--The Hawks spent four hours stewing on an airplane after Sunday's last-second loss to Cleveland, courtesy of the winter storms that blew through Atlanta and on to Washington overnight.
That was four more than Marvin Williams needed to think about what the Hawks didn't do in that crushing loss. So by the time the Hawks took the floor against Washington Monday at Verizon Center, Williams and his Hawks teammates were eager to purge those nasty thoughts from their system.
Williams was the catalyst for the Hawks, finishing with a game-high 28 points to lead five players in double figures.
"That's what they call a total team effort right there," Williams said after making four of his six shots from beyond the 3-point line. "And everybody was tired. That was a crazy experience, being stuck on that plane all night. We didn't get into our (hotel) rooms and actually get to sleep until 8:30.
"It was nuts. But we got through it as a team."
--The Hawks followed the lead of Williams, who struck from all over. He had 10 points at halftime before really going to work in the second half.
Al Horford did as much damage inside as Williams did outside. He, too, was still smarting from Sunday's finish. He was called for the foul that led to the game-winning free throw by LeBron James Sunday night.
The Wizards were the perfect remedy for his blues, too.
"Before the game (Hawks assistant coach Larry Drew) told us we needed to forget about last night and the rough time we had leaving Atlanta and just focus and get the win," Horford said. "Last year we probably wouldn't have had the same edge we had this time. But that's the difference between us then and now."
He added, "It's good we have short memories."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "That's the good thing about the NBA. We play almost every night, so you always get a chance to bounce back from a bad night." -- Marvin Williams on the beauty of the NBA schedule.
