Now that that's out of the way, a few words if you don't mind about last night's injustice. Clearly, as Hawks fans, we all believed Joe Johnson deserved a spot on the Eastern Conference squad. While it was no surprise he didn't factor into the mix in the fan voting due to the team's lack of a national presence, the thought around the office was that because the Eastern coaches would be doing the balloting, they would vote for Joe since they are the ones double- and triple-teaming him on a nightly basis (yet still giving up 25.3 ppg).

However, it wasn't meant to be. I'll admit it, I'm disappointed. I won't say I'm outraged, because it's not like they put a bunch of complete stiffs on the squad, but I honestly think that no player in the league got worked more than JJ did. Carmelo Anthony leads the league in scoring, but he got suspended for 15 games for the Knicks brawl, so it's not a surprise. Michael Redd certainly is deserving, but he has been hurt for several weeks now and I suppose if he is out of sight, he is out of mind.

I have heard the notion before that players who put up stats for bad teams are not as worthy for All-Star consideration, given that they have to score so much because no one else on the team is capable. Well, that is certainly true in some cases, but consider this about Joe's season so far. Despite being a marked man every time down the court, and despite constantly battling through extra defenders, and despite missing several of his most offensive-minded teammates for long stretches of the season, JJ is currently shooting 48% from the field - a career-best. Joe's numbers are not empty, nor are they put together thanks to a series of meaningless baskets in garbage time. He has carried the Hawks on his back for much of this season, and he should have been rewarded for his efforts with a trip to Vegas.

In the grand scheme of things, maybe this is for the best. Much like Josh Smith, Marvin Williams (another snub for the Rookie-Sophomore game), and Josh Childress upped their play in the second half of the last two seasons after getting rejected from All-Star festivities, maybe this will cause Joe to raise his game to an even higher level (if that's possible).

Anyway, I know you are probably as upset about this as we are, so if you like, please feel free to voice your opinions - the NBA has set up a mailbox where you can write in who you think got left out (thanks to reader Elizabeth H. for pointing us to this). Let em hear it!

Meanwhile, back on the court, the Hawks have a very big game tonight against the Raptors. The home team can snag their second series win of the season with a victory, as they are currently 2-1 against Toronto on the year. The Raptors are playing incredibly well of late, led by January's Eastern Conference Player of the Month Chris Bosh. Stopping him and the rest of the team from getting out on the break will be important tonight, as we heard from assistant coach Larry Drew earlier today.

I think you are going to see an angry team tonight, out to make a statement that they are tired of being overlooked. Well, the only way to change that is by winning, and a W tonight would make it three straight and five-of-six.

Come out tonight and let's show Joe and the gang that we appreciate them, even if no one else seems to.

See you tonight!