It's been a few days now, and we've had a little time to digest the events that drew the 2007-08 season to a close. It was an up-and-down year to be sure, but I think it's safe to say it ended on an emphatic upswing. Maybe the Hawks didn't win the series against the Celtics, but despite the loss they managed to capture the nation's attention and put themselves on the map as a team to watch out for going forward.

With Billy Knight's departure there are many decisions that have to be made, but we'll save that for later posts throughout the summer. For now, let's take a final look back at the season that was.

Best Win (Regular Season): Hawks 98, Lakers 95 - The Lakers are perhaps the odds-on favorite to win the NBA title right now, but they were the second best team at Philips Arena back on Feb. 6. LA led by 8 entering the fourth quarter, but the Hawks rallied to outscore their opponents 30-19 over the final twelve minutes to claim the victory. Joe Johnson won his personal battle with Kobe Bryant, scoring 28 points and forcing Bryant into a turnover in the final seconds to preserve the Hawks win. Al Horford had arguably the best game of his rookie season, scoring 15 points and dominating the glass for a career-high 20 rebounds.

Best Win (Post Season): Hawks 97, Celtics 92 - Game 4 of the Hawks-Celtics series. This was Joe Johnson's national coming out party, the game that cemented his status as an All-Star caliber player. JJ scored 20 points in the fourth quarter, putting his team on his back and rallying them from a 10-point deficit to start the 4th to tie the series at 2-2. Boston boasted the best defense in the NBA this year, but for one quarter Joe made them look like a high school team. It truly was one of the great playoff performances in franchise history.

Worst Loss (Regular Season): Trail Blazers 94, Hawks 93 - When I think back on which games kept the Hawks from improving their seeding in the Eastern Conference playoff chase, this is the one that stands out the most in my mind. The Hawks led by 14 midway through the fourth quarter, but couldn't hold on as Brandon Roy sank two free throws with 2.3 seconds left to win the game for the Blazers. Atlanta was trying to build some momentum on a five-game West Coast trip at the time, having won 99-90 at Seattle, but the loss deflated the team and led to a 1-4 finish.

Worst Loss (Post Season): Celtics 99, Hawks 65 - Overall, the Hawks should be very proud of their work in the first round against the Celtics, but I'd be lying if I said Game 7 wasn't a huge disappointment. Atlanta could never get it going offensively in Boston, but in Game 7 in particular every shot seemed to rim out or fall short. The Hawks would have made the Celtics sweat if they'd been able to keep it close, but they never had the opportunity after scoring only 26 points in the first half. Hopefully the bitter sting of the loss will be ample motivation for everyone to work harder in the offseason so they come back seeking revenge in 2008-09.

Best Offensive Performance (Team): Hawks 116, Grizzlies 99 - Maybe the Hawks weren't the best road team in 2007-08, but that doesn't mean they didn't have some great performances away from Philips Arena. In the midst of the team's late-season playoff push came this gem in Memphis, when the Hawks blitzed the Grizzlies from the very beginning, outscoring them 40-19 in the first quarter and putting up a season-high 73 points in the first half. Josh Smith led the way with 26 points, while Al Horford and Joe Johnson had 19 apiece.

Best Offensive Performance (Individual): Joe Johnson vs LA Clippers - JJ had higher-scoring games in 07-08, but nothing quite matched his third quarter against the Clippers on March 14. Joe drilled 6 three-pointers in the stanza, including one from roughly 30 feet (and it wasn't a buzzer-beater). He finished the game with 28 points, but 21 of them came in the 3rd as the Hawks evened their season series with the Clips at 1-1.

Best Defensive Performance (Team): Hawks at Spurs, First Quarter: I know the Hawks eventually lost the game, but any time you can hold the defending champs to a franchise low for points in a quarter you have to celebrate the occasion. Atlanta held San Antonio to only 5 points in the first quarter of their game at the SBC center on February 25, the worst output in the Spurs illustrious history. Unfortunately, the Spurs defense played well that night also, and the Spurs rallied for an 89-74 home win.

Best Defensive Performance (Individual): Josh Smith vs Philadelphia 76ers - Josh Smith has altered many games with his defense, but none this past season like the Hawks-Sixers game on Feb. 4. The Sixers ran out to a 20-point lead early in the contest, but Smoove's amazing shot-blocking skills led the Hawks rally to a 96-91 win. Smith finished the night with a season-high 9 blocked shots, adding in 6 rebounds and 4 steals for good measure. He also put in work on the offensive end, scoring 19 points and dishing out 9 assists.

Shot of the Year (Regular Season): Joe Johnson beats the Minnesota Timberwolves - Showing the kind of clutch shooting that has been a trademark of his time in Atlanta, JJ helped the Hawks avoid a disastrous loss to the lowly T-Wolves with his buzzer-beating 15-footer at the buzzer. Marko Jaric scored on a lay-up with 2.2 seconds left to give Minnesota the lead, but Johnson took the ball at the top of the key, dribbled right, and buried the game-winner over the outstretched arms of Michael Doleac. It was early in the season, but it ended up mattering plenty as the Hawks held off the Pacers for the final playoff spot by a single game.

Shot of the Year (Post Season): Joe Johnson seals Game 6 with a 3 - JJ's performance in Game 4 was legendary, but it was his 3-pointer with time winding down in Game 6 that will stick in my mind throughout the offseason. The Hawks led 97-95 with just over a minute left in the game, and with the shot-clock winding down Joe had to fire one up from distance with James Posey and Ray Allen draped all over him. The shot hit bottoms, giving the Hawks a 100-95 lead that the held onto to force an improbable Game 7. (Close second - JJ's wait-for-it three with Leon Powe layed out on the court in front of him in Game 4)

Have other suggestions for highlights from the season just ended? Share your thoughts in the comments...