I may be trying to amuse myself just a little with the title of this post...

So, a pretty disappointing weekend, I don't think anyone is going to dispute that. We had our chances to win both games, and came away with zilch. Obviously, the dim playoffs chances we have are even dimmer as we head to Miami tonight to play the defending champs, a team that has beaten us nine-straight times at home. The prognosis doesn't look good.

And yet, I think we will win. Why? Just seems like something this team would do. How else to explain beating Phoenix on the road, Houston at home, but also get blown out by the Bobcats on two straight nights.

Just when you think this team is going to zig, they zag. And, to quote one of my favorite sitcoms (Newsradio), when you think they are going to zag, that's when they zog (ok, it's funny to me - shut up).

Logic would dictate that this team is pretty much out of it at this point, and perhaps they are. But every time they seem like they are about to pack it in for a stretch, they seem to reach down and pull out big wins like they did against the Clippers and Pistons back in January.

Speedy Claxton is out for tonight's game with soreness in his knee, which isn't too much of a surprise - I think you'll see less of him and T-Lue when they aren't feeling up to it now that we have Anthony Johnson - and Lorenzen Wright may be out (he is listed as probable) as he still deals with a facial contusion he suffered on Friday that has caused a few concussion-like symptoms.

The Heat have played better than most (read: me) thought they would after losing Dwyane Wade to a shoulder injury, going 3-2 in five games. Shaq appears to be turning back the clock, putting up some pretty impressive numbers in the last few games.

Still, I think they can be had. The most frustrating thing about this losing streak is that I don't feel like we are playing that...bad. Ok, blowing a 16-point lead to the Knicks could qualify as bad, but we have been in every game until the end during this entire losing skid (I don't count Dallas - they are on another planet right now). Some of these breaks are going to start going our way, and before you know it, we may be a few games towards the better.

Should we win tonight? Maybe not. But in keeping with the consistently inconsistent season so far, I say we pull it out.

Tune in to SportSouth at 7:30 ET to catch all the action.

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Can the Hawks ditch their new uniforms and permanently go with the old-school "Pac-Man" uniforms like they did against the Suns? I forgot how much I liked those. But I have to be honest - the reason for my positive opinion could be solely due to association because, during those years, we had a winning ball club led by the Human Highlight Film, the one and only 'Nique.
Speaking of Pac-Man, how about this story.

Can someone please explain to me why anyone in their right mind would walk into a strip club in Las Vegas on All-Star Weekend with $81,000 in one dollar bills with the intention of creating a "cash-rain" effect? Who came up with this brilliant idea? Does he have a team of trusted advisors led by Stephen Jackson, Jamaal Tinsley and Charlie Sheen? Congrats Pac-Man - your "generosity" not only cost you $81,000, but probably several million dollars after legal fees and potential expulsion from the NFL.

Fortunately, for every mindless athlete, there's a classy veteran, one of which the Hawks acquired this past week. Welcome back Anthony Johnson. He must feel like he never left after putting on the retro uniform in his debut against the Suns. It's nice to see the Hawks make a move and add another veteran to the roster. Hopefully, Lorenzen Wright and AJ can teach these young Hawks a thing or two about being team players, winning and staying out of trouble like Mr. Pac-Man.

With the possibility of sounding disloyal, I have to admit that I'm jealous of Pheonix fans. There - I said it. I'm sorry. But imagine being guaranteed 41 home games (and double-digit playoff games), in most of which Nash, Amare, Marion, Barbosa and even Boris Diaw are running, running, dunking, running, running and dunking. Knowing how much of a basketball fan I am, I'd consider taking out a second mortgage to get decent season tickets to watch these guys play against NBDL squads. There have been better teams in the last ten or twenty years, but I can't think of a more entertaining team to watch in recent memory.

Other than the fact that Nash could go down as one of the five best point guards in the history of basketball - arguably, in the same ballpark as Magic, Cousy, Stockton, Isiah, Frazier - the athletes he has running with him make the game unfair for opponents. Between Amare and Marion, we're talking about a combined vertical leap of nearly 100 inches. Translation: for the average human, that's only accessible by a ladder. Of course, their athleticism alone isn't what makes Amare, Marion and the rest of the Suns entertaining to watch; they fills lanes, crash the offensive glass and even make back-door cuts once in a while, making their athleticism much more dangerous. And here's THE reason why the Suns are so fun to watch - they desire and allow their opponents to play an up-tempo game. In other words - the anti-Detroit Pistons. Instead of watching painful 85-79 games against defensive-minded Eastern Conference teams, the Suns play a type of game that allows an opposing team's athletes to display their athleticism, creating unmatched entertainment value for fans and players of both teams. It must be nice for D'Antoni and the rest of the Suns to not worry about playing much defense, at least not yet, when you can score 125 points at will.

With that said, the Hawks played with a lot of enthusiasm against a Suns team that I'm giddy to have in the NBA right now. I hope the Hawks can finish this up-and-down season with that sort of enthusiasm (and wearing those Pac-Man uniforms).

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Happy Monday morning out there Hawks fans! Ok, I'm not really that chipper a person, but just trying to get this week started on the right foot. Tough loss last night to the Suns at Philips, but all in all, it wasn't a bad weekend for the Hawks. The team got a big win Friday against the Rockets, winning a close game against a very good team and gaining a crucial victory during this brutal stretch. As I said last week, I honestly feel like if we could go 1-3 against the West on the home stand and then grab another 1-3 on this upcoming three-game road trip, then we are still alive.

the Houston win. What I liked the most about this game was how the Hawks never built a big lead or let Houston take one. It's rare, especially for a young team like Atlanta, to see us play so consistently for 48 minutes. It's no surprise to see us getting ahead or behind by double digits (and then losing that lead or coming back) because of how prone we are to streaks. Yet Friday we managed to beat the Rockets, a terrific team and potential title contender if they get Yao back healthy, without ever leading by more than five or six until free throws late in the game.

Sunday against Phoenix...what can you say? The Suns are one of the two teams considered most likely to take home the title this season, and the Hawks gave them all they could handle the entire game. Twice, the Hawks rebounded to take the lead when trailing by 13+ points, which is something to be proud of. We didn't win the game, and we couldn't stop Amare Stoudemire (man, that guy is ridiculous), but I am happy about the way the guys battled back and never let it get out of hand, even though it appeared it might at several different junctures.

What can you say about the Suns? They are 13-0 on the road against the East, and if they beat Indy on Tuesday and Philly on Wednesday, they will become the first team in NBA history to win all their road games against the opposing conference. So, all things considered, it sucks that we lost, but clearly Phoenix is on a serious roll this year - at least we got a split!

Moving on, lets give out a couple of extra kudos for individual efforts. First of all, welcome to the family, Anthony Johnson. AJ had 17 points in his Hawks debut, including three-of-four from long-range. I don't expect to see that every single night, but clearly performances like that one will warm the Hawks community to him very quickly.

Also, props to Marvin Williams, who put up big numbers in both games over the weekend, popping for 20 against the Rockets and 23 more (with 10 boards) against Phoenix. Included in that 23 was a ridiculous moonbeam from behind the rim at the third-period buzzer, the kind of shot you take in HORSE but rarely ever see in game action. Marv hit a career-high 10 fgs against Phoenix - now if we can just get him to take like one big step back and turn those long twos into threes, then you'll see his scoring average jump significantly!

Here are some photos from the weekend for your viewing pleasure, courtesy as always of Hawks ace photographer Scott Cunningham.  

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The first deal of the day has been made, and wouldn't you know it, our Hawks were involved. Looking to shore up a point guard position that has been injury-prone all season long, Hawks GM Billy Knight went out and acquired Anthony Johnson from the Mavericks in exchange for the team's 2007 second-rounder.

I for one like this deal. It's not earth-shattering by any stretch of the imagination, but it gets us a veteran presense who is known for his toughness, a quality the team has been perceived to be lacking this season.

Also, we got something for (basically) nothing. We added depth at a need position, and didn't have to touch the current roster to do so.

Johnson has been a journeyman for most of his career, but is capable of big nights, as witnessed by his 40-point explotion in last year's playoffs for the Indiana Pacers.

This is Johnson's third stint in Atlanta - let's hope it becomes his sweetest. More later if anything else goes down...

UPDATE: I just got back from practice, where I talked to Coach Woodson about the addition of Anthony Johnson. Here is what he had to say.

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