In all seriousness though, the Hawk have been in a funk this last week, losing five straight games, third worst streak of the season. To snap it against a team as good as the Bulls, Bender hit it right on the head. We have to come out and be aggressive and tough and take the fight to them instead of letting them dictate tempo and speed. Chicago is a tough team, but they aren't invincible. They just do a lot of the little things that makes the difference in a lot of games over the course of a season. But if we show up ready to go to war for 48 minutes, we can come away with a victory. We almost had one back in January, but allowed the Bulls to get back into it late before they won in overtime. Hopefully, the sting of five consecutive losses will be fuel enough to see the Hawks come out fighting mad.

In other news, the Final Four is this weekend at the Georgia Dome. None of the Hawks players have any connections to the teams involved (as discussed earlier in today's trivia question), but I imagine they will still take a strong interest in all the hoopla that will be going on this weekend around the city.

I spoke to Royal Ivey, who was a player in the 2003 Final Four at Texas, about what it is like to play on college basketball's biggest stage. I was at that Final Four as well, as I traveled all the way from Syracuse, NY to root on my beloved Longhorns. Just looking at his face as he remembered the experience, I could tell it really was one of the greatest things he's ever been a part of. I for one am looking forward to the games, and will be in attendance for both semifinal games on Saturday as well as the title game on Monday.

My picks? I say Florida out-toughts UCLA and Georgetown squeezes by Ohio State, followed by a repeat victory by the Gators on Monday night.

Either way, should be a very fun weekend of basketball, college and pro, in the Atlanta area. Come out to Philips on Sunday and help root the Hawks on to a much-needed victory.

See you there!

Tonight we play the Bobcats in Charlotte in the fourth and final meeting between the two teams this season. More on that later.

Today we have a much more important match-up with the Bobcats that requires - nay- commands your attention.

The A-Town Dancers face off against the Charlotte Lady Cats in the NBA Dance Team Bracket. Voting is today. Tell your friends to go to the page and represent the A. Come on, we can't lose to Charlotte for god's sake. Vote. Do it now. I will wait...

There, that's better.

The Hawks held their annual Spring charity event on Saturday night, the aptly-titled "Hawks Bowl-n-Ball" at Ten Pin Alley at Atlantic Station. It was a fun time for all who were there, as fans got to meet and mingle with all of the Hawks players, coaches, and front-office staff during a night of bowling, pool, and cards, all in the name of raising money for the Hawks Foundation. Here are some pictures from the evening, courtesy of Colby Kidd.

I don't know if all NBA players are like this, but the Hawks love to bowl. Many of them own their own balls, and Marvin (pictured right) apparently routinely breaks 200. I am definitely recruiting him to join my league the next time I play.

Two games on the slate this weekend, and against two completely different opponents. One we beat handily on their court, one they whipped us like they were our daddy.

Portland and Dallas are both Western Conference teams, but the similarities pretty much end there. The Mavs are right in the middle of the greatest stretch the franchise has ever known; the Blazers are pretty much at their lowest point.

One team we will have to play our best against to even compete, the other we have to guard against taking too lightly. Hopefully, the chips will fall our way and we will have a chance to pull out two wins.

In breaking down the Blazers today with Hawks coach Greg Ballard, he talked about Portland's youth movement. Personally, I think they are a dangerous, dangerous team despite their record and the fact that Zach Randolph may not play. LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, Jarrett Jack, and Sergio Rodriguez are all good young players who can beat teams despite their inexperience. If we go in thinking we can just show up and win tonight, we will be in trouble.

Sunday is a different story. As everyone knows, the Mavs have been nearly unbeatable since starting the season 0-4. We hung with them for about a quarter in Dallas last month before they turned out the lights on us. Larry Drew said something interesting today in breaking down the Mavericks, stating that for us to beat Dallas we need to get out and run and, in a sense, outscore them. I always thought of Dallas as an offensive juggernaut like the Suns, so it's interesting to hear that strategy.

I also spoke to Anthony Johnson, who is quite familiar with the Mavs having spent the first half of the season on their roster, about how to beat them.

Basically, we have to play our best game of the season and hope we catch them on an off-night. That's not to say we aren't capable of winning  - witness some of our better wins this season against Phoenix and Detroit - but anything less than 100% effort for all 48 minutes will make it very, very difficult.

Either way, both games should be a lot of fun. Oh, and don't forget - Sunday's game against Dallas is a 1:00 ET start, not 2:00 as it originally said on the schedule. Make a note of it.

See you there!

8:58 - The fourth begins with a dunk by the Heat's Michael Doleac. Jonathan Carl adds that Doleac was voted as the "Slowest Player In The League" by an ESPN poll of NBA players. Bully for him.

9:00 - Antoine Walker misses a pair of FTs, and the Heat are now faring just as poorly from the line as we are - 6/13 for the game. The Hawks have a couple chances to cut into the lead, but we just aren't hitting our shots tonight. Another basket by Doleac, who now has ten, makes it a 14-point game with 8:24 left at 75-61. We are playing better basketball right now, but we just can't seem to hit enough shots to climb back into it. This is where not having Joe available really hurts us.

9:03 - A bunch of celebs in the house for tonight's game - Jerome Bettis, Charles Woodson, Alge Crumpler, and former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield. I think he knows he is here.

9:04 - Josh Smith intercepts a pass and goes in uncontested for a seriously-ill windmill jam. It gets the crowd pretty pumped, but we still trail by 12, 77-65. If we are going to make a run, it's gotta get started now.

9:06 - Zaza gives Shaq a nice pump-fake and drives, drawing the foul, but comes up clutching his right elbow. He is wincing, but staying in the game. It'll take more than that to take him out of the game Dorrell Wright!

9:09 - Marvin has now tied his career-high with 11 rebounds (set on Monday), and gets a nice assist from T-Lue for a basket to make it 79-68 with five minutes left. The Heat are getting contributions from their entire team tonight, as six players are in double figures for them. No one on the team has more than 13 points.

9:12 - Marvin hits a deuce from the corner and we are down nine. We need a defensive stand...and we get it! Steal by Childress, intercepting an entry pass, and he gets fouled going to the hole the other way. The foul was on the floor though, so no free throws. Josh Smith misses the jumper, and another opportunity goes by - but he more than makes up for it with a block at the other end and then a vicious dunk! A steal by Marvin and a basket by AJ! Hawks down five with three minutes left! Timeout Heat! Additional comment by me ending in an exclamation point!

9:16 - Drat. J-Will banks a runner, and then Josh Childress gets called for an offensive foul. 81-74 Heat with 2:37 left. Gotta get a stop here.

9:18 - Lorenzen Wright makes the right call, fouling Shaq in the lane and sending him to the line. He hits the first...and the second. I take back all the nice things I said about him earlier tonight. Josh Smith gets to the rack for two, and it's back to seven points. Smith blocks a jumper and scores on the other end for the second time this quarter, it's down to five...a steal by Chill! He misses the lay-up but gets fouled, and he will shoot free throws for a chance to cut it to three with 1:17 left. First one good. Second one good. 83-80 Heat.

9:21 - Jason Williams, Hawks Killer. Williams drains a jumper with Childress in his face, and it's back to five. He isn't afraid to take big shots, that is for sure. The Hawks can't convert on the other end, and have to foul, and now the Heat lead by seven, 87-80, with 25 seconds left.

9:28 - And that's all she wrote. Jason Williams hits a few more free throws and the Hawks fall 91-83 to Miami. The comeback was valiant, but it was too little too late, and the home win streak is snapped at five. A frustrating loss because we had several chances to et back in this one, but just couldn't get over the hump. I tip my cap to the Heat, who found the way to get inside baskets aplenty when they needed them thanks to well-executed plays. If Dwyane Wade gets healthy for the playoffs, they really could make another run.

Josh Smith finishes the night with a game-high 27 points, but it came on 26 shots. Marvin had 16 and 12 (a career-best), and we did have 25 assists, but in the end, 40% shooting and 17 turnovers were just too much to overcome.

Either way, it was fun doing this tonight, and I hope you enjoyed reading along with me. See you Friday for Hawks-Blazers...

8:23 - Alright, let's get back in this thing right quick. We can beat the Heat, I swear it! Hawks have the ball to start the third, let's see what we do...Smoove gets bailed out on a running hook, putting him at the line. I didn't realize this, but Shaq just picked up his fourth foul right there. We have to take advantage. Josh hits one of two, and its back to ten, 47-37.

8:24 - Zaza Pachulia just hit one of his patented "How did that shot go in?" lay-ups. He is good for at least one or two of those a game. Very high degree-of-difficulty. Marvin gets a steal, the layup is blocked by 'Toine, but AJ is there for the putback...oops! He misses, but J-Chill is there to clean it up. On the other end Udonis Haslem travels, giving it back to the Hawks...and Marvin absolutely abuses him on the other end, giving him a series of fakes before driving baseline on him for a dunk. A pretty sweet move by Marv, who now has 11 points and 9 rebounds. Roose thinks he is on the verge of his first-ever back-to-back double doubles, but we will find out for sure. Another Hawks rebound and a kickout to Josh Smith, who nails a three (for the record, I don't mind him shooting from anywhere on the court if he is in a set position to shoot - I just don't think he should be doing it off the dribble at this stage in his career) to give him 17 points for the game. The Heat take a timeout, and the Hawks have done exactly what they needed to do to start the second half, cutting it to three at 49-46 Miami.

8:31 - This is the difference between a veteran team like Miami and a young team like Atlanta. The Heat come out of the timeout and get three easy baskets to run the lead back to nine points, forcing us to call a timeout of our own. It's the subtle differences like this that players learn as time goes on in this league - how to maintain intensity. You can't let your guard down for even a minute, or your opponent (especially a team - let's face it - as old as the Heat. Incidentally, during the timeout the video board showed the crowd favorite Kiss Cam, and at the end of it they always like to focus on two players from the opposing team. Of course they zeroed in on Shaq, who is always happy to oblige the fans, as he responded by lovingly running his hands through teammate Chris Quinn's hair. Have I mentioned how much I love Shaq? He has pretty much attained Most Favored Athlete status in my book after his breakdancing performance over All-Star Weekend.

8:38 - Zaza hits one of two from the line, and we are now 5-11 from the foul line - meanwhile Jason Williams buries another long three, and it's back to a twelve point deficit, 60-48. Every time the Heat need a basket so far, they are getting it.

8:40 - Zaza picks up his fourth foul, which sends him to the bench. It's a small lineup out on the court for the Hawks now, with T-Lue, Marvin, Chill, Josh Smith, and Shelden. Another turnover, another bucket by Miami, and it's 62-50 Miami. Timeout, Atlanta.

8:44 - In playoff-related games, Indy is beating San Antonio early while Orlando trails Toronto midway through the third. The Heat get a turnover, and we see a rarely-called offensive foul but count the basket for Miami. J-Will gets the basket, but Haslem picks up his fourth foul. He and Shaq are both now out. We have GOT to take advantage. Salim hits a pair of free throws, and it's 64-52 Heat.

8:49 - There is a curse on us at the line tonight. Seriously, someone has to have jinxed us. Chill hits one of two and we are now 8-16, and trailing 67-53. Shelden plays some pretty solid defense on a patented Antoine Walker venture into the paint, and Salim gets fouled and hits two. If only he could be the only person fouled for us the rest of the game, that would be nice. Hey! The refs hear my prayers, as Salim gets fouled by Michael Doleac going for a rebound. He's hit four straight, and it's now back to ten points, 69-59 at the end of three. Stoudamire, though he hasn't played a ton of minutes this season, I think it pretty crucial to the Hawks success in Joe's absence. He can catch fire at any time, and I really think he will have another scoring explosion like in last year's Hornets game (24 points in the 4th quarter in that one) before his tenure is done here.

7:42 - I think Jason Williams' people may have tipped him off that I was dogging him during the break in between quarters, as he has hit two straight threes now to make it 27-21 Heat. Salim Stoudamire misses a three from the corner, but Marvin corrals the rebound (his second straight offensive grab). The ball gets right back to Salim, who promptly takes the exact same shot from the exact same spot...and buries it. 27-24 Heat. J-Will hits another jumper, sadly (to him, I imagine) from inside the arc, but Josh Smith responds with another short jumper. 13 for him. 29-26 Heat with 8:24 left in the half. A pretty good game right now actually - both teams are hitting shots, and the Hawks are very active on the glass getting second chance opportunities.

7:50 - Just as I say that, the Hawks turn the ball over twice in a row out of a timeout, and Antoine Walker hits a three after a Dorrell Wright basket to give the Heat their biggest lead at 36-28. I will just say this and get it out of the way - I get upset every time I see Antoine Walker hit a three, just like it bothers me when Shaq hits four three throws in a row. There - 'Toine just missed one and now the universe seems back in relative order. Shaq scored again though, and its now 38-28 Heat.

7:55 - Marvin hits a jumper to stem the tide, but Toine comes right back with a driving layup. Anthony Johnson responds for Atlanta, and with his basket the Hawks have just scored their first basket of the evening without a credited assist. 14 in a row to start the game. I'd be a little happier with that statistic if we weren't losing though, as Gary Payton hits a jumper to push the score to 42-34 Miami as the Heat call a timeout. They are 18-30 from the field right now for a tidy 60%. During the timeout, the Hawks video board tweaks Shaq with a little "Best Actor"-esque montage comparing his cinematic work to that of Morgan Freeman, Tom Cruise, and others. I wonder how this would have sat with him when he was 27 and dominating the league. It was still pretty amusing though.

8:01 - Marv gets a defensive rebound, his ninth of the game. He is pretty close already to another double-double with seven points, but he could have made it nine had he not missed two straight free throws. We are coming apart a little bit here, as we miss on two straight shots from in close that leads to a Miami breakaway. Another missed jumper by Josh Smith and a turnover, and all of a sudden it's 47-34 before Anthony Johnson makes a nice pass to a cutting Marvin Williams for a dunk right before the buzzer. Your halftime score: 47-36 Miami.

I'll be honest - we aren't playing all that well. Miami finished the half on a tear, and if we don't cut down on our mistakes this one could get away from us (we have 10 turnovers at the break). Josh Smith was hitting early, but now he is starting to settle for jumpers instead of attacking. Hopefully he will get back his aggressiveness in the second half.

Statistically, Smith leads the way with 13 points, Marvin has 9, and no one else has more than 4. Eddie Jones has 12 for Miami and Jason Williams has 8. Another thing hurting the Hawks? They are 2-6 from the charity stripe.

By the way, the halftime entertainment tonight is the Bucket Boys, a traveling troupe of percussionists who bang on (this will shock you I know) buckets. It's actually really cool, the kind of thing you often see street performers do (or in the Broadway show Stomp), and it always makes me wish I had just an ounce of rhythm that would allow me to bang on random objects and make it sound cool.

Ok, I'm going to take a short break, and I will return for the second half.

7:15 - Didn't take too long for the first highlight of the evening - On the Hawks second possession, Anthony Johnson just threw an almost three-quarter court alley-oop to Josh Smith for the reverse jam. It was sick. Check YouTube for it later. Meanwhile, Shaq just hit 2-2 from the line. That can't be a great sign.

7:17 - The Heat are off to a good start, getting out to an 8-2 lead that causes Hawks coach Mike Woodson to call a quick timeout. The Hawks haven't gotten any great looks so far aside from the alley-oop to Smoove.

Apropos of nothing else, I am sitting on press row with Hawks Wizards of PR Jason Roose and Jonathan Carl, who hopefully will provide me with interesting nuggets throughout the evening to pass along to you.

7:19 - The Hawks are cold as ice from the field, starting out 1-8 from the floor. Josh Smith misses a close one, but gets the offensive board and shuffles it to Marvin for the hoop and the harm. 12-6 Miami.

7:22 - Josh Smith is active again tonight, as he has 3 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists just halfway through the first quarter. Roose wasn't giving any predictions before this game (he nearly missed on his tripadub prediction on Monday), but I feel at least a double-double coming for him. We are turning the ball over way too much so far. According to the stat sheet we only have two, but it feels like more (does that make sense?). It's 14-8 Heat at the first TV timeout with 5:38 left to play in the first.

7:25 - Tyronn Lue check in for his first action of the game. Hopefully he will get the Hawks back in some rhythm. He gives it off to Josh Smith, who takes it into the paint and kisses it high off the glass for two. So far tonight we have seen a lot more of "Good Josh" (driving to the basket, getting to the boards) than "Bad Josh" (content to hoist jumpers from the perimeter), which also bodes well. Lorenzen Wright uses one of his six to keep Shaq from hitting a gimme layup, and Shaq obliges by bricking two free throws. 2-4 now for the Diesel. 14-10 Heat with 4:20 left.

7:29 - Marvin Williams hits a jumper from two feet inside the three-point line. Man, when we get him to extend his range to three-points, he will add 4-5 points to his average right off the bat. Eddie Jones responds for Miami with a three, and he's got nine already. Why does Eddie Jones kill us like he does? What'd we ever do to him? Josh Smith has hit two more buckets (a nice change-in-midair-to-avoid-the-D layup and a jumper from the top of the key) and has nine points as well. Oh, and remember I said I'd give you cool stats courtesy of the PR staff? Well, following up on their season-high 32 assist performance on Monday, the Hawks have scored seven baskets so far and been credited with assists on all seven. Not bad, eh?

7:33 - I will say this for Josh Smith. He has a short memory for his mistakes. Seconds after missing a long jumper (bad), he gets a kickout off an offensive rebound from Lorenzen Wright and barrels in for a basket plus the foul (he missed the FT). As Roose has just pointed out (he is still irked at Smoove not making him a prophet on Monday), Josh Smith couldn't get into double figures in scoring in four quarters against the Kings, but already has 11 in the first quarter tonight.

7:37 - The Hawks take their first lead of the game at 22-21 on a nice feed from T-Lue to Shelden Williams for a jam, but Jason Williams nails a trey to make it 24-22 Heat at the end of one. I happened to watch a little film this morning with Herb Brown when we were breaking down the Heat, and I couldn't help but notice how often he likes to shoot threes. I thought they had cured him of that a bit over the years, but it seems like he is right back to his Sacramento days. Of course, he won a title last season, so I guess I can't say too much about the kid. I will say this though - Jason Williams, or versions thereof, seems to be a pretty cursed name. Jayson Williams accidentally committed manslaughter, Jay Williams ruined his basketball career riding a motorcycle, and Jason Williams...just committed an offensive foul to start the second quarter. Maybe that's not as bad as the other two.

Alright, let's get this party started...in just a sec. Right now I have a serious brain freeze from the Coke Icee I am drinking. If you could see the look on my face, it ain't pretty. Aaahhhh - ok I'm better.

I think I am ready to roll - I ate my pregame meal (I went with the chicken sandwich and fries combo from the concourse - normally I would get pasta, but employees aren't allowed to eat there until after the second quarter has begun. I plan on being busy then, so I had to call an audible. The things I do for you), I've flexed my fingers a few times, and I put in a fresh piece of spearmint gum.

The starting lineups were just announced, and nothing out of the ordinary for the Hawks: Josh Smith, Josh Childress, Anthony Johnson, Marvin Williams, and Zaza Pachulia for the good guys; James Posey, Udonis Haslem, Eddie Jones, Jason Williams, and Shaq Daddy for Miami. Alonzo Mourning is out for Miami - I don't know if that is just for tonight, or if he has been hurt and I just haven't paid close enough attention. I will find out.

Ok, the opening tip is on the way!

In Breaking Down The Heat today with Herb Brown, Coach Brown spoke about their veteran leadership, and I couldn't agree more. The reason why they are where they are and we are where we are has more to do with know-how than talent. Miami has been through the battles before, and that mental toughness has allowed them to maintain their playoff position despite losing Dwyane Wade.

The Hawks have done well without their leading scorer, lest we forget, which the team deserves a ton of credit for. If they can keep it up through the rest of the season, regardless of whether or not they make the postseason, they will deserve kudos.

It should be a pretty fun night tonight at Philips. Based on my tickets, I am assuming it is going to be pretty close to a sellout, as it should be for a game involving the defending champs and the league's largest personality in Shaquille O'Neal. As I mentioned earlier, I will be live blogging, so please feel free to join me in the comments section with your questions and observations.

Also, with widgets becoming increasingly popular on these here internets, check out this Hawks widget put together by the fine people at the NBA:

There are widgets for all of the Hawks players as well, by the way, just click on their names on the Hawks roster page.

See you tonight!

Everyone who played contributed last night. Zaza Pachulia had 18 points at halftime on his way to 23 on 11-12 shooting. Marvin Williams had nearly a double-double in the first half, finishing with a full one (13 points, 11 rebounds).

And then there was Josh Smith. A short aside first.

Last night, about one minute into the game, ace Hawks PR man Jason Roose came over to my station on press row to ask if I was live-blogging the game. I wasn't, but FYI, I will be live-bloggin Wednesday night for the Miami game (plug!). I asked him why, and he said he wanted it on the record that Josh Smith was going to get his first triple-double tonight. Obviously, you will have to take me at my word on this one, but the game literally was less than 90 seconds old when he made this proclamation. Man was he close to being right.

Josh ended up a point shy of turning Roose into a modern-day Nostradamus (Smoove finished with 9 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists), but the fact that he came that close is just another testament to the all-around player Smith is on his way to becoming.

Just to recap, in the last week, Josh has now set career-bests in points (32 against Minnesota), rebounds (17 vs Philly), and assists (10 against Sacto). He is starting to remind me of myself, actually. And by that I mean, when I used to rock Tecmo NBA Basketball on my old-school Nintendo, I used to play with the Bulls and see how many different things I could do with Michael Jordan, like how many steals he could get, or points he could score, etc.

The way Josh is playing right now, it's almost like he is thinking to himself, "Let's see, what statistical category do I want to fill up tonight?" Meanwhile, the Hawks have won five of seven since losing Joe Johnson. Cause that makes sense.

By the way, the picture to the right is from a dunk Smith nearly pulled off last night that, had he finished it, would have probably been the best dunk these eyes had ever seen. Here is a link below to see for yourself. He missed it, but man if he had nailed it...wow.

Josh Childress, lest we forget his efforts, also had a great night as well, popping for a season-high 25 points. He was particularly present in the third period, hitting 6-6 from the field and earning himself the lead in Rob Blackstien's fantasy hoops column for USA Today.

With the Heat coming to town Wednesday night, it will be important for the Hawks to play team ball the way they did against the Kings (they dished out a season-high 32 assists). They can win this game without Joe. Man, who thought we would be able to say that two weeks ago.

As we begin play this evening, the Hawks are five games out of the 8th spot in the East. With only 15 games left, that's a pretty huge margin. Still, it would be nice to at least put some pressure on the teams in front of us.

Sacramento is a beatable team, but not one we can just show up and expect to dominate (not that such a team exists in the NBA). They beat us in Sacto earlier this season when we were without JJ and Josh Childress among others. We are without Joe now as well, of course, but there are still positive memories of last week's four-game home winning streak.

In breaking down tonight's game today with Hawks assistant David Fizdale, he said the Kings will be daring us to beat them from outside. That being the case, I look for big performances from Marvin Williams and Salim Stoudamire, our two best perimeter threats in Joe's absence.

I am interested to see the match-up between the Kings' Kevin Martin and Josh Childress, mostly because each of them manages to shoot well from the field despite two of the most unconventional (read: ugly) releases in the NBA.

In other news, we have posted a survey on the Hawks site to get your feedback on how we do on this here Internet thing. Please take a few minutes and fill it out - you can win four tickets to the game against the Bulls on April 1 (and no, that's not a cruel April Fool's joke). Seriously, we strive to give you the things you want over here at Hawks.com, so any information you can give us about your preferences will help to make the site get better and better.

Finally, just a reminder - if you can't make the game tonight due to any legitimate reason (birth of your first child, let's say), remember you can check it out in HD tonight, one of three Hawks games being shown in high-def over the course of these few weeks. It should be pretty sweet. Otherwise, get down to Philips and let's see if the Hawks can't get a season-high fifth straight home win!

See you there!

Is there a more polarizing player in the NBA than Kobe Bryant? Within the past few weeks, he's been fined, suspended and, according to Phil Jackson, "witch hunt"-ed by the League for several elbows, all of which made contact with defenders' faces. On the heels of this controversy, Kobe scores 65 in an overtime thriller against the Trailblazers, prompting Zach Randolph to begrudgingly say, "If he would have missed one, it probably would have given us a chance."

The highlight of Kobe's performance was capped by a ridiculous fade-away three pointer from the corner against a double team trap. Did I mention that he faded-away by spinning to his unnatural side? It's a shot that kids in driveways will try to imitate, but turn cross-eyed in the process due to the shot's difficulty.

We've seen Kobe do this before, scoring 81 against the Raptors. But I'd like to talk about his elbows for now. On several radio talk-shows, commentators and callers alike could not seem to agree on whether Kobe had been intentionally elbowing his opponents. Was he flailing his elbows in an attempt to draw a foul? Is this simply an unnatural follow through that no one has noticed before? Or are his actions blatantly intentional, making his undoubtedly a dirty player? Kobe fans vehemently defended him, while Kobe haters attacked him. But it was apparent that no one really knows for certain.

I'd like to express my opinion. After watching these elbows several times, I've concluded that he had the intent to elbow his defenders. There are a number of incredible basketball attributes that Kobe has been blessed with. Among these include an uncanny ability to control his body, whether mid-air or on the floor. Not since Michael Jordan have I witnessed someone with better body control while scoring. He knows exactly what he's doing. This is my opinion, but it's clearly David Stern's too. The Commish couldn't hit five straight free throws to save his life, but he knows the personnel of his League better than anyone. That's why he probably spent hours and hours rewinding footage of Kobe's elbows before deciding that fines, a suspension and a lasting watchful eye was the correct punishment.

Enough about the mystery that is Kobe, and onto another mystery – these Hawks. How does a team struggling to find the winning edge with its one and only all-star, Joe Johnson, manage to win four straight, including a big one against a streaking Philly team, without him? And then, how do they have their streak snapped by losing to the Celtics? I can't figure us out. The only people more confused about the Hawks than I am might be Vegas lines-makers. So instead of trying to break down why the Hawks can look so good on certain nights and like a NDBL team the next, I'll simply give my observations.

Josh Smith will be a superstar one day. The kid (it's hard to believe he's only 21 years old) has shown the past few games that he's unafraid to take on the role as a team's leading scorer, play everything from off-guard to power forward, and take big shots down the stretch. Sometimes it takes an undesirable situation to bring out positives and that appears to be case here with Joe Johnson's injury. Josh has been forced to play a bigger role on the floor and his teammates clearly trust him to make plays. This isn't to say that he's done with his development. He still has a long way to go. One of my primary criticisms of Josh is that his body and hands are never in the "ready" position to shoot. He often looks like he's surprised when he catches the ball on the perimeter and his release is slowed by this. If only someone would help him with his shooting preparation, particularly with his footwork and hand-placement, I'm convinced that not only will he score more, but that he also will shoot at a higher percentage. I'll leave it at that for now.

The Hawks are still not out of it. With 15 games remaining, the East's bottom two playoff spots remain available for the taking. Both the NJ Nets and Orlando Magic only have 30 wins. It's not crazy to assume that 36 or 37 wins could get a team into the playoffs. It's a stretch, but it's certainly possible. So hopefully Joe's getting his well-deserved rest and he'll be available for the last few games of the season for one final push. Lets go Hawks!

The above picture says it all. The Hawks, streaking downcourt, with their opponents on their collective heels. What can you say about this winning streak? Last night's game was by far the most impressive of the four wins, as we took on a Philadelphia team that had won seven-straight games but was out of this one by the end of the first quarter. The final score may have been 104-92, but it was never that close.

Josh Smith continues to be a revelation, as he followed up his 32 point effort against Minnesota with 26 more (and a career-best 17 rebounds) in this one. I'll just come out and say it. Smoove was the best player on the court last night. I think that's the first time I've ever thought that to myself. What impressed me the most? The way he attacked the basket inside against Samuel Dalembert and Steven Hunter, two guys who defend the paint very well.

Josh was incredible, but as we have seen during this winning streak, it wasn't all about him. This was another tremendous team effort, with six Hawks scoring in double-figures, tying the season-high. Salim Stoudamire tried in vain to join the group, but finished with nine. Here is a photo gallery from the game - really a treat to watch from start to finish (the game, not the photo gallery - though they are nice shots).

So, here we are again. Four games out of the 8th spot, still sitting 11th overall. Many of the teams in front of us are heading in the wrong direction: Indy has lost 10 straight, Orlando has lost eight of ten, and New Jersey has only recently righted the ship, winning two straight after a five-game losing streak.

I feel like I ask myself this every day - can we really make a run? There are only 17 games left in the season, so I don't want to get all riled up for nothing. But if they continue to play the way they have since the loss to Miami, they could make things interesting.

The two game road trip that starts tonight in Boston will pretty much determine whether or not a run is possible. The Celtics are back to relative mediocrity since Paul Pierce returned, so they won't be a pushover. Both teams are playing the second of a back-to-back, so there is no rest advantage for either unit.

Friday we play at Indiana, a team in an absolute freefall. A win there would not only keep the team headed in the right direction, but would allow the Hawks to make up a game in the standings directly against the competition.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves. But at the same time, a split on this trip would be tremendous, especially with another four-game homestand beginning next Monday against Sacramento.

First things first though - let's see if we can't grab our first five-game winning streak since the 1999-2000 season. Tune in tonight to FSN South at 7:30 for all the action!

The first thing to mention about tonight's game, for anyone who isn't going, is that the game is being broadcast in HD. That is pretty sweet. Every sporting event in the world is better in HD. It's one of three games coming up for the Hawks that will be in HD:

- 3/13 vs. Philly
- 3/19 vs. Sacramento
- 3/21 vs Miami

I am in no way saying you shouldn't go to those games; you should. But if you can't make it for whatever reason, definitely catch the action in HD, you will thank me for it.

As for tonight's game, the Hawks are streaking, having improbably won three straight without Joe Johnson. Of course, tonight's opponent, Philly, is even hotter, having won seven straight to pull within shouting distance of a playoff berth as well. They have beaten us twice already this year - the season-opener at Philly, and in late January at Philips.

I talked to Hawks assistant Greg Ballard today to break down the Sixers, and he says Andre Miller deserves a lot of credit for the team's play of late. I have always found him underrated, and I think he is one of the best distributors in the league. Tyronn Lue agrees, or so he told me in our podcast (shameless plug).

When we lost to the Sixers in January, I thought their bigs were particularly damaging to us. Usually, I would be fine with daring Samuel Dalembert and Steven Hunter to beat us, but that night they were both hitting shots and were very active on the boards. I think to get a W tonight, we have to minimize their effectiveness.

In our three wins last week, we did a great job sharing the wealth. Josh Smith was tremendous, but we got double-digit scoring from several players in each game, which I think makes us more dangerous. If we can continue to distribute the ball well and do a good job defensively on the interior, I see no reason why we can't win our fourth straight home game for the first time since April of 2003.

Come out tonight to cheer us on. Philly fans typically show up pretty well to Philips, so let's make sure to drown them out and send 'em home unhappy.

See you tonight!

I know I work in the NBA, but I can't help it this time of year, I get caught up (and then some) in March Madness. I love it. Nothing beats the NCAA Tournament. I think it'd be awesome if the NBA ever added a separate single-elimination tourney, maybe like as a preseason event. It would be pretty money if you ask me. Of course no one is, so it will never happen.

Anyway, I thought we'd discuss the Big Dance a little today, starting with the answer to today's trivia question. It was a toughie, and we only got two right answers, but congrats to Baht W. who got tickets to tonight's game against the Sixers for knowing that five players on the rosters for Atlanta and Philly have played in a Final Four. They are:

Shelden Williams and Shavlik Randolph for Duke in 2004, Marvin Williams at UNC in 2005, Royal Ivey at Texas in 2003, and Andre Miller for Utah in 1998.

I was in the locker room after practice yesterday to get some of the players' thoughts on the tourney, seeing as so many of their schools are in the bracket. Originally, I planned on doing interviews with every player whose alma mater made it to give you some insight from them on how their teams will fare. Unfortunately, they are pretty much all unabashed homers, and apparently, the only news I can give you is that all of their teams are headed to the Final Four.

Instead, here is a short compendium of what I took away from the discussion:

Royal Ivey (Texas) - Thinks Kevin Durant can drop 50 on anyone (I don't disagree, for the record). Thinks their bracket is the toughest one in the tourney, but thinks the Horns can reach the Elite Eight at least.
Josh Childress (Stanford) - Likes Stanford's chances, but thinks their youth could be their undoing. Thinks if they can survive the first round, then they could be dangerous.
Lorenzen Wright (Memphis) - Thinks Memphis has been overlooked because they lost so many players from last season's team that reached the Elite Eight, but says they have enough talent to get pretty far.
Marvin Williams (UNC) - North Carolina can win it all because they can score really well and have a lot of different guys who can contribute offensively.
Shelden Williams (Duke) - With the way Duke plays defense, thinks they can get far. Doesn't think scoring is Duke's strong point, so they will need to defend to advance.
Joe Johnson (Arkansas) - Guarantees the Hogs will beat USC. After that, unsure of how they can do.
Salim Stoudamire (Arizona) - It all depends on Mustafa Shakur. If he plays well, they have the talent to do some damage. But if he is off, they may lose early. Likes the matchup with Florida if they get that far because they play similar tempos.

So there you have it. I don't know if that will help any of you pick your brackets, but it's at least a little food for thought. Back with more in a bit to preview tonight's game...

Smith scored a game-high 20 points in Friday's win over Memphis, including the game-winning points on a three-pointer the old fashioned way, putting back an Anthony Johnson miss for a basket and the foul with 11 seconds left.

Saturday he raised it up another notch, pouring in a career-high 32 (on 12-15 shooting from the field) to help lead the team over Minnesota. That's now three straight wins for the Hawks, all without JJ. Ummm, yeah. Didn't see that one coming.

It's interesting. This is not a slight at Joe, who is basically the best basketball player on the planet in these eyes, but the team has, as you may have noticed, a tendency late in games to give Joe the ball and watch what happens. Well, without him on the floor, the Hawks have had to spread the ball around, which makes it much more difficult for other teams to figure out what they are going to do in crunch time. Again, I'd rather have Joe than not, but the current situation is forcing the other guys to make plays they haven't been asked to make in the past.

All of which is to say, I think history will look back on this season as the year that Josh Smith figured out how to play this game. Call it "The Year Smoove Found His Groove". Though he still takes some ill-advised jumpers, he has begun to take his game inside more and more, where his athleticism is nearly unmatched in the NBA. With Joe out, Josh has assumed the Alpha Male role for the foreseeable future and so far is wearing it well.

As for the team's prospects? I'd love to think we can still make a playoff run, but without Joe, even with our recent play, it's still a lot to ask. On the other hand, if the guys can continue to play team ball, who knows? The East is still up for grabs, and thanks to Indiana's freefall, yet another playoff spot is in play now.

I don't know what is going to happen, and it would take a lot more than three straight wins to get us there, but I can tell you this: if Josh Smith keeps it going, we may have meaningful games left this season after all.

Any given night, right? Isn't that what we always tell our kids when they play sports? It doesn't matter the opponent; if you play your best you always have a chance to beat anyone.

Well, last night was another reminder of just that, as the Hawks beat the Wizards 100-97 at Philips Arena despite missing Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, and Speedy Claxton. Oh, and having lost six-straight games. And playing a Wizards team that has fairly owned the Hawks of late, winning nine of the last ten in the series, including two one-point wins in DC this season.

I admit it. I wrote us off. I was planning on live-blogging last night's game, but with the injuries and the way things were going for us of late, I just didn't have the heart to give a blow-by-blow of a twenty-point blowout.

Well, shame on me - that's what I get for jumping to conclusions. It would have been a great game to live-blog too, as the depleted Hawks really put on a very inspiring performance in beating down a very good Washington squad.

First things first, we have to give a tip o' the cap to Zaza Pachulia, who carried the team for several stretches last night on his way to a career-high 27 points and 12 rebounds. There was a time this season where ZP really seemed like his confidence was shaken, but that appears to have passed. He was pretty much unstoppable in the post last night, repeatedly getting past his defender for layups or drawing a foul to get to the line.

Everyone who played last night deserves mention, but I'd also like to single out Salim Stoudamire and Solomon Jones, each of who put up strong performances in their first extended action in a long time.

If Joe is really going to be out for as long as it appears (3-4 weeks at best with a hematoma under his calf muscle), the team is going to have to find various ways to replace his production. Last night was truly a team effort, and I applaud the guys for believing in themselves even if the rest of us didn't.

Here is a photo gallery from the night. I'm on my way down to practice, so I hope to talk to Zaza about last night's career performance.

Tonight is going to be a tough one, no doubt. Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams will be joining Speedy Claxton on the sidelines, courtesy of injuries they sustained Monday night in the loss at Miami.

Washington has been a particularly frustrating opponent so far this season, as we have played well enough to beat them twice on the road, only to lose by a single point each time.

What do we need to do tonight to get off the schneid? I spoke to Assistant Coach Herb Brown earlier today for our Breaking Down the Wizards segment, and he says the key to their offense is F Antawn Jamison. I was surprised to hear that, considering how many points Gilbert "Hibachi!" Arenas is capable of scoring, but Brown says the Wiz can be had if Arenas gets his 40 but they limit Jamison and Caron Butler to ten apiece.

If we are going to win, we are going to need big-time scoring contributions across the board, but particularly along the perimeter as that is where Marvin and JJ get a lot of their points. Personally, I'd like to see more Josh Childress after his performance on Monday, as he had a few very impressive forays into the lane for points.

We are on a six-game slide, and yes, breaking that would be a lot easier if we had two of our best scorers, but let's not feel sorry for ourselves. If anything, this will give some of our younger players a chance to show if they can contribute on a meaningful basis. To whit, Sekou Smith is reporting that Solomon Jones will be in the starting lineup tonight.

Come out tonight to support our guys - a win without Joe would be a huge confidence boost.

See you there!

I know we are 1-5 since the All-Star break, but I have to be honest, I am not surprised. We have faced just an absolute beast of a schedule, and the Dallas game aside, I think we've acquitted ourselves pretty well (ok, Chicago too). I expected February to be brutal on us, and it was in some ways - we finished the month 5-9, but given the schedule (and the five-game road trip) I think it could have been worse.

Now the calendar has turned, and March is looking much more favorable. And, as an added bonus, tonight we will field our entire roster for the first time this season. Tyronn Lue, who has been out for the last 10 games and was heavily limited before that, will be returning to the court. He is still not 100%, but with the addition of Anthony Johnson to the mix, hopefully between him, AJ, and Speedy, we will finally be able to get the production from the 1 spot that we've been lacking on a consistent basis.

Washington will be getting healthy tonight as well, as apparently both Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison will be making their returns from injuries. The Wizards have been struggling of late, so they too will be gunning to get back on the right track. Fortunately for us, no one on our team appears to have any beef with Agent Zero, so Gilbert Arenas doesn't have any particular vengeance planned for the evening.

The Wiz have given us fits over the last few years with their ability to score in bunches. To beat them tonight on their home court, we are going to have to keep them from going on those kinds of runs. We have been impressive in the last few weeks in our ability to come back from deficits, and that is commendable, but we need to keep those to a minimum if we want to get back in the playoff race.

I said I'd be happy getting one of three from our home slate of San Antonio, Houston, and Phoenix, and we got that. Then I said we needed to get at least one of this three-game road trip. Well, we couldn't get it done in Dallas or OK City, which leaves tonight. A big road win would give the team confidence before they return home tomorrow night for a home date vs. the Knicks, another team trying to make headway towards the 8 spot in the East.

We are healthy now, and we are playing well if not winning. Tonight's the night to start the move if we are going to make it.

Tune in to SportSouth at 7:00 ET to see how it plays out.