Forget about Atlanta's respectable proficiency from beyond the arc (8 of 18 -- 44.4 percent).
The real fireworks started in the latter half of the final quarter, as the Hawks buried five triples in the final 6:37 (two from Paul Millsap, two from Kyle Korver, one from Kent Bazemore) -- converting a two-point deficit into a comfortable nine-point victory.
At the beginning of that sequence, Millsap (23 points, nine rebounds) nailed a 25-foot jumper from the left corner, giving Atlanta a two-point lead.
Roughly 20 seconds later, center Al Horford (12 points, seven rebounds) deftly stole a pass from Phoenix point guard Eric Bledsoe and then fired a frontcourt pass to Atlanta guard Jeff Teague ... who waited patiently for his teammates to pursue the basket before hitting Korver across the court.
And to no one's surprise, Korver (14 points) sank the second of his three triples.
Which brings us to this: The Hawks were completely on their game throughout the final 12 minutes, outscoring the shifty Suns 31-14 in the fourth quarter.
During this period, Phoenix was a scattered mess, launching a number of rushed shots and ill-advised passes. On the flip side, Atlanta had en eerie calm about its offense, moving the ball proficiently around the perimeter -- and then attacking the basket, whenever necessary.
And while the Suns (34-33, 10th in the West) registered six blocks for the game, the Hawks never truly lived in fear of slashing through the paint.
The reserve guard notched a plus-20 for the night, a staggering tally for a guy who collected just one assist, two steals, three rebounds and 11 points in 23 minutes of action.
Bazemore's secret to success: His defense on the Suns' lot of interchangeable guards was absolutely crucial to the Hawks' rally; and his steal/runaway dunk clinched Atlanta's 21st road victory ... which is equal to/greater than the number of seasonal wins for Orlando, Philadelphia, New York, Minnesota and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Back in January, we conservatively targeted March 31 as the date for Atlanta's 58th seasonal victory -- a road outing against Detroit.
And the way things are shaping up, the 31st remains the best guess for the Hawks' new threshold of greatness, breaking a hallowed record that's currently shared by the 1986-87 and 1993-94 Atlanta squads.
The Hawks still must navigate a daunting West Coast swing that includes the Lakers, Kings, Warriors and Thunder -- let alone a quick-turnaround clash against the defending champion Spurs next Sunday.
But even with that, it's easy to rationalize Atlanta going 7-3 for the rest of March ... setting the stage for an easy-breezy April which shall include highlights, such as hitting 60 wins, claiming the Southeast Division title and solidifying the No. 1 seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs.
