By 2007, virtually everyone acknowledged Tauheed Epps could flow like few others in the Southern Rap genre. A former scholarship athlete at Alabama State, the six-foot-five homie could still hoop a little, too. Yet, as rival and colleague rappers made power moves up the Billboard charts, his rap career arc plateaued, for years.

Part of the issue for Epps stemmed from an inertial response to the need to personally transform. Doomed to become a career “guest-appearance” rapper and never the top-biller, Tauheed finally heeded some sage advice, and it began with this: his stage handle “Tity Boi” has got to go.

It’s 2015, and this Tauheed Epps is different. Yeah, he’s different. His revised and airwaves-friendly“2 Chainz” moniker allowed him to move front-and-center among the biggest names in the hip hop game, platinum-album artists who now plead to “guest appear” on his tracks.

On top of that, 2 Chainz is not only blasting on the radio, he’s all over your TV set, too. You can find him on cooking shows offering up crab cake recipes, hanging out with talk-show talking heads, debating everything from weed legalization to Starbucks, and chillin’ out on the reg with bigwigs like Steve Koonin. 2 Chainz is gettin’ money! Where u been?

By 2010, virtually everyone knew the Atlanta Hawks had what it took to make it to the playoffs every single year in perpetuity… and not do a heck of a lot more. While rival teams (like the Miami heat) made power moves up the NBA standings, the Hawks’ competitive arc stagnated, for years.

Part of Atlanta’s issue involved inertial responses to the need for the management, the coaching staff, and the players, to transform. Doomed to deflating first- and second-round postseason exits every spring and never reaching championship-contention strata, the Hawks finally heeded some sage advice, and it began with this: “Iso-Ball” has got to go.

It’s 2015, and these Atlanta Hawks are different. Yeah, they’re different. Clever coaching, selfless passing, sharp shooting, and a little frenetic defense thrown in, and guess what? You in first place! You in first place! A weekend back-to-back sweep would ensure the Hawks stay there, too.

Joining the Hawks’ Playaz Circle tonight in the Highlight Factory will be none other than 2 Chainz himself. College Park’s Finest (simmer down, Josh) will perform the pregame, halftime and postgame concerts during the Hawks game, which coincidentally, features a guest appearance by the heat (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, SUN Sports). Hopefully, he won’t pull up to the scene with our ceiling leaking.

There’s a nip-and-tuck race as the final spots in the East are up for grabs. Will Miami be fresh as hell… with the Nets watching? Last week’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week might have some say in the matter. Dwyane Wade went Vintage Mode last week by averaging 24.5 PPG and 2.25 SPG while shooting 53.2 FG% as the heat won three of four, including 32 points to top his former running mate LeBron and the Cavs.

D-Wade ought to be well-rested after sitting out Wednesday’s win in Boston with a sore knee, although he was held out of practice and is listed as questionable today. Not many teams would relish an opportunity for a first-round skirmish with Cleveland. But Wade, coach Erik Spoelstra and the heat would have much to gain with any victories they could pull off in such a series.

Still, signs suggest a turbulent road may be ahead. After the Hawks, and the Pistons at home on Sunday, next week features two nationally-televised games versus the red-hot Spurs and Cavs, then a back-to-back road series at Detroit and Indiana.

Miami (33-38, 2.5 games ahead of 9^th-seed Indiana) has won four of its last six. They haven’t lost a game by more than ten points in over a month, including last month’s 93-91 defeat at the hands of the Hawks (who rested DeMarre Carroll, Al Horford, Jeff Teague, and Pero Antić) at Biscayne Bay. Yet Miami will need all hands on deck just to come out of the following week above the 8-seed line and… no lie… it’s not looking too hot for the heat right now.

On Tuesday night, Miami broke Milwaukee’s fall after mega-rebounder Hassan Whiteside (24 boards and 6-for-8 shooting vs. ATL on Feb. 28) lacerated his hand on the rim while trying to block a shot, requiring ten stitches and at least a couple more weeks to heal. Chris Andersen also flew the coop in the second half, due to a calf injury. The heat could not withhold Milwaukee’s three starting frontcourt members from each registering double-doubles, as the Bucks capped off a 24-9 fourth quarter with a Khris Middleton three-pointer at the buzzer for victory.

Whiteside and Birdman both missed the next day’s game in Boston, leaving Coach Spo, who already was fielding a short rotation, to start Luol Deng and Udonis Haslem (38 minutes) upfront. Haslem’s floor time on Wednesday was the most he logged since the Nightclub Game in January 2012, when the heat (sans LeBron and a Kleenex-clutching Wade) fended off the Hawks in triple overtime.

The heat found themselves hanging on once again in the 4^th, this time at TD Garden. They survived a 24-11 run by the Celtics in the final quarter after having built up a 22-point lead and watching Boston whittle it down to five with under a minute to go. If that trend keeps up tonight, it could be the inverse of the Hawks’ win in Miami, when the heat went on a spirited 38-29 run in the fourth quarter to put a scare into the shorthanded East leaders.

Haslem did the best he could under the circumstances in Boston (12 points and 12 boards). But the heat are fresh out of rebounders, coming into tonight’s contest as the only NBA team averaging fewer than 40 rebounds (38.7) on the road... and that’s with 25-plus games of a starting Whiteside in the mix.

Paul Millsap (25 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks, 1 TO in 36 minutes @ ORL on Wednesday) will have ample opportunity to wreck shop inside with Whiteside out and a limited, at best, Andersen in the middle for Miami. Whichever of Millsap or Carroll doesn’t have Luol Deng (8 TOs vs. ATL on Feb. 28) attached to them should find ample opportunities to get to the hoop. Miami’s normally slow-pace (especially pre-Dragic), plus the presence of shotblockers, have kept opponents from getting lots of interior looks. But if Wade isn’t around to gobble up the shot clock and Whiteside and Andersen sit, tonight’s contest should be a lot more open and free-wheeling, to coach Mike Budenholzer’s liking.

Facing Miami’s depleted frontcourt, will Al Horford be ballin’ so hard, he’ll deserve an And-1? Al has now gone through four full games without earning a single free throw, the longest stretch for him since January 2013. A fifth-straight game would make it the longest charity-stripe drought in his eight-year career. Coach Bud could no longer bite his tongue the last time the Hawks weren’t getting calls at home, and got tossed in disgust after Horford got hacked by two Spurs without a call. What will happen if similar miscarriages of justice happen again tonight? Referee, with the whistle… hold that tech!

They got a big U.D., so Spo will call on Big U.D. Fully aware of the depth chart issues, however, Haslem is going to do his best to keep his hands to himself (or at least straight up in the air) against Horford, leaving the dirty work to Mike Beasley, Walker and Deng to gamble for strips and charge calls. If Pero Antić rebounds, draws charges and plays as superbly as he has in stints over the past three games (63.2 FG%), Miami really has no answer for him.

Jeff Teague will sit this game out after going all Plastic-Man with his ankle during Wednesday’s win over the Magic. While the injury wasn’t too severe, as Teague got taped up and donned some new kicks before scoring nine fourth-quarter points on Orlando, it’s a smart play as the Hawks head into a four-games-in-five-nights stretch. Teague’s absence will give Dennis Schröder more valuable time with his hand on that steering wheel.

If Wade is a no-go for Miami, that should bring Mario Chalmers back up to the starting unit and shift Goran Dragic to the 2-spot. Atlanta’s guards, including Schröder, Kyle Korver, and Kent Bazemore, have to keep The Dragon (last 15 games: 17.3 PPG, 53.8 FG%, 34.3 3FG%) from breathing fire in the paint. Hawks defenders must keep Mario Chalmers (5-for-13 vs. ATL on Feb. 28) and Henry “Don’t Call Me Bill” Walker content with settling for contested jumpers.

Walker was 4-for-8 on threes against the Celts on Wednesday, but a head-shaking 3-for-16 (Yuck!) from the floor against Atlanta back in February. The Hawks will want to keep an eye on rookie guard Tyler “Funky Music” Johnson, who injured his ankle against Boston (5-for-8 FGs) but is expected to come off the bench tonight. If any perimeter guys do heat up for the heat, Thabo Sefolosha and Carroll will swap their defensive assignments with Korver.

John Jenkins was sneaky-good in the February matchup, dropping three triples in the second quarter plus helping out on the boards with a team-high seven defensive rebounds in just 21 minutes off the bench. With Schröder soaking up the majority of minutes at the point while Teague rests, look for Coach Bud to call Jenkins’ number a few times tonight. That will be especially the case if Shelvin Mack (0-for-7 FGs in 12 minutes @ MIA on Feb. 28) lays another egg while spelling Schröder.

Ask them what they do and who they do it for, and the Hawks will tell you they play their hearts out for the ATL faithful who believe in what they’re seeing. Merely looking at the standings and putting a middle finger up to their competition won’t please fans that expect to see gutsy efforts from all of Atlanta’s players as they head toward the playoffs. After a disappointing showing during their last home game on Sunday, the Hawks want to show a capacity crowd that they won’t fall victim to complacency – that they, like their headliner act tonight, can stay TRU to Atlanta.

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3