I’ll be easing back into the NBA in the next few days, but one way to come out firing that I’ve heard bandied about from time to time is to consider the NBA All Star Game to be a “momentum interruption”. The break, the idea holds, causes the hot teams to lose their edge while the cold teams enjoy a refreshing break.

If you subscribe to that line of thinking, you may wish to take a gander at the Atlanta Hawks this evening. The Hawks entered the break on a four-game losing streak while the Lakers have won four straight. Newly acquired Mike Bibby and his teammates will be getting used to each other, but he might bring Atlanta an infusion of energy as well. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen how well Kobe will play with his bad pinkie.

If the theory of All Star Momentum Interruption makes sense to you, consider taking double digits with the Hawks tonight.