--Game 7 against Boston marked Mike Woodson's final outing under contract with the Hawks. His contract ends June 30. But he had one huge supporter in his bid to continue as Hawks coach. Hawks captain and All-Star Joe Johnson is firmly entrenched in the Woodson camp.
"I hope he comes back," Johnson said after the game. "I hope we're able to bring him and his entire coaching staff back. That was one of the main attractions for me coming here (from Phoenix three years ago), so I would definitely love to see him come back. I've learned a lot from all of those guys. They've taught us all a lot." --The Hawks couldn't agree on whether or not the Celtics looked like a championship team after the series.
Rookie center Al Horford saw enough of Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe and Glen Davis to know that there's plenty of ammunition to get it done.
"We really gave them all they could handle," he said. "But I do feel like they can get it done. They certainly have a good enough team to do it."
Johnson, on the other hand, isn't nearly as sold on the Celtics as his young teammate.
"I don't know if they're going to win it," he said. "[The media] has got them picked to win it. I had us picked to win it. But I guess I'm out of luck."
When asked if the Celtics are as good as everyone thinks, Johnson didn't retreat a bit.
"No," he said. "They're probably not as good as everyone thought. We didn't show that here in Boston, but we showed it in Atlanta."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's a bittersweet situation for me, a difficult decision to make for me. But I think it's the best decision at this particular time -- but difficult to come to because I love these guys. I think they're great. Great players and great guys. I've gotten to know each and every one of them personally. I think the best is yet to come with this group. I'd like to see this group stay together, I think they can do some special things." -- Outgoing Hawks general manager Billy Knight on the future of the franchise he helped rebuild.
