First blood?
The Heat have to be tired of seeing Josh Smith strike this pose!
HAWKSVILLE - We haven’t seen any in this Hawks-Heat series yet, but I can’t imagine we’ll make it another four quarters without it.
Someone has to draw first blood.
And I don’t mean the kind that comes from an accidental scratch on someone’s arm or a stray pass that cracks a guy in the mouth and causes a trickle off the side of mouth, Dracula style.
I’m talking about blood produced by a good ol’ fashioned, wicked “hard foul” served up playoff style (I keep seeing Heat backup center and wrestling superstar in waiting Jamaal Magloire in the middle of the scrum). My gut tells me we’re going to see one tonight in Game 2 at Philips Arena.
That said, no one is interested in cheap shots. That’s not at all what I’m talking about. But sooner or later you figure someone is going to catch someone else with a clean blow that draws blood (the Hawks have already handled that, figuratively, by dotting the Heat’s eye with that 26-point whippin’ Sunday night in Game 1) and the sight of that plasma will serve to inspire someone to play above and beyond their pay grade.
Forget that yarn about a series not really starting until the home team loses on its own floor. A good playoff series doesn’t start until someone gets clocked upside the head and the blood boils on both sides
There has to be some genuine disdain for each other for teams to compete at the required level to win in the postseason (the Hawks had to get their noses bloodied, figuratively, in Boston twice last year before standing up to the schoolyard bully of the league. I’m sure you remember Zaza Pachulia’s nose-to-nose with Kevin Garnett).
A slower, more physical and much more deliberate style in this series would certainly benefit the Heat, even with the great Dwyane Wade on their side. Because they showed Sunday night that allowing the Hawks, namely Josh Smith, to get to the rim unabated is bad business.
The Hawks are prepared for the increase in hand-to-hand combat. They noticed a spike in Game 1, after their lead reached 20 points and kept climbing after halftime. But that was just an appetizer for a Pat Riley-run production.
“We’re going to be ready for whatever comes our way,” Smith said. “We’re certainly not going to back down to anybody. We never have. And we’re a physical team, too.”
We’ll find out just how physical tonight, because the Heat’s goon squad will be deployed before they allow the Hawks to run wild again.
SOUTH FLORIDA REPORT
Our friends from greater Miami have been hard at work digging into the psyche of the Heat since their Game 1 meltdown and the results have been interesting (fingers have been pointed at everyone).
Miami Herald columnist Israel Gutierrez spotlighted two guys I think could sway the Heat’s fortunes in this series if they find a groove.
Palm Beach Post columnist Greg Stoda touched on Wade’s strange, second-half disappearance in Game 1, a complete departure for the league’s leading scorer. Don’t expect an encore.
Sun-Sentinel columnist Dave Hyde has two nice hits, one on “Udonis Beasley” and another on the unique connection between Al Horford and his father Tito Horford.
LAY OFF THE YOUNG FELLA
Being the keen observer of player development that I am, I’ve noticed the similarity in the way Michael Beasley is viewed, treated and examined by folks in Miami and the way Josh Smith was, is and continues to be viewed, treated and examined around here.
And it’s the same foolishness being mistaken for true player development around the league. The last time I checked, the Heat picked Beasley because they were in the lottery and not the other way around.
The fact is, when you spend all your time focusing on what a guy does that you don’t like, you conveniently ignore all the things they do well. And Beasley’s a marvelous offensive talent with an ability to both score and rebound at an incredibly high rate when he’s allowed to just play. But judging from his season stats and all the stuff written about his up and down rookie year, you’d think he was some project instead of one of the best pure talents to come out of the draft in recent years.
All this hand-wringing being done over Beasley’s immaturity, supposedly on and off the floor, is a colossal waste of time. The Heat would be better off letting the young fella play a little bit and correcting his mistakes constructively while also benefiting from the unique blend of skills he brings to their team (a team, mind you, that was in dire need of all of the above this time a year ago).
But instead, in true NBA fashion, folks are busy trashing the kid’s name, game and reputation in the name of “breaking him down to build him back up.” I know that routine and the dues-paying system that is supposed to be in place. And like I always have, I think it stinks.
That’s also why I love what Thunder general manager Sam Presti is doing with his youngsters in Oklahoma City. Sure, there’s plenty Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook have to to learn. Allowing them to do it in an environment where they can play to their potential and through their mistakes is much more sound in the long run than that “old school” approach. The Thunder’s method should be the blueprint and the rule rather than the exception.
SELLOUT BLUES …
Much has been made about the Hawks’ spirited campaign to sell out tonight’s game, and for good reason. The Hawks rarely get the national stage to themselves, so when they do, they want to make a good impression.
And for the record, Sunday’s crowd in Game 1 was fantastic. But there’s cache with a packed-to-the-rafters arena that the Hawks simply cannot claim on a consistent basis. Our esteemed friend and blog regular Stoned Mountain (he doesn’t post as much but he emails me with his thoughts regularly) offered up his own view of the Hawks’ predicament a few minutes ago. I’ll leave you with his thoughts (which are sure to be controversial to some):
Interesting that the Hawks don’t sell out, and in fact don’t get talked about much. The reason is pretty straight forward, I think.
What the Hawks do best is not crowd pleasing here.
At the game Sunday I found myself the only person around me applauding defense – grabbing rebounds, steals, forcing the opponent to exhaust the shot clock. Team work ain’t a big hit here. The only thing that interrupted their chatter was the occasional Josh dunk. Hitting 3’s gets polite applause but not ovations. They get a little excited at a steal and break away, mostly because they think a dunk is coming.
Not ’til late in the game, when the verdict is in doubt, do they get animated.
Certain teams get them excited – the Celtics and Kobe and LeBron.
But DWade and his sidekicks don’t do it.
Not a basketball town.
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504 comments Add your comment
kwooden1
April 22nd, 2009
11:37 pm
I hate the loss, but I think its part of the growth process for this team. Miami was hot from 3 and we were missing free throws and having bad 1/2 court sets. Miami isn’t going to shoot that well every game, so Wed is a winable game. I don’t think it will happen, but maybe ….. just maybe the HAWKS will sprout a half-courts because of this series.
Miami clearly wants no piece of the fast-break game with the HAWKS, so this game is going to be played in the half-court. If O’Neal plays really well this may be a really difficult series to win, but I don’t think thats going to happen.
Wade was embarrassed the last game and the bench was humilated. They came out like guys who can play basketball and did what the needed to do. The HAWKS have to play great defense and keep attacking the basket.
If Miami shoots 40% from 3 tonight, then the game is tied more than likely we win!!!
GO HAWKS!!!
freshd
April 22nd, 2009
11:38 pm
Just saw highights on ESPN of hawks and heat. They highlighted that the HEAT is 18-1 all time in the playoffs, when D-WADE scores 30 points or more. Stop WADE and win the series.
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
11:44 pm
Whoever said the series was over is obviously smoking rocks. Face it folks the Heat and Hawks are not consistent teams. We’ll split the games in Miami, and then close them out in the ATL. However, I really don’t trust the refs, so we really need to get two wins in Miami.
If it comes down to game 7, I trust the Hawks will show up Huge. The only problem is will the refs show up Huge. Call it what you want, but like I stated before the league wants to see Lebron vs Dwade.
Wassup Big Ray
Big Ray
April 23rd, 2009
12:02 am
Kirkinga,
No squishiness here! I agree. The series is tied 1-1, we’re not looking at 3-1 or anything like that. But we do need to prove we can win on the road. Losing this game made that a “must” situation. We can do it. We just have to get back to working hard and staying calm. And not letting guys toast us from the arc.
Also, those turnovers are killers. This is why you can’t stress defense, defense, defense, while ignoring the offense. Gotta take care of the ball and not panic our way into shooting jumpers (or letting two guys take all the shots when they can’t seem to buy a bucket).
We can do it. We just have to go down there and do it!
Big Ray
April 23rd, 2009
12:08 am
Lacsho,
Agreed on winning two in Miami. If we don’t, we have an issue. A big one.
As for Lebron and Wade, I think they want to see Lebron and Kobe more than that. Besides, the Heat would get crushed by Lebron and his Cavs, and I don’t think they want to see a whole sale slaughter. Wade’s performance would be nullified by Lebron’s. After that, it’s not a contest on any kind of level. Cavs are simply way better.
VOLMAN,
I don’t think it’s that simple. Miami won, what…42/43 games in the regular season? We are a better team in my opinion, but we’re not head-and-shoulders better. Cook is a streaky shooter, 19 and 6 from O’Neal was not an aberration (nor was it an exemplary performance), as he can do that any time he’s healthy enough and motivated. And Wade led the league in scoring.
They didn’t play way over their heads. We did not respect them properly in game 2, and let the snowball start rolling downhill. We didn’t work as hard as we did in game 1. And we didn’t adjust when we had to (and it wouldn’t have taken a big adjustment). We fell back on what we know: one or two guys trying to take all the shots, and missing more than half of them. Same old story, and you’d think we had learned by now.
That and some botched defensive assignments will kick your a$$ every time, especially against a team that has enough talent to give you some problems.
darrell starks
April 23rd, 2009
12:16 am
Series is over if you think the hawks can win on the road your kidding yourself when ever we play against good team on the road its like we are in another world and that come from alack of concentration. GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MAC-TOWN
April 23rd, 2009
12:20 am
I got a feeling tonight of 2 main things
1) D-Wade and the Heat had to come back strong after that embarrassment
2) I believe the Hawks kinda waited for the Heat to roll over and play dead instead of forcing the issue, as the heat gained the nice little lead in the 1st and own into the middle of the 2nd when they were draining 3s…It just looked like the hawks were expecting things to bounce their way and they didnt.
Before you know it, it was almost half time and D-Wade went into a flurry. Random opening buckets at the beginning of the 3rd pushed it up like to 15-18….THEN thats when the hawks decided to play.
DESPITE ALL OF THAT…they still almost won…but the heat kept up the 3 point shooting, the desperation one by wade, haslem’s TWO clutch jumpers…..and key misses all over the place for Joe in the fourth..including those 2 free throws missed and a missed 3 on the rebound…gettin his ball stole on the dribble..and missing some point blank shots.
Considering that and we still had it at 96-91 with a chance to cut it to 2 or 3……I feel ok….I GUESS.
I mean, logic tells ya the Hawks and Joe probably arent gonna be that bad again and the heat probably wont shoot that well and clutch again, but you never know!!!
Shocked, Bitter Cry Baby Live From Atlanta
April 23rd, 2009
12:31 am
It’s not fair! The refs glided in all those Wade 3s!
Wade was only good in the Olympics because of teh refs! I’m sooo tired of being sick and tired.
Half-court offense is so freakin’ cheap. My Hawks don’t know what that is!
Heat has no bench! Beasley and Cook are young nobodies! Wade’s not THAT good, JJ will cancel him out! JO is donezo!
I know all this because of Game 1!
Woodson’s bball brain >>>>>> Spolestra’s
Adjustments, baby, it’s all about adjustments!
Why come Horford sucks balls on offense? Why come Atlanta crowd quiet, odd, and lame? Why come Joe Johnson so horrible tonight? Why come J-smooth and Horford can’t guard Beasley? Knights of columbus! He’s just a rookie!
Najeh Davenpoop
April 23rd, 2009
12:31 am
Just got back from the game. A few observations:
1. Yeah, Wade was unbelievable, but he’s not the reason the Heat won. The Heat won today because the Hawks were one or two steps slow rotating on defense nearly every possession. I can’t even count the number of times Daequan Cook got loose on the perimeter or Udonis Haslem got the ball in his 15 foot comfort zone for an easy jumpshot. Wade can go off for 40 every game of this series if he wants, but it’s the Hawks’ ability to shut down his supporting cast that will determine the outcome of this series. Tonight they were unable to do so, and predictably they lost.
2. The refs were terrible in the first quarter, but they are not the reason the Hawks lost the game. They did, however, set the tone for the game by calling ticky tack fouls on both teams in the first half. Refs need to learn that fans do not come to games to watch them.
3. Joe Johnson and Josh Smith collectively played maybe their least intelligent game of the season. Both players made all kinds of boneheaded decisions on both ends of the floor throughout the game. Josh’s were more obvious, but there were at least four or five possessions when Joe forced up a contested J instead of passing to a wide open Bibby or Flip Murray on the perimeter. Those hurt just as much as Josh’s shenanigans.
4. A playoff team has to hit more than 65% (or whatever the final tally was) of their free throws. All those bricks in the first half were inexcusable.
5. All that said, Jermaine O’Neal had his best game in maybe three years, D-Wade played as good as he’s capable of playing, Daequan Cook was on fire, and Udonis Haslem and Mike Beasley were solid all game. Meanwhile, Marvin Williams was nonexistent, Joe and Josh looked like they went a little too hard on 4/20, and it took Flip Murray an entire half to get into the game. Despite all this, the Hawks were in a very favorable position to steal this game with about 5 minutes left. It is very troubling that they let this game slip away at home. But is it likely that the Heat play this well AND the Hawks play this poorly again? Probably not.
The Hawks are going to have to grind out a victory within the next two games at Miami. The good news is, they have already shown they can do this.
A small side note: if you are a fan showing up to a sporting event and it bothers you that fans around you are making noise and cheering on the team, get the f-ck out and go see a movie.
SouthAfrican09
April 23rd, 2009
12:33 am
My Comments from the game:
1) Josh Smith showed us who he really is–an immature little kid with no Basketball IQ, who is only athletic and can make dunks. His offensive outbursts occur once every 3 weeks (i.e. what he did in game 1). He did block a couple shots tonight though, but some of the worst passes I’ve ever seen
2) WTF did Woody do all night? This is supposed to be the top disciple of Larry Brown
3) Josh Smith has no idea how to play man defense. The idiot goes for EVERY STEAL, screws up player rotations, and was responsible for at least half the open 3’s the Heat shot
4) What the hell did Flip and Joe do all night? Flip was dreadful
5) If Marvin is feeling great, why is he getting Mario West minutes?
6) Why doesn’t Horford drive to the basket more?
7) Why is the Philips Arena crowd so pathetic? First we have the lame “defense” chant. I’d rather we just boo the opposing team than have Ryan Cameron scream into the microphone with the only other people yelling being some 5 year old kids in row 315. No one makes any noise unless D.Wade scores, we hit a 3, or Smoove dunks. As a matter of fact, I bet we start to hear D.Wade MVP chants in game 5.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 23rd, 2009
12:37 am
Looking at the box score, the Hawks were out-shot, out-rebounded, out-shot from the 3 point line, and out-assisted. The one area in which they did beat the Heat — free throw attempts — didn’t even matter because they threw up so many bricks from the free throw line.
Not a winning formula, against any opponent.
SouthAfrican09
April 23rd, 2009
12:39 am
Sekou, why so many typos in your game summary article? LOL, must be tired. I feel ya brotha.
I am sickened by the post-game Hawks comments. That we came out too complacent…What the heck? Bibby said all the right things on Tuesday, how it’s a 0-0 series. How can we come out so lethargic? I could tell even when the score was 3-2 that we had a good chance of losing. It was obvious Bibby had the hot hand. I feel like Flip had some good drives, but was maybe too selfish. Joe was horrible too
Najeh Davenpoop
April 23rd, 2009
12:41 am
Here’s my take on the refs. I refuse to buy into the popular conspiracy theory that the NBA fixes games to any degree to ensure that stars face off against each other. The most convincing argument against this theory is Tim Duncan’s hand, which contains four championship rings, all of which were won in the least crowd-pleasing manner possible.
But I do think that some of the league’s refs call games in favor of superstars out of laziness, because they are too incompetent to get in position and make the right call in the right situation. They assume that when someone like Wade makes contact with a defender that it is the fault of the defender, rather than being on the scene and making sure they are making the right call. This is what I believe leads to so-called “superstar calls”.
I don’t believe for a second that David Stern issued some directive to make sure Wade and LeBron meet each other in Round 2, although he probably hopes that happens. Like I said in my earlier post, as bad as the refs were I don’t think they decided the game. But I do agree with Bill Simmons’ opinion that the NBA has a huge problem with referee incompetence which needs to be fixed as soon as possible.
SouthAfrican09
April 23rd, 2009
12:45 am
We need to steal game 3.
You see, in Miami and all other NBA playoff cities, they give away SHIRTS that are all the same colors. All you see at Philips are people with different-colored shirts, not cheering, and empty seats. You will see White shirts everywhere on Friday night and we must steal a game in order to get homecourt back.
PLAY MARVIN WILLIAMS
Najeh Davenpoop
April 23rd, 2009
12:48 am
Whatever… disappointing loss tonight, nothing more to be said really. I just hope the Hawks have the testicles to deal the Heat an equally disappointing loss in Game 3.
ignition
April 23rd, 2009
1:01 am
Josh is the only starter that played with testicular fortitude everyone else was horrible… Woody got STRAIGHT UP out coached and out classed.. JJ proved he’s no superstar and he shouldn’t be the go to guy again.. (If I see one more JJ iso)
I’d whether lose with Mario giving me max effort all around than JJ going wild on a bad shooting night..
That said I doubt that the Heat will consistently shoot 60% from the 3 pt line throughout the series and we have to hit our free throws..
SouthAfrican09
April 23rd, 2009
1:01 am
If we play at home like this on 3 days rest against a crappy heat team and Wade, just imagine a Cavs team with LeBoner, Mo, and massive bigs. Wow…
We must play better defense and Woody needs to come up with defensive schemes. Also, these touch fouls on Mo and Flip are !@#$ing bull!@#$.
SouthAfrican09
April 23rd, 2009
1:06 am
Anyone know what Nas was doing at the game?
GA Bulldawg
April 23rd, 2009
1:09 am
Sam from da SWATS:
“All the guys on here including me knows Joe had a bad game and he can take over a game. The problem is Woody doesn’t run the right sets to get Joe the ball in the perfect position to score. Some people may think I’m crazy, but if Phil Jackson was coaching us with the way they run their offense, Joe would first of all average 28 per game, plus we would win 50 plus easy. I’ve always thought Phil benefited from coaching the league’s best player. But I watch how they run they’re offense and he puts each player in a better scoring position when they get the ball.”
EXACTLY!!! This is what I have been trying to say all season…Iso Joe and Iso Bibby will force them to have to make a lot of contested jumpshots which means it will be hard for them to take over games. Our offense is too stagnant and it doesn’t keep the defense honest when there is no ball movement. Phil Jackson’s triangle offense is the exact opposite of our offense (except in late game situations where Kobe has to close the game out). His offense emphasizes moving the ball, spacing and movement without the ball. We don’t set enough HARD screens for our shooters. That being said, as long as Woody keeps preaching Iso Joe, Iso Flip and Iso Bibby we will NEVER win a championship!!! Sam, your comment is one of the few intelligent comments I have seen on this blog…
kentrell
April 23rd, 2009
2:05 am
wtf yall talkin about, joe was ball hogging the whole 4th quarter. josh made only that bad pass when it was all over.
red
April 23rd, 2009
8:07 am
joe is trying to be the hero again even when he’s ice cold and just came off the bench he keeps on forcing shots especially in the crucial part of the game. i’m not bashing joe but i think he needs to stop the “i’ll be the savior” mentality and just stick with his other skill like drawing the double team and dishing out assist when he’s not effective offensively. we have lots of weapons in this team. i think sometimes joe fails to recognize the talent of his teammates.
doc
April 23rd, 2009
8:13 am
i’ll say it, joe johnson sucked last night and when the game was still doable he shot us right out of it even though he was having an awful game. he couldnt dribble, pass, defend, shoot the three or convert at the foul line. he is the guy who has to look at the situation where everyone else is down and lift them up. he did the same thing that wade did in number one. so i expect him to be back in full force for the rest of the series to make it a series or else we are cooked.
on the other hand wade was unconscious and so were his teammates. that happens.
as far as the defense there were about five straight stops where we didnt get any points out of it because there was a lid on the basket or something. the ball was shared so everyone was at fault.
finally, the refs seemed to blow many calls or make soft calls. a hand maybe touched wade, whistle. jj scores and has o’neal move into him or certainly lean that way and the basket is pulled back and an offensive foul called, finally filp gets taken out on a drive and no whistle. i am sure there are more very flagrant examples.
O'brien
April 23rd, 2009
8:39 am
Some reasons why the Hawks lost:
1) 19-30 FT (63%)
2) 6-20 3PT (30%)
3) Flip 4-15 (26.7 %)
4) Bad defense.
However, this is the same thing that we’ve seen from the Hawks all year. How many games have we had when we shot horribly from the free throw line, or shot horribly from 3’s? How many times have we seen a team get hot from 3’s because the Hawks fail to rotate?
Let’s face it. “THE HAWKS ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE”.
Although I’m not a big fan of Woody, most of the blame for this game goes on the players. Woody did not make them miss free throws, or miss defensive assignments. Sure, he could have had a better game plan about stopping Wade, or make in game adjustments, but if the Hawks make their free throws, shoot less jump shots, and play through the front court, the Hawks win. However, I would like to see West play a few minutes, and let him play full court defense.
Homecourt advantage is still in play, because we know that we can beat Miami in Miami. Even if this series go 7 games, game 7 is in ATL.
Let’s go Hawks!
Ken Strickland
April 23rd, 2009
8:52 am
The reason we got whipped last night is simple. They made the necessary adjustments that allowed them to keep us out of the lane. They even took several DEF 3sec calls in the process. We, on the other hand, didn’t make a single adjustment before the gm, and were unable to make an effective adjustment during the gm. It was shear stupidity for us to continue playing a switching DEF that ended up with Smooth, Horford or Marvin trying to defend DWade.
He took full advantage of it and we did nothing to counter. We didn’t have enough sense to double him and force the ball out of his hands. We seemed perfectly content to allow him to shoot over or go around our BIG’s who were out on the floor trying to defend him. Our dependence on a constantly switching DEF is why we have trouble defending the basket when a player penetrates. Our BIG’s are too often away from the basket trying to guard a PG or SG and can’t get back to challege layups.
SAMUEL-what do you have to say about the way Woodson coached this gm. Miami made an adjustment that kept us out of their lane and slowed the tempo and Woodson accomodated by not doing any of the positive things we did in Sunday’s gm. (1)He didn’t press or double the ball(2)He didn’t force the issue by pushing the ball and fastbreaking (3)He didn’t extend the use of his bench (4)He continued to use a switching DEF that Miami exploited all night long. BOTTOMLINE, THEY PLAYED THE TYPE OF GM WE PLAYED WHEN WE BLEW THEM OUT SUNDAY AND THEY FORCED US, WITH WOODSON’S HELP, TO PLAY THE TYPE OF GM THEY PLAYED SUNDAY.
Lacsho
April 23rd, 2009
8:59 am
Najeh, I understand what you are saying about the refs;however, I think you used the wrong team as an example. When the Spurs won those championships their television ratings were extremely low. I remember the announcers saying the spurs are a great team, but they play boring basketball.
If the NBA was excited about the Hawks,why would OKC, Sacramento, and the Knicks have more nationallly televised games?
I digress, the NBA has been shady ever since Ewing went to the Knicks.
Daniel
April 23rd, 2009
9:31 am
ok….
everyone just relax. That loss sucked, but really the Heat cannot shoot like that for 3 more games. Even with literally everything that they threw up going in the Hawks were back in the game late in the 4th quarter. Seriously, when Wade banks in a last second 3 pointer right when the Hawks are closing in, how can you analyze that?
The boys just need to get back on the horse and go to Miami and take a game. We will be fine.
WHO DIED ......?
April 23rd, 2009
9:39 am
man they way ppl were talkin sunday i know the heat hawks series is over
doc
April 23rd, 2009
9:41 am
ken that is the point that manny t made at halftime, would there be any adjustments and that is not woody’s strength. held true. oh yeah, it is the player’s fault.
another reason we lost … did the hawk fly in from a different side of the court? someone said it did. i am not superstitious but that is like washing your socks during a winning streak. you have to play the game from all angles to win. i looked at that and then the video machine on theb link before the game and wondered f it was an omen of what was to come. oddly it was, the hawks were about as out of synch as the pre-game was.
the hawk story is interesting. it seemed the ref was aiming to take the hawk out with a toss f the basketball as it set upon the top of the back board, as he drew back j o’neal realized what he was doing and grabbed the ref from behind to save the poor animal from abuse. it didnt stop the refs from continuing to abuse our hawks the rest of the night. the hawk was safe and finally found its handler who for some reason left the court area where the bird flew.
yup, we talked about what spoelestra needed to do and he did it, clog the lane on defense, play a stouter game by allowing magliore a bit of burn time and encourage his young guys to compliment wade when the time was right. mission accomplished. my hat is off to them.
WHO DIED ......?
April 23rd, 2009
9:48 am
the funny thing hawk fans are missing is the fact HEAT might not shoot like that again but its more about when u hit 3 as much as how many u hit,BUT wut u should be sayin is u know hawks can shoot that bad again. where’s the bench u kept talkin bout. i expect different role player will step up with wade next game(BEASLEY), if o’neal give them mins like gm 2 it long day in the box for hawks,and im glad there was a magloire sightin b/c he will wear down horford,not worried bout j johnson either to many defenders towear him down, o’yea heat bench will dominate hawks bench to much scoring off the HEAT bench
Astro Joe
April 23rd, 2009
9:58 am
If the Heat make 15 3s, shoot 54% from the field AND JON finds the fountain of youth then the Heat will win the series. But I truly believe it will take something close to all of those planets aligning to win the series. And if that happens, so be it. Bottom line, Hawks have to do the same thing Boston and Orlando must do in their respective series, win on the road. Again, if we can’t, then so be it.
Oh and if the Heat allow us to take 30 free throw attempts in another game, then we better darn well take advantage of that huge gift. Watching Joe and Flip and others badly miss free throws is a freakin’ disgust.
Raptors fan in TO
April 23rd, 2009
9:59 am
Had the benefit of watching the game since The Score (cable) broadcasted the game in Canada. What happened at the free throw line last night? That game should have been 10 points closer.
Heat played with better ball movement than in the first game, which was probably the difference. Charles Barkley was a wind bag as usual, though… no half-court offense, eh? Maybe for this game, yes, but where was his assessment when the Hawks had their offense humming in the first half of the season? This is the same guy who loves to kick the Raps when they are down… he still looks as tired and useless as the day he got thrown in jail.
SouthAfrican09
April 23rd, 2009
9:59 am
Anyone know what nas was doing at the game??/
RG
April 23rd, 2009
10:00 am
This may be a good thing. This forces the Hawks to win a game on the road if they want to get past the Heat. They can’t depend on winning at home to get them through. If they can pull this off it will help them against Cleveland in round 2. The Hawks are still the better team and can beat Miami on the road, it is just a matter of intensity and execution. One question, why can Miami double Joe almost every time he gets the ball, but Wade doesn’t get doubled all night?
Da Real Real
April 23rd, 2009
10:09 am
I don’t think the Hawk players are missing those points because I’m sure in the back of their heads as they walked off the court last night or even during the game they were thinking about all the 3s those guys were making….I mean, Moon even knocked down a three last night. and Haslem even knocked down a couple of shots. We fans will settle for that and expect things to be more “normal” than the last game. However, I don’t think the Hawks players can afford to do such. We have to come out swinging on Saturday, and I think we will. I said it last night and I’ll say it again – Blackout or Whiteout I think we go in and win that first game. Heat fans can laugh at that statement all they want because Hawk fans didn’t think the Heat could win in our arena but they did. Just as the Heat came out and played last night they very well could go back into that hole they were in, in game 1.
And to add about the officials. I’m laughing at that Ewing comment Lacsho because I’ve always thought that! There’s always been some politicking going on in basketball as far as I’m concerned.
WHO DIED ......?
April 23rd, 2009
10:20 am
skip of espn fame is picking hawks to win still LMAO,but scoop jackson said if heat get same production out of oneal its over,my thoughts exactly
Rod from College Park
April 23rd, 2009
10:28 am
D.Carter and Ken Strickland,
I totally agree with your assessments about the Hawks defensively. WOODY lost this game. If you watched the Heat in the second quarter, they did exactly what we were supposed to do. When Joe touched the ball, they immediately sent the double team at him to get the ball out of his hands. Doing this disrupts the offense, and it makes Wade work harder to get his shot. WOODY, No one on this team can check D.WADE one on one. You must double-team him. By the way, you should also double Jermaine O’Neal in the post. This is basic basketball. How do the Hawks never double team, but they continue to leave 3 point shooters wide open. WE MUST DOUBLE TEAM WADE, and make Cook, Moon, Haslem…..beat us. All you Marvin Williams supporters, this is what you were waiting for. A guy who will give you about 13 ppg, miss wide-open jump shots, and totally disappear when he is on the floor. I wish I could remember who it was that called me crazy when I said I would take Trevor Ariza over Marvin. I will stand by my statement. WOODY DOUBLE-TEAM WADE. MAKE THE OTHER GUYS ON THAT TEAM BEAT YOU.
WHO DIED ......?
April 23rd, 2009
10:30 am
one thing i do like about atlanta teams is the amount of bro in the stands i never see that in any other stadium damn jimmy smith busted with crack weed powder
SouthAfrican09
April 23rd, 2009
10:31 am
Why do we have to wait so long between games? Argh. Almost want a best of 5, but that is too short.
What we need to see in game 2:
1) If Marv “felt great” 2 weeks ago, why is he playing such sparse minutes? We need him out there. Mo and Flip are letting Wade kill them, foul trouble, and they are doing nothing offensively. If Flip converts those layups last night / was not selfish, we would’ve won
2) We need Horford to carry this team. He is our leader. Get our troops emotionally hyped up
3) Must get a fast early start. Loud sold-out crowd + D.Wade = loss for us
4) We need Bibby to shoot more. He obviously was on fire last night, so why did he get so few shots?
5) JJ must trust his teammates
6) Josh needs to only go for putbacks / layups. A jumper here or there is OK, but we cannot let him dribble or make a pass more than 5 feet
Volman
April 23rd, 2009
10:32 am
Jermaine O’Neal is a bum, plain and simple. He played like he was 22 years old last night. His knees will give out sooner than later. Horford will not let a repeat of that performance last night.
I still cannot get over the shots that the Heat made yesterday. Moon has one of the worst looking jumpshots (behind Josh Smith, of course) and his 3 went in from the corner. He honestly looked surprised that it went in.
Haslem making 15 footers when the game is on the line? Unreal. His shot is close on the ugliness to Moon’s.
I will give Cook about 3-4 of his three’s, but when he makes six out of nine, that’s unreal. He is not that good. Very very very streaky.
If I am the Hawks I either double D-Wade everytime or get out on his ass when he is shooting jumpers. I knew EVERYTIME that he was going to jack up a three, and he did…and they went in.
Oh yeah, if the Hawks get up in his “grill” on the defensive end, he might get flustered and trip on his own two feet…Personal foul, Joe Johnson. WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP. Is that betting official still out there? Was David Stern in attendence? Give me a break. I cannot count the number of times LATE IN THE GAME that a Hawk drove the lane and didn’t get a call…but there were so many ticky tack calls in the first half for D-Wade? Unreal. Don’t get me started on that “playoff” foul from Magliore. He should have gotten a flagrant. He obviously wasn’t going for the ball. Oh, and a great job by the referees to give two technical fouls that just cancel each other out..as long as it doesn’t hurt the heat. If it is the playoffs, you can’t call crap fouls on Horford playing good D down low, or when Bibby tries to steal the ball from the post. THERE HAS TO BE SOME CONSISTENCY.
O'brien
April 23rd, 2009
10:32 am
Yes, the way the Heat shot the ball is way out of the ordinary, and we dont expect the Heat to shoot the 3 so well again.
But the problem for the Hawks is would anybody be surprised if they went out again and shot poorly from the free throw line? Would we be surprised if the Hawks shot poorly from the 3 point line but still attempt over 20? There are numerous games where the Hawks have done that all year.
Just like the Heat made an adjustment, the Hawks need to make adjustments. However, I will not be surprised if the Hawks do the same thing, but hope for a different result.
SouthAfrican09
April 23rd, 2009
10:33 am
Woodson needs to shine in this series. Where are the defensive adjustments? Are we really going to let this 25-year-old rookie coach out-coach a disciple of Larry Brown?
SouthAfrican09
April 23rd, 2009
10:35 am
O’brien, We shot FT’s well in game 1
Duck and Joe were uncharacteristic in their FT shooting (except for JJ’s clutchness or lack thereof)
Najeh Davenpoop
April 23rd, 2009
10:37 am
“When the Spurs won those championships their television ratings were extremely low.”
Lacsho, I think you may have misunderstood what I was trying to say. You’re right that TV ratings were very low for the Spurs, meaning that it wasn’t in the league’s best interest for the Spurs to be going deep in the playoffs. The fact that they won titles anyway tells me the league doesn’t fix their results.
WHO DIED ......?
April 23rd, 2009
10:37 am
damn
Najeh Davenpoop
April 23rd, 2009
10:40 am
I agree with what Volman is saying, that there’s no way every Heat supporting cast player comes back in Game 3 and plays that well. The problem is, the next two games are in Miami, where they may not need all of them to play well in order to win. When facing superstars, I’m generally a fan of the “let the star get whatever he wants and shut down the supporting cast” defense. I don’t mind seeing Wade go for 50 next game if the supporting cast shoots 30% and makes no impact, because I think the Hawks will win a game like that. It’s players like Cook, Beasley, Haslem, O’Neal, and Chalmers that need to be the Hawks’ focus defensively.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 23rd, 2009
10:41 am
“Anyone know what nas was doing at the game??”
Probably trying to decide which bandwagon to jump on, just like most of the rest of the fans there.
SouthAfrican09
April 23rd, 2009
10:42 am
I don’t understand how Woody says we single-coveraged Wade all game and didn’t adjust.
YOU ARE A DEFENSIVE COACH. START SHOWING IT.
I felt like the Heat scored 9/10 of the time last night, like every shot they took, I expected them to make
WHO DIED ......?
April 23rd, 2009
10:43 am
hawks got way more frethrow attempt than heat so what the problem,heat also miss freethrows,3 offensive fouls first 2mins of gm plz with the ref
SouthAfrican09
April 23rd, 2009
10:45 am
We better win Saturday night. To think we lost at home like this and next round we could play Cleveland…****
WHO DIED ......?
April 23rd, 2009
10:49 am
see that the problem hawks has no one player at crunch time who jus demands the ball cuz starting five all seem to think they can do it hawks have 3 to many selfless players and not one selfish play(in a good way of course),every championship team has one or two unless u play complete team ball ie spurs and celtics last year