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
Al
April 23rd, 2009
10:57 am
Volman, would you like some cheese with that whine? You lost. Plain and simple. Don’t whine about the refs. The refs didn’t hit 15 threes. Daequan Cook is this year’s three point champion. Wade has been hitting those threes this season. Moon hits a couple of threes now and then. Chalmers is usually more efficient than he has been so far at 3s. Ask the Dallas Mavericks if Haslem can hit those spot up J’s when left open.
Woodson’s strategy is a gamble. He wants to let Wade and the Heat beat him from outside. These are NBA players we’re talking about… being left wide open for uncontested shots. It paid off in Game 1, not so much last night.
Anyway, it’s just one game. Now both games are behind us like they never happened. Reset. Best 3 out of 5.
Astro Joe
April 23rd, 2009
10:58 am
SouthAfrican09, Wade didn’t beat us last night, Cook and JON beat us. We don’t need to send a double team at Wade when he is 25 feet from the rim. We lost the game due to missed free throws and Cook and JON having (hopefully) their one big-time game of the series.
Likewise, we have not had that big-time game from any of our players (other than Smith in the first one). We still have to hear from Flip, Joe and Al before this series is over.
Melvin
April 23rd, 2009
11:09 am
Lascho, the Ewing comment is too funny. I can still recalled the Commissioner holding up the NY Knicks envelop with the folded corner. Uh, I always wonder why the Knicks envelop had a folded corner…lol
WHO DIED ......?
April 23rd, 2009
11:13 am
would you please stop say flip murray’s name like he’s better than who he is, he will not show up in this series,thats why johnson is bypassin him on open looks for him b/c he’s what 2 for 16 or something like that his hands are full guarding wade along with mo evans and its to risky johnson to guard him and jus maybe marvin williams back is hurting more than anybody knows but i hear no one sayin that is it possible???
Mike is back
April 23rd, 2009
11:28 am
No need to panic, after the way we embarrassed them on national TV what did you expect. If Miami is going to go to Oneal…Woody needs to go to a more balance attack. It would be niece to see Zaza AND Solo added to the mix to keep Al and Josh out of foul trouble…that way they can continue play aggressive. Al couldn’t get it going last nite.
I thought Miami would steal one and scare us…that’s okay…we play better with our backs up against the wall. The Hawks have the better team. Hopefully Woody will go back to getting the ball out of Wade hands. You can’t let a Superstar get going like that…it infuses the whole team. Still we were able to cut the lead to five with a chance to win the game, but Miami made all the big plays going down the stretch.
I look for the Hawks to rebound from this loss and take game 3 in Miami. JJ and Al sum it best in their post game interview…they were out played…he forgot to mention out coached too. You can’t let DWade off…you got to get the ball out of his hands.
TIME TO WIND UP SUPER MARIO AND LET HIM GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Al
April 23rd, 2009
11:33 am
As long as we’re talking about guys we haven’t heard from, let’s not forget our rookies, Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers have yet to get going in this series.
Lacsho
April 23rd, 2009
11:39 am
Da Real Real & Melle Mel, thanks I thought everyone forgot about the Ewing Draft.
Najeh, you’re right I misunderstood you.
Fellows I’m not blaming the entire lost on the refs, but those of us who have been watching this young team develop have grown accustom to the Hawks not getting calls. Don’t bash me to hard, silly me thought things have changed, but I guess they haven’t.
If they’re going to give wade all of the CALLS, I say someone needs to put him on his azz, when he drives to the hole. Remember when Detroit and NY use to put a pounding on Jordan. I guess that when the NBA came up with the Jordan rule (where the superstars get all of the calls).
I’m sorry, if I’m Woodrow the first time wade get a bogus call, I’m getting a tech. Bottom line you cannot let the refs dictate the game.
Doc, I agree JJ had a bad game. Is it me, or can you guys tell when we’re about to take a L. I have listed the signs below.
1. The refs calls quick fouls on JJ and Smoove.
2. No ball movement on the offensive end.
3. No defensive pressure.
4. JJ’s and JSmoove’s body language (sometimes it seems they are mentally out of it).
5. BWAF
6. Flips goes solo
7.Ryan Cameron is sleep on the microphone. I think he woke up last night with five minutes left in the forth.
8.Jump shots, Jump Shots, JUMP SHOTS, JUMP SHOTS
9.Smoove crying to the officaials after every call. Ooops that maybe every game.
10. Jump Shots, Jump SHOTS, JUMP SHOTS, JUMP SHOTS
Please fill free to add on if I missed anything.
Rod from College Park
April 23rd, 2009
11:42 am
Anybody that states that Haslem, can’t hit that jumpshot obviously has not watched basketball in the last 7 or 8 years. He can hit that shot consistently. Again, if we don’t double why are guys getting wide open jump shots?
Lacsho
April 23rd, 2009
11:43 am
Al, Beasly will have a big game in Miami. Smoove nor Horford can defend Beasly. Common sense tells you to make Beasly go right. How long is it going to take Woodrow to figure that out. He’s great going to the left, yet he’s very suspect when one forces him to go right.
WHO DIED ......?
April 23rd, 2009
11:46 am
what makes a superstar in the nba? a player capable of doing what he does game in and game out not this or that game,on a nightly basis regardless who’s guarding him that WADE now if he does this against starters what make u think all these so-called defensive stoppers you keep naming will stop him!!!! who is flip murray mo evans and the rest of them bums you keep calling out b/c if that the answer hawks in trouble real quick,to me it seem as if this lose expose some real flaws in hawks game jus dont let them run and almost can book the win!!! o’yea will check to see if woody fold his hand to admit defeat now that a funny observation,i must see that
Da Real Real
April 23rd, 2009
11:46 am
LOL Melvin, straight up funny stuff. To add to what you said Who Died, I’d have to say that aside from the few blown layups by Flip he had a decent offensive game, I can really only recall the 3 and the a couple of dunks…definitely not what we got from him throughout the second half of the season but I’d expect to see him turn it on or at least hope he does because we need our bench to perform.
Speaking of Marvin….
I was thinking throughout last night that we may be better using Marvin off the bench then starting. Now, after the game, I definitely would like to see Marvin give us some minutes off the bench – not because I think he sucks because I don’t. I think Marvin can give us more points off the bench then he would if he’s starting. I also think that Mo Evans will give us very little off the bench. Coming off the bench and playing alongside Flip and Zaza we should see Marvin get to touch the ball a bit more and drive the lane like he likes to do. Plus he’d be a good counter option to whatever Beasley gives the Heat.
WHO DIED ......?
April 23rd, 2009
11:57 am
no, marvin on beasley not gonna happen either, funny thing about beasley is he’s just as good going right as he is left he writes righthanded and said he cant throw football with left in interview but has a deadly jumper from anywhere on court, so im expecting the braids not gonna be so tight by staurday so he should be ready to explode
Al
April 23rd, 2009
11:58 am
Lacsho, Beas is very good finishing with either hand. I think the bright lights of the playoffs are a bit too much for him so far in this series. He’s still rebounding and all that, but his jumpshot is a thing of beauty and so far its not really made an appearance. I think he has 22 points combined in both games.
Astro Joe
April 23rd, 2009
12:04 pm
Al, true, but rookies tend to play well at home (if at all) in their first playoff series. The guy that scared me before and still scares me is Cook because the Hawks have trouble guarding the 3-point line. We have made average 3-point shooters look like Larry Bird.
WHO DIED ......?
April 23rd, 2009
12:06 pm
damn billups is killing cp3 make joe dumars look real fvckn smart he should be fired run off their coach to bring in who trade billups for who its sad to see detroit look so bad
WHO DIED ......?
April 23rd, 2009
12:10 pm
cook shouldnt be only one u worry about behind 3 b/c chalmers, jones,diawara if he plays,moon,quinn if he plays,and of course wade all are streaky 3 point shooters and can knock down 5 or more in any given game,btw wade is 18-1 when he scores 30 or more in playoffs
Al
April 23rd, 2009
12:12 pm
WHO DIED, what was that one loss (18-1)?
Da Real Real
April 23rd, 2009
12:14 pm
I’m not saying Marvin guard Beasley…I’m just saying to have him out on the floor whenever JJ isn’t out there so he could be a focus on the offense. It was apparent when JJ was out those games this year that when he isn’t on the floor Marvin becomes a go to guy and can score the ball, but when JJ comes back Marvin disappears. It’s not like Marvin is going to give us no more than 20 min. anyway.
newkid
April 23rd, 2009
12:15 pm
Somewhat off topic, but interesting. Here’s an article on a 6′11″ high school junior from California who has decided to skip his senior year and begin his professional career early by playing in Europe.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/sports/ncaabasketball/23prospect.html?_r=1
Enjoy the read.
WHO DIED ......?
April 23rd, 2009
12:18 pm
couldnt hear team am radio was funk’d up
Al
April 23rd, 2009
12:19 pm
Sekou, I want a new post! I love reading your blog more than any of my local guys. You’re rooting for your team but you’re very objective and your analysis is great. I’m interested in what you have to say about last night.
WHO DIED ......?
April 23rd, 2009
12:25 pm
see da real real that the problem for as much as u want marvin williams to be that guy that not him, to me it seems as though everybody get same amount of shots or if say bibby hot they want go to him more b/c they try to get someone else going instead of jus letting them joinning in a more fluid way, atlanta is predictable team if jumpers dont drop they keep shooting instead of attacking basket
WHO DIED ......?
April 23rd, 2009
12:27 pm
yea AL it seems he’s able to express his feeling better especially on the beasley thing plus show love to his home team
Hawk Fan In New Orleans
April 23rd, 2009
12:33 pm
Lacsho
all of the the points you mentioned are indicative of a Hawks loss. I will add a metaphorical one: the caging of Spirit the Hawk! That was very symbolic of the game 2 loss. The free-spirited, aggressive play that the Hawks exhibited in game 1 was caged in game 2 by, the lethargic, slow-paced, low-intensity Hawk play that so many on this blog loathe…I understand Wade going off but allowing Cook to consistently torch you from the perimeter was inexcusable….The Hawks have been bipolar all season long, let’s hope they bottled some of the magic from game 1 and they make game 2 an aberration.
Al
April 23rd, 2009
12:35 pm
lol. From the SoFL Sun-Sentinel Blog: “Let’s see how Atlanta feels on Saturday when we let an alligator roam free in the arena.”
Big Ray
April 23rd, 2009
12:40 pm
All this talk about the refs and I think some people are missing something.
Wade didn’t get all those calls in game one, did he? Nope. Here’s part of it: you let a guy like Wade start playing well, and he will get the calls. Count on it. In game one, we were stripping him of the ball, and playing tight defense on him for all but a few posessions (in which he came off a screen and got to the basket).
Not so in game 2. And predictably, he got hot. And the refs got lazy. He got the calls. Superstar calls exist, and they are what they are. But he didn’t just get them because he’s Wade. We helped him right along.
It’s nice an naive to say “oh, well those guys who had good games won’t have any more good games in this series.” Yeah, I wonder if the Heat say the same thing about US and OUR inconsistent offense? Hmmmm. It’s stupid to assume such things.
And the reason we are susceptible to 3-point shooting? Simple. Our perimeter defense has been suspect all along. There are games where it’s on (game 1), and games where it isn’t (game 2). Been like that all season. All too often, we’ve had subpar defensive performances from Bibby, Flip, and Mo. Even JJ sometimes, though there are certainly circumstances surrounding that as well.
But we’ve also had Horford and Smith to erase mistakes. And guess what? Because of our defense set zone, those “erasers” are usually playing towards the front of our zone, leaving the inside vulnerable. Sue me if I don’t feel comfortable with Bibby defending the post.
And we can screech about rotations all we want. Guys have been rotating slow, but there have also been numerous miscommunications on defense. And botched assignments. Predictably, some people will blame certain players every time, as if they are supposed to defend every single inch of the floor themselves. Naive….
Finally, a few quotes from Woody:
We didn’t get any stops,” Woodson said. “We were pretty good in Game 1 in running them off the basket. We were not so good this time.”
“It’s hard to double him (Wade)when he’s 30 feet from the bucket,” Woodson said.
“They’ve had a chance to watch the film from Game 1,” Woodson said prior to the game. “They will make adjustments. It’s just a matter of how we react to it.”
So we knew ahead of time that adjustments were coming? I know, I know. It’s all the players fault. Oh, and none of those Heat guys (other than Wade) could possibly play well again in the series. No adjustments needed, we just have to “react right.”
Brilliant.
SouthAfrican09
April 23rd, 2009
12:41 pm
Um Astro Joe, D.Wade did beat us, as did their 3 pt shooters.
So what’s the game plan for Saturday? Double Wade AND O’Knee-al? It’s funny a scout said about game 1 (on realgm) that J’Oneal’s knees looked “shot.” I’d like to see more ZaZa against the Miami bigs (less PT for Smoove) and we might be better just not playing Duck and starting Mo and giving mario minutes. Why is Duck not playing 40 minutes? HE SAID HE FEELS FINE
A Thinking Fan
April 23rd, 2009
12:42 pm
As I mentioned in past blogs; Hawks’ coaching, not taking one game at a time, and BASG is hard to overcome in the playoffs! Your weaknesses get exposed! You can get punked real quick! No Babies Allowed in the NBA!
SouthAfrican09
April 23rd, 2009
12:43 pm
I don’t think D.Wade did a whole lot last night besides the last few minutes of the 2nd quarter. Let him shoot that contested 3 all day. But I also think Wade can do nothing outside the perimeter with 6″7 Joe on him.
Anyone else notice JONeal shaking his left foot every time he shoots FTs?
MAC-TOWN
April 23rd, 2009
12:45 pm
all i have to say is that AFTER this serious things are gonna be very interesting for me regardless. Win or Lose.
We are better than the heat. We should beat them. If we cant beat this guys in a 7 game series, this team needs to have some kind of major move(s). Fire Woody….trades…something.
If not, we’re gonna be lookin at the same exact team from last year and this year.
If we do win, hey we get to see what we’re made out of against lebron and the cavs.
Interesting stuff
GO HAWKS.
SouthAfrican09
April 23rd, 2009
12:48 pm
We need Marvin to play 35-40 minutes–there’s no other way around it. If not, we should jsut bench Mo/Flip (unless they get it going) and play Mario.
We were better off winning game 1 by 2 points. There’s no way, regardless how the team prepared for the game, that they could approach the Heat with a competitive attitude after game 1. I thought we’d sweep this pathetic team, and I think we can win in 5 if Joe gets it going.
If we lose this series, we have to get rid of Woody, whom I have become a big fan of. We would also need to try get rid of Smoove for Bosh or something
terrell barron
April 23rd, 2009
12:52 pm
The long layoff hurt us. Too long to think about the game 1 blowout.
WHO DIED ......?
April 23rd, 2009
1:00 pm
that part of his freethrow routine
Al
April 23rd, 2009
1:04 pm
MAC-TOWN and others who say that the Hawks are a better team than the Heat. Whoever wins 4 games first is the better team. Period.
jamie
April 23rd, 2009
1:12 pm
Al you’re right. Dallas, who went to the finals in 06, was worse than GS, who was a joke of a team.
SouthAfrican09
April 23rd, 2009
1:14 pm
Like I said, if we had won game 1 by 5 points, we would have won game 2. We need Joe on Wade at all times. Joe had like a week plus change off to rest for the playoffs. We need him to play the entire series. 1 minute rest here or there
keepin it real
April 23rd, 2009
1:18 pm
hawks will win. i was lying
Astro Joe
April 23rd, 2009
1:21 pm
Ray, who from our team has had a big game (other than Smith). These are flawed teams, thus the 4 & 5 seeds. They are both inconsistent teams. So when a few players play well, they win. They had more players who played well yesterday. The notion that one team is “better” really isn’t true in a 4/5 case. It’s which team has more players playing better in 4 games.
Wade is not likely to have another bad game in the series. So which 2 guys will join him in having great games 3 more times? Likewise, can the Hawks get any 3 of our top 6 players on the page at the same time for 3 more games? I do believe that it is as simple as that. It is not about what 10 guys do as a unit. It’s about what 3-4 guys can get hot for a game. Zaza, Maglorie, Haslem and Evans may all contribute. But those guys won’t ultimately win games for their respective teams.
SouthAfrican09
April 23rd, 2009
1:54 pm
Anyone else hate how Wade trips (not a foul) and then lies on the ground for 4 minutes after the foul is called, like he got hurt?
If Magloire is gonna do that to Flip, we should put in Randolph and send Wade to the floor.
I like what Dampier said the other day. He’s not gonna hurt Parker, but he’s gonna send a message. Does anyone here see Horford committing a hard foul? We need ZaZa or Smoove to send a message. the game 1 win means nothing–it’s a tied series now
Ken Strickland
April 23rd, 2009
1:57 pm
DOC-the Miami HC also did one other thing that has made a tremendous difference in his team. Instead of finding reasons and making excuses for not playing his rookies and his bench, he use the regular season to give them the time to develop in time for a serious playoff run.
He’s willing to play a rookie PG and Woodson refuses to commit the time and effort to develop Acie Law, or any of our young players. JUST LOOK AT THE BOX SCORE AND YOU’LL SEE A HC THAT’S NOT AFRAID TO BE A REAL HC AND USE THE REGULAR SEASON TO DEVELOP HIS PLAYERS AND TEAM. Do you really think Woodson would have allowed rookie PG MChalmers to start and play 22mins? Do you think he would have allowed rookie MBeasley to to play 22mins, or 2nd yr players JMoon and DCook to play 28 and 35mins respectively?
The young players on our bench got a grand total of 1min playing time. IS THERE ANYONE, OTHER THAN SAMUEL, THAT THINKS WE WOULDN’T BE A BETTER TEAM IF WE HAD MIAMI’S HC, AND HIS WILLINGNESS TO DEVELOP AND CONSISTENTLY UTILIZE HIS YOUNG TALENT, INSTEAD OF WOODSON?
Al
April 23rd, 2009
2:32 pm
Ken, I appreciate the praise for our coach, but if Mario Chalmers didn’t start for us, Chris Quinn would be our starting point guard. As for Beasley, he was the #2 pick in the draft. In my opinion he should be getting more than 22 minutes. I’m not familiar enough with your young guys to comment further but I don’t think there’s much of a gap between our respective coaches’ talent. In fact, I think they finished 7th and 8th for Coach of the Year.
Clyde
April 23rd, 2009
2:39 pm
Ken Strickland Of Blogger Of The Year
The Hawks did not get enough stops to get out and run in transition last night.
Al
April 23rd, 2009
2:40 pm
here’s this blog in a word cloud
http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/775245/hawksblog4-23
yep, i’m bored.
Al
April 23rd, 2009
2:51 pm
SouthAfrican, please, please, PLEASE, have one of your guys send a “message” to D-Wade. PLEASE! On Saturday if possible when I’ll be at the game. I’ve already seen Wade score 40+ twice this season. Would love to see it once more.
SouthAfrican09
April 23rd, 2009
3:20 pm
“Woodson refuses to commit the time and effort to develop Acie Law, or any of our young players”
-Ken Strickland
……..
Um, he is not developing any of our young players? Oh, you must be referring to Horford, who was 2nd in ROY voting, or Shelden, who sucked, or Marvin and both Joshes, all of whom are better than many players in the NBA right now…LOL. Acie Law sucks–he can’t stay healthy, will never be healthy, has not translated into NBA talent, and cannot shoot worth jack.
We will win game 3, and the series, in 5, but more likely 6 games
bigdave
April 23rd, 2009
3:22 pm
Marvin on Beasley?
Melvin
April 23rd, 2009
3:36 pm
SouthAfrican09, did you see Josh push Maglorie to the floor after he committed that hard foul on Flip? As much criticism Josh received on this blog for his mistakes, funny how he’s not giving credit for his willingness to be a team player. Like playing in a meaningless game (Memphis) when the other 4 starters decided to take the night off or standup for a teammate after a play he deem unnecessary. But the min he frown at Woodson, that would be a headline story…
And to the person who mention that he should play less mins, I encourage you to go look at the box scores for the last 2 games. He’s been our most effective player….
Astro Joe
April 23rd, 2009
3:46 pm
Ken, if Spoelstra had Bibby, I guarantee that Chalmers wouldn’t get 22 minutes in a playoff game (when they were down by a game). And the reason they have Beasley is because they sucked last year. When we were choosing forwards in the top 3, Woody gave them a lot of PT too. Maybe, just maybe, young guys get PT in the playoffs because they are clearly better than the old guys on the roster. Comparing Beasley’s playoff development to Solo’s playing time is like comparing Joel Anthony to Al Horford. Ken, are you snacking on South Georgia peanuts again?
SouthAfrican09
April 23rd, 2009
3:46 pm
Melvin, I saw that. He pushed Araujo too when Araujo hacked the hell out of Marvin.
Smoove’s passing and ballhandling just sucked last night. That’s what I hate about him. He has these monster MVP games once every 3 weeks–the rest is just average/mediocre. And I think Bibby played much better than Smoove did last night.
SMOOVE goes for EVERY steal on defense and his defensive rotations and confusions always leave shooters open. He was responsible for at least 4 3’s the Heat hit last night. He is so immature arghhhhhh.
If Marvin is healthy like he claims, he needs to play more
Astro Joe
April 23rd, 2009
4:00 pm
I wonder if Dmitroff can become the GM of the Hawks and maintain his duties with the Falcons? Dude ROCKS!