Atlanta Hawks Legit NBA Finals Contenders? 13 Straight Wins: Al Horford, Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague All Stars? ATL To Top NBA's Eastern Conference Says Skip Bayless & Analysts

The Atlanta Hawks yesterday systematically whipped the surging Detroit Pistons in a featured NBA afternoon game in honor of Martin Luther King Day (the Hawks also had an amazing pre-game court design honoring Dr King), and now people are beginning to realize that the No. 1 team in the NBA's Eastern Conference appears to be the real deal. With 26 wins in their last 28 games, they've even got starry-eyed talking heads like Skip Bayless suddenly paying attention.

What the Atlanta Hawks are very quietly doing - winning 25 of last 27 - is no fluke. You'd better believe they can win the East.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) January 20, 2015

It's remarkable, because, as The Washington Post's Glenn Yoder says "you always expect the other shoe to drop. Eventually, they'll snap out of this bizarre dream, doing something very Hawksian, and quit decimating all comers with whizzing passes and a high IQ game, right?"

Wrong, he says. "Watching these Atlanta Hawks, you know they're for real. For really real."

13th straight win for the @ATLHawks in today's 93-82 victory. @mikescott and @Paulmillsap4 each finished with 20 pts pic.twitter.com/0n7C23UkaR

— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 20, 2015

As he points out, they're now sitting very pretty in the No.1 spot in the east with their 34-8 record, "a solid five-game lead over No. 2 Washington."

But the most impressive stat is that "Since starting the season 1-3, they're 33-5, with 26 wins in their past 28 games." It helps when swingman Kyle Korver seemingly can't miss too:

Korver's season shot chart: 51.5% FG% from the field, 53.6% from 3. Not shown here? His 92.0% FT% @ATLHawks pic.twitter.com/PWZb1chAxq — NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) January 18, 2015

Still. 26 wins in 28 games. Which includes wins over every single Western Conference team currently ranked 1 through 8.

Wowsers.

And how are they doing it without a genuine superstar? Teamwork and coach Mike Budenholzer's San Antonio Spurs-East philosophy. Says Yoder, "with at least four legitimate all-star contenders on the roster (Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague, Al Horford and Kyle Korver), these Hawks most resemble the 2004 Detroit roster that won a title without a 'true star'."

What the Atlanta Hawks are very quietly doing - winning 25 of last 27 - is no fluke. You'd better believe they can win the East. — Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) January 20, 2015

The Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes agrees, saying that as the Hawks "win over whatever straggling doubters remain, they're doing something more than solidifying their position atop the East. They're waking us up to a bigger idea-one that's refreshing, yet oddly familiar. They're reminding us that systems matter just as much as stars and that, in some cases, systems can make stars."

CBS Sports's Zach Harper meanwhile, contends that four of the Hawks should make the East All Star team, saying "Two All-Stars for the Hawks seems to be a lock, and the conversation of three is certainly to be had. But the East coaches granting them four All-Stars isn't out of the question, nor should it be dismissed. Teague and Millsap have earned this, and I believe Horford and Korver should as well. They're All-Stars at their positions and in their roles."

As Yoder summarizes, yep, "It's time to stop being surprised by the Hawks and simply admit it: They're contenders."

ICYMI - @ATLHawks special court projection for #MLK day: pic.twitter.com/w95eDpdtYT — NBA (@NBA) January 20, 2015