Dejay

In my old neighborhood, the Shaq dunk, Trae's shimmy, Iverson's step over, and Aqib Talib ripping off your chain would all likely end in gunfire. Entertaining and fully as hell (unless you're rooting for the other team) but disrespectful...

Yeah, because he and Tucker are going to suddenly morph into Rod Strickland or Clyde Drexler in this series. And if those two are beating me by hanging up 19/5 apiece instead of Giannis, Middleton, or Holiday doing it, I'm all for the Bucks banking their playoff lives on that happening...

I work in the health regulatory field and that's 100% true. Getting back to Cam, I see the oft mechanics in his shot as well. A consistent shot requires contorting your body (especially your hips and legs) to be in position to pull and fire true every single time. Practices does not make perfect; only perfect practice does that...

'But but but, the Hawks don't play any defense. Anybody can score on them...'

I've argued this for years. Bird had McHale, Parrish, Ainge, and DJ. Magic had Kareem, Worthy, Scott, McAdoo, and Cooper. Dr. J had Moses, Cheeks, Toney, and Bobby Jones. Isiah had Dumars, Laimbeer, Dantley/Aguirre, and the Bad Boys. You already mentioned MJ and the guys riding shotgun with him. Hell, even Hakeem had Thorpe, Kenny Smith, and later Drexler. Nique was trying to beat those guys with...an old Reggie Theus and an older Moses Malone? How many of those guys from Nique's heyday wouldn't see the court on this team at full strength, especially in today's NBA? Maybe Willis or Carr if you need someone to throw some elbows around in the paint or Rollins for defense in the post before his knees gave out before the start of Nique's playoff runs. Rivers and Spud would get some burn behind Trae but Wittman and Battle would both be glued to the bench behind Bogdanovic, Huerter, and Reddish. Not only do we have a superstar but one who is surrounded by guys who can actually play. That alone automatically makes Travis Schlenk the greatest Hawks GM we have ever seen...

You're not lying. It is literally like Neo discovering his powers in the first Matrix movie, Hot Rod becoming Rodimus Prime, or Bruce Leroy getting the glow in The Last Dragon. Our NBA world is about to change and for the first time in my 40+ years as a fan, our team is no longer going to be one of the castoffs getting scraps that are left over after the big markets and cool teams have eaten. In fact, this dude is leading us to become the ones who sit at the head of the table and call the shots. As great as Nique was (and he was indeed great), he never got us to the heights that we're about to experience with this run and the ones to come. We finally have the superstar and the pieces (albeit injured). We have the coach. We have the support of ownership instead of the marks at AOL or the Notorious ASG. And for the first time I could recall, we have a front office who unlike their predecessors, doesn't blow draft picks, waste cap space on guys who scream about playing elsewhere or ready to retire, or is more than happy about getting to the first round without risking anything by daring to be great. And we have the entire city behind them and not just waiting on the other shoe to drop. Instead, our team has become that shoe in other cities (think Philly and Knick fans aren't looking at Milwaukee, like 'told ya so' right about now?). It's a moment that each and every one of us on this board has endured countless heartbreaks and many losses to finally see. Savor this next chapter of Hawks basketball, folks...

I called that one awhile back as well. Amazing how the narrative has shifted to that deal being one of the worst ever to folks now giving Dallas the side eye...

This is why they keep on building those shiny, billion-dollar casinos in Vegas, folks. And yes, I'm still up. I recall saying a couple of months ago that the so-called 'Big 3' in the East had better hope and pray that the Knicks, Celtics, or cHeat do their dirty work by knocking the Hawks out of the playoffs early. While casual fans and the national media may not know any better, all three of those teams knew what was stewing in the pot down here. The very LAST thing that they wanted to see was those guys pulling up into the parking lot of their arena, as their 6-2 playoff road record will attest. The fact that they're doing this without Hunter, Reddish, and Bogdanovic not at full strength should be a living nightmare to the rest of the league on the level of The Exorcist, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Saw, or The Conjuring. Our team is the new Joker of the NBA and, well, I'll let Alfred explain...

Once again, I didn't watch the game as promised. Can't wait to see the replay of this. And as for the Bucks, their fans, and the national media who called this a 4-game coronation for Milwaukee, right now they're probably looking around like... 'This isn't part of the script...'

It is still a surreal moment to write those six letters and associate our team having a real chance at playing in one. It's never happened in my lifetime so I'll need more practice typing the word...

You're not lying. And do you know who is the happiest that the Hawks aren't in the lottery? Jami Gertz, the wife of Hawks' owner Tony Ressler. No more watching her get interviewed about good luck trinkets she has by TNT, only for the Hawks to be moved down five spots in the draft order a few minutes later. To be honest, I don't even know who the hell is on the draft board or mocks. My focus is on the ECFs and possibly making it to the...stumbling as I'm trying the word...Finals. Feels good, doesn't it?

'Dunk on that little...'

If this actually happens, it should end any conversation or debate out there in terms of who won that trade. As you all know, I was fervently against a full-scale rebuild, for fear of how poorly the previous Hawk regimes did with cap space and draft picks. I thought that Schlenk would do no better than Pete Babcock or Billy Knight. I was wrong. Dead wrong. He is the best GM the Hawks have ever had on its payroll. It's not even close...

Of course it is. Before the playoffs, Trae was padding his stats while Luca was changing the sport. Now all of the sudden, the narrative has switched to Trae forming the head of the newest version of Team Voltron while Luca is carrying stiffs like Nique circa 1990. More hilarious than an old Def Comedy Jam episode...

Interesting conversation here. The 2015 team was a machine that was a living nightmare to deal with if your guys were slow on rotations (see Korver, Kyle). They began to have problems when Barney Fife and his crew from the NYPD got a hold of Thabo that fateful night. Then Millsap got hurt, Korver got chop blocked, and Demarre Carroll got injured. But that being said, they didn't appear to have a Hulk-up moment left in them once Lebron and the gang showed up due to all of the extra spent on beating Brooklyn and Washington. IMHO, this year's team has more talent (could you see Kent Bazemore getting on the court with this roster at full strength?) but not nearly as much time to gel due to the absurd amount of injuries suffered. It cannot be understated what kind of difference a healthy Kris Dunn, Cam Reddish, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and DeAndre Hunter would've meant for the season much less this coming ECFs. Matched up and both at full strength, I'd take today's team to win. Millsap would be a problem to deal with but Capela would absolutely bully Horford for boards and putbacks in the same manner that Tristan Thompson always did. Korver would eat...until Nate decides to cover him with Hunter or Reddish. And while Bogdanovic would have his hands full getting away from Carroll or Sefolosha, well, we all know what the elephant in the room is. Who. Stops. Trae. Young. Teague? Not really Schröder? Don't bet on it. Bazemore? Yeah, right. Sefolosha would be your best bet and I have my doubts on him as well. 2021 team wins in 5...

I need this whole segment. Where can I find it?

I'm so glad that I'm parked right now. Hilarious...

Good grief, I wasn't ready. I now have water all over my dashboard from laughing...

I'd rather let the chips fall with my team still playing at this point than us talk about pingpong balls, moving up in the lottery, what they should do with their draft pick, or what hairbrained trades we can come up with to get Durant, AD, or Giannis as we so often do here. So the Hawks are underdogs again. Sure, but just be careful out there. Knick and Sixer fans both thought that they'd advance in five and both are looking sick as Ebola right about now...

That's one of those dunks where if it happens to you on the court at the park, you just go Spongebob-mode... 'I'm just gonna head on out...'

I'm trying to figure out what opposing GM would even want to do business with Travis Schlenk, for fear that they would also get rick-rolled like Houston did. While the Hawks may not take you for granted, rest assured that in a deal, General Schlenk will...take you...

I mentioned this to a Bucks fan after they beat Brooklyn in Game 6. The Hawks-Sixers series reminded me of the first Rocky vs. Apollo Creed fight. On points, Apollo was way ahead yet he was one punch away from going down. While that knockout punch never landed in the movie, it damn sure did last night...

That's the other side of this that makes this run so effin good. While the '15 team also made the ECFs, we knew that their peak was pretty much reached, especially after Demarre Carroll left for Toronto and was replaced by Kent Bazemore who is only about two inches taller than Trae. This current team is like being invited to a barbeque, having a great time, then just when you think that things are winding down, they start cooking up crab legs, shrimp, lobster, fried oysters, scallops, and so on, then being told to stick around to partake and take as much home with you as you can carry afterwards. Not only are they young and ready to make the next step but the foundation is now laid upon higher ground than any other Hawks team in their Atlanta history. This is not another squad that was built upon just making the playoffs while the rest of us pray that they make the second round. This foundation is set upon a team that's at least made the ECFs and will be hungry. Think Cam Reddish isn't chomping to get a piece of this? Think Hunter isn't somewhere wishing that his knee didn't require surgery? As fun as this is right now, next year is going to be different than any that we have seen since Nique's heyday where they will be expected to be a legitimate contender. Not for the playoffs or the SE division. They will be thought of now as a serious contender for the NBA World title. Strap up and save up, folks...