Since the All-Star break, the Atlanta Hawks have been one of the best teams in the NBA during the second-half of the season for numerous reasons, but this young team is playing their best basketball that they have played together. 

Early on in the season, after starting the year 14-20, the Atlanta Hawks fired head coach Llyod Pierce and named former Pacers’ head coach Nate McMillan the interim head coach of the team. Since they made this coaching change, the Hawks have gone 20-7 and have improved in many areas on the court. 

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Now, not only have the Hawks sneaked into the playoff picture this season, but they are currently tied with the Knicks for the 4-seed in the Eastern Conference! After missing the playoffs for three consecutive years, it seems like Atlanta is going to skip having to play in the play-in tournament this year and finish as one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference during the regular season. 

All season long, this Hawks team has faced a lot of adversity through key players being out due to injuries, yet they have played with that “next man up” mentality and everybody on this roster has played their role perfectly. 

Led by third year guard Trae Young, the Atlanta Hawks are definitely a team that nobody wants to play right now and with them almost being at full strength, they are going to be a tough team to beat in the playoffs! With that said, let’s take a look at three reasons why this Hawks team is so good right now and why they are surging during the stretch-run of this season.