New York —- Mike Bibby has never been one to let others define him.

Now he is urging his new teammates that they not allow anyone else to define their postseason future. Especially in a potentially season-defining game tonight against New Jersey. A win would keep them in control of their playoff chances as the regular season winds down. It would also extend the Hawks' win streak to four games.

New Jersey, which fell in Chicago on Tuesday, dropped a full game behind the Hawks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

"It's in our hands," Bibby said after the Hawks' 105-96 win in Washington on Monday. "You never really want to leave it up to anybody else to try to get into the playoffs. I've been there before to where I've waited to see how other teams finish to see if you're going to make it or not, so I want to impress upon these guys that it's there for us to take and we've got to go do it."

Bibby and his teammates have dusted themselves off from a rocky start and sharpened their playoff focus.

Hawks coach Mike Woodson credits his two veterans, Bibby and Joe Johnson, for the sudden change in his team's demeanor and performance. He also cited Bibby's increasing comfort with his new surroundings and teammates as the key to the Hawks' pursuit of a postseason berth.

"He's starting to get comfortable with our players, and they're starting to get comfortable with him," Woodson said. "He can make a shot, and if you're open, he will give you the ball. We haven't had that since I have been here as coach."

Bibby (51 games) and Johnson (15) are the only players on the Hawks' roster with playoff experience, making their task that much more difficult. But at 29-38 with 15 games to play, the Hawks can control their future.

The NBA's longest playoff drought (eight seasons) could very well end next month. To do it, the Hawks need to continue knocking off teams like the Nets.

"I think we are getting a feel for how it's going to be or how it will be if we make the playoffs," Johnson said. "The intensity in the playoffs is like no other. It's hard to tell [these other guys] about it because you really have to experience it for yourself to understand it."

NEXT FOR HAWKS

> Who: at Nets

> When: 7:30 p.m. today

> TV; radio: Fox Sports Net; 790 AM