Could the Atlanta Hawks be the 2008 version of last season's Golden State Warriors?

Last season, the Warriors sent the Western Conference top seed packing, in a first-round series upset of the Dallas Mavericks.  This season, the Hawks have similar ambitions, in their efforts to push the top-seeded Boston Celtics out of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the NBA Playoffs.

The Hawks defeated the Celtics 97-92 last night, to tie that series at two games apiece.  Atlanta's Joe Johnson scored 20 of his 35 points in the 4th quarter, to give the Celtics a lot to think about on their way back to Boston to host Game 5 Wednesday night.

Unfortunately for two other teams, they won't get a chance to think about any more playoff action. 

The Orlando Magic bounced the Toronto Raptors out of the playoffs with a 102-92 win in Game 5 of their first-round series.  Dwight Howard nearly dispatched the Raptors singlehandedly...he had 21 points and 21 rebounds Monday night, the third time in the series in which he achieved that 20-20 vision.

And, the Los Angeles Lakers swept the Denver Nuggets out of the playoffs, with a 107-101 victory.  Kobe Bryant scored 14 of his 31 points in the final 5 1/2 minutes of the game to seal the Lakers' sweep.

New Orleans, Utah, and San Antonio can advance to the second round of the playoffs with victories over the Mavericks, Rockets, and Suns in their Game 5 encounters.  Meanwhile, Detroit hosts Philadelphia with that series tied 2-2.