If it felt like the first game of an NBA Finals, it's because statistically this is about as obvious as NBA Finals previews pitched in the regular season tend to come. No two NBA teams in league history have met this late in the regular season with single-digit loss totals to their credit, as the West-leading Golden State Warriors and East-dominating Atlanta Hawks put on a Friday night show that deserved exposure that went far beyond the local viewers that were tuning in, and the League Pass-flaunting NBA obsessives that stayed home to tune in on what could have been a night out. Atlanta downed Golden State by a 124-116 score that perfectly summed up the back and forth. The Warriors, working on the road, were game in their competitive spirit but unable to close the gap, while the Hawks paired precision and timely defense (despite those 116 points from GSW) on their way to an impressive win. The fact that both teams emerged from this contest still boasting single-digit losses on the season, in the first week of February no less, tells you all you need to know about the potency of these two squads. Atlanta took advantage of a rather whistle-free first half to their benefit to keep...