The Hawks are the Yankees of average. No one likes them but Hawk's fans.

It is a bit shocking. Atlanta is not dirty. They do not show boat. They win games they should win and lose games they should lose. They are safe. The Hawks are non-violent. From ownership on down, they only hurt themselves. They threaten no other fan group, yet they are despised and tossed aside with afterthoughts of "same old Hawks" and "they deserve to lose." Our team is like hating a condiment you don't own and never have to use. But hated still they are.

The Hawks have been branded as bad basketball despite winning rather constantly for a few years. They rouse no joy because they win and lose in the same form most nights when they seemingly could win and lose in much better, more appealing ways.

"We don't want to see the Hawks in the second because they are the Hawks" and "they will not make the second round because they are the Hawks." It is the odd snake who eats its own tail when it is not even hungry but so it goes for Hawks bashing.

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Put on your finest penguin suit and cook up your grandest tomato pie, the Hawks have a new owner. That is right friends. One. Single. Majority owner. Lawyers across the country are mourning. But us? We celebrate.

I am sure Jason and Kris will have all the details but a victory thread needs to begin. Throw in your best Atlanta Spirit memory and start ranking their most incompetent move. Because I have a rule in life, it is never to early to judge millionaires.

Fond farewell Atlanta Spirit. Hello California love.

Go Hawks!

On Christmas Eve growing up every year, I used to read Roald Dahl's Matilda. My adolescent mind never rested well with visions of sugar plumb Lego sets and yet somehow the same story, December 24^th after December 24^th, brought a sense of structure and imagination for me to see and be ready for something new.

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Let this be a lesson to all who mock. This is what happens when Mike Bibby has to play 43 minutes against the Kings and only gets five minutes of nail grooming time on the bench.

And yes, I am pretty sure that is actually Rajon Rondo's pinkie.

It is important that you go to Al Horford's Twitter account pictures right now. I must admit though. For a man who appears to grow a full beard through the course of a game, I am a bit disappointed Zaza did not rock the real mustache.

 Not so surprisingly though, Marvin comes through with the most boring costume. Costume creativity may need to become a pre draft measurement.

I am sick of my freedom not being free. There was a time five years ago when there was nothing more free than being an Atlanta Hawks fan. You walked into Philips arena and if you could afford a beer, well you could afford America. Because it was all there. Huge expanses of seats held up by steal and concrete, a game on display we stole from another country and made better, and the ability to invest in something that no one else believed in. The whole damn experience should be on stamp or something.

These days things are different. These days I care about Zaza Pachulia’s decreased rebounding rate and want to compare projected salary cap numbers to get the precise percentage of how badly Joe Johnson’s contract screwed our franchise. I need to know Jeff Teague’s projected stats based on second year players who started under ten games their rookie season, and I refuse to go to sleep at night until I internalize just how bad each Josh Smith jump shot should make me feel. These things may need to be done and figured out, and I may know everyone of these stupid answers, but they are not why I started rooting for the Hawks or why I am going to do it again this year.

If you told me five years ago the signing of Jason Collins would affect how excited I was for the season, I would either say the Hawks are going to be horrible or I have lost sight of something kind of important. And if you told me, I actually cared how much one half of the victory cigar weighed, well then I would call myself a communist because I clearly am more a fan of stats than I am of freedom.

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Well, it appears I was more attached to Mike Woodson than I ever knew.

Because friends, after over three years of blogging, thinking, writing, ranting, internet surfing, box score perusing, twitter creating, comment debating, and odd new ways of talking about the same exact thing, it is time for me to hang up my blogging hat.

It is nothing you did, and surprisingly, it is nothing Mike Woodson did. I just recently finished graduate school (yes, all those horrible grammar mistakes came from someone who now has a Masters degree), and my new job is going to take all my focus. And so, it is sadly time to exit.

I must admit, I am proud of what I leave behind. 3,044 tweets, 4,473 comments, 167 fanshots, and 802 posts have helped make Peachtree Hoops a place for Atlanta Hawks fans to talk about the team in an intelligent and entertaining way, but what I am most proud of is something I had nothing to do with and is the exact reason why I am comfortable leaving and excited to come back, and that is you. Peachtree Hoops now has almost 1,000 registered users and over 82,000 page views a month, and you are what makes this blog great.

So really this is a post of thanks. Thank you for reading what I wrote and for some of you actually finding it worthy to comment on (or so unworthy that it needed to be commented on). Thanks for making an 82 game schedule actually seem new and refreshing. Thank you for making me laugh. Thank you for helping me understand basketball better. And thank you for making me a better fan. I set out to express my love for Zaza Pachulia and you allowed it to be so much more. I could say thank you again, and it would not be enough, but thank you is all I have. So thank you.

I leave the site in very capable hands, more capable than my own, in the Human Highlight Blog. This site will certainly not miss a beat, and that is not false humility, but simply the truth that it has moved far beyond the skill of one man. You make Peachtree Hoops great now. I can't wait to continue to contribute to this community in a different way.

And at the risk of looking even more pretentious than I already do and taking this far more seriously than I should, I want to thank a few people specifically. So thank you to SBNation for taking my average content and making it seem like a legitimate voice because of the support and distribution you provide, to Jason Walker for coming on board and helping to create the best content and traffic numbers this site has ever seen. to my friend John who refused to comment on the site but gave me tickets to games and ideas for what to write about, to all those who read my Hawks thoughts since Zaza's Playground and before, to Bret LaGree for letting me take over for him here and challenging me to be a better writer with every post he published, to Micah Hart for making Hawks bloggers feel like they have a voice, to Larry for good fights and good post fight handshakes, to CoCo for actually going from blogger to friend, to Bronn for some of the most insightful posts and comments on the blog, to Duff Man for the humor, to JE Skeets and Henry Abbot for making me feel like a real writer, to the AJC (especially Michael Cunningham, Jeff Schultz, Sekou Smith, and Mark Bradley) for providing content and quotes and taking me (moderately) seriously, to anyone that ever made a comment, sent me an email, put me in the reader feed, or just read a post, and to Hawks fans the only reason I ever wrote anything was because I was one of you and I am proud to say I still am. Thank you.

I will be back. Maybe in a post here and there. Maybe in the comments. I am not turning in my Hawks card, I am just taking my freedom back to be even more bias. I feel we have created a community here, and I do not plan to leave it any time soon. Until then, please remember, there is first love, and there is Zaza Pachulia love.

Go Hawks!

Jeff Schultz sums Mike Woodson's firing expiring contract well.

Firings shouldn’t be celebrated. But the message that a firing sends can be.

Mike Woodson is out as Hawks head coach. Don’t celebrate a man’s unemployment. But celebrate why.

Rightly or wrongly, I will admit to celebrating. The why of it, the how of it, the who could be next of it, the change in scheme part of it, most everything  but the fact that Mike Woodson will have to uproot his family. Everything else is a positive. There is just a lot to be excited about.

I know no guarantee exists that Woody's replacement will be better. This could be a Maurice Cheeks for Eddie Jordan situation. The new offense might not jell, we may find out how bad Jamal Crawford really is on defense, and some real discipline might turn Josh Smith into a useless disgruntle on the bench. These are all unkowns that someone can point to as they stand strongly against the very impressive known fact that Mike Woodson guided the Hawks to a better record every year he coached.

It is certainly a strong argument against change, especially when you consider 90% of fans hate parts of their coach. If NBA coaches were fired because "this thing he does annoys me and sucks," there would be turnover at about 28 teams every year. One cannot simply say change coaches because they want change because almost every team wants change by the end of 82 games. Coaches are scapegoats. It is clear, and I am guilty of it.

But there is one other known fact. Mike Woodson never tried to alter the game. He provided no advantage when he was the underdog. He never out coached his opponent. I can only think of a handful of times when Woody actually made a move that costs the Hawks a game. (One of the few examples was the Jason Collins sub so Al Horford could play some against Gortat). No, Woody rarely made coaching blunders because he made no coaching moves. It was the same thing every game. The same plays and the same sub patterns, the same post game quotes and the same defense, the same first two offensive plays to start the game and the same non reaction to bad fourth quarter shots down the stretch.

It was the same. Always and forever. All the way down to that patented Mike Woodson stare, and what that same did was provide superior athleticism and a familiarity with a system to win more games season after seasons as skill caught up talent, but it never came close to maximizing anything. You just cannot get the most out of a team when you play not to mess things up.

The wins came, but what never came was an identity. Players got better, but they were never pushed into roles where new skills could have some accountability. And because of all this, the Hawks were a team that was good but not one that was feared. In the NBA, teams fear the unknown wrinkle and the known identity that cannot be stopped. Mike Woodson was never able to produce either. He was a man of consistency, a consistency that should be commended and thanked. But six years in it was clear that consistency was based on a fear to fail and not a drive to win, and in the end, that will only produce mediocrity. And I for one celebrate the Hawks for choosing the unknown ahead over the consistency of being average.

Go Hawks!

The Hawks have lots of options this off season. Unfortunately, most of them feel like Hawks bench players.

The Mario West

Sign Mike Woodson and Joe Johnson back. Move other pieces around (Teague in Bibby out) and make draft picks. And BAM! We are guaranteed not to suck.

After all, what is wrong with second round sweeps and fifty win seasons? Internal growth is still possible for our front court, and at some point, that will transform the offense from within.

Listen, Mario West is not that good at anything on the basketball court, but we keep him anyway. Why? Because we know what we are going to get from the guy. And yea, that may be fouling a three point shooter or getting blown by off the dribble, but at some point, that energy and familiarity is going to light a fire from within and make this Hawks team better. One thirty second stint at a time.

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I do not care how bad it ends, the feeling is always the same. Sadness. You do not go through the trenches of the season, bond however ridiculously to a team and a dream, and not end saying........nothing. For all the ups and downs, frustrations and joys, we stay fans because we like being fans and any time a chapter is closed and there is nothing left to root for, nothing left to tweak or look forward to, it is sad. Nothing for sports fan is always sad. Whether it comes with a whimper of 20 point losses or the pain of a seven game battle, the emotion remains the same.

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Atlanta Hawks 09-10 Playoff Game # 2.4
	@
3-0		0-3
Philips Arena
May 10th, 2010, 8:00 PM EST
TNT, Hawks Radio Network, NBA Audio League Pass
Probable starters:
Jameer Nelson	PG	Mike Bibby
Vince Carter	SG	Joe Johnson
Matt Barnes	SF	Marvin Williams
Rashard Lewis	PF	Josh Smith
Dwight Howard	C	Al Horford

Hawks Injury Report: None

Magic Injury Report: None

Blogging With the Enemy: Orlando Pinstriped Post

Predicted bane of the Hawks' existence: Anything and everything

This could be the last game for these Atlanta Hawks. Nothing has ever felt so empty and so right.

Go Hawks!

There exists four kinds of teams in the NBA. The elite, the bad, the rising, and the mediocre. For over a decade, the Hawks have spent all their time in the middle two categories. For their entire history in Atlanta, they have never been in the elite one. But for the first time in a very long time, we find ourselves back in the land of mediocre. And it sucks.

What is mediocre? It is the land where potential is reached. Where familiarity breeds contempt. Where hope dies. It is the place where the freedom of terrible does not exist and the joy of winning is never tasted. It creates teams just spirited enough to be crushing, just hopeful enough to look foolish, and I for one do not want to stay more than one season.

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Well give credit where credit is due. This was less worst performance ever and more the better team can play better for 48 minutes. So we are making strides.

And because of those strides, only three main culprits exists, and I hate to harp on culprits but the facts of this series are obvious, the Magic are better. Outlining how things could be built on is absurd. The Hawks do not need to build on anything, they need to stop doing things. When you lose by double digits, it is not the refs or the missed shots. No, it is that you do not do things that make you a competitive basketball team. Who does not do those things? Well I am glad you asked.

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Atlanta Hawks 09-10 Playoff Game # 2.2
	@
0-1		1-0
Amway Arena
May 6th, 2010, 8:00 PM EST
ESPN, Hawks Radio Network, NBA Audio League Pass
Probable starters:
Mike Bibby	PG	Jameer Nelson
Joe Johnson	SG	Vince Carter
Marvin Williams	SF	Matt Barnes
Josh Smith	PF	Rashard Lewis
Al Horford	C	Dwight Howard

Hawks Injury Report: None

Magic Injury Report: None

Blogging With the Enemy: Orlando Pinstriped Post

Predicted bane of the Hawks' existence: The Orlando Magic

Lets see, things to avoid tonight: Mike Woodson having to make decisions, medium to large deficits, one foul benchings, forming game strategies around Gortat, long, contested two point jump shots, not trying, and giving up easy "and 1." To be fair, it is not as bad as it sounds. The Hawks only need to do six out of seven of these to win. Plus, all the normal stuff like rebound and play dense and hope the other team does not play well.

Two pieces of good news though, win or lose we know who is going to get credit or blame: our old friend effort. Whether the just try hard and everything works out has any relevance or factual basis in playoff basketball, it is tough to say, but at least our team is consistent, they have one god and they rarely lose focus. The other piece of good news? I guarentee the Hawks lose by less than 43.

Ok partially guarantee.

But seriously, you only have to win one and as much as that game felt like multiple losses, probably should have counted for multiple losses, it did not. Despite it all, the Hawks are one game away from having control of this series. For real. Now finding hope that truth can become a reality, well, that is where I leave you to fill up the comments. I for one have not stopped rooting for it, just maybe stopped believing (sorry Journey).

Go Hawks!

There are losses and then there are losses and this was something beyond a loss. It is tough to write a recap that encompasses everyone who is to blame for 40 point loss. It would be worth a book (or at least a coach's job). I mean let's be serious. Anyone that roots for the Hawks let alone has an actual say in the outcome feels like an idiot right now. The Magic are better and the Hawks have serious faults and both truths were played out in such excruciating fashion that it took the hopeful thoughts so far out into killing zone that the fact that the Hawks still have three games to prove they are not the worst team in the history of second round playoffs it seems almost freeing. Almost.

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Atlanta Hawks 09-10 Playoff Game # 2.1
	@
0-0		0-0
Amway Arena
May 4th, 2010, 8:00 PM EST
TNT, Hawks Radio Network, NBA Audio League Pass
Probable starters:
Mike Bibby	PG	Jameer Nelson
Joe Johnson	SG	Vince Carter
Marvin Williams	SF	Matt Barnes
Josh Smith	PF	Rashard Lewis
Al Horford	C	Dwight Howard

Hawks Injury Report: None

Magic Injury Report: Mickael Pietrus sprained an ankle but is apparently good to go.

Blogging With the Enemy: Orlando Pinstriped Post

Predicted bane of the Hawks' existence: Dwight Howard's rebounding.

Most important stat with less than three hours before game time? 0-0. The head to head record, the offensive efficiency, the rebounding rate, the player matchups, none of it matters come tip off. All that matters is whether the Hawks can win, and they can. The record is 0-0, and if that stat changes in the Hawks favor, this is more than a series, this is a chance to do something special.

Key to the game that has yet to be mentioned on this site? Transition defense.

Go Hawks!

How long will game five taint the outcomes of these games? That is the question. Because the last two games, the Hawks have played really, really good basketball without playing that great. Put another way, they have put forth full effort, played great defense, and rebounded well all while failing to get much from their main offensive cog. Really, it is what you expected against the Bucks missing Bogut. Dominating performances because Atlanta was better even when they were not necessarily at their best. So if you only took the four wins, everything would be rosy and wonderful heading into this next series. Shoot, if you just forgot game five, you might feel pretty good about the Hawks right now.

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Recaps coming, but no matter where you sit on the confidence meter, two things are true. Game seven wins are always awesome, and the Hawks are about to start a new season. And if you like lists to be in threes, Al Horford is the man. A good Sunday all around.

Go Hawks!

Atlanta Hawks 09-10 Playoff Game # 1.7
	@
3-3		3-3
Philips Arena
May 2nd, 2010, 1:00PM EST
ABC, Fox SportsSouth, Hawks Radio Network, NBA Audio League Pass
Probable starters:
Brandon Jennings	PG	Mike Bibby
John Salmons	SG	Joe Johnson
Carlos Delfino	SF	Marvin Williams
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute	PF	Josh Smith
Kurt Thomas	C	Al Horford

Hawks Injury Report: None

Bucks Injury Report: Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut are out. 

Blogging With the Enemy: Brew Hoop

Predicted bane of the Hawks' existence: Scott Skiles

Game Preview:

It is game seven. End of game preview.

Go Hawks!

I feel bad. I really do, but I can be honest. I am guilty of wanting the Hawks to lose last night. It is true. It is all true.

And yet it takes only one win for me to fall in love all over again. Every made basket, every defensive stand felt good It all felt right. We were not made to root against our teams, to play "what if" scenarios about coaches. We were made to cheer, and not three minutes into last night, that is exactly what I did. Game five, for all its horribleness, may just have released us to enjoy the rest of these playoffs. Whether that is one more game or ten, the Hawks are our team. And you cannot help but get excited watching them play nearly 48 minutes of effort filled defense.

Still, after crushing our souls with a mix of everything terrible about this team just three days ago, the least the Hawks could do was make it a realistic victory. Invite us back into their embrace with a measure of truthfulness. And Atlanta did that. For the concerted effort they made in working the high/low post and finding the mismatches, it was quite obvious the team has not tried to play actual team basketball with near enough frequency to actually execute that style now.

Asking your kid to learn to eat left handed because down the road eating with both hands will make you a wildly more efficient eater is all well and good, but just telling him the philosophy behind it, right before you put him in a food eating contest is of little help. One look at the opponent scarfing down hot dogs and what should happen no longer matters, and so when the game got tough, we saw isolations and no ball movement. It was painful. Joe Johnson ridiculous dribbling displays and Al Horford single focus to shoot upon receiving the ball in the post all bled over to fast breaks where Mo Evans refused to pass and Jamal Crawford ridiculously quick shot. At one point, I thought Mike Turico was going to fight someone he was so upset, but this is who the Hawks are. You are not going to make the amidexterous eaters this late in the season. No matter how sense it makes. (And I only use such a ridiculous analogy to point out how ridiculous the reality is.)

What did happen last night and can happen again, was ridiculously good defense. The Hawks did little different schematically. Yes, there were some quicker double teams. A few non switches that let Mike Bibby guard Brandon Jennings, but for the most part it was better executed/more committed effort to the things the Hawks have done all year. The sh@% does work, and it would work even better if we had a coach who could get this kind of effort out of this team during the game fives of the season and not just the game sixes.

In the end, the Hawks are what they are, and when they put forth effort into that flawed thing we call this team, there is still a lot to love. And if you look real hard, despite all the contested jumpers, failed post ups, and centers guarding point guards, you may actually find, buried deep down, a little hope.

Go Hawks!

Atlanta Hawks 09-10 Playoff Game # 1.6
	@
2-3		3-2
Bradley Center
April 30th, 2010, 7:00PM EST
ESPN, Fox Sports South, Hawks Radio Network, NBA Audio League Pass
Probable starters:
Mike Bibby	PG	Brandon Jennings
Joe Johnson	SG	John Salmons
Marvin Williams	SF	Carlos Delfino
Josh Smith	PF	Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
Al Horford	C	Kurt Thomas

Hawks Injury Report: None

Bucks Injury Report: Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut are out. 

Blogging With the Enemy: Brew Hoop

Predicted bane of the Hawks' existence: Mike Woodson

Game Preview:

Depending on your perspective, this is a must win or must lose situation for the Hawks. Neither perspective is one fans should be excited to be in. My only hope is that whichever side sees their wishes granted, the most positive possible solution results for the Hawks. Whether that pertains to next series or next season, I don't really care.

Go Hawks!

I will keep it rather emotional here since I think it is neither the fouls nor the poor shooting or even the untimely foul out that lost the Hawks this game. The Bucks won the game. Over the last three games, they have been the far better team against a team that they are far worse than. What can you say but well done. Is the series over? No. The Hawks still can win two in row easily. The drastically disappointing thing about this whole series is that our team could win the next two games quite easily. But it certainly feels over.

And that is the sad thing. This team, this rebuilding process seems over (not done but certainly a chapter complete). We will certainly get into more anaylsis of the game. More talk about match ups and poor shots and player mentality and coaching strategy and all those things we love to debate and find witty ways to lampoon.

But tonight, you can know when I hear "fear the dear" I do not get angry or trivially upset. I get it. I really do. If I was a Bucks fan, I would be somewhere beyond happy land right now. But for every national media and opposing blogger that sees the Hawks as one more moving piece in their playoff meme, you can know for us Hawks fans it is not some intriguing way of talking about tomorrow's news cycle or unexpected match up for the next round of the playoffs; it is our heart and soul.

So for all you Hawks fans that bleed from this loss, who feel worse than angry, who actually feel sad. For all you who have railed Mike Woodson, who have lamented Joe Johnson's skills, who have called out Josh Smith's maturity or Al Horford's "go to" status, for those who have mocked Marvin's draft status or wished Jamal Crawford tried on defense, I know this is no joyous moment of redemption. I know this is no "I told you so" moment about your least favorite player or coach. This is fan rock bottom. This is hours of loyalty and miles of hope that feel worse than wasted, they feel over.

So yes, there are real coaching issues with this loss that point back to prior problems we have seen all season long. There are player performances that raise questions about team building blocks and ceiling. And there are actual blogging points to discuss as the team moves forward in a series that is far from over. But tonight? Tonight I mourn. I mourn 13 win seasons and player development. I mourn a free agent from Phoenix that took a chance on a city and a seven game series that made that city come alive. I mourn unlimited upside and player development and I mourn coaching question marks and franchise players. Because for this set of players, the unknown is over. The ceiling has been reached. And no words or box scores or analysis make that easier to take. Because it is just sad, but you can know I am sad right there with you.

Go Hawks!

Atlanta Hawks 09-10 Playoff Game # 1.5
	@
2-2		2-2
Philips Arena
April 28th, 2010, 8:00PM EST
TNT, Fox SportsSouth, Hawks Radio Network, NBA Audio League Pass
Probable starters:
Brandon Jennings	PG	Mike Bibby
John Salmons	SG	Joe Johnson
Carlos Delfino	SF	Marvin Williams
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute	PF	Josh Smith
Kurt Thomas	C	Al Horford

Hawks Injury Report: None

Bucks Injury Report: Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut are out. 

Blogging With the Enemy: Brew Hoop

Predicted bane of the Hawks' existence: Scott Skiles

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Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Just give me one chance.

AP Photo/Jim Prisching

So...much...further...from...ground.

AP Photo/Jim Prisching

Trying to dribble on defense.

Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Frustrated, dribbling the ball through his own team's basket

AP Photo/Jim Prisching

Ball mocking Josh by going undribbled.

AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps

Dribbling!!!!