Archive for February, 2010

Take a breath. Whew….made it back from that road trip without too many scars, and the road record stands at .500.

Maybe now the Hawks can do something they haven’t done since early/mid December. Namely, go on a winning streak that lasts more than 3 games. The Hawks have done it twice this season, but they could use another one. It comes harder down the stretch run but an actual win streak of more than 3 games breeds such confidence. And continuity. Consistence. Uh-oh, there goes that “C” word again. The one that haunts this team and leaves fans, experts, and even casual observers wondering if Atlanta can be more than just a dangerous squad that is better than the rest.

So can it be done?

Having ended a 17 year drought in Utah, the Hawks should be well on their way. Tonight, they face Minnesota, a team that is still struggling mightily. Next will be Dallas, which figures to be the toughest of the next 6 games. After that is a possible trap game against Milwaukee, which will …

Continue reading Looking for another good winning streak »

Okay, that’s more of a “get well soon” wish than it is a dramatic headline.

Not that the Hawks can’t win a game against an inferior opponent without their super sub, but I think we’d all like to see Jamal back to full health, wouldn’t we? But that’s not the only return. Jamal gets to face his old squad tomorrow night, a bunch of guys whom he probably has no ill will for. His old coach? That’s likely another matter altogether. And yet, there is a very low chance that there will be any drama, as Jamal has been nothing but a class act in Atlanta. If anything, he is happy to be winning finally, and would probably like to forget about where he has been and what he has been through.

What You Might Remember

The last time the Hawks marched into Golden State, they slunk back out with a five point loss in a shootout. While Al Horford was out, Zaza Pachulia came up with a serviceable 14 points and 8 rebounds. Marvin Williams played an effective 13 minutes, but never returned to the game. …

Continue reading Hawks vs Warriors: The return of Jamal »

I’m guessing a lot of folks won’t be up for tonight’s game against the L.A. Clippers, which takes place at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Which of course means that much of the chatter will be based on reading box scores and things of that sort. In the end, all that matters is whether there is a “W” or an “L” added to the record, right? Hah! Now what fun would it be if we didn’t split every hair and dissect every reason why we won or lost, or by how many points, or whatever other details we come across? At any rate, let’s go over Hawks vs. Clips for a minute or two, and talk about some other issues.

Joe’s The Man

If you’ve been reading Michael Cunningham’s articles, you’ll see that the normally reserved Joe Johnson has done a bit of talking during and after all-star weekend. For  a sample, here’s a link to some of MC Blog-a-lot’s (copyright, MannyT) latest stuff:

http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-hawks/cavs-look-to-load-306763.html

Now we’ve been through this a thousand times …

Continue reading Late night for “focused” Hawks »

So, how is everybody doing on all-star weekend?

If you’re like me, you’ve put more effort and attention on something else. Namely, Valentine’s Day. A full living room suite of furniture, a restructured garage, one glitzy expensive card, some chocolate-dipped strawberries and….wait a minute. Did I even get anything today? Maybe I’ll have to settle for watching the All-Star game in peace. Heh. We’ll see. Truth be told, I didn’t care to watch Steve Nash prove to the young guns that his fundamentals are sharper than theirs, or Kevin Durant win a game of HORSE, or Nate Robinson be given the Slam Dunk Contest again just because he’s short (okay that was a low blow…uh, no pun intended…really, I mean it), and I still haven’t read to see who won the other stuff. But I will watch the game. Maybe. I might get waylaid by a romantic movie instead. Ah well. That’s what the DVR is for. I do regret missing the Rookie/Sophomore game, though.

Two Hawks For Once

So much of this game isn’t …

Continue reading All-star festivities and other noise »

After watching the Hawks fight somewhat gamely for the better part of the game, I began to believe they could pull it off. The last five minutes proved that thought wrong, at least for this game.

In the long line of steps it takes to become one of the best teams in the league, the Hawks have just discovered the latest: learning how to win when you’re short on manpower. It’s not easy, but that’s not the point is it? Wait a minute. Maybe it IS the point. Winning when you’re at full strength isn’t easy, but winning when you’re NOT at full strength is even harder. An old adage says that anything worthwhile is never easy. That seems to hold true in a lot of places, including the NBA, but I digress. Wednesday night’s loss to the Miami Heat looked a bit uglier in the end than it truely was. It also exposed Atlanta’s habits when faced with adversity, as well as the need to find other ways to counter such conditions. Was this loss just a case of missed shots? Shooting less than 38% …

Continue reading Can Hawks weather adverse conditions? »

….It seems that the NBA officials are against us. Some of the non-calls are just crazy. Last night’s game against the Chicago Bulls was one of the more egregious affairs, wherein the Hawks had twice the number of fouls as the Bulls, despite the symphony of flesh music that came even to the ears of those at home, every time Josh Smith grabbed a rebound in the 4th quarter. One of the most obvious examples was an Al Horford dunk off of a pick and roll play with Mike Bibby, in which Bulls forward Tyrus Thomas hung from Horford’s forearms like some desperate spider monkey. And 1, anybody? What is up with the calls, or lack thereof? Will the Hawks and their coaching staff finally begin standing up for themselves? In the case of Joe Johnson, a more aggressive style of play (which he has shown here lately) helps, but the man could stand to complain a bit more. But something has to give. Sooner or later. Preferably before the playoffs.

….Al Horford just doesn’t seem to be himself. …

Continue reading Dear Hawks fans: here lately… »

Swept the Boston Celtics for the season. Got swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder for the season.

Well, two games doesn’t make for a real “sweep” in my opinion, or maybe that’s the stubborn, homer-ish Hawk fan in me. Either way, the Thunder beat us both times we played them this season. After losing to them at home, was it reasonable to expect a win against them on the road? Maybe not, but winning on the road is an integral part of a very good team, and it’s also the goal set by General Manager Rick Sund and Head Coach Mike Woodson. As it stands now, the Hawks have gone 6-4 in their last ten games. However, they have also seen their road record sink below .500 (11-12) and have now lost two straight, watching themselves slip back down past Boston by a half game, dropping them to 4th in the East.  A chance to rectify some of that presents itself this very evening, with a matchup against the L.A. Clippers.

HAWKS VS CLIPPERS

Is there a franchise with worse luck? Some hope was …

Continue reading Hawks look to Clip short losing streak »