Game day! I don't know about you, but I am checking my watch every five minutes to see if it's time to head down to Philips Arena for the game.

I've been to Philips once already today, as I headed down for shootaround this morning to get some sound from the guys in advance of tonight's action. Check out Hawks Podcast Central to hear what Woody, JJ, and Marvin had to say about the start of the series against the Miami Heat, and check out this All-Access feature from Hawks.com featuring today's preparation:

I mentioned this on Twitter (sign up to follow us today!), but Marvin will be back in the starting lineup tonight for the Hawks. It's great news for Atlanta, as Marvin will be relied upon heavily in this series not only for his offense but for his defense, as he's sure to see plenty of time trying to stop Dwyane Wade.

Speaking of D-Wade, many people outside of the team (fans, media) are of the opinion that how the Hawks do against him will determine the outcome of this series. The team, however, doesn't see it that way. I've heard them (players, coaches) talk all week about how they can't just focus on guarding Wade, or the rest of the Heat lineup can beat them, and Coach Woodson himself said this morning that he doesn't care if Wade gets 50 as long as the Hawks get a win.

Atlanta did a great job defending Wade in the regular season - only 5 teams held him to less points per game than the 25.7 he scored against the Hawks - and they kept him off the foul line, as he only shot 18 free throws in three games. As worried as many are about the whistles potentially aiding his cause as it may have in the past (ask Dallas fans, they'll tell you), if the Hawks can keep him to 6 FTs a game I think they'll consider that a success.

The Hawks worked all season long to secure home court in the first round of the playoffs, and tonight is their first chance to take advantage of it. But they can't waltz into the game and assume they are going to win just cause they are at home; after all, 3 of the 4 road teams won in yesterday's playoff action.

In reading much of the analysis of this series, people seem to agree that the Hawks have the best team, while the Heat have the best player. I'm ok with that being the case, as the better team usually wins in a 7-game series in the NBA. If Atlanta comes out and plays with focus and intensity on both sides of the ball, I think they win and move on to the second round.

Is it time to start the game yet?