This is the battle for Kirk Hinrich's heart. Okay, no it's not. That doesn't even make sense. This is just the battle of Wizards vs. Hawks. One team, Washington, just wants to go out and compete. The other, Atlanta, is trying to rest up, and prepare for the playoffs at the same time.
Speaking for himself, Joe Johnson said before the game that it's important to him to get in an offensive rhythm heading into the playoffs, even as Atlanta simply tries to avoid injury. Then again, SB Nation Atlanta framed their preview by saying "the meaningless game tour rolls into our nation's capital." Let's all be glad that the government shut down allowed me to metro here. I digress ...
Back to the major storyline. The trade. The Wizards flipped Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong to the Hawks for Jordan Crawford, Mo Evans, Mike Bibby and a first-round draft pick. As expected, this trade has accomplished something for each team. What wasn't expected is that Jordan Crawford has been routinely hitting 20+ points (even if it has taken him 20+ shots to get there).
So that's how this shapes up. Jordan Crawford going against his old team, the guy he was traded for (Kirk Hinrich) and his old buddy (Jeff Teague). That might not make the most meaningful game, but it means something. Let's watch!