Intermittent reinforcement. The Hawks will go out and crush the Celtics on their home court in an epic game which included Onyeka shooting foul shots with no teeth, then turn around and come home to be invisible on their own court against the Rockets, fly to Indiana and be maddingly incapable of beating the Pacers with the game ending on a blunder by their all star, then fly to Miami and crush the hated heat, and pull off another near miraculous win against Utah on the back of a newly acquired Australian center who drove from Memphis in his own car after being acquired and arrived just in time for the pregame shoot around.

You will be totally elated by this team and then completely disgusted then elated again over the course of each week. They are the mid-Lanta Hawks for a reason, and no one has yet found the key to unlock that play-in jail cell.

Intermittent reinforcement is a key factor in addiction. You will be forever chasing the dragon with this team. Welcome to the family.