The great (leadership) debate
Don't let the turtleneck sweater fool you. John Shaft is a bad man!
MIAMI - Long after his Miami Heat had finished wiping the AmericanAirlines Arena floor with the Hawks Saturday night, Dwyane Wade said something that crystalized the difference between these two playoff combatants.
Asked about the leadership he provides for his team, the Heat superstar described his evolution as a team leader so perfectly, it almost sounded as if a Hollywood script writer had penned the response for him.
“One thing about being a leader is that it’s 24/7, 365 days a year,” Wade said. “It never stops. I was very disappointed with myself in Game 1. I was quiet, and that is not what my team needs. In Game 2 and Game 3 I took it upon myself to make sure that my voice is heard. To drive the points the coaches made and make sure they hear it again before they get on the court.”
You won’t hear anything resembling that from the Hawks. They don’t have a vocal leader in the mold of Wade (they don’t have a player with game like Wade’s either, but we all knew that going into this series). So their won’t be anyone rescuing the Hawks from themselves between now and the start of Monday night’s epically important Game 4 (a third straight loss by the Hawks spells almost certain doom in this series).
All those cliches about leaders being born and not bred don’t register in this case. Leaders emerge in times like this. Leaders rise to the occasion and impose their will in times like this. Leaders of men and leading men are two distinctly different beings in the NBA landscape and beyond.
Wade’s both a leader of men and a leading man. He’s John Shaft (talk about a leader of men and a leading man) in a pair of funky looking shoes and without the sideburns. There are a handful of Shafts in the NBA these days (Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, DWade, Chauncey Billups and Paul Pierce come to mind with others floating in and out of the Shaftosphere). The mettle required of your team leader in the playoffs isn’t hard to spot. And Hawks’ captain and All-Star Joe Johnson has yet to show if he has it in him in this series.
The contrast between his demeanor Sunday and that of Wade over the past few days was striking. Wade vowed to revive his crew after that humiliating, 26-point loss in Game 1 and has done exactly that with two backbreaking efforts since then. Johnson didn’t sound a similar alarm Sunday when asked if he was ready to do it himself, speaking in terms of “we” and “us” when it’s clear that he has to pick up the mantle and carry his team back to even in this series.
“We’ve just got to grow up, man,” Johnson said, his voice trailing off with every word. “We hit a little adversity and now it’s as if we’re out of it. But we have to think positive the rest of the way. You’ve just got to believe. And we have to put it in the guys who have never been in this situation and we have to make them believe we can do this. We have to keep talking to them and keep putting confidence into them.”
The words are fine, but in the playoffs a man can only be judged by his actions.
Two of these guys will face off in the next round and the third will get to watch it from home.
AND NOW, A MOMENT OF SILENCE for the Detroit Pistons.
James and his Cavaliers tossed the last shovel of dirt on a deceased Eastern Conference behemoth Sunday afternoon at the Palace of Auburn Hills, sweeping the Pistons out of the playoffs in four games.
It’s only fitting that the Cavaliers did the honors, seeing as how they were the first team expose the flaws of the once-mighty Pistons (in the Eastern Conference finals a couple years ago). The interesting thing going forward is what direction the Pistons go with their rebuilding project.
They’ll have plenty of cap space now that the Allen Iverson deal/fiasco is finally over. I suspect Pistons boss Joe Dumars has a plan mapped out already, and there’s no doubt it includes some big names (wish I knew which ones).
It’s certainly going to make this summer a bit more intriguing come July 1, when free agency begins. It’s supposed to be a sleepy summer with everyone waiting on the 2010 free agent crop. But why wait when you can make a splash now?
THE MORNING AFTER GOING DOWN 2-1 IN A PLAYOFF SERIES might seem like an odd time to have a players’ only team meeting, but Hawks coach Mike Woodson gave the session his blessing after the Hawks’ Sunday practice.
”They’ll meet today and try to figure out some things amongst them,” Woodson said. “For me, from a coaching standpoint, this is not the time for me to scream and yell and curse guys out. We’re right where we need to be. We just have to figure out [Monday] night’s game.”
Secret meetings? Josh Smith and the Hawks are pulling out all the stops to get back into this series.
Johnson didn’t give up the particulars of the time or place and barely acknowledged that any meeting would be taking place. Sorting out whatever internal issues they need to before Game 4 is an excellent idea. Because if it’s going to take a secret meeting to get the Hawks back to playing like they did in Game 1, so be it (no one wants to see one-sided blowouts in the playoffs, well I don’t).
”We beat them pretty bad in Game 1, and they beat us pretty bad in Game 3,” Josh Smith said Sunday. So we’re even. We just have to look at ourselves as individuals and as teammates and come together with a solution. There has to be a philosophy where we have each other’s back. In Game 2 it was a hostile environment in Atlanta, it was just them and the crowd. They played together and everything clicked. They had fun. We have to do the same thing.
”Our backs are against the wall. What are we made of? Are we going to fold and let them win, or do we step up and show them this is going to be a series and turn it around?
WOODSON WAS IN FULL SPIN MODE Sunday, casting the Heat as the veteran crew with all the playoff seasoning and his bunch (everyone knows the Hawks are youngest team in the Eastern Conference postseason field) as the “underdogs” according to my man Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel.
When asked about the Heat’s supporting cast Woodson said, “When you have O’Neal, who has been a six or seven-time All-Star, and [Udonis] Haslem who has played championship basketball, they have veteran guys who have been through the battles. My guys haven’t been battle tested. This is something new for our team. When I came into the series I thought we could make it to the next round. I want them to think that too. This series is a long way from being over if we take care of business tomorrow.”
Are you buying what Mike Woodson is selling?
If this was some master media stroke to ease the pressure on his team, consider that mission accomplished. But it didn’t look that way to me. I honestly didn’t hear it that way. Woodson’s comments on how his team would bounce back against the Heat seemed far more interesting to anyway.
”Our team has been committed all year long, so I’m not ready to put them out to pasture so fast,” he said.” They have been committed. We’ve had some tough times and some tough games, stretches where we didn’t play well. And we bounced back. We haven’t played well the past few games. We have to find what we’re made of. Until we’re eliminated I’m going to keep fighting and I’m going to push them to keep fighting.
”Again, when we won the first game, I’m sure they were down after that. They had to be thinking we had to win three more to get to the next round. I’m thinking the same thing. I have to get these guys thinking the right way. The last two games, we’ve been kind of punched out a little bit. We have to rebound.”
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1,132 comments Add your comment
Mike Vick
April 27th, 2009
10:28 am
Atlanta: home of the most whiny and disloyal fans!! Let’s Go Heat!!!
ATLawk
April 27th, 2009
10:30 am
This series is over. Wade has taken over and will end this on our home court, in front of our fans. Woodson is not an effective coach given the young talent he’s got around him. Give him credit for turning the team’s fortunes around, but the Hawks need a new man to take them over the bump and advance in the playoffs.
Hardon
April 27th, 2009
10:30 am
I just can’t get up for Hawks games anymore.
The Refs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 27th, 2009
10:32 am
See you tonight, chumps!!
Heat in 5!!
*checks with bookies*
Heat in 6!!
Westurd
April 27th, 2009
10:33 am
I can’t bare to say, “next year” again!
Get it done Hawks!! Get it done JOE!
Skyhawk
April 27th, 2009
10:37 am
Put me in, Coach!!!
Butt hurt
April 27th, 2009
10:38 am
When does the Atlanta Dream season start?
Maybe then we’ll finally see some real mean play basketball in Atlanta!!
doc
April 27th, 2009
10:41 am
astro, josh cant act crazy but we bring in a real head case in artest as the answer? double standard? you been down on josh all year as a malcontent snd you want to bring in one of the best at that game. whoooh, did you ever change your stripes.
gusman354aa
April 27th, 2009
10:41 am
hahahahahah good luck tonight, wade for 50 pts, its over hawks its over, time to pack. THE HEAT IS ON.
Iron Lung
April 27th, 2009
10:42 am
Saying the Heat just have Dwyane Wade and little else, is like saying the Bulls had Michael Jordan and little else during the 80s. Regardless of teams they have around them, they are extremely tough to beat. Besides, true HOF players make their teammates better, and that’s a major reason why you’re seeing the Heat’s supporting cast flourish. Wade was driving and kicking all night on Saturday, feeding his hungry shooters with wide open shots.
gusman354aa
April 27th, 2009
10:43 am
who died…..? = THE HAWKS
Joe Johnson
April 27th, 2009
10:44 am
Hey, I am a vocal leader. Honest!!
who died...? = my hardon for the hawks
April 27th, 2009
10:45 am
we’re talkin’ major shrinkage here
gusman354aa
April 27th, 2009
10:45 am
Hey, I am a vocal leader. Honest!! hahahahahahahahahahahaha
John Smoltz
April 27th, 2009
10:46 am
Atlanta fans are ghey … at least as ghey as Marlins fans!!
Let’s Go BoSox!!
JuliusCesaer
April 27th, 2009
10:47 am
The Hawks stink to high heaven. Its the same ole Hawks with a new cast of characters or duds. The Hawks are going through the motions. They are all well paid and could care less whether they win or lose. They have absolutely no heart and no desire to make a game of any of the playoff games. They were lucky to win game one and then they gave up and quit on the city. What the Hawks fail to realize and understand is they have the second best talent in the league behind the Spurs. The Spurs wont make it because they are about to get eliminated by the Mavericks. If the Spurs had Manu Ginobli available they would have won their fifth title this year. I picked the Spurs to win it all before Manu went down for the count. Since the Spurs wont be champions, that should leave the door wide open for the Hawks to win their first championship under Mike Woodsen. The Boston Celtics are short-handed and cant win a title without Poe and Garnett (two key MISSING pieces). The Magic are not tough enough to win the whole thing and you can tell from their struggles with the sixers that they may not even win their first round series. The Cavs wont win it since they are basically a two-man team (Mo Williams and LaBron James) and dont have enough of a supporting cast and are not deep enough to win it. The Lakers wont win it because the Lakers were schooled the last time the Hawks played them. The Hawks crushed the Lakers the last time and appear to have the Lakers number. THE HAWKS ARE BATTLE TESTED FROM THE BOSTON SERIES OF LAST YEAR and have all the ingredients to win the title. PLUS, THE DOOR IS WIDE OPEN FOR THE HAWKS TO BRING HOME A CHAMPIONSHIP. WHY ARE THE HAWKS PLAYING LIKE THEY DONT CARE and are uninspried. That comes from the coaching staff. Fire Mike Woodsen today and give him his walking papers. Bring in dominique wilkins as a player-coach to finish out the season.
Josh Smith
April 27th, 2009
10:48 am
I have high basketball IQ!! Honest!!
Dominique Wilkins
April 27th, 2009
10:50 am
Player-coach?! I can barely conjugate verbs!!
Al
April 27th, 2009
10:50 am
”Again, when we won the first game, I’m sure they were down after that. They had to be thinking we had to win three more to get to the next round. I’m thinking the same thing. I have to get these guys thinking the right way.” -Woody
Wrong. When you won the first game, Miami was not thinking. They just got pissed. They weren’t thinking about winning three games or four games, Wade just came out angry and determined to win that night. To win that quarter. That possession.
If the Hawks come out tonight thinking they have to win three games, they’re already lost.
Dan
April 27th, 2009
10:50 am
Josh Smith,
No you don’t.
Dan
April 27th, 2009
10:52 am
There is a dark part of me that just wants the Hawks to lose, so I don’t have to watch them play anymore. I am just dreading watching the game tonight.
Wish I did not care about this team.
gusman354aa
April 27th, 2009
10:55 am
come on say with me the refs won game 2 and 3 ,d-wade is garbage , josh smith and jj are the real superstars,we are better than the heat they just a bunch of rookies,we are going to destroy then tonight, jj is a vocal leader(at church).hahahahahahahaha
Al
April 27th, 2009
10:56 am
”We beat them pretty bad in Game 1, and they beat us pretty bad in Game 3,” Josh Smith said Sunday. “So we’re even.”
Uh, no Josh. You’re not even. You’re down 2-1.
gusman354aa
April 27th, 2009
10:57 am
Enter your comments here
Atlanta Spirit Group
April 27th, 2009
10:58 am
We give a damn about this Atlanta and its fans!! HONEST!!!
WHO DIED ......?
April 27th, 2009
10:58 am
damn 7:30 pm cant get here fast enough i might have the ol lady log in to post for me if the game gets ugly
WHO DIED ......?
April 27th, 2009
11:00 am
i think tonites game will be 6 point victory for heat
The Refs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 27th, 2009
11:01 am
Doesn’t Josh Smith look so cute when he pouts?
Žydrūnas Ilgauskas
April 27th, 2009
11:02 am
Either way, tonight’s game will spell victory…for the Cavaliers.
Dance, puppets, DANCE!!!
Al
April 27th, 2009
11:03 am
Oh shoot it’s Dan. What’s up Dan? So Saturday when I was at the game watching my team abuse yours, I took a moment and looked up at our championship banner. I remember you telling me that the title belonged to Dallas. But no, I checked it again, and it says “Miami Heat NBA Champions” on it. So I guess you must have been mistaken. Still, I looked around and there’s plenty of room up there for more of them. So if that one didn’t satisfy you, give us some time. And not St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks kinda time. I mean, before Obama’s first term is up kinda time.
But you also brought up that your team won the regular season series and got the fourth seed and you let me know the Hawks have the better team. I just wanted to congratulate you again for winning the regular season series. Well done.
Astro Joe
April 27th, 2009
11:03 am
doc, I don’t want Artest for this team. But there are qualities about him that I like. Here’s what he does that I do want for this team… Game 1 in a Portland arena that may have been the single most hyped-environment of this playoff. Earlier in the week, Portland had a pep rally where tens of thousands showed up. During the week. A pep rally. Thousands of fans. We wouldn’t be able to get 1,000 folk to show up in Atlanta (unless the A-Town dancers were doing a strip-tease act). And in Game 1, Artest and Yao shut the crowd up by the 6-minute mark of the first quarter.
I don’t think Smith is crazy and I have no idea what I ever said that would suggest that I have that opinion of him. But would I like to see him set the tone early in a playoff road game? To have the tough arrogance that says “I’m not scared of you but in a few minutes you all will be scared of me”? But alas, 28% field goal shooting and an 0-for suggests he’s not in the vicinity of being that type of player. He may whine to refs like Artest but the similarities pretty much end there.
But yes, I do want someone (like Shaft) who is tough and crazy enough to go into an opposing arena and be lifted by the jeers of the opposing crowd. And someone like Noah just might be goofy enough to be that kind of guy. Not that we can get him, but it was just a thought.
Reality
April 27th, 2009
11:04 am
What up Al? Helluva game on Saturday! The atmosphere was just electric.
Couldn’t have asked for a better performance from our Heat. I feel very confident about tonight, but I’m anxious cause it’s such a pivotal game.
The series is not over, one game at a time…one game at a time.
WHO DIED ......?
April 27th, 2009
11:09 am
damn how lebron know he’s gonna have week off to rest???
Reality
April 27th, 2009
11:14 am
WHO DIED …..? How bout dem Heat? Game’s at 8 FYI
greenstreet
April 27th, 2009
11:17 am
Why is there an Olympic Gold Medal banner for Wade in Alcoholic Anonymous Arena?
Get some real banners for NBA CHAMPIONSHIPS, you losers! LET’S GO CELTICS!!!
17 Banners…AND COUNTING!
WHO DIED ......?
April 27th, 2009
11:20 am
im so use to pre game show at home that why i sat that but will be in the house again tonite go heat
Al
April 27th, 2009
11:21 am
Hey Reality. Are you going tonight? I can’t make it
One game at a time indeed. I’m also worried about a letdown tonight. But I think a letdown won’t necessarily mean a loss. I think the Hawks were really battered on Saturday mentally. If the Heat can open strong again. Or even open up some kind of a big lead, I think Atlanta starts preparing for the offseason. On the other hand, if they allow the game to stay close, the Hawks will smell the 2-2 and they’ll be tough to beat.
Our home crowd really gets in the opponents’ head. The energy on Saturday even before tipoff was insane. Loud and hostile. You could tell JO and the young guys were feeding off of it. Hopefully we get a repeat tonight.
WHO DIED ......?
April 27th, 2009
11:23 am
and i bet you probably dont remember 16 of those titles either and that the type of organization we have you mean to tell me phillips dont have one for joe(i know they dont have championship banner too)
Flappin' Hawk
April 27th, 2009
11:24 am
Joe’s never been a vocal leader and never will be. It’s just not in his makeup as a person. But to beat the Heat we don’t need a vocal leader…WE NEED A DEFENSIVE STRATEGY TO STOP THE 2 PLAYS MIAMI USES ALL NIGHT LONG.
1. Let Wade drive to the hole in the 1st quarter and foul him hard. Who cares if we rack up fouls. Driving to the hole and ending up on his butt will tire out Wade. He would much rather rain 3’s on us and conserve energy. WEAR HIS A** OUT!
2. Make O’Neal earn his points from the charity stripe. Get Solomon in there early to draw fouls.
3. Joe needs to know where he’s gonna pass the ball before he gets double teamed. If your doubled SOMEBODY IS OPEN.
Woody and crew are getting schooled by a 1st year head coach. Granted they’re shooting lights out, but almost every shot is uncontested.
The Hawk’s don’t need a vocal leader, they need to get DOWN & DIRTY UGLY. The Heat have brought muscle and hard fouls since game 2 and the Hawks have backed down like a school boy with shiny new clothes.
C’mon, Hawks, grow some cojones would ya!
RickNole
April 27th, 2009
11:25 am
A win tonight will shut everyone up. Homecourt swings back to the Hawks, Hawks win in 7.
gusman354aa
April 27th, 2009
11:25 am
the celtics lol you must be kidding,beat the bulls first and then come talk to me , dont live in the past live the present .rome was an empire 1000 years ago and now is usa so shup….up.
Astro Joe
April 27th, 2009
11:26 am
If Joe comes out tonight and tries to score 35+, Hawks will lose in another blow-out. Joe can’t try to be Wade, he needs to be Joe. Dude is averaging more TOs than assists in this series. We need one of those 18 points 11 assists kind fo games from Joe. Where he gets his teammates involved, not one of those games where he tries to wear a cape and be some kind of superhero. The Heat gear their defense to stop him, so he needs to make the quick pass to get that ball swung to the opposite floor. Oh yeah, and Marvin needs to take some Tylenol or whatever and give it a try to play tonight. We MUST have another shooter on the floor when the ball swings. Evans is much too streaky and isn’t effective when putting the ball on the floor. Sure, Joe needs to lead but that doesn’t mean he needs to take 20 shots tonight. He needs to lead by playing confidently and playing within himself. Again, give me 18/11 with less than 3 TOs and less than 15 shots and I think we should leave Miami with home court advantage restored.
greenstreet
April 27th, 2009
11:26 am
I don’t need to be around for all the banners: I see them every time I see my C’s play at the Garden!!
Atlanta and Miami have A LOT to learn about REAL BASKETBALL!!! C’s vs. Cavs in a few weeks anyway.
Suckers.
Al
April 27th, 2009
11:27 am
LOL at greenstreet. Since the Heat entered the league, the Heat and the Celtics have the exact same number of championships. One. The Celtics are actually my second favorite team, so I won’t talk too much smack, but get back to me when your team is done playing its quadruple overtime nailbiter in Game 7 vs. the 7th seed.
Melvin
April 27th, 2009
11:28 am
Astro, I didn’t know you was this much of a Josh basher. Why is he the only player you are calling out? Did you not see his game 1 performance where he carried the team? Now which game has Woody, Bibby or Joe carry us to victory? You keep referencing to Josh 0 pts and rebs in game 3 1st half (in which he played limited mins in the 2qtr b/c of fouls) but you fell to mention he finished the game with 13 pts and 8 rebs (although in a losing effort). As far as I see it, the whole team suck in game 2 and 3. Like Sekou said, where is the leader of this team? You reference Josh salary but wasn’t it Joe we paid 20 mil in season where we won 20 something games. Doesn’t Bibby and Joe (playing on max contracts) make more than Josh right now. Last I check, Josh is the one getting his season avg in pts and rebs for this series. Are we going to dismissed the stats? Can we at least have our two (highly paid) vets get there season avg. And I won’t even start on Woody. Just get him out of here…. Astro, I understand you are frustrated with the results so am I, but signaling out one guy for the team failures is not right. As much as you dislike him, he can’t do it by himself…
gusman354aa
April 27th, 2009
11:30 am
A win tonight will shut everyone up. Homecourt swings back to the Hawks, Hawks win in 7.
you have better chance on winning the lotto keep dreaming .
Melvin
April 27th, 2009
11:30 am
Asto, just saw your 11:26 post. Agreed…
Melvin
April 27th, 2009
11:31 am
Astro, just saw your 11:26 post. Agreed…
WHO DIED ......?
April 27th, 2009
11:32 am
no win want quiet everybody up, it just a stage you go thru before you reach manhood. first you a lil boy, next your lil baby nuts start tingling(that’s call nuts dropping,thats the stage hawks are in but it might be premature b/c you got hair on your chin and round your ball so you actually think you man now)but wait you still got more growing to do like one blogger said hawks should be ready to make run in 2011,that will be 6.5 years of the same ol sh*T
Bob Rathbun
April 27th, 2009
11:33 am
(off the air comment to Dominique)
Whats with the Hawks? They’ve stunk it up for 2 straight games!!!