I can’t remember the last time that I watched an Atlanta Hawks game before these playoffs. I guarantee that Dominique Wilkens and/or Spud Webb were still sporting Hawks jerseys. When did TBS stop airing Atlanta’s games? Almost every game was on TBS, usually right after Atlanta Braves games. I think the point when they stopped airing the games on TBS, I stopped watching the Hawks. To be honest, the only time I remembered that they existed was when they picked the ping-pong balls out for the NBA Lottery.

The Atlanta Hawks are such a young team, but filled with solid college players, except Josh Smith, who went pro from high school. Al Horford, Josh Childress, and Mike Bibby seem to play very well together. No one expected that Atlanta would win one game, let alone force a seventh game. I am liking what I am seeing in this series, the boys are becoming men.I know the NBA are foaming at the mouth for a possible Celtics/Lakers NBA Final, but at the same time, a young, talented, underdog story can be good for the league as well. If Atlanta shocks the world and beats Boston, they may not beat Cleveland, but they are setting themselves up to build on their success this year. Al Horford looks like the real deal and was shafted by not getting Rookie Of The Year. Kevin Durant may have had the point totals, but Horford has had a better well-rounded year and made his team competitive.Somebody wake these guys up! I know they are making some crazy money, but isn’t the post-season the reason these guys wanted to play together? In Game 6, Ray Allen looked nervous, Paul Pierce was hot-headed, and Kevin Garnett was the only one that showed up to win this series. You cannot win an NBA playoff game if the opposing team reaches the free-throw line 20 more times than you. These three guys may be showing people the real reason why neither of them have won an NBA championship, they disappear when it matters.