One of the more under-the-radar storylines in the East right now: the Hawks have been one of the hardest teams in the league to score on since the All-Star break. A 103.6 defensive rating ranks second in the NBA since Feb. 19 per Cleaning the Glass, and they've held opponents under 110 points in five of their last seven games.

Jock Landale put it plainly before Wednesday's win over the Bucks: "I think there was a realization of what works for us is starting to stick."

But Landale was also honest about the caveat — the competition hasn't been elite yet, and the Hawks know it. The next few weeks will tell us a lot more than the last seven games have.

With 19 games left and Charlotte winning at the hottest pace in the league, Atlanta doesn't have much margin for error. Do you think this defensive run is the real thing, or does it start to crack once the schedule gets harder?