On March 14, the Hawks had lost two straight games, were 12 games under .500 and were a half-game out of the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot. They've won 11 of 16 games since and with the Pacers' loss to the Wizards Monday night Atlanta clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 1999. Here's a look at the key moments in the run that ended eight seasons of playoff futility.

Top performance from someone other than Joe Johnson or Mike Bibby, Part I: Marvin Williams scored 25 points, 14 in a torrid third quarter, in a win over the Knicks on March 16.

Worst loss, Part I: After winning three straight and facing a showdown with the Nets for eighth place, the Hawks lost 125-117 in East Rutherford on March 19, blowing a 70-60 halftime lead. Good thing the Nets faltered down the stretch, because the win gave them the tiebreaker over the Hawks.

Worst loss, Part II: The Hawks traveled to take on the lowly Bulls on March 25 and lost 103-94. The Hawks allowed Drew Gooden to score a game-high 31 points.

Most surprising win: The Hawks defeated the playoff-bound Magic 98-90 on March 22 when Mike Bibby scored 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter.

Best off the bench: Josh Childress had some huge games during the run, but his best may have been scoring 20 points in a 115-96 win over the Bucks on March 26. Childress helped the Hawks' bench score 41 points — 30 over the season average.

Biggest scare: Mike Bibby sprained his left thumb early in the fourth quarter of the March 26 win over the Bucks — the same thumb that cost him 36 games earlier this year. He didn't miss a game.

Biggest lead(s) nearly lost: The Hawks blew leads of 19 and 22 points but still held on to defeat the Bulls on March 28.

Biggest game by an opponent: Jamal Crawford scored 39 points for the Knicks, but the Hawks still came away with a 114-109 win on March 30.

Top performance from someone other than Joe Johnson or Mike Bibby, Part II: Josh Smith hit two 3-pointers in overtime as the Hawks came back from a 17-point deficit to defeat the Raptors 127-120 on April 2.

Biggest shot: Mike Bibby's 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds left forced overtime in the win over the Raptors.

Best win: The Hawks won the second game of a home-and-home set with the 76ers, 92-85 on April 5, after losing the opener at home the night before. The win gave the Hawks a 3 1/2-game lead for the final playoff spot.

Playoff preview: A first-round matchup with Boston won't bode well based on Saturday's 99-89 loss to the Celtics. The Celtics jumped to a double-digit lead and then coasted. Don't get excited about the Hawks' late rally. They may be proud of their effort, but they rallied and lost by 10 points to the Celtics' second team. The Boston Three Party (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen) watched the final 12 minutes.