The Atlanta Hawks have never been sexy. Not since Dominique Wilkins was in uniform, at least. Even when they won the franchise’s only championship back in the 1958s, they were led by some lanky white guy named Bob Pettit that most young Hawks fans have probably never even heard of.

Between overpaid superstars like Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, early playoff exits over the last decade and the recent scandal of racism involving Danny Ferry and the front office, it’s no wonder Philips Arena can barely fill the seats. Fans simply haven’t felt the need to support a team that tops out as a first round playoff exit.

But over the course of the last few weeks, Atlanta has done everything in its power to earn that trust back. They’re 12-1 for the month of December, they’ve won five straight games and they trail the Toronto Raptors by a half game for the top spot in the Eastern Conference with a 21-7 record. Suddenly, this previously overlooked Hawks team has become sexy again.

But how are they doing it? It’s definitely time to stop overlooking the Atlanta Hawks, but maybe we should look at the five biggest reasons why so that we can appreciate this team again, or at the very least, recognize that Sir Foster is no longer the finest product on display at Philips Arena.