In all seriousness though, the Hawk have been in a funk this last week, losing five straight games, third worst streak of the season. To snap it against a team as good as the Bulls, Bender hit it right on the head. We have to come out and be aggressive and tough and take the fight to them instead of letting them dictate tempo and speed. Chicago is a tough team, but they aren't invincible. They just do a lot of the little things that makes the difference in a lot of games over the course of a season. But if we show up ready to go to war for 48 minutes, we can come away with a victory. We almost had one back in January, but allowed the Bulls to get back into it late before they won in overtime. Hopefully, the sting of five consecutive losses will be fuel enough to see the Hawks come out fighting mad.

In other news, the Final Four is this weekend at the Georgia Dome. None of the Hawks players have any connections to the teams involved (as discussed earlier in today's trivia question), but I imagine they will still take a strong interest in all the hoopla that will be going on this weekend around the city.

I spoke to Royal Ivey, who was a player in the 2003 Final Four at Texas, about what it is like to play on college basketball's biggest stage. I was at that Final Four as well, as I traveled all the way from Syracuse, NY to root on my beloved Longhorns. Just looking at his face as he remembered the experience, I could tell it really was one of the greatest things he's ever been a part of. I for one am looking forward to the games, and will be in attendance for both semifinal games on Saturday as well as the title game on Monday.

My picks? I say Florida out-toughts UCLA and Georgetown squeezes by Ohio State, followed by a repeat victory by the Gators on Monday night.

Either way, should be a very fun weekend of basketball, college and pro, in the Atlanta area. Come out to Philips on Sunday and help root the Hawks on to a much-needed victory.

See you there!