The Atlanta Hawks have strung together a ridiculous 19 straight wins to climb to the top of the NBA standings with a 40-8 record, so it only makes sense that the Cleveland Cavaliers are listed ahead of them as the favorites to win the Eastern Conference, right?
Cleveland is listed at +180 to win the Eastern Conference compared to Atlanta at +200. Though the difference is only slight, it’s still interesting that the Cavaliers are the favorites at this point. Cleveland has put together 10 straight wins to improve to 29-20 and an 11th is likely coming tonight as they host the Philadelphia 76ers. Even so, they are still just fifth in the standings. A case can be made that they are finally heating up following a slow start and that they have what it takes to get the job done in a playoff series with any team they might face in the East. So does that mean their winning streak is more impressive than the Hawks?
[related_post_one]
Why The Hawks Winning Streak Is More Impressive
Atlanta has been absolutely dominant over the past two months becoming only the 10th team in NBA history to win 30 games in a 32-game stretch. Six of the previous nine teams to complete that feat have gone on to win an NBA championship, so that’s what makes their winning streak so impressive. The Hawks have been in complete control regardless of the teams they have played including 10 wins in a row against Western Conference competition.
A big part of that has been their dominance across the board. Atlanta has posted the sixth-best points per game in the NBA with a 103.4 mark while at the same time ranking third in points per game allowed with a 96.1 mark. The lack of one true superstar has raised the accountability level across the board and also helped each individual player to buy in with Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap, Al Horford, and Kyle Korver all playing at a high level.
The Hawks could be buyers at the deadline. If they get a chance to add one or two key pieces that could contribute without disrupting their chemistry, it will be interesting to see what happens the rest of the way.
[related_post_two]
Why The Cavaliers Winning Streak Is More Impressive
The Cavaliers have finally found their game following a disastrous start that nearly saw head coach David Blatt kicked out of town. The jury is still out on the level of credit that Blatt deserves but what is clear is that the players have finally found their chemistry and every individual on the Cleveland roster has stepped up his game led by LeBron James. LeBron has gotten his average up to 26.4 points, 7.3 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game, and now that he is playing at an MVP level the rest of the team has followed suit.
Kyrie Irving posted a ridiculous 55 points in last week’s win over Portland while Kevin Love has mastered the outlet pass with his new teammates as there has been a dramatic improvement by both players. J.R. Smith and Timofey Mozgov have been excellent additions and Iman Shumpert provided quality depth when LeBron hurt his wrist. With everything coming together in Cleveland, there is no doubt this team is back on track to challenge for a title and the odds reflect that.
The Verdict
Considering what we have seen over the past month, it would be no surprise if it is the Hawks and Cavaliers that ended up battling for a spot in the NBA Finals this season. Atlanta has been the best team in the NBA since November, while a case can be made that Cleveland deserves top billing based on their star power led of course by the best player on the planet in LeBron.
The Cavs have the star power but, believe it or not, we’ll give the edge to the Hawks here. They will very likely end up with home court advantage as a result of their stellar play and while they may not have a ton of playoff experience, neither does this new edition of the Cavaliers. While everyone is still skeptical of the Hawks, they’re the team to beat in the East right now – not the Cavs.
