Hawks fail to secure 5th seed with loss to Raptors, playoff-opponent to be decided in Season-Finale against Knicks

I don't like what the Raptors did to us.

 I don't like how Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozen combined for 52 points. I don't like how the Hawks let the Raptors score 68 points in the first half on 29 for 36 field goals. I don't have a problem with Ivan Johnson and Mike Scott getting a double-double, but I have a problem with Jeff Teague and Josh Smith having a single-single. I am going to let this remind me of the way the Hawks were embarrased by the Washington Wizards on April 9, 2011 4 days before they opened the 2011 Playoffs against the Orlando Magic, and SHOCKED THE WORLD by defeating those guys, probably eventually driving Dwight Howard outta there, lol.

Tonight's game against the New York Knicks will be very important. Not only to decide the playoff opponent of the Hawks, but to test ourselves against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference and a potential second-round match-up. Of course, there will be no Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith, Jason Kidd, or Al Horford, but even the bench players will be very motivated to step up to the challenge. As long as Ivan "the Terrible" Johnson is playing, the Hawks will have a very good chance to win.

Nevertheless, well done PlayoffsHawks fans. It has been a short,slightly tumultuous, but overall successful regular season for the 2012-2013 Atlanta Hawks. Just look at all the adversity the Hawks have overcome this season!

-Traded Joe Johnson for what would eventually become a every-other-game Deshawn Stevenson (NBA CHAMP!)

-Traded Marvin Williams for Devin Harris (which was actually a great trade for both teams)

-Zaza Pachulia out indefinitely with serious achilles injury

-Lou Williams our second leading scorer suffers a TORN ACL which will keep him sidelined for a year!

Josh Smith has missed games, Jeff Teague has missed games, Al Horford has missed a couple games, but look where the Atlanta Hawks stand.

44-37 t-5th in the Eastern Conference

• Al Horford averaging a career-high 17.4 PPG 10.2 RPG 3.2 APG (somebody PLEASE tell me why that is not an ALL-STAR?!)

• Jeff Teague averaging a career-high 14.6 PPG 7.2 APG 13 double-doubles this season 3rd behind LeBron James and Tony Parker(!)

• Josh Smith having another (in)CONSISTENT season averaging 17.4 PPG 8.5 RPG 4.1 APG BUT he also had 4 games of at least 30-5-5 which is tied for 6th best in the league

12/26: 31 points (13-25; 4-8 FT), 10 rebounds, and 6 assists (1 TO) in a 2OT win over the Pistons.
1/23: 30 points (15-24), 13 rebounds, and 8 assists (7 TOs) in a win over the Bobcats.
2/13: 30 points (13-20; 2-3 3pt); 10 rebounds, and 5 assists (0 TOs) in a win over the Magic.
3/8: 32 points (13-27; 3-9 3pt); 9 assists, and 8 rebounds (5 TOs) in a loss to the Celtics.

Now the Hawks are going to disappoint so many skeptics by being a formidable team in the Playoffs, they already THE NEXT layer of doubters for the Hawks to overcome. There is already a growing voice saying this particular Hawks team is not one to be taken seriously, due to free agency looming in the off-season.

"Then again, it may not matter where the Hawks finish. They are limping to the end of a season that will be surely be followed by major changes, with Drew and much of the roster -- including Josh Smith -- in the final year of contracts. Atlanta has lost 14 of its last 25 games, hardly a team on a roll heading to the playoffs. " -Associated Press, ESPN

 This is an inevitable truth, but that only gives this group more to prove in these playoffs, this Hawks team can beat EITHER of their potential playoff opponent, but of course there will be no expectation for the Hawks to do so simply because of the perception of the mainstream media about this franchise overall.Obviously, it would be more exciting to bring on "the Joe Johnson series", every game would have special significance to all the players and both franchises involved, Atlanta might even get a court-side Jay-Z sitting next to 2 Chainz, lol, but overall I believe in the Hawks ability to win the series against either team.