Hawks Fan Nest

Ladies and Gentlemen, YOUR Atlanta Hawks!!!!

Going in to tonight’s tilt against D. Wade and the Heat, the Hawks are 9-2 and a mere half-game behind Phoenix for the best record (the BEST record!) in the NBA!  I’d ask “who’d a thunk it?”, but I know there are a lot of true believers/blog regulars who are ready to step forward and take credit for such foresight.  Additionally, a few folks on the national hoops’ media scene have added to the excitement by placing the Hawks at the top of their “power” rankings.

Heady stuff, indeed!

So now we are at the place where folks start to  draw conclusions about just what such a hot start means for the Hawks, and their potential for this NBA season.  Truth is that no one knows how the following 71 games will turn out.

No one.

The coaches and players would be the first to say that the literal value of such a tremendous start is that we’re 7 games over .500 and that their confidence is sky high, which IS important to any team on the way …

Continue reading Hawks Soaring, Prepare to Feel the Heat! »

Few things are more energizing to a team than a winning streak. Ten games into the season, the Hawks have a record of 8-2, including three winning streaks. Better yet, they have NO losing streaks.

Granted, ten games is not a big sample size. That’s really not even quite a tenth of the season, but short of going undefeated, there’s hardly a better start the Hawks could hope for. They’ve won at home, and they’ve won on the road. Consistently. Then again, perhaps we should revisit this after twenty games, when the season is then nearly a quarter of the way finished. Things will get tougher as the season wears on, but the optimist in us whispers that it won’t just get tougher for the Hawks. It will get tougher for every team in the League. Already, some teams have succumbed to the dreaded injury bug. While we don’t wish that on anyone (ok, we shouldn’t….if you are, then keep those unsportsmanlike thoughts to yourself), I think we can agree that our prayers are going all into one …

Continue reading Wins in a row is the way to go »

After dispatching a tired Denver Nuggets team in fine fashion, the Atlanta Hawks head north for a couple more road games against Boston and New York.

Both teams present different challenges, despite what their altogether different records might indicate. But before we explore that idea, let’s quickly review the game against Denver. First of all, winning by 25 points is great. But as team captain Joe Johnson noted, that’s not the whole story. In a way, the Hawks did precisely what they were supposed to do (win the game), and nothing more. If you want to solidify the idea that you are a good team, then you are supposed to beat up on another team that is more road weary than you, and missing two starters to boot. The offense looked good for the most part, but there are still issues on defense. Giving up 100 points to a team that was missing 10 ppg from one guy, and potentially 19 ppg from another (J.R. Smith’s scoring average from last year)? Not good.

Moving on to New York and …

Continue reading Hawks look to avoid northern exposure »

When the Denver Nuggets visit Phillips Arena this evening, they’ll present yet another “first” this season for the Hawks. The first real challenge at home, that is. Having thrown in their card as a legit contender for the Western crown last year, the Nuggets are assumed a contender again this season. No doubt a 5-1 start has done nothing to dissuade such a notion, despite a mild hiccup in Miami last night. Meanwhile, the Hawks would like to become part of the conversation when it comes to talking about legit contenders. Winning more on the road is the next step to winning 50 or more games, but winning games at home against tough opponents is also something the Hawks have to learn to do. Why? Because what you learn to do now is what you will repeat in the postseason. If the Hawks want to meet with better success in the postseason, this is where it starts. A win against the Nuggets would be the first step on that path, making this a golden opportunity. Anyway, let’s look at …

Continue reading Nuggets present golden opportunity »

What is it about the Charlotte Bobcats that gives us so much trouble? It’s not a divisional rivalry thing. Georgia and North Carolina are not neighboring states, so it’s not that either. So what is it?

Maybe it’s Larry Brown. No, it can’t be that, because we’ve ALWAYS had trouble with these guys. Then again, maybe it is, as we have one of his pupils (though I’m not sure which trait or skill  his pupil latched onto exactly) coaching the Hawks.

Or how about Gerald Wallace? Yeah, that’s got to be it. That guy gives us trouble every single time we see him. Yet Wallace is not exactly a one-man wrecking crew,  so that’s not a good explanation either. Is it how the Hawks match up with the ‘Cats? Well, whatever the deal is, the trend is continuing as we see the Hawks down by double figures to the Bobcats at halftime.

The easiest alibi would be to say that the team is tired after a 3 game west coast trip. The only problem is, every team has to deal with things like that, several …

Continue reading These guys again?! »

Today, the Hawks get a shot at an old foe, an old adversary that’s been around for as long as anyone can remember. One they’ve never been able to best, at least in more recent years.

Are we talking about the Lakers? Not precisely. We’re talking about….THE ROAD.

While this year’s early west coast swing isn’t quite as daunting as last year’s visit to the Texas Triangle (which was actually almost 20 games into the season), it’s still….THE ROAD.

Rick Sund and Mike Woodson talk about the Hawks winning 50 games or more, and how doing better on the road is the second, and perhaps more pivotal key to doing just that. Well, if the Hawks want to change their fortunes away from home, now is the time to do it. Most teams are not quite in fine form this early in the season, and have some inconsistency issues. Mighty San Antonio proved that by avering 113 points in near-20 point wins over Sacramento and New Orleans, contrasted with a 92-85 loss to Chicago. While entirely explainable, …

Continue reading Hawks take first swing at old foe »

Wow, who are these guys?!

As all of you must know, the Hawks opened the regular season with a 120-109 home court victory over what looked to be, before tip-off, an inferior Indiana Pacers squad.  After opening a lot of eyes in the preseason, by crossing the century mark 5 times, the Hawks cranked it up like the 1990-91 Denver Nuggets.  Was that Mike Woodson prowling the sidelines, or Mike Westhead.  For those of you unfamiliar with the Paul Westhead-coached Nuggets of that season, they averaged just under 120 point per game.  Unfortunately, they gave up 130 and won only 20 games.

Now, clearly, coming off of last season, where the Hawks nailed down the fourth seed in the East, and had their best season in over a decade, there are no concerns about the Hawks “running and gunning” their way back to the basement of the conference.  But the lack of defense, especially coming from a Woodson-coached team (with his track record as a “defensive” coach not only well established, …

Continue reading Hawks Party Like a Ferrari! »

Well, here we go at last! The regular season begins for the Atlanta Hawks in two days, and it starts with two games at home against Eastern Conference opponents, followed by a 4 game swing out west. Hawks fans couldn’t ask for a much better way to begin the season than to have the first two games at home. Well, a victory would sure be nice. Two victories would be even better. In fact, that should be the expectation, particularly because the Hawks played pretty well at home last season, and certainly finished the season better than the two teams they’ll face first this season.

Up first is the Indiana Pacers, a team that is most likely doomed to struggle this season, particularly without forward Mike Dunleavy. Danny Granger will get his points and Troy Murphy will get his rebounds. Jeff Foster will be tough and solid. Roy Hibbert showed himself to be serviceable in somewhat limited minutes last season. TJ Ford is quick and can score a little on his own. Beyond that, the …

Continue reading Opening “The Factory” against the Pacers »

Wow.

I just got back from reading Sekou Smith’s (the Hawks awesome beat writer) blog, and….I don’t believe I’ve ever seen this many well-wishers for guys who were looking to make the Hawks squad out of training camp. Is that really how far things have come? I mean, we talk about the evolution of this team, this organization, this coaching staff. But how about this fan base? Have we evolved along with this team as well? I think most of us can agree that we’ve complained about plenty of things in the past. And there are some things we STILL complain about. We’re fans. We pay for a product, we all want to see what we want to see, and we all have an opinion, though that tends to vary from person to person. Still, seeing that many people posting actual heartfelt replies about guys who we knew were longshots to make the roster says something. Maybe this entire Hawks culture is changing. Maybe we as fans are turning the page.

Uh, okay. Let me pump the brakes on that one. Fact is, …

Continue reading Turning the page »

“Remember, Woody always sounds good this time of year,” longtime Hawks fan MannyT remarked to me once, in a response to an admittedly overly exuberant blog post by yours truly. 

All too true. I’d been a bit too excited over some of the things Hawks head coach Mike Woodson had been saying (hey, in my weak defense, they were things we hadn’t heard from him the whole time he’s been here), when my fellow Hawkster brought me back to earth. Was I guilty of being overly bouyant? Probably.

Let’s review a bit. We’ve heard that we’re going to run more. Put simply, it didn’t happen. Oh sure, we tried it for a couple of games. Then things got a bit shaky, and right back to walk-it-up offense we went. Again, it’s a debate. Were the Hawks not running because they simply weren’t ready, or were they not ready because they didn’t push through the inevitable misfires that come when a team begins to consistently run a fast break for the first time?

How about the edict that we must find ways …

Continue reading Past promises must become future deliveries »