:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45612782/usa-today-8361782.0.jpg)
I have finally gotten to the point where I do not need to pinch myself whenever I wake up to make sure that this is not a dream. The Hawks have been having an amazing season and have gone perfect so far in the year 2015. With two losses coming from Golden State this past week, the Hawks now hold the best record in the NBA and are the first team to reach 40 wins this season. So with that said, let's get the rankings started.
Drew Garrison of Sbnation.com starts things off for us by putting the Hawks at #1.
The Hawks' winning streak is up to 19 and they've started pulling away from theWarriors as the NBA inches closer to the All-Star break. This is a statement week for the Hawks, with their game against Golden State Friday followed by a showdown against the Grizzlies Sunday.
John Schuhmann of NBA.com puts the Hawks in the top spot and reflects on a strong month.
The Hawks are the first team to 40 wins, the second to surpass last season's win total, and the ninth in NBA history to win 19 straight games. They're 34-1 after building a double-digit lead, and the only loss came back on Nov. 7, when they led the Hornets by 10 for 46 seconds in the first quarter and lost in double-OT on Lance Stephenson's banked three.
Marc Stein of NBA.com takes notice and praises Atlanta on the perfect month January.
The Hawks' 17-0 January was the best month this league has ever seen. But the week that capped it was undeniably rough for a team that hasn't lost since the day after Christmas. Thabo Sefolosha is out, DeMarre Carroll is ailing, and this week's schedule is daunting with a capital D.
Matt Moore of Cbssports.com also puts the Hawks at the top spot in his latest ranking.
I will bet you the Hawks lose one of their next four games. They've perfected the Spurs-ian art of going on win streaks long enough to make a huge impact on their record, but never long enough to where media coverage of the streak itself actually gets distracting.
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports has the Hawks at #1 and thinks they will be in for a test this upcoming week.
Atlanta was 17-0 in January and has won 19 straight games, but next are games against New Orleans, Washington, Golden State and Memphis.
Matt Dollinger of SI.com keeps the Hawks at #1 and mentions the many accomplishments of the Hawks in the first month.
Atlanta’s success this season has become almost numbing. The Hawks have won 19 straight games and 33 of their last 35. They went undefeated in January, had three players named to the All-Star team and are even selling out Philips Arena on a nightly basis. What a world.
USA Today moves the Hawks up to the top spot and mentions things are going well in Atlanta
Things are going well when the only team with three All-Stars is mad about a snub (Kyle Korver).
Finally, Kurt Helin of NBCsports.com completes the sweep and keeps Atlanta at the top spot for this weeks ranking.
There’s a lot of buzz around Friday night’s Hawks showdown with the Warriors, a potential Finals matchup of the two best teams from the first half of the season. But the entire week is tough for Atlanta — New Orleans and Washington Monday then Wednesday, then Memphis looms on Sunday. If Hawks winning streak reaches 20 on Monday, only fifth NBA team to do that.
That does it for this week in the rankings and it seems it is a unanimous decision that the Hawks deserve to have the #1 spot in the power rankings. I thought I would never see the day but it has arrived. Anyway was always let me know your thoughts in the comment section.