At times in Wednesday's game against Memphis, the offensive effort for the Hawks seemed, well, effortless. There were possessions where we saw several Hawks players find their teammates for easy baskets, and in particular, maybe my favorite play of the season so far, which you can watch right here if you scroll to about the 1:13 mark. Watch it yet? All five Hawks players touch the ball, and it ends with a picture perfect Marvin Williams three-pointer from the elbow. It's that kind of chemistry that I think this team is capable of, particularly amongst the starters, that gives me hope for this season.

Tonight, playing a team perhaps even less attentive to defense than the Grizz were on Wednesday, I am hoping to see this trend continue. In talking to Hawks assistant Larry Drew in today's Breaking Down The Knicks segment, he emphasized that while the team knows it needs to get some stops, it would be foolish to think that this won't be a fast-paced game. I think that plays very well into the Hawks hands. Marvin Williams thinks so too, as he told me after practice that this is a good matchup for the team because of their athleticism. We all know how dangerous the Hawks could be last year when they were playing up tempo. We haven't see that as much this season (though to be fair, this team is capable of putting points on the board when healthy no matter what style they play), but I think tonight's game will be different.

You wouldn't think an early season game against a team like the Knicks could be that important, but I view tonight's contest as hugely vital to the team's chances of putting up a good record this month. Win tonight, and the Hawks have three straight victories to boost their confidence as they start one of the toughest road stretches of the season. Lose, and now your momentum is stunted as you head on a trip that has been barren of victories for a long time - the Hawks have lost 4 straight in Dallas, 10 in San Antonio, and 9 in Houston. Call me crazy, but I think how the team performs tonight will have a definite impact on how they do next week.

Speaking of the road trip, I mentioned earlier this week that I will be putting the BasketBlog on the move for the four-game trek through Texas and Miami. It's my first regular-season trip with the team, and I'm definitely excited, though nervous that I am forgetting something important. I sat down with Zaza Pachulia yesterday after practice to talk to him about life on the road, as he is the team's resident travel and fashion expert. I gotta say, I was a little intimidated by his suggestions of my clothing needs, but I figure if he is the extreme, then maybe if I back it off a little bit I should be good to go.

I will be blogging a lot more during the trip, and hopefully I'll be able to give you a glimpse into what life is like for these guys when they are hitting so many different cities in such short succession. For the record, we will be leaving tonight after the game and flying to Dallas, then traveling to Houston for our game there on Tuesday, on to San Antonio to play on Wednesday, and finally heading down to Miami for next Friday's game - after which we'll return mercifully home to Atlanta. I am tired just typing that sentence.

It should be a lot of fun though, and as I stated in my 10-game preview last week, I am on record as saying at least one of those road losing streaks is going to fall.

Feel free to hang out with me in the comments for the duration of my travels - I'll probably be live-blogging the games and generally trying to keep you up-to-date with what I'm doing for most of the time I'm out there.

In the meantime, let's get this trip started on a positive note by grabbing a win tonight against the Knicks. Josh Smith is back and working his way back into playing shape, and tonight should be a good test for him with the up-and-down style we'll most likely see.

Come down to Philips and catch all the action!

UPDATE: Acie Law is out tonight with the flu - Thomas Gardner will take his place on the roster.