Atlanta Hawks: Top 5 Moments From Last Season

Feb 27, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) and forward DeMarre Carroll (5) and guard Kyle Korver (26) and center Al Horford (15) and guard Jeff Teague (0) pose with cheerleaders and the player of the month trophy before a game against the Orlando Magic at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

5 Starters Named Player of the Month

Of course, reeling off 19 wins in a row is a great way to finally gain recognition for your players. That is exactly what happened for the Atlanta Hawks. When it came time for the NBA to name the Player of the Month for January something funny happened. Rather than naming an individual player, all five Atlanta Hawks starters were named “Player of the Month” for January. Those five being Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, DeMarre Carroll, Paul Millsap, and Al Horford.

During the time period the Hawks had won 19 games in a row, and 33 out of their last 35. The Hawks had the best offensive rating at 124 and the fifth best defensive rating in the NBA at 94.3 over the course of their first 48 games. They also outscored their opponents by an average of 11.9 points per game in January.

Throughout the entire season this was one of the most cohesive five man units in the entire NBA. They each brought something different to the table. Teague is a superb penetrator and playmaker, Korver is an outstanding shooter, Carroll provided lockdown defense on the perimeter, Millsap developed into a perfect stretch-four, while Horford was the defensive anchor and scorer inside. They complemented each other perfectly.

Together this starting unit played 914 minutes together and outscored their opponents by 8.6 points per 100 possessions. They excelled defensively, scoring in the paint, and their three-point shooting was deadly. Had injuries not bogged them down in the postseason I believe they would have given the Cleveland Cavaliers a run for their money in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Sadly, Carroll’s signing in Toronto means that they won’t get the band back together this season. It would have been exciting to see just how good this group could have been together with one more year of seasoning. We’ll never know.

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