Through the first four games of this series, it was pretty clear: the team that struck first went home with a victory. And though the Hawks and Heat battled a little more closely in the first quarter tonight, it was a relief to see that pattern hold to form. Atlanta made a run in the second to take a big lead, and Miami was never able to match it as the Hawks took control of the series with a 106-91 win at Philips Arena on Wednesday night.

They won it the same way they won the other two games in this series - by using their superior depth and athleticism to control the boards, sharing the wealth on offense, and by forcing the Heat to try to beat them from the perimeter. And while the script was similar to previous outings, there were some new wrinkles tonight.

For example:

- Joe Johnson finally got his offensive game rolling, scoring a team-high 25 points. Despite a sprained ankle that saw him hobbling severely after Game 4, JJ attacked the rim with gusto tonight, getting to the line 15 times. That's a good night for any player, but especially for Joe, who doesn't typically get enough whistles blown his way to make that many trips.

- Flip Murray saw his offensive game return in a big way as well, hitting 8 of his first 9 shots on the way to a career playoff-high 23 points. Murray's offense was a huge spark for the team, particularly since Mike Bibby dealt with foul trouble for much of the 2nd and 3rd.

- Mike Bibby has established himself as the Hawks best perimeter shooter, but he had several nice moves into the paint tonight as well. 3 different times he took it straight at Jermaine O'Neal, and all 3 times he managed to sneak it past the big man for 2 points. He's what you'd call crafty.

Miami may have shot the lights out to win Games 2 and 3, but as tonight's game showed, that's really the only way they can beat these Hawks. They just don't have the horses outside of Dwyane Wade, and when Wade struggled in the first half, they fell too far behind to really make it a game, even when Wade got it rolling in the third quarter. The Hawks continue to dare the rest of the Heat roster to beat them, and that strategy need now work only 1 more time to advance to the second round.

The win didn't come entirely without cost, as the physical nature of the series continued to take it's toll. With Marvin Williams already out with a wrist injury, it remains to be seen how much time (if any) Al Horford will have to miss after spraining his ankle in the second quarter. Miami felt it as well, with Dwyane Wade missing several minutes early on after hitting the back of his head on the court, and Jermaine O'Neal caught an incidental elbow from Zaza Pachulia that left him dazed for a spell as well.

The Hawks will head to Miami tomorrow in advance of Friday night's Game 6 (with Denver's series-clinching win over New Orleans, Game 6 will tip at 8:00 ET), and it's possible they could be without 2 starters depending on how Horford and Williams' injuries heal.

This series isn't over, but it's heading in the right direction for the Hawks. If they can keep up the intensity and the energy they've shown the past two games, they can absolutely end this series without coming back to Atlanta.

Congrats to Mike Woodson and the team for their win. 3 down, 1 more to go!