Can we be honest here? The Hawks need a win tonight. New Jersey, for whatever reason, has owned us this season. They've beaten us at home, they've beaten us on the road, they've won by a lot, they've won on buzzer beaters; you name it, they've pretty much done it to us. We owe them.

Also, coming off three straight losses, Atlanta needs some good news. The team needs to play well together, to defend the basket, and to get some easy points. This is a portion of the schedule they need to take advantage of, playing some teams that are behind them in the standings, especially with a long West coast trip looming after the All-Star break.

The good news is, the Hawks have responded well most of the season so far. In almost every situation like tonight, they have met the challenge and prevailed. As frustrating as the last few losses have been, the Hawks are still who we thought they were (to use an overplayed cliche) - a very talented team capable of beating anyone in the league.

It seems like it was so long ago that Atlanta was hanging a 30-point win on Milwaukee, but it's only been a week. That's how fast things change in this business. A win tonight might start a streak going the opposite direction, who knows?

Come down to Philips tonight to see the Hawks get some payback and get the offense back on track.

As (most of us) expected, Joe Johnson was named to his third straight Eastern Conference All-Star team tonight. Maybe we take it for granted at this point given his consistent excellence for the Hawks, but it's really a rather impressive feat. In the franchise's history, only 6 players have ever accomplished the feat: Bob Pettit, Slater Martin, Cliff Hagan, Lenny Wilkens, Lou Hudson, and Dominique Wilkins (Dikembe Mutombo made three straight if you don't count 1999, when they didn't have a game due to the lockout), and most of those guys made it back when there were many less teams, and therefore less competition, for All-Star berths.

So JJ becomes the 7th, and he will head to Phoenix for the festivities Feb. 13-15. While Mike Bibby was not named as a reserve, we still hope to hear his name called on Feb. 4 for the three-point contest.

Congratulations Joe!

We are two weeks away from All-Star Weekend in Phoenix, and I think I speak for most Hawks fans when I say I am more excited for this year than any year in the past decade or so. To the victor go the spoils, as the saying goes, and with the Hawks perched in 4th place in the East right now, I am hopeful to see as many as three Atlanta players participating in the various events throughout the weekend.

The first domino fell into place today, as Al Horford was named to the Sophomore Squad for Friday night's T-Mobile Rookie Challenge. No big surprise there, as Horford was an easy choice last year, finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting (he wuz robbed I tells ya!), and generally has performed at the same level if not better in his second tour of duty. With his targeted return of Feb. 4, he should be back in plenty of time to be fully ready to showcase his skills at the league's midseason classic.

Reserve squads for the East and West All-Star teams will be announced tomorrow night on TNT, and every prediction I've seen so far has Joe Johnson making the trip. While I think you can make a case for Mike Bibby on the team as well, I don't expect to hear his name called tomorrow. Still, we are very hopeful he'll be included in the mix for the 3-point shootout, the contestants of which will be announced on Feb. 4.

Congrats again to Big Al for the honor, which will make him the first Hawks player to participate in the event as both a Rookie and a Sophomore.

One thing I will note from last night's game is for those used to hearing Steve Holman calling the game on the radio all by his lonesome this season, you might have noticed a partner on the broadcast with a slightly-less gravelly voice than Dennis Scott.

Those pipes belonged to Lang Whitaker, who happened to be in Miami for a SLAM feature and who managed to parlay his visit into a two-night gig as Holman's sidekick. You can read a recap of his evening here, and if you are bummed you missed it last night, then make sure to catch him and Steve during tomorrow night's broadcast. I imagine he'll have something to say about it in his weekly column for Hawks Insider later this week as well...

Last night we hosted the 3rd annual Hawks Blog Night at Philips Arena, and I'd like to think it was a smashing success, save for the eventual outcome of the game. When we started doing this three years ago, most of the bloggers on-site were general interest bloggers, or business bloggers, or some other kind of blogger other than a Hawks-centric one.

This time around, I'm happy to say everyone there was pretty much all Hawks, all the time. It's a tribute to the fan support of this team that the blogosphere has started to grow, and for those of you reading this and thinking how much fun it would be to participate yourself, take this as a challenge to get your own thoughts and opinions out there, and perhaps you can join in the future.

Though the Hawks lost the game (They are now 1-2 on Blog Night. To be fair they've played the Lakers, Nuggets, and Suns, which is a tough row to hoe. Maybe next year we'll do it for Memphis or the Clippers), I think everyone had a good time. The highlight of the night was the exclusive Q&A session with Hawks GM Rick Sund, who was very candid and honest in answering questions about the team and the direction of the franchise.

We got better seats this year, sitting on the first floor of suites as opposed to the top, though as it turns out that affected our access to this thing they call the "Internet", which I hear is helpful when trying to, say, live blog a game. Noted for the future.

Here are some excerpts from those who participated last night, but feel free to read their entire recaps at their individual sites:

Hawks Str8Talk
"In the clearest sign that there is a departure from the Billy Knight era, GM Rick Sund took about 30 minutes of his time prior to the Hawks/Suns game to talk with the Atlanta Hawks Blog Nation. What was a Part Introduction/part Q & A was a very informative look at the inner workings of the man who has the now enviable position of elevating the team from potential 4 seed to potential title contender."

Hoopinion
"I attended last night's game at the invitation of the Atlanta Hawks* and also attended Woodson's post-game press conference and can offer as a first-hand account that Woodson took what had to have been a frustrating loss (It was certainly frustrating just to watch.) with an admirably equanimity. Something that should not go unremarked even as I still question certain tactical or man management decisions he makes: Mike Woodson appears far more comfortable coaching the Atlanta Hawks than he did last year."

Rise Up Mofos
"Atlanta played inspired ball in the 2nd Quarter and was firing on all cylinders. They were hitting their shots and were matching the Suns’ up-tempo style. The highlight of the night was when Josh got the ball out on a fast break and rose up over Steve Nash and slammed on him. The crowd went nuts and they must’ve shown the replay at least five times on the big screen. I didn’t stay up for Sportscenter, but I imagine it had to have made the top 10 plays of the night."

The Vent
"Josh Smith with the jam. My boy is playing tonight. He's playing Amare to a draw right now. He has 17 and 10 Amare has 16 and 4. Actually Josh is playing better and he has 2 monster highlights in this game. If he doesn't make Sportscenter I'm going to be unhappy. Well actually I might not know one way or the other, but I'm just saying."

BKTookMyLunchMoney
"9:35, Great pass from JJ to Solomon Jones, who dunks it. Shaq looked like the burger he probably ate for lunch is slowing him down. The Vortex will do that to ya."

Peachtree Hoops
"Rick Sund. I liked him, but he could also beat me up. so I may be a bit conflicted."

"Solo just shut down Steve Nash on the perimeter. Solo just shut down Steve Nash on the perimeter. That deserved to be typed twice."

Thanks again to everyone who participated, and hopefully we'll see even more of you in the future.

Runaround Sue's
"The mural that stands watch over the Hawks practice floor. In the not-too-distant past, this poster would elicit some scoffing, half-witted sarcastic remark involving the finer points of the uses of oxymoron. I am happy to say that is no longer the case in Hawks land."

More pictures from the event after the jump.

Looking Back: Going West, Part I
Home games: Houston, Orlando, Philly, Toronto, Milwaukee
Road games: Orlando, Phoenix, LA Clippers, Golden State, Chicago

What happened: This wasn't the finest stretch of the season for the Hawks, though they did rally nicely towards the end. Some of that can be attributed to injuries, which cost them Al Horford for most of the stretch and Marvin Williams for three games (and Acie Law as well). The home loss to the Magic seemed to really affect the team, as they rallied from a 21-point fourth quarter deficit only to fall in the final minute. The resulting blitz at Orlando was probably the worst loss of the season, and the after effects lingered through a home loss to Philly and then a loss at Phoenix. Something happened at the end of that Suns game though that I think may end up being a defining moment of this season. Josh Smith missed an ill-advised jumper towards the end, but as a result it appears a light-bulb went off in his head, because ever since he's been taking his game down into the paint where he's been nearly unstoppable. The Hawks got a win over the JV Clippers in LA, then unfortunately caught the Warriors on a hot shooting night and fell there to go 1-2 on their West Coast swing. Just when it seemed like things were starting to go awry, the team rallied behind Smoove and point guard Mike Bibby, reeling off three straight wins to end the ten-game stretch. Included was a win over the Bulls in Chicago, which gave the Hawks a season-sweep over them for the first time in franchise history, and saw Bibby pop for a season-high 31 points.

Injury report: Al Horford suffered a bone bruise in his knee at Orlando and has been out ever since. There has been no timetable set for his return, but hopefully it will be sooner rather than later. Marvin Williams took a blow to the head from Ronny Turiaf in the Warriors game, and the resulting concussion saw him miss the rest of that game and two more to boot (he returned against the Bucks). Acie Law suffered a thigh contusion against Toronto, causing him to miss the last two games as well.

In Summary: I predicted 7-3, the team went 5-5. Given the injuries and the way the team played over the last few games, I'll take it. Even if the Hawks make it to 50 wins, there are still going to be stretches where things don't go right at times. This was one of those stretches, but the team persevered nevertheless. The blowout win over Milwaukee was particularly nice, giving the Hawks starters a chance to sit the entire fourth quarter for the first time this season and allowing minutes for guys like Othello Hunter, Randolph Morris, and Mario West.

Looking Ahead: Countdown To All-Star Weekend
Home games: Phoenix, New Jersey, LA Clippers, Washington
Road games: Miami, New York, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Charlotte, Detroit

Expectations going in: The Hawks set a goal of 50 wins before the season started. At the halfway point in the season, the team was 25-16, literally halfway to a 50-32 record. If they want to achieve their aims, this first stretch of games will be critical. Look at the list of opponents - there isn't a single one that, in theory, the Hawks couldn't beat. Or, put differently, I'd argue the Hawks are more talented than every opponent on the list. A good performance here could really catapult Atlanta into prime position to snag a home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, and give the team some cushion as the schedule gets harder after the All-Star break (and believe me, it does). Six of these games are on the road, so how well the team takes advantage of this slate will rest heavily on their ability to play well away from Philips Arena. Getting Al Horford back would be very helpful (though Zaza Pachulia has acquitted himself very well in Horford's absence).

Predicted Record: The Hawks nearly beat Phoenix on the road, and I think they'll get revenge at home. The same goes for New Jersey, a team they are 0-3 against this season. The Clippers and Wizards should be easy pickings. On the road, I think the team needs to go 3-3 at a minimum, but I think 4-2 is within reach. I'll be conservative and say they lose at Miami, Charlotte (the Bobcats are playing well of late and always give the Hawks fits on their turf), and Detroit, and get wins at New York, Milwaukee, and Minnesota.

I hate to sound like a broken record always predicting 7-3, but that's what I see happening. Hit that, and the Hawks are 33-19 at the All-Star break, and just four wins away from matching their total from a year ago.

What are your predictions?

About to head home, but I wanted to share a few little nuggets of information before I do.

- I am doing a bunch of mid-seasony stuff seeing as the Hawks are at the halfway mark. I interviewed Joe Johnson and Mike Woodson today to get their thoughts on the season's first half, and (tease) I've got a much longer-form interview coming tomorrow with Hawks GM Rick Sund. Stay tuned for that for sure.

- If you are of the technologically inclined, I've started a Hawks twitter feed that you can sign up for. I am still very new at it, so by all means feel free to make suggestions on how I should be doing it. Apparently some people have liked it enough so far though that we actually got a shout-out in today's AJC, so that's kinda neat.

- Lastly, the NBA will announce the All-Star game starters tonight on TNT. Barring a miracle (and I mean, we are talking miracle), we won't see any Hawks in the starting lineup, but I still like our chances for when they announce the reserves next Thursday. In related news, the NBA will announce on Feb. 4 the participants in the long distance shootout, which we are all hoping Mike Bibby will be a part of. So mark that date on your calendar as well.

That's it for me, I'm going to head home. We'll have more on the Hawks-Bucks match-up during the day tomorrow...

UPDATE: Also, a new Lang Whitaker column is up - sign up for Hawks Insider if you haven't already and check it out!

I was talking to Hawks PR man Jason Roose at the Raptors game yesterday, and with all the injuries the team was dealing with, I said, "We are going to need 30 from Bibby to win this game." I was wrong, but only by a day. Bibby strapped his ailing teammates on his shoulders and carried them to victory tonight in a much-needed 105-102 decision over Chicago, scoring 31 points in the process (the most he's had in a Hawks uniform). Missing Al Horford (knee bruise), Marvin Williams (concussion), and Acie Law (thigh contusion) and playing the second of a back-to-back, Bibby's hot shooting kept the Hawks in range throughout before they finally pulled away late.

With the win, the Hawks sweep the season series 3-0 over the Bulls, which marks, amazingly, the first time in franchise history they've managed to accomplish the feat. And while Bibby was the unquestioned star of the show, I'd be remiss not to point out the contributions of Josh Smith and Zaza Pachulia as well. Josh Smith continues a recent stretch where he's played much more within his comfort zone, as he put up his second straight double-double (17 points and 14 rebounds) and the third in his last five games, while Pachulia notched a season-high 18 points starting in the pivot.

The Bulls may not be a juggernaut, a .500 team, or even a playoff contender (they should be, but boy are they careless with the basketball), but this still remains a big, big win for the Hawks. With the team struggling of late even when healthy, this is the kind of confidence boost that could really have a positive effect on the squad as they hit the season's halfway point, which they reach at 25-16, their best mark through 41 games since the 1997-98 squad started out 26-15.

The Hawks get a couple days off for some much-needed rest, then begin the second half against the Bucks Friday night at Philips Arena.

Like most everyone in the United States today, the Hawks players, coaches, and staff kept tabs on the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama taking place in Washington, DC, even while preparing for tonight's game against the Chicago Bulls. Hawks VP of Public Relations Arthur Triche was kind enough to share his thoughts on this amazing day in American history and how it affected the team and everyone around them.

OBAMALAND, Chicago (Inauguration Day, Jan. 20) --- You remember with clarity the things in your life that mean a lot to you – like graduating from high school and college, the unfortunate death of a family member, your lovely wedding, the exciting birth of a child, and hopefully one day, winning a world championship.

Today, ranks as one of the greatest days in my life (and I hope it does for many, if not all of you).

I think back and remember where I was when I heard about the death of MLK, Jr., the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger, the news of Magic Johnson attaining the HIV virus, the first retirement of Michael Jordan, 9-11, again, 9-11, Hurricane Katrina, and the forever changing imagery of Doug Williams, Lenny Wilkens, John Thompson, Cito Gaston, Tiger Woods and Tony Dungy (and most recently Cullen Jones).

Now this…

President Barack Obama.  #44.

Not the number signifying my other heroes like Hank Aaron and Jerry West, but my new “Fave One” – yeah, gotta show some man love – for Barry – not Sanders or Bonds.  The man who has the power of our futures in his hands, and who brings a tremendous amount of promise, optimism, and his signature word “hope”, to our nation and the world.

The ceremonies today reflected “my America”.  A nation of inclusion, not exclusion.

And I’m proud to say your Atlanta Hawks – despite our shootaround preparation for tonight’s game against the Obama’s hometown Bulls, got to see it all, with an assist from the United Center.

Knowing we had a game tonight, I approached Woody (Hawks coach Mike Woodson) a week ago with the hopes of moving up our originally scheduled time of 11 am central practice to 9:30.  Obviously, if we would have been forced to stick with that time, we would have missed the historic ceremony, so I thought we need to move things up a bit to allow everyone a chance to see the swearing-in events.  Unfortunately, we got a late start and it appeared as if we would miss everything (@#*!)!!!  Not me, I was already planning to leave the team walking through their sets and get in a cab to return to my hotel room and watch it all.  Sorry fellas, these events outranked even you guys today – and rightly so.

But as I said the UC executive (probably with a little help from our opponents) had the big –screen videoboards shining brightly with coverage from MSNBC.  Wow!  At that moment, I was thinking of Skip Bayless’ favorite player, Terrell (Terrible) Owens and one of his great lines, “get your popcorn ready!”  It felt like we had the building to ourselves with the best TV set this side of Washington.

“We were looking LIVE!”  Brent Musberger – I apologize for stepping on your phrase, but the television view of the throng of people was completely astonishing.  I originally had plans on being there, but once the number of 5 million people was thrown out there, I said, no way (and a few other choice words) and thought that the next best thing would be to follow the team to Chicago and witness history in our new President’s hometown.

I still wish I would have gone.

But I enjoyed spending time with our players and coaches – I don’t know who was more excited, me or Woody – and it was nice to see their eyes riveted to the screen as the Obamas and Bidens were introduced with their new titles.

How many of them fully understood what was going on, I don’t know.  Some people view athletes and spoiled, pampered brats who don’t have a clue as to how the real world operates.  Well, today is not the time for that subject.  It was important for Woody to make sure we did this together as a team, and that certainly replaced my disappointment for not being in our nation’s capital.

The players stared intently at the screen and they didn’t utter any disapproval about taking extra time away from their lunch or afternoon nap.  I hope they went back to their hotel rooms and watched the rest of the day’s activities, and left ESPN, MTV or BET (and their video games) alone.

As Woody exclaimed “BARACK OBAMA” after he was sworn in as our new President, I’m sure they appreciated what their forefathers and mothers did to provide them with the opportunities we now enjoy as a people.

This was not an African-American day, this was an day for all Americans, and we should all feel proud.

As an aside, I woke up this morning like it was Christmas Day.  I was up and at ‘em at 4 AM (yikes!!) and noticed that CNN was reporting live from the Mall of Washington and people were already getting into position to view the proceedings.  I went down to the gym around 6 and my workout was spirited as I awaited the noontime events.

I haven’t stopped smiling all day, and hopefully we end the night with a Hawks victory.

Finally, I wanted to share an e-mail I wrote before I went to my workout that I sent to a few family and friends, expressing the joy I knew I would feel on this day, Tuesday, January 20^th, and hopefully you had similar thoughts…enjoy.

Enjoy the Day, My Fellow Americans

Friends,

Words can’t fully express the way I feel this morning, and I’ve been up since 4 central time (I’m in Obamaland, Chicago) waiting with tremendous anticipation of today’s historic day.

Needless to say, I never, ever, thought I would witness this day, the era, in which an African-American would earn the right to be elected to the highest office in the land.

Soon-to-be President Obama’s announcement over two years ago was viewed by many, me included, as a longshot, “never in a million years”, and I’m proud to be wrong, oh, so wrong, because it certainly proves, to borrow a line from Kevin Garnett of the hated Celtics, “Anything’s Possible!!!!”

He, and we, deserve this moment.  We certainly have a lot of work to do to improve things in this country (I’m done with the Bush bashing, and hopefully I will never have to utter his name again), and I’m proud and blessed to be alive today to witness this measure of history.  If you know of my last two years, you certainly understand.  I only wish my parents were around to see it for themselves.

I could probably go on, but I’ll stop.  You get the point.  I just felt like putting a few thoughts into words and sharing them with you, my dear friends.

My hope and prayers to brother Barack, sister Michelle, the darling kids, the Biden family, and for our nation.  May the best begin today.  For all of us.

Peace,
AT

But they didn't, and in this case, I'm not too upset about it. Golden State played very well tonight and hit a lot of tough, contested shots. The way they shot it, I think they'd beat a large amount of the teams in the League. The Hawks played ok, but after the injury to Marvin Williams just lacked the firepower to match the Warriors hot shooting.

The loss obscured an excellent effort off the bench by both Maurice Evans and Flip Murray, who each played larger minutes than normal and made huge contributions.

The Hawks finish the West Coast trip 1-2 and banged up. The report on Marvin is that he should be fine, but they will keep him overnight in a local hospital just in case.

Hopefully the team will take the next two days to rest up before they host the Raptors in an MLK matinee on Monday at Philips Arena.

From the files of "Being An NBA Player Can Be Harder Than It Looks"...

While most of his teammates celebrated the win over the Clippers on Wednesday night and prepared to fly an hour or so to San Francisco in advance of tonight's game at Golden State, Hawks C Zaza Pachulia had other things to deal with, like continuing the process of obtaining his permanent green card.

Pachulia, as an international player, has had to deal with passport challenges ever since he joined the NBA in 2003. Most years he is able to take care of it before the season starts, but at times it has affected him during play, as in 2007-08 when he had to sit out a Hawks road trip to Toronto because of complications with his passport.

Getting a permanent visa is a process that takes some time (my co-worker Ben, who runs the Thrashers site and is Canadian, estimates it will end up taking around six months to get his), and apparently requires you to be incredibly flexible. Zaza had an appointment for an interview scheduled for Thursday, and the fact that the Hawks were in the midst of a trip out to the West Coast mattered little.

So, Big Z did what he had to do. Directly after the Clippers game, Pachulia headed straight for LAX, where he caught a 1:00 am flight back to Atlanta. Arriving at 9:30 Thursday morning, he went straight to the office of US Citizenship and Immigration Services in Atlanta to finish the process. Once it was done it was right back to the road, as he" caught the first available flight to San Francisco and arrived last night to rejoin the Hawks less than 24 hours before tonight's tip-off. Yowsa.

By phone this afternoon, a slightly weary Pachulia talked about what an important moment this was for him:

"Getting this card means a lot to me," he said. "I am lucky to have it - I know a lot of people have to wait years and years to make something like this happen, so I feel very fortunate. It's the dream of anyone who is from another country but who wants to work in the United States to have a green card, and for me, as someone who sees his future and his family's future in the US, this is a really big step.

"As an NBA player, I am used to traveling a lot, but flying something like 10 of the last 24 hours, it reminds me of going back to Europe. To do something like that, especially in the middle of a road trip, proves just how important this is to me."

All of which is to say that if it takes ZP a few minutes to get into the swing of things tonight, I for one will cut the guy a little slack. I don't expect him to need it though, as he has performed pretty admirably in place of Al Horford while Horford rehabs his injured knee.

Catch Z and his teammates on the late show tonight, as they try to take the rubber game of the three-game trip against the Warriors at 10:30 ET on SportSouth.

In other news, I wanted to drop this little tidbit of information for those of you planning to come to some home games in the near future.

I try not to shill too much for the company in this space, because I want the BasketBlog to be the spot you can go to escape the PR spin that you would normally expect from us on the team's official website, but being that I am cheap, I figure that anything I'd want to know as a fan is worth posting here.

Starting with Monday's matinee against the Raptors and running through the Feb. 10th game against Washington, the Hawks are offering $1 pre-game prices on hot dogs, popcorn, and fountain drinks.  The offer will begin when doors open, and go up until game time.

In these economic times, you gotta take advantage where you can, and this seems like a pretty solid deal to me, so come early, stuff your face, and cheer on the home team!

/corporate shill

Historically the Hawks have had a tough time maintaining intensity against lesser opponents, but tonight they showed from very early on they meant business.

No one illustrated that intensity more tonight than Josh Smith. Smoove has been taking a lot of heat lately for his shot selection, and it appeared tonight he was intent on being aggressive and getting his shots closer to the basket where he is infinitely more successful.

Smith finished the night with a team-leading 26 points on 10-15 shooting, and his energy was evident early on and spurred his teammates to shrug off the effects of last night's disappointing loss in Phoenix.

With the win the Hawks snap a four-game losing streak and give themselves a chance to come away with a winning record on this three-game road swing, with the rubber match coming Friday night in Golden State.

It's only been a few days, but still - it feels good to be back in the win column.

Unfortunately, missed free throws and missed shots late in the game were the difference tonight, as the team fell for the fourth straight game.

There were positives though, like the play of the bench to help bring the Hawks back in the second quarter, the second-chance scoring (the Hawks outscored the Suns 20-2 in that category, which is impressive considering Phoenix's starting frontline of Shaquille O'Neal and Amare Stoudemire) and if Joe Johnson has even a decent shooting night, Atlanta maybe steals this one.

He didn't though, and that is going to happen from time to time. The fact that his teammates picked him up is a good sign, and you just have to hope the team takes out their frustrations on the Clippers tomorrow night in LA.

For sure, Horford is out today and won't travel on the West Coast trip this week, and I imagine they'll re-evaulate the situation after that.

What does this mean for Atlanta? For starters, it puts the onus on Zaza Pachulia, who will start in Big Al's place. Zaza has played well off the bench this season, and I have confidence in his ability to step up. The question will be how Solomon Jones and Randolph Morris respond with their minutes. Solo acquitted himself well when Josh Smith was out earlier this season; if he can keep it up I think the Hawks will be able to weather the storm.

Every team deals with injuries and adversity over the course of a season, and here is the Hawks chance to test their mettle.

In the meantime, here's to a quick and speedy recovery for Horford.

You may have noticed something else new on Hawks.com today, especially if you came to read the latest Lang Whitaker column. We have launched a new Insider site, Hawksinsider.com, where we will be housing Lang's contributions and much much more in the coming months and beyond.

It's free to join, and once you are in you'll have access to not only Lang's handiwork but also the new A-Town Dancers Blog, as well as daily trivia questions, fantasy games, and much much more. The fantasy and trivia contests have prizes associated with them, so if you are looking to win some nice tickets or a chance at something even bigger, get started earning points today.

We hope to be adding even more content to it as the season progresses, so stay tuned, and as always, let us know what you think of it!

• Hawks Insider

It's a long, long season, and the team is going to win some games because of freak statistical hiccups like that and they will lose some. If anything, I'm almost glad it's happening now, because it just shows how important it is for the team to work to rectify the problem before it really matters (like in the playoffs). In the team's last three losses, missed free throws have played a crucial role, so you can expect this to be a point of emphasis for the Hawks going forward.

By the way, in the midst of all the talk about the Hawks getting the 4-seed in the East and setting up a potential second-round match-up with the Boston Celtics, it never occurred to me that the Celtics might not end up with the top seed. As of this morning, Cleveland has ascended to the top spot in the East, and Orlando is now tied in the loss column with Boston as well.

I realize this is WAY, way in advance, but just for the sake of argument - if the Hawks go on to earn the 4 spot and get past the first round, who would you rather face next - Cleveland, Boston, or Orlando?

Before we get to tonight's game, a couple links for you to enjoy:

First of all, if you don't get Sports Illustrated, check out this feature on Mike Bibby's impact on the Hawks by Chris Mannix in this week's issue.. I have to say - one of the best ancilary benefits to winning is the attention it brings, and people are actually starting to notice us now that we have one of the best records in the NBA. Not everyone is noticing us, but some of that can be attributed to the fact that most of our players avoid the limelight. One such player is Joe Johnson, who Chris Webber spoofed on NBA TV on Tuesday night. It was pretty funny, mostly because it's kinda true. Don't worry though - plenty of people will be reminded of Joe's capabilities once the playoffs come around. You know, cause he does stuff like this:

But anyway, onto tonight. As I discussed with Hawks assistant coach Jim Todd today in Breaking Down the Magic, Orlando presents a tough set of choices in trying to defend them. Do you double-team Dwight Howard in the post as much as possible, allowing open looks on the perimeter for the Magic's bevy of three-point bombers? Or do you take your chances one-on-one with Howard and focus on the perimeter, giving him the chance to dominate you inside with dunks and offensive rebounds. It ain't an easy call, and however you choose it may not matter, as the Magic have raced to a 27-8 record, good for third-best in the East.

One thing I know for sure is, expect to see Dwight Howard on the free throw line, and expect to see the Hawks frontcourt depth used liberally. Especially with Zaza Pachulia out with the flu (Marvin Williams will play though), I think you'll see Randolph Morris and Solomon Jones getting physical with Superman whenever they are in the game tonight.

Whichever way the Hawks decide to defend the Magic, the most important factor I see in determining the outcome tonight will be the battle of the boards. The Magic live and die by the three at times, and if the Hawks can manage to control the long caroms and not give up too many second-chance opportunities inside, this is a game they can and should win.

It should be interesting though - Orlando has been the league's best road-team so far, while the Hawks have been one of the top home teams, so something's gotta give.

Come on down to Philips Arena to check out all the action, but if you can't, then remember tonight's broadcast will be in HD (woohoo!).

A little personal information today, if you will allow it. I just bought a new TV.

I have resisted the temptation to get the big-screen HDTV for several years now, but now that my wife and I have finally moved out of our tiny one-bedroom apartment, we decided it was finally time to give it a shot. After doing some research online, we went to HH Gregg this weekend and after hemming and hawing for about an hour (I am the most indecisive person ever when it comes to spending money), we decided on the newest member of the family - a 52' model that now proudly resides in our living room, taking up waaaaay too much space (I'm totally having buyer's regret - we should have gone a little smaller! That sucker is huge!).

Why am I sharing this info with you, you ask? Well, part of the reason (and by part, I mean like 99.99999% of the reason) I made the switch to the flat screen was so I could watch sports in HD, in particular the Hawks (and the Texas Longhorns, who hopefully will put it on the Ohio State Buckeyes tonight in the Fiesta Bowl).

As if on cue, SportSouth announced today they will be televising both the next two Hawks games in HD (that would be Wednesday's home tilt and Friday's road game, both against Orlando). Did they do this just for me? We may never know*.

Either way, I am excited to watch my first Hawks games in HD from the only place outside Philips Arena I like watching games - my couch.

* probably not

In case you haven't noticed, we've added a couple features to the website over the past couple weeks, namely, the Interactive Schedule and the Interactive Roster. We are excited about the completion of both projects, and we hope you enjoy them as well.

The schedule will hopefully allow you to find the games you want to go to more easily (though clearly you should be going to all of them), and provide match-up information and ticket deals all in the same place.

The roster section, we hope, will be a destination you'll go to often in your visits to Hawks.com, as it's got tons of new material to peruse - video highlights, desktop wallpaper, and huge photo galleries for every player on the team.

A tip o' the cap to Reason Labs, who did the dirty work for the schedule, and to E-Quake Creative, who built the roster site. We love them!

The question is, what do you think of them? Let us know, your feedback is always appreciated.

• Hawks Interactive Schedule
• Hawks Interactive Roster

What a difference 24 hours makes. Last night's buzzer-beater led to frustration, tonight's to elation (ok granted, Mike Bibby's three-pointer didn't technically beat the buzzer, but it left only 1.7 seconds on the clock for Houston to try to tie the game - good enough for me).

The Hawks won tonight on the shoulders of Mike Bibby's late game heroics, something he's been known for throughout his career. I asked this in the Everything You Need To Know recap, and I'll say it again here - how does Houston leave him so open for that shot? It just goes to show you how helpful it is for teams to have to send two defenders at Joe Johnson so often.

The Rockets are always a tough match-up for the Hawks because of their length, even without Tracy McGrady and Ron Artest as they were tonight. Watching Al Horford try to guard Yao Ming, I just wanted to give the guy a hug after every basket Yao scored. As it turned out, I didn't need to - Horford and company managed to somehow hold Ming without a point in the second half (which seems possible), holding him to only one shot (which seems decidedly impossible) in the final 24 minutes. How did they do that? I don't know if I'll be more impressed by anything the Hawks do defensively the rest of the season.

It does seem a bit poetic for the Hawks to win in the same kind of dramatic fashion that cost them in New Jersey, but it'll be better for my blood pressure if they just can get back to blowing teams out the way they did at the end of the homestand...

Both teams had bad losses last night, so we should see two hungry squads playing tonight at Philips.

Let's go Hawks!

Looking Back: The Home Stand
Home games: Cleveland, Charlotte, Boston, Golden State, Detroit, Oklahoma City, Chicago, Denver
Road games: Indiana, New Jersey

What happened: Ummm, the Hawks kinda killed it overall. The loss to the Nets is fresh and leaves a bad taste, but the Hawks were a missed FT against the Celtics from perhaps a perfect record at home, and basically were two plays from winning all 10 games overall. In particular the win over the Cavaliers was the most impressive, as Cleveland has run roughshod over most of the NBA and had won 11 straight going into the game. The wins over Detroit and Denver were similarly notable. Strangely, the Hawks seemed to play better in the wins over the better teams like the Pistons and Nuggets than they did against lesser lights like the Thunder, Warriors, and Bobcats. Atlanta won in just about every way possible, from an ugly 85-78 defensive slugfest against the Thunder to a high-flying 129-117 win over the Bulls.

Injury report: Happily, no one suffered any significant injuries over the last ten games, and every contributor on the squad appears to be mostly 100%.

In Summary: I was optimistic in my 7-3 prediction, but apparently not optimistic enough. The Hawks got a terrific win over Cleveland and didn't look back from there, putting together the team's second 6+ game winning streak of the season, the first time they've managed to accomplish that since 1996-97, and finished the segment 8-2.

Looking Ahead: Going West, Part I
Home games: Houston, Orlando, Philly, Toronto, Milwaukee
Road games: Orlando, Phoenix, LA Clippers, Golden State, Chicago

Expectations going in: Hard to say, eh? The way this team is playing, it's tempting to predict we'll win all of 'em. Realistically, that won't happen. But within the next ten-game slate are two separate challenges. The first is the home and home with Orlando on Jan. 7 and 9, which could be hugely important given the fact the Magic are the only thing standing between the Hawks and a Southeast Division title (and playoff #3 seed).  The second is the team's first extended trip out West with games at Phoenix, the Clippers, and Golden State. Phoenix isn't the juggernaut it once was, but the Suns are still a playoff team and will be a tough get on the road. The Clippers and Warriors are pretty terrible, and are ripe for the road picking. The Hawks have already won at Orlando and Chicago this season, so this segment of the schedule presents a very good chance to win more road games than they lose. Houston and Orlando, because of their interior strength, will be stern tests at home, but Atlanta will probably be favored in all five home contests. Philly and Toronto are teams that have struggled despite high expectations coming into the season, but both have the talent to get wins if the Hawks don't come to play.

Predicted Record: Houston is always tough on Atlanta, but I think the Hawks gain a little revenge for blowing a win on the road last month. I figure a split with Orlando, a win over the Sixers and after a close loss at Phoenix I think Atlanta gets wins against both LA and Golden State. The Hawks should be able to handle the Raptors and Bucks, both of whom they beat at Philips earlier this season, but perhaps the third time will be the charm for the Bulls in Chicago.

Let's call it 7-3 again, which would put the Hawks at 28-14 at just past the halfway mark of the season. I'll take that every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

What do you see in the Hawks' forecast?

Full credit goes to New Jersey, who hung around long enough to overcome the early deficit and get the home win, snapping the Hawks six-game winning streak.

The Hawks deserve credit for persevering in late-game situations in the fourth quarter and OT, in particular the steal and basket by Josh Smith that put them in the position to win it in the extra period, but you can bet they'll look back on this one and think what could have been.

Yeah, Vince made a great shot from distance, but the killer in this game was missed free throws, as the Hawks shot only 10-20 from the line. In a game that ended up this tight, that was sadly the difference.

No time to cry over it though with Houston coming to Philips tomorrow night, but before we move on, I'll say it just one more time.

I hate you Vince Carter.

Happy New Years! Hopefully everyone got out to celebrate a little bit (but not too much), and is back and ready to get 2009 going the way 2008 finished. As is customary this time of year, I know everyone wants to make New Year's resolutions to try to keep. I asked several of the Hawks bloggers to weigh in with their New Year's resolutions for the team, so definitely check those out. I'll add my two cents here:

1. Build some road momentum. The Hawks have become pretty fantastic at home, going 14-2 in the 2008 portion of the schedule. At 7-8 on the road heading into tonight's game in New Jersey, Atlanta has been...ok on the road. They have a couple really nice wins (at New Orleans, at Chicago where they'd lost 7 straight), but overall they've played far better at home than away. It's not the end of the world, everyone pretty much does that, but if the Hawks want to really separate themselves from the other contenders for the 4th spot in the East, they'll need to start picking up some more road wins in 2009. There are some winnable games in January (at NJ, at the Clippers, at Golden State, New York, and Milwaukee for example), so hopefully we'll see them grab a few more than the first couple months.

2. Defend the point. One of the main reasons New Jersey swept the Hawks back in November was the performance of Nets' PG Devin Harris, who used his quickness to get into the lane as he torched Atlanta for 63 points in two games. Other quick point guards have done very well against the Hawks also, and defending their penetration has really been the biggest achilles heel for the Hawks D. We all know Mike Bibby won't be making any All-Defensive teams anytime soon, but knowing his shortcomings on the defensive end (which he certainly makes up for offensively, thank goodness), the Hawks are going to have to figure out other ways of clogging the lane to keep the Harrises and Roses of the world from forming a lay-up line. Having a healthy Josh Smith back makes a difference to be sure, but everyone is going to have to pitch in to keep this area from being such a trouble spot. The Hawks do a lot of things well defensively, so minimizing the damage from this one trouble spot will go a long way towards helping the team achieve their 50-win goal.

What other resolutions do you have for the Hawks in 2009?