Atlanta Hawks Win or Go Home

For the Atlanta Hawks, the 2009 playoff saga proved a very good sequel to 2008, as it answered the one burning question following last season's first-round elimination in Boston: What would happen in a first-round series if given an extra game at Philips Arena?

On Sunday afternoon, that question was answered as the Hawks routed the Miami Heat, 91-78, to win their first-round series, four games to three.

"We were on the flip side of this last year and it was not a good feeling leaving Boston and coming back to Atlanta," said Hawks Head Coach Mike Woodson. "But these guys flipped the script this year and they made it happen for the city of Atlanta, in front of their fans. I couldn't be more proud of a group of guys than these guys in that locker room."

Depending on who you asked the series was a great finish or great to be finished. The satisfactory ending for Atlanta, came at the expense of drama, as the 13-point spread in Game Seven — the game really wasn't that close — was the second-lowest loss in a series where the average margin of victory was 19.1 points, and the team that led after the first 12 minutes was never headed.

By Atlanta Hawks News