Bleacher Report - Articles by Will Brooks

Andruw Jones and What Might Have Been

Will Brooks — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:18:58 -0400

The image above is one that many Braves fans remember like the back of their hand. A young, skinny, and uber-talented 19-year-old named Andruw Jones hitting a home run in what was his coming out party during the 1996 World Series with Atlanta against the New York Yankees.

The thing about this image though is that to many Braves fans it is extremely hard to look at and not think what could have, and maybe should have been during the Andruw Jones' era in Atlanta.

Starting with his debut in the 1996 World Series, in which the Braves led 2-0 before letting the Yankees sweep the remaining four games to take the series and begin their dynastic run through the late 1990's and early 2000's, Andruw Jones' tenure with Atlanta never resulted in a World Series win or much playoff success at all.

In his defense, the young star did everything he could to help the Braves make the playoffs in every year after 1996 until 2005 when the Braves division title streak ended. Andruw was a spectacular centerfielder, garnering 10 gold glove awards from 1998-2007, which practically covers his entire Atlanta Braves career.

Andruw was also a terrific home run hitter and run producer, as he averaged 33 home runs per season with the Braves, including his 18 during his rookie year. He also drove in a little over 100 runs per game during that 11-year time span as well.

With all of his success, Andruw's legacy is still hampered by the way his body, mind, and effort seemed to go down the drain toward the end of his time in Atlanta. The Atlanta fans were getting tired of seeing him strike out on the same low and outside curveball on every pitch. Not to mention what seemed like a lack in desire to improve and stay in shape to perform at the level that he was capable of on offense and in center field. All the while, Andruw kept that boyish smirk on his face at all times, and it seemed that he was just laughing at his own demise.

Ultimately, the Braves gave up on their maligned star. Letting him walk at the end of the 2007 season because there was no way they would give him the money that he and agent Scott Boras sought for, and eventually got, in the tune of $36.2 million over two years.

There's no need to say how much of a mistake that was by the Dodger's front office, as Andruw had one of the worst years in the history of Major League Baseball (not exaggerating) with these numbers: .158 AVG, 3 HR, 14 RBI, and .505 OPS in just 75 games. And no he wasn't injured.

It's hard to explain the epic fall that Andruw Jones had in L.A., but it reveals just how brilliant former Braves GM John Schuerholz was in knowing that the decline was just about to hit rock bottom for the then 30-year-old center-fielder, who was once the teenage phenom that Braves fans expected to help lead the team to multiple titles.

Now, we are seeing some signs of redemption from Andruw, as he has found a role with the surprising first-place Texas Rangers as the DH and part-time outfielder, who provides a power-punch to the Texas offense. It doesn't hurt that he's playing his home games in the bandbox that is the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Yet, there is no denying that Andruw looks like a man possessed trying to revive his career and achieve many career milestones in what would seem to be about seven or so more years of playing time as an American League DH.

After his monster three home run game last night, Andruw now has 14 HR and 34 RBI this season, which is already a 467% increase in homers and a 243% increase in RBI to last year in 49 less AB.

Some may say, "Well, he's only hitting .250." I say, "What's new?" Andruw has hardly ever hit for a high average, as he is just a .259 career hitter. However, it is his double-digit gold-gloves, more than 1100 RBI, and potential 450-500 career HR numbers that back up the evidence to say that Andruw should be well on his way to a Hall-of-Fame career.

Not to mention, he's done all of this during the steroid era. And has yet to be charged, or even accused, of being involved with BALCO, the Mitchell Report, or any other steroid scandal thus far.

Andruw's story may lead many people to think what might have been. But I wonder to myself, what lies ahead?

Yellow Jackets Basketball Should Be Getting Plenty Of Buzz In 09-10

Will Brooks — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 01:18:44 -0400

With the announcement late Sunday night that Junior PF Gani Lawal has withdran his name from the 2009 NBA Draft, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets' aspirations for a deep run in the NCAA tournament next season just grew by about 6 feet and 10 inches.

After an impressive sophomore campaign in which he averaged 15.1 points to go along with 9.5 rebounds per game, which ranked second in the ACC, Lawal had entered the draft with expectations of being selected no later than around pick 15 in what seemed like a fairly weak draft class.

Lawal is looked at to be a prospect with considerable upside as a post player in the league; however, he sometimes seems to lack the strength, polished post-game, and killer instinct that would allow him to compete with the Garnett's, Duncan's, Gasol's, and Shaq's in the NBA game for now.

That's why I believe that Lawal's decision to come back to Georgia Tech for his junior season is a win-win for both the Jackets and Lawal. The consensus had Lawal slated anywhere around picks 25-30 in the late first round of the draft, far below what Lawal had hoped he'd be at this point in the draft process. This gives him the chance to return to Tech and improve his stock with an even better junior season, in which the Yellow Jackets have a great chance to shine.

Though the Jackets finished with a less-than-stellar 12-19 mark, losing an abysmal 14 games in the ACC, those numbers are deceiving, as Tech had a very young team that lost 10 games by six or fewer points. Add in the fact that Paul Hewitt is bringing in a top-five nationally ranked recruiting class of five-star center Derrick Favors, four-star point guard Mfon Udofia, four-star shooting guard Glen Rice Jr., four-star power forward Kammeon Holsey, three-star small forward Brian Oliver, and three-star center Daniel Miller, as rated by rivals.com, and the potential is certainly there.

Georgia Tech now boasts one of the best front courts in the entire country entering next season with returning forwards senior Zack Peacock and Lawal along with Favors, who boast the McDonald's All-American MVP award to go along with unworldly stats for South Atlanta High School during his career.

The back court isn't looking too shabby either, with returning guards Moe Miller—who struggled for much of his sophomore season after an impressive freshman year—along with upcoming sophomore Iman Shumpert—who averaged 10.1 points, and is the returning co-leader in assists with five per game and the sole leader in steals per game with 2.1. All of this was accomplished in Shumpert's freshman season as a PG in the top conference in the NCAA.

Not to mention the team will benefit from getting senior guard, defensive specialist, and team leader D'Andre Bell back from what was almost a career-ending injury last season, as he suffered from a congenital condition called spinal stenosis for which he had corrective surgery to get him back in time to start his final year in the Thrillerdome.

With all of this great news for the Yellow Jackets basketball fans to digest, there's reason to believe that the Thrillerdome that is Alexander Memorial Colliseum in Atlanta will be filled with thrills night in and night out during the 2009-2010 season.

San Francisco Draft Spotlight: RHP Zack Wheeler

Will Brooks — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:57:26 -0400

FYI: I am a former teammate and family friend of Zack's and you can find this article and interview on sportsaramadallas.com where I write full time.

After a record-setting career on the mound for the East Paulding Raiders, Zack Wheeler was rewarded for all his hard work Tuesday night, June 9 when he was selected as the sixth overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft.

This has been a very fun, but also busy year for Wheeler, starting this past summer pitching at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles for the Aflac All-American Game as well as at Wrigley Field in Chicago for the Under Armour All-America Game.

Wheeler followed that up by leading East Paulding High School to the first Final Four in the history of high school baseball in Paulding County. Here’s what Wheeler had to say about draft night and his future as a San Francisco Giant.

Q: Congrats Zack on being drafted by the Giants. What’s San Francisco getting by drafting you with the sixth overall pick?

Zack Wheeler: I think they’re getting a hard worker, and somebody who wants to play. I’m happy to be a Giant.

Q: What do you expect will be your biggest adjustments going from the high school level of competition to the Minor and Major Leagues?

Zack Wheeler: The past two summers I’ve been playing with East Cobb, and that’s big competition. I think that’s helped me out a lot. You know, it is going to be a difference going up, but I think I’ll be able to adjust pretty fast.

Q: What are your impressions with some of the guys you’ve met and talked with in the Giants’ organization after you’ve been drafted?

Zack Wheeler: I’m happy they got me. They seemed relieved, as well as I am. They really can’t do anything right now, but they’ll be talking to me a little bit later on about everything.

Q: How do you think your performance in the playoffs this year, leading East Paulding to the Final Four, helped your draft stock?

Zack Wheeler: I think it helped out tremendously. I threw a no-hitter. There were a lot of scouts at the playoff games. It’s better competition, so they wanted to see that.

Q: With being the sixth pick, of course you’re going to get a nice little signing bonus. Do you have any idea what that first purchase might be with your first paycheck?

Zack Wheeler: Probably something for my parents and my family. They’ve been treating me well my whole life, so I’ve got to treat them good back.

Atlanta Falcon's Key Position Battles Going Into 2009

Will Brooks — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:19:08 -0400

The Atlanta Falcons' surprising 11-5 season in 2008 has put a lot of pressure on the team for the upcoming 2009 season to perform up to elevated expectations. For last year's team, it was an entirely different story entering mini-camps with a roster many expected to lose at least 12 games.

With the pressure on this young team, who lost many veteran and key starters to free-agency this offseason, this summer's position battles are sure to be very heated and extremely competitive. Here's a look at the three top position battles this summer, all on the defensive side of the ball.

OLB Opposite of Mike Peterson—In the Mix: Coy Wire and Stephen Nicholas

Analysis: Both Coy Wire and Stephen Nicholas are young players who neither have much experience starting in the NFL. Wire is more suited to be a strong side linebacker in the Falcons system, whereas Nicholas is better on the weak side.

The positive for the Falcons is that recently acquired Mike Peterson is suited to play either side, so it's all about who the Falcons feel is more prepared for the spotlight between Wire and Nicholas.

Edge: Nicholas

Even with Wire's strong play at the end of last season, I simply feel that the Falcons want the experienced Peterson on the strong side so he can take on more responsibility with coverage of the TE and taking on more blockers in the running game. They will start off with Nicholas as the starter at WLB.

Tidbit to Consider: Nicholas was actually set to be the starter last year at WLB before they drafted Curtis Lofton to man the middle and were able to move Brooking to the weak side.

#2 CB Opposite Chris Houston—In the Mix: Von Hutchins, Brent Grimes, Chevis Jackson, Chris Owens, and William Middleton

Analysis: This race is pretty wide open judging by the youth of all of the players fighting for not only this starting position, but also a roster spot.

Hutchins came into last season expecting to be the starter alongside Houston before his season-ending injury. UFA Grimes and Rookie Jackson saw plenty of playing time as a result of Hutchins' injury and they both showed their strengths and weaknesses while playing behind Dominique Foxworth, who was acquired from Denver during the season.

Both Owens and Middleton are unproven commodities, drafted this year to come in and add competition for in the No. 2 CB spot, while also providing much needed depth to the position.

Edge: Jackson

The 3rd Round pick from last year showed great potential and play-making ability in his action as the nickelback covering slot receivers in his first year of action.

Tidbit to Consider: Brent Grimes started six games last year as the No. 2 CB and will be fighting to stay on the roster this year, with both Owens and Middleton coming in as fairly high draft picks as well as the return of Hutchins from injury.

DE Opposite John Abraham

In the Mix: Jamaal Anderson and Chauncey Davis

Analysis: Anderson is entering his third year in the league and has failed to meet the expectations that come along with being the No. 8 pick in the 2007 draft. He has only two sacks in his first two seasons, while backup Davis had four just last year.

What's overlooked with Jamaal Anderson's play is how vital he is for the Falcon's against the run. He is a big body who has occasionally shifted over to tackle on passing downs.

Edge: Anderson

They will give him one more year to develop his pass rushing skills to match what he provides in the running game. Chauncey signed a nice four year, $16 million extension in the offseason, which I believe will light a fire under Anderson to have a breakout season this year.

Tidbit to Consider: John Abraham had 16.5 sacks in 2008, all other Falcons on the current roster had 14.5.

Face It: Domination Trumps The Underdog In Pro Sports

Will Brooks — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:22:09 -0500

It's hard to find truly dominating teams in pro sports nowadays. Many people love the upset and root for the underdog, but I'm a big fan of dominance. Dominating athletes and teams are what the sports world revolves around. It is also what most fans truly remember.

Don't believe me? Well think about it. When most people think about sports they think of consistent winners. In football it's the Packers of the 60's, Steelers of the 70's, the 49'ers of the 80's, the Cowboy's of the 90's, the Patriots of the new millennium.

In basketball they think of the Celtics, Lakers, Bulls, and Spurs. In baseball it's the Yankees and Red Sox that get most of the publicity.

I'll have to say though that in baseball their is more talk of the underdog (Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox before they started winning championships), though they are talked about for being bad.

Individually Tom Brady, Derek Jeter, Michael Jordan, Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, and even Kobayashi's of the sports world is what we look at to define greatness because they are dominant winners.

Sure upsets are fun and are a big part of the game, but it's true and sheer dominating teams and individuals that set the standard for those in the future to live up to. Just take last year's Boston Celtics for example. Without the past domination of the Celtics, and the former big three's from those teams, last year's team would have not had near the hype as it did.

The Original Celtics' big threes of Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, Bill Russell and Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish set the mold for Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett. These teams were dominant. And that's something you remember.

As I write this I am somewhat contradicting the fan inside of me. I am a die hard Atlanta sports fan. Sad, I know. They have rewarded my 19 years of existence with 1 championship and many moments of sheer agony.

Even though my Hawks and Falcons, who have gotten off to great starts this year, are perennial underdogs, it is not this fact that makes me want them to be successful.

It is my yearning that they establish themselves as a consistent and dominating force in their respective sports, rather than just appear and maybe win one championship every 30 years or so.

For the Atlanta Falcons, the Future Is Now

Will Brooks — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:32:30 -0500

Having never posted back-to-back winning seasons in the franchise's 42-year history, Atlanta football fans have been tortured too many times with flashes of hope, only for it to be washed down the drain in the seasons that follow.

The two most recent of these scenarios occurred in the 1999 season, after the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance, and of course, the highly-noted 2007 season after the turmoil that was Michael Vick's dogfighting fiasco and Bobby Petrino's cowardly resignation after only 13 games as an NFL head coach.

Through it all though, the 2008 Atlanta Falcons are giving fans in Atlanta more hope than they ever have before that that streak will soon come to an end. With nearly every media pundit and fan of the game that witnessed the torturous season the Falcons had last year, it was evident that this team would be at best the second worst team in the whole league.

If anyone envisioned at the beginning of this season that after nine games the Falcons would have six wins, then I would love to get their advice on what lottery numbers to pick for the Mega Millions game.

Before the season it was perceived that six wins for the entire year would be a resounding success for the Falcons, who have a first year NFL head coach in Mike Smith and rookies at three of the most important positions in the NFL.

Led by rookie quarterback Matt Ryan, left tackle Sam Baker, and middle linebacker Curtis Lofton, Thomas Dimitroff's first NFL draft class looks like it may be the best in Falcon's history.

Also contributing as a rookie is nickelback Chevis Jackson and wide receiver/punt returner Harry Douglas. This strong rookie class added to the young core of up and coming stars Roddy White, Michael Turner, Michael Boley, and Chris Houston gives the city of Atlanta and all Falcons fans a reason to hope that they may get those consecutive winning seasons quicker than anyone expected.

You definitely can't forget the value that experience has on a successful team in the NFL. The Falcons sure have a strong group of veterans that the young guys can lean on for advice both on and off the field.

Both outside linebacker Keith Brooking, the only roster holdover from the Falcon's Super Bowl appearance in 1998, and strong safety Lawyer Milloy, who has appeared in two Super Bowls, while winning a championship as a member of the New England Patriots in 2001, have provided the on-the-field leadership, as well as leadership in the locker room.

While there's still plenty of football to be played, no matter what happens from here on out, the Falcons have sent a message across the league that they are a team on the rise. Teams in the NFL better make way, because the Atlanta Falcons are beginning to soar to new heights.

Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire Changed The Game For The Better

Will Brooks — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:54:48 -0500

The Summer of 1998 was one that the game of baseball has never seen before. Two of the game's top sluggers in Chicago Cubs right fielder Sammy Sosa and St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Mark McGwire were putting on remarkable displays of power while attempting to break the single-season home run record set by New York Yankee Roger Maris in 1961. These two men were also bringing back the joy of "America's Pastime" to the many fans who still felt vindicated from the season ending strike in 1994 that left them with no World Series.

What also made this race to the record even sweeter was the vast differences that could be seen between the two men while just looking at them on the surface. However, as the summer progressed, and all eyes were fixed on these two superstars, there was no denying the special connection they had with the fans of the game and with each other.

Any casual observer could point out the obvious difference between the dark-skinned, Dominican Republic born Sammy Sosa and the white, southern California born Mark McGwire. What lies beneath the obvious difference in skin-color is the contrast in the two men’s journeys to baseball stardom.

Growing up in a poor family in the Dominican Republic made it hard for Sosa to make his dream of playing baseball in the major leagues a reality. His family’s financial hardships made it very tough for Sosa to afford any equipment such as gloves, bats, or balls. However, Sosa's passion and love of the game combined with the creativity of himself and his childhood friends allowed them to come up with solutions to make up for their lack of supplies. Sosa made a bat out of a tree branch, made a glove out of old milk cartons, and taped up socks to use for a ball. He did not get a real bat until he was fourteen and it only took him two years after that to get signed by the American League's Texas Rangers at age sixteen.

Unlike Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire grew up in a far more traditional middle class family in southern California. McGwire's family was very involved with sports with his dad coaching little league baseball and his older brother playing football at both the collegiate and professional levels. It was evident from the start of McGwire's baseball career that he was a special talent when at eight years old in his first little league at bat he hit a home run.

That was just the beginning of a stellar run to the top for McGwire who was drafted by the Montreal Expos out of high school but opted to play collegiately for the University of Southern California. From there he won a gold medal on the 1984 U.S. Men's Baseball Olympic team before getting drafted by the Oakland Athletics that same year.

Both Sosa and McGwire were drafted by American League teams and each got off to surprising starts to their major league careers. McGwire's start was surprisingly great as he set the major league rookie record for home runs in a season with 49 in 1987. Sosa's start was surprisingly slow as he hit only 45 home runs in his first three full seasons and was traded twice during this time from the Texas Rangers to the Chicago White Sox and then to the Chicago Cubs.

Though the start of Sosa's career was not what he envisioned, he was one who would not give up after all the hard work he had put in to making it this far. After he was traded to the Cubs, Sosa's numbers began to skyrocket as he hit an average of 45 home runs over the next twelve seasons. McGwire was consistently powerful himself averaging 44 home runs over his first twelve seasons.

McGwire and Sosa will forever be linked for the record-chasing summer of 1998 when Sosa hit 66 home runs and Mark McGwire hit 70 home runs which both broke the old record of 61 home runs in a single season by Roger Maris in 1961. Both men captivated America and the media with their charming personalities and a budding friendship during the season that was remarkable to watch.

As much as the 1998 season by McGwire and Sosa helped baseball make a comeback in the heart of sports fans in America, the years that followed for these two men were one's full of suspicions and questions about their link to the steroids scandal that put a dark cloud over the game of baseball.

In 2005, both Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa along with a few other star sluggers of the major leagues were brought in for a Congressional hearing on the issue of steroids in baseball. This hearing really hurt the reputations of these superstars as many fans believed that they had used steroids over there careers to enhance their performance and cheat their way into the record books.

It was not proven then, and still has not been definitively proven today that either Sosa or McGwire took steroids.

McGwire has not helped his cause in becoming almost invisible to the public eye since the hearing in Washington D.C. where he never denied or affirmed that he ever took steroids, electing to say that he “wasn't there to talk about the past.”

Sosa also has not helped cause while attempting comebacks into the major leagues and performing no where near as well as he had in the past.

Mark McGwire's and Sammy Sosa's rise to stardom, stellar careers in the major leagues, and sudden demise in the aftermath of the steroid scandal in baseball have shaped their legacies and will forever link the two of them together.

Though it is a shame how they are now perceived throughout the baseball world, their contributions to the game cannot be denied. They arguably are the two biggest contributors to the game's resurgence in the aftermath of the strike in 1994.

Without the enthralling home run chase of 1998, the game of baseball may have been bound for a complete disaster as many fans were simply not interested anymore.

Nonetheless, steroids or no steroids, these two men who came from far different ends of the spectrum just may have saved the game of baseball from becoming an anonymity.

Atlanta Hawks' Winning Ways Shouldn't Come as a Surprise

Will Brooks — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:35:19 -0500

Most fans wouldn't think it just by looking at his record (106-222) in the first five years of his tenure as head coach of the Atlanta Hawks, but Mike Woodson is now showing the reason why he is a good coach and an excellent fit for what the Hawks need.

He is also starting to disprove the doubters who said that the Hawks were crazy when they signed him to a two-year contract extension this summer.

Woodson is the ideal leader for the young and very-talented Hawks team that is surprising everyone that is at all familiar with the organization's struggles over what seems to be their entire existence.

Not many remember that he was an assistant on the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons team that won the NBA title. He was brought to the Hawks to establish a defensive identity that would lead them to success.

The only thing that was wrong with that was that the Hawks had nothing. They were one of the youngest teams in the NBA, and were stocked with so many athletic wing players, with no true point guard to run the offense and defend the perimeter and no big man to patrol the paint.

But beginning last year, with the drafting of a skilled, athletic big man in Al Horford to fill a much-needed void in the frontcourt, the Atlanta Hawks turned the corner in their franchise's history. They now have become a team willing to win instead of hoping not to lose.

The acquisition of Mike Bibby last season for the stretch run was also a major statement to the teams in the NBA that the Hawks were no longer willing to be a doormat for others to stomp on. It also gave the Hawks there first formidable point guard since the days of Mookie Blaylock.

Horford and Bibby, along with All-Star Joe Johnson, versatile Josh Smith, continuously-improving Marvin Williams, and sixth man Josh Childress provided the city of Atlanta with its first trip to the playoffs since the strike-shortened 1998-99 season.

They were not done there either. The Hawks somehow managed to win all three of their home games against the eventual NBA Champion Boston Celtics. This unexpected and remarkable seven-game series gave the Hawk's fans and all fans of the NBA a glimpse at what might be a bright future for this young team.

However, during the offseason, there were many who questioned whether the Hawks were seriously ready to contend in a much improved Eastern Conference, which saw the Philadelphia 76ers sign Elton Brand and resign Andre Iguodala, the Toronto Raptors trade for Jermaine O'Neal to add to the frontcourt along with fellow seven-footer Chris Bosh, the Orlando Magic keep intact their core of Jameer Nelson, Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, and Dwight Howard, and the Miami Heat add rookie Michael Beasley to a healthy and rejuvenated Dwayne Wade and Shawn Marion.

Plus, most NBA experts considered the contract negotiations that went awry between the Hawks new General Manager Rick Sund and restricted free agents Josh Childress and Josh Smith as signs that would point the Hawks back into the abyss of the NBA's cellar-dwellers.

Childress ended up signing a lucrative contract with the Euroleague's Greek Olympiakos that made him the highest-paid player in Euroleague history. Pretty good for a sixth man in the NBA, who nevertheless played an integral part in the Hawks' playoff season by providing scoring and energy off the bench.

Up-and-coming star and defensive stalwart Josh Smith, on the other hand, ended up staying with the Hawks—but not after signing an offer sheet with the Memphis Grizzlies, who were one of the league's worst teams last year. The Hawks did match the offer though, keeping their young star in a Hawks uniform for at least a few more seasons.

After Josh Smith's re-signing, the Hawks turned their attention to finding proven scorers to come of the bench to make up for the loss of Childress, one of the premier sixth men in the NBA.

The first step was the signing of Maurice Evans, a tough defender and good perimeter shooter from the Orlando Magic. Next was the signing of veteran journeyman Flip Murray. who had proven he could score in the NBA but had slowed down over the last few years.

Let's just say these two signings didn't do much to change most people's opinions on the Hawks' fortunes for this season. Well, safe to say they may yet be right—but that's not the case so far this season.

The Atlanta Hawks' 6-0 start to this year's campaign has quickly turned heads across the league and the media. The Hawks are winning with a mix of teamwork, hustle, confidence, and most importantly, defense.

That's right. I used the Hawks and defense in the same sentence. Pretty remarkable how things change in a year. After allowing over 100 points per game last season, the Hawks are second in the league behind the Lakers in scoring defense, giving up less than 90 points per game.

The Hawks are playing with the confidence and swagger that only a playoff experience like they had last season would provide. And as a result. they are off to the franchise's best start in a decade.

With a win tonight against Boston, where they lost all four games in last year's playoff series, Atlanta would provide the final piece of the puzzle to show to everyone that they are real contenders this season and for years come.