Atlanta Hawks ascend to unseen heights in CBS Power Rankings

The Atlanta Hawks are playing insanely well right now, to the point where the national media is beginning to take notice. This point was driven home on Monday afternoon, as Matt Moore of CBS Sports released his weekly power rankings from across the league.

Moore has lifted the Hawks to previously unseen heights, and he ranks Atlanta as the second-best team in the NBA. Here is the caption that accompanied the ranking:

"The Hawks are as good on offense per possession (7th) as they are on defense per possession (No. 7), and are winning games they should and games vs. tough opponents (like Saturday’s win vs. the Rockets). Maybe, just maybe, this is a Hawks team you can believe in."

For the uninitiated, Moore has been a champion of the patented “never trust the Hawks” persona, and this is a giant step given the source. Mike Budenholzer’s team has toppled the Bulls, Cavaliers and Rockets in succession (with two of those wins on the road), and Jeff Teague was absent in two of those victories.

Is this sustainable? Maybe not, but for now, the Atlanta Hawks are flying high on both ends of the court. The schedule does not immediately favor the team, with upcoming games against the Dallas Mavericks (on the road) and Los Angeles Clippers, but given the recent effort, those two games suddenly seem manageable.

Tell us in the comments below if you “believe” in this year’s Hawks as a legitimate contender in the East. We’d love to hear from you!