The NBA playoffs, King James version!
Welcome to LeBron's world Hawks!
HAWKSVILLE - If the Hawks felt like there was some cosmic [Dwyane Wade-fueled] wave of energy trying to keep them from reaching the Eastern Conference semifinals, wait until they get on the floor Tuesday night in Cleveland.
That’s where they’ll get their first taste of the NBA playoffs, King James version.
In short, if they thought Wade was an issue – the so-called one-man team that they couldn’t get past in anything but seven games – wait until they face LeBron James and his crew.
Not only have the Cavaliers rolled to the best record in the league, boast the NBA Coach of the Year in Mike Brown and the league’s probably MVP in James, they’ve also had nine days to rest and load up for the Hawks on their way to what all of the basketball-loving world assumes is a table for two in the NBA Finals with Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers.
I can’t think of a better time to be the Hawks.
No one thinks you have a chance. No one is expecting you to be anything more than a speed bump on the Cav’s road to the NBA Finals.
“We’re the team that wasn’t even supposed to make the playoffs right?” Hawks forward Josh Smith said. “If you let [the media] tell it, we didn’t even belong here. And we were supposed to lose to Miami. And here we are. We just keep showing up where we’re not supposed to be.”
The Cavs have lost twice on their home floor all season, so Tuesday night’s series opener should be interesting. The Hawks should still be in a groove and the Cavs have been off for so long … it should be interesting.
MIKE BIBBY’S BEST SHOT of the entire first round of the playoffs came before halftime of Sunday in Game 7 and it had nothing to do with his 3-point stroke.
Hawks coach Mike Woodson roasted him for passing the ball to Smith in the corner on in the final seconds. As Smith’s 24-footer bounced off the rim with 10.9 seconds left, Woodson jumped Bibby’s case for making the pass.
The surprise was Bibby’s response. He jumped Woodson right back, much to the delight of those of us sitting close enough to hear the entire exchange.
“If you don’t want me to throw to him put him somewhere else,” Bibby shouted. “He’s wide [@*&$%] open. Wide open. What do you want me to do? If you don’t want him shooting that then put him somewhere else. You tell him.”
After getting it back as good as he gave it, Woodson crossed his arms, did a pirouette and smiled at everyone watching as he strolled back toward the Hawks’ bench.
Woodson said later it was the first time Bibby’s “really lit into” him. And that’s why he was smiling about it. He loved seeing that kind of fire and emotion from his veteran point guard.
"NO! Wait a minute coach, let me tell you something!"
It was by far Bibby’s best shot of the night. And his reaction was right on the money in so many different ways. Because it’s clear that Smith has to curb his own enthusiasm for long distance shots (did you see him working in the paint early? The up and under moves, the ball-fake and step back and then lefty kiss off the glass. It was stick stuff. The Heat didn’t know what to do with him). And since he’s struggling in that department, it’s up to Woodson to find ways to help him curb it.
THE HEAT LEARNED A LESSON MANY TEAMS have this season about the Hawks when they play on their home floor. Forget what you thought about them away from Philips Arena, because for whatever reason, once they got on their own floor they’re a totally different team.
“They’re just terrific at home,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra Sunday after the Hawks had finished using his team as a dust mop. “They play with a great deal of confidence and energy here at home. We’ve struggled against them here in this building all year long, but it’s not just us. Everybody has struggled here as well. And it’s because they’ve built a pretty tough home court advantage.”
By Sunday night Spoelstra’s rage about the Hawks trying to embarrass his team a couple games ago had morphed into sincere praise.
“They’re a tough team,” he said of the Hawks. “They’ve really gotten a lot better. We’ve seen them mature over the years. They’re a team similar to us two or three years ago. They’ve developed their young guys, and more importantly they’ve kept the same coaching staff to help develop those players and have a consistent system.”
Wade might have summed it up best, though, after the game when he highlighted the difference between his team and the Hawks.
”They got more than one guy,” Wade said. ‘They’ve got four or five different guys they give the ball to and say, `Go make a play, either for yourself or somebody else.’ That makes it tough to guard.”
YOU WON’T SEE JOE JOHNSON BEATING HIS CHEST or poppin’ his jersey after big plays the way some other NBA stars do. It’s just not his style.
He drained two of the most wicked shots of the entire series Sunday, two 3-point bombs in Wade’s face, and didn’t do anything more than ball up his fists at himself. He glanced over at his family and friends that sit along the front row across from the Hawks’ bench, making sure they understood that whatever was ailing him early on in this series was no longer an issue.
Joe Johnson during a rare celebratory moment ... from another time. He barely cracked a smile in Sunday's Game 7 thumping of the Miami Heat.
The first smile he cracked was with five minutes left, when he headed to the bench to a rousing ovation from the crowd after his 27-point, five-steal explosion.
“I had to wait until it was late in the lock when I pretty much knew it was over,” he said of why he didn’t hop on a scorer’s table or call any attention to himself beyond his monster performance. “We’ve blown big leads before, so I had to make sure. If we win a championship you’ll see a whole lot [of emotion from me]. Other than that, it’s just competing, going out and having fun and trying to win ball games.”
And if you wondered if he felt any relief after finally playing like the All-Star folks around here have become accustomed to seeing, don’t.
“The only relief was that we won,” he said. “I’m putting this Miami series behind me and moving forward to Cleveland. And hopefully, we’ll make it an even better series.”
All THE TOP SEEDS IN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE MADE IT TO THE FINAL FOUR. Boston and Orlando are set to scrap on one side of the bracket and the Hawks and Cavs are set to duke it out on the other side of the bracket. That’s actually the way it was supposed to work out.
They basically went wire to wire as the top four teams in the East, with some momentary shifting along the way. Dallas and Houston crashed the Final Four in the Western Conference. Houston won the 4-5 matchup with Portland while Dallas knocked off the depleted Spurs in the 3-6.
There’s something to be said for the Hawks making sure things held form in the East, though. It validates their 47-win season and legitimizes all the talking they’ve done the last six months about being one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Knock ‘em all you want, but they said they were headed to this point and here they are.
And they’ve yet to play their best. When you consider the injuries to both Al Horford and Marvin Williams and the fact that neither guy has played up to his own standard this postseason, the Hawks actually have quite a bit of room to improve upon their performance against the Heat.
And both Horford and Williams will return to action in this series. Williams could play a huge role, if healthy enough, defensively. Because the Hawks are going to need an active defender with the size, agility and athleticism to at least keep James occupied for long stretches.
Williams worked well against James during the regular season matchups (the Cavs took the season series 3-1 but the Hawks actually had one of those wins snatched from their grasp on a questionable late foul call) and again, if healthy enough, could potentially do similar work now.
Time will tell.
But admit it, you like talking Hawks this late in the season don’t you?
I know I do.
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657 comments Add your comment
TheHawksFan
May 5th, 2009
10:33 pm
LOL What in the did Flip do there???? LOL.. Damn he ran BEHIND the man shooting a 3.
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
10:33 pm
Acie needs to run the offense while he’s in the game. We have seen enough ball handling tonight for Flip. And why not play Marvin in these junk mins. Maybe he can find some confidence playing against the Cavs 2nd team.
A Tribe Called Quest
May 5th, 2009
10:33 pm
Sarcasm
Cherry Pie
May 5th, 2009
10:33 pm
Rod from College Park -what you mean “gay stuff”. Why it got to be gay…look like a bunch straight boyz getting whipped tonight to me. I don’t see nothing gay cept you…and you can’t fool Cherries
niremetal
May 5th, 2009
10:35 pm
Not for nothing, RodSamRod, but you were the one who brought up a-holes today. So I’d suggest that if you want to keep sounding a homophobic jackass, you might want to censor your own emails first.
A Tribe Called Quest
May 5th, 2009
10:36 pm
Is Murray trying to miss?
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
10:37 pm
20 rebs. really…? from Acie…?
when we lose int the playoffs its never in doubt…
A Tribe Called Quest
May 5th, 2009
10:38 pm
FREAKING MISS SOMETHING CLEVELAND. UGH
Hms
May 5th, 2009
10:38 pm
Interviews after the game:
REPORTER: “Why do you feel like you lost this game?”
COACH WOODSON: “We didn’t play good enough defense or get enough rebounds.”
JOE JOHNSON: “I have problems scoring. I mean shooting. You know what I mean, not scoring with the ladies, scoring buckets in the game.”
FLIP MURRAY: “I didn’t hit shots. But those guys keep getting in the way when I drive to the basket. Why they keep calling it a foul when I run into them?”
JOSH SMITH: “Uhhhh…I shot too many jumpers?”
ACIE LAW: “I can’t talk now, Coach says he is going to yank me from the game, but I’m not even in it…”
DOMINIQUE WILKINS: “They weren’t there when the crunch time came. That game was a heat check for the Cavs.”
ROD IN COLLEGE PARK: “Easy. Marvin sucks. Therefore, so do the hawks. Isn’t that right Sam I am (no really, I am)?”
SAMUEL: “I don’t know. JJ is a punk. But Woody=COY”
CLYDE: “Horford is not a center. I want Sean Williams. FIRE WOODY”
A Tribe Called Quest
May 5th, 2009
10:39 pm
What’s Mario’s FT percentage for the year? 10 %? I saw LeBron laughing at him and Lorenzen grabbing LeBron’s arm. Probably telling LeBron how pathetic offensively Mario is
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
10:41 pm
Mario has… no freaking clue what he’s doing offensively.
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
10:42 pm
Hms, that was funny….
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
10:42 pm
Regardless of what the score may be, I don’t think the Popcorn Bandit has the right to laugh at anyone at this point in his career though. Mario may completely suck on offense but Zen is not much better.
otrhawksfan
May 5th, 2009
10:43 pm
our bench has to give us some pts in order for us to stay in these games. i am tired of the playoff blow outs.
Bleeding Wine and Gold
May 5th, 2009
10:45 pm
Josh Smith is a BEAST! He just needs a little more help. Not trying to rub it in, but you all are outmatched. I’m not a bandwagon fan, I live 5 minutes from the Q. Its our time, so don’t hate. Maybe the most you Hawks fans can hope for is you don’t suffer the same fate as the Pistons.
Hawks Fan in New Orleans
May 5th, 2009
10:45 pm
another disgusting display on the road. JJ, Horford and Flip need to step it up next game. Hate say it but we could have used Chills tonight.
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
10:45 pm
Doc, I see the popcorn maker couldn’t even make the active roster. And he has the nerve to be cracking jokes on the bench about the Hawks. Hopefully he has enough suits to where to the games. We don’t want see the same outfit during this series or we are going to call him out…
kirkinga
May 5th, 2009
10:47 pm
Learning process people and Lesson #1 is done.
It’s pretty obvious who was ready to play tonight and who was not. There will be an opportunity for redemption.
Go Hawks!!
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
10:47 pm
Bleeding Wine and Gold, you live 5 mins from the arena and you didn’t go to the game……
doc
May 5th, 2009
10:49 pm
najeh, ditto on rio. as much as i like the guy he is a ten second man or the equivalent of a special teams player in football or a reliever that is used for one hitter in baseball. sad, he doesnt really belong in the game for any longer than that. sad, somehow he has been elevated to a higher status than a lottery pick. sometimes it makes no sense.
Hawks Fan in New Orleans
May 5th, 2009
10:50 pm
The Hawks great first half gives me hope for game 2.
Bleeding Wine and Gold
May 5th, 2009
10:50 pm
Rather stay at home, REMY in hand, not worried bout po po, and watch the next game. Besides, these games sold out long ago, while the HAWKS are still trying to sell out games 3 and 4.
Big Ray
May 5th, 2009
10:51 pm
Kirk,
We didn’t look bad early on, and we hustled pretty good. But we weren’t able to sustain it all game long. As usual, we got away in the second half from what was working in the first half. That, and we’re always going to have difficulty competing, much less winning, when JJ isn’t scoring, Horford is hurting, and Marvin is not able to pick up the scoring slack.
We won several games throughout the season when Bibby or JJ weren’t able to get it going. When our three normal froncourt starters were healthy, they all shared that load. Now, only one of them is healthy and playing starter’s minutes.
And as you say, this loss isn’t as bad as it could be, and is hardly a shock. We’re playing the NBA’s best team on their homecourt. Where they almost didn’t lose a single game all season….
Rod from College Park
May 5th, 2009
10:52 pm
Niremetal,
Keep studying. Make something of yourself. My offer still stands clown. Be in D.C. in two weeks. Set it up tough guy.
TheHawksFan
May 5th, 2009
10:52 pm
HMS thats some funny stuff. Lebron can laugh at West if wants, he still got ripped at Half cout against him. Yeah we got smacked around pretty good tonight. These guys are beat down. They need to get some rest somehow someway. We still get 2 games at home. Come onn Hawks!!!
UGA
May 5th, 2009
10:52 pm
No worries. We’re young, we’re still building, Smith was more aggressive, etc. It’s next to impossible to win up there, but it’s basketball so you never know. LeBron is good, period.
doc
May 5th, 2009
10:53 pm
melvin i think he is going to laugh whether we like it or not. he will have a big ring to go with his two chandeliers on each ear to flaunt soon. he sure pulled it over on woody and bk, too. popcorn man is his only true nba legacy.
doc
May 5th, 2009
10:54 pm
tip of the hat hms, too funny man!
cp
May 5th, 2009
10:55 pm
Typical Hawks to go away from what is working. Guys were jacking jumpers instead of attacking the rim…. For some reason Woodson pulled Bibby to replace him with Flip although Bibby was playing great and Flip was stinking it up. He would have been better off seeing what Law could do. He couldn’t have been much worse than Flip was. Mo Evans makes me wish Chills was still here…Josh and Bibby showed up while everybody else just came to see Lebron or something. I wish others would show the energy Josh was showing out there….Is there anyway from now on we can go ahead and play the 3rd quarter without a halftime. I have no idea what Woodson says during the half but boy it must really suck.
Big Ray
May 5th, 2009
10:57 pm
We could have used Chill all season. I agree that things will always be tough when JJ and Flip can’t get it going.
We have to find ways to help them get in better position to score. Cleveland knows we can beat them that way, so they’re defending it well. Problem is, we don’t have many options. Josh was having his way with them to a point. But we went away from him some. JJ didn’t shoot badly, but Flip sure did. It’s gonna happen.
But as I was saying earlier, it’s tough when you don’t have many options. Horford clearly isn’t anywhere near 100%. And Marvin is even further away. And how can we expect him to light things up anyway, when he only gets 12 minutes? But I realize he may not be healthy enough to play more. It’s just that he LOOKS like he’s ready for more minutes…
kwooden1
May 5th, 2009
10:59 pm
Bad pace in the 3rd, to many turnovers and got beat on the boards! I hate losses, especially ones that start that good. The HAWKS are going to have to run and execute much better. The poorly timed turnovers really hurt them. JSmoove played a great game, really made Shaggy look silly! Marvin is hurt, but worked really hard. JJ is going to have to step up, and really attack the double teams. This game was about the turnovers and the pace.
Another game in the maturing process. Have to bring more energy and execute better.
GO HAWKS!!!
Big Ray
May 5th, 2009
11:01 pm
Niremetal,
Keep studying. Make something of yourself. My offer still stands clown. Be in D.C. in two weeks. Set it up tough guy.
Man, what kind of corny…?….this is a dang sports blog. The “rep yo hood” blog is elsewhere.
kirkinga
May 5th, 2009
11:06 pm
, I thought the Hawks would show better tonight. Though I know they must learn to get out of the 2nd Round, it still is all about winning.
I had certain dreams of an upset after what the Rockets and Magic did in their respective Game 1’s.But both of those teams are better than the Hawks right now. Of the 8 remaining teams, it’s hard to rank the Hawks higher than 7th.
Tonight the Hawks got their 2nd Round cherries popped and got turned out.Now hopefully they’ll have a better idea of what to do in each successive game.
niremetal
May 5th, 2009
11:14 pm
RodSamRod,
I’ll be in Philly studying for the bar in two weeks, and so I’m afraid I have more important things to do. Besides, since I’m not a very good athlete, I’d probably lose in a 1-on-1 game. But even if I could play and you did beat me, what would that prove? If Isiah Thomas beat Greg Popovich 1-on-1 would that prove that Thomas knows more about basketball? Would it prove that Thomas isn’t a monumental jackass?
Not my fault that you made the mistake of posting under 2 different names but weren’t smart enough to vary your syntax, style, or substance. Not my fault that you decide to act like a homophobe and a jackass whenever someone argues with you. Not my fault that you unless you stop doing those things, you won’t get any respect around here.
Now I have officially wasted enough time on you for one night. But I seriously hope you wise up eventually, stop playing the fool, and actually attempt to engage in an intelligent conversation on this blog for once.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
11:16 pm
I don’t know whether I should be happy that the Hawks were competitive for a half (unlike their previous playoff road games, where they were not competitive at all) or p*ssed off that they reverted to their former selves after halftime. I hope the Hawks are able to use the first half as motivation that they can hang with this team, instead of allowing the bad momentum from the 2nd half to carry over to the next game.
In order for the 2nd game to be any better, they have to maintain the defensive intensity they had in the first half for the entire game. The offense wasn’t great in the 2nd half but they wouldn’t have been routed like that if they had continued playing great defense.
Big Ray
May 5th, 2009
11:17 pm
If I dont like it then it must be gay. If I dont understand it then it has to be gay. I cant watch the discovery channel. So much gayness. I like to watch cops but it makes me feel gay.
Big Ray
May 5th, 2009
11:17 pm
Thus goes the mind of Rod…
Volman
May 5th, 2009
11:19 pm
Rough game…. LeBron was kept in the game early with a BUNCH of free throws (of course). I was very content with him shooting jumpers. I will take that. He made a couple, but he will. As long as he isn’t driving to the lane, that’s good for us. We have to close out on the shooters when he passes out.
Their three point shooters made some big shots when we would be down 5-7, and then the lead would go to double digits… Wally? Come on now.. Comes in and knocks down shots and gets charges, etc.. Whatever. Williams had some BIG shots for them as well that kept them at arms length away from us.
I was very proud of how the team played at for the first half of that game.. I was extremely happy to see Smoove going after rebounds and working hard on BOTH ends of the court. He had such a beautiful game. He can take Varajeo (spelling?) EVERY SINGLE TIME if he wanted to.
I really wish this team had a healthy Horford and a healthy Marvin. That’s two scoring options right there taken away… Marvin looks like he’s at 40% (at best) and Horford can’t do much at all. It’s tough to watch that.
Lorenzen Wright is officially named “Blowrenzen” now. What an idiot. He has no right to be on a team still…
I guess he’s still around as the comic relief on the team.. He’s ALWAYS seen right behind LeBron trying to get his acceptance and cracking jokes with him.
enough with the popcorn in the car, Blowrenzen. Enough.
Put 4 quarters together Hawks, and make us proud. There is always game two.
Big Ray
May 5th, 2009
11:21 pm
Najeh,
I can understand that. But I think I’m just going to watch game 2 and see what happens. I think game 2 will tell how quickly we’re learning, or if we’re learning at all. Reverting to chaotic ball (mostly on offense) in the second half has been a problem all season.
At the risk of starting another Woody-bash, which I don’t want to do, I have to wonder WHO on that coaching staff is responsible for the offensive coordination?
Not only that, but WHY is it that this happens repeatedly? The veteran players should be able to hold it together. Unless they are part of the problem…
Big Ray
May 5th, 2009
11:22 pm
LOL@ Volman….
Good one…
Ed
May 5th, 2009
11:24 pm
Hopefully tonight’s game brought everyone back down to earth with all the pregame hysteria over possibly winning this series. We are simply no match & not on the same playing field as the Cavs.
boony
May 5th, 2009
11:26 pm
hawks can’t beat the cavs in this decade
Rod Who lives in the Park at the College
May 5th, 2009
11:28 pm
RAY stop making fun of my gay self. you should be more sensitive to your bummy park inhabiting gay brothas. why you got to be a gay-cist?
Rod Who lives in the Park at the College
May 5th, 2009
11:29 pm
I try to catch the squirrels in the park. they look like gerbils to me
Blast
May 5th, 2009
11:29 pm
Sorry, but I just can’t get it up for these West playoff games. They go on too long. Goodnight folks.
Volman
May 5th, 2009
11:32 pm
Ray, what do you think about the Hawks’ chances in game two?
I really think these were the problems:
1. Turnovers (led to many fast break points for Cleveland)
2. Get out on shooters
3. Rebound
4. MAKE SHOTS
The Hawks did a good job in the first half on pretty much every aspect (and got out and RAN when they got stops—hence why they were up for a lot of the first and were close in the second). The turnovers in the second half were terrible, and led to a lot of easy points for the Cavs.
I don’t know. I want to write a lot.. I want to dissect the game.. I’m really not too upset because I did not have expectations going into this series.
I just wish the NBA, ESPN, and TNT would get off of their knees and not be all over LeBron.
Ah well, I’m going to sleep. hah.
kwooden1
May 5th, 2009
11:33 pm
Big Ray, offensive went south around the middle of the 3rd, when we had some costly turnovers and missed rebounds. Really need Horford to be more physical, but I think he was good against Z. If JSmoove can keep up his great play, that will give JJ even more space to work. JJ looked good passing out of the doubles for most of the game, I just think the turnovers were costly. We’re not going to get a lot of posessions against Cleveland, got to make them count.
GO HAWKS!!!
Cavs fan since '70
May 5th, 2009
11:35 pm
Ilgauskus had one of the worst games of his career, Joe Smith was terrible, Varejao was so-so, and Lebron was average at best….. Cavs win by 27.
rms
May 5th, 2009
11:36 pm
4-0 Cavs
newkid
May 5th, 2009
11:38 pm
AJC game article would be more appropriately entitled ‘Hawks Grounded by Hawks’. Yet again the big birds clip their own wings.
A few observations.
Lack of focus and concentration led to numerous unforced turnovers and missed free throws. Cavs were actively playing the passing lanes, yet we carelessly attempted soft ill-advised passes that were intercepted or deflected and captured for fast break opportunities.
The curse of the front runner mentality. Monday night we saw the Celtics fight back from 28 down against the Magic within a 12 minute span in the 2nd half. We, however, appear to ‘lay down’ whenever we fall back by 10 points or more. Tonight, as in the three losses to Miami, we showed no fight once the Cavs went up by 10+ in the 3rd quarter. The effort on the court and the body language on the bench both immediately shifted to concession once the lead hit double digits. No fight in this dog.
Lack of dribble drive skills at 3 & 4 and no body control. Our forwards showed limited ability to take a dribble or two, and square up for short jumpers. With few exceptions these efforts resulted in fumbling the ball away, wayward shots, or charges. Poor Marvin seems forever afflicted with the stumbles. No noticeable changes in this area since his rookie year, but his jump shot and on-ball defense have improved. Kid has a single gear while on the floor, and desparately needs to add change of pace dribble and head fakes to his game.
Deficient post defense. Nothing more need be said here.
Unimaginative half court offense. Isos and 3s (which weren’t falling with enough regularity); not much more. A real positive was the effectiveness with which Josh Smith played on the box. Man would it be refreshing to have a pick and pop front court player who could reliably make the 15 footer.
Didn’t finish. Our bigs didn’t finish when within proximity of the cup. Don’t know the stat, but would be interesting to know how many baskets we failed to make when we were within 7 feet of the cup.
Oh well, let’s have another go on Thursday.