Hawks-Celtics Series and Atlanta's Beautiful Failures against NBA's Best

The Atlanta Hawks came into the playoffs as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Their record was 37-45. They were matched up against the NBA's best team, the Boston Celtics. They were 66-16. The Hawks were going to get swept. The Hawks fans knew it, the Celtics knew it, well everybody knew it.

The Celtics opened up at home with two straight wins. Definitive wins. Dominating wins. "You shouldn't even be on the same court as us" wins.

But the Hawks believed they could do better. They believed they could win against the juggernaut of Boston's Big Three. They returned to Atlanta not depressed, not humiliated, not intimidated. They returned confident and ready to play.

In Game Three, the Hawks shocked the Celtics 102-93, boosted by 27 points from forward Josh Smith. It was the first time in the series that the Hawks were able to get over the century mark. It was the first time they were even able to put up a respectable score against Boston's suffocating defense.

That's just one game right? No big deal. The Celtic's aren't going to lose again.

In Game Four, Joe Johnson lifted the upstart Hawks to a 97-92 win with 35 points. He shot 58 percent from the floor and played 46 minutes. Ray Allen put up his best numbers so far in the playoffs with 21 points.

The Celtics fans were reeling. What was happening to their team? The series should be over by now, yet it was tied 2-2. You still have faith in your team, but you're starting to feel fear in the pit of your stomach.

Game 5 squelched your fears. The Celtics won handily, 110-85, and contained every Hawk but Joe Johnson, who finished with 21 points. Paul Pierce led the team with 22 points.

"All right," you're thinking. "It's Game Six now. It's time to put them away." You're confident and you invite all your friends over to watch the Celtics dominate the young team.

Neither team dominated, and both played poorly. But the Hawks played a little bit better, and came away with a 103-100 win.

You're straight-up scared now; you cant believe your eyes. You're sitting in your chair petrified, almost crying. That fear you felt in the pit of your stomach is back, only it's raging like an angry ocean. That night you pray to God, asking him to help out Boston.

God must have heard you, because only divine intervention could have caused the destruction the Celtics' D caused the Hawks. Only two Hawks ended the game in double figures, and Atlanta lost by 34 points.

The Hawks' season is over. They lost in seven games to the best team in the NBA. They failed their season's goal—every team's goal, to win the NBA Finals. But they failed wonderfully. They failed with flair and determination. For the first time in a long time, a team failed beautifully.