Welcome to Atlanta

Can you smell what the Hawks are cookin'? In front of a fired up (legitimately sold out) packed crowd, the Hawks beat one of the best teams in the NBA last night. I didn't get to see the game, but I did hear guys calling in to 790 saying things like "I've never seen an Atlanta crowd support the team like this", "Joe Johnson was absolutely fantastic", and "the crowd was totally into the game." Well folks, that just about makes my chest burst with pride. I've said for years that this town could absolutely rally around a winner, and holy shnikes we may have one on our hands.

This game sets the tone for the season. Feel free to read a lot into it. It isn't just one game. This was a huge statement win, and the first opening night win in 8 years. Al Horford is clearly ready to be the man, Joe Johnson is still one of the best players in the game, Marvin and Shelden Williams are ready to contribute, Acie Law is ready for some serious minutes, Tyronne Lue can still shoot the lights out in the clutch, Anthony Johnson was still a bad trade, Speedy Claxton is unlucky and has the knees of a 90 year old man, Zaza needs to get his wide butt healthy, Lorenzen Wright can take his sweet time getting back to the lineup, and Josh Childress doesn't care about scoring points- he just wins, baby.

Soak it in and get used to it, the Hawks are legit and they are going to be doing this a lot this year.