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
Ernest
April 22nd, 2009
1:13 pm
Great comments by Stoned Mountain!! He does have a point. I like watching games with good ball movement on offense and excellent help defense. A dunk is just 2 points but most seem to get excited about them as though they count for more. I blame part of this on the highlights on the sports news as they focus on the ‘flashy’ over the ’substance’.
Barry
April 22nd, 2009
1:38 pm
Hey Y’all:
Stone Mountain may have a point. I like run and gun, constant havoc, great defense (man to man/in your face), trash talking,fast pace basketball. The hawks play this style sometime but not all the time. This type of ball and winning usually does the trick in gaining fans. However, even though these Hawks establish base play is not like this. They still play good agressive defense and can run and gun on you in a minute. That is why they are so dangerous in these playoffs. Don’t lay back and go to sleep on there half court game because in a minute their blasting down court in spurts, slamming on you. The wins are coming based upon that and so will the crowd. Once everyone gets accustomed to the Hawks style of play and, of course, their winning, Phillips will consistantly be packed to the rafters. these young players also are starting to become household names here in Atlanta and throughout the NBA so fans get set to truly fall in love with the product that we have on the court. During these playoffs, these games are sellouts. And with more wins, deep into the playoffs, their will be standing room only crowds at the Phillips. No fans, get ready to “RUMMMMMMMMBBBBBBLE!!!” These Hawks are for real. And I am looking for us as fans to be at the Phillips to continue watching these young, nitty, gritty, nast Hawls “SHOCK THE WORLD!!!!!”
NOW ARE YOU READY FOR SOME BASKETBALL????!!!!!!!!
SEE Y’ALL AT PHILLIPS! LET”S GO HAWKS!! LET”S GO HAWKS!!LETS GO HAWKS!!
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a SECRET from a HAWK FAN. TELL EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
……………………..ATLANTA HAWKS,BOOM-BYE-YEAH!!!”……………
…………………………”SHOCK THE WORLD!!!!!!………………..
Volman
April 22nd, 2009
1:39 pm
I think there is a reason why the fans are bad at Philips Arena. If you give them something to cheer for (big three pointers, dunks, crossovers, etc) then they will cheer and MAYBE chant “defense” on the next posession.
Atlanta is a very social town. The Hawks game is just a “thing to do”. In other towns, their hometown basketball team is a passion of theirs. I can think of teams like San Antonio or even Golden State where the fans are truly PASSIONATE about their teams. They buy jerseys, hats, and t-shirts. They show up early. They cheer the little things.
Atlanta does not. We have rappers wearing sunglasses inside (not saying thats a bad thing) because they want to “look cool”. Maybe it isn’t “cool” to cheer on the hometeam?
I know for one thing that the fans HAVE GOTTEN BETTER over my last three years of being a season ticket holder. A sign of that was about half of the arena boo’ing D-Wade whenever he touched the ball. I loved that.
ATLiens have GOT to get over the “who might be watching me” or “I have to look cool tonight” mentality and just BE FANS. The Hawks need us to just get lost in the game for a couple of hours and pour all our passion (that all of us have) into this team.
It can be done. The question is, will the fans actually LEARN how to be good fans?
SouthAfrican09
April 22nd, 2009
1:42 pm
I feel so bad about Mutombo’s injury. Anyone know if the hostile Portland crowd applauded him as he was taken off the court?
Volman
April 22nd, 2009
1:43 pm
African, no idea.
By the way, were you the guy who was at the game holding the “I came here from Africa” sign?
Wes
April 22nd, 2009
1:56 pm
is that TLue sitting on the front row in the Josh Smith pic?
Astro Joe
April 22nd, 2009
2:00 pm
I disagree that Atlanta is not a basketball town. But I do agree that our appreciation for the dimensions of the game is lacking. I was blogging that night about the KILLA defense. Many others were rejoicing in slams. I haven’t read many comments about how Mo Evans was treating Wade like a school-yard wannabe by getting in his grill constantly. I continue to read comments about Smith’s acrobatic act but very little is said about how he got those fast-break opportunities. But our collective lack of appreciation is due to the lack of quality ball in the past 10 years around these parts. If we haven’t learned to appreciate the excellence in execution it is likely because no one has taught us what that looks like. But we do know what a posterized moment looks like. I’d venture to say that while San Antonio fans may have been giddy about the Hawks fantastic defense, they probably would have treated Smith’s performance like an immoral act (”close your eye little Tommy, you shouldn’t see such blatant acts of physical prowess”). There’s room for both… a celebration of tremendous execution of the game’s principles AND some fist-bumping when someone reaches 18 inches above the rim and slams on every mojito-drinking, sun drenched, Speedo & flip-flop wearing Heat fan in South Beach.
Personally, I LOVE and appreciate all dimensions of the game.
I MUS.WRITE
April 22nd, 2009
2:01 pm
Hell Yeah thats T Lue in the front row ….What is he doing sitting on our bench
Khao$
April 22nd, 2009
2:07 pm
Atlanta’s first love and passion is college football/UGA. Our city has passionate fanbases, but not plentiful. That’s evidenced on this board. If you read the comments posted here on the daily, you’ll find much passion. That said, as a city, we will only support our pro team if 1) it is a huge surprise (Braves ‘91) or we have a megastar (Vick). The Braves have trouble selling out. The Falcons are in the same boat too. I’m listening to sportstalk right now and I heard more about Mark Sanchez than Marvin Williams. A nationwide poll was done on ESPN asking what were fans waiting for the most in each state: college or pro football. In the state of GA, you know what won out. I understand this with Alabama or Auburn fans where college football is the only show in town. However, it is what it is, college football reigns supreme down here. Everything else is an after thought.
The other issue is we are a city of transplants. I can’t fault a New Yorker, who lived in NY all of his life, for switching his allegience from the Knicks to the Hawks. That won’t happen. If I moved to NJ, I’ll still be a Hawks fan. You have to take that into consideration. Most of my friends from out of town think the Hawks have a nice squad, but they will quickly shift their attention to their team during our conversations.
Lastly, it is partially the fault of the teams (Hawks and Braves especially) due to the inept management this city has suffered over the years. Winning brings tradition. Tradition garners fan loyalty. UGA has tradition. The only team close to that in the pros for us is the Braves.We’ve lost so much, people expect us to lose, even when we make the playoffs. If we can erase that mindset and become a winner consistantly, I believe will gain more fans.
At the end of the day, it is sad because the Hawks are on the rise and people would much rather talk about Georgia’s intersquad game than NBA playoff basketball. Not that I’m knocking anyone for doing that. However, something special could be brewing with our basketball team. That’s the tragedy in all of this.
Al
April 22nd, 2009
2:10 pm
Sekou, could you PLEASE print out this column, walk over to Coach Spoelstra, and hand it to him during a timeout tonight. The fans in Miami just want Beasley to play. The local media is doing all the overanalyzing here. Haslem has been fantastic and we owe him a lot. His performance in Game 6 of the Finals was unforgettable. But its time to take a backseat now. It’s the only way we can get the Hawks to rethink triple teaming D-Wade. Beasley needs to start.
SouthAfrican09
April 22nd, 2009
2:30 pm
LOL yeah that was me. Haha. tsk cant believe u saw that. wish we had gotten something besides those pathetic towels tho!
Al
April 22nd, 2009
2:31 pm
Haha. Speedo wearing Heat fans. Speedos no, flip-flops yes. The beach is a great place to be. Flawless latin/white/black women in tiny bikinis and/or topless, sun, sand, ocean, alcohol. What’s not to like? I don’t do mojitos though. Beer does me just fine.
I think I’ll spend all day Saturday at the beach actually before heading over to the Arena for game 3 to watch my team redeem itself.
SouthAfrican09
April 22nd, 2009
2:33 pm
That T Lue pic is from last year…Duhhh
cp
April 22nd, 2009
2:40 pm
ESPN really wants Miami to win. They just refuse to believe that we just might have a better team. I noticed that none of the ESPN sports shows discussed us Monday. If the Heat had won they would have talked about it to death. I guess after being so bad for so long and being the butt of so many jokes that the people at ESPN are having a hard time giving us any type of props. Lets take care of business tonight and continue to fly under the radar.
swatguy
April 22nd, 2009
2:42 pm
Lue must have had a flight from Orlando.
Joe you are in the majority but slightly.
Hawks IQ is growing and with that BB IQ is following.
It was the same way in the 80’s as girl watching was what the Omni was famous for as much as ‘Nique and the Hawks.
I suspect another year will wake up the masses as to what’s really going on.
When the arena is packed Before tipoff, we will be a BB town.
Daniel
April 22nd, 2009
2:42 pm
As a Hawks fan, I have been waiting for game 3 to the true test for this team. We need to win on the road in the playoffs in order for us to take that next step. I had been of the belief that we just needed to “hold serve” here at home. However, the closer this game gets the more I feel that this game can be a real statement game. We all expect Wade and the wadettes to play better tonight, but if the Hawks were able to take their shot and dominate again I have to believe that our confidence will go through the roof. In a strange way it can be easier to “shock the world” than dominate when you should. Dominating the Heat tonight would be a major step in the maturation process of this team….. then of course its on to the road games.
Let’s Go Hawks!!!!
SWAT Native
April 22nd, 2009
2:43 pm
Back to Sekou’s original point on hard fouls, did everyone see the Detroit-Cleveland game last night? There was a hard foul on LBJ that resulted in a scuffle, then a few minutes later you saw Ilgauskis with blood streaming down his face after an elbow from Rasheed. I remember going to a Hawks-Miami playoff game back in the 90’s when the Heat still had Steve Smith and Grant Long that erupted into a wild brawl. I wonder if we will be in for something like that tonight (or eventually)?
Daniel
April 22nd, 2009
2:46 pm
cp- You are sooo right about ESPN. Heck, I got home from the game sunday and had to wait most of the night to catch any highlights on SC. They actually showed more of Harry the Hawk than the game. ESPN is suckled up to D.Wade, but whatever, this is our team, our town, and our time. Let’s take it.
Daniel
April 22nd, 2009
2:50 pm
Want to get the Hawks fan’s feedback on this. Last night Dennis Scott was asking whether or not Joe needs to be more vocal to become a true superstar. I for one really love the way Joe conducts his buisness and just because he is not “flashy” means nothing to me or his teamates. But, I have thought that the guy needs to get more calls. I mean he has the fewest free throw attempts for ANY player that gets his minutes. He only got one Tech all year. Now, I am not saying the guy needs to turn into Sheed or get a bunch of tats on his neck, but I would like to see him demand more respect from the officials. Yes, they should respect him without him having to do that, but it is what it is. Tim Duncan who is known as a quiet, team, fundamentals guy, often gets on the officials so it can be done. Just wanted to get some feedback on that topic.
Astro Joe
April 22nd, 2009
2:53 pm
Al, I forgot one. Cuban pork sandwich-eating… And 18 inches above the rim was an exaggeration.. maybe only 15 inches. Ha! Is it game time yet?
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
2:54 pm
That must be a pic of Josh from last season.
AstroJoe,
Do you really expect for fans to blog about how well a Hawk defender move his feet on defense or that was a great close out to contest an opponent shot? Outside of saying that the Hawks played good or terrible defense, nice block shot or steal, I wouldn’t expect more analysis on their defense than that on a blog.
As for the fans at Philips, well I been to all the home playoffs games from last year up to this point. I’m not sure what section Stone Mountain sit in but the crowd has been great from my view point. From booing DWade everytime he touches the ball to screaming defense when they are defending to Let’s Go Hawks when they are on offense. Quite an hostile environment for the opposing team from my view point…
O'brien
April 22nd, 2009
2:55 pm
Sekou, isn’t that the same old school approach Woody has with his rookies, not letting them play through mistakes, especially if there is a Vet playing in front of them?
Atlanta can be a basketball town, but I think the Hawks have been bad for so long that it takes people a while to come around (they keep waiting for the wheels to fall of again). If the Hawks become a perennial playoff team, I think ATL will embrace them even more.
Bo
April 22nd, 2009
2:57 pm
come on yall. Acie is next to T Lue in that picture. The pic is from last year. And u guys claim to be hawks fans
Bo
April 22nd, 2009
2:58 pm
Plus there’s empty seats and those seats weren’t empty game 1
Mark
April 22nd, 2009
2:59 pm
Volman, Astro Joe and Barry, GREAT POINTS!
My take is that we aren’t necessarily a basketball town, but a sports town in general. Atlanta sports have been so terrible that you can’t blame the fans for how they are. We all know that the falcons have never had back-to-back winning seasons, the Hawks have never gotten past the second round, and Braves use to tease us with division titles and one world series title in a strike shortened year. As much as these hawks are exciting, we all know they won’t get past the second round this year. They might beat the Heat, but will probably lose in 4 or 5 games to Cleveland so there really is no hope in this town except for the Falcons who my have gotten it right with Thomas Dimitroff as GM. Plus the Falcons have a SINGLE OWNER who really wants to win, not an ownership group who is fighting over ownership (ASG) or a corporation (Liberty Media).
ES
April 22nd, 2009
3:04 pm
I was at the game Sunday and I thought the crowd was pretty solid. It wasn’t nearly what it was in the Boston series, but there were a surprising amount of Hawks who were die hards. There were probably only two guys in my section who consistenly cheered on every possession. Most of the fans seemed content just sitting back and watching the game, including the two Heat fans next to me. I’m generally dissapointed with Atlanta sports fans.
I have seen excuses made for why Atlantans don’t attend pro sports. But none of them add up. Too many transplants? I don’t see NY, LA and Chicago having problems filling up their seats. The teams stink? Last I checked, the Braves couldn’t sellout playoff games and the Hawks are in the playoffs the second year in the row.
Volman
April 22nd, 2009
3:09 pm
I think you have to add in the laziness of the people in Atlanta.
It HAS to be laziness… Nobody wants to waste energy on cheering “defense” or “lets go hawks” but they will “woooo” and “ahhh” and “booom!” when a dunk goes down. It is simply “selective laziness”.
And can people get TO THE GAMES ON TIME, PLLLLLLLLLEASE?!?! ONE GAME! I swear, the Atlanta Spirit should tell everyone that the games are 30-45 earlier than they really are so that the fans would show up late, but on time. They would be too LAZY to do anything about it when they realize they were duped.
Al
April 22nd, 2009
3:10 pm
LOL at Cuban pork sandwiches. I missed Cuban food when I moved away for a bit. I wish I had similar things to say about Atlanta, but I’ve only been there twice when I was younger. I just remember everything is named after Peach Trees.
Al
April 22nd, 2009
3:12 pm
ES, in fairness to the two Heat fans sitting next to you, they didn’t have much to cheer about on Sunday.
Mark
April 22nd, 2009
3:15 pm
ES, you are right about Atlanta fans, but you have to understand that watching an Atlanta sports team is like watching the same movie over and over. You already know how it’s gonna end. You have mentioned town such as NY, LA and Chicago. Those towns have some tradition of winning. For instance Chicago, they have a history of winning CHAMPIONSHIPS not DIVISION TITLES or(Bulls six times, White Sox,) so they have some hope. They have also experienced consistent winning that equated to a dynasty. Same for LA (Lakers) NY may not have won many championships in Basketball, but they have experienced consistent winning (YANKEES). We have never experienced a CHAMPIONSHIP DYNASTY because all of our teams lose when they get to the playoffs.
Sekou Smith
April 22nd, 2009
3:23 pm
It’s an old pic. I just liked the fact that we got my main man T. Lue on the blog (how else could we do that these days). And yes, the “old school” approach to rookies has been used here in Hawksville and I didn’t like it then either.
I’ve heard stories about those old Hawks-Heat playoff scuffles from Steve Smith and it’s funny stuff. Too bad those sorts of things cost guys so much now. That’s probably why you don’t see that sort of over-the-top intensity as much these days as you did then.
Volman
April 22nd, 2009
3:25 pm
Mark, you can’t look at it that way..Not at all.
So you are saying that the other 29 teams’ fans that do not win the NBA Championship should just not show up because they will be disappointed?
Being disappoitned is part of being a fan and supporting your team. You will not win every game. I bet those Patriots fans were upset when they lost game #19 in the Superbowl, but they for sure did not think they were going to lose.
That’s the difference…Many fans either do not care about the outcome or think the Hawks will “inevitably lose” in one of the rounds. We just need to be proud that the Hawks are here right now and we are not praying for a ping pong ball to bounce the right way for us.
What a difference two years makes. The Hawks are learning how to play…the fans need to learn how to cheer and be positive, no MATTER WHAT.
Jones born and raised in the A
April 22nd, 2009
3:27 pm
Great comment thats all they want to see but Josh Smith is better served for his defense but they dont critize that only his offense getting about 15 points and 7 rebounds a game is a plus he is our defense stopper something like mutumbo and mookie was just all in one but they want him to be like kobe or lebron isn’t that what we pay Joe Johnson for so why not examine him because he is good but not to the kobe, lebron status.
Volman
April 22nd, 2009
3:32 pm
“Josh Smith is the biggest bust of this draft class.”
-Jay Bilas
Thanks for everything Jay! You sure were right!
Ariose
April 22nd, 2009
3:32 pm
I want to get in on this game of “whats wrong with that picture” too!
Smoove Has worn Arm Sleeves this whole season dum-dums……lol
Braindawg
April 22nd, 2009
3:51 pm
Wow sounds like Stoned Mtn. is well STONED! The crowd was great, and the team even said they feed off of the crowd. That the crowd gave them a lift, and energy. This is a great b-ball town. As for the sell out talk problem, well you can blame some of that on the NBA itself. As a person who had to drop my cable so I could pay the water, electric, and gas bills. I cant even see My team in the playoffs! Why doesnt the league do like the NFL, or MLB and let a local station pick up the coverage during the playoffs? You cant even watch reg. season games without cable. Oh I forgot, this is the rich, spoiled brat league. Run by money hungry rich people who only care about the bottom line. And dont seem to care about the fans. I LOVE my home town HAWKS, but not the league they play in!! Thanks for your time and letting me get that off my chest. Go Hawks!
doc
April 22nd, 2009
3:53 pm
junior from last link … barkley only dreamed of doing wht josh has doen at his age. people forget there is a diffeernce between the old stars and where they were after three years or four years of college to compare that wth what josh has done at such an early age. is he a work in progress of course, what 23 yr ld nba player much less star isnt? did barkley mak such a statement in his second year, probably as their numbers are close but if you look at his to to assist ratio one might say he made a few mistakes too.
here is his stat sheet:
http://www.nba.com/playerfile/charles_barkley/index.html
i suspect there may not have been some other folks around him to share the points with like josh has. despite his detractors josh does play team ball almost to a fault when he passes up close looks at the basket to pass it outside. i imagine he is more the consummate team player is than sir charles was and i was huge sir charles fan and still am. also look at SC’s three point field goal % rofl pitiful and to think he is giving josh instructions on how to live unless he follows up with i was trash too from the outside and did all of my damage inside to get my fg % up until i learned how to shoot by spending the summers in a gym shooting the shots at least 500 a day. too funny.
mike sorry to have missed you. keep up the vibes man. also i had to laugh at your comment directed to me as the guy and his wife next to me actually knew the guy that you were talking about in the sexy hose. heh heh
Al
April 22nd, 2009
4:01 pm
Braindawg I agree with you. The Heat games also have trouble selling out even with a marquee name like Wade. A lot of it has to do with the economy too. I bought all my tickets all season on ebay where people are having to practically give away their resale tickets they intended to profit from. I bought seats in the third row (sitting next to Zo) for $45 dollars each for one game. Several times I bought first five row upper level seats for less than $5 dollars each (including one of the Atlanta games) on ebay. That won’t work in the playoffs though. But yeah, Atlanta’s not the only town with this problem.
KevinA
April 22nd, 2009
4:07 pm
Even if your an Hawks opponent it would be hard not to cheer a Josh smash. Tonights objective is to hold serve. If we do this requires the Heat to win 4 out of the next 5 to come back and win the series. Very tough to do. Look for Wade to play better and the score to be closer. Unless JJ, Bibby and Flip have bad nights, look for the Hawks win by 10. I believe it will be a defensive low scoreing battle. 92-82 I normally dont guess scores but tonight, I’m going there. The Hawks will clamp down in the 4th quarter and stiffle the Heat.
mike
April 22nd, 2009
4:16 pm
IM GONNA BREAK IT DOWN:
the true hawks fans that have been down forever sit in sections 113-117 (majority of long time season ticket holders).. they applaud Defense, offensive rebounds, etc
The poser, corporate, bandwagon fans sit in club.. they got tickets from their work, etc
Then you have the “white family from the suburbs” that gets their late, doesnt know whats going on in the game, and is just happy to buy some soveneirs from the kids… they are a little weirded out by the amount of blacks at the game though (a little “too hip hop” is what i heard from my old boss)
Then there is the “hip-hop and hip hop groupie crowd”… this included entertainers, producers, groupies, and wanna be’s.. the wanna be’s are the most prevalent.. they sit in club level but hang out up top by the bars and restaurants and dont even go to their seats (unless they have courtside).. these people pay no attention to the game and are extra happy if they can get into the “level lounge” (that small ultra exclusive bar underneath the club section).. the groupies are even worse, they get all dressed up ( i like that part), and just generally go to the game to meet people in the “industry” or try to meet a baller.. usually they somehow get that post game wristband (access to locker room and other areas) due to their looks.
and the rest of atl doesnt show up because they dont care.. they only care about college football… nba is a bunch of thugs to them. ask around… by the way i love the hawks and I will be in sec 117 cheering my ass off..
Maconga
April 22nd, 2009
4:23 pm
Team AND fan base are both under the radar. I am from Macon and took my UGA son to the Sunday game. He saw a bunch of his UGA friends and I saw another white guy (Yes!) just like me from Macon. Most of my friends pay no attention but their are some die hards down our way!
Team is growing and gaining confidence. We can win the series in five but could also loose it in seven. Keep playing hard. Do not care if we score 85 as long as the Heat scores 84!
Volman
April 22nd, 2009
4:25 pm
Mike, that was a “real” post. I like it. Actually, you are pretty much right on. Most of the “families” are there to get their kids some popcorn and a hawks t-shirt, and the “ballers” are there to look good and hang out at the “club level” area. Both do not really care about the outcome of the game (see my posts above).
Isn’t that what night clubs are for AFTER the game? haha.
Daniel
April 22nd, 2009
4:36 pm
mike- I am white from the burbs (well Decatur) and I sit in 105. I am a huge Hawks fan and scream and cheer.
But, overall you are right.
KevinA
April 22nd, 2009
4:39 pm
And then there are those of us that watch through the tv. They sit on the edge of their couch and yell at it. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. Their Wives and girl friends buy them t shirts and pillows and other Hawks junk because they think it’s cute we act so weird.
mike
April 22nd, 2009
4:42 pm
daniel-
i should have not said that everyone in club does not cheer and is only there to “be seen”…. i know there are a few like yourself in club that are true hawks fans. my apologies…. now lets get loud tonight!!!
David Smith
April 22nd, 2009
5:03 pm
I have supported this team for years and agree with most of the posts made on this subject. I usually attend about 10-12 games per year and nothing irritates me more than getting to my seat early (30 minutes or an hour before tipoff) and having people getting in their seats by the second period (I usually sit in section 316-318 with tickets purchased on stubhub).I’ve always been a vocal fan from arguing bad calls to cheering spectacular plays (offense and defense). We as fans need to realize that many cities would kill to have a NBA franchise (Seattle anyone?) I wish i could go to tonight’s game (game three last year was a blast) but have to settle for watching it over a friend’s house (I’ve been unemployed for three months). GO HAWKS!!!!
doc
April 22nd, 2009
5:07 pm
daniel, ditto for section 111. mike, good explanation but bit too stereotypical as i being white sit between two african american businessmen who yell like crazy for the home team and enjoy and respect each other while doing it. really atl is small but the transplants are large and some NEVER adopt atl as home. guess what? none of this crap affects my ability to enjoy the game or find atl any less than enthusiastic for their team as it is not a basketball city. i really get tired of this thread of talk, has anyone really gone out to l a and seen why they have lost a nfl franchise, consider te nba as the stars game and pretty much divorced itself from baseball. it is bigger but like atl it has a lot of other things to choose from to do.
now let us all get ready to make the lint fly once more in the phillips!
i also think the hakws’ crowd is the most respectful one and to be diverse as it is is a huge statement for which i am proud of.
Fred
April 22nd, 2009
5:08 pm
I think we will see a much different game tonight: http://www.examiner.com/x-2723-Atlanta-Hawks-Examiner~y2009m4d22-What-can-we-expect-from-the-Hawks-tonight
Native Son
April 22nd, 2009
5:10 pm
Volman: There are Aliens in the seats alright, but not ATLIENS. Message from the most indigenous one.
Samuel
April 22nd, 2009
5:11 pm
Hey, has anyone here ever bought tickets over the net where they email the ticket to you. Are they trustworthy?
That foul is OFFENSIVE!!!
April 22nd, 2009
5:12 pm
I’ll be cheering in Section 318, where the DIE-HARD (and BROKE) fans dwell!!!
Let’s hope the boo-birds come out in force again tonight whenever dee waid has the ball!!
LET’S GO HAWKS!!!
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
5:14 pm
David, you may want to try purchasing your tix thru ticketmaster before searching on stubhub. stubhub are generally resales which most are sold for profit… Just a FYI…
Dante Fitzgerald
April 22nd, 2009
5:14 pm
Ay,ay,aY… Goin 2 da game!!!!! Its gonna be anotha Slam dunk contest!!!
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
5:16 pm
Samuel, i purchase some thru ticketmaster that way and i didn’t have a problem…
cheese
April 22nd, 2009
5:17 pm
hawks fans are not as passionate. a couple of months ago visited the bay area in california and went to a warriors game. it was a regular season game on a friday night against the sixers. the arena was full. the atmosphere was like a playoff atmosphere compared to the hawks. it seemed like everyone had a warriors jersey, t-shirt, sweater, or hat on. but here its just casual people wearing casual clothes. they dont need ryan cameron to lead on the cheers while the people in the seats lead. the warriors didnt even win 30 games and look at how much support that team gets compared to our hawks. stoned mountain is right, this just is not a basketball town. only if the hawks make it to the playoffs. just imagine if we brought that atmosphere every night during the regular season, i bet the hawks would have just a good home record as the cavs.
bigjohnhawksfan
April 22nd, 2009
5:19 pm
doc: agreed about the diverse crowd. Practically everyone around me during game 1 was Chinese!
And they cheered and booed as loudly as I did. I’ll take serious foreign (overseas) transplants over the lame domestic (other NBA cities) transplants (and night club crowd) anyday!!
是亚特兰大鹰 (”GO ATLANTA HAWKS!!!”)
scottbravesfan
April 22nd, 2009
5:28 pm
Atlanta is not a basketball town. It’s a football and baseball town. Look at this blog there are 51 replies during a day when there is a playoff game. Now go click on the Braves blog and see how many posts are on there during a time when the team is playing like crap and there is supposed fan blog boycott. The fans are trying to boycott the team since it’s playing so bad that they do not deserve a blog even though there have still been over 500 replies to it. The Braves blogs get 1500 to 2000 replies on average. The Hawks? Not so much. Even the Falcons blog doesn’t get anywhere near that many replies.
The problem with the city of Atlanta as a basketball town is this. Local white people on average just do not care about the NBA. You might get them interested in college but they have a negative perception of the NBA and somewhat rightfully so. And if you meet a white NBA fan in Atlanta they most likely are from somewhere like New England or New York and root for the Knicks or the Celtics. Black people on average do not support their hometown teams, at least not in Atlanta. They support the Braves more so than the Hawks and Falcons but there are even a lot of black Red Sox fans that show up when Boston is at Turner Field, which is funny because the Red Sox are one of the most racist franchises in the history of sports.Most of this group were Bull fans in the 1990s and now they switch between Laker, Celtics, and Cavs. I have seriously seen the same black person wear a Paul Pierce Celtics jersey to the Boston game and then when the Cavs are in town he shows up wearing a Lebron jersey and rooting for the Cavs. This happens a lot and more so among black fans than any other segment of the population that I have seen. Why? I have no idea? Not saying we don’t have good white and black fans but those are the observations that I have seen as an Atlanta sports fan who cheers for the Hawks, Braves, Falcons, and Thrashers.
scottbravesfan
April 22nd, 2009
5:30 pm
Samuel,
I have bought tickets through ticketmaster and then printed them out at my house it’s always worked fine.
the real OLD GOLD
April 22nd, 2009
5:37 pm
Wade got a college type constant loud “BOOOO” non-stop whenever he even touched the ball. The fans were pumped and talking much trash before, during and after the game with every heat fan in sight. I think Atlanta is as much a basketball town as any, but it’s also a smart sports city. The braves had to win to prove it, the Falcons will have to continue to win to prove it, and the Hawks need a deep playoff run, and the fans will come around. NOW YOU KNOW! GO HAWKS!
theArsonist
April 22nd, 2009
5:56 pm
Most of the Hawks fans now are nothing more than bandwagon. I had two people tell me to sit down because they couldn’t see do to my excessive fanhood. Like that was my problem. I have been a fan and partial season ticket holder since 85. It’s been 20 years since the hawks have had the city this excited and you expect me to sit down? Thats why people think atlanta is a pathetic sports town.
BTW, maybe someone could let us know where Randy Wittman, Jon Battle, Jon Koncak, Antoine Carr, Cliff “Good News” Levingston, Scott Hastings and Anthony Webb are these days. It’d be nice to see the Hawks invite them all down to a playoff game and let us show our appreciation. And if they can find those guys perhaps they can find the dread head who wore the tricolored hat who sat by the Hawks entrance during the OMNI days. And what was the sportscasters name from that time who always said “Bullseye!” ?
theArsonist
April 22nd, 2009
5:59 pm
@scottbravesfan, I’m black and i have never worn any jersey that didnt have the hawks, falcons, braves, flames, or thrashers logo on it.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 22nd, 2009
6:03 pm
“the true hawks fans that have been down forever sit in sections 113-117 (majority of long time season ticket holders).. they applaud Defense, offensive rebounds, etc”
Uh… you can catch me in section 412 tonight, same as Game 1, cheering on the good box-outs and defensive rotations.
Just because poor people like me can’t afford 100-level playoff tickets doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate the game or that we are not long-time fans.
I agree with most of the rest of what you said though…
tbhawksfan
April 22nd, 2009
6:41 pm
What a blog, the first part is crying for blood, the next part illiciting sympathy for the young millionaires. Pathetic and pathetic.
If Mia resorts to physical bball, OK. Why didn’t they bring it out in game one? Why is Mr. Smith stirring the crowed into a feeding frenzy with the sugestion of flowing blood. Then he gets all soft and sweet with the nurturing coaching style.
Hey, Cat, choose an emotional button and stick with it. Don’t jump from one emotional stimulus to another. it gets either confusing or superficial. Is it blood or love, I’m confused? Oh, it’s just Bball being marketed by the local media biatche.
Boy, I’m in for it now.
UGA
April 22nd, 2009
6:54 pm
GO HAWKS!!
Let’s get up 2-0!!
KevinA
April 22nd, 2009
7:56 pm
6 minutes away lol. This house is pumped up and ready to rock. Let’s kick some boooooodiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Kyle
April 22nd, 2009
8:11 pm
is it just me…or is every one of our starters better than their starters sans Wade? Like We are a much better team than they are
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
8:16 pm
Damn only Atlanta has a wild Hawk flying around the court.
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
8:16 pm
The Hawk Spirit has stole the show…
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
8:20 pm
I hear you Mel. We need to pick up the pace. I don’t like this slow pace.
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
8:21 pm
Hawks off to a slow start. Too many jumpers to start the game..
Kyle
April 22nd, 2009
8:21 pm
with the dunk JJJJJJJJJJJJoe Johnson
Sautee
April 22nd, 2009
8:21 pm
First team to 70 wins?
Wabe
April 22nd, 2009
8:21 pm
What was up with the Hawk flying around Philips?
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
8:22 pm
WOW JJ GOT A SLAM!!!
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
8:22 pm
Joe Johnson serves up a facial on Jermaine O’neal… That was nasty Joe….
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
8:23 pm
Agreed Lacsho. The Heat is trying to slow the game down so DWade can go one on one every possession…
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
8:23 pm
They need to pick up the defense intensity, and force some turnovers.
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
8:23 pm
yuck… joe wit da yolk…!!!
fell ugly though… was supposed to be an AND 1…
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
8:26 pm
WTF… THATS A T!!
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
8:28 pm
WTF!!! TOUCH FOULS ON US…
freshd
April 22nd, 2009
8:29 pm
Where are all the hawks fans? All I see are empty seats. It”s not a good look for national TV. I know Kenny Smith and Sir Charles are gonna kill the hawks fans. These are the playoffs.
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
8:29 pm
Looks like Wade is going to get a lot of calls tonight.
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
8:30 pm
Mo has 2 quick fouls. Will we see Super Mario get some mins to harrass DWade….
Sautee
April 22nd, 2009
8:30 pm
It’s starting in spades for the touch foul calls. Stern must have texted the refs during the last time out.
Brandon
April 22nd, 2009
8:33 pm
if thats Danny Crawford out there Dwayne Wade is sure to get a majority of the calls.
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
8:34 pm
HOW IS THAT A FOUL ON JOSH?
DrewCat
April 22nd, 2009
8:34 pm
The offense really needs to pick up. Maybe Flip can get going in Game 2 after a sub par Game 1
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
8:35 pm
Here we go Mel
Brandon
April 22nd, 2009
8:36 pm
Josh Smith is carrying the Hawks right now…
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
8:38 pm
SLAP HIM MARIO…!!!
Sekou Smith
April 22nd, 2009
8:40 pm
The loose Hawk has to be the funniest thing I’ve seen all year. Classic Philips Arena moment if there ever was one.
Macaroni Tony
April 22nd, 2009
8:40 pm
the nba wants to see a lebron and wade matchup. WE’RE not getting any calls. And we’re at home.
Interested Observer
April 22nd, 2009
8:42 pm
Intergrity of the game > Television Ratings…many of these calls are going DWade’s and the Heat’s way. Hawks need to bring the intensity to start quarter number 2.
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
8:46 pm
SEE WE HAVE TO HAMMER THEM… THEY DONT GIVE US ANYTHING EASY… HAMMER THEM..
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
8:46 pm
Ryan Cameron needs to get the crowd going. Damn can we get a little music in Phillips. It’s like the Hawks are playing in a library or a museum.
Sautee
April 22nd, 2009
8:51 pm
Now we’re starting to compete at their level of intensity.
Thanks Zaza.
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
8:51 pm
Man Beasly is going to be a beast. I like what Bibby is doing, and Woody finally calls a timeout.
Melle Mel I agree with you we need to throw super mario in. I’m a little worried b/c everyone is going one on one. We play our best ball when we get at least three passes before the shot.
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
8:52 pm
They gave the Hawks a few token calls at the start of the game but DWade is getting all the calls now…
freshd
April 22nd, 2009
8:53 pm
The hawks need to bring up the energy, they”re playing like the heat are gonna roll over for them. If they don”t watch out the refs will turn this series to MIAMI, because the NBA wants to see D-WADE AND JAMES.
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
8:54 pm
Smoove needs to get his damn head in the game, and stop dribbling. I hate to say this, but Smoove cannot guard Beasly.
vava74
April 22nd, 2009
8:54 pm
we are being creamed by the officiating…
its the nba machine working: keep wade in the second round
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
8:56 pm
Man JJ needs to go straight at Wade to get the third foul. Our free throw shooting is a little suspect.
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
8:57 pm
Lascho, Ditto. Everybody is going one on one and can we make our free throws. Geesh….
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
8:57 pm
gotta pick up the intensity on the defensive end…
Interested Observer
April 22nd, 2009
8:59 pm
attack wade…attack wade…draw the 3rd foul…
O'brien
April 22nd, 2009
9:00 pm
The only way for the Hawks to win is to run run run, because we all know that we have no offensive system, no good set plays.
Keep running Hawks!
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
9:02 pm
It looks like the Heat have made a pretty good adjustment. I guess they figured out we don’t have any half court offensive sets. We need a point guard who’s going to force the frantic pace. The type of point guard who can make any game a up tempo game. Hmmmm a point guard like Parker or CP3.
Astro Joe
April 22nd, 2009
9:02 pm
GREAT defense, Joe!
Macaroni Tony
April 22nd, 2009
9:05 pm
Lacsho
We have to play with the players that we have. The game is not over. We as Hawks fans always love what we see on other teams..
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
9:09 pm
Why are we not running more pick and roll plays…
DrewCat
April 22nd, 2009
9:10 pm
GET FLIP OFF OF WADE, NOW!!!
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
9:10 pm
Can we get a time out and put someone on Wade.
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
9:10 pm
wow.
Brandon
April 22nd, 2009
9:11 pm
wheres the DEFENSE?
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
9:12 pm
TNT got what they want. A offensive outburst by DWade….
O'brien
April 22nd, 2009
9:12 pm
Just like Wade is stepping up, we need JJ to step up.
Wade has 13 points in a row. Are you kidding me?? Where is the defense Hawks? And where is the offense Hawks?
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
9:12 pm
How many damn threes does Wade have to hit. The Refs are taking over the game.
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
9:13 pm
get off his nuts nique
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
9:13 pm
I’m sorry this is where Woody looses props. You have to be able to make in game adjustments.
Brandon
April 22nd, 2009
9:14 pm
why the 3 point shoot out? the hawks oughta pound it inside draw some fouls… referees arent making the situation any better. TNT are you happy now?
KevinA
April 22nd, 2009
9:15 pm
We need to put Mario on Wade. Can’t do any worse. Mario will play him tighter.
Macaroni Tony
April 22nd, 2009
9:16 pm
I bet you that the Hawks win this game. We just will have to make some adjustments. When a player is hot and the refs are not allowing anything you just have to run more and not play a half court game…
KevinA
April 22nd, 2009
9:17 pm
Flip can’t make a shot so lets go bk down low. We need to get Josh and Al going.
Macaroni Tony
April 22nd, 2009
9:17 pm
I think that JJ or MW will have to get it going. The three ball is keeping them alive..
Brandon
April 22nd, 2009
9:19 pm
Al Horford can work Jermaine O’Neal inside…if the Hawks can draw production in the paint the defense will collapse leaving our sharp shooters with wide open shot selections.
Dont give up!!! Plenty of time left in this game!!
KevinA
April 22nd, 2009
9:19 pm
We have been down many times like this before. Time for the Hawks lock down defense.
cp
April 22nd, 2009
9:20 pm
Wade and Flip killed us that 2nd quarter. Why in the world did it take so long for Woodson to sit Flip. He was turning the ball over, getting killed on defense, and was making no shots. We will have to make adjustments in the second half to win this game but Woodson is not known as a coach who cam make adjustments. We better hope Wade goes cold and somebody on our team steps up.
atlrayzd
April 22nd, 2009
9:22 pm
Our star needs to shine (Joe Johnson). Time to meet the challenge of Dwade. Joe Johnson has to make his presence felt on offense in the second half or Heat may even this series.
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
9:22 pm
charles go have a drink… u suck…
Macaroni Tony
April 22nd, 2009
9:22 pm
Of course they clowned us on TNT. I really don’t like those guys
TNT sucks
April 22nd, 2009
9:24 pm
who cares about a bunch of nobodys sitting behind a desk?
DrewCat
April 22nd, 2009
9:25 pm
Once again TNT rips the Hawks, particularly Chuck. He does have a valid point, however, in that the Hawks half-court offense is stagnant. Nobody can really seem to get going. These are the times when Joe must take over the game offensively and keep the Hawks at the pace they wish to play. The Heat are lulling the Hawks to sleep with the slowed up pace on offense. The Hawks have to force the Heat into tougher shots.
On offense, the Hawks must share the ball. This was the main reason for their success in game one. Marv, Joe, Bibby and Horford particularly have to be able to score in or half-court sets, and Josh has to be able to run the floor and contribute with dynamic defensive palys.
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
9:26 pm
I have to agreed with Barkley assessment of the Hawks. He said they halfcourt offense sucks. They have no halfcourt offense. Each time down they take turns going one on one…
Blast
April 22nd, 2009
9:26 pm
Hawks need to wake up. Wade is hot now, refs are his six man, but don’t count the Hawks out yet. Hawks defence has been terrible, and Wade should have been doubled after he made the second 3. But I’ve seen Hawks adjust and come back from bigger deficits before. Two more halves of ball to play. However, if Heat runs the score up in the 3rd quarter, Hawks in trouble. Hawks have to win the 3rd big to take this game.
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
9:27 pm
Actually TNT was telling the truth.
BJones
April 22nd, 2009
9:30 pm
If I remember correctly the Hawks came back from a sizable deficit against Boston at home in the playoffs last season.
Bring defensive intensity, good shot selections, forget about the refs and play ATL HAWK Basketball.
Time To Rise Up….
Sautee
April 22nd, 2009
9:31 pm
cp,
Flip wasn’t charged for any TO’s according to espn’s box score.
He certainly WAS getting torched on D. I’d MUCH rather see him crowd Wade and make him drive, than to give up uncontested 3’s.
We will adjust at halftime. (he said confidently)
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
9:34 pm
Wow. My dad who hasn’t watched the Hawks or Heat much is watching the game and asked me if they tried to treat their superstars well by giving them good calls. Ha It’s pretty sad. Then when Wade gets hot the TNT guys just start going crazy. Also I think Wade is the whiniest player in basketball. I know he got hot but I’m just pissed at the NBA. We probably won’t win this game unless we go crazy in the second half because the refs won’t help us. I almost quit watching because off all these blocking fouls called on us. Are you kidding me? JJ needs to take it inside more but he won’t be able to get in the line. Also it’d be nice if Woody remembered we had Marvin Williams on our team.
Macaroni Tony
April 22nd, 2009
9:34 pm
TNT had some truth but they are really biase. Chuck does alot of commericials with Wade, can’t trust that. We can win this game and will win.
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
9:35 pm
There he is!
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
9:38 pm
Jumps Shots (horrible)
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
9:38 pm
of course they were telling the truth, we’ve told it all year…but its clear that they are biased…
BJones
April 22nd, 2009
9:39 pm
Bibby finally hits something…just need some D
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
9:39 pm
Ha This is stupid. I might as well watch WWE.
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
9:39 pm
I hope comes back in the game pissed and takes over…
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
9:40 pm
The refs are not going to let us win tonight.
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
9:40 pm
this game is ours… weve fought back all year…
BJones
April 22nd, 2009
9:40 pm
Danny Crawford = Dwayne Wade’s best Friend.
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
9:41 pm
Marvin has to step up.
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
9:42 pm
yea.. bibby… yea… lets go… lets gooooo!!!
BJones
April 22nd, 2009
9:42 pm
Here we go…the comback is on…
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
9:43 pm
I guarantee that Joe Johnson will come back in this game and take over in the 4th quarter. When that man gets pissed and intense he’s ill.
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
9:43 pm
Bibby is money going left and from the top of the key on left…
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
9:43 pm
Nice, Bibby and Marvin are feeling the urgency to get back in the game. We’re going to have to beat the heat and all three refs.
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
9:44 pm
agreed Reggie… agreed… he’s one of those players that plays better pissed…
Macaroni Tony
April 22nd, 2009
9:44 pm
Like I said MW will have to step up. I hope that they milk him tonight. JJ still could have a big fourth quarter.
BJones
April 22nd, 2009
9:46 pm
agreed Reggie… agreed Macaroni Tony…
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
9:48 pm
Big Al with the reverse yolk attempt… i like it…
Astro Joe
April 22nd, 2009
9:50 pm
I hate it when we blow free throws. It drives me CRAZY.
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
9:51 pm
mmm…
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
9:51 pm
id bring joe back
yeah
April 22nd, 2009
9:51 pm
whats the score..
Astro Joe
April 22nd, 2009
9:51 pm
What the heck was that Smith attempt?
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
9:51 pm
Oh nice controlled shot Smith! That’s just what we want. Come on now!
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
9:52 pm
or flip.. get it under 10… flip we need u… Bibby playing like a Vet right now…
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
9:53 pm
Well I guess if it gets too bad JJ won’t be able to come back. We need to get it to 10-12 or so.
Astro Joe
April 22nd, 2009
9:54 pm
There you go, Josh. Let them feed you the ball… don’t force it.
niremetal
April 22nd, 2009
9:56 pm
Where’s Mario?
D.Carter
April 22nd, 2009
9:57 pm
WHERE IS THE HALFTIME ADJUSTMENT….. DOES WOODY NOT UNDERSTAND THAT WE MUST TRAP WADE OFF OF THE PICK AND ROLL AND MAKE THEM MAKE THE EXTRA PASS ….. OR MAKE OTHER GUYS SHOOT WHICH CAUSES LONG REBOUNDS AND FAST BREAK OPPOURTUNITIES…… PLEASE COACH MAKE THE ADJUSTMENT!!!!!!!!
O'brien
April 22nd, 2009
9:57 pm
Macaroni Tony, The Hawks are not good at making in game adjustments. The way they come back is to turn up the defense, and run run run. I dont think thats adjustments. Miami made some adjustments after game 1, and it is showing.
No in game adjustment from Woody. Once Wade started going off, we shoulf have been doubling him, but we didnt. And we have no offensive half-court set.
That being said, Hawks need to try and get it under 10 by the 4th quarter.
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
9:58 pm
all Wade has to do is look at Danny Crawford and he’ll give him a call…
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
9:59 pm
Get that foot out of your mouth beasley.
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
9:59 pm
Or not.
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:00 pm
no Mario on Wade…?
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
10:01 pm
Wow if that was Wade that got pushed like Zaza did it would be an and1.
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
10:01 pm
Great adjustments!!!
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:02 pm
GAME ON…!!! LETS GO!!!
KevinA
April 22nd, 2009
10:02 pm
Why is Evans on Wade. He is a step to slow for him.
Josh needs to take this game over.
eman
April 22nd, 2009
10:03 pm
It’s the 3 pt line that they’re getting beat at
Miami is 11-20 while Atlanta is 3-12
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
10:03 pm
Reggie, Ditto…
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
10:03 pm
Perfect! 11 points is manageable.
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
10:03 pm
timely 3 by Flip
D.Carter
April 22nd, 2009
10:03 pm
MAKE THE SUPPORTING CAST BEAT YOU….. HARD DOUBLES ON JERMAINE AS WELL… NEXT GAME WE MUST START OUT THIS WAY…. WOODY MADE NO GAME ADJUSTMENTS FROM GAME 1
eman
April 22nd, 2009
10:04 pm
make that 4-13
KevinA
April 22nd, 2009
10:04 pm
You don’t win playoff games, you take them. We need to get very intense and very physical. This is our court.
Macaroni Tony
April 22nd, 2009
10:05 pm
O’Brien
So far your right but I say that this game is not over. If we could carry that energy into the next quarter then it should be great…
KevinA
April 22nd, 2009
10:06 pm
Here is where Marvin can help Josh by driving to the hoop. Jumpers just let their defense off the hook.
D.Carter
April 22nd, 2009
10:06 pm
HARD DOUBLES ON JERMAINE AND WADE ARE A MUST…. GET THE BALL TO MARVIN IN THE POST
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
10:07 pm
Well that didn’t help at all.
freshd
April 22nd, 2009
10:08 pm
RUN HAWKS RUN!
freshd
April 22nd, 2009
10:09 pm
AND PLAY SOME DAMN DEFENSE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
10:09 pm
JSmoove the Enforcer…I like it. Standup for your teammate….
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
10:10 pm
Nice!
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:11 pm
mmm…. gotta get stops…
D.Carter
April 22nd, 2009
10:11 pm
OUR HELPSIDE DEFENSE STINKS
Brandon
April 22nd, 2009
10:12 pm
need some stops
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
10:12 pm
Alright get it to single digits right here.
KevinA
April 22nd, 2009
10:13 pm
Mercy – why is JJ so off.
D.Carter
April 22nd, 2009
10:13 pm
ELITE TEAMS STEP BALLSIDE
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
10:13 pm
come on Joe.
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
10:13 pm
Joe trying to do too much…
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:13 pm
bibby saving us…
D.Carter
April 22nd, 2009
10:14 pm
WHY DO WE JUST STAND ARE AND WATCH PEOPLE GO THE BASKET….. NO HELPSIDE DEFENSE AT ALL!!!!!!
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
10:14 pm
These TNT guys are clueless tonight.
D.Carter
April 22nd, 2009
10:14 pm
GET MARVIN IN THE GAME AND GIVE HIM THE ROCK IN THE POST
Macaroni Tony
April 22nd, 2009
10:15 pm
they have to bring MW back in the game, he was producing….
D.Carter
April 22nd, 2009
10:15 pm
i KNOW LITTLE LEAGUE TEAMS THAT PLAY BETTER HELPSIDE DEFENSE THAN THIS
freshd
April 22nd, 2009
10:16 pm
Will somebody tell JOE that his shot is off tonight and to pass the ball to the hot man, MIKE BIBBY.
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:16 pm
where is Marvin?
KevinA
April 22nd, 2009
10:17 pm
JJ and Flip 6/19, that just won’t get it done.
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:18 pm
really was that our best option…?
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
10:18 pm
Good look Horford good look. Run the OFFENSE!
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
10:19 pm
Horford shoots a jump shot instead of driving the ball to the hole
D.Carter
April 22nd, 2009
10:19 pm
REBOUND JOE!!!!!!
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:19 pm
wow…
D.Carter
April 22nd, 2009
10:20 pm
gET MARVIN IN THE GAME!!!!!!!!!!!
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:20 pm
the wind knocked outta Wade..
Astro Joe
April 22nd, 2009
10:20 pm
I wonder if Marvin’s back tightens up when he sits and that’s why he can only play at the beginning of halves. He need him to finish this game.
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
10:20 pm
Drive to the basket PLEASE….
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
10:21 pm
Nice defense Bibby, and great shot JJ
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
10:21 pm
Get Flip out and put Marvin in.
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:21 pm
Al with the butter fingers….
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
10:22 pm
Dang Flip. Its time to comeback with Marvin….
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
10:22 pm
Flip is horrible tonight. Absolutely horrible. Can he maybe show up?
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
10:22 pm
Dave: He really does have butter fingers.
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
10:23 pm
AstroJoe, the only thing that tighten up is Woody’s a$$. He has made any adjustment and he’s scared to take Flip out of the Game…
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:25 pm
Reggie… remember the Cleveland game.. where if he secured the reb. it woulda been game.. he fumbled it to Lebron and he kicked it to Moe for the tie… or lead… i can t remember… he has em.. im telling ya…
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
10:25 pm
Flip hasn’t play good since the last two regular season games where Woody played him 30+ mins in two meaningless games…..
freshd
April 22nd, 2009
10:25 pm
This is the time for JJ to step his game up, if he wants to be considered one of the top players in the league. The playoffs are when legends are made, and JOE has to step it up.
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:26 pm
yea… 5 on Wade…
Astro Joe
April 22nd, 2009
10:26 pm
Can we hit free throws to finish this game?
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:26 pm
Flip go at Wade.. whomever… go at Wade…
dmortone
April 22nd, 2009
10:26 pm
Flip is single-handly throwing the game for us. Can we get Marvin in?.
Even if we lose this game, the takeaway is that DWade is shooting lights-out on jumpers, and not producing in the paint at all. If the Heat have to rely on DWade shooting jumpshots all series. He’s 9-14 on jumpers, 1-5 in the paint.
Nevermind about flip, make me shut up.
Brandon
April 22nd, 2009
10:26 pm
Nice play Flip. C’MON DEFENSE@@@@
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
10:27 pm
Now its time to go in for the kill, while wade is out!
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:27 pm
its early we good…
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
10:28 pm
Horford needs to D-UP
dmortone
April 22nd, 2009
10:28 pm
*if the heat have the realy on dwade shooting jumpers, I’m not worried at all
Astro Joe
April 22nd, 2009
10:28 pm
Come one WOody, MAKE your players hit their free throws.
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
10:29 pm
WTF? Why is Joe forcing it…
freshd
April 22nd, 2009
10:29 pm
misses 2 free throws
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
10:30 pm
Flip and Joe killed us…
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:30 pm
lucky…
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
10:30 pm
Wow. That sums it up. He acted like he tried to do that. We need to put him on his back.
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:30 pm
good d… lucky shot…
Astro Joe
April 22nd, 2009
10:31 pm
Helluva shot by Wade but dude doesn’t like being checked tight like Joe was doing. Unfortunately, Hawks won’t get away with that in Miami.
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
10:31 pm
Well you know this game will be Top Story on ESPN….
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:31 pm
free throws…and we didnt run them off the 3 point line…
eman
April 22nd, 2009
10:31 pm
if the star don’t show up, it’s hard to win
*this game right here is showing me that relying on Wade can win them this series
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:32 pm
o yea marvin u know it… top plays all that shyt… not one of Josh’s highlight worthy dunks made top plays… not one…
Mark
April 22nd, 2009
10:32 pm
DAGGER by WADE!! Why did they fight so hard for homecourt advantage?
freshd
April 22nd, 2009
10:32 pm
D-WADE bank shot off glass, ESPN all over his nuts, top 10 highlights. The hawks have let the heat take the momentum.
Mark
April 22nd, 2009
10:32 pm
Joe is an ALLSTAR, Wade is SUPERSTAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brandon
April 22nd, 2009
10:33 pm
absolutely right…ESPN will give Dwayne Wade a 10 miinute segment and the game gets sparse coverage.
Well need to regroup, and go to Miami and take care of business.
Blast
April 22nd, 2009
10:33 pm
That 3 pointer heave by Wade will just about do it. Hawks didn’t prepare well for this game. They did get over confident. Heat fans, enjoy your win. See you on your home floor.
eman
April 22nd, 2009
10:33 pm
Also never understood how a pro can stand directly in front of the net, under no pressure by an opposing player, and miss a shot (11 missed FTs!)
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:33 pm
Eman they didnt just rely on Wade… Cook hit big shots early… JO had a great game… the rook… and Haslem…
richbrave
April 22nd, 2009
10:33 pm
Sounds like black wednesday in HAWKSVILLE. No worries mates. HAWKS in six.
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:34 pm
we’ll rebound from this…
D.Carter
April 22nd, 2009
10:34 pm
ITS OVA WOODY GOT THOSE ARMS FOLDED AGAIN
eman
April 22nd, 2009
10:35 pm
bigdave, no but they are relying on him to take the lead on the team. He wasn’t able to do that in game 1 and they were blown out, he’s doing that in game 2 and the rest of the team is following his lead.
niremetal
April 22nd, 2009
10:35 pm
Man. JJ bricks two free throws and Josh throws the ball into the seats on a breakaway. Clearly, clearly, clearly the focus wasn’t there tonight.
MGM
April 22nd, 2009
10:35 pm
These first two games a microcosm of the Hawks. Flashes of brilliance followed by a total lack of continuity. They can still win the series but this team is seriously flawed. Just when they look like a team that has it together they show up totally lame.
Turtsnap
April 22nd, 2009
10:36 pm
After the Heats 64 lowly points in Game 1, it appears the Hawks came out tonight and figured they didn’t have to play defense. Yes, the Heat have hit a ton of 3’s, but have you seen some of the wide open looks they are getting. HOLY COW!!
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:36 pm
look at em… everybody off Joe’s bandwagon… jesh… wow… amazing… he and josh all we had in the first… Woody sat him the whole 3rd… and now he’s the goat…
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
10:36 pm
How many shots will cook hit before someone guards him?
D.Carter
April 22nd, 2009
10:36 pm
WOODY IS GONNA PUT MARVIN IN NOW!!!!
keepin it real
April 22nd, 2009
10:36 pm
y’all leavin dont go
Mark
April 22nd, 2009
10:36 pm
SERIES OVER!!! You how stupid we get on the road. We’ll probably get embarrassed in games 3 and 4.
KevinA
April 22nd, 2009
10:36 pm
Well the Hawks will lose tonight. The Heat will shoot around 55% from the field. Can’t beat that. Congrats to the Heat.
Lacsho
April 22nd, 2009
10:37 pm
Marvin sat out damn near the whole 4th quarter. Bad, Bad, Bad, adjustments.
scottbravesfan
April 22nd, 2009
10:37 pm
FreshD,
The game was sold out there were empty seats at the beginning of the game because it’s Atlanta and there is this thing called traffic. Speaking of Atlanta traffic, I was waiting on Hank Aaron drive for almost two hours on Braves opening day and I was there an hour before the game was supposed to start. Atlanta traffic is awful.
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
10:37 pm
Mark: Please just shut up. There is no need for your stupid comments.
keepin it real
April 22nd, 2009
10:37 pm
hawks got no bench
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
10:37 pm
Down 13pts with less than 2mins left and Woody wants to call timeout to go over strategy
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:37 pm
eman its simple.. look at the stats.. they got contributions from the bench.. Cook.. Rook… Haslem played well.. and Oneal.. Wade cant win the series by himself.. well.. thats if the refs dont help him..
Mark
April 22nd, 2009
10:38 pm
We shouldn’t bother showing up in Miami.
scottbravesfan
April 22nd, 2009
10:38 pm
Joe Johnson has to hit some big free throws, remember the Celtics game earlier this year? Missed some big ones.
And where the hell was Marvin Williams at in the fourth? God Woodson is a terrible coach.
Astro Joe
April 22nd, 2009
10:38 pm
Well, I doubt that Miami will hit 15 3s in another game and that we’ll miss 11 free throws. Well, I’m less certain about us missing 11 free throws but I don’t expect that the Heat will hit 15 3s again. Hawks get to show and prove in Game 3.
niremetal
April 22nd, 2009
10:38 pm
That being said, if the Heat can only win if they shoot 58% from deep and have JJ on the bench with foul trouble for the entire third quarter (and he had NO rhythm when he came back from that), then the Hawks definitely can bounce back.
scottbravesfan
April 22nd, 2009
10:39 pm
Look at these gay ass Atlanta rappers congratulating Dewayne Wade. Crap like that would never go on in Philly or Boston. Atlanta needs to get hard as a sports city it’s way too weak.
Mark
April 22nd, 2009
10:39 pm
Why couldn’t we put West on Wade, heck we could have used his effort and his fouls.
Woody=stupid and dumb and pathetic
Melvin
April 22nd, 2009
10:39 pm
keepin it real, you lost all respect from us. we see that you are a fair weather fan. we haven’t heard from you since Saturday…
D.Carter
April 22nd, 2009
10:39 pm
WE HAVE GOT TO BE THE WORST DEFENSIVE TEAM IN THE PLAYOFFS NO HELPSIDE DEFENSE AT ALL
freshd
April 22nd, 2009
10:40 pm
Oh well. I guess WOODY didn”t stay at a Holiday Inn Tuesday night, and to think I was thinking about jumping on the hawks bandwagon. Is CHERYL MILLER a heats cheerleader.
niremetal
April 22nd, 2009
10:40 pm
And finally…Marvin goes on a tear in the 3rd and Woodson decides to bench him for the rest of the game? WTF??
Mark
April 22nd, 2009
10:40 pm
Reggie shut stupid homer butt up.
Bobby
April 22nd, 2009
10:40 pm
No emotion no passion, we will not come back to Atlanta to play again. The series is over, we can not win on the road. There fans will show our lousy fans how to act in a playoff game. What a joke…….Joe J. is average, he will never be a superstar
keepin it real
April 22nd, 2009
10:42 pm
STOP HAWKS FROM RUNNING = WINS
Mark
April 22nd, 2009
10:42 pm
Reggie probably thinks the Hawks are gonna win games 3 and 4 on the road. What a STUPID DELUSIONAL HOMER!!!
keepin it real
April 22nd, 2009
10:43 pm
THX BOBBY FOR SAYN THAT OH YEA IT A BLACKOUT @ THE AAA CANT WAIT BABY
D.Carter
April 22nd, 2009
10:43 pm
MARVIN IS THE ONLY GUY ON OUR TEAM THAT CAN GET TO THE FREE THROW LINE… JOE NEVER GETS TO THE LINE BECAUSE HE OFTEN GOES UP TO WEAK TO GET THE CONTACT…. JOE IS A SHOOTER NOT A SCORER
Bobby
April 22nd, 2009
10:43 pm
Mark, You are dead on!!! We can not win on the road and there fans will be crazy. We don’t have a superstar to put us on his back
Da Real Real
April 22nd, 2009
10:44 pm
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES! I can think of a couple of blown layups by Flip in the fourth, but I tell you the thing that really killed us aside from the 3’s were the MISSED FREE THROWS. In the regular season or playoffs when you miss well over 10 free throws ON YOUR HOME COURT you can’t expect to win many games especially when the other team is just throwing the ball at the rim and it drops in.
I’m going to try and stay away from how the game was ref’d because i’ll hurt myself trying to do that. We’ve got to come back out with our intensity in the next game in Miami. You’d have to expect that they’ll come out on fire in game 3 so we have to be prepared for that. Got to get back out and run and see Smoove hammer down a few and get our outside shot going because we can’t trade baskets with twos when the other team is knockin down threes.
Mark
April 22nd, 2009
10:44 pm
BOBBY WE HAVE TO COME BACK IT’S A SEVEN GAME SERIES AND THE TEAM WITH HOMECOURT ADVANTAGE GETS GAME 5 AT HOME, BUT YOU ARE RIGHT WE WILL PROBABLY LOSE THE SERIES NOW.
Sam from da Swats
April 22nd, 2009
10:45 pm
People, all is well. We have lost one game, and I will take a team having to hit 15 3’s and shoot over 60% from 3pt range to beat me. Live by it, Miami will die by it. My problem is, this is the perfect game to put Mario in on Wade. Woody’s coaching is so mind boggling to me. The problem with Flip is refs don’t give Flip calls. Flip went to the hole strong a few times and it took him to get hammered to get a foul call. The intensity wasn’t there. Bibby was hot and they wouldn’t run plays for him. We’ll turn it around, but we have to learn to win on the road in the playoffs now.
keepin it real
April 22nd, 2009
10:45 pm
I WUZ LIKE MY TEAM A NO-SHOW LOL
keepin it real
April 22nd, 2009
10:46 pm
LISTEN TO KENNY AND CHARLES
kentrell
April 22nd, 2009
10:46 pm
joe just cost the game, taking stupid shots, missing free throws, and not passing out of double teams. 6 possession they didnt score because they wouldnt play team basketball. thanks alot joe, u got bibby hitting shots and u wanna take on DOUBLE TEAMS. d###n
freshd
April 22nd, 2009
10:46 pm
SCOTT THE BRAVE, GO BLOG ON BASEBALL WITH THOSE SORRY BRAVES WHO COULD ONLY WIN 1 GAME AGAIN THE WORST TEAM IN BASEBALL. THE WASHINGTON NATS. NO WONDER KEN GRIFFY SIGNED WITH SEATTLE.
Ed
April 22nd, 2009
10:46 pm
I pointed this out a week ago that when Pachulia plays the Hawks usually show +pts. Once again in this game the Hawks were +5 with him on the floor. It’s not the Pachulia is that good or necessarily playing that well. What it does is put Josh & Al (or Marvin when he’s in) in their natural positions & creates a better overall balance.
kentrell
April 22nd, 2009
10:47 pm
wtf marvin wasnt in the game for? he was hoopin
keepin it real
April 22nd, 2009
10:47 pm
C-YA SATURDAY LET U CRY IN PEACE
otrhawksfan
April 22nd, 2009
10:47 pm
you know kenny going to kiss up to their boy
cp
April 22nd, 2009
10:47 pm
Sautee what I should have said was Flip was taking bad shots that might as well had been turnovers. He was forcing it and trying to get bailed out by the refs and they didn’t save him. He had at least 3 plays where he drove to the basket against a few Heat defenders and no Hawks were back to at least try and get a rebound. He either got blocked or missed the shot which really hurt us…. Joe was terrible out there. It was a few plays where he was doubled and had a wide open Bibby but he took it to the basket for a tougher shot…. I have no idea where Marvin was… We missed way too many free throws…. I saw no adjustments but that is not shocking…Our inability to defend the 3pointer also hurt. Just a flat out terrible game.
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
10:48 pm
Mark: How old are you 10? To say the series is suddenly over is dumb. The Heat shot and played over their head tonight. The hawks should pull at least 1 out of Miami. We are still deeper and more athletic than the Heat. But that doesn’t matter because we lost 1 game and suddenly are the worst team in the NBA. Saying stupid stuff like we shouldn’t even show up in Miami is why you are on the scroll list to most of us.
Bobby: We have to come back to Atlanta. It’s the best of 7 not 5 buddy.
kirkinga
April 22nd, 2009
10:49 pm
Well it’s still no time to get squishy folks!
I’m not sure of all the adjustments that the Hawks must make, but one of them has to be not to let the Heat shoot over 50% from the field..including 3’s!
If you look at the box score, it’s not that the Hawks played a bad game so much as they didn’t play well enough. There is a difference I believe.
Missed too many free throws and got out rebounded as well. Out shout and out rebounded suggests to me that the defensive effort was not what it was in Game 1. Perhaps blowing these guys out was actually not so great?
My suggestion would be to understand Wade is going to get his points but to not allow him to get the rest of the team involved.
Percentages still say the Game 1 winner wins the series 70%+ times, so there is hope!!
Go Hawks!!
freshd
April 22nd, 2009
10:49 pm
Griffey
Bobby
April 22nd, 2009
10:50 pm
I am sorry guys you are right we will come back to Atlanta down 3 games to 1. Sorry Guys, it will be over then.
Blast
April 22nd, 2009
10:52 pm
Heat shot the three extremely well, breaking franchise and league records in the playoffs. Can they keep that up? Hawks played quite bad, missed jumpers, at home, missed free throws, missed layups, missed defensive plays, turned the ball over, so they lost. Hawks would have had a chance if they’d made free throws.
Entire Heat team played well, not just Wade. They need that kind of effort to win this series. Nice to see Jermaine get a good game in. Wade was Wade when he’s on.
Now Hawks have to win one in Miami.
Mark
April 22nd, 2009
10:53 pm
These hawks are soft as cotton. There is only a few guys on this team that I will take to war with me. Josh, Al, Flip, and Bibby. That is probably it. I have been on Josh all season, but I have to admit that he has stepped up in the playoffs. I saw that when he pushed Magloire down. Mo Evans gots to go. Bring back CHILDRESS, PLEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSEEE!!!!!!!!!!.
Joe is good player, but not a great one. He is basically Steve Smith with good knees.
Bobby
April 22nd, 2009
10:53 pm
LOL!!!!!!!!! Hawks win a game in Miami!!! HA HA!!!!!!
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:55 pm
i concur kirknga…
and your boy Bibby is having a great series thus far…
Mark
April 22nd, 2009
10:55 pm
Reggie if you were a little bit smarter, you would realize how STUPID YOU ARE. Has it ever occurred to you that maybe the hawks are playing over their heads. You know what never mind.
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:55 pm
i still think we’re okay… we were beat by a driving team at jumpers… we are defensing well… the bench killed…
Sam from da Swats
April 22nd, 2009
10:56 pm
Also Scott braves fan, you must not be from Atlanta. You must be a transplant. I’m from Atlanta and I will promise you, I don’t give a dam what’s going on, I won’t sit in traffic for no 2 hours. As fresh d said though, there is a Braves blog. Go over and talk about Chipper Jones and his $15 million a year to play 100 out of 162 games. What a loser, but they want to continue trading everybody else except this guy. You get rid of Smoltz like it was nothing and you continue to keep this guy. Anyway, sorry fellas, but Joe has to step up better than he did tonight. That was awful!!
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
10:56 pm
Bobby: Of course it will. The Hawks are just horrible. We lost 1 game. That’s the end of the world. After this Mike Bibby will not sign with the Hawks. Joe Johnson will demand a trade and we will get Stephon Marbury in return. Josh Smith will get in a fist fight with Woody and will then be released as a result. Al Horford will then have a talk Joakim Noah about going to Chicago after their upset over Boston and will demand a trade to Chicago or release. We will get Tim Thomas in return.
starting lineup next year: Law, Marbury, Williams, Thomas, Zaza.
The world is over.
Sautee
April 22nd, 2009
10:57 pm
I’m certain that Kirk will let us all know when it’s “time to get squishy”.
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:57 pm
like what i heard from Coach but i still question his sub method… i woulda got deeper in the bench and brought Joe back earlier in the 3rd…
Blast
April 22nd, 2009
10:58 pm
Now that Hawks have squandered home court, it’s time to see what they are really made off!
They are now in the same boat as Boston, Orlando, Portland, and San Antonio. 1-1 at home.
Atlanta Hawks, show me what you are made off.
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
10:59 pm
Woody the refs sure did do the best they could do to keep Wade in the series…
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
10:59 pm
Sam: Chipper is the only guy other than Mccann that can hit the ball on our team though. I’ll take his 360 average last year at any time.
Da Real Real
April 22nd, 2009
10:59 pm
This is what happens when you get bandwagon fans to hop on a blog. Seriously, no honest fan could look at this one game and say the series is over. Miami threw everything at us and more and if not for a few blown layups and 10+ missed free throws we were right there. I expect us to take one in Miami and I wouldn’t be shocked if its game 3. I don’t expect O’Neal to be better than Horford like he was tonight. I don’t think our defense will be as loose and that it’ll be tightened up. I don’t think there bench will score 2 times more than our bench. AND I don’t think the officiating will be as poor as it was tonight……………..
I still believe this team is better than there’s and that’s not bias talking there. If you want bias you listen to Chuck and Co. on TNT. The thing about this series is that both of these teams no each other so well and when you get two days between a game you expect teams to make adjustments. I think we’ll make ours and I think these will be very close games in Miami (blackout or not) I think we have a really good chance of winning one down there.
DecDawg
April 22nd, 2009
11:01 pm
Too much perimeter play tonight. We have an advantage in the post but we played the game from the perimeter. The offense needed to be played through Al and Josh but it wasn’t and we paid for it. The hot team always wins a jump shooting contest…point proven tonight.
Our coach can’t seem to spell “adjustment” so we continued to play one-on-one all night. Not only is it not smart considering our obvious advantage against the Heat, it’s just dumb basketball. And we just kept forcing the perimeter play even with JJ and Flip struggling.
keepin it real
April 22nd, 2009
11:01 pm
cook might not be as hot next gm but somebody else gonna step up to run with wade and j oneal gonna give us same points but will he be as aggressive as in game 2 thats the question but dont be surprised if they shoot 15 or more 3 at home if u look over last 8 games we were hitting 3’s at about 12 to 15 pg! plus it’s a BLACK-OUT we’ll show hawks what a home crowd IS,y cant they sell-out highlight factory
Sam from da Swats
April 22nd, 2009
11:01 pm
Fellas, really we know what it is all about. This is the NBA. Joe gets into foul trouble on some horrible foul calls. I don’t care if you’re the greatest player in the world, if you sit for a long period of time, its hard to get a flow. Knowing that, the NBA did a good job to continue the ratings. You couldn’t even come close to Wade tonight, so you couldn’t play any defense. Perfect recipe for a longer series. Might as well watch wrestling…
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
11:02 pm
Da Real Real: That post was Da Real Real.
KevinA
April 22nd, 2009
11:02 pm
Look, were are a jump shooting team. Our big’s did great, when we get away from our front court we have to shoot well. Fact is Miami shot better. We still are not a mature enough team to think front court first as we have blogged about all year. Of course when two out of our three gunners play well we win. Tonight JJ and Flip had an off night. We lost, no big deal. If we go low and drive to the basket the wins will come. Marvin is the x factor. Another take it to the hole asset. The reason his minutes are limited and we don’t see his signature drives are because of his injury. By the fifth, sixth game he will become a bigger factor. We are not as good as we looked in the first game. Miami is not as good as they looked in the second game. Look for an intense, very competitive series. Good fun
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
11:03 pm
Sam: Second that. I guess we agree as long as it’s not about Marvin
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
11:04 pm
Exactly Sam…
freshd
April 22nd, 2009
11:04 pm
I am a hawks fan, but I am anti-WOODY, and tonight was the reason why. I”ve seen this too many times where there are no adjustments by him. I don”t know who in the hell was coaching Sunday, because it could not have been WOODY. Where was that coach tonight? He needs to step his game up too!!!
bigdave
April 22nd, 2009
11:07 pm
get that one Sat… get that first one…
Sam from da Swats
April 22nd, 2009
11:08 pm
Reggie, didn’t mean to do the Braves talk on here, but you know what the money maker stat is in baseball? Runners in scoring position with 2 outs….Chipper is batting .240 on average with runners in scoring position with 2 outs. Look up all the other big money clutch players, Manny, Papi, Jeter and see what they average with runners in scoring position with 2 outs. Its not even close. Dude gets all his hits when the game is not on the line. Not saying he’s not good, but its like he’s untouchable but you let Smoltz go? I’m cool, anyway back to the Hawks, Woody needs to straighten up or he may be gone if we lose in the first round. .
Big Ray
April 22nd, 2009
11:08 pm
This is what I meant about our offense.
When things get tough, we revert to what we know, which is….nothing stable. It’s never been established or enforced. The first thing we do is revert back to jump shooting. Everytime. And that is when we cease to run things through the frontcourt, and the backcourt stops sharing the ball. The guiltiest parties? Just read the box score, if you weren’t able to watch the game. Joe Johnson and Flip Murray. No more offensive cohestion.
And by the way, Wade came back with a huge chip on his shoulder. He even broke off a piece or two for O’Neal and the streaky Cook to wear, as well.
And before anybody starts screaming defense and rebounding….Wade is the kind of superstar who CAN’T be stopped once he’s on a roll. And when he’s determined to get on a roll, he can’t be stopped from doing so. Then all you can do is hope to contain him, and stop his teammates. We weren’t able to do either.
Our starting backcourt registered 4 assists, and 6 turnovers. Our starting frontcourt registered 9 assists and 3 turnovers.
Our team defense wasn’t great, but Josh and Al played the best of anybody, aside from Bibby, who shot well. The only knock on these two guys was a few missed free throws.
Hmmm. J’Oneal didn’t look so broken down this time around. Hawks need to maintain their workman-like attitude. Things will be tough down in South Beach.
keepin it real
April 22nd, 2009
11:09 pm
like CHUCK AND CO. say hawks better fast break team than half court no one player will jus take-over for hawks and thats what they are missing way to friendly in half court set
Da Real Real
April 22nd, 2009
11:11 pm
Yeah I agree Sam….I couldn’t help but thinking about how poor our defense was but I realized that it’s going to be poor IF THE REFS WONT LET YOU PLAY DEFENSE. Woody can’t say anything about it but us fans sure can…but hey, its all politics in the NBA.
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
11:11 pm
keepin it real: Joe can take over. He hasn’t yet but after his interview he looks like he is ready too. If you have never seen him take over check you tube for Joe Johnson vs. Celtics in the playoffs.
Reggie
April 22nd, 2009
11:13 pm
Alright Sam I got you. I’m not a huge Braves fan since Wren came in just more of a MLB fan. Anyways what is the big deal about BLACKOUT! who cares. It’s fans wearing the same color shirt. How did it work out for the Dawgs this year vs. Bama?
keepin it real
April 22nd, 2009
11:14 pm
everybody with bball iq no he can but his make-up is to share but it do seem like on 5 possession 5 different player take shot no killer on the team bibby use to be but he’s older now
Sam from da Swats
April 22nd, 2009
11:16 pm
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.
D.Carter
April 22nd, 2009
11:16 pm
Woody needs a lesson in defensive strategy to CREATE tempo….. Double teams and rotations… I have been saying all year our half court offensive strategy is horrible and i just heard Kenny Smith second my opinion….. When the offense bogs down we are just letting joe dribble for 20 seconds and heave up an awful shot…. What really pisses me off about Joe is that he doesnt draw enuff fouls to be a superstar…. say what you want about Josh Smith but for all of hs faults he doesnt shy away in the big games……
Please give marvin the ball on the block at least 10x a game!!!! Not a lick o helpside defense and joe is real lazy on the boards and loose balls…. Solomen Jones maybe your best helpside defender and he might as well by a ticket because he will never see the floor in the playoffs……. I still think we wont get any better until we get a new coach…….. mark my words WHEN YOU SEE WOODY FOLD HIS ARMS THE GAMES IS OVER HE IS A BIGGER FAN THAN YOU ARE!!!
kirkinga
April 22nd, 2009
11:24 pm
Sautee..No squishy during the season! Hold firm until the last second ticks off the clock for the season.Although I did get a bad feeling when people on the Braves started talking about the Hawks.
Wade is the kind of superstar who CAN’T be stopped once he’s on a roll. And when he’s determined to get on a roll, he can’t be stopped from doing so. Then all you can do is hope to contain him, and stop his teammates Right on Ray
I still look at the box score and see things like only 11 TO’s, and descent shooting from the field. There just aren’t any huge adjustments that need to be made I think.
Go Hawks!!
Sam from da Swats
April 22nd, 2009
11:24 pm
D Carter, the problem with Joe may be he doesn’t complain enough to get calls. I just know I would be thrown out of the league with how he gets chopped and bodied and no calls. He may have the most non called fouls I’ve ever seen for an All Star.
KevinA
April 22nd, 2009
11:26 pm
Go look at the Hawks shot attempts frome game one to game two. Look at the volume of shots by the back court and the front court. Then go back and look at our past games, the same applies. You can’t win as a jump shooting team. It’s to late to change today and we will shoot better than this game. But when we play our best is when we go front court first. When we play smash mouth offense.
Big Ray
April 22nd, 2009
11:30 pm
Al and Josh were also had double figures in rebounds, so I would not blame them for the rebounding deficit. The problem is that the TEAM as a whole didn’t get into the act, like they did in the first game.
Conversely, the Heat rebounded as a TEAM, which they did NOT do in the first game.
Lacsho is correct, we aren’t very good in the halfcourt, especially when we spend too much time dribbling around the perimeter.
Missing free throws always hurts. Especially when one of your best free throw shooters is doing his portion of the missing….
By the way, here’s another clue: We could have hit all of our free throws, and we still would have lost. So you know the problem, at least in part, was elsewhere.
And of course, it comes to defense. It was all too easy for some people to say that guys like Josh Smith only looked good in the first game because his teammates picked up their performance. There is a modicum of truth to that, as all players tend to look good when the entire team plays well.
However, I watched the game and saw Josh doing the same things he did last game, getting steals and blocking shots. Box score even confirms it. Yet we got burned from 3-point land by Wade and Cook. I wonder how the usual yokels are going to avoid the obvious: our perimeter defense is inconsistent.
Having said that, I watched JJ play some terrific defense on Wade from time-to-time. But I also watched some serious miscommunications and lack of close-out when Bibby and Flip were in the game. Ouch. So much for the killa defense. It all starts in the perimeter.
As for Jermaine O’Neal…when he’s motivated and fairly healthy, he’s a dose for anyone, and has a versatile game. Surprise….
KevinA
April 22nd, 2009
11:31 pm
Sam, JJ is a finess driver of the ball ,Marvin is a contact first type of driver. Foaters don’t get fouls called. Bibby is not a drive and kick pg.
Eric
April 22nd, 2009
11:32 pm
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room, which is the Hawks inability to win on the road. They haven’t beaten a winning team on the road since December 12th. DECEMBER 12TH!!!! And that was vs. Miami. I guess that’s the positive. But they are going to have their work cut out for them. AA Arena is going to be popping, and its going to take a much better effort from the whole team (not just Joe) for this thing to turn back in the Hawks favor. The Heat aren’t going to hit another 15 3’s, and they aren’t going to repeat their performance, but the Hawks are going to have to man up on the road.
As an aside, the officiating on Wade is horrendous and lopsided. It’s borderline disgusting. Enough with the touch fouls already.
Big Ray
April 22nd, 2009
11:32 pm
Heat have already done one of the hardest things to do in a playoff series: win on the road. That’s a major confidence builder. Now the Hawks have to do the same. We didn’t do a good job of that in the regular season. Time to turn it up a notch and show that we’re real winners.
The series has more or less started from scratch…
Volman
April 22nd, 2009
11:34 pm
Guys, it is simple… Miami played completely over their heads and probably one of the best games they have had all season, and the Hawks played terrible… but STILL had a chance to come back.
Udonis Haslem making two jumpers in the 4th quarter? Pretty unreal. I have a better shot than he does.
Don’t even get me started on the three pointers and the phantom calls that went D-Wade’s way.
I’m going to try to get some sleep…let this blow over a little bit.
The Hawks will find a way to win in Miami. I’m sure of it.
KevinA
April 22nd, 2009
11:35 pm
Woody is keeping Mario fresh for future games aginst Wade. Bibby, Evans, and Flip got toasted. Our maybe best defender, (Mario) is resting for the important games I guess.
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
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!
SouthAfrican09
April 23rd, 2009
4:02 pm
To anyone who thinks Smoove is a good MAN DEFENDER,, watch this clip at 1:20.
Smoove is only good at help defense and transition.
God his defense against Beasley is pathetic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HnpRn3QAlA
?????
April 23rd, 2009
4:14 pm
SouthAfrican09- What is your problem? Smith is avg 20ppg and 10rpg. He has been the best player for the Hawks. Yet you only want to talk about his mistakes. JJ had 0 assists and the Hawks lost because of his selfish shots in the 4th. Bibby was wide open at the 3pt line twice when JJ told 2 terrible shots late in the game. Flip Murray was terrible as was JJ but it is all about Josh. The question you need to be asking is why was Josh by hisself when he pushed Maglore. Where were the rest of the Hawks because everyone from Miami came. When your center is leading you in assists you usually won’t win. Sorry, because let you tell if the Hawks won by five they would of automatically won game 2. It is easy to spot the unathletic frauds that sit behind a keyboard and be critical of these players. I wonder what your job evaluations are like at your gig.
Al
April 23rd, 2009
4:18 pm
Damn question mark man. That was harsh.
Melvin
April 23rd, 2009
4:33 pm
SouthAfrican09,
so are you saying that Bibby played/have been playing great defense? If not, then should you have the same gripe with him? Give me Josh anyday of the week. He plays hard every nite. Does he make some mistakes, sure. However his positives outweight his negatives collectively.
SouthAfrican09
April 23rd, 2009
4:49 pm
???????,
Josh Smith is one of the most retarded players BBIQ-wise. If you can’t see this, you are a moron. Since you can’t reveal your true name on here, nothing you say merits my attention. Besides, everyone knows Josh Smith is an idiot. Even Sekou
Al
April 23rd, 2009
4:52 pm
Hm. And your true name is SouthAfrican09? Your parents must have had a great sense of humor.
Smith is good. My dad said so.
Astro Joe
April 23rd, 2009
4:55 pm
Ken wants to give some of Smith’s minutes to Othella Hunter or Solomon Jones. Smith must not be that good.
SouthAfrican09
April 23rd, 2009
4:57 pm
Al
I’m proud of my heritage. Your name is is so original, by the way.
SouthAfrican09
April 23rd, 2009
5:11 pm
Melvin,
No.
PaulWinchester
April 23rd, 2009
5:20 pm
I agree that the NBA would prefer to see D-Wade vs LaBron James than Joe Johnson vs LaBron in the next round. I also believe that the NBA wants the Cleveland Caviliers to make it to the finals to play against the Lakers so you will ultimately have the matchup Kobe Bryant vs LaBron James in the finals. Believe me, David Stern wants these matchups. The only problem is that you have an Atlanta Hawks team that know how to win and is talented enough to go all the way. So if the Hawks are hungry enough, they can foul up Sterns wishes and make the finals this season. Go Hawks!
Al
April 23rd, 2009
5:23 pm
SouthAfrican, I wasn’t talking about your heritage at all. I’ve only met very nice, cool, and fun Africans in my life. It was just amusing that you called someone out for not using their real name on an anonymous blog. My real name is actually pretty original, which is annoying at times, but Al is my nickname.
Though I see your point somewhat. Both of our names are better than ???????. What are you, the Riddler?
Al
April 23rd, 2009
5:30 pm
Anyway, back to basketball, my gut tells me this series is going the full 7. I’m assuming the Hawks will be able to steal one back in Miami and I’m assuming both teams hold their home court in games 5 and 6. Though I think its also a very big possibility the Heat is able to hold serve in games 3 and 4. Then we should be able to take it in 6.
keepin it real
April 23rd, 2009
5:34 pm
wow im might have changed my mind but i know heat gonna beat hawks
keepin it real
April 23rd, 2009
5:42 pm
no al,jus listen to hawk fans they dont know what to think right now they are second guessing everything,coach has tried everything and the only answer i keep coming up with is playoff is different than reg season,much more half court if u cant shoot 45% or better usually u lose if other team hot,u cant double wade with hot shooters, you cant single cover him either,woody is facing same problem other coaches face pick ur posion. hawks r to friendly on offense and have no clear cut go to guy down the stretch
Najeh Davenpoop
April 23rd, 2009
5:43 pm
How come there is a different Josh Smith-hater on this blog every month, and they all say the same thing for the time they are here, and then vanish as quickly as they come?
Yesterday was an exception, but in the vast majority of games, Josh Smith’s positives far outweigh his negatives. I expect that to hold true for the rest of the games in these playoffs as well.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 23rd, 2009
5:43 pm
I think this series is going 6. If the Heat win both games in Miami I think they take it in 6. If the Hawks win both in Miami I think they win in 5. If they split the games in Miami — like I think they will — I think whoever wins Game 5 will win Game 6 as well.
keepin it real
April 23rd, 2009
5:49 pm
that a big problem too y’all living off last year’last year u protect home court vs boston this year you already lose homecourt,but some seem to think hawks have talent to go all the way,NOT GONNA HAPPEN plus your bench is garbage where’s the bench,but i guess everybody bench looks strong on a lay-up drill,and zaza does turn the ball over jus start counting from 5 backward once he touch ball
keepin it real
April 23rd, 2009
5:57 pm
wasnt boston #1 seed playing a 8 seed atlanta, so what did u have to lose by taken boston to a game 7,but this year PRESSURE bust a pipe hawks will fold,hawks have strong starting 5 but also terrible shooter at time andim still waiting on this dynamic bench they supposed to have speedy,flip,mo mario,smooove,zaza,did i leave anybody out if they played for ant team besides hawks you would c what im talking bout
Samuel
April 23rd, 2009
5:57 pm
My thoughts on the game:
1) DWade was in a zone. I don’t care who you put on him, I wasn’t to be denied last night. We were behind so we need points too. Mario West may have done a better job on defense but we needed points.We know he (Wade)is capable of having those type games but probably not the whole series. I hope.
2) Freethrows killed us. there is no excuse for a good team to shoot 63% from the line on any level. I was afraid this would happen and it did. Josh I can understand but JJ, unexcusable.
3) JJ is really not showing up when we need him most.
4) The Heat were just hot last night. We didn’t play the greatest of defense either. We doubled down too much leaving Cook and Chalmers open.
5) JO had a great game. I don’t believe he will be consistant.
6) I believe we will win one on this road trip. JJ will come through.
Al
April 23rd, 2009
6:01 pm
Najeh, if I’m not mistaken you were talking about bringing a broom to Game 2. Now you’re thinking the Hawks are gonna come down to Miami for Game 6 and close out D-Wade on our home floor? No way. I don’t feel like the Hawks can win in Miami but at the same time, I feel like my team has been inconsistent after big wins sometimes. It depends on how well Spo, Wade, Haslem can keep the young guys focused. But there’s no way the Hawks win a Game 6 in Miami, no matter what the score is. I know that.
darrell starks
April 23rd, 2009
7:13 pm
THE HAWKS WILL NOT WIN ON THE ROAD ITS LIKE THERE IN ANOTHER WORLD WHEN IT COMES TO PLAYING ON THE ROAD. GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Najeh Davenpoop
April 23rd, 2009
7:36 pm
“I don’t feel like the Hawks can win in Miami ”
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/boxscore;_ylt=Aib6I5dsq9wfjg4vmu6pLqkCPaB4?gid=2008121214
I didn’t actually bring brooms to Game 2, just for the record. I thought it was pretty obvious that comment wasn’t entirely serious.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 23rd, 2009
8:02 pm
Looks like the Hawks recognize what they need to do going forward in this series — focus on clamping down on Wade’s teammates.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AiHXE6qfd.vRe2pJXMsLlHW8vLYF?slug=ap-heat-wadeshelpers&prov=ap&type=lgns
Najeh Davenpoop
April 23rd, 2009
8:05 pm
Don’t know if the system ate my last comment, but anyway… it looks like the Hawks realize what they need to do going forward in this series — clamp down on Wade’s supporting cast.
O'brien
April 23rd, 2009
8:56 pm
“After Wednesday’s loss, Hawks coach Mike Woodson was adamant about not double teaming Heat star Dwyane Wade, who shredded his team’s defense for 33 points, including 13-straight points at the end of the second quarter.
Even after a halftime debate about the possibility of bringing another defender over to shadow Wade, as the Heat did to Johnson throughout his foul-plagued night, Woodson decided against it.
“You have to expect Wade to make some shots,” Woodson said. “And he made some [3-pointers] with guys hanging on him. I refuse to double that far out on the floor and expose us down low.”
Okay bloggers, I’ve never coached anything in my life, but when a guy is that hot like Wade was in the first half, dont you have to make an adjustment at half time? To me, thats just another example of Woody being stubborn!
And he’s double standard, because you would expect JJ t make shots too, but the double team was working, and JJ sucked (0 assists, 4 TO’s). So why not double Wade after half time?
Volman
April 23rd, 2009
9:37 pm
My 20 minute tirade directed at “Al” was eaten by this AJC system.
Al, you’re very lucky that it was. Not going to waste my time doing it again, however.
Go Hawks.
Lacsho
April 23rd, 2009
10:06 pm
Whatz Good Volman, I know I’m late but my condolences go out to you and your family. I’m glad to see you back in the mix of things.
I wish Arthur Blank would’ve bought the Hawks. Man the falcons really have their act together. They will be playing in the Superbowl soon. THeir management group is excellent.
Back to Hawksville, O’brien I agree with you. You have to make an adjustment when a player is on fire. I’m from the old school; I would’ve sent a goon in to put wade on his back. Does anyone remember my man Esteban Batista. That’s who we miss right now lol.
I forgot who mentioned this, but they were absolutely correct about JSmoove. I like the way he got at Magloire. Everyone knows Magloire’s Miami’s goon for hire.
I have to give props to another blogger. I think he stated the playoffs will expose your weakness, and at this point Woody and our bench are being exposed.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 23rd, 2009
10:24 pm
As far as Woody and adjustments are concerned, I agree with him that double teaming wouldn’t have been the right thing to do in that situation, because as late as the Hawks were rotating to other defenders already they would have just been even slower and might not have even been able to pull within 5 in the 4th quarter. The mistake he made was relying on Flip, Mo, and other similarly-sized players to guard Wade for so long. When Wade started to heat up in the 2nd Woody should have put Marvin or Josh on him, so that he would have had a longer arm in his face and a more obstructed line of sight at the basket.
Ken Strickland
April 23rd, 2009
10:30 pm
ASTRO JOE-I’m really surprised at you. If Bibby was Miami’s PG, do you really think Spoelstra would be stupid enough to play him 35-40mins a gm, then expect DWade to guard the opposing PG and still lead the NBA in scoring? The DEF we played last night not only did nothing to contain DWade, it did nothing to contain his supporting cast.
Coaching has a much bigger impact in the playoffs than during the regular season, and last nights turnaround proved that. Woodson had a very good plan for the 1st playoff gm. But, he had absolutely nothing to offer when Miami made the necessary adjustments to what we did in that 1st gm. He simply rode his pregame strategy all the way to defeat. and apparently that pregame strategy didn’t include double teams, pressing, forcing the issue and playing uptempo or switching DEF strategy.
YOU CAN BE AS SARCASTIC AS YOU WANT, BUT IT WON’T CHANGE THE FACT WE GOT OUT COACHED AND OUT PLAYED, AND AS A RESULT, WE GOT WHIPPED.
Melvin
April 23rd, 2009
11:18 pm
Ken, Ditto. I guess Woody was doing his best Nique impression by waiting for DWade to “Shoot his Wad”… To make no adjustments when Miami kept running the same play with success was insane. He gamble and we lost…
However, I wont panic because if we learn anything about this Hawks team. They seem to rise to the occassion when needed. They will win at least 1 out 2 games in Miami.
These Heat fans can talk all they want. Their team play a good game and didn’t miss many shots last night. But the Hawks still had a chance to win the game after shooting 44% from the floor and 30% from 3pt line and 63% from free throw line and Joe sitting the entire 3qtr with 4 fouls. Can the Heat win if DWade sit for an entire qtr? Let alone be competitive with the same odds the Hawks experience. You know yall can’t. Besides you all lost by almost 30pts with DWade in game 1… GameOn… Lets Go Hawks.
Volman
April 23rd, 2009
11:31 pm
Lacsho, you are the man. I appreciate it. Life pretty much sucks right now but like I said before, a blog like this and things like the Hawks’ games can take me away for a little bit at least…
Ken, I am going to have to agree with you for the most part. I will say, that Mario Chalmers really did not do ANYTHING in game 2. I cannot believe that Woody said that one comment in the post game press conference, “We set up a defense, but we really DO NOT KNOW IF IT WILL WORK OR NOT IN THE GAME”. Are you kidding me? They are setting up schemes that they do not even know if it will work on the opposing team or not.
That quote shocks me.
kwooden1
April 23rd, 2009
11:55 pm
JJ hasn’t been talking about this, but I think he’s taken to heart that everyone is talking about how good Wade is and not him. He want’s to shut down Wade, which I like a lot, but he’s pressing a bit on the offensive side. I think he needs to concentrate on beating the double teams that come his way. He can’t have another game with 0 assists and expect for the HAWKS to win a game.
I’m really getting the feeling that the last game might be the catalyst for the HAWKS developing an identity on offensive. I’m not saying Woody has a system, but I think they might start believing in the sets he runs. JJ might finally realize how important it is to pass quickly when doubled. If the rest of the guys believe he’s going to pass they will start moving into open positions.
MannyT
April 24th, 2009
12:45 am
Sure we need to mix up the defense on Wade. Sometimes that means pulling out the Chuck Daly book and keep running players at him until he gives up the ball…i.e. Jordan Rules.
At other times, I say we make sure that we are choking the offensive life out of the other 4 Heat players. That could mean putting Bibby or Flip (or Mario) on Wade and not helping unless he gets to the lane.
If he were healthier, I’d consider having Marvin guard him. With a bad back, I’m not sure he would keep up enough to disrupt Wade.
Sometimes Joe or Mo guards him. We have options. I doubt that the twisting, banked 3 pt shot is something that Wade relies on as a part of his attacking offense.
BWAF
MannyT
April 24th, 2009
12:46 am
newkid, in the old days, a guy like that would transfer to a private school for HS. I wonder why he stayed a a local school that has problems in a league that he doesn’t see as competitive? I am not hating on him for wanting to make money, but I sure hope his brother is a capable guardian for an 18 year old in Spain with more cash than he has ever had before.
Ken Strickland
April 24th, 2009
1:11 am
VOLMAN-I can understand what Woodson meant when he said you don’t know if a DEF that you set up will work or not in a gm. However, that doesn’t mean you sit on your butt the entire gm and do nothing when you realize it isn’t working. Have you noticed how drastically Smoove’s shot blocking has fallen off since we started using this switching DEF exclusively? It’s because too often our BIGs end up at or above the freethrow line trying to defend against guards. When they get beaten, which happens too often, our guards are left to defend the basket. That’s why Bibby, JJ, Evans and Flip end up taking so many deliberate fouls under the basket. It also makes it more difficult to outlet the ball and initiate fastbreaks when your guards are under the basket.
darrell starks
April 24th, 2009
2:23 am
This is what i would do to make adjustment whom ever the best player on the floor at big guard smallforward or powerforward well in this case it would be D WADE i would put josh smith on them and move marvin to powerforward this is the playoffs so you have to do things different as a coach sense D WADE is the best player let JOSH SMITH guard him and let marvin play powerforward. GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Big Ray
April 24th, 2009
4:39 am
Astro Joe,
Oh, so we’re NOT better than Miami? What happened to the fan who, shrouded in his self-righteousness, told us after the game 1 victory that you knew how good this team was all along, and how the rest of us should join you in believing in them? What happened to that “good feeling” you had before the game? Did you “feel” this loss coming? Come on, man! I gotta know which bandwagon I’m supposed to be on!
On a more serious note, you’re right, which Hawks player had a good game besides Smith? That’s the point, and part of the problem. Ironic that the one guy who’s head you’d like to dance on the most, happens to also be the guy who is arguably doing his job better than anybody else. The better question is: who should be having a good game, and WHY AREN’T they?
Oh….because this team is flawed. Last I looked, every team is flawed. Some just have fewer flaws than others. And guess what? Some teams know how to mask their weaknesses and exploit those of their opponents. Of course, that has more to do with coaching than anything else. And we all know our problem isn’t coaching in any way whatsoever….it’s just those flawed players.
As for Wade’s supporting cast, NONE of them have had great games. They’ve just had “good enough” performances in game 2. Cook scored 20, O’Neal had 19. Hardly mind-blowing numbers. What if next time you’re right, and O’Neal and Cook don’t shoot as well….but Beasley, Chalmers, and Jones DO. Then what? Again, figuring that they (or others) won’t continue to play “good enough” is foolhardly. And if the Hawks themselves think that way, they’ll get whipped again.
The supporting cast has to be held in check. Period. You seem to be a proponent of “KILLA DEFENSE.” I agree. But it doesn’t work if you’re out there thinking “oh, they can’t possibly keep this up for too much longer”….as they drain shot after shot…which is precisely what happened in game 2. Well, besides the players not making in-game adjustments. Poor flawed souls that they are….
Sorry, but I disagree. I think we’re better than Miami. Hence us having won more games. Hence us having a higher seed. That’s not to say that we can’t lose to them. But we are more talented. Go ahead. Tell me I’m wrong. It’s just an opinion. But I think we’re better. We just have to perform like it.
Ken Strickland,
The players didn’t rotate properly, and Josh Smith was the guy to come out and say so. However, you are correct about in-game adjustments. You’re also right about coaching having an even heavier impact in the playoffs. I get tired of these discussions though, because the minute you talk about a coach not making adjustments, the first thing you hear from the “coach is never wrong” society is “It’s all about the players!” This gets old. You begin to wonder what point there is in having a coach when it’s always the players’ fault for everything that goes wrong….
Najeh,
Josh isn’t playing perfect by a long stretch, but uhhh…averaging 20 and 10 in the playoffs so far (and shooting 61% from the field). Huh. If he’s dumb, sucks, and all that…then what does that make the OTHER guys?
I’m still waiting for Joe Johnson to show up. He’s having a rough series so far. Is it Joe? Is it Miami’s defensive schemes? What is it? Don’t know. But any Josh detractor looks pretty stupid right now. Yes, he’s turning the ball over and making bad plays here and there. Joe’s doing it even more than he is, while shooting nearly 20% less from the field.
And I’m not encouraging any Joe bashing. I want him to perform better in the worst way. We need that from him.
O’Brien,
All I’m going to say is I have yet to see a leopard change it’s spots, much less overnight. We’ll see….
Astro Joe
April 24th, 2009
8:13 am
Ray, I whole-heartedly believe that we will have 3 guys step up in 3 games before Miami does the same. We will win the series. My good feeling was specifically related to Game 1. All I’m saying is the very nature of a 4-5 match-up is that the teams are genearlly evenly matched.
And based on the comments on this blog for the first 79 games, one may have thought we were fighting for the 8th seed.
dap01
April 24th, 2009
8:23 am
i wish that the Hawks had someone like Thomas Dimitroff. Someone who you knew would steer the Hawks in the right direction. Does anyone out there have similar confidence in the past and present management of the Hawks?
Perhaps Sund will hit a home run or two this offseason.
Perhaps he will start with a coach.
SouthAfrican09
April 24th, 2009
8:52 am
darrell starks, besides having to read your post 30 times till I understood what you read, I disagree completely. Putting Smoove on Wade is an invitation for disaster. Smoove will let Wade right by him on every play. I know somebody will post the GW block on Wade from last year, but Smoove is an awful man defender.
Watch at 1:20
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HnpRn3QAlA
Melvin
April 24th, 2009
10:04 am
Cut and paste my post below from Sekou blog last nite. Take that, take that Ando…
However, I wont panic because if we learn anything about this Hawks team. They seem to rise to the occassion when needed. They will win at least 1 out 2 games in Miami.
These Heat fans can talk all they want. Their team play a good game and didn’t miss many shots last night. But the Hawks still had a chance to win the game after shooting 44% from the floor and 30% from 3pt line and 63% from free throw line and Joe sitting the entire 3qtr with 4 fouls. Can the Heat win if DWade sit for an entire qtr? Let alone be competitive with the same odds the Hawks experience. You know yall can’t. Besides you all lost by almost 30pts with DWade in game 1… GameOn… Lets Go Hawks.
doc
April 24th, 2009
10:05 am
aj, i just hope there are three hawks in uniform that believe as strongly as you do and perform like it. they didnt in game two, simple as that nor did the coach do something dramatic to get his point across like subbing in solo and mario early on to get his point across to what level of desire the team has to play with.
we havent “lost” the home advantage yet. that is only good for the last game in a series of seven. yes the team has to win a game on the road but it is truly rare that two evenly matched teams, which these are, can run the tables at home. we saw the unusual last year with the hawks and the c’s but in the end we saw what the home court advantage means in game seven. if we dont win down there, and who didnt think us capable of doing so before the series started, we deserve to lose in six; especially after the way the team came out life less in game two at home. the same disease that struck us can strike miami just as hard as they have the same type of youth on the bench as we do. they do have two seasoned guys more than we do in undonis and jon in the starting line up along side a guy who may try to be jordanesque if we let him.
now, bring it on. go hawks!
O'brien
April 24th, 2009
10:21 am
A lot of pundits had the Bulls winning at home last night, but the Celtics jumped on them early, and never looked back. The Bulls rookie coach reminds me a little of Woody. Del Negro has no offensive system, mismanages timeouts, and at the end of game 2, he called a timeout twice to set up a play, and everybody knew the play was get the ball to Ben Gordon, and get out of the way (our iso JJ).
Back to the Hawks. I hope the Hawks can get off to a good start in game 3, because trying to catch up on the road is tough, espeically when DWade will probably get even more calls (if the game is close).
It willl be interesting to see what adjustments Woody makes for game 3. The Heat coach made an adjustment for game 2, and now it’s Woody’s turn.
I think the Hawks will win one in Miami.
shocked
April 24th, 2009
10:42 am
South African 09 Maybe I was the only fool who actually went and watched your clip. I want to be clear so you use one play to identify someone as a terrible defender. So when Dwade destroyed everyone in the Hawks backcourt were they also terrible defenders. Like Ray said Smith is avg 20ppg,10rpg and 61fg%. Beasley is shootin 37fg%, 11ppg and 8.5rpg. Haslem is shooting 63fg%,avg 8ppg and 6rpg. Smith is doing as well as their combined value. Reading your comments you act like he should be on the bench. Maybe you have another 5 second clip that will explain away these facts.
Reality
April 24th, 2009
10:48 am
What did I tell you guys?
My screen name is not an accident. I said that Wade and the Heat would fully bounce back…and they did…and some.
Yall called me crazy, delusional for even thinking he Heat still had a chance. Nobody here knows this Heat team better than myself or Al. We are resilient as they come….and inconsistent.
Sunday, the Hawks beat the Heat playing Hawks basketball. On Wednesday, the Heat beat the Hawks playing Heat basketball.
Now the series moves into Miami.
It’s far from over, anything can happen. That’s what I was telling you guys…no matter how lopsided game 1 was, YOU CANNOT WRITE OFF A SERIES AFTER 1 GAME. Cmon.
The key to game 3: Tempo. Whichever team dictates the tempo of the game will have a great shot at winning. If the Heat force the Hawks to play half-court basketball again, they will win.
By the way, I WILL BE ATTENDING GAME 3!!!!! Black is Back. The AAA will be electric on Saturday.
Heat in 6.
Melvin
April 24th, 2009
10:57 am
SouthAfrican09, i been reading this blog since it begun. I’m not sure how long you been on this blog but I can assure you this. If you think you are going to come on this blog to trash Josh Smith, then you will findout that he has alot of supporters/fans and they are more than willing to defend him. So you better be ready for backlash to your Josh bashing statements…
Reality
April 24th, 2009
11:00 am
Also no offense, but the atmosphere will be a lot crazier at the AAA than Philips. Everyone is going to be in black and rowdy. I expect the Heat to come out with tons of energy and passion, fueling and feeding off the crowd. Can’t wait!
Look for the a Heat fan holding up a “hawk sandwhich”. I’ve got a toy hawk, and 2 fake large sesame seed buns. I will be on TV pretending to eat it.
Melvin
April 24th, 2009
11:04 am
Welcome back Reality. I can respect a Fan for sticking with their team thru wins/losses (unlike keepin it real). Yall played a good game on Wednesday. Make sure you come back to the blog with a report from game 3 with a perspective that we may not see on TV….
Game On…
Reality
April 24th, 2009
11:09 am
Melvin, thanks, and will do!
After Wednesday, the series became a series. That is all…for now.
Astro Joe
April 24th, 2009
11:14 am
doc, how many times did Spirit do his job successfully? I understand benching the little guy during the playoffs… the bright lights were too much for our fine-feathered friend. But he seems to be a very good regular-season performer. You season-ticketholders weigh in. I think they’re throwing the bird under the bus.
Spirit = MOY (Mascot of the Year)
Ken Strickland
April 24th, 2009
11:43 am
I’ve seen this happen far too often during the regular season. The team is playing poor DEF overall, like in Sundays gm, we’re being killed by opposing guard play, like Wade and Cook did to us in Sunday’s gm, and our best DEF player, MWest, gets a chance to show what he can do for all of 1min. What other HC in the entire NBA thinks DWade and DCook could have been slowed down by playing MBibby 43mins?
If JOneal is giving Horford trouble, why would Woodson think Zaza would have a better chance to slow him down, especially since DEF isn’t Zaza’s strong suit. Wouldn’t Solo, a much better DEF player who’s quicker, faster, more athletic and has a greater reach, which allows him to play taller than his height, be a better option? Woodson refused to even give Solo a chance to see what he could do.
Woodson used the hustle and DEF of MWest to help us get the 4th seed in the playoffs. Yet, in a playoff gm in which DEF is severly lacking, and the opposing guards are killing us, Woodson refused to use that hustle and DEF, or initiate a single change, move or strategy, to try and contain or slow them down. THAT AIN’T COACHING, THAT’S INCOMPETENCE, AND WE PAID THE PRICE FOR THAT INCOMPENTENCE BY SUFFERING A BEATDOWN AND LOSING THE HOMECOURT ADVANTAGE WE WORKED SO HARD TO GET.
Sekou Smith
April 24th, 2009
11:44 am
New blog up folks. Sorry it took so long. But it’s been a busy couple of days. Check out new blog!!!!!!!
WHO DIED ......?
April 24th, 2009
12:09 pm
it’s a shame to believe in a team so much and not realize u set up for failure i.e. bills,braves and whoever else you put there, anyway hawks got good starting 5 nobody deny’n that but outside of that what else do you have! once again playoffs show can team adjust being that only 2 games have been played,give woody benefit of doubt,but it dont look good,second nobody in starting 5 will jus take controll as far go to or money player down the stretch,everybody saying johnson but over his career has he ever done it,dont think so nice player but true be told nba full of nice players,and finally the bench is much weaker than hawk fans think,i see bench scoring no more than 25 pts a game where as heat bench will give u close to 40,so stop them from running,keeping in halfcourt set,play tough d and rotate fresh man with different abilities coming at JOE and live with evrybody else. o’yea that first game was to be expected but dont look for it to repeat
WittmanSampler
April 24th, 2009
3:58 pm
I dont know if D-Wade is going to win the MVP this year, but no dispect to Kobe and LaBron, D-Wade is certainly making a case for himself and a name for himself at the same time. When D-Wade is on, its almost like he is in a cold blooded trance and everything he throws up including the kitchen sink is going up in the air and straight down into the nets, no questions asked. Ive never seen anything like it. I mean, when D-Wade is on its like you throw the switch and turn on the electricity and Wade wont let up until you unplug him. He is one special talent and I guarantee you if you asked LaBron or Kobe who is this years MVP, they may not necessarily vote themselves in. They may pick Wade you never know; but I think in order for a fan to make an honest mvp pick of those three guys LaBron, Flash and Kobe, they would have to have seen all 3 guys play for extended minutes to evaluate who really deserves it. My gut feeling tells me it should go to LaBron, because LaBron knows how to excite the fans who are watching him and makes his spectators feel great. Kobe is Mr. Excitement as well and will put on a terrific show for you. But Flash is Flash and is incredible when he is on. I really beleive the fair way to award the MVP this season is to give out this years award by splitting it among those 3 guys; and have 3 co-MVPs (Kobe, Flash and LaBron) because in my mind all 3 of them deserve the award. I know the award will only go to one guy, so give it to the King and dont worry about it anymore. Good Luck!