It's difficult not to overreact to an NBA team's first game, but the Atlanta Hawks undeniably made a statement in a 132-125 season-opening win against the Orlando Magic. Bleacher Report says they're a top-6 playoff lock as a result.

Overreactions are inevitable. We've been starved of NBA action for so long. When it finally returns, we're ready to find meaning. So, we jump on the first outcome we get.

Yet, this doesn't feel like an overreaction. It's more like a confirmation of what we already knew:

The Hawks should always have been viewed as a playoff lock.

Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz gives the Hawks the credit they deserve, writing, "Atlanta boasts a balanced scoring attack—four players scored between 19 and 31 points against Orlando—and impressive depth."

It's true. The Hawks have one of the deepest teams in the NBA. That's exactly why they were always a top-6 lock in the Eastern Conference.

After last year's All-Star break, the Hawks went 20-6. Their +9.7 Net Rating ranked fourth in the NBA. There was every indication that this was one of the best teams in the NBA.

That's not to criticize Swartz for stating the obvious. If anything, I'd prefer to give him his flowers. It would have been easy to make a grander proclamation, but Swartz' prediction is grounded.

Can anything even stop the Hawks from finishing top-6?

Sure.

Injuries can derail any season. The Hawks will need Jalen Johnson (knock on wood) to succeed. Yet, the Hawks are even better-equipped to deal with injuries than most of the NBA's teams.

That's the luxury of having such depth. The Hawks would have to have almost unthinkably bad injury luck to miss the Eastern Conference's top-6. If you don't believe it, just look at the field.

The Knicks are a given. The Pistons were better than the Hawks last year, and are running back a similar roster. Otherwise, the Sixers could struggle to develop chemistry, as could the Heat. The Raptors are relying on the oft-injured Kawhi Leonard, and the Celtics downgraded their roster.

Is anyone else even in conversation with the Hawks?

That's six teams. Perhaps the Pacers will benefit from Tyrese Haliburton's return, or the Cavaliers will somehow improve without changing their roster.

This is the NBA. Nothing is certain. There is no guarantee that Atlanta will finish in the Eastern Conference's top-6, but the Hawks' placement in that group feels as safe as any prediction you could make.

Nobody could call it an overreaction.