Honestly, I am a little thrown by the end of the first half. I was all set to write about what a dominating performance the Hawks put up in the first half, but then the Heat put on quite a blitz over the last few minutes (including 2 4-point plays in succession for James Jones) to close the gap to 46-42 at the break.

That was a pretty crazy run, but I still feel like Atlanta is doing many of the things they need to do tonight to get the win. They are rebounding on both ends (the Heat have yet to grab an offensive rebound), they have held Dwyane Wade to 3-12 shooting, and they are distributing the ball well to get open looks on offense (10 assists on 16 made baskets).

Quite honestly, the reason this game isn't still a Hawks demolition right now is what we'll call Miami's ability to get to the free throw line. 7 Atlanta players have at least 2 fouls apiece, with Mike Bibby and Mo Evans called for 3. To be fair, the Heat also have 5 players with at least 2 fouls, and 10 different players for Miami have been whistled.

Clearly the refs are calling it tight tonight, and how each team adjusts to that in the second half will undoubtedly play a big role in how this game plays out.

Meanwhile, the Hawks accomplished their first goal tonight, which was to come out strong and not let the Heat dictate the terms of the contest, and they did that well, leading by as many as 21 before the Miami charge. 

The Heat crowd is back into this one, and it's on the Hawks to maintain their composure the way they did to start the night.

24 minutes from 2-2. Let's Go Hawks!