this hawks blog is the documentary of an NBA Eastern Conference title contender; a team with the most hated on ownership group, the most hated head coach was finally fired, but still with the most underrated forward in the NBA
this is Atlanta Hawks basketball analysis, built on OPTIMISM and the truth and other basketball, world news
What the hell is it gonna take for this franchise to earn some respect?! DWIGHT HOWARD?! He would probably fit right in with all the hate he has gotten this season, but the NBA coaches apparently weren't impressed by a 29-22 record, which was good for 5th in the Eastern Conference.
They weren't impressed with a career-reviving season from Al Horford, currently averaging 16.7 ppg 9.7 rpg 3.2 apg and 1.1 bpg, this season after suffering a SEASON-ENDING torn pectoral muscle last year.
They weren't impressed with Josh Smith's consistency and leadership, who's impact is MORE THAN THE STATS SHOW but still averaging 17.2 ppg 8.7 rpg 4.2 apg and 2.1 bpg
I don't know how they aren't impressed with Jeff Teague's emergence as a full-time primary ball-handler (They were impressed enough for him to be the ONLY HAWKS PLAYER DOING ANYTHING at All-Star Weekend, Skills competition), currently averaging 14.4 ppg 7.1 apg 1.5 apg on 45% FGs 37% 3ptFG and 87% FTs
Even KRACKER KORVER currently LEADING THE NBA IN 3 POINTERS MADE!! Was not even invited to the 3 point shoot out! Korver, acquired in an off-season trade with the Bulls, now understands the Hawks hate by the NBA, but there are no answers as to why.
WHHHYYYYYY?!?!?! (i dont know, Kyle, I just dont know...)
How much better were the Hawks expected to be?? When Joe "$125M" Johnson was traded to the Brooklyn Billionaires (Nets) I recall several media outlets (ESPN, Sports Illustrated) predicting the Atlanta Hawks would be a LOTTERY TEAM, (they also predicted the Lakers would win about 70 games sooo....) In my humble perspective, the Hawks have OVER-ACHIEVED thus far! How could our franchise trade away half of our player payroll, our UNDISPUTED franchise player (very disputed, lol) and still make the be between 4th and 5th place in the Eastern Conference?! What kind of award do we get for trading away a SUPERSTAR (lol) getting ROLE PLAYERS in return, only ONE OF THOSE PLAYERS currently in rotation (Shout out to 2011 Champion DeShawn Stevenson!), and having a chance to IMPROVE OUR WINNING PERCENTAGE from last season!!
So what can we do to earn our respect? We aren't getting it from NBA coaches, we definitely aren't getting it from NBA referees (SHOUT OUT TO TIM DONAGHY!), hell we barely get respect from our hometown FANS!
The only way to get that respect is to win, and the Atlanta Hawks have been doing that lately through great defense and a balanced offense that lets all of the players shine, not just a cup of Joe...
Last 3 games W 122-108 vs Kings MVP Jeff Teague 20 pts (8/18 FGs 5/5 FTs)12 asts & Al Horford 28 pts (11/14 FGs) 8 rbs 6 asts 2 blks
*3 players with over 20 points
W 103-102 vs Bucks MVP Al Horford 23 pts (11/22 FGs) 11 rbs 3 asts 2 stls 2 blks (with the GAME WINNING LAY-UP!) & Devin Harris 21 pts (7/11 FGs 4/5 3ptFGs)
*3 players with over 20 pts, Josh Smith with a double-double (15 pts 13 rbs 5 asts)
W 114-103 vs Pistons MVP Al Horford 23 pts (10/13 FGs) 22 rbs (CAREER-HIGH!) 3 asts 2 stls 2 blks & Jeff Teague 20 pts (6/13 FGs 2/4 3pt FGs) 12 asts
*Jeff Teague's 9th double-double of the season, one of the only point guards to post those numbers
Yeah, we lost to those Miami (c)Heaters when they scored a ridiculous 40 points in the 4th quarter, most of them while LeBron James was sitting on the bench, but that says more about their team than anything, beating the Miami Heat is a tall order for any team in the NBA right now, but I know that these Josh-Al-Jeff led PLAYOFFSHAWKS are not a team to be taken lightly this season.
Right now the Atlanta Hawks are 32-23, which is a half-game ahead of those Brooklynites for 4th place in the east.
Next game is tonight in the city of Salt Lake, this is one of the BIGGEST frontline teams in the NBA, let's see if we can help the Lakers playoff position tonight, shall we?
The night Thibodeau is saluted as the league's top coach, it's Drew who orchestrated yet another Game 1 upset on the road against a higher-seeded team to give the Hawks their first playoff victory in the second round since 1997. And on the eve that Rose is expected to pick up the league's MVP award, it's Teague who came out of nowhere to help hound the explosive Bulls guard into a 2-for-10 start from the field that led to an 11-for-27 finish from Rose.
the Hawks outscored the Bulls 31-24 in the 4th quarter to ensure the win, an amazing showing of an improvement this post-season in clutch situations.
Just as Joe Johnson himself said, he doesn't get all the glory when they win and although it was a great efficient scoring game from him, it was a true team effort with good decisions from everybody, even Josh Smith despite his 3 for 11 shooting this game. He had 8 points 6 rebounds 4 assists and 4 HUGE blocks. Jeff Teague started bravely and took the challenge of the MVP Derrick Rose, his 10 points 5 assists don't show the great defense he played and how he kept the tempo very well.
The LAST time the Hawks won a 2nd round playoff game was in 1997, when they beat a 1st seeded Bulls team... In the United Center...by a score of 103-95.
Jordan went for 12-29, 0-6 from 3.
Im sure that had to 'Shock the World' back then as well.
The Chicago-born point guard had a breakout third season, averaging 25 points, 7.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds. After a summer with the U.S. National team, Rose made a significant leap in skill, assertiveness, and leadership on the court.
Almost similar to the last Chicago Bulls MVP recipient, Michael Jordan. He was the last Bulls player to win the award. He won it five times, with the latest being 1998. Earlier in the season, Jordan said Rose deserved the award.
Known for his quiet, humble demeanor, Rose raised eyebrows in late September when he told reporters his goal was to win the award.
"The way I look at it, within myself, why can't I be the MVP of the league?" he said. "Why can't I be the best player in the league? Why? Why can't I do that?"
Those guys had an outstanding offensive game which surely is a large portion of the reason the Hawks won, but the win-shares are at least equal with the strong play of 2 defensive specialists, Jason Collins and Kirk Hinrich. Collins only played 18 minutes and scored a total of 6 fouls and 1 point but his defensive work against Howard played a large role in not allowing the Magic to make a comeback in the second half. Kirk Hinrich has always been known as a defensive specialist, but he even outplayed Nelson on offense in the first half.
The Hawks played game 1 perfectly and now Orlando is forced to make adjustments.
Or maybe they won't. Because the Hawks played PERFECTLY, probably for the first time all season, and many naysayers are saying it is unlikely that the Hawks will submit another efficient offensive showcase like in Game 1. Its also unlikely Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson will score 73 points on 26/40 FGs . The truth of the matter is that the Atlanta Hawks have 6 players who can and most likely will average double figures, with 2 of those guys(Johnson and Crawford) are almost guaranteed at least 20 ppg. Not only does Atlanta have the personnel to defeat this team, they definitely have the confidence.
"Just to continue to do it with five guys, continue to make the right play giving up good shots for great shots. That's why we shot such a high percentage. Guys passed up some good shots but we got great shots in the long run, we worked the clock well. We will continue to do things well that were successful for us." --Jamal Crawford 4/19/11
Yes, the Atlanta Hawks seem to have a good game plan, it is absolutely astounding that the Hawks made 34/74 FGs and only 8 FGs were layups. While the Hawks will most likely stick to the script, the Magic are surely going to make some adjustments.
"Our whole focus has been on protect the paint and they haven't been looking to get to the rim a whole lot, containing perimeter jump shots and the Hawks mid-range shots are now our biggest concerns. Even the (Hawks') 51 percent (field goal percentage) was deceptive, because going into the fourth (quarter) they were at 58 percent and that's when the game was decided, so they really had their way with us. And we've got to be a lot better defensively, no matter what we do offensively. If we're going to have to score 105 or 106 points every night to win, then we're gonna be in trouble." -- Coach Stan Van Gundy 4/18/11
Coach Larry Drew seems very confident, but healthily concerned about the way his team won the game.
"We don't want to be a team that relies on just shooting jump shots... We like to open the floor up. It won't be a situation of us just settling for the perimeter. We've got to find that balance of inside-out. As dominant as Dwight is on the inside, we can't shy away from taking the ball to the basket. We have to be the aggressor."
So a few minor adjustments to look for in tonight's game:
fast break points - Atlanta won the fast break battle 11-10 in Game 1 so look for the Hawks to run even more to challenge the Magic speed and athleticism, where they know they have an advantage
rebounding - Dwight Howard is almost guaranteed to average 20 rpg because he always does in the post-season but look for Al and Josh to step up on the boards to tighten up that 40-29 advantage the Magic had in Game 1
Marvin Williams - why not 7 players in double figures? Marvin scored 6 points on 2/3 FGs in Game 1 but also got 2 crucial steals and played excellent team defense, if he can get a few more points it will be difficult for Orlando to overcome
Do you think the Hawks are still excited with a Game 1 win and maybe they'll be satisfied with a 1-1 split going to Atlanta? Is taking a commanding 2-0 lead back to Phillips Arena too ambitious?
"Oh No. We came here with the objective to get two games, we put ourselves in this position and now we look forward to getting Game 2 on Tuesday night." --Jason Collins
Ah, Yes. The NBA post-season, where amazing happens, rivalries are born, and championships are won. This 2011 NBA Playoffs should be one of the most exciting and unpredictable NBA fans have seen this 21st century, and although every matchup has a favorite, most underdog teams are perfectly capable of an upset. The Atlanta Hawks have the most ability and the biggest opporitunity to make an upset in the 2011 post-season against the Orlando Magic.
No, the Atlanta Hawks have not looked ready to make such an upset in the regular season, they have looked confused, lethargic, and non-chalant on the court in many BIG regular season games this year, and that was even before one of the most foolish trades in Hawks franchise history; Kirk Hinrich for Mike Bibby, Jordan Crawford, and Mo Evans. They traded 2 solid rotation players and a starter for a role player, having gone 11-20 since that trade, many are saying these Atlanta Hawks look like the team they were in 2007-2008 before Mike Bibby arrived, a 37-win team.
But the Orlando Magic haven't been the Eastern conference championship contender that they have been in previous seasons. One reason is Orlando has not shoot the three-ball well in its regular-season games versus the Atlanta Hawks this year. In the four games(3-1 Hawks), the Magic shot 19-of-84 (22.6 percent) beyond the arc. The prevailing wisdom is that Jason Collins' one-on-one defense on Howard in the paint frees his teammates to stay closer to their men, denying them open attempts from long range.
Regardless of the defense, Dwight Howard is going to play well. Likewise, Al Horford is going to play well. Orlando knowns Jameer Nelson is going to play well.. is Joe Johnson going to play well? On the first year of the most salary-cap crippling contract in Hawks franchise history, Joe had the least productive season of his career. Of the past 23 games since the all-star break where Joe played at least 30 minutes he has only scored 20+ points in 5 games and the Hawks have gone 9-17. Jason Richardson is a streaky scorer, but he has younger legs than Vince Carter and he can give opponents fits when he is on. Josh Smith is one of the most versitile players at the forward position, he may not outscore you, but he can make the right play at the right time to fill the stat sheet.
The Hawks Doom: Defense. They need to watch and listen to Charles Barkley's hit song featured on the T-mobile commercial, because this team plays with no defensive passion or strategy whatsoever in the game. Maybe, oh, maybe the "NBA Playoffs" logo on the floor and the fact that they are the rightful underdog in this series will inspire some defense, but from what we have seen thus far this season, that is a long goal.
Kirk Hinrich. Is is painfully unfortunate that soon-to-be-former Hawks GM Rick Sund traded two solid rotation players and the only proven veteran in the playoffs for a guy that is not going to make any significant impact whatsoever in any aspect of the game.
Heart. This team is full of questions and have-not; Is Joe Johnson worth the money? Whats wrong with Josh Smith? Is Al Horford getting the ball enough? Whats wrong with Jamal Crawford? They don't have the depth, they don't have the passion, they don't have the love and respect for the game that makes players like Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose great.
Ryan Anderson. I hope the Magic dont figure this out in this series, but the Magic "Big Three" are Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, and Ryan Anderson. Ryan Anderson has progressed into the best shooter on the team and at 6'10 he can really fill that Rashard Lewis role. He plays smart and is very unselfish, if Coach SVG can even get around to starting him at PF the Hawks will be in big trouble
The Magic Doom: Joe Johnson. Though Joe did not have an outstanding year, the playoffs are a fresh start with hieghtened intensity. This will be Joe's 4th consecutive season leading this team to the playoffs, and none of the Magic defenders can match up with Joe physically. If he gains some resiliance and a stronger will to win, the Magic are in trouble.
Josh Smith. J-Smoove is the X factor in almost every game, he has the ability to average 20/10/5/2/2 but since he has never ever consistently played at his potential level 16/8/4/1/1 is a bit more realistic for him to actually achieve. Josh has had ONE great game in his playoffs career (2007 Eastern Conference Round 1 Game 5) if he adds another during this series, he alone can will Atlanta to a victory.
Gilbert Arenas. God Bless the heart of GM Otis Smith for making this trade, some people thought this trade would be the exact change of scenery to transform controversial Gilbert back to near-unstoppable scorer Agent Zero. Instead Gilbert got totally complecent shrunk even further into the abyss as a bit role player. Now averaging 8.3 PPG as a Magic, he has not probably set the record for the fastest fall from 30PPG superstar franchise player to bench warmer of all time.
Overall, we here at PlayoffsHawks say this is going to be a VERY exciting series, i predict at least 3 scuffles with Zaza Pachulia getting in the face of Dwight Howard at least once and also Dwight getting suspended from technical fouls for one game. In a GRUELING highly contested 7-game series, Joe Johnson puts on a superstar performance scoring 40+ points in the decisive game 7 and the Atlanta Hawks improborable move to the second round for the 3rd year in a row.
Welp, the Eastern Conference just got tougher. I suppose for Shaq the Celtics are a better destination for the sake of winning, he wouldn't have to be THE MAN on the team the way he would have been with Atlanta, he won't have the pressure of dominating the way he would have had to for the Atlanta Hawks to be successful. And of course, with the Celtics having won the 2008 Championship and possibly were a Kendrick Perkins-injury away from a 2010 Championship, it makes Boston a much more attractive destination for the chances of winning. Shaq will be teamed with all 10+ season veterans and collectively they will be a very strong, big, and wise basketball team.
So where does that leave the Atlanta Hawks? With no significant additions to the roster and every other elite team in the East loading up, how can the Hawks expect to seriously contend in the Eastern Conference? Simple. Chemistry. Consistency. The Atlanta Hawks have improved in the category of wins every season for 6 seasons now, if the Hawks can keep the chemistry improvement and Joe Johnson can be the leader this team has STILL been missing, it is not impossible to see even a slight improvement to 55 wins SHOULD make Joe Johnson an MVP candidate, even though he will probably not be awarded, because he is not popular enough. This season will be the ultimate test for Joe Johnson and the Atlanta Hawks to see if they are a true title contender, we shall see ;)
Hello, HOTlanta. It has been a very interesting NBA off-season thus far, all the free agent players trying to put themselves in a position to win a championship almost makes you forget who actually won the 2010 championship, so before i get to the Atlanta Hawks, i would like to take a moment to congratulate the undisputed most skilled, best leader, and most clutch performer in the NBA today, Kobe Bryant and the most controversial, infamous rapper/basketball player of all time, Ron Artest and the 2010 NBA Champions the Los Angeles Lakers. Nothing else that occurred in the 2010 NBA Playoffs is relevant, well, except the obliteration called the Magic vs Hawks series, the worst 4-game sweep in NBA History, featuring one of the worst performances by any so-called "team leader" in the same amount of time. BUT, thankfully all of that is behind us, and the great anticipated free agent bananza began!
One of the first things the Atlanta Hawks franchise did to try to spell some of that embarrassment is they fired Mike Woodson. We at PlayoffsHawks were very supportive of Mike Woodson and we would have been more upset if it wasn't for the replacement of Mike Woodson with Larry Drew, that shows the team is committed to keeping the "defense, rebounding" foundation while hopefully getting the offense more fluid and more efficient. Even still, WE LOVE YOU WOODSON! Here is a youtube video a PlayoffsHawks fan made to Mike Woodson.
We, at PlayoffsHawks wonder how Joe Johnson's 12.9 ppg 29% shooting performance in the second round of the NBA Playoffs, the same 2010 Playoffs which before it began where Joe Johnson declared, "I want to show the world that we have one of the best teams and that I am one of the best players." How did this guy earn the BIGGEST CONTRACT given to ANY PLAYER in free agency? It was safe to say that Joe FAILED in that demonstration of being the best, but Joe WON with selling himself as a franchise player, somehow. Now, I understand where the Atlanta Hawks franchise is coming from, this is the guy that took us from 13-69 to 53-29 in 5 seasons with 4 all-star selections and consistent 20/5/5 regular season statistics. However, his performance in these past 2 seasons playoffs have been atrocious, last season in the clean-sweep by the now-irrelevant Cavaliers was slightly excusable because of the slight injury he suffered in game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, but this past playoff performance against the Orlando Magic was inexcusable.
With all of that being said, the biggest "move" made in the off-season was the"LeBron" brand "taking his talents to South Beach" and that wouldn't be so bad if the great Dwayne Wade and top 5 big Chris Bosh weren't going there with him. And at this point in free agency they've also signed Udonis Haslem, Zydrunas Ilgauskaz, Mike Miller, Carlos Arroyo, James Jones, Jamaal Maglorie and surely others are coming. What does that mean for the Atlanta Hawks? That means the Joe Johnson signing means NOTHING in a division that features thel likes of Dwight Howard, Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and G.O.A.T. player whom is now the only black majority team owner in all professional sports, Micheal Jordan. Amare Stoudamire is with the Knicks, Carlos Boozer is with the Bulls, Nate Robinson is back with the Celtics, Rudy Gay the Grizzlies, Paul Pierce the Celtics with Jermaine O'Neal, even the Bucks got Corey Maggette. Without question, the Hawks will inevitable drop in the standings and ratings if bring back the same team, the cannot possible expect to improve or stay at 53-wins in the 2010-2011 season with just Joe Johnson. If the Hawks slip into mediocrity, they will slip into irrelevancy, unless they can show some competitive fire against the NBA elite, there is one way the Hawks can undoubtedly stay relevant and have a legitimate rivalry with the division neighbors Orlando Magic and Miami Heat, because without question there is one SUPERSTAR FREE AGENT left on the market the Atlanta Hawks must sign, Shaquille O'Neal.
I cannot believe Shaquille O'Neal is getting the Allen Iverson treatment. Its a sad state of the NBA when a 4x NBA Champion, the 2000 NBA MVP, 3x NBA Finals MVP, one of the undisputed greatest multi-talented players of all time is one of the last free agents left, when he WANTS to play for a contender. Granted, he may be 38 years old, but Shaq was playing extremely well for the Cavs last season, in 23.4 MPG averaged 12 PPG 6.7 RPG 1.8 BPG which translated to 18.5 PPG 11.3 RPG 2.4 BPG per 40-minutes. Now, of course Shaq isn't gonna play 40 MPG but his value to the young Atlanta Hawks team cannot be understated, he is more than just a "savvy veteran" he is a champion AND exactly the giant personality or unstoppable skill and confidence the Hawks need to get to the next level. Plus, JOE JOHNSON NEEDS the endorsement of SHAQ to play up to the pressure of his potential, imagine if Shaq signs and says the same thing he has said about Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Steve Nash, Amare Stoudamire, and LeBron James, "I came here to play with one of the best players in the game, and to help this city win a championship." Imagine what that confidence would do for the city of Atlanta sports! Josh Smith agrees with this sentiment and expressed it in this recent quick SLAM magazine interview.
Now, there are 3 concerns fans and the team seems to have:
1. Shaq is too old Shaquille O'Neal is 15x all-star with countless other allocades, he is 38 years old, but by no means out-of-shape. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, another one of the greatest centers of all time (maybe THE GOAT at the position) brought the Los Angeles Lakers a championship and won the 1986 NBA Finals MVP at 38 years old, and that doesn't mean Shaq is gonna dominate averaging 20/10 to do the same for Atlanta, but HE CAN, Shaq was still the 3rd most efficient center in the NBA last season, and this season with Yao Ming and Greg Oden coming back from injuries and Dwight Howard still dominating as the best center in the NBA, Shaquille O'Neal can play more than efficient defense against those guys, regardless of what he provides on offense. If anything 38-year-old Shaq can defend centers to free up offense for AL HORFORD (one of the most effecient scorers in the entire NBA ;)
2. Shaq wants to start Of course Shaq wants to start! This is not some regular 38-year-old center, this is 7 foot 1 inches 300 pounds of muscle and power! He would be underutilized and greatly disrespected if he does not START at center. 2(b). No! Shaq can't start because we would have to put Al Horford at power forward, which is good but Josh Smith CANNOT play small forward, he isn't a good enough shooter! First of all, if the Atlanta Hawks put Al Horford at power forward, Al Horford will DEFINETLY average approximately 20 ppg 10 rpg, his natural skill and size makes him one of the most effecient and skilled power forwards in the NBA, a Carlos Boozer-type, if you will, as a center, Al Horford is quick but undersized. With that being said, second of all, Josh Smith has been facing all types of doubt and critisizm in his game every season AND every off-season, he will continue to improve inevitably. Also, Josh Smith is ONE OF THE BEST PASSING FORWARDS IN THE ENTIRE LEAGUE, he averaged 15 PPG 8 RPG 4 APG. second only to LeBron James, and 2 BPG, the ONLY PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE with those averages. Josh Smith is actually one of the NBA's most unique blends of talent and skill, the only thing people can try to critisize is his attitude, if they put Josh Smith at the small forward position, the Atlanta Hawks will have O'Neal-Horford-Smith as one of the BEST FRONTLINES IN THE LEAGUE legitimately capable of defending the Magic, Heat, or the Lakers.
3. the Hawks need payroll relief Trade Marvin Williams. Do it. I love Marvin, i will miss him as a player and a person, but the Hawks have already mortgaged the future with Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, and Al Horford, those are our "Big Three" and everyone else on the roster, except for Zaza Pachulia, is expendable on our quest to win a championship. I know, Marvin is only 22 years old and an excellent defender and sometimes shows flash of offensive brilliance, he is a great blue-collar worker, rebounder, he has the potential to be a great player, which is another reason why the Hawks should trade him. Marvin Williams is never going to become a great player with the Atlanta Hawks, for the reasons which were stated above, if the Hawks were to do a sign-and-trade with Cleveland for Marvin, that would give Marvin Williams a HUGE VOID to fill left by LeBron James, and i believe strongly that Marvin Williams would step up into that starting small forward position and give that team stability that it now lacks, and it would give Marvin Williams that attention and postive regard as a player, that loyalty he feels to Atlanta, Cleveland would embrace this young guy and shower him with praise on a consistent basis, Marvin Williams would develop into a leader on that Cleveland Cavaliers team, and that would embarrass LeBron James even more (not that we care about him anyway). Its obvious that the Atlanta Hawks franchise cannot afford to keep Marvin Williams as part of its core, the Atlanta Hawks need to get bigger, not faster, if we can get the biggest personality in the NBA on his last hurrah, whether the Atlanta Hawks get to the NBA Finals or win the championship or not, it would be a victory just having him represent our city, our franchise, and mentoring our players.
One last thing, Hawks GM Rick Sund has done a good job so far, but if the Atlanta Hawks franchise does not improve its roster and financial situation, and when another team throws a boatload of cash to AL HORFORD when he is a restricted free agent next summer, and if the Hawks are NOT able to match... I will burn all of my Atlanta Hawks memorbilia and never attend another Hawks game again, Josh Smith is PlayoffsHawks favorite player, but Al Horford is the best player on the team. and i hate to make Hawks fan cry, but i can't help but imagine....
It is such a beautiful day to be a Atlanta Hawks fan. Not too long ago, rookie Mike Woodson, Josh Smith and the Atlanta Hawks were the worst team in the league at 13-69. After 4 long years of player development and steady improvement, it seems the Hawks have taken a quantum leap into the NBA elite in this 09-10 season.
The Minnesota Timberwolves hope to emulate the Hawks' success story in the coming years. The Hawks core of Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, and Zaza Pachulia have played together for 4 seasons, and over the past 2 seasons they have added big Al Horford (3rd pick 2007 draft), Mo Evans, and Mike Bibby to their core. A couple of key role players such as Jamal Crawford (leading candidate for 6th man of the year), Jeff Teague (19th pick 2009 draft), Joe Smith (14 year veteran big), and young Randolph Morris, and the 2009-2010 Atlanta Hawks have one of the top 10-man rotations in the league. This game was never in doubt, as the Hawks jumped out to an early lead, turning the Wolves 7 first quarter turnovers into 14 points, the Hawks ended the first quarter leading 26-17.
The Hawks did a great job of keeping the Wolves at arms length, the game never got closer than 8 in the first half, despite foul trouble with Josh Smith and Zaza Pachulia. When Smith was on the floor, he was a huge difference-maker, in 21 minutes Josh scored 10 pts (5/6 FGs) 3 rbs 3 asts 3 stls, but the biggest difference maker in this game had to be Jamal Crawford.
Just as he has been doing all season, Jamal comes off the bench to lead the team in scoring, it is amazing to see how offensively gifted this guy is, he must have one of the best pull-up jumpers in the league, and he is shooting at a career-high FG%, in this game, Jamal enters at 2:30 remaining in the 1st. The Hawks keep the lead going into the 2nd quarter and that is when the Jamal Crawford light show starts. He starts his scoring tier by hitting a 24-foot 3-pointer on an assist from Mike Bibby. The Wolves did get within 7 points on a Al Jefferson layup, but Really, the combination of Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford is getting too potent for opposing teams to handle, Joe and Jamal alternating scoring put the lead back up to 13 for a 54-41 halftime advantage.
The 2nd half had more of the same, the game was never really in doubt, but the Hawks did get a little lax defensively, allowing the Wolves to outscore them in the 3rd, 28-27, so in the 4th quarter, Joe and Jamal put the team on their back, and the most consistent player of the night had to be big Al Horford. In a game where Smith and Pachulia had 5 fouls, Horford played a game-high 41 minutes for 16 pts (7/15 FGs) 11 rbs 4 asts 2 stls 1 blk. Horford, shooting a 7th in the league best 57.8% on the floor, was great at making the right plays and playing defense, it would have been cool to see Horford with 19 rebounds, but he has the ability to get those numbers anytime.
Jamal Crawford scored 13 of his game-high 26 in the 4th quarter to put away the Wolves, including 2 back-to-back beautiful 3-pointers in the beginning of the 4th. The Wolves did battle back, but they did not get any closer than 12 as the Hawks stepped up and scored 31 4thQ points, the most of any quarter in the game for a 112-87 victory, the Timberwolves second worst defeat this season.
"We started with a bunch of babies six years ago, 18, 19, 20-year-old kids, and they've grown," coach Mike Woodson said. "The ownership has given me the latitude to continue to coach this team and our core guys have been together now four years and that makes a big difference." -Mike Woodson
"They're kind of the example of a team that got its players young," Love said of the Hawks. "They played together. They stuck together. They grinded out wins together. They had high points. They had low points. But they stuck together. ... That's something I hope I can be a part of one day." -Kevin Love
It great to see other players and teams continue to give the Hawks credit for their rise from the bottom and acknowledge the team as a top 5 team in the NBA today.
"We're trying to do something special," Woodson said.
translation: "We feel we can be the best team in basketball and maybe even win a championship"
I believe these Hawks can do it, they will at least make the conference Finals this season, but it would be a dream come true for the Hawks players coaches and especially the fans to see the Atlanta Hawks represent the East in the NBA Finals.
Damn! Gotta hate those Hawks, the bird, not the team of course. And i don't hate all Hawks, but the one that flew down from the rafters onto the shot clock in the middle of the 1st quarter didn't help the Atlanta Hawks at all. They needed it.
CoCo stated some interesting coinscidences with that Hawk, apparently whenever there are incidences with that bird, the Hawks lose, there was a game in the 2007-2008 season against Miami at Phillips Arena where the bird flew into the rafters and simply refused to come down, and yes, the Heat won too.
Well, the story had been told, just as Al Horford and Josh Smith were laughing about their fear of the bird, everyone was just a little too lighthearted in the game tonight. Dwayne Wade wasn't laughing about anything, he was offensively aggressive AND hitting shots from the opening tip all throughout this game. It is understood that Dwayne Wade is a top 2 SG in the NBA, and he has the ability to takeover a game at his own pace, but the Hawks defense simply was not what it was in game 1. Game 1 the Hawks had steals, deflections, blocks, our defense really created all those fast break opporitunities and of course, we had the advantage. But when the offense slows down and we run plays posting up Joe Johnson and stuff, that is not our advantage. It wasn't just Wade though, all the decent players on the Heat stepped up, Jermaine O'Neal scored 19 pts, Dequan Cook 3pt shooting champion scored 20 pts, the Heat RESERVES outscored the Hawks in the 2nd quarter while Wade was sitting, then he came back in and scored 13 points straight.
Yep, it was evident from the jump that this game was just in the Heat's favor, shots were falling, and no one even scored 20 on the Hawks, so the Hawk players must feel as if they've been kicked in the teeth, Wade just pissed on the Phillips Arena floor, right on the Hawks logo, i expect the Hawks to be pissed off have vengence in their blood in Miami on Saturday.
(wade just spits in the Hawks faces and gives the spitball to our Atlanta representer, hell na..)
As Clifford "T.I. Harris announced the starting lineup for the Hawks and the Heat, the energy of the crowd was supremely intense, it is the first time playoffs have started in Atlanta since the1998-1999 season and the first time ever at Phillips Arena. Atlanta has shown it has die-hard Hawks fans too with the arena filled way before tip-off, the crowd was hectic from the beginning. It proved to make all the difference.
The game started on a Dwayne Wade dunk, but the Atlanta Hawks defense and fast break agility flustered the Heat throughout the entire game. the young veteran Atlanta Hawks showed how they've grown together and how they are a much better TEAM then the Heat by moving the ball and exploiting mismatchups all night, and on the fast break? Mike Bibby and Josh Smith are unstoppable, or Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, or Josh Smith and Al Horford, and especially Marvin Williams, the Hawks are showing they have a stonger starting 5 and a better bench.
Many "experts" have given their playoffs predictions, 6 out of 10 of them believe the Hawks will win the series, my only concern is that 4 of those 6 say it will take 7 games.
Who has reasonable worries? I'm confident that this Hawks team is the better and it is our year to advance to round 2, and superstar Wade is not going to stop that.
I mean, it was a great shot, no doubt about it, but that shot wasn't the reason the Hawks lost the game. This was the first overtime game all season for the Hawks, and it was the Nets 4th, so they know a little about how to take care of the few possessions in a 5:00 OT Quarter, the Hawks are still learning that.
In the 1st half, the Nets were in full meltdown mode, the Nets scored 16 points in the 1st quarter and didn't score again until 6:13 left in the 2nd, and that was AFTER Coach Frank was ejected (lol, that was funny, u could see the curses flying from his mouth). the Hawks simply kept their cool, Bibby hit his technical free throws, and the Hawks kept pressing. On the last play of the 1st half, Coach Woodson subbed Joe for Mario West, a defensive stopper. It turned out to be a genius move by Woodson, Mario stole the ball from Devin Harris and with 2 seconds on the clock, lauched a halfcourt 37 foot shot, and it went it. Mario went nuts. This was an important moment because as a friend of mine pointed out at the end of the game, that just goes to show the difference between a veteran in a big moment, and a rookie.
Hawks shot 7/10 3pt FGs in the 1st half
Nets shot 1/5 3pt FGs in the 1st half
The Hawks were in the driver's seat all 1st half, and with their ejected coach making a motivational speech (you men better get out there and win! gotdammit!), the Nets stormed back in the 2nd half with a Vince Carter 3 on a Devin Harris assist, and that started a 14-3 run that cut the score from 49-29 to 52-43. Josh Smith hit a jumpshot after the ensuing timeout and the competition was fierce from that point on. At the end of the 3rd, it was 69-61, Hawks lead.
The 4th quarter start was an indication of things to come for the Hawks, as the Nets' Ryan Anderson fouls Josh Smith for two free throws, and Josh misses both free throws. Those misses turn into a Devin Harris layup, and after a Mike Bibby 3pt attempt, a Jarvis Hayes 3pt is made and the score is 69-66 just like that. After a timeout, somehow Josh Boone was the reciever of a Devin Harris assist and scored easliy. A few lead changes and free throws and the regulation game comes down to this: 83-85 Nets lead Hawks ball, Josh Smith shoots a three-pointer (!!) misses and Mike Bibby gets the rebound, feeds to Al Horford and Al lays it home plus a foul. Now the score is 85-85 with :47 left, time to take the lead, right? No, Al Horford misses the free throw, and the Nets get the ball and call timeout. Nets inbound to Devin Harris who launches a three, misses, and Josh Smith gets the rebound, ignites a break, and feeds Joe for the game-winning jumpshot. Joe's shot actually gets tipped by Devin Harris and Brook Lopez gets the rebound to call a timeout. 3 seconds left in regulation and the ball is inbounded to Vince Carter. Carter launches, misses, and we're in overtime.
We all know what happened in overtime so let's just say what we learned about the Hawks in this game:
Hawks MUST make crucial free throws to win the game
if Mike Bibby is ever fouled beyond the 3, worry about the FIRST free throw, not the last
Josh Smith is truely coming around as a scorer, playing inside-out for 20 pts
Joe Johnson is as clutch as they come, but we must have another reliable clutch option
Mario West gets very excited after hitting half-court buzzer-beaters (lol)
Mike Woodson will play Solomon Jones AND Mario West before he plays Acie Law IV
that last particular bullet is a sad fact, but the Hawks are still a winning team! Let's see how they do against the Yao-led Rockets.
Yes. It has finally been said. ESPN might be coming around to the Hawks this season, people.
First, we were gifted with a ESPN DAILY DIME feature, realistically predicting the Hawks to win 50 games, there was even a national poll taken, and 67% believe the Hawks can do it.
"What can you say? Joe has been huge for us this season, I put him in the same class as LeBron, Kobe -- he's playing at that level. He's making big plays for our team, he's making players around him better." ---Coach Mike Woodson
That is not the quote of a coach saying some nice things about his best player to the media to make him feel good, that's the truth in the NBA that very few realize. Joe knows:
"I don't get treated like that, but I feel like I'm up there in the elite," Johnson said.
If not one of the elite, at least one of the most clutch scorers in the NBA, Joe scored 12 points in the 4th on his way to 27 pts (9/21 FGs 2/6 3pt FGs 7/8 FTs) 7 rbs 5 asts, Josh Smith was great defensively as usual, but was also great offensively, hitting BIG free throws in a close game, scoring 24 pts (7/13 FGs 10/14 FTs) 6 rbs 3 asts 1 blk, but no big, especially not the one he jumped against (7'2 Roy Hibbert - 13 minutes, 0 pts 0 rbs) played bigger than Al Horford. Even with pesky Troy Murphy and Jeff Foster getting 12+ rebounds, Al Horford scored 12 pts (4/8 FGs 4/6 FTs) 14 rbs 2 asts 2 blks. Mike Bibby played about his average, except for his under-average 3pt shooting, 14 pts (5/14 FGs 1/6 3pt FGs 4/4 FTs) 5 rbs 6 asts. Marvin Williams didn't score alot of points, but was more than formidable against the scoring machine Danny Granger, Marvin scored 9 pts (3/10 FGs 1/3 FGs 2/2 FTs) 6 rbs 2 stls.
Our bench was big again, even though Acie Law wasn't part of it, again. ZaZa scored 9 pts 5 rbs, Mo Evans hit 2 big threes for 6 pts 3 rbs, and Flip made a few driving layups for 8 pts 2 rbs 2 asts.
I am an extremely optimistic, but not unrealistic Hawks fan, and even i am pleasantly suprised by the New Year record, 21-10, now let's see how we improve in 2009!
Hawks 20-10 (4th in Eastern Conference, 5th in NBA) Falcons 11-5 (NFC wildcard playoffs, Matt Ryan Offensive Rookie of the Year)
Both franchises have been through their fair share of turmoil, the Falcons a lil' more drama than the Hawks, but its beautiful to see these Atlanta teams maturing into real championship contenders.
This game started out very contested. Denver is a very good team, but NeNe, their starting center was out with an injury. Chris "Birdman" Andersen started in his place, he was no real challenge to Al Horford, as Horford made several big plays in the 1st quarter against him. Joe Johnson scored 12 pts in the 1st quarter, and the Nuggets doubled him at every position the rest of the game, Joe made them pay though with his excellent passing, usually to Mike Bibby who made big shots all game, he is a great floor leader offensively for the hawks, scoring (20) and assists (9). Al Horford played great. 16 pts (6/9 FGs 4/5 FTs) 10 rbs 4 asts, people don't give Atlanta's passing enough credit, especially that of Al Horford and Mike Bibby. Al Horford has to be the best passing center in the east, right?
i had been getting on Josh Smith lately, because i felt he hadn't played extremely well yet, but i just found out he had a nagging injury that he a playing through. That's alright, this is the year for the improvement of Mike Bibby, Marvin Williams, and Al Horford to shine, we won't be talking about Josh Smith all-star this year, but we will be talking about the Hawks 50 wins :)
The Hawks are looking real good right now, to themselves and the rest of the league. Joe Johnson is in his absolute prime, he is undisputedly an all-star and one of the best all-around players in the league. Mike Bibby is in his absolute prime, he has led this Hawks team to a winning situation better than anyone could have imagined this season, Mike Bibby should be an all-star.
The Mike Bibby-Joe Johnson backcourt combine to score more points per game than any other backcourt in the NBA.
the Mike Bibby-Joe Johnson duo has made more 3 pointers than any other duo on any team in the NBA.
Mike Bibby has made 78 3pt FGs this season, 2nd in the NBA, Joe 70, 5th.
Its beautiful, the Hawks being a winning team, now I am going to make another outlandish prediction. Hawks 21-10 in 2008, 13-4 in January to make them 34-14. Watch.
From the opening tip to Al Horford, pass to Josh Smith, assist to Al Horford with a jumpshot, you could tell this was going to be a high-scoring game. We could see that Derrick Rose was going to be a handful, as he was last time in Chicago, and as he will be increasingly for years to come as the soon-to-be ROY (or OJ Mayo). But we could have not seen the shootout unfold as it did between Ben Gordon and Joe Johnson.
First quarter, Joe 12, Ben 15. Second quarter, Joe 10, Ben 3. Third quarter, Joe 8, Ben 8. And in the all important fourth quarter, Joe 10, Ben 4.
Overall, it was the Hawks best offensive game of the season, and a great demonstration of the versitility of the Hawks, they can play slow pace, half-court style basketball, or the 7 seconds or less D'Antoni style they tried today. Either way, Hawks win. Josh Smith agrees;
"It shows we are real versatile," Smith said. "It doesn't matter whether we're playing a fast style of basketball or slow, just as long as we win."
Somebody ask Woodson, when will we see more Acie out there? Its a damn good question..
If (and when) we beat Denver on Monday, the Hawks will be 20-10, the first time the franchise has reached 20 wins before the calendar flip since the 1987-1988 season. That team coached by Mike Fratello and led by Dominique Wilkins 30 ppg, and Doc Rivers 14 ppg 9 apg led the Hawks to a 50-32 record that season. Let's do better.
A few pundits say we should be taking care of "bad" teams early and flexing our muscle in the eastern conference. We do threaten every team in the eastern conference but i think we played the Oklahoma City Thunder very well.
Joe Johnson scored 20 pts (8/23 FGs 2/8 3pt FGs 2/2 FTs) 11 rbs 11 asts, including 8 pts 4 rbs 6 asts in the 4th quarter alone. Marvin Williams was on the recieving end of at least 4 of those assists on his way to 21 pts (9/13 FGs 1/3 3pt FGs 2/4 FTs) 7 rbs, Josh Smith had his best offensive game since coming back from injury, 19 pts (6/11 FGs 1/1/ 3pt FGs 6/9 FTs) 3 rbs 3 asts 3 stls 1 blk.
Mike Bibby did his usual well, 14 pts (6/13 FGs 2/5 3pt FGs) 7 rbs 6 asts.
Al Horford did okay but "the Boss" got BOSSED in the paint in this game, OKC outrebounded the Hawks 52-40, Jeff Green had 14 rbs, Chris Wilcox off the bench had 19 pts 12 rbs, i mean, what really good, Al? lol
We will be alright, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a 22-10 record for 2009.
In the preview for this game, it had been said that a key matchup was the Iverson VS Bibby battle of team leadership, offensive effeciency. It's pretty safe to say Bibby won that battle. This game had also been donned as a PLAYOFFSHAWKS PREVIEW, for these Detroit Pistons would be our first round matchup if the playoffs started today, we hope things stay that way, because even the Hawks would rather see, especially after this game, these Pistons rather than, say, the Dwayne Wade Heat in the 1st round. Agreed. Regardless, we could be them too, as we did in south beach last week in the clash of the southeast, it was the game after we endured a 3-game losing streak in that Texas triangle trip, we all know what happened there.
So, HERE, Mike Bibby goes off, scores 27 pts (10/13 FGS 6/6 3pt FGs 1/2 FTs) 3 rbs 5 asts 3 stls in 38 minutes. Joe Johnson has a solid game, 19 pts (8/22 FGs 1/4 3pt FGs 2/2 FTs) 5 rbs 7 asts, Josh Smith had a very interesting game. One of the main matchups we saw in that game was Josh posting up against Tayshaun Prince. Now, Prince is a true Small Forward, always has been and with this new coach, he likes to start Rodney Stuckey, so that moves AI to the SG, Rip to the SF and Prince to PF...Josh Smith should have OWNED that matchup, but it was good for him to feel himself big in the paint, he hasn't owned the paint in any game yet, but he was posting up, we need to see more of that from him, anyway, he scored 11 pts (3/13 FGs 5/8 FTs) 8 rbs 2 asts, but he also held Tayshaun Prince to 2 pts 1-8 shooting.
Al Horford owned the paint, 11 pts (5/9 FGs 1/2 FTs) 11 rbs 4 asts, but only his 4th double-double of the season.
I predict wins for the rest of the year, and close the year 22-10, 4th in the eastern conference, closing in on the southeast division title.
Good game. The Hawks love this style of play and excel greatly in these type of games, not so much the chaotic, no-defense, shoot-in-less-than-5-seconds type of offense, but the fastbreak passing, Josh Smith rebounding and igniting the break, Mike Bibby to Joe Johnson to Marvin Williams for the alley-oop BOOM! Thats what im talking about, this isn't quite Suns basketball, especially not anymore, but it was an interesting test for how we can be against them and in fast games in the future.
Marvin Williams scored 22 pts (10/13 FGs 2/2 FTs) leading the Hawks to a 115-99 victory at Phillips arena on Friday night. It was only two nights after a heartwrenching defeat by the Champion Celtics in a much anticipated, ESPN broadcast game, the only one of the Hawks season and the first in 5 years. We all know what happened in that game, but the important thing is how the Hawks bounced back, and who other than Marvin Williams would have a career night the night after a game like that. Marvin Williams 10-13 FG equals 76.9%, a career-high FG%, with 9 rebounds in 35 minutes. Joe Johnson was looking to bounce back in a major way after missing that game-tying free-throw, he did well with 19 pts (8/20 FGs 2/8 3pt FGs 1/3 FTs) 5 rbs 5 asts, Josh Smith was the assist man in this game, 14 pts (5/8 FGs 4/5 FTs) 6 rbs, and 7 asts.
IS there any logical reason why Al Horford only had 1 personal foul, yet played 29 minutes, and still scored 14 pts (5/9 FGs 4/5 FTs) 6 rbs 5 asts 3 blks ?
Acie Law 8 minutes ?
Mike Bibby had a Rondo-game (lol) 2nd led the team in rebounding ended with 7 pts (2/8 FGs 1/3 3pt FGs 2/2 FTs ) 8 rbs 7 asts.
"The Hawks like many sports teams have multiple personalities, there's the "Bad Hawks" the team that plays on the road, just 6-8"
from what i understand, maybe im just nieve, a 6-8 road record isnt bad, especially when those wins have come against Orlando, New Orleans, Chicago, OKC, Washington, and Miami. Can't be mad at losses to Celtics, Cavs, Nets, Raptors, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio. Oh, yeah that Indiana game we should have won, but still.. all i'm saying is the Hawks don't deserve a reputation as a "bad" road team, they will have to earn that respect, and my sentiment is that they will this season.
Tomorrow is another "biggest test of the season" this is a 2009 PLAYOFFSHAWKS PREVIEW at Phillips Arena on Sunday. The Allen Iverson Pistons against the new-improved Mike Woodson HAWks, we wil see who prevails
Mann.. it hurts so bad to type that headline. This was the game of the year to alot of people, the city of Atlanta was alive for this game in a way they haven't been since the playoffs, of course, there was no shortage of hype for this game. What sucks is the result of all that hype. So many things went wrong for the Hawks in this game, this was a defensive battle, and unfortunately, obviously, the defending champs win in that aspect.
PeachtreeHoops defined the deciding factors in this game in his recap, here is some of that info:
Possible determining factors for Boston's win...
Whereas only Ray Allen (1-8) struggled atypically from beyond the arc for Boston, both Joe Johnson (1-7) and Mike Bibby (2-8) struggled for the Hawks. Of course, the flip side* of that for Atlanta is that Josh Smith and Ronald Murray combined to make 3 of 5 three-pointers. Atypical isn't really a strong enough word to describe that.
Atlanta's willingness to switch ball screens and leave Mike Bibby guarding Paul Pierce one-on-one. On a night when no one who was used to making three-point shots was making them, Pierce attempted just one three-pointer mostly because he didn't need to. I presume the Boston staff watched tape of the Cleveland game where a couple of times in the second half, the Cavaliers had either Mo Williams or Delonte West set a screen for LeBron, the Hawks switched, and LeBron got to attack either Flip Murray or Mike Bibby one-on-one. Cleveland only ran this a handful of times. Boston had to run it at least 12-15 times. Bibby never had a chance.
Boston, with the bizarre exception of Atlanta's penultimate possession (if you count Bibby's prayer with .7 left a possession) where Joe Johnson was presented with just Ray Allen as an obstacle to the basket, did Johnson no such favors. When Atlanta ran (and ran and ran) isolations for Johnson on the wing, Boston put at least three defenders on the strong side. There was nowhere for Johnson to go and no one to receive the ball as off-the-ball movement, as 'Nique pointed out (and pointed out and pointed out) on the local broadcast last night, isn't really a part of the Hawks' half-court offense.
There is some level of respect (at least in the media) for the Hawks to the Celtics, here are some post-game quotes:
"This is not a rivalry. [The Hawks] are a very good team, they play with a lot of confidence and swagger. Joe Johnson is one of the best in the business and they cause a lot of hell and havoc. But you have to win for it to be a rivalry." -Kevin Garnett
"If they played everybody the way they play us they’d be a top five team in the league." -Rajon Rondo
What we learned about the Hawks in this game:
Josh Smith needs to learn how to play the power forward position,and he should learn that from Kevin Garnett, if he can rebound and block shots with the best in the NBA, but if he wants the ball on offense, he has got to develop that KG footwork, the reason the Hawks aren't taken seriously as a balanced team is beacause we dont have a true center and we don't have a true power forward.
Marvin Williams needs to do a little more on offense, i think he is the most improved Hawks player this season and he is slightly reliable on offense, he should be given more chances, after scoring 11 pts at halftime he scored 5 points the rest of the game
Mike Bibby needs to learn to penetrate, he did that one time and scored, but never again, seeing the way Rajon Rondo gets the rim at will, Mike Bibby should learn to do that.
Al Horford is a beast, but Kendrick Perkins is just a little meaner than he. Al Horford plays the center position as well as any big in the East not named Howard, but he must be more offensively polished
Joe Johnson is not perfect, people. I know that might break alot of hearts, but even with the biggest game of the season on the line, after making 7-7, Joe can miss that 8th free throw, he is still the 3rd best SG in the league, but not perfect.
The Hawks are gonna be alright, it will be very interesting to see how they bounce back from this at Phillips Arena against fast-paces Golden State, i wanna see the Hawks score 120 pts for once.
Yess! As an ATLien and a lifelong Hawks fan, I, along with the entire city of Atlanta, the NBA, and the entire sportsnation is very excited about this game. Whoever aint, isn't a fan of NBA basketball, there is so much beautiful symbolism to tonights game, there's no question this is the game of the night in the NBA (finally, for once).
I am one of the biggest fan of the Atlanta Hawks, not in a crazy, paint my face kind of way, but more like i am with the team every step of their journey of each game in the 82 game season, i predicted 47 wins in the pre-season, i changed that to the Hawks having their first 50 win season since the 1997-1998 season after seeing the Hawks 11-6 first month start, 12 of those 18 without Josh Smith. I have attended a couple games this season (Philly, Nets, Memphis), and its always a excellent experience, i had big plans to take lots of pictures, talk to fans and ESPN, and really be involved with as much festivities as i could at this game.
But, i have just as much trouble as the next fan getting tickets to games, and i am probably unable to make tonights game (kills self), but i am going to cover as much possible from the outside Phillips festivities, and the game itself, postgame and everything. So to begin, this is the grand preview to tonights RENEWED RIVALRY, Hawks VS Celtics Game 9.
Sekou Smith feels like me, this game is worth all the hype! in another excellent entry he talks to the Hawks players about the monstrosity of a game this is, and what it all means:
• Josh Smith:“It might be a little rivalry now. They know they can’t take us lightly. They play their hardest when they step out on the court with us. And we do the same. It’s like a respect level but also competitive nature that we’re going to win this game and they feel the same way.”
• Zaza Pachulia:“We feel like it’s a game we should win because we’re playing at home in front of our crowd. I know it’s easy to say we owe them and all that to get everybody pumped up. The bottom line is this game should be special, but in a good way.”
• Marvin Williams:“It might be impossible not to get too hyped up for this game. We played them as well as we ever played them in Boston earlier this year. Now we come back here. They’re playing well and we’re playing well at home. Something’s got to give.”
• Mike Woodson:“After the first couple of games I truly believe we were somewhat scared. A lot of guys that had never been in the playoffs were feeling the heat a little bit. Mike [Bibby] tried to take some of the heat off with the quotes he made in that series early trying to switch the heat onto himself because he had been in playoff situations.”
• Mike Bibby:“Everybody thought we were going to get walked over. But we had a chance to shock everybody. We never really played well in Boston but we played great here. Knowing that everybody was against us and to play like we did was satisfying. But we wanted to win. We have to take that next step.”
Even the Celtics concede that there is a little pressure on themselves to win there.
• Rajon Rondo: “They are a tough team. They just beat Cleveland at home so they’re pretty confident right now. They’re waiting on us. It’s a tough game. We have to try to go in there and focus and try to get a win in Atlanta. We didn’t do it at all last year instead of in the regular-season. But I’m sure this will be a playoff type of game, very physical. Probably go to the wire.”
• Ray Allen:“Atlanta is ready and waiting and they’ve been promoting this for a while. The building is going to be a playoff atmosphere so we need to go down there with a different mind set.”
• Paul Pierce: “This is going to be a whole different ball club that we saw last year during the regular season. It’s going to be more like the team we saw in the playoffs. We have to come with our A game or we won’t be walking out of there with a win. The way they’re playing at home, they’re playing at a high level.”
• Leon Powe:“I think it’s the crowd. I think they all feed off the crowd. When they got their crowd going, waving towels and doing all kinds of crazy stuff, and they start hitting all kinds of shots, even with our hands up, contested, I think it has a lot to do with the crowd.”
CelticsBlog picks the brain of the #1 Hawks blogger Brett LeGree AKA Hoopinion AKA PeachtreeHoops.com, this is a great interview, very insightful for Celtics and Hawks fans alike, i learned some things about you Brett:
Hoopinion: I'm less of a Joe Johnson fan than most Hawks fans as I thought (and still think) that the team paid too high a price to acquire him. That certainly doesn't mean that I think he's a mediocre player, just that it's not possible to build a championship contender if your best player is Joe Johnson. That is not my most popular opinion.
Wow, i mean, not many Hawks fans are thinking championship this season, but damn, "it's just not possible to build a championship contender if your best player is Joe Johnson"? I'm sure the Hawks team and organization would beg to differ, and everyone is entitled to their realistic opinion, but here's what i think about Joe Johnson. Joe is the 3rd best SG in the NBA, undisputed. Scoring, rebounding, passing, leadership, decision-making, leadership, durability, basketball IQ, he is everything a team could ask for in a shooting guard franchise player. Of course we all know he is a great player, forget statistics for once, in his 3 seasons with the Hawks he has taken a franchise that was the worst in the league to a legitimate eastern conference contender.
The Hawks gave up too much in that trade? Joe Johnson for Boris Diaw + 1st round pick in 2007, 2008. What did those 2 picks turn out to be? Alando Tucker and Robin Lopez, are any of those franchise players? How about Boris Diaw, i'm sure he is a franchise player, being the 2005-2006 MIP and all, right? Look, the Suns are killing themselves right now for trading Joe, the Suns could have been to the NBA Finals at least twice by now if they did not make that trade. Joe was a great complimentary player, but his destiny was to be a franchise player, if it wasn't the Hawks, Joe would have gone to another team to be the man eventually, but Atlanta, the Hawks organization, and Joe felt that they were a perfect marriage, and it has been increasingly every season, shoot, the only reason the Hawks didn't go to the playoffs in 2006-2007 is because Joe got injured and missed the last 25 games of the season.
Joe Johnson is better than Manu Ginobili because Manu is 3rd in a "big three" system that he has stayed in his entire career. Of course, manu is a 3x NBA champion, a great scorer and a pesky defender ( i personally hate his flopping style), but he has never led his team anywhere without the other 2, and Yes he is very efficient but he has never even scored 20 ppg, how can he be better than Joe when Joe has done that consistently for 4 seasons?
Joe Johnson is better than Tracy McGrady in every way. Who is Tracy McGrady? is he a great playmaker, explosive scorer that led the league in scoring two seasons in a row with Orlando (32.0, 28.0), or is he that inconsistent, weak effort, weak bodied, injury prone forward who has never ever won a playoff series on 2 teams with 3 appearances on each. Of course, Joe Johnson hasn't won a playoff series by himself yet either, but Joe clearly wins in durability, shooting (FG%, 3ptFG%, FT%), defending, passing, and leadership.
Joe Johnson is not yet better than Vince Carter. Vince Carter should have been one of the greatest SG in the game today, and he is definetly top 10, but he is not the great player he could have been. One of the most explosive scorers of our generation, he jumps over the moon at will, he has averaged 20+ ppg every season of his career, outside of he as a rookie in toronto. Vince Carter was an intricate part of a "big three" Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, and Richard Jefferson, that made the Finals 2 years in a row, they didn't win, but until Joe makes it at least past the 1st round, he is not better than the great Vince Carter.
In conclusion, I just want it to be known that I believe that Joe Johnson is the 3rd best shooting guard in the league, and he can lead the Hawks to a championship, or at least to the Finals in the next 3 seasons, I see that as a realistic possibility.
But in order to prove we are on that level or show that we are ascending to that level, we gotta stop this streak TODAY.
