--After weeks of watching other teams light up the scoreboard on them, the Hawks finally locked in and played a little defense in the fourth quarter. After falling behind by as many as 17 points late in the third quarter, the Hawks held the Raptors to a 3-for-15 shooting performance in the final five minutes of regulation to dig their way out of a hole and snatch back a game that appeared to be lost. The Hawks had an astonishing nine straight possessions where they didn't allow the Raptors to score.
"Mike kept talking to us and telling us that they were going to let us back in the game and they did," Hawks captain and All-Star Joe Johnson said. "Then we made some huge plays to get it into overtime and then in overtime Josh (Smith) made some huge shots and that was it. But it all started with our defense. We showed a lot of character." --A testament to the high level of play Wednesday night was the whopping assist totals for both teams: There were a combined 71. The Hawks had a season-high 35 assists and the Raptors piled up a Hawks' opponent season-high 36.
"I've never been to the playoffs before," Marvin Williams said, "but that has to be what it feels like. That felt like what a playoff basketball game must be like."
--The Hawks haven't yet secured a playoff berth, but that doesn't mean their ticket department won't be prepared. Playoff tickets go on sale to the general public Saturday. It's the first time in nearly a decade the Hawks have even been able to entertain the idea of selling playoff tickets.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I thought my shot in regulation was good, but we should have never been in that situation." -- Raptors G T.J. Ford on his team's failures in losing a 17-point lead.
