Scoot over, Ted Turner and Evander Holyfield.
I want to ride on this Atlanta Hawks bandwagon, too.
Can you believe there even is an Atlanta Hawks bandwagon?
But the Hawks gave a 1-2 punch to the Celtics in Games 3-4 of their playoff series, and suddenly, what looked like a Lakersesque sweep is now at least going to Game 6.
How ’bout dem Hawks? I’m starvin’ for more Marvin! I’m gaga for Zaza! Call me Benjamin Hawkman.
What was most impressive about Atlanta’s Game 4 win was that two heroes emerged. Playing against two all-stars — and the all-star coach — Atlanta’s Joe Johnson and Josh Smith rose like a Phoenix (well, these days, rose like San Antonio). In the fourth quarter, the Hawks outscored the No. 1-seeded Celtics 32-17. Guess who scored all 32. Johnson had 20, Smith had 12. No other Hawk even attempted a fourth-quarter shot.
In the words of that 40-year-old Oklahoma State football coach, “Are you kidding me?”
But my favorite moment from the series was in the second quarter of Game 4. Boston superstar Kevin Garnett elbowed Zaza Pachulia in the face. And what did Pachulia do? He fearlessly got right into Garnett’s face, forehead to forehead, and shared his thoughts about the play.
Then, after the game, our guy shared his thoughts with the media.
“I don’t take anything from anybody,” Pachulia said. “The message was: ‘We’re right here. Even if we lose, it’s not going to be easy.’ . . . He’s a future Hall of Famer. But it doesn’t matter when we’re on the court.”
Even if they lose the next two, it’s just exciting that the Hawks are relevant again. The Hawks hadn’t been to the playoffs since 1999, when forward Marvin Williams was 12. These days at Philips Arena, there are more people selling concessions than buying tickets. But the playoff buzz rejuvenated the franchise, and Monday, there were Turner and Holyfield among the sellout crowd.
And consider this: Even though the Hawks were 37-45, the worst record of a playoff team this year, they have the youngest roster in the postseason (average age is 24.8) and the third-youngest roster in the NBA.
So, yeah, they may not win a series this year. But they’ll probably be in contention for the next five.
And you have to credit point guard Mike Bibby. Since his February arrival, Atlanta’s points per game increased from 94.8 to 103.5.
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
