ATLANTA - Paul Millsap knocked the ball away. Authentic Carter Hart Jersey . Thabo Sefolosha scrambled into the corner to grab it and passed quickly to Dennis Schroder, who took off the other way.Schroder dribbled into the frontcourt and spotted Millsap already ahead of him on the wing. Millsap didnt keep the ball for long, bouncing a pass to Al Horford streaking through the lane for a thunderous dunk.That play epitomized the way the Atlanta Hawks are going right now.A stop at the defensive end. Four guys touching the ball. An easy basket.The Hawks are the biggest surprise in the NBA, leading the Eastern Conference with a 26-8 record that is the best in franchise history through 34 games. Most striking, they have won seven straight on the road, wrapping up a sweep of their West Coast road trip with a 107-98 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.Weve got a good group of players, who play unselfish and play hard, said second-year coach Mike Budenholzer, who learned at the knee of San Antonios Gregg Popovich and is looking to build another powerhouse in Atlanta.The Hawks have won 19 of 21, but their play over the last three weeks has been especially impressive. Atlanta has twice beaten the Clippers and LeBron James Cavaliers, sending a bit of a shockwave through the league with a 29-point blowout at Cleveland. The stretch also includes wins over Chicago, Houston, Dallas and Portland, so this is looking less and less like a fluke.The Hawks are facing all sorts of uncertainty off the court, from ongoing efforts to sell the franchise to what will become of disgraced general manager Danny Ferry. But the turmoil seems to have brought the team together, and Budenholzer — a long-time assistant with the Spurs — has instilled many of the same principles that work so well in San Antonio.Atlanta ranks among the leagues top clubs in steals and assists, scoring about two-thirds of its baskets off passes from teammates. All five starters are averaging at least 11.6 points. Theres not one true superstar, but Jeff Teague is emerging as one of the leagues best point guards, Millsap can do a bit of everything, and Horfords return after missing most of last season with an injury has been a huge boost for the inside game.Budenholzer and his staff have also gotten surprising contributions from DeMarre Carroll, who bounced around to four teams before finding a home in Atlanta, and Kyle Korver, who has proven to be a lot more than a 3-point specialist. The bench is deep, too, with players such as Schroeder, Sefolosha, Mike Scott and Pero Antic making important contributions.Sounding very much like his mentor, Budenholzer talks constantly about activity at the defensive end, pushing his players to get a hand on the ball and cut off passing lanes. The Hawks arent a pick-and-roll-focused offence like the Spurs, but they feed off their defence, run at every opportunity, and wind up with a lot of easy baskets.We know if we make plays on the defensive end, everything else will take care of itself, Teague said.Teagues development has been a huge key. He flashed plenty of potential over his first five seasons, but hes finally demonstrating the sort of consistency that Budenholzer demands. Over the last five games, the 26-year-old is averaging 23.2 points, 8.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 2.6 steals while shooting 52 per cent from the field.Horford and Teague are the only players whove been with the Hawks longer than three years, the roster almost totally overhauled the last two summers by Ferry. While the GM successfully turned things around in Atlanta, theres no indication hell ever return to his job after making racially charged comments about potential free agent Luol Deng.Ferry is on an indefinite leave of absence, watching from afar as the roster he built keeps piling up the wins. Budenholzer is now in charge of player personnel, though it looks as if the bulk of the work is done.Once the Hawks get to the playoffs, the lack of one dominant scorer could prove to be a weakness. It certainly cost them last season, when they squandered a chance to knock off top-seeded Indiana in the opening round.For now, its not an issue.Weve got a good group of guys in that locker room, Budenholzer said. Were playing well on both ends of the court.___AP Sports Writer Beth Harris in Los Angeles contributed to this report.___Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 Authentic Samuel Morin Jersey . A top pitching prospect, one who the ball club is pinning some of its future hopes, takes the spot of a veteran who once was viewed as a future ace but who, to this point, hasnt realized his potential and may never. Authentic Radko Gudas Jersey . Poti played in 824 regular NHL games with four teams in his career; the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, New York Islanders and the Washington Capitals. http://www.cheapflyersjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-mark-friedman-jersey .m. on Friday. Granger was acquired from the Indiana Pacers last Thursday for Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen, but never played a minute for Philadelphia. The 76ers also received a 2015 second-round draft pick in the deal.ARLINGTON, Texas -- Not one, not two, not three. The Texas Rangers now have four catchers on their 25-man roster. The Rangers recalled opening day starting catcher J.P. Arencibia from Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday, the same day they made the expected move of activating catcher Geovany Soto from the 60-day disabled list. Struggling first baseman Carlos Pena was designated for assignment after playing only 18 games in his return to the Rangers. Soto and Arencibia joined the team for a workout in Toronto, along with catchers Robinson Chirinos and Chris Gimenez. Texas (38-57), with the worst record in the majors, plays the Blue Jays on Friday in its first game after the All-Star break. Arencibia was optioned to Round Rock on May 20 after hitting .133 in 20 games with the Rangers, 19 of them starts at catcher. He hit .279 with 14 homers and 41 RBIs in 48 games at Round Rock, where he started 20 games at first base while playing the position professionally for the first time. Eight of his last 11 startts at Triple-A were at first base. Authentic Taylor Leier Jersey. Pena hit .136 and two RBIs in 18 games for Texas, including 16 starts at first base, after being purchased from Round Rock on June 24. Texas has 10 days to trade, release or outright Pena to the minor leagues. He had rejoined the Rangers on June 24, a week after signing a minor league deal -- and 13 years after making his major league debut with Texas. He was the 10th overall pick in 1998. Soto tore cartilage in his right knee late in spring training and is looking to make his season debut with the Rangers after 12 games of rehab the past two weeks with Round Rock and Double-A Frisco. In 54 games last season for the Rangers, primarily as the backup to A.J. Pierzynski, Soto hit .245 with nine homers and 22 RBIs in 54 games. Soto was expected to be the primary catcher this season before getting hurt in the spring. The Rangers traded right-handed reliever Jason Frasor on Wednesday, so only the Pena move was necessary Thursday to bring back two catchers. cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '