National Basketball Association

A New Era Begins: Atlanta Hawks vs. Washington Wizards

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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All of the questions surrounding the Atlanta Hawks will be answered eventually, and it all starts tonight. They their 2016-2017 NBA season against the Washington Wizards.

The off-season is over, the preseason is over, the wait is over. Hawks fans, a new era starts tonight. There’s a new sheriff in town, and he goes by the name of Dwight Howard. Yes, I know it seems unreal, but the starting center for tonight’s game will be 8x All-Star, 3x Defensive Player of the Year, 5X rebounds leader, 2x blocks leader, and Slam Dunk Contest Champion, Dwight Howard. Superman will be wearing no. 8 this season as he attempts to restore his image in Atlanta, and he has new group of players to help him achieve his goal.

Dennis Schroeder, Kyle Korver, Kent Bazemore, and Paul Millsap, are the official starters playing alongside Howard. Both Dennis Schroeder, and Dwight Howard are new to Atlanta’s starting lineup, and many are awaiting to see how deadly their pick and roll will be, and how they’ll mesh.

We saw a preview in the preseason, but now its time for them to put it together and use it to win games. Dwight Howard and Al Horford are two totally different players, and Howard will play a role in the system Atlanta’s not accustomed to seeing.

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For the first time in a long time, the Atlanta Hawks could actually have some highlights on SportsCenter. Lobs will be caught, and basketballs will be sent into the crowd. These are two things Hawks fans can count on seeing every night from Dwight Howard at Phillips Arena now. That’s right Atlanta, you now possess a superstar! but one superstar and an All-Star isn’t enough to win a championship. It takes role players also, and Atlanta has some good ones in Kent Bazemore, Kyle Korver, Mike Muscala, Kris Humphries, Taurean Prince, Malcolm Delaney, and others.

The Atlanta Hawks organization is known for putting together good videos and theatrics in Phillips, so watch out, because we may be getting a special one for Dwight’s homecoming tonight. Bring some tissue, things could get a little emotional .

The Atlanta Hawks play the Washington Wizards at 7:30 pm. The last time these two teams met was in March, when the Wizards won 117-102. Now, its a new season and the Hawks get can get some redemption.

The Wizards will have almost everybody on their roster healthy, and so will the Hawks. This will make for a great battle. The John Wall vs. Dennis Schroder match-up should be interesting. It’ll be a great test for Dennis to show what he can do as a starter going up against a really good point guard.

Also, well get so see how Dwight Howard plays against another physical center in Marcin Gortat. This will be a great duel to watch as well. Bradley Beal is no longer injured and will likely make the Wizards much better than what they looked liked last season, so this won’t be a cakewalk for Atlanta. This will be a great game to start of the season, and a new era.

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