AJC: Spurs at Atlanta Hawks: Win and They Are In (the Game is at 8)

[Hawksquawk]

So the Hawks can clinch a playoff berth with a victory against the Spurs tonight. Before you say “So what?” remember from whence the Hawks came.

“It wasn’t even pro basketball,” J.J. said of his early days with the Hawks.

Clearly the Hawks have higher aspirations than just making the playoffs. Still, making it official means something.

“It definitely does,” Josh Smith said. “When you go from the bottom up you appreciate the moments of winning.”

“That’s what makes it so special,” J.J. said, “knowing what you had to go through to get to this point.”

“It would be fantastic,” Woody said of clinching tonight. “It’s what we all push for. The first three years we wasn’t playing for nothing. Well, I can’t say that third year–we had a legit shot to make it but we had a lot of injuries. We finally made it in the fourth year, and now here we are.”

Then there is Jamal Crawford, whose losing goes back even further than the Hawks. Jamal asked Bibby how long he was in the league before he …

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