What a win for the Hawks! What a night at Philips Arena!

Let's get right to the core of why the Hawks won tonight. It's not because they shot well (47% - not bad, but not earth-shattering). It's not because they shut down the Celtics (Boston had 14 offensive rebounds, and the Big Three combined for 59 points). And it's not because they had a better game plan (they didn't go inside-out with Horford, and they rarely got open looks for Joe or Mike Bibby).

No, there is only one reason the Hawks won on Friday night - heart. No, make that Heart. It deserves to be capitalized for this team, because what they did tonight was will themselves to a Game 7 showdown in Boston on Sunday. In Game 3, the Hawks were the better team. In Game 4, it took a performance of the ages from Joe Johnson to get a win. The Celtics can look at those two games and make excuses.

But not tonight. The Celtics had this game. There was no reason for them to lose this one, not after leading almost the entirety of the first three quarters and forcing the Hawks to play the kind of offensive basketball that played into their hands. But once again, the Hawks stepped up when it counted in the fourth quarter, and because of that a series most people assumed would be over in four is now the only one in the first round to go the distance.

What a gutsy performance by the Hawks. The bench, so often mentioned as a liability this season, came up huge tonight, mostly manifested in the play of Josh Childress and Zaza Pachulia, with a little Acie Law thrown in for good measure (with every game, I am more and more optimistic about his future with the team). Marvin Williams, who the Celtics have dared to beat them all series, finally took them up on their offer and led the team in scoring with 18 points on 6-9 shooting. We knew Marvin could hit his mid-range jumpers, but he took it up a notch tonight, getting into the paint, hitting his free throws, and giving the team its first lead of the second half on an offensive rebound and putback early in the fourth quarter.

I guess it was easier tonight, having to come back from only 3 down to start the fourth instead of 10. But it didn't feel that way, at least not for the first 36 minutes. Every time the Hawks tried to rally, the Celtics had an answer. It was exasperating. If it wasn't Garnett, it was Ray Allen. Or Paul Pierce. Or James Posey, or Leon Powe, or Rajon Rondo. For the first 36 minutes, I was saying to myself, well, we tried - the Celtics are just that good.

But something changed in the 4th quarter, just like it did in Game 4. If it happens once, it's a coincidence. If it happens twice, it's a trend. And if I am the Celtics, I am asking myself some tough, tough questions right now. Questions like, why did Paul Pierce lose his cool when he picked up his sixth foul (even though it was on an admittedly terrible questionable call), picking up a technical foul that gave the Hawks a crucial extra point? Why were the rims a little tighter for Ray Allen in the 4th quarter? And why did Kevin Garnett, who should be able to score at will on Atlanta with his size advantage inside, repeatedly pass up open looks in the lane late in the game when every possession was so crucial to both teams?

For the next 36 hours until Game 7 tips off at 1:00 ET on Sunday, all people are going to talk about is this: how in the world did the Celtics get themselves into this mess? I'll tell you how - because the Hawks have proven to be the stronger, more resilient team in this series.

Does that mean they will win on Sunday? Not if they play the way they did in Games 1, 2, and 5. All the testicular fortitude in the world won't matter if they lose by 20. But if Hawks can keep it close? I really think they can win it. When the going has gotten tough in this series, it's the Hawks who have stepped up and the Celtics who have blinked.

No matter how this series turns out, the heart and determination the Hawks showed tonight and over the course of the past two weeks will make this team one of the most memorable in franchise history, regular season record be damned. The way people talk about Dominique Wilkins and his teammates in '88 against Boston, that's how they'll talk about this squad too (though we certainly hope the outcome will be different).

Maybe I'm only speaking for myself when I say that, but I have a feeling there are 20,425 others who feel the same way right now.