Looking Back: The Home Stand
Home games: Cleveland, Charlotte, Boston, Golden State, Detroit, Oklahoma City, Chicago, Denver
Road games: Indiana, New Jersey

What happened: Ummm, the Hawks kinda killed it overall. The loss to the Nets is fresh and leaves a bad taste, but the Hawks were a missed FT against the Celtics from perhaps a perfect record at home, and basically were two plays from winning all 10 games overall. In particular the win over the Cavaliers was the most impressive, as Cleveland has run roughshod over most of the NBA and had won 11 straight going into the game. The wins over Detroit and Denver were similarly notable. Strangely, the Hawks seemed to play better in the wins over the better teams like the Pistons and Nuggets than they did against lesser lights like the Thunder, Warriors, and Bobcats. Atlanta won in just about every way possible, from an ugly 85-78 defensive slugfest against the Thunder to a high-flying 129-117 win over the Bulls.

Injury report: Happily, no one suffered any significant injuries over the last ten games, and every contributor on the squad appears to be mostly 100%.

In Summary: I was optimistic in my 7-3 prediction, but apparently not optimistic enough. The Hawks got a terrific win over Cleveland and didn't look back from there, putting together the team's second 6+ game winning streak of the season, the first time they've managed to accomplish that since 1996-97, and finished the segment 8-2.

Looking Ahead: Going West, Part I
Home games: Houston, Orlando, Philly, Toronto, Milwaukee
Road games: Orlando, Phoenix, LA Clippers, Golden State, Chicago

Expectations going in: Hard to say, eh? The way this team is playing, it's tempting to predict we'll win all of 'em. Realistically, that won't happen. But within the next ten-game slate are two separate challenges. The first is the home and home with Orlando on Jan. 7 and 9, which could be hugely important given the fact the Magic are the only thing standing between the Hawks and a Southeast Division title (and playoff #3 seed).  The second is the team's first extended trip out West with games at Phoenix, the Clippers, and Golden State. Phoenix isn't the juggernaut it once was, but the Suns are still a playoff team and will be a tough get on the road. The Clippers and Warriors are pretty terrible, and are ripe for the road picking. The Hawks have already won at Orlando and Chicago this season, so this segment of the schedule presents a very good chance to win more road games than they lose. Houston and Orlando, because of their interior strength, will be stern tests at home, but Atlanta will probably be favored in all five home contests. Philly and Toronto are teams that have struggled despite high expectations coming into the season, but both have the talent to get wins if the Hawks don't come to play.

Predicted Record: Houston is always tough on Atlanta, but I think the Hawks gain a little revenge for blowing a win on the road last month. I figure a split with Orlando, a win over the Sixers and after a close loss at Phoenix I think Atlanta gets wins against both LA and Golden State. The Hawks should be able to handle the Raptors and Bucks, both of whom they beat at Philips earlier this season, but perhaps the third time will be the charm for the Bulls in Chicago.

Let's call it 7-3 again, which would put the Hawks at 28-14 at just past the halfway mark of the season. I'll take that every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

What do you see in the Hawks' forecast?