At the beginning of the year, who would you have thought lead the Eastern Conference at almost the midway point of the season? Maybe the new look Cavaliers, the loaded Bulls, or maybe the up and coming Wizards or Raptors. Well, in first place on January 10, 2015, with a shiny record of 28-8, are the soaring Atlanta Hawks. It has been an amazing start to the season for the team lead by former San Antonio Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer. You can tell Budenholzer learned a lot from Coach Gregg Popovich, who he assisted for 16 years. Atlanta is now being called San Antonio east. The way the Hawks are playing hard as a team, sharing the ball, and not being selfish is just how the Spurs became so successful. What ever Coach Budenholzer is doing, he should keep doing it. It’s working, and he has lead the Hawks to heights they haven’t reached in a long time.