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!