1970 is a year frozen in time. The cost of gas was fifty-nine cents. The Jackson 5 had a top 10 song in “I’ll Be There.” And the Atlanta Hawks beat the Chicago Bulls to advance to the Western Division Finals. It was the last moment of glory for the Atlanta basketball franchise, an achievement so dusty and archaic only grandfathers remember it, remember the Hawks playing the Lakers. For the rest of us, there has been a void of Hawks playoff memories to hold on to for nostalgia sake.
Tonight, the world of the Atlanta Hawks may turn a corner after a 45 year drought. The Hawks roll into Washington D.C. carrying the hopes and aspirations of a city that has seen its team lose to the Pacers and Celtics in the first round and the Magic and Cavaliers and Bulls in the second round, all since Al Horford was drafted in 2007. There is a dearth of beautiful playoff memories for Atlanta to lean back on and point to and say remember when that happened, remember when we did that.
All we have are heartbreaks.
But, in a reversal of cruelty, the Verizon Center crowd may be the ones with the heartbreak. The Hawks have an opportunity to go into D.C. and take the next step on the ladder to championship glory. Everything is at stake for the Hawks tonight. The last thing they want is a game 7 with all of its cacophonous pressure squarely upon their shoulders.
Fans get caught up in the periphery noise. They care about what the pundits say. The players, though, have the mental talent- if bringing the correct amount of attention to detail and responsibility- to compartmentalize, focusing solely on what is in front of them. For the Atlanta Hawks, that is facing John Wall again.
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May 13, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague (0) attempts a steal against Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) in the first quarter of game five of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Wall exceeded all of the expectations on Wednesday night as he played with a broken hand and was pretty good at a variety of things. He scored, found the seams for his passes, rebounded, dove to the floor, was aggressive.
But he also had 6 turnovers. His presence on the floor is a big part of the Hawks defensive game plan just because Wall has grown into a very skilled floor leader who makes everyone around him better. But as good as John Wall was two days ago, and as dynamic as he has been all season, tonight is not about John Wall.
It’s about the Atlanta Hawks. Can they cling together as a group and play unselfishly? Will they move the ball enough so the Wizards defenders are guessing and off balance? Will they play as if this is their last game of the year, as if they are the ones about to be eliminated? Can they get their mental game right and not have careless play after careless play? Will they make their perimeter shots? Will Jeff Teague shake off his John Wall flu and have a good game against the Washington point guard? Will Mike Budenholzer orchestrate the bench’s minutes appropriately?
The two Game 6’s that have already been played have seen the road team enter a hostile arena and stun the crowd with their dominance. In Chicago and in Los Angeles the local fans left for home despondent and bitter. The Hawks have an opportunity to continue the trend and break the hearts of Washington.
The Hawks grew up a little in Game 5 by never giving in to the grimness of the situation. Patiently they waited for the game to open up again and then they fought for it. A couple of weeks earlier, the Hawks matured in a Game 6 against the Nets by closing the series out on the road and bringing themselves here, to this moment. Can they meet it? Or, will it overwhelm them?
Truthfully, it’s hard to know what to expect from the Hawks since they can be chameleons. Often, and without much warning, they change on a dime so what you think you know you don’t know other than grandfathers and great uncle’s remember 1970.
The rest of us want to remember 2015 as the year the Hawks finally push through the brick wall and get to the Conference Finals.