Hawks Prove They Can Beat Those at the Top

Filed under: Cavaliers, Celtics, Magic

This was one the Atlanta Hawks had to have Wednesday night.



They didn't need it to make the playoffs, or even to maintain their home-court advantage in the first round of those playoffs. They needed it as a reminder that their season doesn't have to end this time in the second round.



By beating the Orlando Magic, 86-84, on a dramatic, buzzer-beating, offensive-rebounding dunk by Josh Smith, they finally proved they can play with the best teams in the Eastern Conference.



The Hawks had come into Wednesday night having lost 10 consecutive regular season games to either Cleveland or Orlando, one of whom is likely to be their second-round opponent this year. They also were swept last spring by Cleveland in the second round.



"We had to get the monkey off our backs,'' Smith said after his winning dunk was reviewed by court-side officials to make sure he scored before the buzzer. "This team is pretty resilient now.''

 

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Full story at http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/03/24/hawks-prove-they-can-beat-those-at-the-top/