The Atlanta Hawks took on the Orlando Magic at the State Farm Arena last night. The game was previously meant to be a themed night paying tribute to the city’s iconic ‘Magic City’ adult entertainment club. But after Luke Kornet’s blog post and pressure from team executives, NBA commissioner Adam Silver laid down the law and canceled the event, citing ‘significant concerns’. But despite the intervention, Atlanta’s nightlife refused to dim.

Former Hawks man and 3x NBA Sixth Man of the Year, Lou Williams, revealed how the city flipped the script on Adam Silver and the league as they put on a party of their own on Monday night.

“You can’t cancel Atlanta, and you can’t clip the wings of a magic city, man,” Williams said while on FanDuel TV’s Run It Back show. “Last night was great. Even though it was canceled formally from the NBA, the Atlanta Hawks were celebrated last night. Magic City, as an institution, was celebrated last night. It was a great feeling. There was a lot of pride in the air…Everybody had a great time. Like I said, it was a lot of good energy. Both parties were celebrating. It was a good time. Good vibes.

The former Lakers man pushed to respond if the pre-scheduled events went as planned. “Everything but the hoodies and the wings still happened,” he said, adding that popular Atlanta hip-hop icon T.I. performed the halftime show as per schedule. When prompted, Williams confirmed that the protests and ‘significant concerns’ from Adam Silver and league executives were a bit over the top.

“The protest and the speaking out was a lot about nothing if you ask my opinion. It was a lot about nothing. And you know, the way that we felt about uh Mr. Magic and and the business that he runs and and what the Atlanta Hawks are doing right now in this season. All of those things were still celebrated last night…It was just a lot of energy around the city, and to top it off, the Atlanta Hawks won with a 10 straight game,” Lou added while on the show.

While there was no official themed-celebration honoring the establishment at the Arena, who’s to say they didn’t take the party to ‘Magic City’ following last night’s win. After all, the Hawks hadn’t won 10 games in a row since 2015.

“We’re just a better city. We’re a better city when our sports teams are doing well. So everybody was happy for the Atlanta Hawks last night, and it turned into a big afterparty at Magic City. So it was a good vibe,” Williams concluded.

Hawks clip Magic’s seven-game streak; Keep play-in hopes alive

Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jalen Johnson starred last night as the Hawks put in a dominant display to register a 112-124 win in front of home fans. They kept the vibes alive despite the disappointment surrounding the cancellation of ‘Magic City’ night. Alexander-Walker finished with a career-best tally of 41 points, with seven rebounds and five assists. Johnson chipped in with 24 points, a momentous 15 rebounds, and 13 assists.

Nickeil kept it real last night following the win, speaking to reporters, he said, “It was a real test against a playoff team. The talk of kind of being around ‘We beat nobody.’ At the end of the day, it’s NBA players. It’s NBA teams. I’ll never disrespect who they put out in front of me…Throughout these 10 games, we’ve approached it as true professionals and respect for the game.”

Last night’s win over Orlando propels Atlanta to the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference standings, on par with the Philadelphia 76ers (37-31 each). They lead the Charlotte Hornets (34-34), who are the 10th seed at present. The Miami Heat (7th seed), the Toronto Raptors (6th seed), and the Magic (5th seed) are all within Atlanta’s reach as they sit with 38 wins each.

The Hawks take on three struggling teams in their next four games in the form of the Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, and the Golden State Warriors. All winnable games, with the only real test coming against the Houston Rockets this Friday. There’s no reason that Atlanta can’t push for a late charge to make it to the postseason, with the odds in their favor.