Nah, it's just different expectations. When you know you're a playoff team, the regular season is pretty much just the preseason for the real/postseason.
When you're a bubble team, and especially one that has a bit of a playoff drought, every point's a battle that you have to fight over and is cause for celebration at winning or despair at losing.
I wasn't here back then, but I imagine that Hawks fans on here were similarly the same way during 2007-08 and 2008-09.
I imagine that Red Sox, Cardinals, and Yankees fans would look on in amusement at the sight of Cubs fans getting giddy over a potential playoff run, just as Packers and Patriots fans undoubtedly would find it adorable how Bears fans yearn for mere relevancy and constantly harken back to three decades ago like it even really matters.