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
allan in texas
May 4th, 2009
10:19 am
Keep up the good work Sekou! Keep moving upward and beyond my beloved Atlanta Hawks! Peace.
SouthAfrican09
May 4th, 2009
10:21 am
Dan, Bibby has made 15 mill/yr the last few years. Surely his performance in 1/3 of the games this season does not merit that. While Bibby brings great leadership and 3 pt shooting, sorry if I’m not jumping out of my seat about a guy making 15 million to average 13 & 5 or whatever he makes. bibby should be making about 11 mill/yr, not more than Joe or Iguodala or even Smoove
………………….
This series is going to 7 games. Sekou, is Marvin’s wrist getting BETTER? We NEED him out there!
Josh Smith — STAY COMPOSED AND DO YOUR THING. STOP BEING IMMATURE EVERY OTHER GAME
Khao$
May 4th, 2009
10:23 am
Man, way to go Bibby!!!! That’s what I’ve been saying all along! Josh’s 3 point selection is a two edged sword. For one, Josh needs to drive. Two, Woody needs to stop drawing up plays where he’s parked outside there. They have to draw up more plays for him in the post. Still, I’m not a Woody fan by ANY stretch of the imagination. But he delivered on his promise. Sekou, keep up the good work, man. You’ve been on it ever since you stepped foot in the ATL and you’ve had to deal with some terrible basketball. I finally feel like we’re building towards something.
Heat Check
May 4th, 2009
10:31 am
Why did Woody wait until 418 games into his gig to start using offensive sets?
This series is a lot like the BOS matchup last year. No one’s expecting anything, so just don’t lose in 4 by a combined 200pts and we’ll probably have 5-6 nationally televised games next year. Movin’ on up!
RealSquawk
May 4th, 2009
10:32 am
Unfortunately most of the people I have been telling to respect Joe Johnson missed the game, but the one person who did was completely amazed surprised and scared.
Me I just pretty much expected every shot and saw them coming. happy to see Joe be Joe!
Now the Cavs! we could loose, but we could win the most important thing is taking this first game!
If Marvin can play them we have a pretty good chance to take this to seven.
Go Hawks.
SouthAfrican09
May 4th, 2009
10:32 am
I predict tomorrow night we’ll be up about 4 after 1 (rusty Cavs) and we get destroyed 97-70 in game 1. The series will start game 2 when we realize what we’re working against.
SouthAfrican09
May 4th, 2009
10:33 am
Does anyone know how much these sold-out playoff games help the ASG financially? I assume not much, but it would be interesting to know. Sekou, you sit close to Nique and Ratman during the games?
#21=Top50,1stBallot
May 4th, 2009
10:34 am
Somewhat of a tangent of Smoov being “placed” outside, but I hope Woody incorporates the lessons of this past series into his offense. Since Joe was largely a non-factor in two of the wins, the offense had to go through other people. “Iso-Joe” often results in the rest of the team standing around (re: Smoove near the 3pt line) as Joe tries to take it one-on-one (or two or three). His drive and kicks do two things: 1. often result in Smoov being the only guy willing to hoist from out of his range and 2. nobody is there for the rebound because the team has vacated the lane for the drive. Wade said it when we have to guard 4 or 5 guys this team is tougher to beat. Let’s make them guard 4 or 5 guys- there’s bound to be a mismatch somewhere.
RISE UP
Darrin "The Vent King"
May 4th, 2009
10:34 am
Wait a minute, Bibby snaps back at Milk Dud Dome and he loves it? He claims he loves that kind of fire, but when Josh Smith does it- he benches him and throws a tissy? I don’t understand that at all. I have NO problem with what Bibby said or did, but Woody’s response seems inconsistent with how he reacts to J-Smoove doing that which makes me believe even more now that its something personal between the two of them…maybe I missed something though. Either way- GO HAWKS!!!!
Najeh Davenpoop
May 4th, 2009
10:37 am
I thought the ZaZa hustle plays and the 8 sec. turnover from Wade that was turned into points were both backbreakers. We will need Marvin big time this series. Bring your A game on the defensive side and he can flush that “bust” label forever.
Rod D.
May 4th, 2009
10:37 am
I’m gonna be @ all the games in the ATL. Cheering for King James and the cavs. But I’m proud of the hawks making the 2nd round, they’re finally coming along. All we need now is that dominant big man in the middle. Go Cavs! I mean Go Hawks???
dap01
May 4th, 2009
10:38 am
Thanks SEKOU: How is Hortford’s ankle? Will it improve before Tuesday? How’s Marvin? Will he play? Will he be 100%?
Volman
May 4th, 2009
10:41 am
Beautiful, Mr. Smith. I love it!
Bring on LeBron and the referees!
Volman
May 4th, 2009
10:46 am
Rod D, you’re the type of “fan” that we don’t want. Please don’t show up, because you aren’t wanted.
I assume you must live in Cleveland or are from there? That must be a lot of money to fly back and forth from Cleveland to Atlanta for all of those games.
That’s right….you probably just went to a friggin’ foot locker and bought a LeBron jersey and now you’re a “fan” of the Cavs. Talk about jumping on the bandwagon.
Volman
May 4th, 2009
10:48 am
SouthAfrican…are you a fan of the Hawks? All I see from you is complaining.
Anyway, Bibby got that big contract FROM THE KINGS, not the Hawks. It’s not like they Hawks elected to pay Bibby $15 million. He’s playing well…not $15 million worth, but that’s not the fault of the Hawks.
The ASG made about $2 million last year from the playoffs, so I’d guess that they make anywhere from $4-7 million this year on the playoffs. (That is, with 6-7 home games in two series)
EAST ATLANTA HAWKS FAN
May 4th, 2009
10:49 am
NOTICE WOODY DIDNT WANT MIKE BIBBY TO THROW JOSH SMITH THE BALL IN THE CORNER CAUSE HE KNEW JOSH SMITH WOULD DO SOMETHING STUPID,AND TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN IF WE DIDNT GET MIKE BIBBY FOR HIS 15 MILLION WE WOULD BE OUT THE PLAYOFFS WITH LETS SAY ACIE LAW RUNNING THE POINT GUARD OR HURT SPEEDY CLAXTON,YOU SOUND JUST LIKE ONE OF THOSE FAIR WEATHERED FANS,AND OYEAH I FORGOT YOU ARE FROM SOUTH AFRICA YOUR NAME SAYS IT ALL.
WITHOUT MIKE BIBBY AND HIS 15 MILLION AND MIKE WOODSON AND HIS SO-CALLED NO COACHING SKILLS,WE WOULD NOT BE MOVING ON TO CLEVELAND TO FACE LEBRON,WHY DO YOU THINK THEY THE OWNERS GOT RID OF BILLY KNIGHT INSTEAD OF MIKE WOODSON,THE PROOF IS THAT WE ARE MOVING TO THE 2ND ROUND.
Mike is back
May 4th, 2009
10:50 am
SEKOU, KEEP BRING IT BROOOOOOOOOOOO…I HAD TO USE MY PREVIOUS POST TWICE
Glad to hear Marvin will be back…we could use Acie too…what’s his status?
I WAS JUST PROUD TO BE IN PHILLIPS THE DAY THE COACHES, PLAYERS, AND FANS RESURRECTED THIS CITY BACK ON THE NATIONAL STAGE. WITH JOE HEATING UP…ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We can win all our games at home. We gotta steal one on the road…if we do that…then definitely…we have a chance to WIN THE SERIES. If I was Woody…I would ride ZAZA BOW BOA…THE REST OF WAY…GO ROCKY!!!!!!
GO HAWKS…LETS SHOCK THE WORLD AND STEAL GAME ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
cdog
May 4th, 2009
10:55 am
hawks will kick the calvaliers tail in 6 games.defense is the key and the hawks playing with intensity.don’t listen to the media.james is no michael jordon
Woodson Bibby Exchange « Stotts Era
May 4th, 2009
10:59 am
[...] put my writing shoes on a write a series wrap and/orpreview for the Cavs games. But for now, from Sekou’s blog over on AJC, comes this exchange between Woody and Bibby. MIKE BIBBY’S BEST SHOT of the entire first round of [...]
Edo River
May 4th, 2009
11:00 am
I just wonder what’s going through J-Chill’s mind right now….Particularly if we do a strong number against the Cavs.
EAST ATLANTA HAWKS FAN
May 4th, 2009
11:01 am
MIKE BIBBY 15 MILLION GOT US TO THE 8TH SEED LAST YEAR
MIKE BIBBY 15 MILLION GOT US TO THE 4TH SEED AND MOVING ON TO THE 2ND ROUND.
ANOTHER THING THE REASON WHY MIKE BIBBY CAN FIRE BACK AT THE COACH IS BECAUSE MIKE BIBBY IS A QUIET VET WHO DOES NOT FUSS AND FIGHT WITH THE COACH ON A NITE IN NITE OUT BASIS LIKE JOSH SMITH,JOSH SMITH IS THE NEW GENERATION LIKE MIKE VICK ADAM PACMAN JONES AND TERRELL OWENS THESE TYPE OF BLACKMEN FILL LIKE THEY CANNOT BE TOLD WHAT TO DO,OR IM THE MAN AND YOUR THE LAME COACH,IF JOSH SMITH WOULD SHUT-UP AND LET THE COACH COACH THEN HE WOULD BE BETTER OFF,IM TIRED OF THE THUG MENTALITY OF PHUCK EVERYBODY IM THE MAN.
FrenchyFries
May 4th, 2009
11:01 am
This could be a good series as long as the refs don’t phantom foul for James (more so than they did for Wade in Miami). Remember the NBA wants to market Kobe/Lebron, the Hawks just have to make sure that changes to Kobe/Joe Johnson (assuming Kobe even makes it)
MannyT
May 4th, 2009
11:02 am
For all the groaning in the arena when Josh jacks up those 3s…several of them happened just like Bibby called it. Josh is at the 3 pt line and someone passes him the ball with about 3 sec on the shot clock. While it would be nice if he drove the ball, he rarely makes quick offensive moves (aside from an alley oop.) I am not surprised that he shoots the 3 when the clock is running down.
Bibby is right and must have checked in with mykhalc! Woody needs to choose…change the offense so he is not standing at the 3 point line when the shot clock is about to expire or get Josh more practice shooting that 3.
I like the lack of confidence around the national media about the Hawks in this series. Nothing to do but play loose and do what you do. Almost like the Boston series last year, but with more experience.
I hope Marvin is healthy enough to contribute this series. We really need him to disrupt LeBron.
We iced the Heat, now let’s chill the Cavs.
As Billy Joel might say…we didn’t start the fire, but we put it out, without a doubt. (Miami version)
BWAF
Jo Bling
May 4th, 2009
11:04 am
Darrin “The Vent King” – The difference is that Bibby is a mature veteran player. Smith, on the other hand, hasn’t earned the right to talk back to the coach. And even in Bibby’s case it’s a one-time thing. Over and done with, let’s move on.
In Sekou’s last post he quoted a scout who very accurately noted the reason Smith so often finds himself standing all alone behind the three-point line – where he shoots a whopping 15 percent. Because that’s the way the defense wants it. As far as the defense is concerned, Josh can shoot threes all day long. Dear Josh, You are being baited. Please don’t fall for it.
/wishful thinking.
Astro Joe
May 4th, 2009
11:09 am
Darrin, may have to do with the frequency of those types of exchanges. That was supposedly Bibby’s FIRST push-back. Do you really think Charlotte was the first time Smith suggested an alternate plan to Woody?
By the way, any chance that Smith is sometimes positioned away from the basket to create open lanes? In theory, if he’s 20 feet from the rim, that should mean that the PF guarding him is 20 feet from the rim too? Funny how no one seems to complain about those plays when Horford or Zaza need to come out away from the basket.
Good to hear that Marvin may return. He is one of our top half-court offensive weapons and was missed in the first series. Let’s hope he is good for more than a few cameo appearances against LeBron.
Bleeding Wind&Gold
May 4th, 2009
11:13 am
Don’t be foolish, fair citizens of Atlanta, GA, the Hawks don’t stand a chance. After Lebron dissects your team with the provision of a surgeon and leave you for dead, the rest of our crew will finish you off your team’s dead carcass like a pack of hungry hyenas. That’s why we fought so hard for home court advantage, because if your guys so much as breath on Lebron, you’ll hear the ref’s whistle in anticipation of contact. You know it, I know it, so just stop with the hopeful post and give in to reality.
Marcus
May 4th, 2009
11:13 am
Sekou,
I know we are in the midst of the playoffs, but in round 1 but I do have a 2009 draft question facing the Hawks: Bibby clearly has justified his value, so it seems like we will be eating whatever market value is for his services on this next contract. Acie hasn’t gotten the PT, so going with him or a ‘09 draftee would seem to take the team a step backwards going into the 2009-2010 season after building up for 5 seasons to where we are now (2nd round of playoffs).
So then the question becomes:
1. What has the reg. season and playoffs shown us as a position (G,F, C) in need of improvement, either in talent and/or depth?
2. What do we do with Acie Law? Continue on based on potential (a la DE Jamal Anderson with the Falcons) or draft another PG-in-waiting this summer and cut ties w/ Acie?
mountain_jim
May 4th, 2009
11:18 am
Great blog Sekou. I was wondering what the details were of Bibby yelling back at coach. Lets hope all the Hawks channel that fire positively in the next round.
Will I Am
May 4th, 2009
11:23 am
great article. Hats of to the writer. he really kept my attention
K-Town Dawg
May 4th, 2009
11:27 am
Hey bleeding wind bag,
I guess we should just cancel the playoffs and hand the championship to the Cleveland LeBrons, huh?
The reality is the Hawks did beat the Cavs during the regular season, albeit only one game out of four, but I think the Hawks will put up a fight.
So why don’t we just play the games and see who wins, d-bag!
Cedric
May 4th, 2009
11:30 am
The cavs are in the same place that the hawks are in that both teams have never won anything, but the only difference is that that the cavs are expected to. I like where we are positioned. Lying in the weeds being overlooked. The reality is that both teams are capable of winning at home with the cavs being dominant and the hawks being really good. But can the hawks win on the road and will the hawks play with intensity from the jump. That will determine the outcome of this series. If the hawks can play with defensive intensity from the outset this will be a very interesting series. Man it feels good to be back here. I am 31 yrs old and been a fan since my time in the womb.
Volman
May 4th, 2009
11:31 am
Hey “Breeding douchebag”,
You are correct on ONE THING only, and that is that LeBron will get every whistle from the referees. On the ones that he doesn’t get (because he expects a call on every play) he will throw his hands up in disgust, or “check for blood” when he NEVER is bleeding.
I am 100% positive, however, that he will be flexing his muscles whenever he gets an and-1 and pose for the crowd and throw up his pixie dust before the game.
What a joke. He’s a talent, but he thinks he’s bigger than the game.
If the Hawks want to win, they literally have to beat the hell out of LeBron. It’s time to grow up and be more aggressive and rough. Make LeBron cry.
Cry, Lebron…cry.
bigdave
May 4th, 2009
11:37 am
Bob Rathbun and Mike Bibby were both on ESPN’s “First Take” this morning… Bob was amped im happy for him and us as fans, cause he truly loves the Hawks…
i tell you what… if Woody can make the adjustments during timeouts or end of quarters that he makes a game later after a loss… we will when this series… he shows me that ability. what baffles me, is when he goes away from it…
we play Cleveland well, they beat us handily in Cleveland cause they couldnt miss a shot. if we fight hard to contest shots, and not give them shooting confidence early that would be great. at times our defense against them looks so good they become stagnant and we force them into shot clock violations and forced shots. i remember this in the game they won by 1 pt. at Phillips.
its quite obvious that i am a Joe Johnson supporter, it was great to see him perform at a high level for us yesterday. i am interested in seeing how Cleveland defends him. in our season match-ups they have thrown the double team at him. yesterday, there were times that Spoelstra didnt double and left Wade or another defender to get burned 1on1… when he did Joe found a groove. beating the double teams with his crisp passes, and finding shots for himself.
cant wait for tomorrow night…
DOWN WITH THE QUEEN…!!!
bigdave
May 4th, 2009
11:40 am
1 more thing… our defense can win us the series… if we make an effort not to be beat by the 3 ball or uncontested jumpers. we are the only team in the league that they cant out run… they will not beat us in the running game, or with James blowing by our defense… too long and athletic..
we must defend the jump shooters…!!
RickNole
May 4th, 2009
11:44 am
Time to slay the king!!
I cant wait!!
doc
May 4th, 2009
11:49 am
yeah sekou, i like them a lot and will be there with noise makers on.
just the same cavs in five, stern will make sure everyone gets it right.
got to love what josh says in the locker room, pure warrior stuff, accountability placed firmly on their shoulders and no crying about anything that goes down ever.
do think that jj has gotten rid of the collar with the chain attached to a heavy ball.
grand season no matter what happens. premature to even begin to talk of what about next season. now is the time, urgency is the password. these guys need to remember there may never be another time for it, so make the best of it now.
yeah aj, it is about spacing the team and bibby doesnt have to constantly think about who is in a space before delivering it as it is almost reflexive to get it to the open jersey. didnt he say what we have been saying all year. if you dont want the guy there to shoot then put him somewhere else.
JOSH = MVP!
doc
May 4th, 2009
11:52 am
do you really want josh dribbling in congestion with the clock burning out? man he doesnt quite have the handles of say a d wade just yet.
braveshter
May 4th, 2009
12:00 pm
This Aint SOUTH AFRICA CLOWN, learn the game and how players are handled before u start criticizing. DAMN MORON. Bibby is the reason we are where we are. DAMN IDIOT.
Volman
May 4th, 2009
12:01 pm
I think Woody has no other option (in that offensive “set”) than to have Smoove floating out of the lane and to an “open spot” on the court. Normally with a good shooting power forward, those are some easy buckets (as long as he isn’t floating to the 3 point line). If you think about the Pistons in the past, who did they have out there to make a lot of those shots? Sheed…McDyess. Those two can shoot the ball well, and it worked for them.
Anyway, we saw what happened when Smoove got the ball late in the shot clock and tried to drive. He threw down a disgusting dunk, that was ruled after the shot clock expired. Folks, sometimes Josh is going to have to chuck up some jumpers at the end of the shot clock…he is not in position always to finish around the rim.
Cut him some slack. He is the glue that holds this team together.
Volman
May 4th, 2009
12:05 pm
Doc, I keep thinking about the comment you made a while back about Woody and whenever he is introduced he is “drawing up a play” on the whiteboard. HILARIOUS! I guess he’s drawing up that play where Smoove lines up for a corner three! I seriously look for him every game now to be “masterminding” some plays together during the player intros.
I wish they would work, though.
Ernest
May 4th, 2009
12:14 pm
Sekou, can you give us a status on Marvin? Will he be able to play meaningful minutes for the team. It will be tough for us to be competitive going 7 deep, especially given the height the Cavs have in the backcourt.
Along the same lines, how is Horford’s ankle doing?
Sekou Smith
May 4th, 2009
12:18 pm
Don’t know yet on Marvin. We’ll have to wait and see where he’s at after practice today. But from all indications, holding him out Sunday was designed to give him another day of rest in preparation for a return to something close to his regular minutes against Cleveland. Horford played 32 minutes Sunday and will start Tuesday night.
Hoops
May 4th, 2009
12:20 pm
The Hawks will play the Cavs better than most people, that are not Hawks Fans, think. If they can steal game 1 because of the Cavs long lay off, I can see the Hawks winning in 6. The Heat learned that the Hawks are really good at home!
darrell starks
May 4th, 2009
12:27 pm
WOODY WE CAN WIN THIS SERIES one of the plays you can run is when joe get the ball at the top of the key and they come double him who ever man come over and double him that person should cut to the top of the free throw he will be open evertime for and easy jump shot or drive to the lane for and layup.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A Thinking Fan
May 4th, 2009
12:29 pm
1 GAME at a time and No Babies Allowed, MAN-UP & play ball HAWKS!
TJ
May 4th, 2009
12:29 pm
Stop calling him King James… he’s never won an NBA title, and he’s not even the best player in the NBA. Let’s see him lead a team to an NBA title before we call him royalty!
Go Gators
May 4th, 2009
12:32 pm
Great write-up Sekou, doubt we can beat the Cavs but looking forward to at least 4 more games.
darrell starks
May 4th, 2009
12:34 pm
Joe has to get the ball more in the post specialy if WEST OR MO guarding him.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ILL-logical
May 4th, 2009
12:43 pm
One of the best things to come out of the Hawks’ playoff run is that downtown’s hotels and restaurants have been helped tremendously in a time of real distress in Atlanta’s second leading economic generator.
And for the fans, both local and otherwise, they now have a range of dining and entertainment options before and after the games that didn’t exist as recently as last year.
Now all we have to do is build on this year’s momentum and construct a team that not only can compete for a championship but win one! Just as there are those who deride Atlanta in general and downtown in particular, there are those who are rating the Hawks as pretenders not contenders- let’s prove them wrong!
O'brien
May 4th, 2009
12:44 pm
I have been a big critic of Woody the whole season, but I must say that he did a good job yesterday.
I agree with Bibby. Woody needs to put Josh close to the basket.
Doc, even if Josh brings the PF out 20 feet, there is no one on our team that drives consistently (JJ drives sometimes, and Bibby is not much of a penetrator).
Bibby played well against Miami, and we will need him to play even better against Cleveland. Let’s face it, guarding Mario Chalmers is different from guarding Mo’ Williams. Bibby at least needs to hit the big shots.
darrell starks
May 4th, 2009
12:53 pm
IN order for us win this series
1.more of joe coming of picks
2.woody have to go at least 9 man rotation keep his players fresh for a long grueling series
3.joe have to get a swagger as if he the best player on the floor
4.josh dont apologize to no one keep your swagger like your a beast
5.marvin have to be able to play and continue to drive the ball to the hole
6. play good defense box out and rebound and push the ball up the court and run dont walk it up the court at all.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dan
May 4th, 2009
12:53 pm
Good stuff, Sekou!
I like how Woodson handled that exchange with Bibby. That is good coaching. There are a lot of coaches that would have either kept going at Bibby or sat him down. Good coaches let the players take ownership in what is going on. Sometimes that means the players yell back, but it builds trust. I like it. Woody, and I have knocked him this year, deserves to be back. He has earned it.
SouthAfrican09, let me help you with this….we aren’t talking about Eastern Conference Semi’s Game 1 without Bibby. You need to pay closer attention. I am willing to bet no one close to the Hawks agrees with what you say. Go learn something about this game and then come back and post…
Anyone seen WHO DIED…?, Al, or Reality? What a bunch of a$$holes. Running their mouths nonstop when the Heat were up 2-1. Don’t show up now. Wonder if we will hear from any real Cavs fans this series. By real I mean, not the d-bags who show up in LeBron jerseys at Philips in December. I mean people who actually live in Cleveland and truely root for the Cavs…
Ernest
May 4th, 2009
12:57 pm
Sekou, thanks for the follow-up! Strategically speaking, keeping Marvin out on Sunday made a LOT of sense. I will ‘assume’ had this been a closer game and we needed him for defensive purposes, he would have player. Please continue to provide updates on his status and capabilities.
Though Horford played 32 minutes, he still seemed to lack some of his explosiveness. Understandable since he was coming back from an ankle injury. It goes to show that kind of warrior he is.
Lastly, I’d be interested in your take on Jon Barry’s comments about the Hawks chances against the Cavs. Though everyone is entitled to their opinion, there was something about his ‘tone’ that did not sound right. We know he played for the Hawks in Woody’s first season and was relegated to the bench before being traded for TLue. Are you aware of any ‘beef’ between Jon and Woody?
MyView
May 4th, 2009
12:57 pm
I am so sick of people saying the Hawks have no shot. These Cavs are not better than last years Celics, and these Hawks are are better than last years Hawks. So we have a shot. Also, one sports talk head in this city says he sees know scenerio that has the Hawks winning. How about, play hard, win your home games, and force a game 7 where anything is possible. Is that reaching on my part??? It’s Lebron and four role players, not 5 Lebrons.
Michael
May 4th, 2009
1:00 pm
Great piece Sekou. Bring on King James! We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
ATL Fan
May 4th, 2009
1:02 pm
Bibby held us together this series, and that’s what you need from your veteran PG. He banged down some huge threes that solidified our leads at crucial times in virtually all of our first round wins. Why is anyone talking about his salary right now? That’s great for an offseason talk, but it has no place in a discussion of the Conference Semifinals.
The season in my mind is now a success. We took another big step forward this year and I love what’s happening here. If we can just make this series somewhat competitive I’ll be even more pleased.
I know I’ll get reamed for this, but I think a 4-2 exit in the semis to the NBA’s best team, MVP, and Coach of the Year would be a dignified success. That’s where we are right now, and I’m happy with where we are headed.
There will be one or two blowout losses. Hopefully no more than that. I really think winning 2 games would at least show we came to play and we aren’t just a playoff patsy for the title contenders (as we proved last year).
In any event, I am indeed THRILLED to still be talking about the Hawks at this point. Just play HARD and HUSTLE on the road!!!
GO HAWKS!!!
doc
May 4th, 2009
1:04 pm
volman, etch a sketch time at the phillips!
sekou, what did you think of t moore’s slanted view of the proceedings yesterday? does the silence mean you agree. huge crowd noise yesterday and i think there were huge walk up tix sold as one whole section up high was empty at game time and filled by the second quarter.
D.Carter
May 4th, 2009
1:07 pm
WOODY stick to the high pick and rolls with josh as the screener!!!! It was killing the heat and creating open jumpers and driving lanes to the basket……
YOUR NUMBER 1# FAN
“The boys a genuis book the number didnt need paper nor pencil” (Richard Pryor)
ATL Fan
May 4th, 2009
1:09 pm
Also, Ernest is dead on–Jon Barry was a complete jackass when talking about this series. Something along the lines of, “Great Atlanta, congratulations, you have 4 more games, goodbye. Now let’s talk about a series that matters…”
I understand he’s there to give an opinion, but what a total jack knob. At least Magic offered a little analysis about to explain his stance (that we’d lose 4-2) rather than dismissing the series altogether.
Astro Joe
May 4th, 2009
1:16 pm
Made the mistake of listening to talk show radio during lunch. (I know, my bad). The cynicism in this town puts me in a foul mood sometimes. Did I miss all of the first round playoff victories enjoyed by the Brvaes in the past 10 years? Or the multiple times the Falcons defeated their first round playoff opponent? How about those Thrashers, have they routinely vanquished their playoff opponents? Let’s go to college basketball. What have GA Tech and UGA consistently done in the NCAA tournament the past 5-10 years? It seems like this city is so used to nothing less than winning it all that a team that takes a step in the right direction is meaningless. Like we’re so spoiled with seeing banners hung around the various sports venues that we don’t even need to take time to applaud the efforts of this Hawks team. UGGGGHHHHHH! I guess my memory has gone the way of my hair. Because all I tend to remember are teams that either fail to make the post-season or teams that come up short once they get there. I think Tech Basketball is the only team that has gone beyond round-one in a playoffs in the past 10 years. Why is this city acting like we’ve been here and beyond too many times to show some love?
Well, they can KMA. Here’s a ball-between-the-legs, 360-degree, double back flip, give Spirit a high-five on top of the 24-second clock, Cupid Shuffle on the broke scoreboard, heat-check for your a$$ slam-dunk for all those living in the Atlanta area who won’t show my team some love. BOO-YAH!
Barry
May 4th, 2009
1:22 pm
Hey Y’all:
Bring on “POWDER PUFF” Lebron and his crew. We got something for him. It’s called DEFENSE and TEAMWORK. We have more than one player to depend on . We keep Joe Johnson in “STEALTH MODE”" in this offense. When we need his 30 or more, he knows what to do. Believe me!! Cleveland ,on the other hand, it’s ‘POWDER PUFF”, and “POWDER PUFF’ only. The rest of his crew is average at best. We can handle them and nuetralize ‘POWDER PUFF”. These games will not be for the faint hearted. We are going “TOE to TOE” with the Cav’s in a 7 Round fight. We are in excellent shape for this fight coming offour win over the HEAt who also depended on one player to save them and we saw the results: HAWKS in 7. Now its the Cavs and “POWDER PUFF”. Bring it on!!!! Our Hawks are ready. WE’RE GOING TO “SHOCK THE WORLD!!!! AND GUESS WHAT???? “WE HAVEN”T EVEN DONE THE SHUFFLE YET!!!!!!
LET’S GO HAWKS!!! LET’S GO HAWKS!!!! LET”S GO HAWKS!!!!!!
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a SECRET from a HAWK FAN. TELL EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
…………………….”ATLANTA HAWK, BOOM-BYE-YEAH!!!”…………..
……………………….”SHOCK THE WORLD!!!!!!………………..
Astro Joe
May 4th, 2009
1:23 pm
And I don’t care if Mayor Shirley is insulted. I’m not apologizing to her nor her big-a$$ flower.
doc
May 4th, 2009
1:25 pm
now tell us how you really feel and think about it aj, cant hold back now.
heh heh i agree whole heartedly and voiced it yesterday and will when bron bron comes to town. one win is a huge step in my book, two pretty cool, three we are talking some balling, four wins is la la land and we get the magic or celts.
Daniel
May 4th, 2009
1:29 pm
Love it Astro!!!
Hey, I need to point out how great the offense looked yesterday, making the extra pass, moving the ball to the weak side, making the defense move their feet. I don’t mind when Josh takes a wide open three with time running out on the clock. It is those elbow jumpers with 10 seconds left that drive you crazy. And, Sekou you are so right!! Josh looked sick on the block early in the game. My goodness I thought I was watchin Kevin Mchale for a minute. God grief if he can put it together with consistency the skies the limit.
The Hawks have a good chance in this series. Yes, they are the underdogs because Clevland has played better.
I think the long rest for Clevland, Could (I said could) have them rusty and flat in the first game. If the Hawks can steal one in Clevland then it is on!!!!
I am proud of this team today, please keep it up guys.
Who cares that the rest of the world (Jon Berry, ESPN, TNT) still think of this team as a joke. We are behind you and when they play together with intensity they can beat anyone.
Let’s Go Hawks!!!!
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
May 4th, 2009
1:35 pm
Come on Hawk’s – stealing one in Cleveland aught to be fun!!!
Murphy
May 4th, 2009
1:36 pm
Check out Mike Woodson responding to Jon Barry’s nonsense.
Why is it the people who suck the most always talk the most ish!!?
http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2009/5/4/864387/woodson-1-barry-0-fight-called#comments
Sherman to the sea
May 4th, 2009
1:45 pm
ZaZa=Bill Lambeer! Watch some tape of that guy that I always hated when he would be a game changer against us. He needs to make him his role model.
Brandon
May 4th, 2009
1:46 pm
Murphy thanks for the link…Mike Woodson has earned my highest respect not only for what he has accomplished with this team but defending his players against ignorant “analysts”. Jon Barry got his a$$ handed to him by Coach Woodson..
Shock The World…Go Hawks!!
terrell barron
May 4th, 2009
1:57 pm
So let me get this straight. It takes Woody 5 freakin years to finally realize that “if he doesn’t want Smoove shooting 3’s, he needs to put him somewhere else”? Wow! Thanks Bibby. Maybe you should point out a few more things to the ole Coach.
Mike Bibby and Coach Fight | Kingsforum
May 4th, 2009
1:57 pm
[...] So – moving onto last night, as Bibby and his Atlanta Hawks ended the Miami Heat’s season in Game 7, there was quite a funny exchange on the sideline before halftime during a timeout. [...]
bigdave
May 4th, 2009
2:01 pm
Doc…
“misremembered” in from your post in the last blog…
classic from Roger Clemens fame…
Jo Bling
May 4th, 2009
2:03 pm
You are right Astro Joe. That’s just the way this town is – always has been. But that attitude goes beyond just this town. The Hawks continue to get little or no respect on the national scene. Jon Barry and Terence Moore are good examples (Moore writing about wannabes has to be one of unintended ironies of the year). Plain and simple, the Hawks are going to have to earn the respect of the rest of the league and basketball fans around the country. That means getting to the championship, or at least the conference finals. Even after challenging the Celtics in seven games last year, there was still no respect. Some of pundits even said they wouldn’t make the playoffs this year. Time to get busy earning that respect, and Cleveland is as good a place to start as any.
terrell barron
May 4th, 2009
2:14 pm
Nunnayobizzness, why bring up Rick Sunds draft picks, and throw out a name like Darren Collinson? Are you kidding me? Was that his best pick? Come to think of it, he probably was, when you compare him to Sund’s 1st RD SELECTIONS. (Robert Swift, Johan Petro, and Mo Sene). I wonder why you left their names off? If you’re going to tell it, tell it all.
terrell barron
May 4th, 2009
2:14 pm
I mean Nick Collinson, not Darren Collinson.
Mike is back
May 4th, 2009
2:18 pm
Astro Joe, the sports world is upset because we knock DWade out the playoff. Why would anyone that frequent this blog not give the Hawks a chance TO WIN? This is quite a surprise…you would have thought that after the Hawks shove so much crow up the assss of low foyers like JBerry and the rest of the media WORLD…they would RECEIVE THE UNWAVERING support necessary TO PULL OFF AN UPSET. THIS IS OUR TEAM PLAYING THE CAVS…IF WE DON’T THINK THEY CAN WIN…WHY SHOULD ANYBODY ELSE???????????????????????????????????????????
This team is still a very young and raw. This ain’t no fluke. I DON’T THINK THESE GUYS ARE SATISFIED WITH JUST ADVANCING TO THE SECOND ROUND PLAYOFF…THEY WANT MORE…THAT’S RIGHT BABY EYE OF THE TIGER.
FORGET THE MEDIA…LIKE JOSH SAID…WE AIN’T POSE TO BE HERE, AND BASE ON JON THE JACK ASSS BERRY remarks…they a little upset about that. Heh heh
IF THE HAWKS PLAY ONE GAME AT A TIME…ONE QUARTER AT A TIME…THE HELL WITH THEY’RE DETRACTORS…I BELIEVE THEY CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Win or loose the Hawks earned the right to play Cavs…NOBODY CAN TAKE THAT FROM THEM…NOUGH RESPECT TO THE HAWKS…LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bigdave
May 4th, 2009
2:20 pm
separated at birth…
Bert (of Bert and Ernie) & John Barry
Rev. Moring
May 4th, 2009
2:23 pm
Good Game Hawks!! Now we are going to do what they say can’t be done. We are going to Beat the Cavs!!! You know how to do it. We have done it before. Now we are going to do it again, and again, and again and again. GO HAWKS!!!
Ricky Christmas
May 4th, 2009
2:31 pm
Hey Atlanta….. There was a GAME 7 IN ATLANTA on Sunday afternoon. Where the hell were you? I looked around Phillips Arena and saw EMPTY SEATS EVERYWHERE. I drive three hours both ways to WATCH MY HAWKS play even in the regular season and we CAN’T FILL THE SEATS FOR A GAME 7? To the fans that did show up I give all the credit in the world. The place was LOUD, EXCITING, and WE MADE THE HOMECOURT ADVANTAGE even with TWO THOUSAND SEATS EMPTY. It was TRULY SAD to see all those seats empty but the FANS THAT SHOWED UP WERE AWESOME. Maybe this is why all the talking heads give Atlanta such a hard time…. because people DON’T SHOW UP. Let’s see if WE CAN GET IT TOGETHER FOR THE NEXT SERIES ATLANTA. That las sentence was not a typo….. WE ARE IN THE SECOND ROUND SO GET OFF YOUR LAZY BUTTS, SHOW UP AND ENJOY YOURSELF. On another note, Miami is awfully quiet now aren’t they? Whiny little punks.
PMC
May 4th, 2009
2:34 pm
If the Hawks can handle thier business at home which they have all year and play them close on the road it’s not that incredibly far feched they could steal one in Cleveland especially if they get a little lucky and catch Cleveland rusty or overconfident.
Keep throwing it down Josh Smith. Zaza is all hustle and heart. We just need Joe and Mike Bibby to keep playing at high levels and everyone else to contribute and they can hang in with anyone.
cp
May 4th, 2009
2:43 pm
I see some of the Falcons bloggers have made their way over here with that nonsense…We really need Marvin this series. He wont stop Lebron but his size and length can at least bother Lebron. The match up that scares me is Mo Williams. This might be the series where we have to use Law a little more than usual. Bibby cant guard him and I don’t want Joe wasting all his energy chasing Mo around. Nobody is giving us a chance and that is fine by me but when guys like Jon Barry who did absolutely nothing in the league talks as if he has a few rings then yea that irks me. I want this to be a competitive series. None of that blow out crap. I think the Hawks are going to earn a lot of respect from the doubters.
mykhalc
May 4th, 2009
2:43 pm
MannyT, LOL at 11:02am post. you know me and BIBBY are on the same page. totally apprpeciate ALL that BIBBY has brought to the team!! he is the glue. and for all that give him grief about his defense, they need to look at what a good reboundin’ PG he is. they might be low flyin’ REB’s but he’s grabbin’ ‘em regardless. the cat just brings the right and needed leadership for this team and mgmt would be crazy not to re-sign him IMHO. they need to look no further than DET and BILLUPS for what happens when you lose your leader!!
DOC, was totally thinkin’ etch-a-sketch too!! too funny when i read your post!! like minds my cosmic bro!!!
oh…DORIS K from ESPN gave everybody some huge insight into who BIBBY goes to when she interviewed him sayin’, ‘he was tryin’ to get to the asst coach real bad’ (para-phrasing) so let’s just be clear he is NOT tryin’ to get to WOODSON for strategy!! and especially after puttin’ the brainless one in his place while on the court!!!LMAO
MsDee
May 4th, 2009
2:43 pm
The Hawks are right back in the same situation they were in a year ago playing the best team of the nba. We took the world champs to game 7 last year with them only losing I think about 12 or 13 games all year..now we are playing a team who lost a little more, 16 to be exact. The Celtics won the regular season series as well as Cavs this year..so I’m not worried at all..we should and can beat this team since ‘we have been here before’!!
Blast
May 4th, 2009
3:04 pm
Bibby has earned the right to bark back at Woodson about Josh jacking up long jumpers. Bibby is the floor general, he is the coach in a game and a trusted vet. Also, he was MVP of the series, so he has every right. Josh on the other hand can talk back to coach sometime, but it has to be in respectful tone. You just have to love Bibby.
Nice to see Hawks finally getting some little love or mention by the media. Guess we shocked em by knocking off the Heat, huh? By the way, where all the Heat fans at? Only one I really liked was Reality, and as I invited you before, Reality, since Wade and them boys done gone fishing, come back to our blog so we could discuss the rest of the playoffs.
MEMO TO WADE, HASLEM, O’NEAL, BEASLEY, COOK, AND CHALMBERS!
Behind my crib is a nice lake famous for it’s mega bass, trout and herring. I with pleasure invite you all to come fish with me all summer long. Boat, gears, grub provided free of charge! Bring the coach and Riley too! In fact, bring the entire family!
Can’t wait to hear what the TNT studio crew have to say now.
Love the way media keeps not giving Hawks any chance versus Cleveland. I love that we continue to fly under the radar. Hawks are underdogs in the second round, so they just need to play loose and free. Win a game in Cleveland or take the series to 7 days, and watch the world tremble with fear.
I know Childress probably wishes he was still with the Hawks, but I believe his team won the Euro league title, although without him, I think.
Regardless of how the semi finals go, Hawks have achieved an extremely successful season. Nice to know Hawks are one of 8 NBA teams left standing in the playoffs.
Go Hawks, GO!
SouthAfrican09
May 4th, 2009
3:07 pm
East Hawks Fan, go eat sh*t you @$$hole.
And yes, we are responsible for paying Bibby $15 million, as we traded for him.
All I said was Bibby is making more $$$ than he should be, so he should take a paycut next year.
Jesus Christ you are all freaking morons
SouthAfrican09
May 4th, 2009
3:11 pm
Dan, see my above post.
I said Bibby should take a pay cut next year. I guess a 15 year Hawks fan who went to over 25 games this year, has met all the players, and personally knows one of the owners, knows nothing about this game.
SouthAfrican09
May 4th, 2009
3:13 pm
Last year’s Celtics > this year’s Cavs
This year’s Hawks > last year’s Hawks
=
7 game series
KP
May 4th, 2009
3:19 pm
Keys to the Hawks upsetting the Cavs:
1) The Hawks have to try and catch the Cavs in game one. With such a long layoff….there is a chance that they will come out flat and the Hawks must carry that Game 7 energy into the 1st Q and try and jump on them quick. We also have to start games off with more energy and not dig a hole. In the game that we beat the Cavs – we jumped out to a 31-24 lead in the 1st Q.
2) Force Lebron to beat you from the perimeter. You have to stop him from getting easy layups and dunks.
3) Must get JJ going. He only averaged 16.5 ppg in the 4 games against the Cavs. He must average 25 a game for us to have a chance.
3) Must slow down Mo Williams! He torched us for 23, 26, 20 and 24 points in the four games against Cleveland. Rotate Rio and AC in to try and keep him closer to his season pts average of 17 pts per game.
4) Win the battle of the boards – We did a good job of this against them this year ATL 164/CLE 151 in all 4 games.
5) Josh has to focus his game on the defensive end of the floor. He has to help Big Al protect the rim and then get out on the break. If he plays smart (I realize this is asking a lot – but I have hope) then we have a great chance!
6) Bench play – We will need to have superior bench play in order to win with Flip being a key factor
Key Facts:
-AC Law had 20 pts in game 1 against the Cavs in Cleveland
-Cavs only beat us by an average of 4 pts per game
-Hawks have been in every single game only losing by 1 and 6 pt’s in 2 of the 3 losses to the Cavs.
LETS GO HAWKS!!
Astro Joe
May 4th, 2009
3:25 pm
mykhalc, Woody is the team’s defensive coordinator. Why would Bibby go to him for strategy? (Rim-shot). For all the Woody hate, the team has a far greater chance at winning in the second round with solid defensive principles than they would if we had Eddie Jordan trying to score 140 points a game to win in the 2nd round of the playoffs. I can assure you, Cleveland isn’t the Eastern Conference favorites because of their offense (nor were the Celtics last season or the Pistons in the previous years).
Astro Joe
May 4th, 2009
3:27 pm
KP, Acie came in during garbage time of that Cleveland game and made it appear close. I think we were down by 15 or more going into the 4th quarter. He looked really good as I recall but I’m not sure that we can translate that performance to the playoffs.
BA
May 4th, 2009
3:31 pm
Good point, Astro Joe, about Jordan.
Dominique Wilkens
May 4th, 2009
3:35 pm
That’s right- a heat check would be a welcoming site, especially when you have nimbers!
KP
May 4th, 2009
3:35 pm
Astro Joe….Acie played 23 minutes in that game (equal time with Bibby who also logged 23 minutes) He not only had 20 pts…but also 7 ast and 6 reb (link to box score below)
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=281122005
I am not saying that he will be a major factor in the series, however it was an interesting fact that I thought was worth mentioning. I do feel he is someone that you should give a look at early in the series to try and slow down Mo Williams.
KP
May 4th, 2009
3:43 pm
Sekou: What is Marvin’s status? Do you think he can help us in this round….given his injury? How did Big Al’s ankle feel after logging game minutes yesterday?
bfred
May 4th, 2009
3:46 pm
Forget the media. At the end of the first quarter in game seven, with the Hawks up 26-20, the highlights leading into the first set of commercials were ALL of Wade. 100%, even with the Heat losing down six. I love that the Hawks sent one of the golden boys packing. Most teams do not play defense, never mind contest every shot, during the regular season. I can’t believe the number of highlights I see of James driving the length of the lane without a defender in sight. The Hawks play tenacious defense and Johnson / Williams will have a hand in James’ face on every shot. I’m not going to predict that the Hawks can pull it off, but Barry’s four game prediction is absurd. He’s just trying to make a name for himself – everyone else at the table looked at him like he was nuts.
The Cavs are better than the Heat, but still live and die with one player. The Hawks line up better top to bottom, which should be enough to compete.
Volman
May 4th, 2009
3:48 pm
Astro Joe, HEAT CHECK!! I love it! Great post.
bigdave
May 4th, 2009
3:48 pm
kp,
id ignore that box score… might have deceived you a bit… if you watched that whole game they got a big lead early (1 of those games where we couldnt hit didly squat, one of those “0-for” starts we tend to have)… Joe had a bad ankle that game… and Acie and the 2nd unit plus Joe got in there forced tempo and cut into the lead.. it was just a late rally.. if we play anything like we played those 2 games in Clev. (though we were hampered by injuries) we’re in trouble; anything like we played at home and i think we can beat this team.. you did however point out essential things like the boards, and bench..
Sautee
May 4th, 2009
3:49 pm
Those who know me, know that I’ve been a Bibby fan since his Arizona days.
He played great this series, but, and here’s a BIG but (as opposed to a big BUTT if this were about Marvin), Miami, for reasons known only to Eric Spoelstra, did not single out Bibby to attack.
In all the games against the Cavs this year, COY Mike Brown immediately went to whomever Bibby was guarding, with fairly good success. Made us go zone a few times, which opened us up for giving them second chance points (since blocking out is more difficult in a zone).
As well as he’s played on offense, Woody is going to be slow to pull him, even if he’s getting torched. Just sayin….. We’ll soon see if I’m right, and I’d rather be wrong.
bigdave
May 4th, 2009
3:51 pm
agreed bfred,
did you see Wilbon look at him like he was an insult to journalism… Barry is just an angry hater who wishes he had talent… who wants to be cool, ride the nuts of stars, so maybe they speak to him at events and such…
Westurd
May 4th, 2009
3:52 pm
No More “King” Nothing. Let him earn that name next year after the HAWSK wipe the floor with this series……
….anyone else love the “Rocky/ZaZa” tribute they showed during the game yesterday…..F-ing AWESOME! !
………..Now you KNOW!
bigdave
May 4th, 2009
3:57 pm
Sautee,
definitely.. if you read my comments.. i was deceived into believing that Bibby just stepped up his defensive prowess…
what they did do however, was bringing whomever Bibby’s man was over as the screener, in there notorious pick and rolls, and of course we would switch. the only time we didnt get burned by it is when Joe was on Wade and he did a good job (most of the time) of fighting over the screener… we did go to some zone though a few times…
Westurd
May 4th, 2009
3:59 pm
These are the same Cavs that were knocked out by the Celtics that we took to 7 games last year…….C’mon folks get your a$$ in gear and get behind the home team…..HAWKS in 6!
……….Now you KNOW!
Astro Joe
May 4th, 2009
4:00 pm
KP, I think Acie will be good to have because Cleveland likes to run the full-court press and I frankly don’t trust Flip to be able to handle that. But I just happen to remember that specific game because Acie came in and took over with effective drives to the basket. He just did it against the Cavs’ junior varsity team and not the guys who matter most. But I appreciate the analysis and agree that we will need all of our weapons to make it a competitive series.
mykhalc
May 4th, 2009
4:00 pm
JOE, nice one!!LOL but we all know WOODSON is only in charge of one thing…PT. i can’t even deny that fact. but it does kill me to have to acknowledge even that!!! joe, did i tell you WOODSON flat out sucks as a HC??!!??? LOL
doc
May 4th, 2009
4:00 pm
myk cosmic bro. i like it! where were you last week when someone went on a tear saying it was all about color with woody, geez not quite getting my back there or did i miss you? anyway, no color in cosmic land, just the same, i guess you will continue to be absent because woody will need to be back. grand year bro, just grand.
bigdave, yup a classic line to never be forgotten.
KP
May 4th, 2009
4:02 pm
I loved the Za Za/Rocky bit yesterday! Za Za needs to work on his shadow boxing skills however.
You gotta love the way Za Za has turned himself into being a force for this team off the bench. He literally saved our butts in game 4 vs Miami. He will be a factor in the Cav’s series.
bigdave
May 4th, 2009
4:02 pm
doc…
or “misremembered”…
KP
May 4th, 2009
4:05 pm
I hear you Astro Joe on Acie. Its all love!
Cmon Hawks. I am loving this every minute of this s#*t!!
Volman
May 4th, 2009
4:08 pm
I know this is a ways away but has anyone thought about the players we need to sign in the offseason?
Flip, Marvin, Zaza, Solo, Bibby
Decisions decisions.
I really am not afraid of the Cavs. I hope the Hawks aren’t, either. They have to step up and take their intensity to another level. If I were them, I’m playing that JON BARRY video over and over for motivation.
Does anyone have Barry’s email? I’m going to swarm him (as well as ABC, and ESPN) with calls and emails regarding Barry’s remarks and tell him how much of a lowlife that he is and that he might as well just leave ATLANTA right now because he is NOT WELCOME.
Someone made the remark that “he watches the hawks the most”. My ass. He never watches them. He’s worthless.
What a classless piece of trash. MR. SMITH, can we PLEASE get after this guy? (article bad-mouthing Barry!!!) We need to make sure this team knows it is being disrespected and USE THAT TO HAVE SOME FIRE!
NO MORE PLAYING AFRAID ON THE ROAD. Somebody needs to get pissed!
Dan
May 4th, 2009
4:08 pm
SouthAfrican09,
Fine. I don’t agree. Bibby was worth every penny. Will he have to take a paycut next year? Probably. You seem to imply that he has not lived up to his end of the deal. No way.
Also, I’ve been a season ticket holder for 5 years now. Don’t need your horsesh#t lecture about games you have been to or who you know. I’m willing to bet I hear a lot of the same stuff you do.
Volman
May 4th, 2009
4:11 pm
I’m going to have to agree with Dan on this one. South African, are YOU sure you know what you’re talking about? There are plenty of people who have met the team and been to more games than you have.
Did you play Josh Smith in high school? Didn’t think so. I think I got you on that one
Anyway, it’s all good. No need to keep arguing about it. Let’s all be friends!
KP
May 4th, 2009
4:29 pm
Bibby is one of the best pure point guards that the Hawks have seen since Doc Rivers….and we have not seen many. My Hawks Top 5 Point Guards:
1) Doc Rivers
2) Mike Bibby
3) Mookie Blaylock
4) Eddie Johnson
5) Pete Maravich
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
May 4th, 2009
4:32 pm
As I and others have previously said, if The Hawks can bottle that “focused, aggressive, TEAM-oriented kinetic energy” they exerted in their victories in the first series, they would give The Cavs all they can HANDLE maybe even HAND them an historic 2nd upset. I’M FIRED UP ABOUT THE HAWKS IN A CITY DEPRESSED ABOUT THE HORNET’S!
Diane Wade
May 4th, 2009
4:39 pm
Oh great, now that I got eliminated, they just GIVE LeBrat the MVP Award!!
Thanks a bunch, Hawks!!
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
May 4th, 2009
4:40 pm
I meant 2nd round
double take
May 4th, 2009
4:40 pm
Bibby over Mookie?
Seriously?!
KP
May 4th, 2009
4:40 pm
Volman: I could not find J Barry’s e-mail anywhere online. I bet Sekou could help us with this! BTW…J Barry played with the Hawks for 1 or 2 seasons and he stunk. By far he is the one Barry boy who got more of his momma’s genes than his daddy’s!
runners and gunners
May 4th, 2009
4:41 pm
Oh snap, you mean FAST Eddie Johnson?? Takin’ it back, son!!
Diva Wade
May 4th, 2009
4:44 pm
“I was foulded yesterday, didn’t anyone see it?”
KP
May 4th, 2009
4:45 pm
Double Take: My opinion and really put the post up for healthy debate more than anything. Mookie was not a PURE point guard….with his shoot first pass second mentality. Mookie was one of the best defenders of his time however and I would love for Bibby to have his defensive abilities. Back then you had Steve Smith and Mookie both sharing PG duties as the team relied on them both to log big minutes and score.
Cav's fan since '70
May 4th, 2009
4:45 pm
Everyone needs to calm down about Barry. Before he decided to switch his disdain to the Hawks, he did nothing but dis the Cavs, calling them overrated.
I have no doubt that the Hawks will put up much more of a fight than the washed up Pistons. However, those who are under the belief that the Cavs are the same one man team as the Heat, might be a little surprised when the series starts: Chalmers vs. Williams, (washed up) O’neal/Beasley/Haslem vs Ilgauskus/Varejao/Wallace/Smith, not to mention D. West, you’re kidding right?
double takerunandgun@100gunner.com
May 4th, 2009
4:47 pm
I see your point. Fair enough.
KP
May 4th, 2009
4:48 pm
Runners and Gunners: Showing my age aint I. I used to cut Fast Eddie’s yard back in the day for a $20 spot. He lived right up the street from me back in Colly Park! Drew Hill lived up the street from us back in the day – he was with the LA Rams back then. Those were the good ole days son!
Dan
May 4th, 2009
4:48 pm
I like men
Volman
May 4th, 2009
4:49 pm
I like Dan
Westurd
May 4th, 2009
4:49 pm
…..What I said was HAWKS IN 6………..Now you KNOW!
runners and gunners
May 4th, 2009
4:52 pm
KP: MUCH RESPECT!!!
KP
May 4th, 2009
4:57 pm
R&G: Preciate ya! Loved the 79-80 squad with Drew, Roundfield, Rollins & EJ. Won 50 games and the Central Division. Then Dr J’s sixers bounced us in 5 games in the first round. Caught alot of games with my pops back then in the Omni nosebleeds.
Hawks fan till I die!
WHO DIED...??
May 4th, 2009
4:59 pm
I hope LeBron enjoys this speech before the Cavs lose to the Hawks in 7.
Sincerely,
The newest Hawks fan (former fan of the Miami Lukewarms)
CTrim
May 4th, 2009
5:00 pm
Hawks in 6. Have to steal one of the first 2 games in Cleveland and win all 3 at home to have a chance. Winning 2 in Cleveland or a game 7 isn’t going to happen. To win the Hawks can’t give away every away game like they did a year ago vs the Celtics. We play our best when our back is against the wall and Game 3 might be too late.
Can’t expect JJ/Bibby to match the output of LeBron/Williams. Horford, Smith and Zaza have to out rebound, score and hustle Ilgauskas, Varejao, and Wallace to make up the difference. No easy task. Neither JJ or Bibby can dissapear like they have at times during the year. Josh has to keep driving to the hole. Love your game Josh, but there is a reason why you are so open…
Marvin is the X factor. He can create match up problems with his length and athleticism if he can shoot and play defense like he did before the back injury. LeBron’s just too big for JJ/Evans and Josh isn’t quick enough to hang with the MVP. If healthy Marvin isn’t the duck he used to be.
Funny how most of the media, again, predicts the Hawks won’t win a game against the #1 seed in the NBA. Can’t be content with just winning a first round series. All of us that have watched the Hawks this year know how good they can be. How great would it be to send Lebron fishing with D. Wade…Slam away Hawks, slam away!
"Sink It"
May 4th, 2009
5:02 pm
When I was in the Boy Scouts, I sat under the scoreboard in the nosebleeds. When the buzzer went off, I was the first to know! You guys are really takin’ me back (not that I miss the Omni!!)
St. Vincent
May 4th, 2009
5:06 pm
LeBron and the Cavs are ultra-sentimental today…
Maybe we can stun them in Game 1 while they’re still so starry-eyed..??
Of course, everyone in the world would hate the Hawks for detroning the King… (d’ah well!!)
doc
May 4th, 2009
5:08 pm
big dave not sure now whether it is to be remembered or misremembered.
ok, i just saw a vision. quite a gauntlet but here it is to get through to be champions; labron, howard, and kobe. yeah that is the ticket … no prob, now worries mon.
Al
May 4th, 2009
5:17 pm
Hey kids. Congrats on your well-deserved win over my team. We truly turned out to be a one man team in this series. You guys won the series in the third quarter of Game 4 according to me. Anyway, hope to meet again next year. I still wish we had at least one close game though.
Al
May 4th, 2009
5:21 pm
I’m going for the Hawks as well WHO DIED… just like I did last year vs. the C’s. But unfortunately I don’t see how this series is close. The Hawks best chance to win will be Game 1. I dunno if you all agree. But in any case, it should be over in 5 at the most. Hopefully I’m wrong.
Al
May 4th, 2009
5:22 pm
Wait a minute… that’s not the real WHO DIED… grammar is way too good. Nice try though.
mykhalc
May 4th, 2009
5:27 pm
DOC, you gotta know i missed that one!! always got your back bro!!! and damn doc, how can i get ridda WOODSON??!!! the cat just won’t vanish!!! it sucks!!!LOL
Al
May 4th, 2009
5:29 pm
Everyone talks about LeBron LeBron LeBron. Mo Williams is the guy you need to worry about. Bibby’s been playing against Mario Chalmers for seven straight games. If Woody tries a similar strategy vs. LeBron, Mo will make him pay.
JJ needs to step it up. A lot. I think he can. If he carries over his Game 7 play into the Cavs series.
Al
May 4th, 2009
5:31 pm
Anyway, I just wanted to pass by and offer congrats. I doubt I’ll make it on here again much after today. AstroJoe, can we make that a JJ jersey for my dad? Ha. Peace.
Hawksgirl
May 4th, 2009
5:44 pm
Miek bibby has earned the right to yell at woody. He is a great player and im happy we have him. Jsmoove may be immature but he’s not crazy. He slaps himself on the arm eveytime he misses a jumper, he knows he needs to work on it. I recall a game i witnessed him playing and he shot lights out from all over the floor. He needs the confidence to play meaning starting from the inside out. I got confidence and i like him taking those shots when its convenient.
Against the cavs…….defense plays the biggest role. If our defense is huge our offense is picture perfect. We have a good chance at rattling lebron and the cavs tomorrow. He has no ring and not much nba playoff experience just like us. So, we need to come there with confidence and draw first blood. As for the regular season games against them, they dont matter. Teams play different in the playoffs with a different mentality. Jon barry, i lost lots of respect for him. He is now just like anyother analyst to me(charles barkley for example) they can shove it!
doc
May 4th, 2009
5:45 pm
myk, he isnt going to die, get over it and enjoy what we got.
anyone seen a couple of irrelevant journalists around here named terrence moore and jon barry?
MVP23
May 4th, 2009
5:46 pm
Well….you want to hear from a Cav fan….here’s my take. IF….you think this Cav team is so inferior to last years Celtics team Hawk fans have another thing to learn. FYI, the Cavs took the Celtics to 7 games also….with every game of that series that was played in Boston VERY competative and all the games in Cleveland were blowout wins for the Cavs. Check the scores of that series last year. The Cavs had just traded for Wally, West , Smith and Wallace just like the Hawks added Bibby and the team had not jelled as a team yet. Add Williams this year and this Cavs team will never lose a series aginst the Hawks this season.
You state that you will rough up the L-Train. The Hawks have NOBODY that is nearly the physical specimen that James is. The guy is 6 ‘ 8 , 260 + with amazing speed and jumping ability. By the time James is done with his career…he will go down has the greatest. This Cav team is very close and if the Hawks try and injure LeBron I’m more than sure that Ben Wallace will not take it sitting down.
Keep talking smack and hoping…because I’ll be on here after each and every game too see the comments and I don’t want to see the excuses that the refs made phantom calls. Fouling James is the only way to stop him and usually he’s so strong that he still makes the basket…plus one!!!
bigdave
May 4th, 2009
5:47 pm
KP…
MA…MA…MA…MA…MMOOOKIE #1 all time sir… haha…
Doc…
see now im getting all confused…
mykhalc
May 4th, 2009
5:52 pm
DOC, that would be impossible!!!LOL and he ain’t gotta die man….just get off the HAWKS bench…simple!!!LOL
Westurd
May 4th, 2009
5:56 pm
Welcome to the mix MVP23………..As a Hawks fan it is hard to say this but I agree with everything you said…….everything except for the minor detail that the HAWKS will win the series. You can have your rock N roll hall of fame and your 10 degree summers…..but the series belongs to us. Feel free to let all your other Cav fans in on the truth about the HAWKS!!
…Now you Know….HAWKS IN 6 (Maybe seven if you’re lucky)
MVP23
May 4th, 2009
6:03 pm
I’m just kidding. Josh Smith is much more athletic than LeBron.
LeBron is arrogant, egotistical and has ugly tattoos that define who he really is.
Hawks in 4
Hawksgirl
May 4th, 2009
6:06 pm
my bad i thought my comment didnt post so i sorda rewrote it.
KP
May 4th, 2009
6:13 pm
Big Dave: I loved Mooooooooookie too! Can’t put him over Doc Rivers in the Pure PG dept. Thanks for chiming in on my list though.
Braves vs. Indians, part deux?
May 4th, 2009
6:16 pm
I wonder if Cleveland is bitter about that World Series? Let’s hope the Atlanta team makes us proud, like in 1995!!
40-foot free-throws
May 4th, 2009
6:18 pm
Doc Rivers stays at #1. Leading the franchise in assists has earned him that
Ken Strickland
May 4th, 2009
6:26 pm
Just got back into town. CONGRADULATIONS TO THE TEAM AND THE ENTIRE HAWKS ORGANIZATION FOR A JOB WELL DONE. Considering the difficulty we had in dispatching the Heat, especially on the road, it doesn’t realistically look like we have much of a chance to defeat the CAV’s, especially with them having the homecourt advantage. However, in last yrs playoffs, it didn’t look like we had much of a chance of avoiding a sweep by the mighty Celtics either, but we all know how that turned out.
I’M NOT GOING TO COUNT THE HAWKS OUT, ESPECIALLY IF JJ TAKES CHARGE AND MAKES SHOTS LIKE HE DID IN GM 7. IT LOOKS LIKE WOODSON IS STEPPING UP ALONG WITH HIS PLAYERS.
bigdave
May 4th, 2009
6:27 pm
KP im 23 so Doc is a little before my time.. i only caught the Nique’, Long, Koncak, Ferrell; Ehlo; Plastic Man rookie year probably was my earliest.. so.. hey.. ill take your word for it…
calico cat
May 4th, 2009
6:29 pm
mykhalc,
Why are you always hatin’ on Woody? Give the man a little credit, will ya?
Samuel
May 4th, 2009
6:43 pm
Why are we still discussing Woody’s abilities as a coach? I don’t get it. I guess it makes for good ratings. I aint mad at cha.
That little half time spat between Woody and Bibby was nothing. Woody laughed it off because Mike Bibby is a leader and one of the smartest PGs ever. Guy will be a heck of a coach one day. Say what you want about his defensive liabilities. All I know is the guy is a flat out winner.
I was glad to see JJ find his stroke back. I think Woody needs to play him more at the point, out front, so teams can’t double him as much. Let Bibby play off the ball some and knock down the “J”.
Josh really impressed me to with the low post moves. I’ve been saying forever that his natural position is the 4 spot. When he operates down there, there’s not a 4 in the league who can stop him.
We really need to steal this first one in Cleveland. I really like our chances. We’ve shown that we can match up with them and we are on a high right now. The timing is right.
When we beat these guys, maybe Woody will get his just due.
Woody=COY
doc
May 4th, 2009
6:44 pm
mark bradley said:
On CBSsports.com, Ken Berger made a comparison I must admit had escaped me (and, truth to tell, escapes me still): Josh Smith is a lot like Ron Artest. And the next time J-Smoove incites a riot, Berger will be able to say, “See what I meant?” Until then, I’d say Josh is more a young Dominique Wilkins — can’t shoot as well but defends better. (Sorry, ‘Nique.)
exactly what i have said in the past. josh is so refreshing to hear on his takes about games, his coach and himself. he never takes the chicken sh!t way even on the court. yup his numbers have faded even though they were awful before the playoffs from 25% to 15%, just the same jj’s dwindled a bit before the last miami games. both seem to think they have to shoot their way out of it like all good shooters do. heh heh, even ray allen ha that problem last year. dont squelch the boy folks, give him some room to grow. id even compare him to david justice in a different game a guy who doesnt fall back from the lime light.
mykhalc
May 4th, 2009
6:45 pm
calico cat, i did…yesterday…2 drawn up plays in ONE GAME!!! almost killed me!!! started chokin’, coughin’, gaggin’, eyes bulgin’!!! like i siad, almost killed me!! LOL the man CANNOT coach…PERIOD!!!
Tree Rollins
May 4th, 2009
6:46 pm
My biggest issues with the posts on this blog……hawks in a great position 0-0 in second round of the playoffs with what i consider to be lots of momentum after a good looking game 7, yet 90% of the post are “fans” complaining about this and that. Posts only pointing out the negatives on Josh Smith picking at him for not being perfect….have you all not realized how valuable he was to this team in the playoffs. Yes I am aware he is not going to be invited to next years 3 point contest, but the guy has given us some great contributions and has played very well. Lastly I would love to see a post from EAST ATLANTA HAWKS FAN that didnt bring up Mike Woodson. Yes Woodson has a lot of haters, but no one is talking bout that right now and things are looking good. Please give it a rest and be a hawks fan and talk about basketball and the series. Like they say the best way to silence critics is to go out there and do your thing and right now the hawks are right where they need to be so let Woodson silence his own critics and stop acting like his over protective mother (which i do believe you are in some way related to that man, bc you talk about him waaaaaaaayyyyy too much) i believe the term is “man crush.” Since this is supposed to be a blog of hawks fans, lets stop bashing our own team and recognize how great of a season we have going.
Tree Rollins
May 4th, 2009
6:50 pm
My post is mainly directed in response to mainly the first page of posts…..you haters know who you are. And EAST ATLANTA HAWKS FAN since i specifically pin pointed you, you should comprehend that my comments were directed at you. And before you respond by randomly calling me racist, I am black….so im not racist im just logical and a bit of an optimist.
Hawksgirl
May 4th, 2009
6:53 pm
Tree rollins ou are right. Cant say anything more than applaud you.
drmaryb
May 4th, 2009
7:00 pm
MUMS…the word! SHHHHhhhhh! don’t say nothing! I am praying to the BasketBall gods for a surprise dark-horse to come out of the “A” and SHOCK – THE – WORLD!
Do you REAL hawks fans …feel me?
calico cat
May 4th, 2009
7:10 pm
mykhalc,
Woody has led the Hawks to 47 wins and a berth in the second round – you may not like his style but you can’t dispute the results.
mykhalc
May 4th, 2009
7:19 pm
calico ca, you and i view his ‘leadership’ VERY differently, no doubt!
KP
May 4th, 2009
7:30 pm
Dave: Doc knew how to run an offense and had command of his team every night! Was also responsible for reeling in Nique on nights when his outside shot was not falling (sound familiar?) Its no fluke that he is as great of a coach that he is.
Astro Joe
May 4th, 2009
7:33 pm
Al, thanks for stopping by. Real big and cool of you. Take care and make sure that you’re careful with those Cuban poke-sammiches.
J-MAN
May 4th, 2009
7:33 pm
Why can Michael Wilbon show the Hawks and the city of Atlanta complete disrespect. He needs to take a seat back from kissing his BOI D-Wade A$$ and acknoledge the effort and improvement the Hawks have shown and it will be funny when his “Chosen One” Lebron heads to Atlanta for a critical Game 6. Granted it will probably be a month from now with all the off days but it will still be sweet. Just wish you would show some love Wilbon.
KP
May 4th, 2009
7:38 pm
I hear you Tree! Cmon Hawks lets go shock the world!!
calico cat
May 4th, 2009
7:40 pm
I hear you mykhalc – but the bottom line is the Hawks are in the midst of their most successful year in recent memory – and Woody deserves credit as do the players and the rest of the coaching staff – you may think Woody is horrible, but the bottom line says otherwise.
Samuel
May 4th, 2009
7:45 pm
Joe,
I just caught your 1:16 post. I couldn’t agree more. I listen to 680 a lot on the way home. That and NPR. I get so sick of UGA, Falcons and them sorry as_ Braves. like they got some kind of dynasties.
You get a 15 minute obligatory Hawks spot which usually ends up “Woody on Trial” like every where else. I like Buck Belue but that other “pipsqueek” John Kincaid is a smart alic bigot. But I guess that’s what they like. It’s probably the number one talk show. That and Shawn Hannity.
The key to this series is if Josh can stay out of foul trouble. If he can, we will make it a series.
I would match up like this:
Horford on Ilgauskas. Hopefully he (Ilg) will shoot a lot from the outside. That way it will neutralize his size some. I wouldn’t hesitate to bring in ZaZa early and also Solo.
Josh on Varejao to start. I do that so that Josh doesn’t pick up early fouls. He can also help out on LeBron because varejo is not that much of a scoring threat.
Evans or Marvin on LeBron. Hopefully Marvin will be back and close to 100%. We really need him because of his size. Evans can hold him until he starts posting up. I would also put Josh and JJ on him some.
JJ on Mo Williams. Even if LeBron goes off. We must contain Mo Williams. JJ can do that along with Evans and Flip.
Bibby on West. West is slow so Bibby should be able to handle him.
If Acie can help. Give him 10 or so minutes.
I really like our chances. I think the series will go at least 6 games possibly 7 but who knows. Anyway, our season is already a success. Everything else is “gravy”.
Woody=COY
Blast
May 4th, 2009
7:46 pm
Didn’t know Barry was gonna get so much flack for dissing the Hawks when I brought it up. Nice to see Hawksfans representing!
How complete would Josh Smith be if he improved on his post play, and find a mid range jumper? Wasn’t it beautiful seeing him knock down free throws in game 7? He improved his free throw % in the playoffs.
We’all need to remember. Cleveland is an awfully good team. They didn’t have the best record in the league for nothing. They have the MVP. Hawks gonna have their hands full home and away. Yeah, Mo Williams is an x factor. He worries me more than Lebron, because we all know what to expect from James. Hawks have to play complete games to make the series interesting. I think this will be a more fun and competitive game than the Heat series.
Capt Caveman
May 4th, 2009
7:47 pm
YO KP
Nice list, since you knew Fast Eddie then you remember that his cousin Tree Rollins lived off Old National Hwy in Camelot back in the day. I attended the church next door and we would run full court in our back parking lot on Sundays and Wednesdays.
On 2 rare occasions we had Tree,Eddie,’Nique, and his brother Gerald slide thru the fence and come up to shoot around on our court, Mostly b/c the rim on their property kept gettin broke and we had the metal rim and backboards you could do chinups on without breaking.
Those were some really cool guys and as fans it was a blast getting to “run and gun” with them. Eddie was a lot faster in person than on TV and I did have the pleasure of getting “DUNKED” on by both ‘Nique and Gerald. Believe it or not Gerald looked like Jordan on a lot of his dunks but ‘Nique jumped clear over my head so I had to give him the “dunk of the day” award. LOL
AAAHHHH YEAH — GOOD TIMES !!!
calico cat
May 4th, 2009
7:49 pm
mykhalc,
All coaches have different styles and methods regarding play calling, bench utilization, etc. Is there one “correct” way to coach? No.
What is the most universal and consistent criteria for measuring a coach’s success? Wins and losses !! Success in the playoffs !!
So far, Woody has done a great job getting the Hawks to advance in the playoffs !!
KP
May 4th, 2009
7:54 pm
Yo Capt Caveman….you taking me back to Camelot. I remember that court! I could never get in on any of those runs though – - LOL. Used to work on my skills at Burdette gym with Outlaw and Will Jones (Caldwell Jones bro from the Dr J Sixers) Started playing on that court when I was 10 years old
Cav's fan since '70
May 4th, 2009
7:55 pm
MVP23, Westurd
Why does it have to turn into a hate-fest?
Hawksgirl “He has no ring and not much nba playoff experience just like us.”
Over the last 4 seasons, including this one, the Cavs have a 26-18 playoff record.
bigdave
May 4th, 2009
7:55 pm
hey KP give me a modern day player who’s game reminds you of doc….
Billups…? just a guess, but like i said, never seen him…
mykhalc
May 4th, 2009
7:57 pm
i’ve been on this blog since the beginnin’…5 yrs back so i won’t bore you with a recap of why i am where i am regardin’ WOODSON. cliffnotes version for the sake of time and typin’…HAWKS win IN SPITE of WOODSON not because of him.
bigdave
May 4th, 2009
8:02 pm
Eddie Johnson stayed in Camelot off Old Natty… wow… thats exclusive material… got an Atlanta Hawk history course taking place right here on our off day..
real shyt Al for showing up…
Cav's fan since '70
May 4th, 2009
8:02 pm
Samuel,
There are two things about your matchups that don’t make sense.
The Cavs want Z on the outside, because he’s one of our best shooters,
and it opens the lane for Lebron, not to mention, Z’s inside game is not
what it used to be. And West isn’t as slow as you seem to think. He is
very good at getting to the basket, and I think he would be able to beat Bibby.
calico cat
May 4th, 2009
8:05 pm
Oh – I get it now, mykhalc,
When the Hawks lose, it’s Woody’s fault – when they win, it’s in spite of Woody.
Just like Woody needed to be held accountable in the “lean” years, it’s only fair to give him credit when they win – unless you just plain dislike him – then nothing he does will make a difference.
KP
May 4th, 2009
8:15 pm
Big D: EJ actually had a house on Pleasant Hill Road.
Billups is a good comparison to Doc when it comes to on court leadership and running an offense…..Billups has a better outside shot than Doc and takes more shots. The game was a bit different then….PG’s did not do a lot of the scoring back then. There was a guy Sidney Moncrief that played for Milwaukee who was a big scorer.
Happy to share some knowledge!
Samuel
May 4th, 2009
8:23 pm
Cav’s van,
yea, the big man can shoot but I like the percentages. You know me. We should clog the lanes on LeBron and make him hit the jumper.
There are no easy matchups here, yall are good, real good. I’m just hoping we can stay in the same arena with yall. You know, carry Labron’s jock or get an autograph.
mykhalc
May 4th, 2009
8:24 pm
like i said, i won’t bore ya with 5 yrs of reasonin’. try to stay clear…don’t assume ;o)
The Hawksta
May 4th, 2009
8:41 pm
Camelot damn fellas! Ya’ll was it the big leagues! I was in Bisqayne at that time. I remember talking to Nique one time when he came back from overseas and was playing in San Antonio, I reminded him about those Camelot days. He gave me a strange look like I was an alien or something!
The Hawksta
May 4th, 2009
8:44 pm
**KP and Caveman** I remember all the pros use to play at Burdett Gym in those days. Didn’t a semi pro team play there also. I remember Nique riding down Old Nat in a white Mercedes back in the day! Back during the Lakeshore MD rivalry!(lol)!
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
May 4th, 2009
8:53 pm
KP
I agree with you that Doc keeps the number 1 spot. But Mookie should be #2 because he lead The Hawks to the #1 seed in the eastern conference in 1994 (the year they traded Nique believe) and Bibby should take #3. I didn’t know Pistol Pete played point guard. I heard his teams were real high-scoring circus acts.
Mike is back
May 4th, 2009
9:05 pm
KP, if you cut Drew’s grass … than you know about Tucson Park…I worked there over the summer back in those days.
BLAST, of course they are a very good…of course it want be easy at home and away…why should it be…THAT’S WHY THEY GOT THE BEST RECORD IN THE LEAGUE…every team has had to go through this same process…the Hawks are no different.
There are no short cuts to the top…u got to earn it. The further they advance in the playoff…the more they grow as a team. Where was the top three teams in the East a couple of years ago. This is a great opportunity for a very young team…U GOTTA LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LET THESE GUYS GO THROUGH THEIR MATURATION PROCESS…THEY ARE JUST GETTING STARTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Blast
May 4th, 2009
9:06 pm
I’m picking Orlando over Boston in the semis.
Blast
May 4th, 2009
9:11 pm
So right, Mike Is Back. It is a maturation process. Just loving every second of it. Before our own eyes, Hawks growing as a team.
Astro Joe
May 4th, 2009
9:13 pm
bigdave, Doc Rivers had similar athleticism to Antonio Daniels. He was an above average one-legged leaper (thus the nickname from Doctor J). His scrappiness and all out hustle was like Jarrett Jack (and leadership too). Very shaky jump shot but he was all about effort and energy. His handle was okay, not great. I always thought that he was a small SG more than a big PG. He’s probably a legit 6′4″. Again, kind of like Antonio Daniels.
Mike is back
May 4th, 2009
9:22 pm
BLAST, it’s a daunting task…the HAWKS WILL NEED EVERY HAWKS FAN ON THE PLANET URGING THEM ON…AND THEN SOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!LOL
Blast
May 4th, 2009
9:24 pm
Didn’t catch the start of the Magic vs Celtics game but saw the half time show. Did the TNT crew even mention the Hawks/Heat series?
Capt Caveman
May 4th, 2009
9:27 pm
Yeah , Burdett Gym was a baller’s court. Come strong or don’t come at all!! And don’t be trying to take no charge in the lane, you gonna wind up with a FOOT in your CHEST!!!
As a 6′1″ white guy that could dunk I enjoyed the competition, too bad nowadays we don’t have any places like that. Kids today don’t know what they are missing.
LeBronCavsFan
May 4th, 2009
9:28 pm
Hey all,
I’m from Cleveland and I’m honestly scared to play you guys. You present all sorts of matchup troubles and I fear you’ll beat us in this series if we don’t take you seriously. Best of luck
Rick Sund
May 4th, 2009
9:29 pm
Dear Hawks Fans,
Just want you to know we will be conceding this series to Cleveland. We have ALREADY achieved our goal of “making the playoffs with a winning record” so there is no point in competing in this series!
Volman
May 4th, 2009
9:30 pm
I like men
EAST ATLANTA HAWKS FAN
May 4th, 2009
9:30 pm
DAMN YOU RACISTS.
I AM LEAVING THIS PLACE AS I AM AN IGNORANT RACIST WHO IS COMPLETELY OBLIVIOUS TO EVERYTHING
CLEVELAND SPOKESMAN
May 4th, 2009
9:40 pm
WE CONCEDE THAT CLEVELAND IS A LAME CITY WITH NO EXCITEMENT. IT IS TYPICALLY 20 DEGREES ON A JULY DAY, NO BEACHES, NO MAJOR ATTRACTIONS. ALL WE HAVE TO BOAST IS OVERRATED LEBRON JAMES WHO HAS NO JUMPSHOT AND IS A PUTRID MAN-TO-MAN DEFENDER. HIS CRAB DRIBBLE IS AN F’ING JOKE
Mike is back
May 4th, 2009
9:47 pm
Don’t expect highlights of the HAWKS…I have watch everything up to now…nothing yet …apparently TNT and ESPN had already pencil in DWADE IN THE SECOND ROUND…no way!!!!! Heh heh
Najeh Davenpoop
May 4th, 2009
9:55 pm
A big misconception a lot of you seem to have is that this year’s Cavs are worse than last year’s Celtics. I don’t think that’s true at all. The Cavs’ best player is definitely better than those Celtics’ best player, and although the Cavs’ starting lineup may not have accomplished as much as individuals they fit together just as well as a team. My personal opinion is that these Cavs are slightly better defensively and close to as good offensively as last year’s Celtics.
Cavs in 6 is a fair prediction, taking into account how good the Cavs are as well as how much the Hawks have improved. Marvin’s health will be big in this series because he is probably the Hawks’ best matchup on LeBron James as far as body type is concerned. I think the Hawks should continue the “no double team/switch on picks” philosophy they had against the Heat, because at any given time the Cavs will have two or three players on the floor with range to the 3 point line (Williams, West, and Ilgauskas from the starting lineup, as well as Boobie Gibson off the bench). LeBron is a better passer than Wade and will find these shooters easily if the Hawks double team. Letting the superstar get his while clamping down on the supporting cast has been a working philosophy for the Hawks defensively, and I don’t see any reason to change that now.
Ultimately I think the Cavs’ big man depth will allow them to play much more aggressively inside than the Heat did. This, to me, is what really separates the Cavs from the Heat — their length, size, and depth inside is far superior to Miami and the Hawks will have a hard time controlling the boards in any game in the series, which will put a lot of pressure on the Hawks’ outside shooters to make shots. Bibby, Joe, and Flip are definitely good enough to carry the Hawks offensively to a couple of wins in this series, especially at home, but they haven’t yet proven they can do this on the road, and especially not in the most hostile road environment in the entire league.
All that said, I’m looking for the Hawks to play some competitive road games in this series as the next step of their growth process. Even if they don’t actually win any of them, they need to make the Cavs fight for every game. And if the Hawks can accelerate that process and actually win a game or two in Cleveland, it obviously changes the outlook of the entire series — because as they proved this year, they can play the Cavs tough in Philips Arena.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 4th, 2009
10:00 pm
I know it will never happen, but if Philips Arena played this video during the series it would be incredible…
kwooden1
May 4th, 2009
10:12 pm
We all know how good Cleveland is and the match-up problems they present. Bibby has been playing pretty good defense this passed series but he’s going to have problems with West. Also, Z basically can get his shot whenever he wants. Lebron is Lebron, and like many have already said Mo Williams has made all the difference in their impressive season. The HAWKS have the advantage in terms of front court speed and back court skill.
I’m certain the Cavs are going to double JJ all the time because they don’t want Mo to have to deal with him alone. This is where Marvin is needed the most because he keeps the Cavs from switching Lebron on JJ or doubling JJ as much. We need Marvin for his defense on Lebron, but also his aggressiveness on offense. The Cavs typically play a slow game, so that can keep the HAWKS in the game by itself. I think the most important thing is to play tough and win the battle of the boards. (JSmoove this is on you!!)
To be the MAN you’ve got to BEAT THE MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
GO HAWKS!!!
The Hawksta
May 4th, 2009
10:27 pm
Orlando plays like they are a video game. Didn’t Philly come back on their butz last series when they had a big lead?
Macaroni Tony
May 4th, 2009
10:30 pm
Celtics will not repeat this year
Melvin
May 4th, 2009
11:00 pm
Here’s to hoping Joe Johnson can put up a Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon that performance (tomorrow night in Cleveland) like The Dream did against the Spurs when they gave Dave Robinson the MVP trophy on the Spurs floor that year… Hakeem basically said it was disrespectful for the league to give Dave that trophy before the game and he made sure that he let the world see who was the real MVP by scoring like 40 something points on Dave and sent the Spurs home with the loss…
Yo Joe… Let’s Go Hawks…
pinoy hawk
May 4th, 2009
11:15 pm
Sekou is it possible that bibby be named a playing assistant coach? He can teach woodson a thing or two on offense (offensive schemes he learned from Adelman @ sac) that could surprise the cavs this 2nd round.
On defense, the hawks should stop switching on screens especially if it involves lebron and mo williams. Just play honest D and make the necessary adjustments (double team) when the situation calls for it.
go hawks! hawks in 7!
Big Ray
May 4th, 2009
11:52 pm
On the Bibby/Woodson exchange:
Bibby called it just the way it is. This offensive design (as people like Doc and others have said for some time now) is Woody’s. He calls the plays. And now you have it coming right out of the starting point guard’s mouth. Sorry for those who are still in denial and still want to act like offensive scheme (and to a point, where guys like Josh end up on the offensive end) has nothing to do with anything. This must have come as a shock, but hell denial is stronger than common sense, it would seem.
Here’s the thing, though. I’m glad Bibby said what he said. Why? Not because I want to take a shot at Woody (believe it or not, I don’t give a rat’s ass). It’s because Bibby is a guy Woody listens to. He’s a guy that Woody WANTS to listen to. He trusts Bibby. And what do you need more than anything else from somebody you trust? THE TRUTH. Plain and simple. Woody needs a guy like Bibby around to tell him what’s wrong, and then tell him that it’s HIS responsibility to get with HIS player, and get him straight. AND get him in a better position to succeed.
And Woody is grateful for that. Because he needs somebody who he can trust, and who can challenge him in a positive way. I don’t see what Bibby said/did as a negative thing. Neither does Woody.
Good for him.
As for Woody not letting Josh Smith talk to him that way, here’s the difference: Bibby has been there, done that, and done it more than once. He has the experience. He has the knowledge. And he doesn’t fold, sweat, or panic under pressure.
Josh, on the other hand, has next to none of that. He doesn’t have the natural leadership skills, and he allows his emotions to override him during the game. He lacks the ability to maintain a high level of focus on his own. He is supremely talented, but that talent is no good without the control. So no, Woody isn’t going to let him talk to him like that. And I can certainly understand that, when comparing to Bibby. Bibby knows. Josh doesn’t know $hit in comparison.
The good news is, he knows he has a long way to go, and he admits as such. But in the meantime, he needs to remember that ON THE COURT, not just in interviews. Accept the leadership of those veterans who will lead, and he’ll be fine.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 4th, 2009
11:54 pm
Maybe ESPN really did want the Heat to win…
Big Ray
May 5th, 2009
12:04 am
On the subject of offensive and defensive gameplan/scheme:
It’s annoyingly tiring to see the focus repeatedly put on defense ALONE. I agree that defense is where it starts. And the Cavs are the best defensive team in the NBA. It’s easy to say they didn’t get there due solely to a prolific offense. But it’s downright RETARDED to dismiss their offense outright. They averaged over a 100 per game this season, while allowing just over 91. They averaged about 47% on FGs, and 39% from 3-point range.
What does that say? It says that while they played well on the defensive end, they also knew how to consistently put the ball in the hole on the other end. Two facts in basketball: 1) You can’t stop the opposition the entire time, and 2) You win by having the higher score.
Playing wonderful defense on one end of the floor, even for most of the game, does us no good if we can’t score on the other end. We’d probably score more if we ran more, but we insist on walking the ball up to a half court offense after a successful possession on defense. Well, if we’re going to keep doing that, we need to be good at it.
Enter Mike Bibby, who at least says “if you don’t like how this is going, then change the damn plays.”
Thankyou, Mike.
Big Ray
May 5th, 2009
12:05 am
Screw ESPN…
doc
May 5th, 2009
12:08 am
nice comments sekou, odd that any “criticism” is thought of as anti even if it is an obvious observation. there is a reason there are placements and people in those placements. they will stay there until the scheme changes. the players cant do that, only the coach. in the meantime grand season and all should be proud and take part in the glory. now onto the next step. i want one win and even that wont come easy.
well aj, how about adelman’s team playing defense against the lakers in la la land. pretty versatile coach known for his offense in the past.
doc
May 5th, 2009
12:10 am
well i misread it thinking the blue was sekou on his blog. my bad ray. i thought it was a bit verbose for sekou though.
Macaroni Tony
May 5th, 2009
12:20 am
in this nba commerical ‘amazing’ why do they have wade dunking the ball on the hawks. it’s so bias, how this league is…
Macaroni Tony
May 5th, 2009
12:25 am
MW will play tomorrow, but he want start. i think that we need him..
Ariose
May 5th, 2009
12:31 am
Ricky Christmas, Seats were empty because school is not out yet for college students. It’s finals time right now so you wil probably see the true playoff crowd at the saturday game.
This time last year during the 1st round with the celtics I had already finished up my finals…..Georgia State was out as well. There were lots of college sudents in the stands last year during the Boston series’…..but we can’t come out in full force while we got Finals breathin’ down our necks lol.
I’m pulling an all nighter as we speak lol.
Ariose
May 5th, 2009
1:21 am
This Series’ Is About MARVIN WILLIAMS….PERIOD Time for the #2 draft pick to put up. He wants a nice litte extension huh? Well, let’s jst see how far you’ve come then. His shot may be off because of the injury, but he is still sprinting and doing all of the donditioning drills in practise.
BTW, I am a Marvin fan and genuinely want to see him prosper. GET IT DONE YOUNG FELLA!!! HARD WORK!!!!
Big Ray
May 5th, 2009
1:30 am
Doc,
It’s me, your echo…
Ariose,
We really need Marvin in this series. He helps keep LeBron from absolutely exploding on us. I don’t even want to see us trotting Mo Evans out there to do it for 30+ mpg. Or JJ. That would wear JJ all the way out..
Plus, Marvin brings some offense to the table. I know it’s in the past already, but imagine how things would have been against Miami if he was healthy? We already saw what he could do to them in just a few minutes (which is all it took to score 10 against them in game 1). I really think the series would have been over in 6, if not 5.
scottbravesfan
May 5th, 2009
1:34 am
Atlanta isn’t the only team having to work to fill their arena for the playoffs. The Sixers did not sell out any of their games and only had 16,000 fans at each of their games. The Mavericks and the Spurs have had to heavily discount tickets to get fans into the games. Times are hard man.
maurice
May 5th, 2009
1:49 am
Thank you Cav fans for not giving the Hawks any credit. Thank you Media and the NBA for giving King James… coughing fit filled with vile vomit… the MVP trophy. He’s such a great guy and a great NBA player. Who just happens to have a name for a travel… the crab dribble? Really? Who ever saw a crab play basketball? OH, and thank you refs for making the Hawks series with the Heat a lot longer than it should have been. Without you there would be no King James, no Crying Wades, and no Flopping Arms Kobe. Thank you all for being supportive of the double dribble and not calling it. Thank you for allowing carries about three or four times a game. Thank you for missing the opposing player moving his pivot foot, and that idiot with his foot on the line during a three point attempt. Thank you Heat for getting your panties in a bunch for the missed between the legs dunk attempt. He did miss you know. If he had made it, the dunk and your listless expressions would have been eternally posted across the mass media know as ESPN TOP 10 Plays. But thats OK seeing that now you’ve gone fishing because your CW ( Crying Wade) decided it wasn’t a good idea to play KJ ( King James) since they couldn’t get a quality win against Atlanta without the refs help. Here’s your pillow CW, we’ll see you next year.
maurice
May 5th, 2009
1:54 am
Oh, and Chills… The former Hawk who left for Greece with 20 mil over the next two years… no amount of money is worth the experience and prestige of playing in the NBA Playoffs with your friends.
KevinA
May 5th, 2009
3:36 am
We had a nice home stretch where the style of play started to change. We started to play better team ball and started including more Josh and Al in the offense scheme. We are not there yet and still rely on the jump shot to much. Of course when JJ, Bibby and Flip are hitting we can beat anybody. In the last 30 games or so their attempts are going down with the inclusion of the front court.
Clev presents a bigger front court than ours so we may to rely on our bk court shootingand reverse our new style of play. This is why Clev presents match up problems. But don’t sell our Hawks short just yet. JJ seems to be coming out of his funk, Bibby has been shooting much better lately and Flip has been reasonably reliable. If they can shoot 48% we can suprise and win any one game. String together a couple in a row and we’ll see.
This series is really about getting more playoff experience. Acie, Josh, ZaZa, Marvin, Mario, Al and a couple of deep end bench players are all 25 years old or less. Third youngest team in the NBA. We still have the rights to Childress who is playing in Europe. JJ is 27, will be a force for at least 4 more years. We will be better next year. If we spend the money to resign our players and get JJ to resign next year, we will be tough to play for the next 4-5 years.
If Acie Law gets better and more experience I could see Bibby come off the bench like Jasen Terry. Any how no matter what happens the Hawks can paste Mission Accomplished to this season.
sadbrotha
May 5th, 2009
4:46 am
NEEEEGRO PLEEEEZE… Da Hawks will win only one game against da Cavs!
KevinA
May 5th, 2009
5:11 am
Ray, speaking of the Woody coaching style suggests a very tight control and demanding the players respect the role he lays out for them. What is more revealing to me is the fact that Bibby is a veteran pg and still does not have the free reign to change the play to match up with the situation on the floor. Woody still demands his imprint.
I could be wrong but the reason JJ, Bibby and Flip buy into this system is they know they will get their shots, they have earned their version of court freedom. Woody seems to be a back court first offense. Our slow growth philosophy comes from the old school where you have to prove it to me first. Al is a team guy, Marvin the best, ZaZa gets the scraps and playing time he can get. Acie, Mario, Solo and the rest are just looking for a job next year.
So who is the huckleberry, the tough nut to crack. – we all know it is the famous or infamous Josh Smith.
Woody and Josh are tied into a volcanic struggle witch will just have to blow off from time to time. He is the wild card – a wild card that Woody can’t bench. Josh cares as much as anybody on the team and has determined that speaking his mind is important to the team. In Woody’s world this is a problem that breaks down the relationship between players and coaches.
Some head coaches believe that ultimate control is necessary. Some (players coach) give more freedom. I am not exactly sure where Woody fits in. I believe this is still a work in progress.
With every 20 pt game along with a couple of blocked shots and a couple of steals Josh knows he does not have to put up with what Bibby does. After 5 years of working, Josh feels he deserves respect from Woody. Josh feels he has the freedom to gripe, shout, whatever. Like a kid he is not afraid to push the envelope of defiance.
Here is the rub, Woody has given Josh the respect he deserves on the floor by not taking him out after dumb plays. Woody doesn’t do ego. Josh needs ego boosts. Over time Josh is learning the does and don’t’s by hanging with players like Flip and Evans. We could throw in Marvin and Al. I know Josh, I have met Josh many times in life. He doesn’t understand the implied rules and is determined to be a free spirit.
I could be wrong but in my view he has the makings to be the true leader of the team. At the moment he will have to be satisfied with being a Hawks superstar.
He will still defer to veteran leaders for a time. When he becomes the star of the team I think he will mature.
What is funny about maturity is when he finally has so much power to rule his own destiny, he will defer to the team and the coach and lay the law down for the new rookies.
Many of you are closer to the relationships than me. How close to being right am I.
Smak Runner 2K
May 5th, 2009
6:24 am
Hello Hawks Fans,
Cavs fan here, scouting the opposing message boards. I wish you guys the best of luck in this series – this should be a pretty good battle of some verrry good Home teams! I look for Cavs in 6 – but I’m a homer, so whatever.
The Hawks remind me of the ‘07 Cavs team that “shocked the world” and reached the Finals. LeBron James > Joe Johnson, but still – your team has a similar vibe.
Anyway…best of luck to you Atlanta-ites (?) and remember this……..we owe you for 1995 anyway:)
cavsfan
May 5th, 2009
6:56 am
Yes Smak….. but the Cavs have some unfinished business from ‘07 where as the team the Cavs beat, the Pistons, were past NBA champs and were not taking the Cavs as seriously has they should have in ‘07.
doc
May 5th, 2009
7:34 am
yeah kevin a, some pretty good points.
what is scary for woody is how to keep that talent going forward without squelching it. he has a will but is not like the sheed’s and artest’s ready to self implode at any moment whether up or down by 20 points in a game. their egos or heads are never for the team, josh is very different from that point. i also dont think we will know josh’s ceiling for a while yet and that is what woody has to be aware of as well, if he tampers too much then the true ceiling is never found. terry, is another guy who went on to glory who was never appreciated here enough. all the other players we have on the roster have ceilings, jj included, not josh. some golfers cant go low, some basketball players have no ceilings. dominique and josh dont have ceilings, they only want to go higher, jj does. that is what determines a true superstar, no fear. dont instill it and it can be done by tampering with a player and breaking the spirit as frustrating as it is watching.
doc
May 5th, 2009
7:36 am
lakers arent a shoo in any more, got to upset the powers that be in nba and tv land. there go the ratings.
doc
May 5th, 2009
7:36 am
funny ray bro.
Westurd
May 5th, 2009
8:25 am
Al, Who Died…..welcome to the “good” side.
Cavsfan, MVP23 there is no hate here….something the truth (Hawks in 6) can be misconstrude as hate but you know the old saying, “The Truth Hurts.” I can’t wait to see the game tonight. The Hawks will have to bring their A++ game and JJ of last post season will definitely need to show up!
Tip off in 11.5 hours! GET IT DONE HAWKS…Stun Queen James and his court of Jesters!
Cav's fan since '70
May 5th, 2009
8:31 am
Najeh,
Pretty good analysis of the matchups.
So why do you have to try go all nasty and juvenile with the video link.(”I know it will never happen, but if Philips Arena played this video(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmLA5TqbIY) during the series it would be incredible…”)
By the way, the video was made by Clevelanders. We are able to make fun of ourselves, and don’t necessarily rely on denigrating others.
Dan
May 5th, 2009
8:31 am
Did you guys see the f’ing D(bag)-Wade tribute on ESPN Sunday night? Unreal…the nutsucking that they give that guy is just absurd. He is a fraud.
The Hawks can do this, guys. They can. The series, if not for a BS call to end the game back in March, should be tied 2-2. If the Hawks can just steal one on the road (I say tonight is their best chance) then they will be a bear to beat at the Highlight Factory.
F’ing awesome we have games to talk about and it is May 5th!!
KevinA
May 5th, 2009
9:07 am
Doc, The Josh attitude is something different. He buys into everything except what disturbs him. I don’t think he is anti managment, he is not anti team. I would guess he just wants to make a bigger impact. I agree with that thought, the organization should try to maxmize his talent.
I could be wrong but I don’t think it’s about money or his future. He just wants to win. I bet deep down he thinks if the team can give him the ball in the right position, at the right time, he could average 25 pts per game.
On the other hand I believe he respects his fellow players. He dosen’t want the 25 for him, he justs wants his talents used. Next year Al will be evolving into the same type of attitude.
What makes this a good situation is I think the rest of the team has no problem with this. True team ball is on the way. I would hate to see a knee-jerk trade and mess up our chemestry.
Hawk
May 5th, 2009
9:16 am
To all Cavs fans out there, it’s playoffs and no series is for sure. There was drama last year with Hawks and there is plenty of it again this year so far. Lebron is good, but ask Wade and those so-called Celtics, it’s going to take more to win, and that’s why I think Hawks might have good chance with this one.
doc
May 5th, 2009
9:37 am
you are right he wants to win, david justice was like that so was smoltz. they didnt always make it comfy for the brass, too bad. as a fan i want the same thing; so, i applaud the guy with nads that can both speak up and deliver. stir the drink babee!
still say cavs in five, just dont think they can be at 2 and 2 after first four games nor win one in cleveland unless the cavs really tank one. of course about this time last year i was saying no way to win even one against boston. heh heh, my bad, but a lot of fun watching.
phar71
May 5th, 2009
9:54 am
Any News on Marvin the Duck?
Da Real Real
May 5th, 2009
9:57 am
I like it, I like it! Never to late for the players to start stepping up and I think Woody is happy to see that its finally starting to happen. I agree with you doc…I think its going to be Cavs in five and I honestly would have no problem with that whatsoever. If we were to get one win in this series I see it as icing on the cake because we did what we set out to do for this year. If we took this series to 7 games man I’d be on cloud nine about this Hawks team, but I don’t see it happening. I just don’t think our guys will have enough gas in the tank plus we’re a pretty banged up team. I don’t even expect the Cavs to come out rusty tonight, but I still look forward to cheering these guys on.
Astro Joe
May 5th, 2009
9:59 am
Ray, I understand the balance thing. But a great defense tends to help the offense FAR more than a great offense helps the defense. There have been very few offenses that have been able to create easy scoring opportunities without the benefit of a great defense that leads to fast breaks. And everyone of those offenses have failed to capture the brass ring. Portland with Drexler, Porter, Kersey & Duckworth; Mavs playing Nellie-ball; Adelman’s Kings; D’Antoni’s Phoenix teams; Jordan’s Wizards. So I stand by my comment. Coaches with a defensive slant are more likely to enjoy late playoff success than their offensive-minded peers. Last point, see if you can find Cleveland’s points off of turnovers stats. I’m guessing they rank among the league leaders.
doc, I missed the Rockets-Lakers game. I’m not surprised as Adelman’s team has been tremendous on the defensive end most of the season. It helps to have perennial DPOY candidates like Artest and Battier and a 7′6″ dude patrolling the middle. Adelman has shown his true coaching skills by adopting his style to his personnel. When you have C-Webb, Peja & Bibby you have to go with a different scheme than when you have Artest, Battier, Yao (and a ton of ‘tweeners who attack the glass). I think Adelman is a very underrated coach, probably in the same tier as Sloan, Larry Brown & D’Antoni.
Rod from College Park
May 5th, 2009
10:40 am
I am really shocked at some of you on this board. The HAWKS can win this series. We say all these good things about the Hawks year, but then say, CAVS in 5. The Hawks did not lose to BOSTON (a much better team) at home last year. We will not lose at home to Cleveland. The key is to get one on the road. Did anyone see the Lakers game last night? You have to take teams out of what they want to do in order to steal games. The only thing that keeps us from winning on the road is coaching, adjustments, and aggressiveness. Cleveland is not that great. We actually match up very well with them, and I think our bench is a little better. Woody will have to coach his a@* off, and guys have to step up. We should not be walking the ball up the court, trying to play a half court game with them. Once again, it has already been stated, we must double Lebron. MARVIN WILLIAMS is not the answer. Waiting on him to step up and be a big time player, is like waiting on Santa Claus to really come down your chimney. I won’t happen. If he plays great, if he does not so what. He is not a factor on this team. I have been saying this all year, and obviously my point has been proven, because we made it here without him. I personally feel like our starting five is better if we push the tempo. Lebron and Mo have advantages for them, but I feel that Joe, Josh and Al have advantages for us in an up tempo game. That is the key to the series. If Coach Woodson would not be so stubborn, push the tempo, and make adjustments, we can win this series. With fans like this, who needs enemies? HAWKS IN 6.
doc
May 5th, 2009
10:46 am
rod, you can make a killing if you are willing to put your money where your conviction is. las vegas is waiting on you. like your optimism though, it is admirable. hmm hold court and steal one from the cavs is a good formula. just seems like we had a difficult time with a lesser team in ter heat and lost on our home court. it may have been an anomaly.
Bigeasy830
May 5th, 2009
11:30 am
Great article Sekou, you really give great inside info that most of us fanatics are not privilidged to. From reading about the exchange between Coach Woodson and Biddy, it is clear that Bibby is worth every dime we are paying him. When it is crunch time and you are in the heat of the battle, you need a vet like Bibby running the show. A less experienced point guard would not have known how to react in that situation. We are talking about Bibby, the man that fought the mighty Shaq and Kobe a few times in the Western conference finals. Bibby’s leadership is essential in this next round against Lebron. Bibby has been there and done that. He knows the fight the Hawks have on their hand and he knows how to lead us through it. I Believe in these Hawks. GET’EM HAWKS, GET ‘EM
kwooden1
May 5th, 2009
11:47 am
Rod, like the optimism to but don’t short Cleveland. If you double Lebron, Mo and Z will kill you from the outside. Lebron is an excellent passer but a suspect jumpshooter. Wade is a better jumpshooter than Lebron, so I would live with Lebron on the outside opposed to him driving or passing the ball out of double teams. We need Marvin because of his length and quickness. Marvin’s longer and taller than our Mo, plus I think he’s a little quicker. Of the games I saw against Clev. Marvin played Lebron the best and even did a good job of attacking him on the offensive side, which is key. Lebron has more blocks than Wade this season, so you have to worry about him when we’re on offensive also. Woody doesn’t make great adjustments, so we’re going to have to rely on energy and good offensive execution. Josh has to attack his defender, which will take pressure off of Bibby and JJ.
I think playing well in this series will go a long way in the Maturing process of the team.
GO HAWKS!!!!
Hawks Fan in New Orleans
May 5th, 2009
11:57 am
Bigeasy830
I agree with you. Bibby possesses the grizzled leadership The Hawks have been lacking for far too long. If he shows glimpses of the brilliance he showed back in those historic series with The Lakers, we should be in for a great series – far from the disaster that Jon Barry feels will happen.
Rod from College Park
May 5th, 2009
11:57 am
My money is already down. Was in Vegas this weekend. Will we lose by 11.5 today? I’ll take my chances.
King James
May 5th, 2009
12:05 pm
Lebron James is THE most dominant player in the NBA this year and is supported by a solid team that makes few mistakes.
The Hawks will find the only way they will be at teh NBA Finals this year is by getting in line to buy tickets.
The Cavs will beat the Hawks in 4.
Rod from College Park
May 5th, 2009
12:21 pm
kwooden1,
Not shorting Cleveland at all. I was born in Atlanta, raised in Atlanta, but lived with my grandparents in Cleveland on the west side every summer, so they are my second favorite team. They were the best team in the league this year, but they are very beatable. I feel like Boston last year was a much harder matchup for us. I personally think the Lakers have the best team, but you saw what happened to them last night. Coaching is the key. Lebron will get his, we know that. Marvin Williams won’t slow him down at all. The key for us is to control Ilgauskas or Mo Williams. If we can win one of those battles, we can win the series. Those are the two guys who kill us. We also can not leave Boobie Gibson wide open on the perimeter. He will kill you also. I continue to hear the Cleveland is not Miami argument. Actually besides Mo Williams, they are a lot alike. Knock down shooters with a superstar, and a very good big man. The Miami series would have been a lot closer if O’neal was able to play game seven. He was averaging almost 20 points a game against us. Cleveland is a much better defensive team, but you would be hard pressed to shut the Hawks down more than Miami did at home. HAWKS in 6.
doc
May 5th, 2009
12:27 pm
good man there rod, hope you win big. even though i think the hawks in 6 is wrong., not betting against you, dont bet,
look not long ago bron bron sat stunned by the spurs in a four and out sweep. even if it does happen that may not be all bad though i prefer one win at least for the homw team. look where the resolve of their organization got them. bron bron gets his points, just what does mo do and varejo do is what will matter. in the end, if it is a two point game, all calls go to cavs. stern rules from the nba.
terrell barron
May 5th, 2009
12:35 pm
Rod, I agree. Anything can happen, but to say that our bench is deeper than Cleveland’s is puzzling. All we have is Flip and Zaza. And how good will Marvin be without his shot? Cleveland has Verajo/Wallace, Daniel Gibson, Joe Smith, Sasha Pavlovic, Wally Szczerbiak and Hickson to work with.
dap01
May 5th, 2009
1:00 pm
The worst case scenario is for the game to be close, we know that Labron is going to get the ball and get a whistle from the refs no matter what he does or who is guarding him.
I do not trust the integrity of the NBA refs or the NBA.
Mike is back
May 5th, 2009
1:51 pm
Doc, I’m with Rod and all the rest of the fans that think the Hawks can pull an upset. Why not…more importantly how long has it been since it mattered…Its been what 1999 or 1997 since this team won a game seven…and they are suppose to roll over and give up…I don’t think so.
There is so much motivation for these guys to fight and make this city proud…when you’ve busted your asss for 82 games…overcome the refs…the media…and a superstar the likes of DWade…you want people to start to believe in you. YOU EXPECT TO THESE DIRE PREDICTION ON THE CAVS BLOG…NOT THE HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I RESPECT THE HONESTY , I believe we can win all the games at home…that has a lot to do with us…if we support these guys the way we did for game seven…I believe they will respond…regardless of what the series record is when they play Saturday.
The thing that can’t happen is the same old plan from Woody…if we come with the same scheme than Yeah…it could be a blood bath…that’s when they get ran over. Woody will have to mix up his line-up…hopefully he want wait until game three to make his adjustments. If we throw different line-up at the Cavs…and make their top scorers have to work for everything they get…we can keep the game close going into the 4th quarter. If we stay close until the 4th quarter, I like our chance to steal one on the road.
DeeMack
May 5th, 2009
2:06 pm
I can’t wait for the CAVS to whip the Hawks a** on the floor! After game 1 y’all will be whining about the refs and EVERYONE ELSE, b/c that’s what Hawks fans do so well. Got the nerve to talk about how the Heat fans whine and whine and whine and cry and cry and cry. Wait until King James and the CAVS introduce your beloved Hawks tonight to one of the greatest teams in the NBA. Can’t wait to read your whining on tomorrow. Hawks in 6? PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE. GO CAVS!!!
Rod from College Park
May 5th, 2009
2:09 pm
Terrell Barron,
Never said our bench is deeper. I said I think our bench is better. Meaning more production. Verajo starts. Gibson, Wally, Smith and Wallace are their main subs in the playoffs. Wally and Wallace are not even averaging a point a game. Flip, Zaza, and Mo/Marvin are more productive in the playoffs. I think the edge in bench play should go to us beleive it or not.
Hawkeye
May 5th, 2009
2:15 pm
Bus’em – Bus’em – Bus’em – Bus’em wide open!!!
doc
May 5th, 2009
2:18 pm
mike and rod or anyone else. i didnt say we didnt have a chance nor did i say we shouldnt even play the game. i only gave my observations and will be there screaming my lugs out to see that it happens, just the same i am not going to feel so full of myself to bet what i have left to make me rich. logic doesnt win games nor lose it. glad to see rod giving marvin a little slack saying he could be better than the bench folks they have.
SWAT Native
May 5th, 2009
2:19 pm
Macoroni Tony,
I was also shocked by that “Amazing” commercial that was supposed to show highlights from the remaining playoff teams. I kept waiting for the Hawks highlight and then they finally showed D Wade dunking on us. It makes you think that the made the commercial in advance assuming that the Heat were going to win!
Sorry to spoil the party, guys…
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
2:30 pm
Sekou, can you please request that the AJC remove those pics of Lebron off our site. Geesh, we will see enough of him over the next 2 weeks. We shouldn’t have to endure looking at him on the front page of the HAWKS blog site as well. If they’re gonna put a pic of him on our page, at least put one up showing ZaZa dropping the People’s Elbow on top of his head… Get Lebron pics off this site…..
Fred
May 5th, 2009
2:40 pm
So, your saying there’s a chance…http://www.examiner.com/x-2723-Atlanta-Hawks-Examiner~y2009m5d5-Can-the-Hawks-follow-the-lead-of-Orlando-and-Houston
Fred
May 5th, 2009
2:41 pm
http://www.examiner.com/x-2723-Atlanta-Hawks-Examiner~y2009m5d5-Can-the-Hawks-follow-the-lead-of-Orlando-and-Houston
Mike is back
May 5th, 2009
3:04 pm
Doc, I know …I’m just jabbing @ Ya bro…cuz you one of the main stays on this blog…CMON MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!LOL
I’m no betting man either…but I’m willing bet the players will be looking to the fans to provide the same type of energy they feed off Sunday. I know the Cavs fans will be ridicules tonite…we better do the same when it’s our turn…this will be a great test for the players…u no what it is…tha no what it is…u no what it is…tha no what it.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
kwooden1
May 5th, 2009
3:08 pm
Rod, nice analysis. I’m with you in terms of our bench and your assessment of Mo, Z but especially about O’Neal.
My feeling yesterday was the HAWKS would win at least 2, my coworkers didn’t hesitate in labeling me as crazy and took the bet. Hopefully I can get free lunch out of this!!
Rod, I believe the HAWKS should play Lebron the same way they played Wade. I would be happy if Lebron took as many jumpshots as Wade did, because I don’t think he can shoot like Wade. Also, we don’t want to double and leave Mo Williams. If Cleveland plays us the same way they did before their going to attack Bibby at every opportunity. I think Bibby has been playing better defense, so I actually think we’re a little better in that area, than we were in the regular season. With that said it’s still a difficult match for Mike B. whether it’s West or Mo W.
I like the attitude Rod, keep bring it!
GO HAWKS!!!
Macaroni Tony
May 5th, 2009
3:10 pm
Swat Native
It’s like they flip a coin to say who was going to win Heat or Hawks. And the toss went to the Heat. I hate that about the league.
Tree Rollins
May 5th, 2009
3:13 pm
http://sportsradiointerviews.com/2009/05/04/mike-woodson-slams-jon-barry-and-his-comments-on-the-hawks/
Woodson attacking Jon Barry. Pretty funny. Im not a Woodson fan but this makes me like him a little more haha.
Sekou Smith
May 5th, 2009
3:50 pm
Mark Bradley and I rolled into town this afternoon and were promptly informed (by our taxi driver) that the Cavaliers are not only going to make easy work of the Hawks, King James and crew are going to wipe the floor with the rest of the playoff field on their way to a title. Had we known it was already done, we’d have stayed in Atlanta.
I’m not predicting an upset or anything. But call me crazy, I don’t see the Hawks being as easy an out as some others might. No doubt the Cavs are the cream of the NBA crop this year. And James, fresh off of the first of what could and should be many MVPs, is sure to be juiced about this second round matchup. I just think it lasts a little bit longer than the pundits (has anyone picked the Hawks to survive beyond four games?) think it will.
We’re going to see just how healthy Marvin Williams is tonight, because the Hawks are going to need him. Mo Evans is going to have his hands full with James. And the Hawks can’t afford to spend too much time with Joe Johnson helping out on him.
This should be good stuff all the way around. I might be more juiced up than LeBron!
Sekou Smith
May 5th, 2009
3:54 pm
And sorry for the LeBron overload Melvin. But if you think it’s bad around Hawksville, you ought to see what they’ve got going up in here in Cleveland. They’re on LeBron OVERLOAD up here. He was all over the local paper and I mean all over it, what with the MVP and their preview section for the second round. You’d go mad up here in LeBron-ville!
newkid
May 5th, 2009
4:02 pm
Biggest challenge tonight and throughout the series is not likely to be Lebron, rather it’ll be our battle against our own inconsistent play. All year we’ve had stretches where we performed as if we were clearly amongst the top echelon of NBA teams, and too often we followed those stretches with equally lengthy periods where we looked no more competent than the OKC Thunder. The just completed series with Miami was a microcosm of the season. What I’m looking forward to – win or lose – is a stretch of games where we consistently perform to our physical and mental capabilities. Although I’d rather such a stretch result in a Hawks-Magic Eastern Conference final, I’ll take whatever results (really?). Failing to advance while playing to our capabilities will make clear precisely the pieces we’ll need to compete for the O’Brien trophy for the next several years.
Volman
May 5th, 2009
4:09 pm
LeBron is 95% of the economy in Cleveland…. That’s all they can talk about Mr. Smith!
Hawks, you can do this. Please play with a CHIP ON YOUR SHOULDER TONIGHT! Do NOT play afraid! THERE IS NOTHING TO BE AFRAID ABOUT. This team has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO LOSE AND EVERYTHING TO GAIN!!
Go out there and PHYSICALLY BEAT UP LeBron. Give him some body shots. Heck, put in Solo to “rough him up”. I don’t care. But whatever you do, SEND A MESSAGE WITH GAME ONE..win or lose.
Send a message!
AtlFlavor
May 5th, 2009
4:12 pm
Man talk about David and Goliath. How do you play a series that is Lebrons to lose. Because the game still has to be PLAYED. Houston we have NO problems. The NBA can align its STARS but the better team Will win. The Hawks are on the Doorstep. No matter what happens in this series, they are HERE! This is a team that is going to be good for a Long Time.
50 to ONE. Yeah, we can do this.
Hawk
May 5th, 2009
4:23 pm
The Cavs name just sounds lame. I like this, Hawks stood up to Heat ready to attack, just like any Hawk would go after its prey. Now, it’s time to attack these lame Cavs the same way!
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
4:35 pm
Agreed Volman. The Hawks should be loose. They are not expected to win the seriers let alone one game. Hopefully the lack of disrespect should ignite a fire under their feet. However, there should be no pressure on them b/c the Cavs are the favorite. All they have to do is play like Inspired Underdogs. If they win one game in Cleveland, this series changes dramatically and watch how much pressure that would put on the Cavs.
“Give the Cavs NOTHING but take from them EVERYTHING”.
Let’s Go Hawks…
Astro Joe
May 5th, 2009
4:44 pm
Hawks are playing with house money. If they win. LeBron is the highlight. If they lose, LeBron is the highlight. Heck, we’ll see more of D. Wade during this series than we will any Hawk. These guys should play like they have ish to lose. Just let it all ride.
Astro Joe
May 5th, 2009
4:53 pm
A fairly balanced article about the Hawks (for a change).
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/sports/basketball/05hawks.html?_r=1&emc=eta1
cp
May 5th, 2009
4:53 pm
I really hope Marvin is healthy because I do not want to see Mo guarding Lebron.
Josh Smildress
May 5th, 2009
4:56 pm
So Sekou what you predicting then, how many games does this go to? I think everyone thinks this is gonna be over in 4 or 5, me I see it lasting a little longer than that….7
doc
May 5th, 2009
4:57 pm
yeah mike you know i will be there and loud. just jawing back but making it clear, objective thought has nothing to do with what i want in the end.
WPWW
May 5th, 2009
5:05 pm
FrenchyFries @ 11:01 (5/4) – You’re right on regarding the NBA’s marketing of “YObe” & LeBro(w)n. Just like Jordan, these 2 are overhyped & milked for $$$. James couldn’t hold Larry Legend’s jockstrap on his best day (& on Bird’s worst)! “Princess” James is another overhyped egomaniac that would be digging ditched for a living if not for his God given talents!
Hawks underdogs against Cavs and MVP James. So? | Culture Surfing
May 5th, 2009
5:23 pm
[...] OK, says Hawks AJC beat writer Sekou Smith, if it ever was a good time to be the underdog, now’s the time: Not only have the Cavaliers [...]
terrell barron
May 5th, 2009
5:25 pm
Sekou, is Marvin 100%? Or will he be shooting left handed jumpshots? Have you spoke to him, or seen him practice? How’s he looking? Thanks.
Volman
May 5th, 2009
5:51 pm
I love this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM&feature=channel
Sekou Smith
May 5th, 2009
5:59 pm
Marvin’s far from 100 percent tb. But who is at this time of year? They’re going to need him to give them whatever he can. Lefthanded jumpers, head butting the ball, whatever. You do what you have to do at this point.
D.Carter
May 5th, 2009
6:20 pm
LEBRONS SNEAKERS ARE UGLY!!!!!!! GO HAWKS
D.Carter
May 5th, 2009
6:28 pm
WOODY IF YOUR LOGGED ON AND READING THIS (LOL) STAY WITH THE 1 4 BALL SCREENS WITH JOSH IT WILL FORCE SIDE SHOW BOB AWAY FROM THE BASKET AND HE WILL HAVE TO MOVE HIS FEET WITH JOSH ON THE ROLL WHICH WORKS TO OUR ADVANTAGE….. MAKING LEBRON TO HELP AND MARVIN AND MO WILL HAVE TO KNOCK DOWN THE OPEN SHOT OR BALL FAKE AND STRONG DRIVES TO THE BASKET…….
(LEBRON WEARS THONGS DURING GAMES) !!!!!!! GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!
atlrayzd
May 5th, 2009
7:03 pm
Joe must be an impact from tip off. If and when he gets doubled teamed he must find the open man, be decisive when there is no double team, get to the free throw line. Leave that passive agressive in the locker room and set performance bar for his team. Doesn’t have to try to be better than Lebron just needs to be the best Joe Johnson and if that happens it will be a competitive series and his hawks teamates will fall in line.
David
May 5th, 2009
7:07 pm
Hey don’t get me wrong I love the Hawks, and they have come a long ways in the past couple of years. My hat is off to them, but they are just not there yet. I think they are about a scorer like Joe Johnson or Mike Bibby away from it. Sure if Pistol Pete and Dominique could suit up in their prime with the rest of this team they would blow Cleveland away but that ain’t going to happen. That being said no matter what it looks like on paper its the playoffs anything could happen. That is after all why they play the game (well that and the money involved) but the Hawks do got game no matter what happens….
Volman
May 5th, 2009
7:12 pm
Why only now are ticket prices going up? RAISE THE TICKET PRICES FOR ROUND 1 LIKE ALL THE OTHER OWNERS DID, YOU MORON ASG.
I AM GAY
Bleeding Wine and Gold
May 5th, 2009
7:18 pm
The only way we will lose tonight is if we come out flat and miss open shots. Lebron doesn’t have to go to the basket to break you down. If you can defend the pick and roll with Z setting the pick or the Lebron/MoWilliams pick and roll, you might have a chance. The Cavs RUN their offense. They don’t play wild and out of control like the Heat. You will have no choice but to start fouling Lebron, Z, AV, MoWilliams, etc. Then, and only then, in the 4th quarter, will the KING assert himself to put you out your misery to make it 5 playoffs wins in a row. I’ll be back after the game to further discuss your discontent for the HAWKS ineptitude.
Bart
May 5th, 2009
7:52 pm
Bleeding sounds to me like he is one of those who goes out and picks the best team for that year and puts out all his gibberish so he can sound like he is really a smart guy instead he sounds like an idiot. First of all we won’t be guarding him as he makes it sound in the blog, the hawks will. I bet you couldn’t dribble a slushy down your mouth much less a BB.
SWAT Native
May 5th, 2009
7:54 pm
Sekou,
Just saw you on NBA TV. Nice job. Respect.
Blast
May 5th, 2009
7:58 pm
It sucks that FSS was not allowed to broadcast Hawks last two game sevens. Now they can’t even show any second round series? We got to listen to TNT and ESPN crew for as long as Hawks are playing? That just double sucks. Might be time to break out the Radio.
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
7:58 pm
Hawks can ill afford a slow 0-for start… can’t get behind early.. if we get this game i like our chances in the series… chances that are better than what we are given credit for.. if you have watched this match-up all season its clear that we match up well with them..
it is key that we heavily contest jump shooters early… do not give open looks and give them confidence from 18 ft. on out…
LETS GO HAWKS…!!! LETS GO HAWKS…!!! LETS GO HAWKS…!!!
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
8:00 pm
agreed blast…
we dog em’ out.. but they’re still our guys…
im just happy for Bob… im sure he’s watching with anticipation just like us…!!!
otisfirefly
May 5th, 2009
8:03 pm
New drinking game. Everytime you see a commercial preview for Meet the Browns during TNT broadcast…..TAKE A DRINK
Blast
May 5th, 2009
8:04 pm
Watch the Commish suck up on leBron’s nuts.
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
8:05 pm
Dang, was the commissioner was going to say that Lebron has lead his team to the Championship. Talking about a major gaffe or a predetermine prediction on his part….lol
Macaroni Tony
May 5th, 2009
8:06 pm
I feel you Blast
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
8:07 pm
Joe, remember what Hakeem Olajuwon did to Dave Robinson when he received the trophy…. Let’s do it to the MVP again…
Blast
May 5th, 2009
8:07 pm
Oh, God it’s Dick Stockton! Probably with Fratello and Gundy! Nightmare!
otisfirefly
May 5th, 2009
8:12 pm
I say, let LBJ get his. Stop everyone else from getting theirs, & we’ll be ok
Blast
May 5th, 2009
8:14 pm
Though game 1 is Hawks best chance of stealing one in Cleveland, I don’t think that will happen. Hawks just have to be competitive and aggressive, and please do not get off to a bad start!
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
8:15 pm
Moe Evans…
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
8:17 pm
Joe Johnson must be the most respected player in the league…
good start…
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
8:17 pm
i like Josh starting down low… i like it Woody..
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
8:18 pm
Bibby have to at least slow the guy down turning the corner…
Macaroni Tony
May 5th, 2009
8:20 pm
I like what I see so far
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
8:21 pm
I don’t think we could possibly have asked for a better first four minutes to the game. The Hawks are getting in passing lanes, challenging shots, and most importantly forcing the ball inside and not settling for jumpers. If they keep playing this way anything can happen.
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
8:23 pm
whooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwww
Lacsho
May 5th, 2009
8:23 pm
Yes Smoove, we’re looking pretty good.
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
8:24 pm
Moe Evans WTF… dumb
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
8:24 pm
Oh my gosh. Josh took off from Cincinnati for that dunk…
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
8:25 pm
ive seen enough..
MARVIN GET YO A$$ IN THERE…!!!
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
8:27 pm
We are going to see alot of FLIP this series especially if Marvin can’t play. Mo defense and decision making is terrible. Although he gets the tough assignments guarding LBJ and DWade. But he that’s suppose to be his specialty. Where is the Afro Man when ya need him….
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
8:29 pm
There is no way in hell it’s fair to expect Mo Evans, who gives up four inches and fifty pounds to LeBron, to shut him down on D. The best we can ask is for Mo to keep LeBron in front of him and force him to shoot jumpers. Marvin and Josh need to spend most of the game on LeBron, while Mo spends more time chasing Delonte West and Mo Williams around.
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
8:30 pm
JOE GOT THAT D…
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
8:30 pm
That was some great ball movement on that possession until Marvin fumbled it away… he still looks rusty.
Blast
May 5th, 2009
8:32 pm
Hawks cannot turn the ball over! I hope that ref Josh crashed into does not take it out on us.
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
8:32 pm
1 less ref may help the Hawks..
atlrayzd
May 5th, 2009
8:32 pm
SPeaking of looking rusty lets go Joe Johnson wake up.
Blast
May 5th, 2009
8:33 pm
Nice to see refs taking a beating!
Lacsho
May 5th, 2009
8:34 pm
We have to learn how to close out quarters
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
8:34 pm
i like.. i like…
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
8:35 pm
Nice aggressive take by Joe… keep attacking the rim, stop settling for contested J’s.
These last couple of possessions have displayed the biggest problem the Hawks will have in this series — they just don’t have the height to control the boards. You can’t really blame them for giving up offensive boards when the 7′3″ Ilgauskas is reaching over the under-7 foot Horford and Pachulia to tip the ball to teammates.
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
8:35 pm
atlrayzd…
u are just not a fan of the guy…
he has played well, defensively, as well as distributing..
get off his nutz…
Sekou Smith
May 5th, 2009
8:38 pm
I’m off Josh Smith’s case for the next two weeks no matter what. Taking out Bill Kennedy earns him major bonus points with me.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
8:39 pm
Great D by Marvin! Outstanding steal in man to man defense against LeBron.
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
8:40 pm
Kennedy and Brown flirting talking bout outfits and shhhiiiiiii…
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
8:41 pm
way to take advantage of the mismatch… flip on Mo…
stop fading Josh.. Drive Drive…
Stephen
May 5th, 2009
8:41 pm
Does Josh Smith ever make jump shots..
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
8:42 pm
what was that Joe…???
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
8:43 pm
Haha Josh Smith tried the bank shot… considering his lack of success on his regular shots, maybe that’s not such a bad idea.
After dribbling off his foot earlier Marvin seems to have shaken off the rust. He’s been very active on the glass and on defense.
Even though the Hawks went cold at the end of the first quarter, overall they are still playing pretty well. If they continue to attack the basket and challenge Cleveland’s shooters they will be able to keep this game close.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
8:43 pm
I wish Joe would make more of those end-of-quarter isolation shots…
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
8:45 pm
I think we’ve showed up guys… good 1st…
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
8:46 pm
nice quick move Marvin…
atlrayzd
May 5th, 2009
8:47 pm
Wow… Big Dave You upset because I’m expecting alot from your boy Joe. The way you reacting it seems to me you know more about his nuts than anybody (STOP CATCHING FEELINGS). I want the Hawks to win he gives us a chance when he plays well on offense and defense.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
8:48 pm
Joe seems to be passing out of the double team better in this game than he did against Miami. The rest of the Hawks need to step up and continue that ball movement when that happens.
Seems like some of the Hawks’ shooters, Flip Murray for example, are a little gun-shy on those outside shots. They do need to keep attacking, but you can’t pass up wide open rhythm shots either.
Lacsho
May 5th, 2009
8:48 pm
here we go with the jump shots
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
8:48 pm
rotate Al…
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
8:49 pm
hate is hate my dude… you being critical of a solid performance…
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
8:50 pm
agreed… they have to pull the trigger… the clogging the lane..
The Bird
May 5th, 2009
8:51 pm
Game over. We can’t compete when it’s 5 on 8
Blast
May 5th, 2009
8:53 pm
Why is Flip doubling on Wally?
Hawks need to wake up. Or it’s gonna get ugly pretty soon. Don’t mind y’all losing, but don’t get blown out!
atlrayzd
May 5th, 2009
8:55 pm
Oh okay your standards for Joe is him having a solid performance. I expect a solid performance from a role player not your best player.
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
8:56 pm
where did you see room for improvement…?
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
8:56 pm
when u see double teams you are then a role player, a distributer…
Reggie
May 5th, 2009
8:56 pm
Why doesn’t Bibby shoot more? He makes everything.
Lacsho
May 5th, 2009
8:58 pm
Solo needs to get some pt
Lacsho
May 5th, 2009
9:00 pm
Nice drive Flip, the only shot blocker is Lebron. We need to drive the ball down their throats, and force them to put us on the line.
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
9:00 pm
damn pretty Josh…
Reggie
May 5th, 2009
9:01 pm
Lascho: You really think the refs will put the Hawks on the line?
Lacsho
May 5th, 2009
9:02 pm
Smoove play the man not the ball.
Reggie
May 5th, 2009
9:03 pm
Did Lebron get touched there? Smith is getting knocked on the ground every time he drives. We look pretty good but I will be surprised if we win in Cleveland. There is to much going there way.
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
9:05 pm
we have to cash in at the line…
Woody cant be blamed for the jump shooting madness, he just emphasized getting to the line…
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
9:05 pm
this is the best ive seen Bron play against us this season…
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
9:06 pm
im sick of Horford shooting J’s
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
9:06 pm
Josh Smith isn’t getting many offensive boards, but damn, you can’t fault his effort… dude’s hitting the deck every time.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
9:07 pm
Horford needs to hit those 15-footers every single time like Haslem does.
Lacsho
May 5th, 2009
9:08 pm
Horford needs to take his azz to the hole.
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
9:08 pm
similar sized player, similar skill set… i think thats an reasonable expectation…
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
9:09 pm
Now is the time for the Hawks to make a run to close this gap. These next few minutes are huge in determining whether the 2nd half is a close one or a blowout.
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
9:09 pm
Clev. has no answer for Josh, he can only beat himself…
Reggie
May 5th, 2009
9:09 pm
HE DOESN’T MISS!
Reggie
May 5th, 2009
9:10 pm
FLIP COME ON
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
9:10 pm
Travel Mo Williams…
Reggie
May 5th, 2009
9:11 pm
Smith!
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
9:11 pm
SMMMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Blast
May 5th, 2009
9:11 pm
Josh is playing at a high level.
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
9:11 pm
hands up Josh… gotta challenge folk..
Reggie
May 5th, 2009
9:12 pm
Flip Murray has been extremely disappointing in the playoffs.
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
9:12 pm
If we could rotate better on defense than we can get back in this game…
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
9:13 pm
Josh is a tough matchup for Cleveland’s bigs, that’s true. Varejao and Ilgauskas are nowhere near athletic enough to stop him when he drives. On the other side, Ilgauskas is an impossible matchup for the Hawks when he’s playing in the low post. There’s simply no way the Hawks can guard him if he’s hitting those hook shots and tipping those offensive boards to his teammates. He just has too much height and length.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
9:13 pm
That Flip turnover was the perfect example of why he should never be bringing the ball up and playing point guard… Bibby was wide open in the corner and he tried to feed Joe with an impossible pass instead. I love Flip’s instant offense off the bench but he is NOT a point guard.
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
9:14 pm
gotta win against Z before he gets position… beat him to his spot.. deny ball… he is not athletic…
Blast
May 5th, 2009
9:15 pm
Flip is hesitating and turning over the ball. He needs to take his shot.
Down 4 and Joe hasn’t even been a factor yet.
Hawks can’t buy a call at the rim, while Cleveland gets everything it wants. Glad the Commish is at this game tonite. Let’s see how bad they screw the Hawks.
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
9:15 pm
Acie would be nice against this press…
Reggie
May 5th, 2009
9:16 pm
HE DOESN’T MISS!!!!
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
9:16 pm
Bibby at like he’s scared to dribble the ball…
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
9:17 pm
Big shot Bibby! Doing his best to erase those two TERRIBLE passes on the previous possessions. Nice setup by Joe too. Down by 5 at the half… not at all a bad performance by the Hawks.
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
9:17 pm
good look… close the periods !!!
good half…!!!
The Hawksta
May 5th, 2009
9:17 pm
LBJ screaming for another damn foul! Take ur butt to the locker room!
Lacsho
May 5th, 2009
9:17 pm
Damn Bibby two turnovers then you hit a three. Un-forced turnovers, but we’re still in the game.
Let’s Go Hawks!!!!
Blast
May 5th, 2009
9:17 pm
Josh and Bibby are the only guys saving us right now.
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
9:18 pm
if we pull this game off they can’t use rust as an excuse…!!!
the Cavs are playing at a high level.. we haven’t even played our best basketball.!!!
LETS GO!!!
Rod from College Park
May 5th, 2009
9:18 pm
WAKE UP JOE. GET IN THE GAME. If I hear one more person say anything positive about Marvin Williams. HE IS A BUST.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
9:18 pm
A little more activity inside on defense to deny Ilgauskas and Varejao position, like bigdave said, would go a long way towards keeping the Hawks in this game. If the Hawks can do that and the bench players (Flip Murray in particular) can start hitting shots, we might be seeing an upset in the making.
Al
May 5th, 2009
9:19 pm
4 points!!!! Where is Joe tonight?
The Hawksta
May 5th, 2009
9:19 pm
Flip seems like he’s scared to shoot! These guys usually blast our whole squad at half time. We’ll see what they say tonight.
Reggie
May 5th, 2009
9:19 pm
This half has been very pleasing. If Joe can be a little more aggressive we could make this a good game. You can’t really fault him though. Every time he gets the ball he is double teamed and he gets banged and banged inside but gets no calls. Hopefully he can get his stroke down like he did in game 7. Mike Bibby doesn’t miss 3 point shots. Josh Smith looks like an all-star.
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
9:20 pm
If Bibby and Josh can keep up their scoring in the 2nd half and they find third scorer to join in then this game is definitely winnable…
atlrayzd
May 5th, 2009
9:20 pm
There you go Bibby show them you can be a quiet player as long as your game is loud. Steppin his game up in the playoffs . Good half Josh
The Hawksta
May 5th, 2009
9:20 pm
I really don’t like how Bradley seems to be beasting **Sekou!?!** Much rather live blog with you Dude!
Brandon
May 5th, 2009
9:21 pm
Need a BIG second half from Joe…Mike and Josh need to keep up the excellent work…they are keeping us afloat.
Rebounding was poor…we played poor at times but we’re still in the ball game. Go Hawks!!
The Hawksta
May 5th, 2009
9:21 pm
We have to many turnovers at the half! Most are unforced! They need to get it together!
Al
May 5th, 2009
9:22 pm
Let’s see what the haters at TNT got to say
The Hawksta
May 5th, 2009
9:23 pm
Chris looks real high(lol)! Like he just smoked a gang of purp!
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
9:23 pm
I don’t think Joe’s half was that bad actually… they doubled him a lot and he did a good job getting rid of the ball quickly, which he didn’t do against Miami. He should have hit a couple of those shots in isolation, but other than that he played fine. Joe is capable of being a pass-first player, and he’s done a good job setting up Bibby and Josh with open shots (5 dimes in the first half).
Reggie
May 5th, 2009
9:24 pm
Rod: Does it really look like Marvin is even 50%. If he was he would start. Woody is barely playing him because he is hurt pretty bad. Don’t say a guy is a bust when he’s hurt. He is all you ever talk about. It gets old after a while. Also Joe hasn’t played bad at all. It seems like some of you just loo at the box score instead of the game and just bring stats up. Joe is getting banged all up and knows he doesn’t need to force anything when he is getting double teamed. Maybe if we ran an offense that could get him some open shots he could do something. TNT just said LBJ is having a bad game?
Macaroni Tony
May 5th, 2009
9:25 pm
tnt is in atlanta but they are all about other teams. they still don’t atlanta no respect.
Blast
May 5th, 2009
9:25 pm
I see how hard and painfull it is for TNT to talk about the Hawks. They talking about Cleveland’s bad offense, but not about the fact that Hawks do run the fast break.
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
9:25 pm
a lot to be said about this coaching approach from Woody…
letting Bron go off and keeping his assist numbers down… we can live with that… Bron is a facilitator, Wade is a scorer… i tell you what this will eventually lead to shot clock violations, and getting bad looks…
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
9:26 pm
Marvin has had a bad game offensively, but on defense and on the glass he’s been good. He did a pretty good job on LeBron when he was guarding him in the first half.
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
9:26 pm
We had 9 turnovers in the 1st half. That’s way too many…
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
9:26 pm
damn what TNT says… i think the credit is due to the Hawks…
otisfirefly
May 5th, 2009
9:26 pm
TNT isn’t giving any props to the Hawks for the close score….they’re just saying Lebron is passing enough…..I hate this broadcast
doc
May 5th, 2009
9:26 pm
not sure as i wasnt in the room but from a distance it sounded like chuck was describing the hawks offense only he was using the names mo and lebron.
The Hawksta
May 5th, 2009
9:27 pm
Once again we get no respect! Man I want to scream!
ajw
May 5th, 2009
9:27 pm
Well at least we are only letting LeBron do all the work. The fans get what they want and maybe Cleveland still loses.
otisfirefly
May 5th, 2009
9:28 pm
*is not passing enough*
ajw
May 5th, 2009
9:28 pm
Doc, you got it.
doc
May 5th, 2009
9:29 pm
rod, do you get a rise every time you degrade marvin and lose it when someone says something positive about him?
cp
May 5th, 2009
9:29 pm
Josh and Bibby came to play. If we can get anybody else to wake the hell up we might have a chance to win this one. And I agree with the people who said Flip is not a point guard. I have been stressing that the whole season. He plays better when someone else is creating and feeding him the rock.
otisfirefly
May 5th, 2009
9:30 pm
I have to admit, putting Marv on LBJ is a better matchup for the Hawkies defensively than Mo Evans
Samuel
May 5th, 2009
9:31 pm
I like our position. Josh is showing once again, when he gets on the block he’s as unstoppable as anybody in the league, period. I’m totally disgusted with JJ. Dude is seriously letting us down in these playoffs. Maybe he’ll step it up this next half. Bibby needs to put up at least 10 shots this half. Hit or miss.
We need to continue to give LeBron and Ilg the outside shot. Even if they hit a few, give them the shot. Their misses will allow us to run. Come on guys, we can steal this one.
Lacsho
May 5th, 2009
9:31 pm
Nothing but hate from tnt. They never give us props.
Da Real Real
May 5th, 2009
9:31 pm
I don’t care if TNT gives us respect or not because it’ll make it more satisfying if we do pull off the upset. Just really happy about our performance tonight, and hey if we do somehow steal this game maybe we can make this a 6 or 7 game series. Just think what this game would be like if we were knocking down some of our open looks.
otisfirefly
May 5th, 2009
9:32 pm
@cp…..I agree, Bibby is a lot better in the postseason. I was afraid Mo Williams was gonna be a mismatch against the Bibbster, but Mike has his game face on tonight
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
9:33 pm
Co-sign doc. “Iso Bron” isn’t very different from “iso Joe”, it’s just that Cleveland’s best player is better and they have better shooting.
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
9:36 pm
If Joe is going to continue to guard Lebron than we gotta get better production for the other wing spot. Mo, Flip or Marvin gotta step up for us to win this game. We did a better job defending Lebron (thanks to Joe) in the 2nd qtr when he scored 6 of 22pts…
Da Real Real
May 5th, 2009
9:36 pm
Oh and another thing to add….
The Cavs remind me of the Spurs in being a pretty boring team to watch if their super star isn’t doing anything. Ain’t it funny how the national media always try to get on Atlanta fans. Cleveland’s place is packed with arguably the #1 player in the league and that place appears to be dead! That may be because we’re shocking them with how close the game is, but still its the playoffs and that place is dead!
A Tribe Called Quest
May 5th, 2009
9:37 pm
We got this
Brandon
May 5th, 2009
9:38 pm
Joe Johnson…
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
9:39 pm
ISO MO EVANS??????????????????!!
NEVER AGAIN…
otisfirefly
May 5th, 2009
9:40 pm
TNT is excited, Bron passed the ball
Hawks Fan in New Orleans
May 5th, 2009
9:40 pm
As usual the Hawks get no credit from the TNT crew – Barkley is soooo biased – Dayum shame.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
9:40 pm
Hawks offense has no movement right now, and on the other end the Cavs are sharing the ball and getting good shots. Not a good start to the quarter.
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
9:41 pm
ISO MO, ISO AL (FADE AWAY JUMPER)….
SICK OF THIS SHYT…!! GO THROUGH JOSH JOE BIBBY…
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
9:41 pm
On another note, why do they play the Godfather theme when Mo Williams hits a 3?
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
9:41 pm
NOBODY ELSE IS A SCORER, THAT SIMPLE…
GOOD TEAMS DONT ASK PLAYERS TO DO WHAT THEY CANT…!!!
Reggie
May 5th, 2009
9:41 pm
Get Mo Evans out of the game. Good Grief!
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
9:43 pm
Those last two contested J’s the Hawks took were due in large part to Joe not swinging the ball out of the double team quickly enough. I gave him props for passing it quickly in the first half, but this half he’s looked more like he did in the Miami series. He can’t be dribbling out 30 feet away from the basket every time Big Z comes over to double. Find the open man and start some ball movement to get a good shot or an open lane to drive.
A Tribe Called Quest
May 5th, 2009
9:44 pm
Get the ball to the brother Josh
Lacsho
May 5th, 2009
9:46 pm
Man I wish Marvin was 100%!!!
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
9:47 pm
Wow, what a stupid play by Joe Johnson. You gotta know better than to commit that charge.
Big Ray
May 5th, 2009
9:47 pm
Keeping it fairly close, and remaining competitive. Bibby and Josh look pretty good, and JJ isn’t pressing too hard, which is good.
Great defensive play, culminating in a lob for Smith, but taken away by a smart play by LeBron.
Lacsho
May 5th, 2009
9:48 pm
Man, lets give Lebron 50 and make everyone else beat us straight up.
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
9:48 pm
PASS FLIP…
OMG, GET ACIE IN THERE…!!
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
9:49 pm
FLIP SHYT….
A Tribe Called Quest
May 5th, 2009
9:50 pm
Need Bibz and Josh to take every shot here
Macaroni Tony
May 5th, 2009
9:51 pm
I wish that we had sports south or fss. it’s clearly one sided..
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
9:51 pm
Bibby is not playing the pick and roll correctly…
Big Ray
May 5th, 2009
9:51 pm
I wonder if anybody is going to say JJ was trying to get fancy with that lob play, and write 10 million stories about it? Heh heh heh…
Interesting to hear the commentators talking about Mike Brown’s staff, i.e. who handles the offense, who handles the defense. I’ve NEVER heard anything about Woody’s staff like that, particularly during a game. I don’t even know what those guys do (well, besides Mark Price).
Is this typical TNT, going with the “media darling” ala Coach of they Year and His Staff? Entirely possible, but it’s still food for thought…
Big Ray
May 5th, 2009
9:54 pm
Josh with a long jumper. Hmmmmm. Guess Woody didn’t take that play out of the playbook after all….
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
9:54 pm
Too many turnovers….
Blast
May 5th, 2009
9:55 pm
TNT even promoting James’s shoes for him!
Those shoes are ugly, by the way.
Turnovers, free throws and second shots are killing Hawks in this game.
Reggie
May 5th, 2009
9:56 pm
Eh, Here it comes. We don’t have enough to offer in this game.
A Tribe Called Quest
May 5th, 2009
9:56 pm
Ray Ray, our staff sucks.
Bob Bender chews gum
Tyrone Hill is an assistant (LOL)
Larry Drew is average
Mark Price has worsened Smoove’s FTs.
Woodson said last year at the Woodward scrimmage that he has the best assistants in the league. LOL
Macaroni Tony
May 5th, 2009
9:58 pm
I don’t think that they did enough homework on this game..
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
9:58 pm
3 IN THE KEY
Blast
May 5th, 2009
9:59 pm
Remove LeBron from the equation and Cleveland is a sub tier team.
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
10:00 pm
COACH, NEED MORE OFFENSE ON THE FLOOR…!!
A Tribe Called Quest
May 5th, 2009
10:01 pm
Josh is playing a very good game
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
10:01 pm
GET IT UNDER 10…
Hawks Fan in New Orleans
May 5th, 2009
10:03 pm
Playing very lethargic many of the players are not bringing the magic from game 7.
pinoy hawk
May 5th, 2009
10:04 pm
where’s bibby? is he injured?
Macaroni Tony
May 5th, 2009
10:05 pm
good play js
Rod from College Park
May 5th, 2009
10:05 pm
I will continue to talk about that bum. No excuses. If you are on the court there are no excuses. If you think Joe played well in the first half then I question your basketball IQ. As long as we continue to walk the ball up the court, we will not have a chance in this series. Joe is playing terrible. Marvin drives and falls against Szerbiak. HA!!!!!!!!!!!
Lacsho
May 5th, 2009
10:05 pm
Again, I say Solo is a better match up; this series ZaZa is to slow. ZaZa can still contibute, but he must focus on the boards.
niremetal
May 5th, 2009
10:06 pm
HOW WAS THAT A FOUL?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
10:07 pm
Why do we even go into the locker room during halftime….
Hawks Fan in New Orleans
May 5th, 2009
10:08 pm
If only Josh smith’s intensity would just rub off onto the rest of the team.
Lacsho
May 5th, 2009
10:08 pm
Marvin needs to spin this summer working on footwork and angles.
Nice block JSmash!!!!!
Big Ray
May 5th, 2009
10:08 pm
Let me go ahead and get this one out of the way:
If you’re about to diss Marvin Williams for getting shown up by Lebron on that last play, don’t. NOBODY stops Lebron when he’s on like that. It’s why they named him MVP…
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
10:09 pm
looks like Al is hobbling…
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
10:10 pm
depth is becoming an issue..
they keeping guys in heavy rotation… us on the other hand…
Big Ray
May 5th, 2009
10:11 pm
Lacsho,
Does anybody do things the way Josh does? Dude blocks the heck out of that shot, trips and nearly falls, then still beats almost the entire defense to the other end of the floor. Crazy ability…and that foul by Lebron and Sczerbiak looked about flagrant to me.
That was some NFL shizz..
A Tribe Called Quest
May 5th, 2009
10:11 pm
Embarrassing. We get killed even with our top 6 guys playing all the minutes
Hawks Fan in New Orleans
May 5th, 2009
10:12 pm
Flip hit a shot mayne.
Rod from College Park
May 5th, 2009
10:12 pm
Big Ray,
Excuses are like a@#holes. Everybody got one.
Big Ray
May 5th, 2009
10:12 pm
Yeah, Al IS hobbling. And you know that “rotation” stuff ain’t nothin’ new, BIGDAVE.
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
10:12 pm
Rod, are you becoming the blog Bully. We can’t cheer for certain players on our own team…
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
10:12 pm
not playing team basketball… Flip
Blast
May 5th, 2009
10:13 pm
How come every time Hawks finally gets a foul call it’s on the floor, not on the drive?
Macaroni Tony
May 5th, 2009
10:13 pm
14 to is too much..
Big Ray
May 5th, 2009
10:13 pm
Yeah Rod, but unlike you, most realize they don’t have to show theirs.
A Tribe Called Quest
May 5th, 2009
10:13 pm
No easy baskets
Lacsho
May 5th, 2009
10:14 pm
Man you can’t diss Marvin for tonight. However, this summer he needs to work on footwork and angles.
The Hawks need to get Chillz back on the squad and get a legit center. Hell if Acie can stay healthy, I say lets keep the playoff Bibby and hopefully Acie can take over by Jan.
Big Ray
May 5th, 2009
10:14 pm
Marvin took his lunch money AND his girlfriend, Melvin.
I kid, but the way Rod is with Marvin, I’m beginning to wonder, lol…
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
10:14 pm
absolutely Ray…
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
10:15 pm
Flip and Mo are playing terrible and Marvin is too hurt/rusty to be effective. Woody you may want to try Acie…
Blast
May 5th, 2009
10:16 pm
It’s getting ugly for Hawks!
ant banks
May 5th, 2009
10:16 pm
please consider tradin’ jj and get somethin’ of valu for him!! why y’all want to get rid of bibby? he has been keepin’ us in games more than jj.
Big Ray
May 5th, 2009
10:16 pm
Lacsho,
I agree. But his footwork and angles were looking much better than in the past before he hurt his back. Still, he does need to work on it.
niremetal
May 5th, 2009
10:16 pm
Yeah Rod, but unlike you, most realize they don’t have to show theirs.
Zing! And I think that makes the score Ray 235, Rod 0. Now if only that were the score that mattered tonight…
And now, I’ll go back to Bankruptcy (the course, not the state of existence).
Lacsho
May 5th, 2009
10:17 pm
Flip cant buy a bucket. You have to put Acie in, and let him get some needed experience.
Blast
May 5th, 2009
10:17 pm
Thought this series would be more competitive, more close games.
The Hawksta
May 5th, 2009
10:17 pm
Flip is playing to hesitant tonight. When he does that you know it won’t be his night. All jumpers no shots from inside the paint
Lacsho
May 5th, 2009
10:18 pm
You’re right Ray, Marvin was looking great prior to his injuries.
Hawks Fan in New Orleans
May 5th, 2009
10:18 pm
No foul call on the paly!!! Good shot Mo Evans
pinoy hawk
May 5th, 2009
10:20 pm
I’d say rest bibby and JJ for the next game. This is exercise in futility. No way this team can make a run with 8mins to go and 20 pts down against this cavs. Back to the drawing boards!
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
10:21 pm
The main reason this game has gone from a close game to a rout is because the Hawks’ defensive intensity has really come down. They are not pressuring the shooters and Cleveland is running their pick and roll and pick and pop plays to perfection. Joe Johnson and Flip Murray have played much worse in the 2nd half than they did in the first, but the game wouldn’t be this out of hand if the defensive intensity had been better. I think there were more layups and dunks in the 3rd quarter than there were in the entire first half.
A Tribe Called Quest
May 5th, 2009
10:21 pm
Has ZaZa ever blocked a shot in his career?
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
10:22 pm
Man are we terrible defending the pick and roll play. And it seems to be Bibby in the mix of every pick and roll play…
Hawks Fan in New Orleans
May 5th, 2009
10:22 pm
i meant play – JJ with too many turnovers.
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
10:24 pm
Can we get a whistle. Ben push ZaZa right out of bounds in front the ref.
A Tribe Called Quest
May 5th, 2009
10:24 pm
Cavs are smart. They know that Bibby doesn’t play defense.
Hawks Fan in New Orleans
May 5th, 2009
10:26 pm
The refs (NBA), the announcers and the TNT halftime analysts are all against Hawks – the odds are stacked against us this series. Its The Hawks Against The World Baby.
TheHawksFan
May 5th, 2009
10:27 pm
Mo Williams is the reason LBJ was the MVP. Take him away and Cleveland is not so hot. There is the plan for Woody and the Crew. STOP MO WILLIAMS if you wanna win this thing. Woody has to get Mario or Acie involved in this. Pick Williams up FULL COURT hound him. There just isnt any other way. GOOOOO Hawks!!!!!
Lacsho
May 5th, 2009
10:28 pm
WTF Flip…… Woody let the game go and play the bench
Najeh Davenpoop
May 5th, 2009
10:28 pm
This is EASILY the worst game Flip Murray has played in at least two months.
bigdave
May 5th, 2009
10:28 pm
passing has been horrible and lazy…
why cant Solo find mins… as much as coach lets his bigs shoot why not play the guy with the best touch, who also happens to be active and long…
Rod from College Park
May 5th, 2009
10:29 pm
You guys are right. Joe played great. Marvin did an excellent job tonight. Niremetal, keep studying clown. Funny how you guys always bring up some gay stuff in your arguments. Not used to that. We don’t get down like that on the southside.
Blast
May 5th, 2009
10:29 pm
Why is James still in the game? They trying to run up the numbers?
Melvin
May 5th, 2009
10:29 pm
Mike Brown has played 10 guys and our head coach has only went 8 deep. Play AC you smart guy. Flip and Joe must have 10 turnovers combine…
kirkinga
May 5th, 2009
10:30 pm
Cavs are smart. They know that Bibby doesn’t play defense
yes, that darn Bibby surely we’d be winning this game if it weren’t for his poor defense.
Sam from da Swats
May 5th, 2009
10:30 pm
Wow, great lift for the team Marvin!!!
Hawks Fan in New Orleans
May 5th, 2009
10:30 pm
That airball by Flip just put icing on the cake for the Cavs. WE look like the rusty team tonight.
A Tribe Called Quest
May 5th, 2009
10:33 pm
Remaining tix can only go to ppl who have to sign up for season tix next year? Nice marketing move
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.
darrell starks
May 5th, 2009
11:43 pm
HAWKS 33 REBOUNDS 6 OFFENSIVE
CAVS 41 REBOUNDS 15 OFFENSIVE
ENOUGH SAID GAME OVER.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rod from College Park
May 5th, 2009
11:43 pm
Big Ray,
Corny huh. So telling some clown who obviously has never picked up a basketball in his life, calls me a jackass(I’ll take the homophobe comment), but tells me I don’t know anything about basketball, when I played division 1, to play me is corny. Wow! So I guess if another man spits on you, it’s corny to punch him in face huh. So continuously saying that me and another man live together and share the same computer and post as different people, because we both see that the number 2 pick in the draft is not living up to his draft status, is not corny, huh. Niremetal, keep studying. Make something of yourself. The world can never have enough lawyers. You will always have your blog friends to support you. I’m sure Marvin will surprise us all and live up to his number 2 pick for the rest of this series. You guys are right, and I am wrong. If he only were healthy. LOL
Rod from College Park
May 5th, 2009
11:50 pm
Niremetal,
Respect from you or any of your blog buddies is not something that I am looking for. Keep studying, I hear the bar is tough. I hear it’s almost as hard as Marvin trying to defend Lebron. LOL
Rod from College Park
May 5th, 2009
11:55 pm
Newkid,
You can’t make statements like that about Marvin on this blog. Everybody on here except for me and a few other people think he is one of the best players on our team. He never stumbles is what they will tell you. They will tell you that he has shut Lebron down by himself. They will say that he can create his own shot. Watch yourself. You won’t get ant respect from the blog buddies. LOL
kensington
May 5th, 2009
11:56 pm
This team needs a new coach. This is no disrespect to Mike Woodson, but it seems that he has done all he can do. Every year the Hawks two biggest flaws are inconsistency and playing terrible on the road. And even though they have improved their win totals each year, their two biggest flaws are still inconsistency and playing terrible on the road. They need someone that can give this team an offensive identity and also be able to develop better bench play. I just don’t think Woodson tries. He would rather let his starters carry a heavy load.
Volman
May 5th, 2009
11:56 pm
Uh oh, Rod played D-1 ball. Watch it.
Da Real Real
May 6th, 2009
12:03 am
Tough game, but I’d have to say it went as I thought it would go. I didn’t think Cleveland would come out rusty especially after what happened last night out west. There’s always two different scenarios when one team plays only 4 games in a series and the other team plays 7.
We simply didn’t have anything in the tank in that 2nd half. I think some folks figured this would happen and is the main reason why the Cavs are being picked to sweep or win in 5. Arguably the Celtics were better than the Cavs last year, but there are a lot of factors going into this series as to why the Hawks may not fair like they did last year against the Celtics.
1) This is the second round, not the first round. 2) Health….our Hawks are nowhere near as healthy as they were going into last years playoffs and that also factors in the fact that you’ve played far longer this season then you did last. Its obvious Woody is only going to go 8 into his bench right now and when you have 2 guys who aren’t even close to 100% you’re then only playing with about 6 guys against a team who’s going to throw at least 10 guys at you and this is when you see us run out of gas and start seeing guys settle. Fratterno hinted at it earlier in the game – We’ve been playing every other day for the past week and then only had a day’s rest before this game.
The only way we can make this out of a series is if the Hawks can dig in and find something left in the tank…I just can’t see it happening. I think Cleveland wins this next game, and I think we win our first home game, but after that I don’t expect us to win again. Not because we’re not good enough to do so because I think we are….I just think there are to many things going against us. Primarily being that we are a banged up team going against a well oiled machine right now.
A Tribe Called Quest
May 6th, 2009
12:05 am
Joe says he’s tired in Mark Bradley’s blog.
OK Woodson you’ve been in the NBA for 27 years. Do you have to remind us that everytime you talk?
newkid
May 6th, 2009
12:05 am
Rod, being a fellow Tarheel, I love Marvin. But it is what it is.
The Truth
May 6th, 2009
12:17 am
I had promise that I would not interject any drama during the Cleveland series but I’m sorry, I have to call out JJ in this game. Yes, it was other Hawks players struggling also but JJ is making 70M dollars. JJ supposed to be our star player. JJ supposed to be our leader. JJ supposed to show-up for big games because that’s what stars do. That is the group dynamics of every NBA team in the league except our Hawks. Even the announcer asked that question during the game, just who is the leader on this Hawks team anyway? It’s been a lot of debate about whether Mike Bibby is worth his 15M/yr contract, but I am beginning question JJ contract value more so than Mike Bibby. Mike is playing like the professional that he claims to be in the playoff. Josh has earned his contract value by exceeding everyone’s expectation in the playoff. In fact Josh has emerged to be the face of our franchise, not JJ. Even though Flip struggled tonight offensively, he gets a pass because he has been a reliable player except for tonight. He was due to have an off game. But JJ is playing like he is skating, just trying to get by. Like he has no desires but to get the 4 losses over with and go home. He showed up only for games 7 of the Heat series and that’s about it. He seems to be comfortable with being just a pedestrian player with no burning desires to go to that next level consistently. Maybe all that money has gotten him complacent. He is beginning to take the Hawks organization for granted with his sub-par performance in big games. Perhaps we need to put some doubt in his next contract.
Playoff basketball is a time when all players aspire to push their game to the next level. JJ game seems to be digressing in the post season. I’m sorry but mediocre is unacceptable for a 70M player, he must be called out.
dino
May 6th, 2009
12:24 am
Hawks fans are so trifling. I’m trying to figure out why every one is blaming Joe. I will admit he could have been more agressive, but I wouldn’t say the rest of the team has played all that great either. Bibby made alot of bad decisions, Flip held the ball too much when he should have passed, and Josh took way too many ill-advised jumpers. I hope the Hawks do trade Joe. He deserves better than this bullsh@t. And you people wonder why nobody wants to play for this city. You act like star players are rushing to come here because of your championship pedigree. Last time I checked, Dominique never got past the 2nd round of the playoffs. What a joke.
The Truth
May 6th, 2009
12:47 am
dino
What team do you represent and why are here? This a family matter. If we are the joke, then you must be an even bigger JOke for being here. Contrary to your bleeding heart, the NBA is a business that is about getting return your investment. These players are not held to double standards, what is good for the goose is also go for the gander. In that case JJ should not be treated no different then Mike Bibby or any other player when it comes to contract talk.
Rod from College Park
May 6th, 2009
12:50 am
Newkid,
Honesty is always the best policy. A few months ago, I was the most hated man on the blog for saying that we should keep Josh and get rid of Marvin. But no one who was calling me and idiot, with no basketball knowledge will admit that.
The Truth,
Totally agree. Someone earlier actually told me that Joe was playing well. What game were they watching?
Clyde
May 6th, 2009
1:16 am
Here is the key. The Cavaliers will not let JJ beat them so they double on the perimeter and whenever he gets the ball. On hand the Hawks rely on single coverage to defend Lebron.
If the Hawks want to win they have to push the ball up the court in transition. Smooth and Horford are too quick for the Cleveland bigs. But that takes getting stops on defense which will be hard to do since they have to answer for Lebron. I say give Acie 10-15 minutes to speed the game up a little.
RMS funny stuff and a shot-blocking center would have helped tonight.
dino
May 6th, 2009
1:51 am
@ The Truth
I represent the Hawks and don’t lecture me about family matters because everyone knows that family will screw you over faster than anyone else will. I know that the NBA is a business, but don’t blame a player because the Hawks organization has not handled theirs. Woodson is an ineffective coach that does not know how to utilize his best players and can’t develop his young players. Knight drafted too many wing players who can’t shoot and signed Joe as a point guard (and part of that is Joe’s fault for saying he wanted to play the point). I don’t have a bleeding heart. I’m just making an observation. Most organizations would be figuring out ways to find the right kind of help (role players) for their all-star. Look at the Pistons and that whole Iverson debacle. Nobody is arguing how great a player Iverson is, he just was not a great fit for that team and their offense. I’m not saying Joe doesn’t have his faults (errant retaliation fouls and those d@mn iso’s), but you run him out of town and then what, build around Josh and his zero basketball iq. That dude has had five regular seasons and he still doesn’t get it. And then we are right back to nobody wanting to play in this freakin’ city and an empty Philips.
Atlrayzd
May 6th, 2009
2:18 am
Joe Johnson says he’s tired(logged alot of minutes this year) but he doesn’t want to make any excuses (sounds like one to me). Hate to say it but wrap it up the series is over. I really and truly respect the amount of minutes he logged this year but at this point being the face of the team, the highest paid, and in the second round of the playoffs to come and out and say your tired is nothing but an excuse. Since he is out of gas lets bring him off the bench. Bibby, Flip, Josh,and Al Joe said he is tired. Joe you’ll have plenty of time to rest very soon.
niremetal
May 6th, 2009
2:19 am
I actually agree with dino about Atlanta’s tepid fan base for pro sports. It’s not a knock. I could give you a dissertation on the reasons why that is (the big reason is that most of Atlanta’s population grew up elsewhere and therefore have loyalties to other teams). But I don’t agree that we should trade JJ. Anyone who thinks that we have another franchise player on this team is kidding themselves. I’d love to see JJ paired with another All-Star…I just want to see it happen here.
And Hms, you forgot my fav’rits:
STEVE HOLMAN: The refs were giving the Cavs all the calls. It was 5-on-8 out there! And the Cavs are a bunch of low-down stinking punks. And LeBron is the reincarnation of Hitler, Saddam, and the 2008 Celtics rolled into one.
RANDOLPH MORRIS: Wait…we had a game today? Seriously?
MARVIN WILLIAMS: *Trips on the microphone cord and tears his ACL.*
niremetal
May 6th, 2009
2:22 am
(I tried to think of a good one for Zaza, but the best I could come up with was “Don’t make me angry – you won’t like me when I’m angry!”)
darrell starks
May 6th, 2009
7:15 am
JOE IS TIRED NO WAY!!!!!!!!!! IS JOE TIRED WOODY WHO PLAYED 41 MIN A GAME DURING THE YEAR THATS WHY YOU DEVOLOP YOUR BENCH DURING THE YEAR TO KEEP YOUR PLAYER FRESH.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!
jon barry
May 6th, 2009
7:21 am
Suckerzzz!!!
dap01
May 6th, 2009
8:08 am
Newkid summed it up best. If our guards aren’t hitting long jump shots, there is no offense. As Andro has said many times, we need a big that can hit the 15 foot shot. Why does Bibby pick up his dribble and then look for somewhere to throw it? Why does AC barely play even when we are down by 25?
If our game plan does not work, are any adjustments tried?
doc
May 6th, 2009
8:31 am
hmmmm, so jj is tired. havent we been saying that for months and asking why he plays meaningless minutes at times? didnt someone say it want important, guess it was after all. yes, it has now gotten us into the second round. the off season will require addressing this issue either in coaching or support players obtained by the basg and the gm, rick sund. guess we can rehash this later, it needs to be one of the bigger issues for the off season. until then i still think one victory in this round will be meaningful and wont give up hope. folks the cavs are really good, of course miami also beat us like this in three of the four away games in round one.
The Truth
May 6th, 2009
9:08 am
dino
The best piece of news that JJ or any Hawks player needs to hear from this blog is “The Truth”. That news can be “Good”, it can be “Bad” or it can be “Ugly” at times. If you think I’m trying to run JJ out of town, than you have misunderstood my point. I’m offering JJ constructive criticism regarding his performance during the post season. In other words, I am giving JJ his midterm performance evaluation for the post season. This type of exercise goes on in corporate America every single today. You should know what I mean if you have ever worked in corporate America. For example, if you are a senior level “anything” than you are paid to be better than your junior counterparts. We all know JJ is much better than his current production. If this unpleasant news would cause him to rededicate and focus than I am sure he will thank us for caring.
Super Lou
May 6th, 2009
9:28 am
Go to the Rack or GET BACK! No “jump shooting” team deserves to win a playoff series and that’s exactly what the Atlanta Balks are. A soft, jump shooting team that stands around and watches their “best” players go 1 on 1. No grit at all. Btw, it’s wonderful as a Duke alum to see our “lesser athletes” shine in the playoffs whereas the “better athletes” from Carolina stink. Yes, Williams IS A A BUST, but name one player from Carolina in the last 4 years who hasn’t been a bust?!
Silly rabbits, tricks are for kids. The Cavs will gobble up these twinkies in 5. Ha Ha
Da Real Real
May 6th, 2009
9:46 am
LoL @ The Truth: Yeah I’ve worked corporate (now own a business) so I know what you mean about those evaluations. Unfortunately for us fans we aren’t the ones giving the evaluations and the players are probably thankful of that. For me personally, I thought JJ’s performance last night was decent at best…it was better than some of those games he gave us in the Miami series. Unlike the last series I just can’t really complain about to much of anything because my expectations in this series are low and I’m not saying that in a bad way. I can’t ask or expect the Hawks to do to much more than what they have done this year because they have far exceeded anything I expected them to do.
I not only think JJ is tired but I think the team is tired (well at least the ones that throughout this whole season has logged major minutes). This is the furthest and longest this collective group of guys has played together. I can’t ask 6 or 7 guys to beat a team who won 60+ games, coming off 8 days of rest, and and rotate 10 guys on their home court with…oh yeah…arguably the best player in the game. I’m just going to sit back and watch and if the Hawks do somehow push this more than 5 games my smile will be even bigger than it was last night – even during a blowout. It’s been fun watching these guys grow up. I’m done complaining about this team for this year because my expectations have been met.
cee
May 6th, 2009
10:14 am
umm cleveland is on a mission and atlanta is just a bug in the way to the championship THE HAWKS AINT READY YOU SEE THE DIFFERENCE IN A REAL STAR WHERES JOE?
A Tribe Called Quest
May 6th, 2009
10:15 am
Joe says he’s tired in Mark Bradley’s blog.
OK Woodson you’ve been in the NBA for 27 years. Do you have to remind us that everytime you talk?
A Tribe Called Quest
May 6th, 2009
10:15 am
Ayo where’s my brother Rick Sund and Dante?
Mike is back
May 6th, 2009
10:18 am
Yeah…Mr Optimism is back,”RIGHT!!!” well JJ finally admitted he’s tired…No time to lick his wounds now…he got TO MAN THE F UP!!!!!
I KNOW WE GOT BEAT BY 27…THEY PLAYED THEIR SCRUBS…LBJ WAS LAUGHING…HELL EVERYBODY WAS LAUGHING…BUT IT ONLY COUNTS ONE GAME!!!!!
We kept it close for three periods…then they fail apart…everybody tried to win the game by themselves…nothing but one on one the rest of the game. You can’t blame Woody for that. THEY KEPT IT CLOSE FOR THREE PERIODS…You gotta try to build off that…continue to fight… and let the ney sayer and detractors keep talking. Everybody kept calling Mo Williams name…they called it right.
WOODY GOT ACIE, MARIO, AND GARNER…THEY ARE BIG GUARDS…WE NEED TO KEEP SOMEONE WITH SIZE ON MO…WE CAN’T USE JJ HE IS ALREADY WORN DOWN…CUZ NO DISRESPECT TO BIBBY…ITS JUST A BAD MATCH UP…I WOULD TAKE MY CHANCES WITH WEST. BOTH CAN BEAT OFF THE DRIBBLE AND SHOOT THE THREE.
THEY ARE GOING KEEP ATTACKING JJ ON OFFENSE…AND BIBBY ON DEFENSE WITH THE PICK AND ROLL UNTIL WOODY MAKE AN ADJUSTMENT!!!!!!!
Mo broke the game open…Woody can’t wait to game three to make that adjustment…he may have to sacrifice some defense to keep Mo under control.
THE HAWKS NEEDS TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GET AL GOING…HE’S AN EMOTIONAL GUY LIKE JOSH…WE NEED HIS HUSTLE AN INSPIRATION…HE’S A BIG GAME GUY…I LOOK FOR HIM TO STEP UP.
LET’S GO AL AND KEEP FIGHTING HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mike is back
May 6th, 2009
10:33 am
I meant sacrifice some offense to keep Mo under control.
Mike is back
May 6th, 2009
10:35 am
Daaaaaaaam…what offense!!! Heh heh
Ariose
May 6th, 2009
10:36 am
If Marvin and JJ Don’t Show up we’re getting swept…..I’m just being real here…….and playing Acie would certainly help…..Solo too…
McDyess AND Rasheed are unrestricted Free Agents this Summer. Thoughts? Oh…..and we still need to trade Marvin, our 1st round Pick, and some cash for Rudy Gay……Just Sayin’. Rudy’s numbers have dropped since resident Chucker O.J Mayo stepped onto the scene. It’s got Memphis fans worried about Rudy…..well Marvin doesn’t need or want the ball so that solves their problem, and we get Rudy…..Bibby, Joe, Rudy, Josh, Al, Zaza, Sheed, Flip, Mo, Acie, Solo…..looks good to me…..
le brown james THE KING OF ATLANTA
May 6th, 2009
10:44 am
get use to hawks this is not ncaa miami heat any more, this is the real men now not some rookie team, i say the cavs in 4 , not a chance for your sisi team .
bigdave
May 6th, 2009
10:45 am
agreed Dino, Niremental…
Rod from CP you said for the folks that think Joe played well, particularly in the 1st half, you question there basketball IQ…? haha… aye, what do you think he could have done better…? did he not distribute the ball, stretch out the double team, was he passive..? did he not do a good job defensively? whats expected from Joe when doubled and tripled…? i mean it would be nice to base it on relative situations but we dont send 2-3 defenders at anyone… unless there in the post…
it was clear that team fatigue set in. not a good thing especially, with the fresh bodies Clev. throws at you, and their physical play. as a result offensively, the passes were lazy, the recipient of the passes weren’t stepping to the ball… defensively, rotation, mental break downs, ball challenges, all things we were doing in the first half…
le brown james THE KING OF ATLANTA
May 6th, 2009
10:47 am
long live king james
The Truth
May 6th, 2009
11:07 am
Man, let’s frame the story this way: last year Mike Bibby came to the Hawks to play starting pg with limited knowledge of the offense with a left thumb injury and a bad foot injury. While not being 100%, he played his azz off, didn’t complain, made no excuses when he played poorly at times and was a major factor in getting us into the first round with the Celtic where we pushed them to 7 games. Now, after 10 years we have advanced to the second round with an opportunity to do something special against the highly covered MVP Lebron James and company. We have accomplished this because of the acquisition of key support players such Flip Murray, Mo Evans and also a more seasoned Josh Smith. Given this scenario, our 70M dollar star player Joe Johnson (who is not injured) responds by saying “MAN I’M TIRED” but I’m not making excuses.
kwooden1
May 6th, 2009
11:22 am
I looked at my comments from last night and I don’t think I’ve changed my view. I saw a lot of good things from last nights game, at least the first half and most of the 3rd. I really don’t think fatigue is a problem, the may issue is # of possessions! Cleveland is going to play the half court game and keep the game slow. The HAWKS have to continue to be patient and understand that their faster than Cleveland. If your faster than someone, you don’t have to run extra fast to beat them, just your normal speed. Josh was making Shaggy, Z, Wallace, whoever was covering him look silly with his speed and quickness. Overall the HAWKS were getting good looks they, just weren’t making a lot of them late in the 2nd and they stopped running their sets consistently in the 3rd.
JJ can be more aggressive, but Cleveland was bring another player at him every play after he scored one-on-one. JJ probably could take more 3s but if he just passes out of the doubles quickly I will be happy.
I think the HAWKS are starting to trust their half courts sets more and make the extra pass more often. I think they’re still moving forward in the maturing process. I will always hope for a better offensive system, but its not happening this series so this is the last time I’m going to talk about it.
Stay consistent with the sets, hit the boards and push the ball for secondary breaks! I think that’s a winning combination!!!
GO HAWKS!!!
Rod from College Park
May 6th, 2009
11:49 am
big dave,
What he did not do is attack. You don’t wait on the double team you attack. He also did not protect the ball. He had a number of turnovers. He is a great shooter but won’t shoot when he is one on one. He waits on Cleveland to double instead of doing what Dwayne Wads did every time a smaller player was on him. He would shoot over him, or immediately go to the rack.
Guys I know you don’t like me. I personally don’t give a @@*%! All these excuses are for losers. This is one of the reasons Atlanta is considered a terrible sports town. If Joe Johnson played the way has been playing in New York, LA … they would be killing him in the media. We make excuses. If Marvin Williams (The #2 pick in the draft) played this way in New York, LA … He would not be able to come out of his house. This is reality. We have to hold these guys accountable and stop making excuses. JOE IS TIRED. MARVIN IS STILL LEARNING. ACIE DOES NOT PLAY ENOUGH…… These guys are professional athletes, who play at the highest level. The players in our starting lineup are all high first round picks except Josh. As much as he is bashed on this blog and in the media, to me, he, Bibby and Zaza are the only players who have played almost every game in the playoffs at a high level. IF YOU ARE ON THE FLOOR, THERE ARE NO EXCUSES.
Coach Woodson has done a good job this year. I am not a fan of his, but I will give him credit this year. That being said, He has to learn how to make adjustments. Joe had Delante West checking him, and Joe never posted him up. Cleveland was a different team after the half, and so were we. They made adjustments, and we did not. We have no chance in this series, if our coach does not adjust, and our star player does not play like a star. It’s that simple. Coach Woodson, you might want to think about doubling Lebron, and make sure Mo Williams is not wide open for 3. Make the other guys beat you. My high school coach can figure that out.
Ariose
May 6th, 2009
11:52 am
Cavs fans, please leave and don’t come back. After those Cranky Heat fans infested our blog for two straight weeks, im burnt out. Just go away please…..
No Crying in Basketball
May 6th, 2009
12:04 pm
I finally have gotten to see the hawks on a cosistent basis, Eight games in a row, and they have to be the most all or nothing team I have ever seen. The most frustrating Jeckle and Hyde performances ever. I love these guys and I love getting to watch them, Flaws and all. I miss the old days of 40 games a year on TBS.
I hope they sign woody for 10 more years, Good or bad he lets his players play. . Just so everyone on this Blog will have something to whine about. We had better lock up Bibby for the rest of his career.
If we could only find a wide body to clog up the middle and move Al to his natural position, we might be able to get to the next level.
doc
May 6th, 2009
12:07 pm
da real real, ditto and along the lines of what i have been saying, series goes five games we we have to think we have stolen one game. grand season and yes i am not surprised nor disappointed at last nights performance. any more victories are icing on the cake. give me a couple of competitive games at home and we can call it a very grand and successful season. uh, then it is back to work as the mountain top has not been cleared.
rod, salient points on the last post. no argument here. josh is still the leader of the band and the most consistent player we have on both ends. when he has it to give he rarely takes a play off unless it is to rail at the refs and get burned by it on the other end. does it happen too often? yes, but less than jj at times, catching a breather on defense or bibby, who thought working hard cannot keep up with the true class point guards in theis league … er, attested to by mo williams doing his thing unscathed while i watched last night. shoot, he really didnt have to do anything with lebron doing his thang but when that trade was done, and i still question why milwaukee chose t be a lottery team again with the move, i knew all were dead except maybe the c’s before garnett’s injury and the lakers.
play on!
Cavs fan since '70
May 6th, 2009
12:18 pm
Everyone’s talking about how JJ was constantly being doubled, so I went back and watched the game again. Here’s what I saw:
In the first half JJ touched the ball only 20 times (it almost seemed like his teammates were intentionally ignoring him) and was double teamed 6 times. He drove the lane twice, once Lebron stole the ball and once he passed. He was on one fast break, and passed the ball at the rim.
In the 3rd quarter (I didn’t bother with the 4th), it looked like they suddenly realized JJ was on the team. He had 18 touches and was doubled 8 times.
Often he passed just as the double was coming. This is not a bad strategy, as someone must be open, but it seemed nothing ever came of those passes. He never attacked the double. Except for the two drives in the first half and one or two in the second he was very passive.
Just my take.
Samuel
May 6th, 2009
12:27 pm
Doc,
You and JJ can make all the excuses you want but I ant buying them. The whole basketball world is watching and pretty much coming to the same conclusion. JJ is overwhelmed by the expectations of being a super star and a go to man for a championship caliber team.
Forget the scoring, he’s just choking in every aspect of the game.
Too many minutes, BS. The man had practically a week off at the end of the season. No more back2backs during the playoffs. There are no excuses.
Although Cleveland beat us handily last night, I can still see us winning at least 2 games and maybe more if our “All star”, Redeem Team stud steps TFU.
Back to my Tater Tots.
The Truth
May 6th, 2009
12:28 pm
Rod from College Park
EXCELLENT POINTS, YOU COVERED ALL THE BASES
A Tribe Called Quest
May 6th, 2009
12:38 pm
This is one of the reasons Atlanta is considered a terrible sports town. If Joe Johnson played the way has been playing in New York, LA … they would be killing him in the media. We make excuses. If Marvin Williams (The #2 pick in the draft) played this way in New York, LA …
AMEN
Atlrayzd
May 6th, 2009
12:43 pm
Rod from College Park…. Well Said. Amazing how some people refuse to acknowledge the obvious.
Dante Fitzgerald
May 6th, 2009
1:00 pm
Ayo, JJ needs to step up!!! Point. Blank. Period.
A Tribe Called Quest
May 6th, 2009
1:10 pm
HEY WOODSON YOU SAID WE WERE GONNA BE MORE UP TEMPO LAST YEAR. WHATS WITH THIS HALF COURT TRASH.
WHATUP DANTE FAM. I SEE U KID
kwooden1
May 6th, 2009
1:25 pm
Rod from College Park… have to disagree in terms of this passed game, but overall your talking the same talk that’s been on this blog for as least the last two years. JJ could have shot the ball more, but in the 1st half the HAWKS were scoring just fine with good team offensive and Smith making Cleveland look silly! The 2nd half brought the turnovers and empty trips, along with poor ball movement. Personally I don’t want Joe to go for 30-40 every night, because that’s not winning basketball. He’s not as athletic as Lebron/Kobe/Wade so he’s got to shoot more jumpshots to get his points. (Bad Idea!) I will agree with taking and making big shots when we need them is not happening, so maybe thats what you’re talking about. But that by itself doesn’t win games either, see Wade last series in his 4 loses!
Rod as you said before the game, can’t let Mo kill us and West was a tough match-up also. Those guys made all the difference.
Doc is right to keep expectations low in this series if they don’t get better as a team. I believe their developing an identity (I don’t like it, but I said I would stop talking about their offensive) on offensive and they already have an identity on defensive. Overall nothing has changed in terms of them not be a prototypical team, so they’re going to have to try an be Detroit (of 3 years ago) until they get people in their natural positions.
I’m not from Atlanta, so I can’t comment on the type of sports town it is, but I live in Washington DC and many people talk like this isn’t a sports town either. Meaningless conversation to me.
GO HAWKS!!!!
doc
May 6th, 2009
1:45 pm
samuel, i am not making excuses for jj. he is the coach’s selected leader and if you notice your coy is the one that always gives him the credit for being the man and doing everything for the team. rarely does he say that about josh. just saying. i am just repeating what is said by him.
i had hoped he had thrown the collar as noted above, just saying and you have heard me ask what is wrong with the guy and point out how ineffective he has ben from time to time and how josh is our more consistent and complete player this year. so where did i get it wrong samuel? not sure what you are really saying, what your coy is saying or what you and i have said about the man for big games he hasnt elevated his game this year, injury or fatigue or choke. he says fatigue, you say choke, coy says he is our man.
personally as disruptive as josh is painted he gets ready to deliver and doesnt fade even when there are folks wanting him to. i admire that. that instills in me some confidence about josh, doesnt it you? we both have an edge about us or at least i know i do, i guess i like that in josh, too. how about you?
doc
May 6th, 2009
2:00 pm
samuel, bottpm line, i guess i am just saying you are disagreeing with your coy.
in the mean time … truth:
JOSH = MVP!
Rod from College Park
May 6th, 2009
2:37 pm
kwooden1,
I understand you point. I am not saying Joe should shoot 30 times a game, but he has to be aggressive, and not be passive. When they don’t double right away, he should attack. Stop dribbling and waiting for the double team to come. Most of it is coaching, but we won’t even get started with that. Were you aware that Joe Johnson, makes a couple of hundred dollars less that D. Wade, and Lebron? No excuses.
RAD
May 6th, 2009
2:39 pm
Here are my observations on some of the Hawks players (and coach Woodson) from last night’s game and throughout the playoffs thus far:
Marvin Williams – Woody should just leave Marvin out of the rotation. I question the extent of Marvin’s injury versus just how much he wants to be out there contributing.
Joe Johnson – Since Joe Johnson has been in Atlanta he has proven over and over that he is a very good player and not a great player. Joe is not the “team leader” that everyone wants him to be. Joe is content in playing his role and having big games from time to time. Joe’s performance in game 7 verses Miami is the exception and not the rule. The Hawks call ill-afford to wait on Joe to carry them thru round 2 of the playoffs.
Mo Evans – Mo seems to be a little up tight during the playoffs. He doesn’t seem to have the confidence in shooting his jump-shot like he did during the regular season.
Flip Murray – Flip is thinking too much on the court thus he seems to be a half of step slow. He has passed up several open jumpers in favor of taking a couple of extra dribbles allowing the defense to collapse on him.
Josh Smith – Josh is playing the best of any Hawk player. His overall performance certainly is worth overlooking a couple of ill-advised jump shots during the game.
Mike Bibby – Mike is playing solid basketball. He is agressive on the offensive end and showing good leadership as a floor general. We all know that Mike is not a great defensive player. Because he is so smart, he will make some good defensive plays (steals) from time to time.
Za Za Pachulia – Za Za had a great series against Miami. His intensity and hustle inspired the fans and his teammates. Cleveland’s frontline could cause Za Za matchup problems as we witnessed in game 1.
Al Horford – Al is at his best when he can get out on the break. In the half court offense, Al struggles and the other teams recognize that. When Al’s back is to the basket, he needs to look more to kick the ball out to JJ or Bibby. On defense, Al is going to have to get in better position to rebound against Cleveland.
Mike Woodson – Last night Cleveland made adjustments at halftime to limit Josh Smith’s drives to the basket. The results showed Josh with no field goals and 5 free throws made in the second half. Woody needs to anticipate the adjustments other teams could make so he can better prepare his team going into the 3rd quarter. Woody also needs to make those same type adjustments to stop or limit the other team as well.
le brown james THE KING OF ATLANTA
May 6th, 2009
2:41 pm
cry me a river hawks fans , your sisi team is facing king james now .the 2009 nba mvp and 2009 playoff mvp.
LeBlow Job aka LBJ of Cleveland
May 6th, 2009
3:43 pm
I use HGH.
Samuel
May 6th, 2009
3:49 pm
Doc,
JJ is our best all around player. Josh is our most talented and most competitive.
I’ve never really heard Woody, JJ or any player say that JJ was our leader nor do I believe that he is. It’s pretty evident right now who our leader is, Mike Bibby. Furthermore, I don’t really expect JJ to “elevate” his game, just play the way he’s capable of playing and not “SUCK”. That would be good enough in most cases, even against the might Cavs, IMO.
On Josh:
I have said countless times that Josh can be a Hall of Famer if he realizes where his talents are and are not. No other Hawk is HOF material. You and others seem to think he can develop into a shooter. I say, stay on the block and become a Hall of Famer. These playoffs are proving that.
When you get to the second round, everybody has to play well. Not necessarily above their level, just well. Right now, we got basically 2 and that won’t get it done. Agreed?
Leon Janes
May 6th, 2009
3:50 pm
I be on that crackpipe Shawdy!
90 tattoos?
2 kids out of wedlock?
Refusing to sign a Darfur petition!
I is a good human being!
Dante Fitzgerald
May 6th, 2009
3:53 pm
I don’t know what to say… yesterday, jus wasn’t a gooood day
EAST ATLANTA HAWKS FAN
May 6th, 2009
3:57 pm
YOU ARE ALL RACISTS.
WOODSON COACHED A GREAT GAME LAST NIGHT AND NOW PEOPLE WANT HIM FIRED?
YOU ALL WANTED HENRY AARON DEAD 9024 YEARS AGO.
JOE IS PLAYING LIKE THE MVP OF THE NBA NOW AND U WANT HIM TRADED?
Blast
May 6th, 2009
4:07 pm
I know all Cleveland fans are not as ignorant as the ones on our blog. They are even more illiterate and stupid than Heat fans.
doc
May 6th, 2009
4:34 pm
samuel, only jj says he is tired didnt he or did i read it wrong? excellent points by the way and agree with everything you said only you havent addressed his excuse not mine for his play. bibby is the leader in the playoffs but the iso joe got us here as bibby often took a back seat getting here is my problem with him as the leader. woody has often and recently pointed out how dependent they were on “our all star” with an emphasis and not talking of bibby. it implies the leader to me is jj as he rarely speaks in such glowing comments about josh.
as far as josh, he will need to continue to develop confidence and touch from the outside just as lebron has and nique did if he is to get there to the HOF which i agree he can. he will lose that athleticism in the next four to five years and will need to keep folks honest to improve his inside game as the career of an HOF candidate lasts into his thirties. anyway bradley pointed out and i agree josh will be the leader in two years jj or no jj.
does josh use the jumper too often? yes, only i see it as much a confidence issue like it was with his foul shooting dropping as it did the mid season to improve later in the season. he feels the pressure to make it as he thinks about it too much as he shoots the wide open shot. that also explains why even as a 25 % shooter from three land he has dropped even further in the playoffs, um just as jj has dropped during the same period and jj is even worse at the stripe than josh during this seasons playoffs. remember jj was an 80% shooter at times in his career, not now. pressure on jj? maybe. yup, sometimes it is ego for josh, sometimes laziness in my opinion as reasons for taking the open shot. that drives me crazy a bit but at the same time i respect the need he has to do it. doesnt matter why. ultimately, he has to have a jumper or he will fail as his body deteriorates with time naturally. i also think, just as many bigs have done it, josh will be successful as well because he is such an athlete. .
ignition
May 6th, 2009
4:45 pm
Someone check to see if Joe is actually a woman..
I don’t know if he is actually has passion for the game..
He doesn’t play like it.. 6′8 225-230lb and he goes in the lane and shoots floaters, rather shoot jump shots, no attacking the paint, no aggressive play..
And it’s contagious look at how they quit last night a “leader:” doesn’t allow his team to quit. He damn sure doesn’t give an 11pt 5 turnover effort.. His cancer has spread to Marvin (his game is unmanly as well), he allows Josh to be tempermental on the court ..
I don’t like Joe, never willy have, and don’t like punks on the court, and thats what we have with Joe..
(I don’t know Joe, I’m strickly talking about his game on the court)
kwooden1
May 6th, 2009
5:01 pm
Rod,
Wade and Lebron will be paid more next summer but that is then and this is now and we need JJ to step up!! I agree that he’s waiting to long to make a decision, problem is he definitely hears the comparisons to Wade/Kobe/Lebron and is feeling the pressure. Either way he needs to be more assertive!
Samuel,
JJ said in an interview with John Thompson that the coach wants him to be the leader of the team and basically that he wants to be the leader and is the leader. Right now he and Bibby are the leaders because even though Smoove is playing better right now, JJ and Bibby are the reasons they’re here. Everyone knows that. Cleveland also knows it and their going to do their best to make sure Bibby and JJ don’t beat them. Come Thursday, they’re going to back off Smoove and beg him to shoot the jumper, double JJ and stay with Bibby.
I feel good about Thursday, just because I don’t think the HAWKS will turn the ball over nearly as much. Many of the turnovers where just rushed passes and over aggressiveness.
GO HAWKS!!!
Sean O'Shaughnessy
May 6th, 2009
5:15 pm
CLEVELAND (Reuters) – The Atlanta Hawks lost Game 1 of the 2009 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs last night 99-72 at the Quicken Loans Arena. When asked why the Hawks’ first second-round effort in years fell short of victory, Atlanta captain Joe Johnson explained “I’m tired.”
le brown james THE KING OF ATLANTA
May 6th, 2009
5:26 pm
4-0 and there’s nothing your girls can do.LONG LIVE THE KING.
doc
May 6th, 2009
6:04 pm
samuel, i only go by one name not like others here so the reports by sean and k woooden are in addition to what i said not a pseudonym as i have no reason to hide nor make up anything. there appears to be support to both of my assertions, one, jj says he is tired his words not my”excuse” for him and two, the notion, jj is the leader with appointment by woody.
Samuel
May 6th, 2009
7:23 pm
Doc,
I’m not saying that he’s not tired i’m saying that’s no excuse for him playing so poorly. You keep insinuating that it’s Woody’s fault for playing him all those “meaningless minutes”.
Hell, how tired is Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Rondo. They’ve each averaged dam near 50 minutes a game over the past 5. Do you hear them complaining and making excuses?
Of course Woody is gonna say that JJ is the leader because he’s our best player and face of the franchise but he knows better. He’s trying to make him into one.
doc
May 6th, 2009
7:33 pm
samuel, thanks for the clarification. i am somewhat perplexed now, as aj says, a coach cant make a leader, you say it is part of his hidden plan. also woody has now had how many years to mold this guy? i would say that is not too good a record, even for a coy.how long a time should we as fans wait for this transformation infold? i dont know about you, it seems that it is time to pass the harness to a different horse. maybe the esteemed coach woody will see that as well and begin to look for someone to psss it to this summer. of course, since it will be done in such a surreptitious manner we will never know, only you. tongue in cheek, please let us know when it happens.
Samuel
May 6th, 2009
8:19 pm
I don’t necessarily agree with AJ’s philosophy. Pople are doing it every day.
JJ is learning to be a leader. This really is the first year that the Hawks have been expected to win. He has been the leader for a losing team. He’s handled that pretty well. It’s different when the anny is a little higher.
This summer will be very interesting indeed. Te Hawks, win or lose, moved to another level this year. Where do we go from here. Do we keep JJ and stay status quo and hope to move up another notch or do we trade him for a similar scorer and big.
I think that Josh and Bibby have made the decisions easier on their parts. Marvin is very valuable but get’s hurt a lot. Same with Horford and Acie.
Ando has been saying that they all can’t coexist forever. I kinda think it should be Marvin, JJ or even Horford. I know that seems like blasphamy but he(Horford)will he ever be as good as Josh and Josh will never be a 3 so that leaves somebody out.
We are better off with Al and Marvin not even suiting up if they can’t bring any more than they did the first game. We’re better off with Solo and whoever else. Hopefully, they can be ready for our home games.
Melvin
May 6th, 2009
8:41 pm
Doc, look like me may get a chance to see the popcorn maker in uniform this series on the bench. Sasha Pavlovic broke his nose during last night game…
richbrave
May 6th, 2009
8:50 pm
You CAVS sycophants better enjoy playing with yourselves, because after LBJ leaves you, holding your own won’t be easy.
Samuel
May 6th, 2009
8:51 pm
Rajon Rondo might be the best point guard in the league right now.
David Stern
May 6th, 2009
9:00 pm
Based on what I witnessed first hand during a recent Atlanta Hawks home playoff game, I’ve decided to meet with the NBA Board of Governors to explore new rules for the 2009-2010 season. We hope that shortening the length of games, shortening the regular season, and making each round of the playoffs a best-of-three games series will prevent players, such as Joe Johnson, from getting tired.
doc
May 6th, 2009
9:03 pm
yeah samuel i agree as i discussed it a bit with aj when i suggested that josh could learn to be the leader guven time. nique certainly wasnt ready for the mantle at such a precocious age. in fact that term describes josh well. it is the seven year old kid who calls it exactly as it is but because of the age it is ignored or suppressed. the point about learning to lead a winner and loser is valid as well. it is going to be a difficult shuffle to get the team reassembled at a more manageable salary total for management is my take. they all cant stay and unfortunately there are some major weaknesses that organic growth may not correct. 5 members of the top ten are going to go for renegotiation, one of the ten doesnt have a future here in acie is my take. that is a huge turnover potential and will test woody and his coaches to the max, this time there can be no excuses for him either. all the free passes are gone.
samuel, whether you believe it or not go back and see i gave woody a lot of free passes the first two years here and was shouted down the way you have been. heh heh i dont remember you getting my back on that one, only ASTRO before he went anakin. my patience wore out i admit, only not to ever call for his head, only for some signals he got it beyond three emotional wins in the post season against a team that hadnt quite settled on roles going into the playoffs in spite of their records. just look now and rondo is the man, last year rivers was yelling at him on every play and finally shut up and the kid got it right to help be a major contributor in the finals but not the first round because the coach kept yelling for him not to shoot, uh, sound familiar anyone? i agree woody is definitely a top eight coach and have said for the record, no matter what here he has earned another job elsewhere and could end up like torre or cox, first time failures second and third time winners.
doc
May 6th, 2009
9:06 pm
samuel, funny i just read your remark on rondo after i posted that last remark on rondo’s development. can you see josh there next year? i can, shooting up thise treys man like the guy we both like ..sheed. it is all he needs, heh heh.
JOSH = MVP!
Melvin
May 6th, 2009
9:10 pm
Stumble over to Mark Bradley’s page earlier. As I ponder the same thoughts myself last nite, I was wondering when someone was going to call out Big AL lack of production. Look like AL is on Mark’s radar. I know he’s been playing hurt the past few games but he hasn’t done much prior to his injury. Sam, you raise the same view as I did awhile back. Would Horford be more productive than Josh at the 4? I like both players but I think Josh is the better 4 now and going forward…
Joe Johnson
May 6th, 2009
9:14 pm
Don’t worry about Al’s production in Game 1, he was just tired.
I expect that he’ll have a break-out performance in Game 7.
doc
May 6th, 2009
9:16 pm
samuel, only jj says he is tired didnt he or did i read it wrong? excellent points by the way and agree with everything you said only you havent addressed his excuse not mine for his play. bibby is the leader in the playoffs but the iso joe got us here as bibby often took a back seat getting here is my problem with him as the leader. woody has often and recently pointed out how dependent they were on “our all star” with an emphasis and not talking of bibby. it implies the leader to me is jj as he rarely speaks in such glowing comments about josh.
as far as josh, he will need to continue i am gay to develop confidence and touch from the outside just as lebron has and nique did if he is to get there to the HOF which i agree he can. he will lose that athleticism in the next four to five years i am gay and will need to keep folks honest to improve his inside game as the career of an HOF candidate lasts into his thirties. anyway bradley pointed out and i agree josh will be the leader in two years jj or no jj.
Reading between the lines
May 6th, 2009
9:26 pm
LOL, wtf doc?
doc
May 6th, 2009
9:46 pm
One pass and won’t shot on offense for the Hawks won’t get the job done against Cleveland.
Good writing, Sekou
Melvin
May 6th, 2009
9:49 pm
My gosh. Reading Sekou latest article, I couldn’t do nothing but laugh. Two of the main culprits are complaining about the offense. What a Joke. One does nothing while he’s in the game except for committing dumb fouls and the other complaining about not getting the ball enough. They need to look in the mirror and at a previous game stat sheet b/c both of them are playing poorly….
niremetal
May 6th, 2009
9:53 pm
kwooden,
Where you live at in DC? I live in Silver Spring (well, I do for now…moving in 10 days). Crazy. I think richbrave is a DC native too, although he doesn’t live ’round here anymore if memory serves.
niremetal
May 6th, 2009
10:03 pm
doc,
The typo isn’t in the article itself – it obviously was the doing of whatever orderly posted the article online
.
In other news, I really marvel at the people who actually are slamming JJ for admitting that he’s tired. In the past two years, he has played more minutes than any player in the league, and he was leading the league in minutes played the year before that until he got hurt. He never, ever even once complained. And then a reporter asked him “Are you tired?” and he didn’t lie. Give me a fracking break.
ignition
May 6th, 2009
10:06 pm
I don’t care if you tired.. You don’t say it and you damn sure don’t give up in game. A 6′8 230lb guard that shoots floater in the paint, doesn’t ever attack the basket, and sulks on the court and about his teammates is a BI&TCH..
It was masked when we were a bad team but now it’s being exposed..
niremetal
May 6th, 2009
10:11 pm
Got cut off there, but you get the gist.
We HAVE to move the ball around better than we have been. That was the most obvious difference between Game 1 last night and Game 7 against the Heat last week. You’re never going to break down as good a defensive team as Cleveland by dribbling in place, slowly backing them down, and hoping someone can get open behind the defense. It’s on everyone – JJ, Josh, Flip, and Bibby. Keep passing until someone gets a good look – and make sure Josh knows that for him, an open 22-footer is NOT a “good look,” and make sure JJ knows that he has to drive as soon as he gets the ball or else pass…dribbling in place until the double team closes in is a recipe for disaster.
In 14 hours, I’ll be done with law school. It’d be a kick-@ss graduation gift if the Hawks could give Cleveland a real run for their money.
niremetal
May 6th, 2009
10:16 pm
Doc,
I’ll put down $50 that Josh Smith will not be leader of this team in 2 years. JJ or no JJ.
kgbsfinst
May 6th, 2009
10:40 pm
“SISI?” is that Spanish for “yesyes?” I don’t mind all the Cavs $hit talkers, maybe the basketball gods (or karma) will rear its ugly head.
The frustrating thing for me is that we played really well against them in the regular season, if we play that well this series we will at least have a chance. I cant add anymore insite that most have already said. Drive more, be more physical against James, keep the intensity, etc. The only new thing I can add, and it might have already been said, is that our defensive rotation sucks. Fratello points it out about 4 times a game.
Help me out with this. Is it just me, or does James travel at least 25 percent of the time he touches the ball? I swear he changes his pivot foot almost every time he gets it in the post. I know hes a star and hes going to get a lot of calls, but the ones that drive me nuts are the no calls. Not just the travels, but on the defensive end as well. Then again, maybe its just me.
darrell starks
May 6th, 2009
10:58 pm
Horford game is diminishing bad in the off season he realy need work on his offensive skills.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
May 6th, 2009
11:04 pm
THE only way we can win this series is that WOODY is going to have to try something new and go deep in his rotation period if continue the same routine series is over in 5.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mike Woodson
May 6th, 2009
11:09 pm
Don’t count on us commemorating GSU Law graduation with a Game 3 win. Chances are Joe will still be tired by Saturday night.
Ward Reeves
May 6th, 2009
11:10 pm
Could it be that Al Horford *gasp*…is tired?
darrell starks
May 6th, 2009
11:14 pm
Horford is hurt so i say lets do this starting five BIBBY, JOE, MARVIN, JOSH, SOLOMON
bench ACIE, FLIP, MO, ZAZA, bring them in with 2min left in 1st quarter and play in till 7min left in the 2nd that way your starter are fresh and they can push the ball after every rebound i guarantee you will see the difference in this team performance.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
doc
May 6th, 2009
11:17 pm
nire first of all have you become the second coming of ando to challenge folks by wagering when there is a disagreement like that is going to solve the issue?
second of all i have said many times that i dont wager on things that i have absolutly no control over. about the only thing i wagered on was my golf game as i controlled how i managed my game. i dont control many things that go into the idea of josh being the leader. the first thing that comes to mind that i will be wrong in repeating mark bradley is that he is usually wrong on just about anything once he commits to it.
congrats on finishing law school, i know how exciting it is. yesterday was my 25th anniversary of graduating form emory med school. it goes fast dude is all i got to say. my youngest graduates from high school later this month, honors night tomorrow night. enjoy every moment. as you head to hear someone else say something more profound on graduation day.
Wally Blase
May 6th, 2009
11:20 pm
Did all the turnovers yesterday have anything to do with Joe Johnson…being tired?
kwooden1
May 6th, 2009
11:20 pm
niremetal,
I grew up in Silver Spring, but right now I live in Gaithersburg, MD. I’m glad to see you’re finishing off the schooling, Law seems like a very tough career, but rewarding. (Financially!)
Doc, I have to disagree with you on JJ, he can be as good a leader as most. I always like’n his style to Duncan, “Shut-up and Just Play”. I think what everyone is asking for is the Game 7 JJ every night! Cleveland understands this and is not going to let it happen. Unless I’m misstaken every time JJ scored 1 on 1, the next time he got the ball another player was coming. What that really says is Clev does respect Bibby, Smoove, Evans or Horford. I would say the entire NBA knows the best way to slow down the HAWKS is get the ball out of JJ hands! I remember the Lakers 2 or 3 years ago, when Kobe was scoring in the playoffs against Phoenix and Game 6 or 7 he started passing the ball because everyone complained he was shoot to much!! Be careful what you wish for! (30 jumpshots a night from JJ) Let the HAWKS get better as a team. This last game came down to turnovers at poor times and poor ball movement. The HAWKS should be able to pass out of double teams and find JJ open at the end of the shot clock.
Cleveland really limits the posessions and makes you play half court. We’ve got to limit the turnovers and clean-up the defensive boards. I believe that will be winning basketball, especially if Smoove really brings it like he did last night.
GO HAWKS!!!
darrell starks
May 6th, 2009
11:27 pm
Woody must tell his player play good defense box out rebound the ball and push it up court do not walk it up at all and look for easy basket at every opportunity.
GAME ONE CAVS 41 REBOUNDS 15 OFFENSIVE HAWKS 33 REBOUNDS 6 OFFENSIVE THIS MUST CHANGE.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
May 6th, 2009
11:34 pm
ACIE MUST PLAY AND CHANGE THE TEMPO AND PUSH THE BALL UP COURT AND PENATRATE TO CREATE EASY BASKET ON EVERY PLAY DONT WALK AT ALL.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Melvin
May 6th, 2009
11:40 pm
kwooden1, i disagree with you on Duncan. There have been plenty of times Duncan has shown so emotion on the court. Remember he went eye to eye, elbow to elbow with KG. When has Joe got in a mixup with another player. There’s been several times he’s shown some nastiness on the court unlike Joe. Joe never gets emotional on the court. Never see him barking at the refs unlike Duncan (he even got Joe Crawford suspended). Joe is a good player but he doesn’t show the on court leadership like Duncan.
doc
May 6th, 2009
11:40 pm
kwooden 1, poor example because tim duncan one of my fave five delivers in the big game every time. he has done it from day one. he has never been doubted loud or quiet. one can be a quiet leader if he truly leads by example. if not it looks like brooding or pouting if there is no emotion. the way to avoid it is by getting the job done. no matter if it is by fire or ice you have to perform on the big stage. it may be a while for him to do it. didnt ray allen have a bit of a collar to wear until he finally shook it mid way through the playoffs? with josh he just gets it done and challenges the order as he ascends is my guess. wasnt jj in a similar position about five years ago wanting to be the man and relegated to the fourth wheel? now that he has it, go do it. precocious youth, how to direct it in the way it needs to go?
A Tribe Called Quest
May 6th, 2009
11:55 pm
Horford only shoots fadeaways–that’s it
dino
May 6th, 2009
11:59 pm
@ The Truth
What makes you think you need to explain “corporate” America and constructive criticism to me? Are you ensenuating that I don’t know any better? You were not constructive at all. You just criticized. You did not stress any good points and you d@amn sure did not offer up any real solutions for improvement. As for his salary, he’s worth whatever his employer is willing to pay him. That’s the business of the NBA. There are countless grossly overpaid players in the league that get contracts based on a salary scale. Isn’t that how “corporate” America does it? Salaries are negotiable based on the average salaries paid by other corporations for similar positions.
A Tribe Called Quest
May 7th, 2009
1:08 am
I HOPE THE HAWKS ARE WATCHING THIS GAME. WE NEED TO LET THE CAVS KNOW WE ARE IN THE BUILDING
A Tribe Called Quest
May 7th, 2009
1:10 am
WE NEED TO MAKE OUR PRESENCE FELT TOMORROW.
JOSH AND ZAZA, I HOPE YOU ARE READING THIS
richbrave
May 7th, 2009
9:34 am
niremetal:
Born and reared in VIRGINIA – lifetime. Living in RICHMOND since 1966. Old VIRGINIA SQUIRES fan. One of only a handful based on the games I attended down at the coliseum. Saw DR.J as a rookie and was hooked for life on the ABA(nee: NBA).
CLEV Fan
May 12th, 2009
1:48 pm
What a joke! Did you really think the Hawks had a chance? LOL did you people see what they did to the Pistons? James has a whole cast of talent to help him out this year and they are HUNGRY for a championship. It isn’t a one man team anymore! I’ll be suprised if Cleveland doesn’t sweep the whole playoffs and championship! YEA! THEY ARE THAT GOOD!
The Scratch card » How to Tell the Board when you see one
May 27th, 2009
8:18 am
[...] to Limit and did not appear after your hourly win rate. The more you play (or even just watch your opponents play) the better you get. Your opponents want to have all of The blinds and want it analyzed by a [...]
Kevin
June 1st, 2009
5:18 am
why should woodson get rehired after watchin king james get dethrone by the magic who beat the mighty jerk classy james no shake howards hands after lost so much for ass James is…orlando won u watchin hawks see why woodson needs to go and GM to…hawks choke with cleveland and u clowns feel sund is a great GM ha ha….