My first instinct last night, after Paul Pierce's (relatively speaking) buzzer-beater, was to say to myself, "I hate to lose that game, but it was a good loss."

Given how much we had going against us - no Josh Smith, no Zaza Pachulia after halftime, seemingly every other healthy big man saddled with five fouls, playing in what was a house of horrors as recently as last May - I was proud of the team's effort and the way they competed, even in defeat. But then something occurred to me - that kind of talk is best saved for Hawks' teams of yesteryear.

What we are learning so far, and its becoming more and more apparent with every game, is that this team is not like the others. There is no such thing as a moral victory any more. Like Bob Rathbun said in our podcast from a couple weeks ago, we should be going into every game expecting to win and be upset when it doesn't happen.

I know it's still early, but it's getting to the point where it ain't that early. One game is a fluke, a few games is a trend, but playing with this kind of grit and determination for seven straight (against this caliber of opposition) is a clear sign that the Hawks of old are d-u-n done.

ESPN's John Hollinger, who predicted a 31-51 season for Atlanta at the season's outset, had this to say (Insider) before yesterday's heartbreaker:

For an NBA team to win its first six games is an accomplishment; for a team to do so when four of the six games are on the road is particularly impressive. If the Hawks were an average team and played an average schedule over the first six games (Atlanta's schedule was probably more difficult than average, but just play along with me here), the odds of their winning six straight, when four of the six are on the road, would be just 0.9 percent.

Thus, six games into the season, we can reject the idea that the Hawks are an average team."

So I'm not going to qualify my statements any more with "there's still a lot of basketball to play" and "let's not get too excited yet". It IS time to get excited. This Hawks team is a contender, for a playoff spot, for a Southeast Division title, and maybe even more.

It's time to start believing.

UPDATE: In Hollinger's initial power rankings, the Hawks check in at #2.