As it stands right now, the NBA is a star-driven league. Guys like LeBron, KD, Melo, and etc. are polarizing players who get so much attention. Every night, their opponents know they have to play a superstar and are going to play relentless defense in hopes to contain them.

We are also in an era of the NBA that includes superstars teaming up. We’ve seen future Hall of Famers collaborate on the Celtics, Heat, and Cavaliers in hopes to hoist the trophy at the end of the season. Can’t necessarily blame them because it’s worked. Garnett, Pierce, and Allen won in ’08 and the James, Wade, and Bosh combo in Miami made the finals four years in a row and won twice. It was great to watch these teams on their runs to the championships because it was superstars at the top of their game, with lots of them gunning for their first championship.

But as a true sports fan, I love to see an organization build a team around solid players and great coaching, and that is exactly what the Atlanta Hawks have done. Growing up in Atlanta, I’ve watched the Hawks perform just like every Atlanta sports team. Good enough to make the playoffs, but the first round is all you will see from them. I’ve also seen their front office make TERRIBLE decisions in the NBA Draft (MARVIN WILLIAMS OVER CP3?!).

This season has been a complete flip from what Hawks fans are used to seeing, and it all starts at the top. Hawks’ ownership made great decisions in bringing in GM Danny Ferry and head coach Mike Budenholzer.

Depsite Ferry’s racial comments, he should win the NBA GM of the year. Ferry has made great moves in the draft and in free agency. In free agency, Ferry has brought in defensive minded players like DeMarre Carroll, Thabo Sefolosha, and Pedro Antic to come in to stop the superstars they play every night. Ferry also has done well in drafting Dennis Schroder, who only in his second year is coming off the bench and doing a phenomenal job of backing up potential all-star Jeff Teague. The Hawk’s ownership also made great decisions in the releasing of Joe Johnson and Josh Smith. Despite their skills, they are selfish players and both were considerably overpaid by their next team.

Also in just his second season, coach Budenholzer has his team sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings. After winning four rings under Greg Popovich in San Antonio, Bud looks like he made the right decision in becoming a head coach. When you compare past Spurs teams and this Atlanta team, it’s easy to see the similarities. Though they are not as dominant as Tim Duncan and David Robinson, Al Horford and Paul Millsap are healthy and meshing very well to create a deadly post attack. Jeff Teague has to create on his own or dish it to a teammate, like Tony Parker. DeMarre Carroll is a lock-down defender that has three-point ability and as we’ve seen, can go off for 25 points. Every team needs a deadly three-point shooter, and Kyle Korver is that guy and more. Korver is on pace to be the first player in history to shoot over 50% from three, 50% from the field, and 90% from behind the line. People think of him just as a three-point shooter, but his offensive efficiency makes him so much more valuable than any regular shooter.

What I love about this team is that there isn’t a guy you see on ESPN everyday. They have former all-stars, but there aren’t super stars teaming up to win a quick championship before moving on to their next superstar team. These guys have been assembled as pieces to a puzzle and have been coached to not be the star, but to take the right shots and make the extra pass. Both Ferry and Budenholzer have both spent time under Popovich and the front office of the Spurs who have mastered playing team basketball. As we saw in last year’s NBA Finals, unselfish basketball and role players can beat a team of superstars. Take the right shot, make the extra pass, and learn to play as a unit. That’s what the Hawks have done and it looks like they aren’t going to be slowing down anytime soon.