Hawks Blown Out in Boston

It was fun while it lasted.

The Atlanta Hawks reminded the Southeast that a) they were still a franchise and b) NBA basketball can be tons of fun when they took the heavily-favored Boston Celtics to seven games before getting blown out 99-65 on Sunday afternoon.

Coach Mike Woodson kept burning timeouts early to stem the tide, but there was no stopping the Celtics in Boston. The Hawks looked intimidated and nervous in their first Game 7, especially Al Horford and Josh Smith. Joe Johnson, as usual, came to play, but the young Hawks got whipped on the boards and bottled up by the Boston defense.

So what does this mean for Atlanta? Obviously, it was big step forward just to make the post-season. Winning a single game against Boston would have been an accomplishment, but forcing a Game 7? The Hawks 2007/8 season was a rousing success.

The future looks even brighter. The Hawks have no unrestricted free agents and will surely match any offers for Josh Smith or Josh Childress. With a mid-1st round pick in the up-coming draft (one that is loaded), Atlanta ought to be able to add some depth that was sorely lacking in the Boston series. Atlanta is a few years away from seriously contending in the East, but the nucleus of Johnson, Smith and Horward looks promising.

What about Coach Woodson? Rumors of his season-end dismissal have been rampant, but can he be fired after such a terrific playoff run? I doubt Woodson will be let go at this point, but imagine his leash will be short in the 2008/9 season. There will likely be a long line of coaches foaming at the mouth to be a part of the surging Hawks (hard to imagine, isn't it?), including Avery Johnson, Jeff Van Gundy and possibly Mike D'Antoni.

It would be great to have an interesting NBA team in the Southeast again. The Atlanta crowd was terrific in the series despite its reputation for being a miserable sports town.

Here is hoping they have more to cheer about in the future...