The Atlanta Hawks: One Psychological Leap Away From Being Serious NBA Contenders

Living in the Greater Atlanta area, very seldom does a sports fan get the oppurtunity to really indulge themselves in the excitement and prestige of professional sports.

Lets face it. The Falcons, granted they had an amazing season this past year, have never even had back to back winning seasons. The Braves have been on the decline lately, and none of us forget about how they crumble in the playoffs.

Nobody down here really knows exactly what this term "hockey" means. And I think more noticable than all, the Atlanta Hawks have been the laughing stock of the NBA ever since I can remember.

Which makes it even more pleasing when I turn on the tube to catch a Hawks home game, and Philips is jam packed, buzzing, rocking, booing, cheering like never before. They have been putting on quite a show at Philips Arena lately; and dare I say it, there are expectations for basketball in Atlanta.

Tonight the Hawks put a stop to the Jazz's 12 game winning streak, once again proving they can be as good as anyone in the NBA. They took Boston to the final seconds in both meetins so far this season.

They are also part of the exclusive, "We Beat The Cav's" club (and lost in the final seconds to Cleveland in the last meeting), and even romped Orlando 99-85 in their season opener.

But, there also exists a problem. The Hawks cannot seem to win on the road. There isnt a noticable weakness in the lineup. There isnt a problem with ball hogs or team chemistry.

The answer to the Hawks problem's is one two words, The Road. Why is this? Why is it that such a good team, that knows they can play toe to toe with any team in the NBA night in and night out, are so set on winning nearly every home game and losing just about every road game? You think a problem like this, which sticks out like a sore thumb, could be easily fixed.

But yet for the past two seasons the Hawks have not been able to free themselves from the grasp of road games. This season the Hawks are 23-7 at home. They are also  14-21 on the road. What up?

I have found the perfect metaphor: The birds are simply too young, and need a little bit more time before they get comfortable to face the confines outside their nest.

Cheesy?

Haha! Maybe yeah, but seriously, it doesnt make sense to me. This team has one of the most solid starting fives in the league, they prove everytime they come on national TV that they boast superior talent! But when they hit the plane they seem to crawl under their own skin.

Just look at the playoffs last season as a prime example. Atlanta scared the Celtics into losing all three games in Philips, but got the juice squeezed out of them in Boston.

One of the problems with playing an 82 games-per season sport is that players tend to lose interest in certain games. This is a huge part of the Hawks problem.

I think the team simply needs to mature and play with more intensity every night.

The team's nucleus is young, and veteran Joe Johnson put it perfectly after a game the other night by saying, "We just need to realize that when we care and are at our best we can run with anyone in this league, and need to bring the same level of intensity to every game."

That must be better said than done. Even if Atlanta was lets say...18-17 on the road, they would have a beautiful 41-24 record right now. With their talent, they should be at least 18-17 on the road.

Physically the Hawks, who feature studs like Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford and the vastly improved and dangerous Marvin Williams (who is hurt at the moment), are scary. But, pyschologically they just dont seem to have it down at all!

But, I do have hope that this team is going to figure this all out. Some time sooner rather than later a lightbulb is going to go off, and this team is going to find consistency.

And, when they do, they might start winning just as many on the road as they are at home. Just imagine Hawks fans, if we were 23-7 on the road and at home, we would be 46-14 right now!

I know im throwing a bunch of woulda-shoulda-coulda's out there, but I really believe this team is going to find their groove and become a serious contender for the NBA finals very soon.

With the Braves on the rise, the Falcons coming off an amazing year and filling up the dome, and the Hawks bringing basketball back to Atlanta, I am very optimistic that sports in Atlanta are on the incline.

And as an 18 year old who has wondered if I will ever see my beloved Falcons or Hawks win a championship, the sky is definitely starting to clear up.