Woodson Toying With Young Hawks' Emotions

Emotions run high in the playoffs. Usually, it's about who wants it the most. And we as fans are all too willing to (figuratively) ride into battle with these very tall shamans.

But come on, there's some stuff that goes down that just jerks at the heartstrings. I'm not talking "oh, he got punked out, what a bitch," but the kind of occurrence that any human soul would feel some twinge of sadness over. Exhibit A is always going to be Tracy McGrady; with the Rockets down 0-1 at home, I'd rather not talk about this one. But hey, what about those Atlanta Hawks, lambs unto slaughter, whose wide-eyed coach Mike Woodson is laying it on thick to convince his team they've got a shot:

Everything Woodson's done up to this point screams title chase - from the photocopied images of the Larry O'Brien trophy taped to the inside wall of all his players' lockers to the diamond-dripping finger weight he's wearing around town now, courtesy of his championship run with Detroit in 2004 as Larry Brown's top assistant.

I don't know if you should admire the guy for believing in the unbelievable or help sign the petition to get him committed for the same the thing.

Some more, from today's AJC:

In the Hawks' locker room afterward, a sign still bore the notice of a pregame chapel service. The topic: "Making what seemed impossible happen." Right now it seems impossible that the Hawks will give Boston any sort of a run, but in the pressurized postseason things can change overnight.

If that doesn't make you tear up a little, you have no business watching basketball. This is Hoosiers, but if they sucked and could dunk.

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