Hawks fans did not have losing to Toronto by a whopping twenty points - at home, no less - on opening night on their bingo card to start the year.
Before the opener, the Hawks were mocked as a clear-cut top-4 seed in a battered, beaten, and bruised Eastern Conference. No Tatum. No Haliburton. Dame back to the West. Unfortunately for Atlanta, reality hit fast - not only did Toronto embarrass them at home, but they proved to the so-called 'experts' that a top playoff spot for the Hawks is anything but guaranteed.
Toronto was one of four Eastern Conference teams that ultimately carved out stellar evenings on Wednesday/Thursday, each of which was not expected to come out guns blazing in nearly the same fashion.
Milwaukee, fresh off losing Damian Lillard, has been mocked consistently a tier below the Hawks, Pistons, Magic, Cavs, and Knicks. While their victory against the ever-weak Wizards should certainly be taken with a grain of salt, Giannis' new partner in crime - Myles Turner - quickly established himself as an elite defensive dynamo to flank The Greek Freak.
Philadelphia also proved its elite stature with sensational performances from rookie VJ Edgecombe and established stud Tyrese Maxey, who brought home a win despite Joel Embiid's extremely subpar opener.
To make matters even worse, the defending Eastern Conference champs - without Haliburton and without Andrew Nembhard for the vast majority of the night - were able to take the defending champs in Oklahoma City to double overtime last night. They're clearly not throwing in the towel this year.
It shouldn't surprise fans that Atlanta has their work cut out for them.
The narrative that the Eastern Conference is a cakewalk is simply ludicrous.
While the majority of the talent in the league is no doubt concentrated in the West, that doesn't mean the Eastern Conference is an easy feat to clear - while established teams like New York, Cleveland, Orlando and Detroit will no doubt continue to challenge Atlanta for a top spot this year, dark horses that popped this week such as Milwaukee, Indiana, Toronto, and Philadelphia have just as firm a case as any to take home the Eastern Conference crown.
Every night will be a battle for the Hawks - and it will certainly be a learning curve for the new squad to get their bearings before they get rolling. Don't be shocked if Atlanta flounders for a few weeks while they mesh with one another, especially with a tough slate of games ahead - the next seven games include two showdowns with Orlando, a battle with Cleveland, and a chance to dethrone the defending champs.