Around the office today, we are all working on Hawks related projects, but the talk keeps coming back to last night's Super Bowl. What a game. Definitely one of the best of my lifetime, and you could argue perhaps one of the best ever. Games like last night, with the emotions and the stakes involved, remind me of why I love being a sports fan and why I feel sorry for those that aren't.

I've felt at times this season like I have too much of an emotional investment in the Hawks, and no doubt the frustrating losses alter my moods moreso than they should (just ask my fiancee). But all the grief we go through now will be repaid in spades when the team we love finally gets over the hump and does what we've hoped for all along - makes the playoffs and (whether this year or in some future year) makes a run at a championship.

Tonight's game against Philly is another one of those litmus tests for this Hawks team. Philly isn't a good team, but they aren't exactly bad either. They just beat Milwaukee by 43 points on Wednesday and lost by just 2 at Orlando on Friday. The Hawks will not win just by showing up.

With playoff teams on the schedule the rest of the week, it is imperative Atlanta get one tonight and not get caught looking ahead. As Steve Holman and I discussed this afternoon in the BasketBlog Weekly Podcast, the schedule gets much harder as this month goes on, so it's incredibly important for the team to win the games it is supposed to while they have a chance.

Larry Drew spoke today in Breaking Down the Sixers about needing to contain Andre Iguodala tonight, and that is certainly the case. The new AI can do damage, and his athleticism has hurt the Hawks in the past. I will also be interested to see how Louis Williams plays tonight. He has started to assert himself as a future talent in this league, and his quickness is the kind that has given the Hawks fits all year long.

The Hawks returned to their run-and-gun ways on Saturday in an easy win over New Jersey. If they can continue to do that, there is a good chance they'll take a two-game winning streak into their meeting with Kobe and the gang on Wednesday. I say they get it done tonight.

Game time is 7:00, and if you can't make it down to Philips Arena, be sure to catch the action on SportSouth.

See you there!