Over/Under

The NBA season for the Atlanta Hawks has come to an end after being swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers. I'm a long-time die hard when it comes to the Hawks. Don't ask me to explain, except for the fact that they're the hometown crew, and basketball is my favorite sport to watch. I watched as the team devolved from a championship contender to trading Dominique Wilkins for Danny Manning, Steve Smith for Isaiah Rider, and Jason Terry for Antoine Walker (and later, Antoine Walker in exchange for nothing). Where did that put them? The bottom of the basement, trapped in a barrel underneath said basement.

The true defining moment? An ugly 13- 69 season 5 years back. We've improved every year since then, doubling our win total 4 years ago, making the playoffs last season, and becoming the #4 seed this year with 47 wins. But I would argue that we've both over and underperformed this year.

We were 28th in free throw percentage. We lost too many one point games. We blew a lot of leads. We easily could have won 50 games (a so-called important number) if not for all of these factors plus injuries to Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Marvin Williams (all of whom missed somewhere in the neighborhood of 12-16 games). And Joe Johnson had a terrible start to 2009, despite being white hot at the beginning of the season. Clearly, looking at the regular season, we're better than our very frustrating to get 47 wins.

But then the playoffs rolled around. We tore Miami apart in Game 1, holding them to a franchise playoff low 61 points while firing on all cylinders on our end. And then we looked like the worst team in the playoffs in Games 2 and 3. It was an ugly series, but we came out on top in 7 games.

And then the eventual champion Cavs came to town. They exposed every weakness we had. Short bench, no offensive strategy, and a lack of guys who were willing to step up regardless of injuries. They made us look like we had no business being in the playoffs, let alone as the #4 seed. And the worst part is... Cleveland didn't even play that well.

Did they over perform during the season, or under perform during the playoffs? Which team is the real team?

Each season is a long and arduous one. The Hawks never let me get content that they're going to do what they're meant to and just perform at a higher level. They jump, they dive, they sidestep. They never let me know what's coming next. I guess that's what being a fan is like.

It's an interesting summer they're heading into as well. Bibby, Williams*, Zaza, and Flip are all free agents (*restricted). We have the money to sign them all, I'm sure, but... Does it help the team? And what happens after next season when 3-time All-Star and captain Joe Johnson's deal is up? And just where was he for most of the playoffs?

I love the Hawks. One day, I hope they'll return the favor.

TGIM - Hawks Beat Heat in Game 1

Come on... Was there ever any doubt?

Anyone that knows me knows I love the Hawks. I mean the kind of Love where you deal with ten straight losing seasons just to get to the playoffs again (as a sub-.500 team), and you feel justified in never abandoning them. Not even when they met it impossibly hard, like the infamous 13-win season, or when they drafted Marvin Williams instead of Chris Paul...

I love the Hawks. They're my hometown team, they make bonehead moves, but at the end of the day I still love them. That they're finally good again, and attempting to make a move into the NBA's elite makes it all the sweeter. Their next step? Getting into the 2nd round of the NBA playoffs after last year's surprising 7-game showdown against the eventual NBA Champs, the Boston Celtics. No one gave us a chance, we closed it down on our home floor, and we pushed them to the brink (assuming you don't look at Game 7 that closely).

We started out the season scorching, 6-0, until we went to Boston to play our old pals the Celtics. Again, we pushed it to the brink, losing on a last second shot from my enemy, the bitchiest and only, Paul Pierce. We didn't get our revenge on the Celtics (getting swept in the season series 0-4), but we did firmly plant ourselves as the East's #4 seed. The only team that even made it close was Miami, led by the incredibly talented Dwyane Wade.

Most people are picking the Hawks in 6. My gut told me Hawks in 5. The season is a waste if we don't get to the 2nd round and get a chance to show ourselves against one of the East's true elite teams (Cleveland, Boston, Orlando). But everyone keeps talking about how Wade can take over a game (true) and how he has the skill to take over a series (it's a team sport, so not quite). Imagine my pleasure looking at the final score of Game 1.

Hawks 90, Heat 64

It's a team playoff low for Miami. It's just the first of many steps in the Hawks' journey. We didn't keep up the intensity all game. The fourth quarter was a joke. But man if we didn't look amazing for a half and solid for another quarter. That's all we need. One game at a team, one team, one series.

We saw what happens when you let up (us vs. Boston) last year. We're not going to sleep on Wade or the Heat. But we're also not going to get pushed around. We have the personnel to destroy this team, and right now that's the goal. Joe Johnson and Josh Smith are too good for the Heat to handle. And we can hurt them other ways too.

I love it.

Say It Ain' So, Smoltzy

I woke up late, sick, and got just about the last sports news I ever expected to see.  Especially at this juncture in the MLB's free agent season.

John Smoltz is leaving the Braves, the only team he's pitched for in 21 seasons, to join the Boston Red Sox.  The initial report I read thanks to a gmail clip was that Smoltz was "on the verge" of signing.  But the AJC confirms it all official like here.

I'm shocked, quite frankly.  But for a rapidly deteriorating ball club and given the way this off-season has gone, I guess I shouldn't be.  John Smoltz is the Atlanta Braves.  He's never been quite as prolific as Maddux or Glavine, and he never made the waves that some other high

 profile stars do.  But he was the work horse and the heart.  A multiple time surgery recipient and one-time Cy Young.  A starter and a closer.  And now, we can add ex-Brave to that list.

I'm pretty much speechless over this.  Frank Wren has proved himself to be no John Schuerholz, and I just want my team back.  So long, Smoltzy.  You're a legend and a class act, and I miss you already.

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As you can see from the above, I'll definitely be talking some sports up here.  I'm a big ATL sports fans (Hawks, Braves, Falcons), and a general buff.  Feel free to skip if it's not your thing.