Atlanta Hawks NEED Shaq, Shaq NEEDS the Atlanta Hawks

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....

Hawks trade Marvin Williams, Jamal Crawford, and Mike Bibby for Chris Paul and Emeka Okafor

SuperHawks route lowly Timberwolves in 'Sota, 20-7, ties best start in franchise history

26 28 27 31 | 112
17 24 28 18 | 87

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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.

It can happen, stay tuned.

Denver Nuggets (19-9) tomorrow.

New Era DJ for tha New Era Championship contender Hawks, (18-6 .750, 1st in Southeast division, 2nd in Eastern Conference)

Can we get some love for the Atlanta Hawks Please?!
18-6 1st in Southeast Division, 2nd in Eastern Conference, 3rd in the league


It is a great day and time to be an Atlanta Hawks fan, the fandom of the people of the city is at an all time high, the atmosphere has become an aura of beaming smiles of pride, excitement and laughter of glee and bliss because, after 5 short years this Mike Woodson, Josh Smith Atlanta Hawks are truely, undisputedly one of the best teams in the NBA and a true NBA championship contender.

It is amazing, almost surreal this year in 2009-2010, the team that the Atlanta Hawks have become; Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, Mike Bibby, Al Horford, Marvin Williams, Jamal Crawford, Zaza Pachulia, Mo Evans, Joe Smith, Jeff Teague, Randolph Morris, Othello Hunter, Jason Collins. These 13 are an exceptional group of personnel on paper alone;

Mike Bibby(31 yrs 6-1 195lbs,12th)9.6ppg 2.7rpg 4.0apg 43.8%FGs 43.3%3ptFGs 81.1%FTs

Mike Bibby, in his 12th season is a great offensive coordination point guard, he has the ability to score 20+ ppg but with these Hawks he is great at making great plays with everyone on the floor involved in the offense, evident by the team making 22.3 apg, and although Bibby is averaging career lows in ppg, fga, and apg, he is also averaging a career low mpg at 28.3, afforded by great guard play in Crawford and Teague, also by Hawks 6 20+ blowouts against opponents already this season

Joe Johnson (28 yrs 6-7 240 lbs, 9th) 21.2 ppg 5.0 rpg 5.3 apg 45.5%FGs 87.9%FTs
Joe Johnson, Joe Johnson. The person of interest in the embarrassing Atlanta Spirit fiasco on whether he was franchise player and worth Boris Diaw and 2 (conditional) 1st round picks. In his 9th season as a pro and his 5th as a Hawk, Johnson has been great and consistent, he is one of 3 players in the league averaging 20+ ppg 5+ rpg 5+ apg, he has scored 30+ 9 times, 8 wins, he is playing extremely well this season, showing a greater sense of defensive and offensive awareness, he is averaging a career high FT%, rpg, and, after leading the league in mpg in the past 3 season, is averaging a career-low mpg (37.1) as a Hawk.

Marvin Williams(23 yrs 6-9 245 lbs, 5th)10.3 ppg 5.3 rpg 42.3%FGs 35.5% 3ptFGs 81%FTs
Marvin Williams. Once used to be the butt of many jokes about what could have been with a Paul-Johnson-Smith core, Marvin Williams has been carving his niche in the game as a forward. He is an excellent defender and a good scorer, shooter, he has high basketball IQ and knows how to make the right play. He began starting at the SF position in 06-07 and averaged 13 ppg 6 rpg, he hits 84% FTs and he has expanded his range out to the 3 point line, shooting 37.7% last season and 35.5% this season. Marvin Williams is a great core piece of the balanced scoring team that the Hawks have become, he never plays for stats and always plays hard.

Josh Smith(24 yrs 6-9 245 lbs, 6th)15.3 ppg 8.4 rpg 3.6 apg 2.5 bpg 1.6 spg 51.7%FGs
Josh Smith, Josh Smith. This guy has been the blunt of alot of scrutiny over the years, takes too many jumpshots, can't hit free throws, bad attitude, problems with Coach Woodson





after starting the season with 2 wins by 11, the Hawks were tested against the Lakers, whom were without Gasol, they played well in the 1st half, but were outscored 34-18 in the 3rd, final score 118-100. The Hawks then go into Portland and win 97-91 behind balanced scoring, 46-36 rebounding advantage, and Jamal Crawford's game-high 27

They then went into Sacromento and won 113-105 and felt good going into Charlotte, the Bobcats showed their improvement and suprised Atlanta, losing 103-83 behind Raja Bell's 24 and Gerald Wallace 11 pts 18 rbs.

The Hawks went back to Atlanta motivated against the Denver Nuggets, and won handily 125-100 behind Josh SMith 22pts/9rbs/7asts/6blks, Joe Johnson 22pts/7rbs/5asts, Al Horford 11pts/13rbs/5asts, and 7 players in double figures, starting a 7 game win streak including beating Knicks by 13, Celtics (in Boston) by 11, Hornets by 23, Blazers (in Portland, again) by 4, Heat by 15, and Rockets by 2 in a buzzer-beating dunk by Josh SMith.

Hawks slept on the Chris Paul-less Hornets, as any team would, not expect a rookie to DO Chris, leading the team with 22pts11asts, they then had a 5 days layoff to prepare for division leading Orlando Magic on Thanksgiving Day. The Hawks played a great first half, they were winning at 51-39. No one still can explain how they came out in the 2nd half with half the amount of energy and scored a measley 25 pts TOTAL in the 2nd half, losing 93-76, causing many people to dismiss them upon faliure of that test as a title contender.

Hawks then beat the 76ers, as they should have, 100-86, the Hawks then expected the same result visiting Detroit whom were without 3 starters; Tayshaun Prince, Richard Hamilton, and Will Bynum. They forgot about that final 04 championship piece whom has been invigorated by returning to his home franchise, Ben Wallace grabbed 18 rebounds, Rodney Stuckey scored 23, and the Hawks lost 94-88

In December, the Hawks are 7-1, beating the Raptors by 31, Mavericks (in Dallas) by 5, Bulls by 25, Raptors by 22, Nets by 23, and Memphis by 13

Spirit the Hawk takes flight onto the court, jynx Hawks(4), Wade put Heat(5) on fire from 3 to even series 1-1

Hawks 93 Heat 108
24 30 29 25
18 23 31 21

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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..)

CoCO writes a great blog entry about how the writing was on the scoreboard (figuratively and literally)

Hoopinon breaks down the loss and gives statistics as usual

the Human Highlight Blog shows how Wade made you look

i think the Hawks can and will win on the road in these playoffs, watch..game 3

the HomeCourt Advantaged PlayoffsHawks (4) SWARM Dwayne Wade's Heat(5) in Game 1

Hawks 90 Heat 64
21 18 18 7
24 35 17 14

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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.

My Prediction for the series is Hawks in 6.

See HawksDawgs colorful commentary, analysis of game 1, where Josh Smith has no regard for human life, and his victory bullets for that game.

See EVERYTHING at Lang Whitaker

For Micah Hart this game went better than he could have imagined

CoCo called this a good old fashioned ass whippin

WOW, Hoopinon critic barely gives Atlanta any credit for that win, basically saying the Hawks defensive performance provided a welcome relief to Hawks fans who'd spent the past week entertaining reasonable worries about this series

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.

See u at game 2