4-1, Bitches!!!

In the words of Darth Vader, it is pointless to resist.

A few thoughts on the game:

1. I hate unmeasurable statements like "Joe Johnson is better because he got to play with LeBron, Wade, and Carmelo this summer on the Olympic team," but there might be some merit to it. Johnson was quite a player last year on a 26-win team, but this year? He's averaging 29-5-5 on the season. Rip on Billy Knight all you want for the Chris Paul pick (and I've certainly been part of that chorus), but he's only gone after one free agent hard with the Hawks' cap room and that guy turned out to be a terrific player.

2. And speaking of another alleged Billy Knight screw-up, I'm starting to think that Josh Childress is the second best player on the team. His stats are starting to flower and he does so much that doesn't show up in the box score, namely his defense and his smart movement without the ball. He doesn't take many shots to get his points and he's the perfect glue guy to go with Johnson, Josh Smith (who had a career high tonight with 29 points), and Marvin Williams (when he gets back).

3. Has Cedric Bozeman taken Royal Ivey's role? It sure looks like it? And can we say the same for Matt Freije taking Salim Stoudamire's role as the shooter off the bench (leaving aside the fact that they play different positions)?