played the easiest schedule of any team in the NBA up to this point.

GS and Atlanta have easily been the two best teams so far, and probably the two most exciting also. Gonna be a fun night of basketball seeing them go head to head.

If someone could make a gif of all of Whitman's expressions on the bench last night; watching it would be all one needs to see to understand what it's like to play against the Hawks.

Koonin is exactly what this team needed. You can tell he understands the team, its history, and he cares about it. He seems to run the team with the heart of a true fan and isn't afraid to try new and drastic measures to get the city, who abandoned the team long ago, back on the bandwaggon. His approach has been extremely refreshing after having to deal with the "well, we have an NBA team here and it's up to the fans to support it" idiotic mentality that preceded his hire.

I loved the way we started to play last year before the Horford injury, and I always went into this year thinking it would take a few months for this team to come together, so I was always a believer of this team. Still, even by my most optimistic standards I had this team pegged as a third seed at best. The way this team has surpassed even the most optimistic fans' hopes is amazing. Story of the NBA hands down.

On top of everything, I would have to echo how impressive Korver's fitness is. Not only is he one of the more underrated defenders in the NBA he also has to be one of the more underrated athletes. They should track the stat of how many miles Korver covers during a game the way they do with soccer players (well it's kilometers in soccer but you get the idea). The guy never stops moving on either end and I've yet to see him seem tired or winded. It's pretty amazing.

huh? Outside of Drummond being better than this years version of Horford we are better than them at every position. Sap>Monroe Teague>>>Jennings Korver>>>Meeks Am I missing something here? Our bench is also a lot better than theirs. Detroit is talented enough to be the 7th or maybe 6th seed in the East, nothing more.

Just imagine what the atmosphere will be like in the playoffs... If we can lock down the # 1 seed who in the east will beat us at home?

I don't remember who it was (could have been Gary Payton), but when asked who was the one guy he dreaded going against the most he answered that it was Stockton; mainly due to his dirty play.

Dennis does all those annoying little things that just gets under other players' skins, which is a trademark of great defenders at any level IMO. Dennis Rodman, argueably the best defender of all time, was a master of this.