It's been about a week now since the Hawks' playoff run was ended by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and with the dust having settled a bit  I thought it might be nice to take a trip down memory lane and review some of the ups and downs of the 2008-09 season.

There are a lot of decisions that will have to be made in the coming months about Hawks' personnel, but for now let's take a final look back at the achievements of this year's squad.

Best Win (Regular Season): Dec. 13 - Hawks 97, Cavaliers 92 - The Cavs came to town with an 11-game winning streak, and the Hawks put an end to that noise as all 5 starters scored in double-figures, led by Mike Bibby's 24. It's over, I know, but results like this one make me sad we weren't healthy against the Cavs in the postseason. May not have mattered in the end, but would have certainly made the series more interesting.

Best Win (Post Season): Game 7 vs Miami - Hawks 91, Heat 78 - Had a hard time deciding this one. Game 7 seems like an obvious choice, given that it was a deciding game and the Hawks pretty much dominated the Heat from start to finish. Part of me wants to give it to the team's 81-71 win in Game 4 in Miami, as it kept the team from falling behind 3-1 and gave them their first road playoff win since the Clinton administration. Still, Game 7s are Game 7s, so I gave it the nod in the end.

More categories after the jump...

There are two days that always feel very strange to me as an employee of the Atlanta Hawks (though I imagine I'd feel the same with any similar sports organization) - the first day of training camp, when the players first arrive, and the last day of the season, when they clean out their lockers. I think it's for the same reason both times. When the guys arrive for camp, I am like, "Man, the summer sure went by fast." And now that they are leaving, I'm like, "Good lord, the season went by quickly." Happens the same way every year.

Today was no different - well, mostly anyway. It is certainly the latest I've ever participated in post-season media day, which is of course a good thing. As Sekou Smith told me the other day, his bday is in mid-May, and usually he has a month or so between the season before it arrives. This year, not so much.

Anyway, we ventured down to the locker room today for one last media session and to wish the guys well for the summer.

Most guys immediate plans were to get some rest - even Joe Johnson, a notorious gym rat, said he was going to take some time to relax (note: from what I know of Joe, he pretty much does nothing other than sleep, eat, and play basketball - so when he says he's going to rest, I like to imagine him hibernating, bear-like, for the next 6 weeks or so). Marvin Williams will do his usual summer routine, which means he'll be starting summer school this week in Chapel Hill.

A couple guys, particularly Zaza, made sure to say goodbye to everyone around the team, because with free-agency beckoning there is no guarantee they'll be back. Having said that, of the free agents that make up the core of the team (Bibby, Zaza, Flip, and Marvin), every single one made a point to say they enjoyed playing here and hoped to return.

Everyone agreed that they were disappointed with the series against Cleveland (the quote of the day came from Al Horford, who when asked how he felt, a day later, about last night, said, "It still sucks."), but that overall it had been a successful year and another step in the right direction.

I couldn't agree more.

It's a disappointing end to the 2008-09 season, as the Hawks fall 84-74 to the Cavs in Game 4 at Philips Arena. Atlanta brought the effort and intensity all night, but could never get it going offensively as they end up being eliminated by Cleveland in four games in their second round series.

Really not much you can do but tip your hat to LeBron James and the rest of his crew. They are clearly the best team in the NBA at present, and a threat to go the distance perhaps without dropping a single contest. Everything the Hawks tried the Cavs were able to counter, and they deserve to move on to the next round. It's a shame we never got to play them at 100%, but nothing can be done about that. Every team deals with injuries, and you just have to go with what you have.

There will be plenty of things to discuss as the offseason arrives, but that will come in time. For now, let's put aside the disappointment of the end of the season (and the way it ended) and focus on the positives. As Marvin Williams said in the locker room afterwards, "We're all upset about the way it finished up, but we are still very happy about how the season went overall."

We're all unhappy to be getting swept out of the playoffs, but let's remember - very few people even thought we'd make the postseason in the first place, let alone make it through to the second round. Last year the Hawks lost to the Celtics, and the lessons they took away from that series (most importantly, get homecourt advantage as much as possible) helped springboard them to the success they had this year. Hopefully, there will be many takeaways from this year that drive the team to be even more successful this time a year from now.

Congrats to Mike Woodson and his team for a terrific 2008-09 season, no matter how it ended.

A hard-fought first half, if not very pretty, as the Hawks trail 40-38. Both teams are playing good defense and forcing tough shots, which has led to the Hawks shooting only 31.6% from the field and Cleveland 42.9%. The Hawks have forced 11 turnovers, turning them into 16 points, which has helped the cause immensely (especially considering their poor shooting).

The biggest factor in the game so far has been the teams' disparity at the line, where the Hawks are an outstanding 14-15 while the Cavs have made just 6-13.

The trends of the game favor the Hawks. If they can keep their defensive effort intact, they are almost guaranteed to shoot better in the second half. One key will be getting Mike Bibby and Al Horford untracked. Both are scoreless in the game so far, and with the way Cleveland defends it's going to be a tall task if we can't get them going at least a little bit.

The effort is there so far, just gotta get some shots to drop and then we'll be sending this thing back to Cleveland.

Let's Go Hawks!

Win or lose, I was proud of the way the Hawks competed tonight. With 3 guys playing through injuries that probably would have had them in street clothes in the regular season, Atlanta fought tooth and nail and unfortunately went up against the best basketball player on the planet having one of the greatest games of his career. 47 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists for LeBron, who scored from everywhere on the court no matter who the Hawks threw at him. As Hawks assistant Jim Todd said in our postgame recap, they tried trapping him, and he made great passes to get his teammates free. They played him straight up, and he hit shots. It was just his night.

The Hawks now trail 3-0 in the best-of-seven series, and get one more crack at a win Monday night in Game 4 at Philips Arena. It's a shame they lost tonight for many reasons, but especially because the crowd was outstanding and really gave the team a boost during several runs in the second and third quarters.

I know it's easy to be frustrated with the way these games have gone for Atlanta, but let's not give up on our guys just yet. There is a lot of pride amongst the players and coaches, and us fans as well. It's cheesy to say it, but we have to take this one game at a time. Don't worry about the overall series and what happens, let's just focus on Game 4 and see what happens.

The Hawks trail by 1, 47-46, at halftime of Game 3 at Philips Arena. It's been an incredibly gutsy effort from Atlanta, as Joe Johnson, Al Horford, and Marvin Williams have all played and contributed despite injuries that have kept them from practicing for varying periods of time. It's been kind of a weird half. The Cavs don't really seem to be playing all that well, but LeBron is making a ton of shots to keep them ahead. With LBJ, you have to pick your poison, and the fact that he's been content to shoot from the perimeter most of the night favors the Hawks. Unfortunately, he's making them.

For Atlanta, they just have to keep their composure and stay with what they are doing. The effort is there, and the shots started to fall in the 2nd after a rough first (they shot 66% in the 2nd quarter after shooting only 29% in the 1st). They are getting offensive rebounds (6 in the first half), and they are moving the ball to get open looks for each other. If they can keep it up, and continue to protect the ball (only 3 turnovers in the first half), they can absolutely win this game.

Let's keep it up in the second half and see if we can't keep this series from being the foregone conclusion the rest of the world seems to think it is.

Let's Go Hawks!

In the meantime, there is tons of stuff going on prior to the game to whet your appetite for b'ball. First and foremost, beat the traffic early down to the arena and take part in the Block Party action going on on Philips Drive. The block party starts at 6:00 and continues right up until tip-off.

Looking to get the action started a little earlier? Then check out the NBA Nation Tour going on at the Sweet Auburn Festival.

Either way, it's game day, and it's time to start getting fired up for tonight's Game 3 as the Hawks try to climb back in their series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

See you tonight!

The Hawks have their work cut out for them, no doubt. And all I'll add to that for tonight is this - Atlanta was down 0-2 to Boston last year under similar circumstances (in terms of the types of losses, the lack of healthy bodies is another story), and as bad as it seemed at the time, all it took was one Game 3 to get things headed in the right direction.

So let's do everything we can as fans to make the Highlight Factory as loud as possible on Saturday night and help get our team back in the action. The Hawks need a 6th man now more than ever, and let's not forget we beat Cleveland at home once, and almost twice, earlier this season.

Wipe the slate clean. Let's get ready for Game 3.

And please, please let our guys get healthy!

My grade school teacher used to have a saying: "Life isn't always fair, but it's always life." For some reason I found myself thinking about that expression just now, after finding out that both Marvin Williams and Al Horford will be inactive for tonight's game against the Cavaliers.

Cleveland is tough to beat when 100% healthy, let alone when you are down a pair of starters (and arguably your two best defenders). But, as Coach Woodson said this morning, no one is going to think about excuses if the team loses tonight, so they better not focus on who isn't available and worry about using who is.

A look around the league shows that winning is indeed possible, even on the road, when some of your best players are down. Orlando has persevered without Jameer Nelson, Boston is in the second round without Kevin Garnett and Leon Powe, and Houston amazingly hasn't skipped a beat without Tracy McGrady. Every team has to deal with injuries.

Full strength or not, the Hawks won't win tonight if they don't do the things they do when they do best (got that?): namely, share the ball offensively and play lock-down defense. Atlanta did that for 2+ quarters in Game 1, and only when they stopped did Cleveland run away from them. Play as a team, and they have a chance tonight no matter who is in uniform.

Catch all the action tonight on ESPN, and once again feel free to join up with your fellow Hawks fans at the local viewing parties at Jay's Place in Stone Mountain, Ultimate Bar and Grill on Camp Creek Parkway, and Cheyenne Grill in Buckhead.

I'll be keeping you up to speed on Twitter as always.

Go Hawks!

First things first, I think you have to tip your hat to the Cavs. They are an excellent basketball team, and they make a lot of teams look bad at Quicken Loans Arena. So I don't equate losing by 27 here to losing by a similar margin in Miami. That's not to say that there is any moral victory in tonight's 99-72 loss, but there is a difference.

So what went wrong? How did Cleveland turn a 5-point halftime spread into a runaway victory? In my mind, it was the little things that did the Hawks in tonight, and in a way that gives me hope for this series. 17 turnovers? That's something the Hawks can correct going forward. Al Horford said it in the locker room in postgame, and I agree - too many of the Hawks giveaways were unforced tonight, and the Cavs made them pay for it to the tune of 23 points.

15 offensive rebounds for Cleveland? That's definitely something the team has to work on. You're not going to beat many NBA teams giving them that many second opportunities, let alone a team that won 66 games in the regular season. But again, something the Hawks can work on.

Lastly, the Hawks shot 50% (9-18) from the free throw line, and that needs to improve as well. Fortunately for Atlanta, these are all areas they can work towards improving as the series moves to Game 2.

I said it in pregame, and at the risk of overstating it, the Cavs only lost at home twice all season. To beat them there, the Hawks don't have to play perfect basketball, but they can't afford to give them a helping hand. Tighten up on the mental mistakes and Game 1 is much, much closer, and then who knows.

One thing is for sure - with Marvin Williams and Al Horford still hurting, the Hawks have got to get big offensive outputs from guys like Flip Murray and Mo Evans to take the pressure off Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby. Cleveland made it awfully tough on the Hawks in the second half, and we can't rely on hitting a ton of 3-pointers to keep us in ballgames. Sure it worked for Miami a couple times in the first round, but it's not a good long-term strategy.

It's only one loss though, and there is no reason to get too emotional yet. Let's put this one behind us, and start getting ready for Game 2 on Thursday.

All things considered, that was a pretty solid first half for the Hawks. Cleveland lost only twice on this court all season (and one doesn't really count, it was the last game of the season with LBJ, Mo Williams, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas in street clothes), and is used to running teams out of the building.

Atlanta got off to a terrific start shooting the ball, getting lots of lay-ups and dunks in the early going thanks to crisp passing and getting out in transition. Josh Smith in particular showed the force he can be in this series if he can lay off the jumpers and focus on getting inside the paint. Mike Bibby had a big first half shooting from distance, making 4-4 to keep the Hawks close after Cleveland built out a double-digit lead.

Two things stand out from the first half that explain why the Hawks trail by 5 despite shooting 56% from the field. 1) They committed 9 turnovers leading to 12 Cleveland points, and 2) they gave up 8 offensive rebounds. Improve on those stats, and the team is right there to steal this game away from the home team.

On the injury front, Al Horford looks reasonably good on his injured ankle (his 3-offensive rebound possession leading to a Bibby 3 was the highlight of the half for me), while Marvin Williams definitely still looks bothered by his wrist, which he appeared to land on again after getting fouled early in the second. Hopefully he is ok and can continue (he's shooting out there on the court right now, a good sign).

Hmmm. So this is what a close playoff game is like...

All season long, the conventional wisdom has held that the NBA is heading for a LeBron vs. Kobe showdown in the NBA Finals. The Pistons and Jazz weren't able to derail that train in Round 1, and now it's the Hawks' and Rockets' turn to try their hand.

Last night, Houston was able to get their series started on the right foot, beating LA at Staples Center 100-92. In winning the game, the Rockets laid out a foundation for victory the Hawks would be wise to follow for tonight's Game 1 of their series against the Cavaliers.

1. They made the Lakers superstar-reliant. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 32 points last night, but took 31 shots from the field to get there. Three other players reached double-figures for LA, but none really made a big enough mark to tip the scales. If the Hawks can make LeBron get his points in an inefficient way while limiting the effectiveness of his teammates, that will be a great start.

2. Hold them to a low percentage from 3-point range. The Lakers were a paltry 2-18 from distance last night (11%). The Cavs were the second-best 3-point shooting outfit in the league in the regular season, making almost 40% of their attempts. Unlike Miami, which over the course of the series were never able to make Atlanta pay for focusing their efforts on Dwyane Wade, Cleveland has several shooters they can let loose on the perimeter. To some extent, the Hawks will have to sacrifice open looks for guys like Delonte West, Mo Williams, and Daniel Gibson to keep LBJ out of the paint, but if they can rotate effectively and make them shoot a lower percentage, their odds for winning will improve.

3. Get to the free throw line and make them count. The Rockets were 25-29 from the charity stripe in Game 1 while the Lakers made just 12-19. That's a 13-point differential, and arguably the difference maker in the game. If the Hawks are aggressive going into the paint tonight and make their foul shots like they did in Game 7 against Miami (where Atlanta made 22-25), it can help the cause tremendously.

While the Hawks won't be entirely at full strength tonight, they will welcome Marvin Williams back to the rotation. Coach Woodson wouldn't specify what his role would be exactly at shootaround today, but did say he didn't have a particular minute total in mind for him. That's good news, because Marvin is arguably the team's best defensive option against LeBron. Al Horford will play, but I wouldn't expect him to be 100% with his injured ankle.

The fun begins tonight at 8:00 on TNT. If you are looking for a place to watch the game, you should drop by one of the Hawks Viewing Parties, being held tonight at Jay's Place in Stone Mountain, Ultimate Bar and Grill on Camp Creek Parkway, or at Rio Grande in Buckhead.

And as always, follow along on twitter during the action.

One of the main reasons Mike Woodson was hired 5 years ago to lead the Atlanta Hawks was he was known as a defensive-minded coach. The Hawks have come a long way since then, and the defensive effort they gave today did their head man proud. There were a lot of things that went right today in the team's 91-78 win over the Heat, but the biggest reason they are moving on to face LeBron James and the Cavaliers is because they put together one of their strongest defensive efforts of the season when they needed it most.

You want to know how to win a Game 7? Try forcing 19 turnovers and turning them into 28 points, and see if that doesn't do the trick. In the first 3 quarters on Sunday, the Heat scored 18, 18, and 16 points. That's how you win a Game 7.

The defense was fantastic today, but you know, the offense wasn't so bad either. Joe Johnson, after being flustered for most of this series, came through in a big way in Game 7. JJ shook off a slow start (he missed his first five shots) to score a team-leading 27 points, tying his career playoff high with 6 three-pointers along the way. Much like the Heat get their cues from Dwyane Wade, I know I felt a sense of relief after Johnson hit his first shot, and watching him drain a three with Wade in his face midway through the fourth will probably stick with me as the image of the series.

Another item that played a large part in the Hawks success that might go unnoticed in a blowout was the team's performance from the charity stripe. 22-25 from the line for the Hawks (88%), a terrific showing from a team that has struggled at times to convert. Josh Smith deserves particular mention, as he hit 7-8 and appears to be over the mental issues he had earlier in the season.

In the end, Game 7 went almost precisely according to plan. Dwyane Wade scored 31 points for Miami, but it took him 25 shots to get there, and meanwhile the Hawks kept anyone else from doing enough damage to keep it close (Michael Beasley scored 17, but a lot of those points came after the outcome had already been decided). The only thing that really didn't go well today was the rebounding, as the Heat outboarded the Hawks 39-30, making this the only contest in the series where the team that won the battle of the boards didn't also win the game.

And so the Hawks move on, and in doing so erase a long history of playoff futility. It's the first second-round appearance for Atlanta since 1999, and the first time they've won a 7-game series since 1970 (an interesting note - today's game was the first time the Hawks have hosted a deciding Game 7 in franchise history).

Of course, the postseason isn't over, and it would be foolish for anyone to decide that simply making the second round is enough satisfaction for one year. Cleveland was the NBA's best team in the regular season, and it will take a gargantuan effort to knock them off.

Having said that though, when the Hawks defend and share the ball like they did today, they can beat anyone. Anyone. We'll see if they can keep it up against the Cavs, but that's for tomorrow. Let's cherish this series win over a tough Miami team, and congratulate Mike Woodson and company on a job well done.

Go Hawks!

The Hawks are right where they want to be after the first 24 minutes of this game. Led by an active defense that has forced 10 turnovers so far, the offense has had a much easier time getting good looks at the basket, and that has translated to an excellent shooting performance from downtown. Atlanta is 6-12 from three point range, while the Heat are 0-7. If that kind of form holds, it will only be poetic justice for Miami's shooting performance in Games 2&3.

A few other quick thoughts:

- Al Horford isn't 100%, but boy is it nice to have him out there. He makes such a big difference inside, and had an impact on the action so far that far surpasses what his stats say (3 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist).

- Joe Johnson had a rough start, but heated up in a hurry in the second, scoring all 12 of his points in the quarter. I don't normally advocate JJ shooting from 28 feet with time left on the clock, but in a Game 7 I'll take any basket that drops - and his did.

- JJ didn't have it going offensively early, but he's played incredible defense so far. He's got 4 steals so far, and has helped harass Dwyane Wade into 4-14 shooting from the field.

- One thing to watch out for in the second half is the rebounding battle. The team that won the battle of the boards has won every game of the series so far, and the Hawks trail 25-18 in that category at the break.

Overall, a great first half for the Hawks, who upped their scoring from 26 points in Game 7 at Boston last year to 49 in this one.

Keep it up ATL, we're almost there!

I don't think anyone is happy with the way things went down in tonight's 98-72 loss to the Heat in Game 6. We can make lots of excuses of varying legitimacy (not having Al Horford and Marvin Williams is legit, complaining about the officiating not as much given the final score) about what led to tonight's result, but quite honestly, I don't think it's worth re-hashing.

This is the playoffs - every win or loss, no matter how grand or deflating, only counts as one game. And though tonight's loss was immensely frustrating, there is a bright side - namely, that we are going home to Atlanta for Game 7 where the team won 33 times this season, including routs very similar to this one in Games 1 and 5.

The Hawks set several goals at the beginning of the season. One of the biggest ones was to win enough games in the regular season to get home court advantage in at least the first round of the playoffs. They accomplished that goal, and because they did they will get to host Game 7 at Philips Arena on Sunday at 1:00 ET. To me, that is all that matters.

This is what they worked for all year, the chance to have their home fans cheering them on if it ever came down to a win-or-go-home scenario. That's what it will be on Sunday.

Much credit to Miami for the way they played tonight. D-Wade was as good as he's been all series, and they got unlikely contributions from guys like Joel Anthony and Michael Beasley to force the deciding game. Kudos to them, now let's shove it in their face in Game 7.

Feel free to vent about tonight's game in the comments, but let's also talk about what needs to happen on Sunday for the Hawks to move on to Cleveland.

It could have been worse. That's my initial reaction to looking at the scoreboard at the half as the Hawks trail 51-42 in Game 6 here tonight in Miami. With Al Horford and Marvin Williams dressed but hurting (Marvin got in for a few first-half minutes but still looks inhibited by his wrist - his only shot was a lefty hook), the last thing the Hawks needed to start the game was 2 quick fouls on Joe Johnson, costing him the last 10 minutes of the first quarter. Atlanta is a deep enough team, but losing 3 starters will eventually take it's toll, and the Heat took full advantage to build their lead to as much as 17.

However, the Hawks hung tough, and thanks to a late steal and bucket by Mike Bibby go into the second half well within range of overtaking Miami and winning this series in 6.

The one thing that looks capable of derailing that train? It's a familiar sight, and that's of Dwyane Wade barreling towards the paint and getting rewarded for his efforts. It's hard to write this and not sound like a complete homer, but it can't always be a foul on the defender when the offensive player initiates the contact, can it? D-Wade is 4-12 from the field after one half, but 12 trips to the free throw line will make up for a poor shooting percentage any day.

That's not the only reason the Hawks are down, of course. The offense looked pretty discombobulated early on, and even after getting it going some in the second quarter they are still not moving the ball around enough to really make a run without hitting a ton of tough perimeter shots, which could happen, but isn't terrific strategy.

One thing they've done well is make Michael Beasley think he has to shoulder the load with Jermaine O'Neal out - Beasley is 5-16 from the field in the first half. 16 shots! If he matches that output in the second half, I think the Hawks win this game.

The officiating has been frustrating, but it is what it is - Atlanta cannot get rattled by a few calls they wish had gone a different way.

The Hawks are down 9, but it could have been more. Let's take advantage of that in the second half and send the Heat home for the summer!

The big news going into tonight's game is that Marvin Williams and Al Horford, barring anything unforseen, will be in street clothes. It's not a tremendous break for the Hawks, but I'd rather rest the two of them tonight with the hopes they could play on Sunday than risk making their injuries worse. Al didn't do anything during shootaround today, but Marvin worked out his wrist a little bit, and appears to be recuperating.

We know that Mo Evans will start in Marvin's place, but the big surprise tonight might be who takes over for Horford in the middle - Solomon Jones.

That may seem a bit surprising given the way Zaza Pachulia has played in this series, but I think the coaching staff likes the energy Big Z brings off the bench, so they will keep him in that role for the time being, and I imagine he'll still end up with a pretty healthy amount of minutes tonight either way.

Having Solo in the line-up creates an interesting situation for Game 6. With the way the Heat have been trying to establish Jermaine O'Neal early on in games, Solo's length could potentially limit his effectiveness, provided Solo can stay away from the referee's whistle. Al Horford has struggled to do that in this series, but Solo doesn't have the height disadvantage working against him, so hopefully that will help. JO uses a lot of fakes and spins, so it will all be about discipline and sound defensive positioning for the Hawks big man.

Solo vs JO aside, tonight's game will be determined, as pretty much the entire series has been so far, by how well the Hawks defend Dwyane Wade and the offense he creates for Miami. Bob Rathbun said it on one of our podcasts this week, and it rings so true: the entire Heat lineup draws their emotional cues from Wade and how he plays. If he starts missing early, the entire team's shoulders seem to sag a bit. When he gets it rolling, they all perk up.

A lot has been made about the physicality of the series so far, and each game has seen just a little bit more nastiness between players on both sides. That is to be expected in any lengthy playoff series, and I do think the refs will be aware of it tonight and pretty quick on the trigger with the foul calls.

All the more reason it becomes immensely important for the Hawks to play aggressively from the get go tonight. Winning Game 6 here wasn't going to be easy no matter who played for Atlanta - the fact that two starters are down certainly makes the task that much harder. But the Hawks aren't up 3-2 because of some fluky shot or crazy bounce of the ball; they have a chance to end this series tonight because they are the better team, and I think that's still the case even without Marvin and Al.

Tune in tonight on FS South HD or on ESPN for all the action starting at 8:00 ET, and feel free to join me on the Hawks twitter page for live analysis as the game goes on.

-- Hawks All-Access #14