AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2007 > September > 17
Monday, September 17, 2007
Nothing lasts forever…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you weren’t convinced before now that this is your year Hawks fans, you should be now. The entire sports world is currently upside down, with historical powers struggling and surprise teams everywhere, particularly in the NFL.
After all, the Detroit Lions and Houston Texans are 2-0 on the same Monday morning, proof that virtually anything preposterous can happen in sports (and I know it’s early in the season but so what, you’ve got to live in the moment if you’re fans of those teams because the good times could be rolling on at any moment).
It’s like a good friend of mine who called over the weekend reminded me, “Remember homeboy, nothing good or bad in sports lasts forever. (Yeah, I’m a bit old school, and me and my boys - all children of the 1980s - still refer to each other as homeboy).”
He’s right, too. The longest two weeks of my life (that didn’t involve high school) ended Saturday afternoon with a 38-0 smashing of Notre Dame, though I’m refraining from my normal post-win smack talk due the aforementioned longest two weeks of my life.
(Dig these sage words of wisdom from Irish coaching guru Charlie Weis - I gotta worry about Notre Dame. I gotta worry about me. I gotta worry about my coaching staff. I gotta worry about my players. … after you lose a game like that, the scrutiny that you come under after a game like that has to be expected. It just comes with the territory. For those of you who love to deconstruct a quote and analyze it until you can’t breathe anymore, tell me there’s a better way to lose your team than making sure everyone knows that there are no better than fourth on your list of priorities. And to think I was bashing Lloyd Carr, and many of you Mike Woodson, this time last week).
So again, I argue why can’t this be the year the Hawks turn the basketball world on its collective ear? Why can’t they defy all odds and be the surprise team in the league this year?
(I’m not making any predictions. I’m just asking the question (besides, I’ve already made up my mind why it can’t happen. I’ve already identified what I feel are the limitations that can prevent the Hawks from being that team).
But they had people worried five games into last season. You remember that high don’t you? The players were giddy. Folks were talking playoffs, YES PLAYOFFS, with straight faces. It was bananas. The Hawks weren’t just leading their division at the time, they were leading the entire Eastern Conference. People around the league were going bonkers. My phone was ringing like crazy with folks who wanted to know if the Hawks were “for real” (you know how it ended).
Again, I’m not predicting anything. I’m just asking a question. I’m just wondering why it’s so hard for some of you to believe that your time is here? Who says the Hawks can’t win the Southeast Division and make a playoff chase, much like the Orlando Magic did last year with their monster start?
The Russian national team struck a blow for the disenfranchised over the weekend with their upset of reigning world champion Spain to win the European qualifier for the Beijing Olympics, more proof that the unthinkable is a possibility if someone’s willing to reach for it.
It’s easy for the teams that are always good to believe that the joy ride will never come to an end, take it from someone who has dealt with it (and no one is more paranoid about his team maintaining its success during the good times, just ask anyone that’s known me the last 30 years).
But like a wise man said over the weekend, nothing good or bad in sports lasts forever. So I’ll pose this question one last time (after this one you can feel free to weigh in with your theories on why you think it could happen or why you know it won’t happen), and I’m not predicting anything.
I’m just asking the question.
Is it possible that this the year the Hawks make a believer, a true believer, out of you and everyone else?
