Happy New Year Nets, Vince Carter buzzer-beater in OT wins game

Hawks 91 Nets 93 (OT)
21 28 20 16 6
16 13 34 24 8

BOX SCORE

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.

Mike Bibby season-high 27 pts, Iverson benched 4th Q, Hawks win

Hawks 85 Pistons 78

25 16 22 15

22 30 17 16

BOX SCORE

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.

Hawks defeat Diaw-led Bobcats, lol, Johnson 28, Smith 15

Hawks 83 Bobcats 79

27 21 20 11
23 19 26 15

BOX SCORE

ESPN RECAP


Well alright, that was fun. It is always fun to play a bottom-feeding team in the division because you know you should win, but that's also sometimes the trick that doesn't treat too, I won't say the Bobcats cannot beat the Hawks, especially with the aquisition of Boris Diaw and Raja Bell for them, that actually makes their team better balanced talent-wise, so their gameplay should improve slightly, but they will still be a bottom-feeder.

The Hawks allowed the new-look Bobcats to win the 1st 2 quarters of the first half, then Hawks defense cranked up, and showed why they will be a tough match for the Boston Celtics on ESPN Wednesday. After only scoring 10 points in the 1st half, Joe Johnson turned it up offensively to finish with 28 pts (11/18 FGs 2/6 3pt FGs 4/5 FTs) 5 rbs 8 asts, Joe is truely one of the NBA's best clutch players. Josh Smith was great in this game, staying in his game scoring 15 pts (6/11 FGs 1/2 3pt FGs 2/4 FTs) 7 rbs 5 blks 2 asts, Al Horford is staying true to his nickname "THE BOSS" and owning the paint, scoring 12 pts (6/12 FGs) 14 rbs 5 asts 2 blks, and Mike Bibby was good and average, despite missing all 5 three point attempts and no free throws in this game, he scored 14 pts ( 7/15 FGs) 3 rbs 6 asts. Marvin Williams had an unimpactful game, in 34 minutes scoring 6 pts (2/4 FGs 0/2 3pt FGs 2/2 FTs) 6 rbs 2 asts.

Next up, the great Boston Celtics (23-2), if any team can break their streak, its us.

Josh Smith returns, Hawks superb defense, balanced scoring effort grounds Grizzlies

Hawks 105 Grizzlies 95
24 15 30 26
24 26 33 22

BOX SCORE

Well, I sure wish i was the D that Sekou is referring to in his blog entry, something about a guy who accurately predicted all of the Hawks first 16 games wins and losses, coinscidence his name is D and im DJ, maybe it is me. If or if not, THIS was me, in yesterday's rare preview, i wrote the casual prediction of a 105-95 Hawks win, and, there you have it. But the story of this Hawks win is so much more than the score.

Josh Smith's return was grand, defensively, offensively (still taking those 3s, if Hawks aren't the #1 3pt shooting team in the league by the end of the season, ill say thanks JOSH!), still as explosive as ever, Josh Smith is, was, and always has been that X-factor that makes them able to beat ANY team in the league, i mean, of course any team is capable of beating any team in a game situation, but the 08-09 Hawks without Josh Smith were a 45 win team good for 5th seed in the East and beyond, but the 08-09 Hawks WITH Josh Smith are a 50 win team and may even earn homecourt advantage in the 1st round THIS SEASON.

SWAGGER Of the Game

Mike Bibby
Wow, Mike is really showing what he can do this year, you can see his floor leadership and decision making skill is at an all-time high, he is easily in his prime at 30 years old, shooting a career high FG%, 3pt FG%, now if we can just get that FT% above 80 he'll be an all-star PG. Last night Bibby scored 20 pts (7/11 FGs 4/6 3pt FGs 2/2 FTs) 3 rbs 10 asts, that will be his 7th game so far with 20 pts or more, his 2nd game with 10+ assists, and his 7th game shooting 50% or better from 3. I mean, he isn't quite Devin Harris (Bibby for Harris and the Hawks go to the Finals) but the Hawks aren't gonna get much better than this from another veteran PG in the league, Bibby is a great fit for this team. Mike Bibby played a perfect second half: 6-6 FGA, 4-4 3PTA, 5 assists, 0 turnovers.

SUPERSTAR JOE
Joe Johnson
Thats the Joe we know, thats the 3rd best SG in the league Joe, thats one of the most versitile players in the league, shooting and passing beautifully leading his team with Bibby to a win. Not every night Joe will score 26 pts 5 rbs 5 asts

The Invisible X factor
Marvin Williams
Marvin Williams scouting report from the opposing team about him probably reads, "average at everything, try not to completely ignore him" and so far opponents haven't taken heed to that little truth of advice in that statement, because Marvin's a shooter now, he may not be Ray Allen or Peja Stoy, but he's got a better 3pt % than both of those players right now. He has also improve in his ball handling and passing ability, there were several nice assists made in this game, 16 pts (4/9 FGs 2/5 3pt FGs 6/6 FTs) 4 rbs 5 asts.





The BO$$
Al Horford is the Boss, i guess. After the Hawks beat the Bucks at Phillips Arena, somebody asked Al his nickname, or rather he volunteered it, then, clearly making it up on the spot declared, "I'm the BOSS!" at the time i was making fun of him for it, my friend asked me, "is that anybody's nickname is the NBA?" i said "no, maybe in the WWE" so im laughing joking about it, and i go to Phillips Arena and they booming it over the system everytime he scores now, "AL HORFORD, THE BOSS!" Wooooww.... we'll see how long it sticks, probably as long as LeBron's wrist kissing thing before each free throw.
NEVERTHELESS, "the BOSs" had a good game, it would be good for Horford to average a double-double, but with this hawks team, its so not important these induvidual milestone statistics, and with Horford especially because his presence is bigger this season than the last, especially on the offensive end. 15 pts (7/9 FGs 1/2 FTs) 5 rbs 4 asts is a good stat line for the starting center.

Hawks ball movement is beautiful.


Joe Johnson is still magnificent.

Al Horford is still a beast

Josh Smith is still great.

Season Prediction:
Many people called me crazy for my preseason prediction of a 47-35 record for the Hawks this season, a 10 game improvement for a team that only added bench would have been great, but no one could have predicted the Hawks beautiful ball movement, excellent 3point shooting, all-star play of Mike Bibby, and improvement of Marvin Williams, if you look at my previous prediction i predicted Marvin would DISimprove this season, but i am glad to be wrong, Marvin is a very important piece to the Championship-level Hawks, whenever we get there, but THIS SEASON, it is not outside the realm of possibility to achieve a record of... 50-32 - 5th seed in eastern conference, i would put us at 4th seed, but its too early to count out Detriot and Allen Iverson, no matter what, THAT is who we will see in the first round playoffs this year, in my prediction, and since that D person predicted November I am going to predict December

Hawks VS Grizzlies W
Hawks VS Knicks W
Hawks @ Dallas W
Hawks @ Rockets L
Hawks @ Spurs W
Hawks @ Miami W
hawks VS Cleveland W
Hawks VS Charlotte W
hawks VS Celtics W
Hawks VS Golden State W
Hawks VS Detroit W
hawks VS OK City W
Hawks VS Chicago W
Hawks VS Denver L
hawks @ Indiana W

and dont call me a jynxer if they lose a few of these games, but i think worst case scenario, Hawks will go 10-6 in December to match the November record, and if they stay on that path these Hawks may end up....50-32 exactly as i predicted, i swear if the Hawks get 50+ wins Mike Woodson deserves Coach of the Year, so follow December with me i wanna see the Hawks succeed.

Hawks record going into 2009: 23-8

Hawks beat east-worst, fresh-fired Eddie Jordan Wizards, like we're supposed to

Hawks 102 Wizards 98
28 27 25 22
17 28 26 27

BOX SCORE


Test.

Its actually pretty sad, the situation for the Wizards. They have, what they feel, one of the best scoring guards in the league, a guy that can score 30 ppg and legitimately lead his team to being a title contender, a guy that signed a 6 year 118 million dollar contract 3 months ago...and he is recovering from his 3rd knee surgery in 3 seasons.

i mean, shout out to Hibachi 2.0 blogspot, that boy Moose is a fantastic blog writer, but Gilbert Arenas was one of my favorite players for a while, alot of people say he will never be the same player again when he returns, we can only imagine what Gilbert himself is going through as his team sucks and his coach gets fired. I can't wait to hear Agent Zero prove himself again when he returns, but until then, and even after, still, the Hawks needed this win.

Mike Bibby led the Hawks in a balanced scoring team performancewith 21 points (8/14 FGs 3/6 3pt FGs 2/2 FTs) 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals. Joe Johnson was good, 18 points (7/18 FGs 1/5 3pt FGs 3/3 FTs) 3 rebounds, 3 assists, but Mo Evans and Al Horford were the reason the Hawks won this game.

Mo Evans scored 19 points (6/14 FGs 4/7 3pt FGs 3/5 FTs) 9 rebounds, and Al Horford scored 19 points (7/10 FGs 5/6 FTs) 13 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals, and the play-of-the-game definitely goes to Horford.

The Wizards tied the game at 98 after a Caron Butler 3 pointer with 1:10 left to play, Mike Bibby dribbles up the court, passes to Marvin Williams, he drives, dishes to Al, Al dunks with dominating fashion to get the bucket and the foul. Makes the free throw.

The Wizards played well though, Caron Butler is a great player, Antwan is okay, but the Washington Wizards organization might as well be rebuilding, because they surely will not be competing for a playoff spot this season.

Joe scores 30, Hawks beat Bobcats, though it should have been easier...

Hawks 88 Bobcats 83
24 19 20 20
16 31 15 26

Hawks win, but it was an ugly one.

the Hawks got off to another bad start in this game, allowing the Bobcats to race out a 13-4 lead in the first 5 minutes, and the 1st quarter score ended at 24-16.

In the 2nd quarter, the Hawks got right though. Starting it off with a Mo Evans 3-ball, the Hawks scored 31 pts in the 2nd for a 47-43 halftime lead.

3rd quarter problems started showing again, the Hawks are really lucky to win this game, if we had been playing any other team we probably would not have come back, but the Hawks scored a mere 15 pts in the 3rd, and the Bobcats led 63-62 going into the 4th.

4th quarter Hawks crank it up like we are supposed to, Joe goes to work like he is supposed to, scoring 7 pts, but assisting 2 HUGE 3-pointers back-to-back by Mike Bibby, after 2 Joe Johnson free throws, Bibby hits a THIRD 3-pointer on a Johnson assist, and the Hawks were up 77-73, but this kid D.J Augustine, who had been beasting for the Bobcats (hit 7/11 3pt FGs), hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions, making the score 79-77 in an instant. That's when Joe went to work, immediately after the inbound Joe Johnson launched a 3-ball, swish to make the score 80-79 with 4:13 left. Bobcats score to make the score 81-80 with 2:33 left. Marvin Williams, this kid is brand new this season, his improvement has been totally under the radar in the NBA. Marvin Williams, the 3rd leading 3pt FG% leader in the NBA, gets in position in his favorite corner, he gets a great pass from Maurice Evans and launches a 3-ball. Swish. 83-81 with 2:12 left.

It was a great game where it should have been a 10+ point win, but a few things could be learned here:

• Although Brown started probably the shortest backcourt of all time D.J. Augstine might be pretty good as a scoring point guard
• Marvin Williams is a significantly better player than this time last season
• Flip Murray is a great 6th man some nights, the element of cancer itself, frustration itself other nights
• Mo Evans is rock solid
  

No Josh, No Al, and even though Joe struggled the Hawks are too deep, Williams, Bibby & ZaZa Shine

Hawks 91 Wizards 87
26 24 17 20
28 16 26 21

With 6:27 on the clock and the Hawks up by 2, Caron Butler launched a 3. Bang. Joe Johnson dribbled down court and seemingly half-heartedly drove in the lane into traffic, the ball was stolen by Caron Butler. In transition, Butler looking, looking, pulls up for three. Bang. Now, with the score 79-75 Wizards up by 4 with 5:37 Woodson calls a timeout.

Oh, no Hawks, we can't have this happen again, its one thing for the Hawks to lose Al Horford in the 1st quarter of a game and lose, having not been prepared not to play with the starting PF/C, but the Hawks cannot get outexecuted down the stretch at Phillips Arena by the bottom team in the EC. Wait, that scene seems very familiar, oh yes, Last season, the Wizards had stared 0-5, and the Hawks had gained some attention with 2 convincing wins early in the season against Dallas (first game of the season) and Pheonix (sans Amare) both at Phillips Arena. I'm sure Hawks fans don't want to recall that because that was the Hawks first home loss of the season, by 11 points no less, despite getting 20,22,23 from Marvin, Joe, and Josh, respectively.

So, Woodson subs in Evans for Flip, and ZaZa inbounds the ball to Joe, and after an exchange of bricks and ZaZa's 15th and 16th rebounds, he hits 1 of 2 free throws and then Mike Bibby gets a layup to make the score 78-79, and after Nick Young misses an ugly wild shot, Joe Johnson abuses him off the dribble and shoots a turnaround 17 footer, it bounced up off the rim once, twice, and dropped in the bucket to give the Hawks a 80-79 lead. Blatche layup 81-80, Joe assists Evans for a 3 to make it 83-83. AND THEN we let Stevenson pull up for an uncontested-enough 2, Joe dribbles it down and fires off a bad pass that gets stolen, and the same stevenson hit another shot, almost hit a 3 but it was a 19 footer, score 87-83 with 1:05 left, Wizards bench celebrating.

At this point im thinking about that promise i made, lol, the future of me and this blog, i had wondered if i did shut this blog down if anybody would miss it, but i feel this. i do this for the love of the sport of basketball, i will always love basketball but i also do it for the lack of love my city and my team gets from the mainstream media, i cannot sit back and watch other people miscover the players and personell of this team, even if i was getting no comments and readers id still write to creative express what i, with this blog, have become a part of, and i want you, reader, to know that i appreciate the comments and feedback from this passion i express here, all my other sports/news bloggers, i appreciate u.

Sorry, i had to aggrivate some of those fuzzy emotions inside because this was an epic ending to this game, it was vindictive on the attitude and abilities the Hawks have this season, this is such a better team than last season.

After a mispossession on the inbound, Hawks passed it into the great Joe Johnson who stepped right into his shot and launched a 30 footer. Swish. 87-86. Hawks defense. Swarming, ball being whipped around, shot clock dwindling, Stevenson launched an ill-advised 30 footer that hits no rim, shot clock expires, great defense. Still not over, with 32 seconds left, Joe dribbles up the floor, he finds Marvin Williams in the right corner, steps right into his shot (its amazing, the way he shoots, that ugly form he used to hit that midrange semi-consistently last season, is the same form he uses for that three, of course). BANG. 89-87 Hawks, 25 seconds left. Wizards miss, foul Flip Murray, both free throws and game over 91-87.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

21 pts (7/14 FGs 6/6 FTs 1/3 3pt FGs) 14 rbs 4 asts 2 stls

Its beautiful i wrote that monday article praising Marvin, i felt he would be the deciding factor in this game and during this time where we are without Josh and Al, and Marvin stepped up big time, scoring and rebounds, and a nice assist night, all while defending Antwan Jamison, or, he was able to do it because Antwan was "defending" him, lol.

19 pts (7/22 FGs 2/8 3pt FGs 3/4 FTs) 8 rbs 8 asts 1 stl 2 blks

Joe Johnson was no slouch in this game, if 19/8/8 is below average that is quite something to say about that players ability, and Joe Johnson has that ability, he is a true superstar, great player, top 5 guard in the league definitely.



25 pts (12/22 FGs 1/4 3pt FGs) 6 rbs 3 asts

Bibby was good in this game, he played his game, took the opportunities that came and made plays, he did not distribute the ball especially well, but Joe did so thats fine, he played well.

4 pts 18 rbs 4 asts (1/4 FGs 2/6 FTs)

And of course the Zealous ZaZa, he played his heart out last night, much better than last game, i think he plays best when concentrating on defense and rebounding, he has some offensive post skills, but far and few often, let him average 6/6 off the bench, he is a very important part of this team.











So that was a good win, now lets dominate Charlotte on Friday and get ready for LeBron on Saturday, that is the big one.

Hawks/Celtics Playoffs Rivalry Game 8 - Hawks superb but "the Truth" prevails; Hawks 102 Celtics 103

Truth Hurts

But just as the close and competitive as that game was, thats how close the Hawks are to the Celtics level

Box Score

The Hawks are earning some respect big time after this one, the whole world knows the odds were all against the Hawks, Josh out, second night of back-to-back, the significance of the rivalry that has become with us game the Hawks all the skill, energy, and adrenaline they needed to win. But, time was not on our side, its just not quite our time yet, it would have been TOO big a shock to the world, a little unbelievable that the Hawks would beat the Celtics in that circumstance, and then, if the Hawks did win, it wouldn't have been "Hawks WIN!" it would have been, "Celtics Lose" and people would be more reluctant to praise the Hawks, because now, they're just getting lucky, everyone knows they're not better than the Defending Champion Celtics, not yet. But with the game unfolding the way it did, it makes people give the Hawks credit like "Wow, that was a great game, hey, the Hawks are pretty good now"

The Atlanta Hawks VS Boston Celtics is the most exciting rivalry in the Eastern Conference right now, Although Kevin Garnett doesn't agree, (there are a number of reasons for that), the general public, sports fans vehemently agree, look at this infomation from the great Sekou Smith:

“A year ago a game between the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks was hardly worth a second look. On Wednesday night, the telecast of the postseason rematch was the highest rated regular season game in Comcast SportsNet history.

The final half hour, which included Paul Pierce’s game-winning heroics, was the top rated program on Boston television, beating out network hits such as House and Law & Order. The game drew an estimated 245,000 households in New England and 163,000 in the Boston market alone.”

Yahoo! Sports behind the boxscore game review

AJC's Sekou Smith first loss recap

Eastern Rivalry Renewed: Hawks (6-0) VS Celtics (7-1)Preview

Atlanta Hawks (6-0) VS Boston Celtics (7-1)

Probable Starters
PG Rajon Rondo PPG 8.6 REB 3.9 ASST 6.3

SG Ray Allen PPG 15.5 REB 5.3 ASST 2.6

SF Paul Pierce PPG 18.8 REB 7.6 ASST 4.0

PF Kevin Garnett PPG 15.4 REB 10.0 ASST 1.6

C Kendrick Perkins PPG 5.4 REB 7.4 BLk 2.5
Reserves
Reserves
Tony Allen
Glen Davis
Eddie House
Leon Powe
Gabe Pruitt
Brian Scalabrine
Patrick O'Bryant
JR Giddens
Bill Walker
Sam Cassell

Injuries:
Paul Pierce (hand) will play
Rondo (body) will play

Probable Inactive
JR Giddens
Patrick O'Bryant
Sam Cassell

Probable Starters
PG Mike Bibby PPG 14.2 REB 2.4 ASST 5.6

SG Joe Johnson PPG 25.2 REB 5.2 ASST 3.8

SF Marvin Williams PPG 10.8 REB 6.0 ASST 1.3

PF Al Horford PPG 8.8 REB 8.8 ASST 3.2

C Zaza Pachulia PPG 4.2 REB 5.2 ASST 0.8
Reserves
Acie Law
Solomon Jones
Maurice Evans
Flip Murray
Othello Hunter
Randolph Morris
Mario West
Speedy Claxton
Thomas Gardner
Josh Smith

Injuries
Josh Smith (ankle) day to day
Speedy Claxton (knee) out

Probable Inactive
Josh Smith
Speedy Claxton
Thomas Gardner

Key Matchups
vs
Bibby was very vocal about the Celtics fans during the playoffs, calling them bandwagon fans. I am sure they haven't forgotten that so expect him to be booed early and often.

vs
Joe Johnson will try to get the best of his former team. He has been averaging over 25 points per game and it will be up to Ray Allen to try to contain him like he couldn't do in the playoffs last season in this game.

Honorable Mention
Kevin Garnett vs Al Horford
Al Horford's taunting earned the Celtics' Captain a fine when he retaliated with the so called gang sign in the playoffs. Expect KG to send him a message in this game.

Marvin Williams
Marvin is the biggest X factor of this game. As we all know Marvin Williams was suspended for the clothesline of Rajon Rondo in game 7 last season, he served his suspension and the Hawks are the best team in the East, with Josh Smith out, Marvin Williams must step up and take on some of the scoring load, have a breakout game of at least 18 pts 6 rbs to make his presence felt there.

Game Notes
The Hawks took the Celtics to 7 games in the first round of the playoffs, surprising many fans on both sides. They started where they left off in the playoffs with a 5-0 start this season beating the Magic, 76ers, Hornets, Raptors and Thunder with the first 4 teams all having playoff aspirations and the Hornets being favored by some to win it all.

The Hawks took a page from the Celtics book and are doing it with defense, holding teams to 85.8 points per game which is second only to the Lakers 84.4. The Celtics come in third at 86.75. They are limiting teams to 40.8% field goal percentage which is 3rd best in the league behind the Celtics 38.2% and the Lakers 39%. This should be a defensive battle and the Celtics would be very wise not to start slow in this game because they may not be able to make it up against this Hawks defense.

The Hawks are playing in the second of back to back games, having faced the Bulls the night before and the Celtics had the previous night off but are playing in their 3rd game in 4 nights.

Only TWO unbeaten teams in the NBA; Lakers and Hawks, lets compare

The Atlanta Hawks are soaring, people. It is not an early fluke, these Hawks are more than for real, i believe we have an Eastern Conference contender in the making here, and they are not that far from being made.

Hawks 89 Thunder 85
22 16 20 31
14 27 21 23

11/09/08 - Atlanta Hawks (5-0) VS Oklahoma City Thunder(1-5) (See: Seattle Supersonics)
Sunday's game was the first full game without Josh Smith, a HUGE factor on both ends of the floor, and at first it took some getting used to.

The first quarter the hawks played well, outscoring Thunder 22-14, it was unfortunate that Thunder(do i say Thunder or THE Thunder? It sounds gay either way) lost Chris Wilcox to a knee injury, and i guess the Hawks had some sympathy for Thunder in the second quarter, getting outscored 27-16, making the halftime score 41-38.

After a defensively contestive 3rd quarter with Hawks outscoring Thunder 21-20, the Hawks really turned it up for the 4th quarter, keyed by a certain 6th man of the year candidate, Flip Murray, scoring 9 points in the 4th with two 3-pointers and a steal, layup. Joe Johnson scored 8 in the 4th to ice this team, and the Hawks grinded out a win to remain undefeated.



The 2008-2009 Eastern Conference Order of Power

Tier 1
Boston Celtics (6-1)-
Champions. Enough said.

Tier 2
Detroit Pistons (4-2)-
The Pistons should be in Tier 1 with Boston, but they're not. I, for one, am a believer in the Allen Iverson trade, he should make that team better offensively, but unfortunately these two games played so far have only proved Allen Iverson's defensive liability that comes with his offense. If Iverson learned to distribute the ball a little better and score his 20 ppg, the Pistons will remain a championship contender, if this doesn't work, obviously AI and Detroit will divorce, as Iverson is in his contract year.

Cleveland Cavaliers (5-2)-
The Cavs are the biggest wildcard for a championship contender, i mean, of course there is the LeBron Factor, which alone make the Cavs a CONTENDER, but who else on that team can make them a CHAMPION? Mo Williams is averaging 14.1 ppg 4.5 apg, doing a little less than what Mike Bibby is doing for the Atlanta Hawks, so does that put them over the top? Actually, Williams has made less impact than most thought he would, he just fell back into the shadow of LeBron instead of being a leader with him, which is why i'm not ready to declare the Cavs a championship-calibur team, just a contender.
But LeBron James is averaging 28.1 ppg 9.0 rpg 7.0 asts on 47% FGs 77% FTs, great, but not better than last season in any way for James, if he can just average 80% on FTs, he'll be MVP

Orlando Magic (4-2) -
Dwight Howard is averaging 22.2 ppg 13.7 rpg 4.0 bpg but that 48.5% FTs is abysmal even for Howard, i mean, come on, i thought the World victory that is the Obama presidency and the US Gold Medal might motivate this young brother enough to improve his FT shooting at least a little bit! No, not at all, its gotten much worse, and i think the rest of the team has disimproved a little bit too. Of course its only been 6 games, but Hedu Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis really sucking right now, Lewis shooting 40.1% FGs 28.9% 3pt FGs 71.2% FTs for 17.7 ppg, Turkoglu, last season Most Improved Player Award winner, shooting 36.4% FGs 30.0% 3pt FGs 83.3% FTs for 15.5 ppg. If these two guys dont step up not only will they not be a championship team, but they will not even be DIVISION champs, as the Hawks win the Southeast(YYEAAHH BOY!)

Toronto Raptors (4-2)-
Chris Bosh is the best PF in the Eastern Conference, and 2nd to only Amare Stoudamire in the NBA, no doubt about it. He is dominating averaging 26.7 ppg 11.3 rpg 2.5 asts 53.7% FGs 83.1% FTs, and his frontcourtmate isn't doing so bad either. A far cry from his career averages but Jermaine O'Neal is averaging 10.2 ppg 6.7 rpg but the 1.8 blks is what helps Toronto the most. The Raptors are rolling, i don't think they are much better than the Atlanta Hawks, but the Bosh factor alone is slightly bigger than the Johnson factor, outside of that Atlanta wins at every position. I really don't get it though, just because Toronto won 49 games that one season and has been a consistent first round exit ever since, people want to see this team as much better than the Hawks. I'll not argue that perspective for now, but when the Hawks win 49 games this season, we will be considered better than the Raptors, and our Mike Woodson better get COY.

Tier 3 -
Atlanta Hawks (6-0)-
We won't be here in this 3rd tier by the end of this season. The Hawks have a chance to be one of the top 5 teams in the Eastern Conference, and if the east if still considered "least" then we will be the cream of the crop on top. Joe Johnson is 3rd in the NBA in John Hollinger's PER which makes him statistically, the 3rd best player in the NBA, Josh Smith is starting to bloom into a superstar himself defensively, and if he ever develops into that 20 ppg scorer he could, should be at the PF position, a MISMATCH EVERY NIGHT for whoever we play...Al Horford will undoubtedly be a double-double beast increasingly in his NBA career (although he has not averaged that thus far, his first game without Smoove proved much). Marvin Williams is about as solid and getting closer to consistent as you can ask from the Small Forward position, he defends well, rebounds, slashes a little bit, and if he is a brand new 3pt shooter? He is looking like NOT the biggest mistake Knight ever made...even though he probably still is, unless the Hawks get to the Finals before the Hornets, we know our team, Hawks may win the division this season.

Philadelphia 76ers -
Miami Heat -

The remaining teams in the Eastern Conference I feel don't have a realistic chance at becoming great in the near future; Wizards - injury prone, Pacers - No D, Bucks - Bogut, Knicks - maybe suprise, Nets - sucks,

KOBE vs JOE


























Kobe Bryant - 24.4 ppg 5.6 rpg 3.4 apg 1.8 stls 0.8 blks 47.3% FGs 33.3% 3pt FG 78.6% FTs in 33.3 MPG
Joe Johnson - 25.2 ppg 5.2 rpg 3.8 apg 1.4 stls 0.4 blks 50.5% FGS 44.4% 3pt FG 78.9% FTs in 37.4 MPG

Lakers - 1st in defensive effeciency (88.5 points allowed), 1st in offensive effeciency (112.2 points scored)
Hawks - 3rd in defensive effeciency(91.5 points allowed), 12th in offensive effeciency (106.4 points scored)

the JOSH SMITH factor
through the first 3 games, Josh Smith was averaging 14.5 ppg 10.7 rpg 3.5 blks 2.5 stls, and although he has only played 3 games so far, his impact on the defensive end cannot be overstated. I mean, the first game of the season against Dwight Howard and the Magic in Orlando, what he do: 17 pts 10 rbs 5 blks 4 stls, granted, Dwight Howard had 8 blocks in that same game, but obviously we won 99-85. The Hawks have obviously always had this great defensive player, but its about time the Hawks became a great defensive team.

the BEAST of AL HORFORD
Al Horford has played 5 games of excellence at the center/power forward position. Playing slightly fewer minutes than last season due to foul trouble Horford is averaging 8.8 ppg 8.8 rpg 3.2 spg 1.8 bpg, but in Smith's absense, Horford rightfully so became the defensive presence that Smith usually is, posting a stat line of 8 pts 12 rbs 2 asts 5 blks, if he continues this aggressiveness, the Hawks will be alright while Smith is gone.

Marvin "lights out" Williams?
The official number on the season is 4/7 but Marvin Williams has shown a new confidence in that 3point stroke that has NEVER been there before. He was taking and making 3pointers with ease in the New Orleans win Wednesday night, if Marvin can shoot say, 38-40% 3pt FGs this season, (you never know this season) he will have deserved the 3 year 20 million extention he should be offered :D i know that's kind of mean, but that's real

Mike "SolidRock" Bibby
Mike Bibby is a solid point guard. He is a strong solid point guard, he is GOOD, GUARENTEED for about 14 ppg 6 asts every night. Sometimes he even has games like the Toronto game, 19 pts 12 asts, but those are about as frequent as a full moon, but you can count on good floor leadership, decision making(sometimes) with Mike.

FlipMo SQUAD!
Mann, who the f*ck is Josh Childress? Na, i'm just playing i miss the kid and his afro but Flip Murray and Maurice Evans replace him FINE! When the Hawks first signed Mo Evans I was more excited about him, even after we signed Flip Murray, i thought he would not be a big impact player, boy have i been pleasantly wrong. Flip Murray is averaging 12.4 ppg 2.4 rpg 2.2 spg on 41.2% FGs 41.3% 3pt FGs, Maurice Evans has averaged 8.0 ppg 3.4 rpg, combined, these two average 20.4 ppg 6.0 rpg 3.0 apg, i don't think Josh Childress would have provided that this season. Flip is clutch man, Flip can make plays, of course sometimes he may make the wrong decision, but thats not been that often yet. And there are some people that say, "oh well, you like him now, just wait until the trade deadline, you'll be trynig to trade him" I see no such future, i think Flip will continue to be a fire off the bench and he himself will average at least 10 ppg, and Mo at least 8 ppg, thats good enough for the Hawks to win some games

Did somebody say the Hawks had a bad bench?
ZaZa Pachulia, Acie Law IV, Solomon Jones, Randolph Morris, Mario West, the Hawks go 12 DEEP with EASE this season! and none of those guys are scrubs! Well, maybe ZaZa sometimes (especially the way he played in OKC, ugh), but our bench is very good and for the most part, does better than just hold a lead, ive seen our bench extend leads in each game played so far.

11/18/08-11/18/08 - the 2008-2009 Atlanta Hawks weekly predictions:

11/11 - Hawks VS Bulls in Chicago - Hawks 95 Bulls 88
11/12 - Hawks VS Celtics in Boston - Hawks 88 Celtics 87
(i know, i know, it hasn't been done yet, the possibility is almost none without Smith but i am keeping the realistic faith ;)
11/14 - Hawks VS Nets in New Jersey - Hawks 98 Nets 88
11/15 - Hawks VS Nets in Atlanta - Hawks 112 Nets 95

Hawks will be 9-0 by next Monday, believe that

Hawks celebrate comeback win against Sixers in first game at Phillips Arena; Johnson 35, Bibby 19, Smith 14

Hawks 95 Sixers 88
34 23 18 13
18 26 22 29

the power of the atmosphere of a good home team is unmistakable in the NBA. The crowd feeds off every move the team makes, the team feeds energy off the crowd, there is no doubt that was a main ingredient to fuel the Championship Celtics run in 2008 (even though most of them were fairweather fans and weren't there the previous season when the same Celtics were 2nd worst in the East, Bibby -04/26/08 Playoffs round 1 game 1).

the city of Atlanta is in for a treat this season, Atlanta has always had great basketball fans, we just needed to be able to love a great team, and RIGHT NOW the Hawks are ascending up the Eastern Conference ladder to become a GREAT team.

Joe Johnson:

35 pts 3 rbs 5 asts 1 stl (14/23 FGs 2/5 3pt FGs 5/5 FTs)

Joe Johnson has been regarded as an all-star but he has gotten not nearly enough credit for being the star player turning a team that was the worst in the league 13-69, to rebuilding improving around him to make a legitimate eastern conference contender, making his teammates better year after year and
still improving himself statistically, efficiently. Seriously, people should start looking at Joe as a top 5 SG in the league, for real.




Josh Smith:

14 pts 11 rbs 3 asts 3 stls 2 blks (6/16 FGs 2/4 3pt FGs)

Josh is a top 10 PF in this league, one of the best defenders, and an unstoppable offensive force, when he asserts himself to be. He was admittedly nervous in the first quarter of the game, but seeing his counterpart, Thaddeus Young score 17 in the first, and seeing a deficit that grew into 23 points made him focus. He scored one field goal under the basket in the 3rd quarter but hit 2 HUGE THREES in the 4th that anchored this comeback win by Atlanta, and got a HUGE Steal that basically won the game. Yes, Josh Smith is doing alright so far, let's hope he can keep it up.


Marvin Williams: 2 pts (1-7 FG 0-2 3pt FGs) 5 rbs 2 blks 1 ast in 20 minutes

Mike Bibby: 19 pts 2 rbs 4 asts 3 stls (7/16 FGs 3/7 3pt FGs 2/2 FTs)

Al Horford: 9 pts 7 rbs 4 asts 1 blk (4/7 FGs 1/2 FTs)



It has only been two games, but you can see that the Hawks are brand new this season after that epic playoff series with the NBA Champions, the Hawks know they are not that far from that level, it is no coinscidence that the Hawks are right now the ONLY UNDEFEATED TEAM in the Southeast division, our toughest test yet will come the day after the most historically symbolic beautiful day of America's History, when racial wounds of 100 years are partially healed as we elect our country's first bi-racial President of all time. Imagine, the 44th president a product of a white american woman and a black african man, and some people are still hating... Well, yes, i am so excited about this hawks team i will make several declarations for this week:

1. Barack Obama will be elected 44th president of the United States.

2. Hawks will win in New Orleans this Wednesday

3. Allen Iverson will make the Pistons a title contender this season

4. Hawks will beat Raptors in Atlanta to show strength this Friday

5. Hawks will "Shock the World" at least 47 times this season

6. Joe Johnson will emerge as a MVP candidate this season

7. Josh Smith will emerge as a DPOY candidate this season

8. if all of the above occurs, Mike Woodson might stumble upon a COY award (lol i know, but its possible) i must say if the Hawks improve by +10 wins by subtracting the most efficient bench player in the league and adding Maurice Evans and Flip Murray, Woody deserves COY, because NO ONE IN THIS WORLD is predicting a 47-35 season....Except US :)

Magic clutch defeats Hawks to avenge loss at Phillips Arena

Who says the preseason is boring? We saw a great game between division rivals at Phillips Arena on Monday night. PlayoffsHawks was at this game, sitting close to the Magic bench, and it was competitive and exciting throughout the entire game.

Dwight Howard seemingly dominated, he had 29 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Orlando Magic, and Rashard Lewis scored 25 points 8 rebounds, including the dagger free throws to put the Magic up by 4, then a jumper for the final verdict of a 109-103 preseason victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.

The Hawks were up 27-26 after the first quarter, but the Magic opened up a 39-29 lead 4 1/2 minutes into the second quarter. Johnson took over, scoring 10 points in the last 5 1/2 minutes of the half to pull the Hawks to 54-53 at the break.

Joe Johnson, who led the Hawks with 26 points, hit a 3-pointer with 1:10 remaining to pull the Hawks to 102-100. Howard responded with a 5-foot turnaround jumper to make it 104-100 with 54 seconds remaining.

Johnson followed with another 3, leaving the Hawks a point down, but the Atlanta star missed a 12-footer with 27 seconds left for the lead. Howard got the rebound and was fouled. He made one of two free throws.

The Hawks had one more chance, but Mike Bibby missed a long jumper with 15 seconds remaining. Rashard Lewis hit two free throws to clinch it, and added two more for the final margin.

Johnson also had seven rebounds and five assists. Josh Smith added 13 points and five assists, Al Horford had 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Bibby scored 13 points and doled out five assists.

Randolph Morris! the Sekou Smith beatblog favorite played the most significant minutes of his young NBA career last night. He played 17:36 at center, more than starter ZaZa Pachulia, 14:19, and had a much better stat line: 8 pts 3 rbs 1 ast, 7 pts 2 rbs.

Courtney Lee had the most impactful 13 points and 4 rebounds of any rookie i've ever seen, he plays a role similar to our sixth man, Flip Murray, if he is the Magic's sixth man he is going to give teams fits. He played crucial minutes in the 4th quarter and got such clutch rebounds. All of his points seemingly came from driving backboard layups, he shot no free throws, 1 of 2 from 3.

Orlando improved to 5-1 in the preseason, while the Hawks dropped to 4-3.

Hawks start Training Camp with new Swagger

With pictures snapping during the start of the 2008-2009 season training camp, there was a new air among the players. Excitement, condidence, and high expectations flowed in communication verbally and physically, especially the starting lineup of this season's Hawks.

Mike Bibby - Joe Johnson - Marvin Williams - Josh Smith - Al Horford

We at playoffshawks have already analyzed the performances of each player induvidually and collectively last season, many other atlanta sports writers have done the same in more statistical detail, but now it is time for their play to speak for itself. I had a vision of the 08-09 Hawks playing like a well oiled machine, like the 04 Championship Pistons, no one-two scoring option, no LeBron, more like everybody plays in-synch and shares the ball, no one cares to average 20 pts or be the leading scorer, everyone just wants to win, sort of like the 08 Celtics... Now, NO ONE is suggesting the Hawks will go 66-16 this season and win the championship (that would probably cause The Rapture, and the world would surely come to an end), but this Hawks team is capable of winning 47 games, +10 improvement from last season, only a few things are dependant on that occuring this season:

1. DO NOT trade Mike Bibby at mid-season. We all know Bibby is an expirer, but for the love of God do not treat these players like just product. We all understand this is a business, and we all want to improve the team, but chemistry and leadership are the main ingridients to a championship, and though the Hawks may or may not even get to the Finals with this core, it is not outside the realm of possibility with Mike Bibby. Play Bibby the whole season, then decide whether not to give a extention, or let him go and sign another great, better point guard.

2. Josh Smith's leadership.

3. Joe Johnson's consistency.

4. Al Horford's swagger

5. Marvin Williams' continued development.

6. Bench

7. Coach

2008-2009 Season Preview, Atlanta Hawks, Eastern Conference Assessment Predictions

Southeastern Division:





Orlando Magic ( 52-30)


The Orlando Magic are better this season than they've ever been and the Magic are the #2 seed in the eastern conference and a legitimate championship contender at least the eastern conference. Alot of people are feeling that Micheal Pietrus, a 6-6 G/F with GS last season, will not be a significant upgrade over Maurice Evans. I think that Pietrus will be at least as good as Evans and start at SG to add stability to their team, consistent shooting and slashing ability that will make requirement-doubling Dwight Howard a big price to pay, if he learns to hit his free throws(68.6% FTs). Courtney Lee will be a good player, he will probably play sparingly, but will score and play defense. and Anthony Johnson is a highly underrated 34 year old point guard, he was always a veteran leader on the hawks and played strong and clutch down the stretch of those few and far wins, and he hasn't slowed down a bit, playing big minutes for the Magic. Kenyon Dooling was a decent guard (not PG) who could shoot but he was always a additude problem and felt he was better than he was, the Magic will not miss him, and the other best bench player, Kieth Bogans will be better in his place. Rashard Lewis (31) will be better, Hedu Turkoglu(29) will play better but score less points than last season, and Jameer Nelson(25) will be the Derek Fisher point guard leader, scoring and passing well, hitting free throws, and making good decisions.


and this is all outside the gold-medal DWIGHT HOWARD factor, whom will average
25.5 ppg 14.9 rpg 2.5 asts 2.1 blks 60.1% FGs 67.2% FTs
being the team leader offensively and defensively to make him an MVP candidate






Washington Wizards (50-32)
Gilbert Arenas is never going to stop talking, his perspective is one of the realist voices and he is one wildest personalities in the NBA, but his game is about to talk alot louder than he will. Gilbert Arenas is still the man on that team, he is going to adjust his game to fascilitate and score as great as he knows he can, but it all starts with GILBERT, it all depends on him if he can make the BIG three of Caron Butler, Antwan Jamison, and Agent Zero ALL all-stars and have their best season in franchise history, and the pieces around those three aren't too bad either. Deshawn Stevenson kept us entertained while Gilbert was gone, he made himself an important role player on this team, and now he has to adjust his play with Gilbert, he should score a little less but still hit make big plays and get Gilbert the ball for big shots. The young boys of the Wizards are gonna improve and play big minutes this season, Nick Young and Andrey Blatche. Blatche is already really underrated as a 22-year-old 6-11 small forward matchup nightmare on offense or defense, he is going to play more with 23-year-old Nick Young, the second year ROY contender. Brenden Haywood will be solid as usual, Etan Thomas is back so we hope they don't fist fight again, but if they share the center they'll both be solid, we're pretty dure Antonio Daniels is still there, but we don't care because in order for this team to be great its going to take the following:


Gilbert Arenas - 25.5 ppg 4.3 rpg 6.4 apg 44.3% FGs 36.7% 3pt FGs 80.1% FTs
Caron Butler - 20.3 ppg 5.6 rpg 3.4 apg 46.1% FGs 27.3% 3pt FGs 83.4% FTs
Antwan Jamison - 17.4 ppg 9.3 rpg 2.1 apg 45.3% FGs 36.4% 3pt FGs 74.2% FTs


Miami Heat (30-52)


Dwayne Wade is (probably) the best guard player in the NBA, he could very well be the second coming of Micheal Jordan, score 35 ppg this season, and lead the NBA-worst, used-to-be-champion Miami Heat to respectability and playoffs in 2009. Problem is, if he does he will need Jamaal Magloire and Udonis Haslem to play defense, the rookies, Mario Chalmers and Micheal Beasley to play their role, and James Jones to hit threes off the bench, i.e James Posey. And they can do it, maybe Micheal Beasley is as good as some say he is, he could average 17 pts 7 rbs and be the Rookie of the year, maybe Shawn Marion won't get traded even though he and Beasley are the same man Marion will play PF and average 17 pts 10 rbs, Jamaal Magloire will be reborn at 30 and averag 9 pts 9 rbs and Mario Chalmers starts and is rookie of the year candidate with Beasley averaging 10 pts 4 rbs 5 asts, i.e Rajon Rondo. Maybe James Jones is a 6th man of the year candidate and averages 10 pts off the bench and leads the league in 3pt FG%, maybe Alonzo Mourning DOESN'T get bought out to play for a real contender, and plays backup to Jamaal Magloire or Mark Blount......and plays his heart(no pun) out.


But in order for any of this to be a possibility, it all starts with gold medal Dwayne Wade, being the best PER player in the league and a likely MVP award winner averaging

Dwayne Wade - 33.4 ppg 5.4 rpg 5.4 apg 52.4% FGs 32.3% 3pt FGs 85.1% FTs

Charlotte Bobcats (27-55)




Sigh. Micheal Jordan, Larry Brown, and Bob Johnson is a train wreck in immediate unfolding. This is a team that looks good on the surface but when the surface is seen through you realize that this is a franchise that has not yet achieved respectability yet. Larry Brown is going to prove himself as a curse to young teams and give this franchise its worst record since its first year in business. D.J Augustine is a good player, but he will not be good until and only until he leaves that situation, he and Raymond Felton are going to beef, Adam Morrison is going to play big minutes and Gerald Wallace is going to demand a trade. Jason Richardson will remain good, averaging 20 ppg, but in the attempted development of Adam Morrison, Richardson will take less control of the team and turn Vince Carter, just not caring. Now, the focal point of the defense, and maybe one day the offense, Emeka Okafor, will also play up to his contract, he may have a career year, and he is the deciding factor on whether or not the Bobcats will completely suck or just be bad, if he's good (15 ppg 10 rpg) the Bobcats will only be bad, but its set in stone, the Bobcats will be at least bad. Sorry, fans.


Emeka Okafor - 15.2 ppg 10.1 rpg 2.1 bpg 52.1% FGs 67.8% FTs
Jason Richardson - 18.7 ppg 5.1 rpg 3.2 apg 44.3% FGs 38.1% 3pt FGs 71.2% FTs
Gerald Wallace - 16.2 ppg 7.1 rpg 2.1 apg 1.8 spg 43.2% FGs 78.2% FTs



THE Atlanta Hawks (47-35)




The Atlanta Hawks, its our year baby. I speak as a general basketball fan first, knowledge and realistic expectation second, and hometown fan bias last. And with that being said, i think the Hawks are going to increase their win total by at least 8, but im betting 10, and i'm going to explain why. The Atlanta Hawks spent the first 20 games of the season, tinkering with the lineup, trying to find the best players for positions and matchups, often Anthony Johnson and Tyronne Lue started at PG, when the Hawks got Bibby, they were 22-28. They took some getting used to on the road, when the Hawks went 4-11 before their first winning streak finished 11-7 for a 37-45 record and the #8 seed in the 'Leastern Conference'.This season, the starting center is no rookie, the PG situation is not unstable, joe johnson will not be injured and Josh Smith, the leader offensively and defensively for this team will have his best season yet again. Mike Bibby will be the good PG consistently the Hawks have lacked since Jason Terry, he will be the leader to improve his teammates with passing first, scoring second. Joe Johnson is livid he wasn't chosen to be on Team USA, he will play consistently great like he always has, and be a third time all-star this year.


Mike Bibby - 14.5 ppg 4.5 rpg 6.5 apg 46.3% FGs 37.4% 3pt FGs 78.9% FTs
Joe Johnson - 20.3 ppg 4.2 rpg 5.2 apg 48.4% FGs 39.7% 3pt FGs 82.1% FTs
Marvin Williams - 12.2 ppg 5.2 rpg 2.3 apg 43.1% FGs 32.3% 3pt FGs 76.4% FTs
Josh Smith - 20.8 ppg 9.2 rpg 3.3 apg 3.1 bpg 2.1 spg 48.9% FGs 33.7% 3pt FGs 81.3% FTs
Al Horford - 14.2 ppg 10.4 rpg 2.1 apg 1.4 bpg 1.2 spg 51.4% FGs 80.1% FTs
bench

Maurice Evans 8.7 ppg 3.2 rpg 3.2 apg
Flip Murray 6.5 ppg 2.3 rpg 2.1 apg
Zaza Pachulia 5.1 ppg 4.8 rpg
Acie Law IV 4.2 ppg 3.2 apg
Jeremy Richarson 2.3 ppg
Randolph Morris 1.4 ppg 2.2 rpg



Southeast Division:

Orlando Magic (52-30)
Washington Wizards (50-32)
Miami Heat (30-52)
Charlotte Bobcats (27-55)
Atlanta Hawks (47-35)






Atlantic Division:

Boston Celtics (58-24)
Toronto Raptors (48-34)
Philiadelphia 76ers (50-32)
New York Knicks (24-58)
New Jersey Nets (18-64)



Central Division:

Chicago Bulls (44-38)
Cleveland Cavaliers (51-31)
Detroit Pistons (48-34)
Indiana Pacers (30-52)
Milwalkee Bucks (40-42)





1.celtics
2. magic
3. cavs
4. wizards
5. 76ers
6. pistons
7. raptors
8. hawks

GM Rick Sund signs Flip Murray, Atlanta Hawks starting to look like a team...

its a beautiful day in sports worldwide, the most beautiful sports event ever is in full effect, as is basketball for the USA and the NBA off-season

team usa is dominating in every game (except australia, we'll get them back later), it's too bad we didn't see Childress play with Greece to be dominated with the rest of them, that would make him home sweet home real soon, lol, but i hope Josh Childress is the star player and MVP of that team and league, so when he comes back to the hawks it would be monumental

the hawks are moving on without Childress for now though, GM Rick Sund continuing to explore the free agent market and make good decisions. GM Rick Sund recently signed Flip Murray, a 6'3 combo guard who played well in indiana and detroit, to be a veteran leader, scorer off the bench. Mike Woodson and Flip are on one accord (for now) and the hawks team is looking very strong for this upcoming season. There had been questions of team chemistry in the past, urgenct contract matters of important parts of the team and organization were rightfully a concern, after the resignation of the man that drafted and traded for all of the current hawks players of today, we chose someone we felt could make good decisions for the organization and team, and even though we have gone through the ludacris of Josh Childress, there seems to be some method to the madness after all.

This is a realistic opinion prediction of the Atlanta Hawks and the Southeast Division, i am a hawks blogger that believes Josh Smith is the best player on the team, Mike Woodson is the man for the job (for now) and the Hawks could win 45+ games this upcoming season, realisticly.

Southeast Division Alalysis:

Orlando Magic

Washington Wizards

Miami Heat

Charlotte Bobcats

this is actually going to be detailed analysis of the atlanta hawks of this season, , all factors considered:

coach Mike Woodson the hawks are better defensively than they have ever been, they play with a new confidence and swagger they gained in the playoffs, great home record, but also impressively winning on the road against teams that aren't supposed to lose to the hawks at home, earning the hawks some respect. believe it or not, Mike Woodson is not that bad. he actually has the favor and some respect of some of his players, and this team wants to be a defensive force, and believe it or not, mike was an intricate part of 04 Detroit Pistons championship defensive identity, hey if Doc Rivers can do it why not mike?

predicted team record : 47-35

Joe Johnson3x all-star

previous season stats: 21.7 ppg 4.5 rpg 5.8 apg 43.2% FGs 38.1% 3pt FGs 83.4% FTs

joe johnson is the leader of this team, mr. consistent has proven to be a top 10 SG in this league and one of the best all-around players in the nba. he improved hisp lay this season by increasing his FG and 3pt % by taking less shots and better shots, also formed a dynamic duo with Josh Smith, making plays for each other in the games, making opponents pay for double teaming him.
predicted next season stats: 20.2 pts 5.0 rbs 5.5 asts 48.2% FGs 40.1% 3pt FGs 85% FTs

Josh Smithall-star. dpoy.

previous season stats:17.2 ppg 8.2 rpg 3.4 apg 2.8 bpg 1.5 spg 45.9% FGs 25.3% 3pt FGs 71.1% FTs
Joshes improved shot selection and free throw shooting is what game him his first all-star selection and his continued improvement, focus on defense is what got him his first defensive player of the year award. after continuing to make his place in nba history as the first forward to average 3 bpg of all-time, and having an unstoppable in-the-paint game, josh also improved his game by being able to hit that 12-15 foot jumpshot, and he improved his 3pt shooting percentage, rightfully leading this young hawks team defensively and offensively.

predicted next season stats: 22.2 pts 8.3 rbs 3.0 asts 3.1 blks 2.1 stls 48.4% FGs 34.7% 3pt FGs 80.4% FTs

Al Horford

previous season stats: 10.1 ppg 9.7 rpg 1.5 apg 49.9% FGs 73.4% FTs

al horford and josh smith make the defensive identity of this hawks team, horford was one of the best rookies in the league last season and he proves his elite status in the east with improved play on both ends of the court, still playing the center position he has improved his jumpshot and led the hawks in scoring in 10 games this season, he is the leading rebounder on the team and 6th in rebounding in the league

predicted next season stats: 16.5 pts 11.3 rbs 2.0 asts 2.0 blks 50.4% FGs 82.1% FTs

Mike Bibbyprevious season stats: 13.9 ppg 3.5 rpg 6.0 apg 41.1% FGs 37.5% 3pt FGs 78.1% FTs

mike bibby is a solid point guard with good descision making skills, he has evolved as a passer because he elects to be more of a distributing PG first, scoring second. bibby is in the final year of his contract and he knows he wont be kept by the hawks so he is doing the best he can to help them win this season and in the post-season
predicted next season stats: 14.1 pts 4.1 rbs 6.2 asts 44.4% FGs 33.7% 3pt FGs 78.4% FTs

Marvin Williamsprevious season stats: 14.8 ppg 5.7 rpg 1.7 apg 46.2% FGs 10.1% 3pt FGs 82.2% FTs

marvin williams is a very bad player, he is very ackward inconsistent with no real specialty to his game, unless you consider a 12 foot jumpshot a specialty. he takes a step back this season with the improved play of josh smith and lack of josh childress, marvins minutes decline and so does his overall contribution to the team, he is not expected to be retained in the 09 off-season
predicted next season stats: 12.2 pts 4.3 rbs 2.1 asts 43.2% FGs 31.2% 3pt FGs

bench

Maurice Evans

previous season stats: 9.0 ppg 3.0 rpg 1.0 apg 48.1% FGs 38.8% 3pt FGs 71.2% FTs
mo evans turned out to be a great signing, bringing experienced veteran leadership, poise, and good shooting to the team, he is the teams 2nd most accurate 3 pt shooter, something childress could not provide, and he scores just as many points
predicted next season stats: 10.1 pts 3.1 rbs 2.3 asts 45.2% FGs 37.4 3pt FGs 78.3% FTs

Flip Murray

previous season stats: 9.4 ppg 2.0 rpg 3.5 apg 42.1% FGs 31.1% 3pt FGs 69.4% FTs
Flip Murray is pretty good for our team, he doesn't play as often because of his combo guard style of play, he is a pretty good scorer though, his veteran leadership is appreciated
predicted next season stats: 6.0 pts 2.1 rbs 1.3 asts

Acie Law IV

previous season stats: 4.2 ppg 2.1 apg

Acie Law wanted to really redeem himself this season, he did okay as the primary backup to mike bibby, but due to he splitting time with speedy claxton he did not get consistent minutes, acie law continues to be frustrated, he will be even more frustrated when bibby leaves and we sign someone else to be the starting pg
predicted next season stats: 6.1 pts 2.3 rbs 3.1 asts

Zaza Pachulia

previous season stats:
5.2 ppg 4.2 rpg

ZaZa is an intrigal part of this Hawks bench, he is our token foreign big man from the great republic of georgia, after being devestated by the war in his country, and due to the swagger shown in the playoffs, he is a fan favorite, and always brings aggresive play and good plays
predicted next season stats: 6.4 pts 6.5 rbs 2.3 asts 47.2% FGs 81% FTs

Randolph Morrisprevious season stats: irrelevent

this is a learning experience for morris, he is competing from the bench to be the starting center for the team when marvin leaves, he must lose alot of weight and become a more skilled passer, shot-blocker first, he will need to be a diop type enforcer center, not expected to be a scorer
predicted next season stats: 4.5 pts 3.4 rbs 1.1 blks

Jeremy Richardson
previous season stats:
Jeremy is a good role bench player, he is a SG/SF scorer, he is a good shooter, free throws, 3 pts, driving to the basket, and even a good defensive player
predicted next season stats:

Speedy Claxton
summer league stats:
predicted next season stats:


in conclusion, i am highlighting this hawks team because i see a eastern conference contender in the making, we got our big three, good PG (for now) and good center in the making, what will become one of the best benches in the league, i can see this occuring