Eisenberg: Why the Hawks are good, and why nobody cares

Thanks to Korver, Jenkins and the surprising resurgence of DeShawn Stevenson’s jump shot (don’t look now, but he’s shooting 40 percent from deep), the Hawks rank seventh in the NBA at 37.7 percent from the arc.

Another pleasant surprise this season has been the play of Teague. Selected 19^th overall in 2009, Teague’s career had been riddled by poor shot selection and unreliable decision-making. Now in his fourth season, Teague has finally figured out how to balance his scoring and facilitating.

With career-high averages in points (12.8), assists (6.5), rebounds (2.4)  and 3-point percentage (.370), Teague has successfully transformed himself from an inconsistent sparkplug off the bench to a composed floor general.

Entering the season, most analysts agreed that the Hawks’ offense would be successful from the get-go. Where many anticipated the Hawks to struggle was with their lack of size on the defensive end. Surprisingly, however, the defense has been the team’s backbone in the early season.

Ranking among the NBA’s top six teams in both opponents’ points per game and turnovers forced per game, Atlanta has been able to use its speed to pressure opponents into making mistakes. Perhaps most impressively, the Hawks have held opponents under 50 percent from the field in 29 of 32 games.

All of Atlanta’s success has translated into the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.

As for why the Hawks have yet to receive the league-wide recognition that their record should warrant, there are three things to consider:

First, the Hawks have yet to prove themselves against the league’s best competition. Only three teams have faced easier schedules than the Hawks thus far. Before they can be discussed as a real contender in East, Atlanta will need to beat the league’s top teams on a more consistent basis.

We should have a much clearer sense of the Hawks’ legitimacy by the end of January as they are scheduled to play the Spurs, Celtics and Knicks in the coming weeks.

Second, beyond their easy schedule, the Hawks’ lack of recognition can also be attributed to the organization’s recent postseason futility.Fans have seen the Hawks reach the playoffs in each of the past five seasons, but the conference finals have eluded them.

Until the Hawks prove they can beat the league’s top teams consistently, they will continue to fly under the national radar.

Finally, Atlanta’s lack of recognition can also be attributed to their absence from national coverage. Atlanta has appeared on national television only once thus far.

The team is slotted for no more than three national appearances for the rest of the season.

Regardless of the lack of recognition, there is no denying the Hawks are one of the East’s best teams. With a roster built for speed and fast-paced basketball, only time will tell if the Hawks can maintain their pace throughout the season. At any rate, this team is certainly worth keeping an eye on.

Jacob Eisenberg is a sophomore at Emory University in Atlanta who covers the Hawks for The Emory Wheel and TheFanManifesto.com. Check out his Web site, jacobeisenberg.com.