Plans for Sunday?
The Heat promise they they'll be back in Atlanta at Philips Arena Sunday for Game 7.
HAWKKSVILLE - They didn’t even make it to the bus before vowing to return.
“Don’t make any plans for Sunday,” Heat center Jermaine O’Neal told me. “I promise you, we’ll be back here Sunday.”
Little did he know that Heat swingman James Jones had already cautioned me about looking past anything other than a Game 7 Sunday between the Hawks and Heat in this first round playoff series.
“We’ll be back,” a smiling Jones said after the Hawks smashed the Heat 106-91 in Game 5 Wednesday night at Philips Arena. “We’re going to go back home to handle our business [in Game 6 Friday night] and we’ll see you back here this weekend.”
I’ve known both O’Neal and Jones since we all lived and worked in Indianapolis, I was the beat writer and they were toiling for what used to be an Eastern Conference power (the franchise formerly known as the Indiana Pacers). I know they’re competitors and they feel, just as the Hawks do, that they are the better team.
So I don’t dismiss what they say.
And in a series that has been nothing but a parade of blowouts, why should the Heat feel any other way?
While the Heat is aiming for a return to A-Town, the Hawks are locked in on doing Friday night what they did Monday to turn the series around – winning again on the floor at AmericanAirlines Arena in Game 4. ”Now comes the hard part,” Hawks forward Josh Smith told me after Game 5. “When somebody is on the doorstep of getting eliminated, that’s when it gets real. We just have to go back down there to Miami and handle business. We have to go down there with a business attitude and play our game.”
AFTER TWO STRAIGHT WINS it’s clear that the Hawks’ “game” includes whipping the Heat in all the categories that count.
They have outrebounded the Heat 77-62 since the start of Game 4. They’ve had 38 assist to the Heat’s 28, outscored them 72-48 in the paint, whipped them 32-18 on second chance points and 27-10 in fast break points. Toss in the Hawks’ defensive performance (the Heat have shot .428 from the floor and .285 from beyond the 3-point) and it’s no wonder the Hawks have a chance to eliminate the Heat Friday night.
“I think defense is the key for us,” Zaza Pachulia said. “We played pretty good defense (Wednesday), I think. We know how to win. When everybody does the little things, we’re a tough team to beat. And in the last two games, we really did those things.”
NO PLAYER WILL HAVE MORE HEAT ON HIS SHOULDERS (literally and figuratively) than Pachulia will Friday night in Game 6. If Al Horford can’t go (he walked out of the arena under his own power after Game 5 but was wearing an ice compression boot on his right leg after suffering a “mild ankle sprain” before halftime) Pachulia will have to fill the void at center.
Pachulia has all the experience necessary for the job. And it was his inside work in Game 4 (18 rebounds and 12 points) that pushed the Hawks over the top in that game. And he’s still sporting that black eye he earned in Game 3, a badge of honor he wears better than any of his fly Italian suits.
“I’ve been coming in and replacing Al the whole year,” Pachulia said. “But hopefully, he’s going to be back soon, because we really need him. In the playoffs, sometimes guys get in foul trouble or whatever, so we need everybody. But I’ve been in this situation before, so it’s nothing new.”
THERE IS NO NEWS YET ON AL, either, so relax. The Hawks practice this morning at 11 and the first real update won’t come until after they have finished. The biggest test will be to see how Horford’s ankle responds to the team flight to Miami, provided Horford makes that trip.
Horford tried to come back after halftime last night but said he simply couldn’t do it. Playing without both Horford and Marvin Williams, who is probably out for the rest of this series, is going to be a monstrous task if the Hawks have to do so in Games 6 and 7. I’m not sure how Hawks coach Mike Woodson will scramble things up to make it happen, but it’ll be interesting to see what transpires next.
In today’s edition of the SOUTH FLORIDA REPORT, our friends from Miami are showing no mercy for the home team.
My man Israel Gutierrez of the Miami Herald challenged the Heat to answer the Hawks’ physical nature in Game 6 or hit South Beach for vacation.
Greg Stoda of the Palm Beach Post questioned the Heat’s sincerity with all the elbows, hard fouls and tough-guy posturing that went on in Game 5.
And my man Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel likened last night’s MMA action to the Heat-Knicks battles of yesteryear. And he would know since he’s covered the Heat from their first day of existence.
Game 6 ought to be a fantastic mess.
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219 comments Add your comment
gusman354
April 30th, 2009
7:57 pm
WHO IS WINING GAME 6 ANY BETS
Meanwhile...can you imagine?
April 30th, 2009
8:05 pm
The problem with the dunk is that it screams me first. Can you imagine Smith pulling that stunt on a Larry Bird led team? A Joe Dumars led team? A Michael Jordon led team?
Do we need to invoke the name of Bill Russell and speculate what he might have done if Smith so much as even thought about it, much less attempted it, to drive home the point that me first doesn’t win championships?
I think not.
Blast
April 30th, 2009
8:14 pm
Amazing how much traction Josh Smith generates on this blog and around the league, whether good or bad. Joe does not generate any buzz even close. Could Josh eventually becomes the superstar the Hawks are looking for?
Said it last night, say it again. Nothing wrong with Josh’s b/w the legs. Nothing. Screw the TNT and ESPN crew. They all dying at the thought of Hawks playing Cleveland.
Love those links, Sekou. And this might be worth reading. Wade is mouthing a lot of junk about the Hawks right now. The link is below, but for those too lazy to check it out, here are excerpts below.
In fact, here is the entire article, no liks.
Blast
April 30th, 2009
8:15 pm
Wade takes aim at Hawks’ tactics, Heat’s mind-set
Click-2-Listen
By CHRIS PERKINS
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Thursday, April 30, 2009
MIAMI — Dwyane Wade had a razor-sharp edge Thursday, and the Heat’s battered All-Star guard made precision cuts on everyone in his sights.
Wade had particular disdain for Atlanta guard Mario West, who celebrated after Wade missed a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer in Wednesday’s Game 5, which the Heat lost 106-91. The Hawks had a 23-point lead at the time.
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Wade said the second-year guard “has not been a factor” in this series. He called West’s celebration “funny” and ridiculed his judgment.
“What is this game coming to?” Wade asked rhetorically.
Wade was also peeved that Atlanta forward Josh Smith tried a between-the-legs dunk in the fourth quarter when the Hawks still had a 20-point lead.
“It is (disrespectful),” Wade said, “and one thing I go back to is something my high-school coach always told me: Act like you’ve done something before.”
This is what playoff basketball does to the usually docile Wade. And you can expect him to take that edge to the court in Game 6 of the Miami-Atlanta first-round playoff series at 8 p.m. Friday at AmericanAirlines Arena.
For the Heat, which trails in the best-of-seven series 3-2, it’s a win-or-it’s-over game. Perhaps realizing that he has has nothing to lose, Wade unloaded Thursday.
Wade said the Hawks have some “unprofessional” things they need to address. He said Hawks roughhousing center Zaza Pachulia is “knocking people out.” And said he wants to see more out of his young teammates, particularly rookies Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers.
“If it seems like I’m calling them out, I’m not calling them out,” Wade said, “but I want to see our young guys play like it’s Game 6 of the playoffs.
“If ‘Rio says he’s won a national championship (at Kansas), well, I want to see him play like it. I want to see Michael play. It’s not about making shots. It’s about your intensity. It’s about your focus. And I want to see our young guys focused and playing with energy.”
Wade, who has been battling back spasms the past two games, said he felt better Thursday. And he took a defiant tone toward the pain.
“I’m at the point where whatever is wrong with me, it doesn’t even matter at this point,” he said.
In that spirit, Wade almost implored his teammates to get more physical for Game 6.
“Zaza Pachulia is knocking people out,” Wade said. “It’s as simple as that. I’m not telling my teammates to knock him out, but when he comes down the paint at, least make sure he feels us.”
Blast
April 30th, 2009
8:18 pm
Cry-Baby-Wade!!!!
gusman354
April 30th, 2009
8:19 pm
oh oh wade is mad
gusman354
April 30th, 2009
9:35 pm
good luck dirty birds in game 6 ,d-wade mv3 is mad
gusman354
April 30th, 2009
9:39 pm
Could Josh eventually becomes the superstar the Hawks are looking for? hahahahhahahahaaaaaaa good luck with that , josh-cry baby a superstar?hahahhahahahaha
Dwyane Wade
April 30th, 2009
9:41 pm
I am an overrated punk who smokes marijuana, cheated on my high school sweetheart [wife], and cannot admit I get superstar treatment.
MARIO > WADE
ZAZA > WADE
MARIO > WADE
ZAZA > WADE
MARIO > WADE
ZAZA > WADE
MARIO > WADE
ZAZA > WADE
Big Ray
April 30th, 2009
9:46 pm
Astro Joe,
Good comments on the last blog at 10:43 a.m.
Josh better be ready for anything and everything. And what’s more important than last game’s dunk attempt is that he gets several well-timed dunks in the next game. This team needs all the fire they can get, wherever it comes from.
Big Ray
April 30th, 2009
9:48 pm
Man, this Bulls/Celtics series is awesome to watch. Brad Miller just tied it at 101-101 with less than 30 seconds to play. Will the Bulls make it 7 games, like we did last year? Boston has to be having series sense of deja vu….first the Hawks, now the Bulls.
doc
April 30th, 2009
9:58 pm
seems that d wade has as big a mouth as some of the visitors we have had here the past few days. wade doesnt like exuberant displays by other players. told you guys he felt just as strongly about rio’s demonstration at the end of the second quarter. he still would have been whining even if josh had placed a gentle lay-up in instead of entertaining the crowd with something special. as far as the zaza stuff, wade likes to give it out but cant receive it. that is where he let’s down on the image and looks like a spoiled little mama’s boy.
Brandon
April 30th, 2009
10:05 pm
I have lost all respect for Dwayne Wade…I read his comments about J-Smoove’s missed dunk and all I can say is “Shut the hell up.” If it takes a missed dunk to get a player “fired up” somethings wrong there. He’s lucky some one didnt try and take him out after his long stare following his lucky deep three in game 2.
JJ, Smoove, Mo, Flip, Bibby, and the entire crew will be prepared for a battle. No doubt about it. Time to rise up Hawks…and to all the ignorant Heat fans, TNT, and ESPN…NOW YOU KNOW…
Go Hawks.
Rollins Tree
April 30th, 2009
10:11 pm
Watching Bulls – Celtics and its funny how far Doc Rivers comes out onto the court during timeouts. You can tell he still wants to be out there playing.
drmaryb
April 30th, 2009
10:11 pm
Big Ray,
Yup! you thought you saw a “Putty-Cat?” You DiD…You DiD! You DiD see a “Purty-Cat!”
Hawks-Win! Yeah! One-to-Go!
gusman354
April 30th, 2009
10:26 pm
YOU GUYS SAYING EVERYBODY IS AGAIN,S YOUR TEAM AND D- WADE GETS ALL THE CALLS WHY IS THAT? BECAUSE YOU HAVE A SORRY ASS LOW LIFE TEAM THE ATLANTA PIGEONS DIRTY BIRDS
gusman354
April 30th, 2009
10:27 pm
D-WADE FOR PRESIDENT
Melvin
April 30th, 2009
10:37 pm
Gusman, WIN or STAY Home…. it’s that simple for your Heat.
“I’m at the point where whatever is wrong with me, it doesn’t even matter at this point,” he said. DWADE
He has fake some many injuries until he can’t remember which injury his suppose to complain about… LOL
Just like in football, if you down like the touchdown celebration then don’t the guy score. Instead of DWade doing that he takes the Roy Williams route and hit the guy during the celebration….lol
If he has a problem with Mario celebration than he should have made the shot.
If he has a problem with Josh b/w the legs then he should have gotten back on defense and defended it but I don’t blame him for staying clear of Josh after he ran into him early in the game and got knock damn near into next week….lol
Melvin
April 30th, 2009
10:44 pm
Funny how Who died…? has stop posting and this Gusman character has appeared on our blog… I guess Gusman is his resurrection name…lol
RA
April 30th, 2009
10:56 pm
Josh better be careful. If those clowns get a chance to put him down, they’ll put him down hard. Gusman354, if indeed that is your real name, nice to know that Wade is mad. If my team had gotten it’s butt smeared like yours did in the last two games, I’d be made too. Oh, wait, the Heat did smear out backsides in games two and three, but here’s where the difference comes in, the Hawks didn’t try to put any of your guys out of commission, they just played better. The Heat might want to take that approach rather than seeing which of us they can send to the hospital next.
RA
April 30th, 2009
10:58 pm
What ever incarnation of blogger this Gusman character is, he’s obviously a disgruntled Heat fan that can find enough of his buddies to blog with on their sites. I suggest we not give him anymore of our time. Maybe he’ll leave and stink up a chat room somewhere. We can hope.
Eman
April 30th, 2009
11:10 pm
So I go to Yahoo’s website to check my email and what do I see under the “Featured” news but Josh’s pic and a headline saying “Showboat dunk goes wrong”
Thanks to that article Josh is probably going to get a rep he probably don’t like
gusman354
April 30th, 2009
11:30 pm
MY REAL NAME IS BILL GATES SINCE I RETIRE FROM MS I GOT NOTHING TO DO
RA
April 30th, 2009
11:30 pm
Eman, the irony is that if he makes that dunk, the roof comes off of Phillips and it’s the greatest dunk that anyone’s seen in 20 years:) Fox populi, Fox Humbug!
RA
April 30th, 2009
11:32 pm
Okay “Bill” why don’t you go out, buy the Heat. and get enough good players to where they don’t have to blame the other team because they were too weak to rebound the ball and to lazy to get back on defense.
gusman354
April 30th, 2009
11:39 pm
BECAUSE I WANT TO BUY THE PIGEONS OH I MEAN THE HAWKS AND MOVED TO ANOTHER CITY , AND GET RID OF MISS A DUNK OH I MEAN J-SMOOVE
Flappin' Hawk
April 30th, 2009
11:47 pm
Great to see Flip absolutely embarrass Chalmers throughout game 5. Same thing is gonna happen in Miami. Flips resurgence in this series makes things so much easier for JJ. If Solo starts he’s gotta play lights out D, and bring down the skinny hammer on O’Squeal.
EAST ATLANTA HAWKS FAN
May 1st, 2009
12:40 am
LOOK HERE MIAMI SWEET(HEAT) FANS DWAYNE WADE IS HURT ALSO.
EAST ATLANTA HAWKS FAN
May 1st, 2009
12:46 am
PLEASE JOSH SMITH IT COMES A TIME WHERE YOU HAVE TO FINALLY WISE UP.
STUDY TAPES OF JORDAN KOBE DR.J AND CLYDE THE GLIDE,AND YOU WILL NOTICE THAT THEY HAVE NEVER DONE SUCH A STUPID DUNK IN THE PLAYOFFS,AND ALL THE NAMES I JUST LISTED THEY WON A RING,AND YOU DONT HAVE ONE YET.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 1st, 2009
1:00 am
I can’t wait until tomorrow when the Hawks put the nail in the coffin in this series… the AJC blogs have gone downhill since this series started thanks to the invasion of these morons from Miami.
Much like in hip hop music, Miami seems to produce the worst when it comes to sports blog commenters.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 1st, 2009
1:01 am
Actually the near-miss Josh dunk we SHOULD be buzzing about right now is the one he attempted over Jermaine O’Neal and Michael Beasley in the first half. He missed the dunk and got fouled, but if he had made that, it would have been one of the greatest in-game dunks of all time, because of where he began his jump and who he was jumping over.
Ariose
May 1st, 2009
1:17 am
O’Brien Here is the link you were referring too. I read it this morning. Very informative, and not very biased….
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-39-157/Josh-Smith–So-Good—–So-Bad.html
Also, Hoopinion had some nice, and not so nice things to say about the Hawks…..Five bucks says Horford plays tomorrow….
Ariose
May 1st, 2009
1:18 am
http://www.hoopinionblog.com/
TNTisdwade'sfanclub
May 1st, 2009
1:25 am
Josh Smith is leading the team in ppg, spg, bpg and 2nd in rpg. He is also shooting 73% from the line. Yet everybody wants to talk about a missed dunk. Talk about him being the one to carry Al to the bench and the ft line. Talk about him defending his teammates when Magliore has tried to bully the Hawks. He has been the Hawks best player in the playoffs. Yet everybody wants to talk aboout the negative. He does a lot wrong. There is no question about that but he also has done a lot right. When he is wrong let him have but any true fan would at least have to respect what he has done for the Hawks in the playoffs.
By the way Dick Stockton needs to retire. You also should not be allowed to be a commentator for teams that have fired you. You might be a little biased.
Big Ray
May 1st, 2009
1:27 am
Nice link, Ariose. Tells the truth of the situation.
Eman
May 1st, 2009
1:45 am
RA, no kidding about that.
But really, Hawks go on to win this series and nobody’s going to remember something that happened at the end of a game 5 between a 4 and a 5. All that’ll matter is the outcomes in either game 6 or 7.
bigdave
May 1st, 2009
1:59 am
almost… well not quite… GAME TIME!!!! TIME TO END IT FOR THESE SUCKAS!!!
Hawksfan,
in distant memory now but, something like people are making it a big deal when it really isnt. he saw no difference in this to someone beating there chest running down the court. he even said, he couldnt see the difference between it and a 360..he was saying its Josh Smith for crying out loud, he does these dunks… just was making obvious points. said that if MIA had such an issue with it, they wouldnt have allowed Joe a break away yolk the very next play…
Zack,
i tried to bring that to the attention of Sekou in my 4.30.09 11:43am post.. the Hawks have gotten tougher so should the staff… Bob sure did the other night when JO fouled, well, assaulted ZaZa… he yelled over to Woody, “that was a flagrant Woody!!!”, he tried to do it off air and is clearly getting pissed at the officiating. when speaking of James Jones 2 4 pt plays he said Bibby didnt even touch him that one time… funny stuff…
Najeh,
i blogged about it yesterday… i said if he would have thrown that bad boy down, i would have cut the TV off and gone to sleep, and it would have been the dunk of the decade… and boy was he close to finishing it…
pinoy hawk
May 1st, 2009
2:18 am
It seems that the hawks are the underdog in this series with the way TNT,espn, etc. are covering the games. A bit depressing how they treat the team but I think this mentality would change in the 2nd round vs the cavs.
Btw, kudos to JJ for getting over his slump in the playoffs. Hope his agressiveness continues to the to game6 and eventually to the 2nd round against the bigger but slower SGs of the cavs.
Hawks in 6!!!! Go hawks!
hawks_4_life
May 1st, 2009
3:56 am
When team USA was blowing people out, did we lay down or try to put on a show for the crowd?
No matter what happens in this series the image ill remember most is of Dick Bavetta protecting Dwade. I found that hilarious especially if you look at the play he threw his shoulder into Solo. That said it all.
rainman
May 1st, 2009
8:15 am
Sekou, not to get off subject, but after watching the Bulls/Celts series I can’t help but to think that Chicago has a better foundation than we do going forward.
Point guard and center are probably the two hardest positions to fill with star players. Rose, as a rookie, is already one of the best PG’s in the league — while the Hawks ponder whether to resign an aging Bibby for big bucks or to hope Law can finally come through. I love Al Horford, but is he meant to play center for the rest of his career? It’s beginning to look like his old teammate (Noah) might end up being beter suited for the position — he has really suprised me with his intensity non-stop movement.
How do you see the PG & C positions evolving for the Hawks in the future?
hawks_4_life
May 1st, 2009
8:17 am
Are you kidding me? The only thing Noah has is a great motor, other than that he would be completely useless. Ill take Al any day over him.
Rick Ross
May 1st, 2009
8:46 am
you munkeys are swaggerless, muuuunkkkeeeeyys.
M-I-YAYO!!!!
GO HEAT.
Rick Ross
May 1st, 2009
8:48 am
Najeh Davenpoop, Miami hip hop is the best of all time, you are swaggerless.
New Najeh Davenpoop Diss track comin soon.
Plies
May 1st, 2009
8:50 am
I love to act like I’m from Miami, when I’m from the SOUTHWEST FLORIDA resort filled, mid-sized town of Ft. Myers and make fictional gangster rap.
Florida Hip Hop Promoter
May 1st, 2009
8:53 am
Rick False ft. P-lies, T-Pain, Ace Suburban Hood – Hawks Suck.mp3 (ATL Diss)
hawks_4_life
May 1st, 2009
8:54 am
Can we talk basketball or is this going to be a racial slur feast? Im not a Dwade fan but Im proud to be AFRICAN AMERICAN SERVING IN THE ARMY CURRENTLY DEPLOYED and everytime I read text such as this it just make me ashamed knowing right now in 2009 we still cant get past this.
Florida Hip Hop Promoter
May 1st, 2009
8:55 am
Jermaine O’Neal ft. James Jones (D-Wade singin on the hook using autotune) – Game 7.mp3 (FIRE TRACK!!!)
Florida Hip Hop Promoter
May 1st, 2009
8:58 am
Justin Timberlake ft. D-Wade – Cry Me A River (Remix).mp3
rainman
May 1st, 2009
9:15 am
It looks like the Bulls are in a much better position than the Hawks going forward at the two critical positions of point guard and center.
Rose, as a rookie, is already one of the best PG’s in the league, and Noah has really suprised me at how well he is progressing at center.
MAC-TOWN
May 1st, 2009
9:22 am
What’s the word on Horford? (Pachulia’s been better than him this series anyway)….but whos gonna be the OTHER big man…..Solo?? Randolph Morris?? ewwww i dont trust either..