The Hawks start the week with a 10-game lead over the rest of the Eastern Conference and a magic number of just 3 games for clinching a playoff spot.
With the Washington Wizards struggling recently, the Hawks' lead in the Southeast Division has ballooned to 13.5 games. Philips Arena might be commissioning a Dominique Wilkins statue and a Southeast Division banner in March.
Oh, and by the way, that statue will be unveiled Thursday and available for the public to see Friday. Enjoy 'Nique Week.
MINI-POWER RANKINGS FOR THE UPCOMING WEEK
The Hawks have games this week against:
Houston (Tuesday | 7:30 PM | Philips Arena | SportSouth, 92.9 The Game | Get Tickets)
Cleveland (Friday | 7:30 PM | Philips Arena | SportSouth, 92.9 The Game | Get Tickets)
Philadelphia (Saturday | 7:30 PM | Wells Fargo Center | SportSouth, 92.9 The Game)
1. Atlanta: Coming out of the All-Star break, one of the big questions was whether or not the Hawks could improve their rebounding. Since then, they have played opponents to a draw on the glass, grabbing 43.0 rebounds per game and allowing 43.7 to the opposition.
2. Houston: The Rockets feature both the league's leading scorer (James Harden, 27.1 points/game) as well as the offense that attempts the most three-point shots per game (33.8).
3. Cleveland: The Cavaliers have won 18 of their last 22 games, but Houston gets the nod over them for having a better season record and for topping the Cavs Sunday.
4. Philadelphia: With 9.7 steals per game, the 76ers are in a three-way tie with Houston and Milwaukee for the most thefts per game. The Hawks are not far behind, tallying 8.8 steals per contest.
MATCHUP TO WATCH
DeMarre Carroll vs. LeBron James. The Hawks may throw a few different looks at the four-time MVP, but the most important scheme will be the one that features their best defensive player.
James, who averaged 24.4 points per game in February, is a likely bet to replace the Hawks' starting five as the Eastern Conference Player of the Month.
SOMETHING SEEN...
The Hawks are getting contributions from new and interesting places.
In just under 22 minutes played Saturday, John Jenkins gave the Hawks a super-efficient 12 points and 7 rebounds on a night when the team had just nine players dressed. Here, the third-year wingman sinks a three-point shot with just the tiniest blip of an opening to squeeze a shot off.
...AND SOMETHING HEARD
The Orlando Magic were in town this week, bringing with them new head coach James Borrego, who worked with Mike Budenholzer in San Antonio for seven seasons, first as a video coordinator then together as assistant coaches.
Bob Rathbun, with a voice eager for harmlessly salacious details: "Give us some good stories about Coach Bud."
Borrego, pointing toward the Budenholzer's media availability: "Maybe you should go down there."
Pool of reporters: "But he won't talk."
Borrego, smirking: "Well ... I learned from him."
INJURY REPORT
Thabo Sefolosha is out with a right calf strain. He is four weeks into an absence that was estimated to last 6 to 8 weeks. Pero Antic, DeMarre Carroll, and Jeff Teague did not dress vs. Miami Saturday, while Al Horford missed the trip for family reasons.
INTERESTING: COACH BUD ON ANALYTICS
When asked about his approach to analytics, and whether or not analytics played a hand in a particular success or failure this season, Mike Budenholzer responded as follows:
"I think it's just a good thing to add to all of the traditional stuff -- all of the other things -- that people have assumed we do forever. I do believe it's something that can be very helpful."
"I don't think there's any specific decision that I would point to that was because of analytics. We scout and compare. We look at teams strengths and weaknesses. There may be certain nights where we're emphasizing or trying to take certain things away, but it's not anything that is overly complicated."
"I think it has a place and it helps us and we've used it throughout the year, but it's just one thing that we add to our collective decision-making process."
ABSURD STAT
Is there a letdown effect after opponents play the Hawks?
Of the last 21 opponents to play Atlanta, 18 have gone on to lose the following game. (Miami is excluded from this stat because they have not played a subsequent game yet.)
"That's a hell of a stat," Paul Millsap said when asked about it earlier this week. "But I don't know. We're one of the top teams in the league, so guys, teams, tend to get up for those games. I don't know. The Hawk Effect, I guess?"
AN EVEN MORE ABSURD STAT
With a 47-12 record, the Hawks are on pace for the 16th-best NBA record of all-time according to Basketball Reference.com