ATLANTA — The Atlanta Hawks lingered on the court, savoring the cheers as red and silver streamers drifted down from the rafters.

This celebration was a decade in the making. It won't last more than 24 hours.

King James is waiting.

The Hawks won a playoff series for the first time since 1999, getting a clutch performance from Joe Johnson and solid contributions from most everyone around him, knocking out Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat with a 91-78 victory in Game 7 Sunday.

Josh Smith, who contributed 21 points and nine rebounds to Johnson's 27-point effort, is the lone player remaining from a team that went 13-69 four years ago — the nadir in a stretch of nine straight losing seasons for the Hawks.

"It feel like the monkey's off Atlanta's back," Smith said. "Not just the team's back. The whole city."