Maybe that is the case with the Spurs, or Mavericks, or the teams that know their postseason fate has already been decided. But I will tell you this - following the Hawks feels like following a college team - every game feels important to me. I realized this today because I was thinking about how huge Monday's win over the Jazz was, and it got me to realizing that actually, tonight's game against the Heat is really important as well. We know the Hawks are capable of beating any team in the league (well, maybe not the Pistons). We've seen that in wins over Phoenix, Dallas, etc. But if this team wants to make the playoffs, they've got to do what good teams do - string together some winning streaks.

In the past, the Hawks have frustrated us by winning a big game (say, the road win over Orlando), but following it up with a momentum-stopping loss (say, the following loss to Toronto). So we find ourselves again in a situation where, on a two-game winning streak and coming off a big win, the Hawks can make a statement with a victory against Dwyane Wade and the Heat. It's as big a game as you can have against a squad that enters with a 7-17 record.

In talking to Hawks assistant David Fizdale today in our Breaking Down The Heat segment, I definitely get the sense that the coaching staff realizes how big tonight's game is. He wants to beat Miami bad.

The question we'll get the answer to tonight is, do the players feel the same way?

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