Sunday, May 03, 2009, 5:03 PM
Sports, Atlanta
By Kevin Moreau

Bring it on!

I'm a believer. I like to think I have been, all season long. I've followed the Hawks' winning season with a mixture of enthusiasm and cynicism, knowing since last year at this time that with the right pieces in place, this team could advance past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in a decade. And also knowing that, well, this is Atlanta, and our pro sports teams have exhibited a knack lately for coming up short when it matters. Like the Thrashers, who showed us a glimpse of what a competitive Atlanta hockey team could be like--after failing to make the playoffs.

I'd like to tell you I never lost hope, even as Joe Johnson's playoff numbers started to suggest he didn't have the killer instinct to be the star we all thought he could be in the clutch. Even as the Hawks basically handed Miami a Game 6 win Friday. Maybe I didn't quite abandon all hope, but I couldn't help thinking, deep in the most unforgiving corner of my heart: This is Atlanta. This is Mike Woodson. We're never as good as we think we are. Look at the Falcons' disappointing playoff exit last season. Look at the Braves' recent postseason record. What recent postseason record? Exactly. This is Atlanta.

But now, in the glow of a 91-78 Game 7 win over Miami, I think it's time to flip that statement on its ear. Yes, this is Atlanta. Where the twin nightmares of Michael Vick and Bobby Petrino can miraculously give way to Mike Smith, Thomas Dimitroff, Matt Ryan and an improbable 11-win season after everyone wrote us off. Where the Atlanta Hawks, of all teams, established themselves as a serious playoff contender and the team to beat in a contentious first-round series against the Dwayne Wade Show.

Yes, next up are the Cleveland Cavaliers, featuring LeBron James, one of the league's biggest stars. But you know what? This is Atlanta. Where, as Jermaine Dupri and Ludacris once reminded us, the players play. And here, anything is possible. I believe it.