Boy, last night was something else, wasn't it? Who would have thought when the playoffs started that Golden State would beat Dallas, the best team in the league during the regular season? And really, they didn't just beat them - they dominated. Both of the Mavs' victories in this series were in doubt until very late, while Golden State coasted to two blowouts wins and took control in both of their other wins as well. The result of the series was no fluke - the Warriors were the better team.

Congrats to Don Nelson and his Bay-area Ballers. They earned the right to advance with their fearlessness and their tremendous play.

Watching the game last night though, I couldn't help but think about our Hawks (who swept Golden State during the regular season, in case you forgot).

As an employee of the Hawks, I am often accused of being a party-line tower and a hopeless optimist when it comes to the present and future fortunes of the franchise. I am accused of glossing over the harsh facts of our recent struggles while always predicting that the Messianic Age for the team is just around the corner.

I am an optimist - I won't deny that. But after witnessing Golden State pull off perhaps the greatest upset in NBA history last night, it reminds me of why I believe.

Things can change, and they can change in a hurry.

Look at Golden State's franchise - the continuous victims of their own institutional indecision, they have gone through management and roster overhauls on a continuous loop for almost 15 years. Who could have predicted they'd be standing where they were last night? As late as March 4, the team was on a six-game losing streak, their record stood at 26-35, and they had recently gutted the team in yet another desperate attempt to change the fortunes of a cursed franchise. The playoffs were a pipe dream, just like they have been every season since 1994.

Now look where they stand. The first eight-seed to beat a one-seed in a best-four-of-seven. Their fans, who had every reason to be pessimistic and indifferent after so many years of frustration and failure, are suddenly part of maybe the best home-court advantage in the NBA.

Watching the frenzied crowd celebrate their team's achievement last night, it made me think, why not us?

I'm not saying the Hawks are set up to pull off some sort of similar miracle upset next season, or that there isn't a lot of work to be done this summer to get the team closer to where we want them to be.

All I know is, in two months time the Warriors went from one of the NBA's bigger disappointments to the story of the season, and the excitement of what they've accomplished, regardless of how it plays out over the rest of the playoffs, will certainly carry into next season and beyond. The future is bright in Golden State, a statement that would have been met with skepticism and sarcasm until only very recently.

So I guess my main point, in conclusion, is take heart, Hawks fans. Just because things have been bad for us recently doesn't mean it will always be so. If it can happen to them, it can happen to us.

Things can change in a hurry.