Stand up Hawks!
It's time for the Hawks to stand up, stand together and show the world that they belong.
WITNESSVILLE - Now is not the time Hawks.
And the postseason is certainly not the appropriate place to come apart at the seams.
The Cleveland Cavaliers don’t need the assist.
So to hear the Hawks talk of not “sharing the ball” and needing to “attack from all over” screams of a team in need of reconstitution (and if you don’t like what you hear coming from the Hawks’ locker room since their Game 1 loss to King James and his crew that’s a good thing, because you shouldn’t).
It’s not something that can be done by a coach or general manager intervening. It’s also not something that can be fixed with one of those trendy players’ only team meetings or any of the other conventional tools used by most NBA teams.
This is a calculated regeneration of a team that can only come from individual catharsis, and the Hawks need it to happen 15 times in 15 different rooms at the tony Ritz-Carlton at Tower Center (where NBA soul searching goes on regularly in this city) before Game 2 of this Eastern Conference semifinal tonight at the Q (the arena better known as King James’ Camelot).
As meticulous AJC wordsmith Mark Bradley points out, the choice to either fight back or get smashed, belongs to the Hawks.
Each loss the Hawks have suffered this postseason has been uglier than the one before it. The average margin of defeat (24.2 points) is preposterous at best, and an affront to the game at it’s core.
No playoff team capable of winning a seven-game series, as the Hawks have already done, should be on the receiving end of tail-whippings of 15, 29, 26 and 27 points, respectively. Those lopsided efforts speak to a team that, despite nearly eight months in the fox hole together, still does not trust each other completely, a team that can’t muster the collective energy and focus to at least make a loss respectable as opposed to making themselves a spectacle.
The first thing you hear in the Hawks’ locker room after a bad loss is, “We didn’t play together. We didn’t help each other out. We’ve got to blah, blah, blah.”
If you think I’m making this stuff up, here’s a sampling (edited ever so slightly to omit the verbal offender’s specific identity) of what’s come out of the mouths of your Hawks after playoff losses the past few weeks:
“We just have to play with a sense of urgency like we did in Game 1. We have to get after them defensively. And as long as we share the ball offensively, I think everything else on the floor clicks.”
“We’re up against it now. And we’ve got look at ourselves in the mirror and realize that we can’t get out of this mess without doing it together.”
“We’ve just got to pick up our intensity. We’ve got to do a lot of things. But it all stems from our effort. We have to play hard as a unit. That’s the key for us. And we have to bring that [today]. Because our backs are against the wall now, really against the wall. We’re going to see what this team is made of.”
“We came out and talked about hitting them first and not letting things get out of hand early like they did in Game 2. But we let them hit us first again.”
“We lost our composure, no doubt. Things weren’t going our way, calls weren’t going our way and we lost it. We let them build that big lead and it got to us. We were never in sync defensively and we just didn’t handle ourselves well.”
“In the second half we just didn’t get into any offensive sets. We were careless with the ball. We had too many turnovers. Any time we have 17 turnovers it’s never a good night for us.”
“It was very disappointing, knowing that we’ve come this far. Looking back on the first series that we had (with Miami), that was very tough, and I thought we would come into this game a little more enthused and come ready to play. I thought we had a pretty good first half, but the second half wasn’t so great.”
It never fails.
Whenever things go sideways for the Hawks they all start speaking French (”We, We”). For once, it would be nice to hear someone talk about what “I could have done” or that “I didn’t give my team” what it needed?
Whatever the Hawks do, they'll have to do it without Marvin Williams and Al Horford at full strength.
On paper, there’s no way the Hawks should do anything more than annoy the Cavaliers for a few games. Al Horford’s sprained right ankle won’t allow him to play at full strength during these playoffs.
Marvin Williams has a wrist injury that followed his late-season back injury, shredding what was easily his best (and breakout) season as a pro.
So no one is expecting these Hawks to shock the world.
But these Hawks have defied paper logic since training camp, including making a return trip to the playoffs whenever publication on the planet predicted they would not.
That they’ve made it this far, even with all the setbacks, is a testament to the resolve of this stubborn but flawed bunch.
Just how stubborn they are and just how flawed they are will come into better focus as this series continues, be it three more games or more.
Whatever happens, the time has come for these Hawks to dispense with all the locker room rhetoric and simply play the game like a team that belongs. Play it for 48 minutes, with the required fire in the belly and without any remorse.
Anything else is an injustice to those who have watched this team evolve from the 13-69 train wreck of a four years ago into the promising bunch that has defied all the odds the last year.
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645 comments Add your comment
braveshater
May 7th, 2009
6:21 pm
THE PROBLEM IS OUR IDIOT COACH DOESNT EVEN KNOW WHERE THE GUYS NEED TO BE ON THE COURT, SO THEY’RE OUT THERE TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT THEMSELVES. HOW ABOUT GOING OUT AND HIRING SOMEONE WHO KNOWS HOW TO RUN A DAMN OFFENSE. HOW LONG DO WE HAVE TO WATCH THIS GUY RUIN THE CONTINUITY. MIKE WOODSON IS A MORON.
Mike Woodson
May 7th, 2009
6:25 pm
It doesn’t take a moron to see that Joe Johnson…is tired.
Steve Belkin
May 7th, 2009
6:33 pm
Tired of Joe Johnson yet?
EJH
May 7th, 2009
6:50 pm
If Joe is tired, what about Kobe, Lebron, and D-Wade, they played in the Olympics during the summer Kobe played in the finals before going to the Olympics and then came backs to training camp for the upcoming season, so did carmelo anthony, Dwight Howard, deron williams, chris paul also they all have played a lot of basketball but not one time have they said they were tired. Joe Johnson wants to be mentioned with those guys, but he is nowhere near there level, Josh Smith is closer to those guys than Joe.
joe j
May 7th, 2009
6:59 pm
I need help, This team is not championship, that is a big word, calibre.
mykhalc
May 7th, 2009
7:05 pm
and some wonder why i have such a problem with WOODSON!! this is the same ole $hit and it’s still happenin’ from the top down…all the way to the top. a real HC would have had this problem solved. the actual ISO scheme feeds into the lack of trust. same ole $hit for the last 2 years!!! develop a damn ‘real’ bench with some better schemes and some of this would have taken care of itself…by now!!! CLUELESS!!!
mykhalc
May 7th, 2009
7:10 pm
what other HC in the NBA would have a ‘lack of trust’ issue runnin’ for 2 yrs str8??? seriously…name one!!!
vava74
May 7th, 2009
7:12 pm
Many interesting post and opinions.
I also believe that we should try to get some veteran help, someone tough and capable of giving good advice to our young team. Remember, our age average is lower than 25, including Zaza at only 25 and then Al, Marvin and Josh below that.
My take on some of the names mentioned: no, no, no, no, absolutely no to loosers like Francis, Sheed, etc… Sheed only got his ring because he had a momentary lapse of reason and played hard for about 40 games with the pistons. After he got the title, he has been just a huge waste of talent, always avoiding to play on the low post and to work hard, settling for 3-pointers with occasional spurts of actual BBall contribution.
Drew Gooden is also a bust: horrible shot selection, total lack of brain, also a loser. Look how better are the Cavs without him and how little impact he had with the Spurs (an error in judgement by Pop).
About our performance: we are undermanned. We sorely miss having Marvin and Al clicking on all cylinders. I also believe that, in spite of the fact that both Flip and Mo were good additions, we miss Josh Childress’ in n’ out energy game coming out of the bench. Anyone saying the oposite can only be saying that out of spite. Yes, he f*cked us real hard, but who can actually blame him for going for the money and a new experience, at his age, specially in light of the fact that we were not offering him neither similar money nor a starting job?
Given Al and Marvin’s situation, it is not shame if we are swept by the CAVS, although the players’ mind set should be to leave their blood on the floor on ALL GAMES up to the very END. This includes the bench on garbage minutes: effort starts on practice and continues on EVERY oportunity given to play.
Anything less than that is unacceptable.
About Woody: I have my doubts and I have criticised him in the past, however, they way he handled the team in light of the horrible officiating in game 4 of the Miami series was superb (remember, amongst dozens of others, the illegal screen set by Wade on Bibby that triggered the two 4-point plays in succession?), asking for everyone to stay calm and just play BBall.
Obviously, in some occasions the officiating is so damaging that remaning calm is impossible, however, he handled that game well and that speaks a lot in his favour.
His X’s and O’s are, in my opinion, very suspect, however, the low age average is an indication that the team is still inexperienced and lacks the BBall IQ which is acquired by experience (some players are born with that IQ (R. Rondo, D. Williams, …), most acquire it as they play through the years and some never actually acquire it).
I love J-Smoove’s passion for the game and his committment to always give a good effort is never at stake, however, I am very concerned that he falls on the latter category: he may never acquire the BB IQ necessary to be a consistent and dependable player.
He has 4 years of experience and he constantly puts us in a bad spot with his bonehead outside shooting.
Later he has shown to be a bit more focused, driving more and in particular when shooting FT, so there might be some space for me to be wrong.
In relation to JJ: JJ has several problems but by no means we should ditch him. His low profile character is his most significant problem, typically leading to two seriously bad effects: he sometimes shies away from the game and he does not get the calls he should when he drives to the basket, making him settle and depend too much from his outside shooting. If got the calls he deserves, he would put 4 to 6 ppg more, easily and the defenses would have a lot more trouble knowing what he intended to do.
Finally, it his obvious that he is extremely tired and that he did not fully recover from his ankle woes.
So people, relax and hope that the effort is good. This is the most important issue, regardless of the result.
Terry Stotts
May 7th, 2009
7:12 pm
Terry Stotts? What do I win????
Fire Mike Woodson Express
May 7th, 2009
7:18 pm
Mike Woodson is the worst coach in the NBA. And Rick Sund is so damn stupid for keeping woody around. Just watch him on TV tonight, he looks like a dear caught in head light its awful.
Avery Johnson
Would have this team together no question about it.
mykhalc
May 7th, 2009
7:18 pm
figured it would be a past HAWKS coach!!LOL
Fire Mike Woodson Express
May 7th, 2009
7:22 pm
Terry Stotts and Mike Woodson are both terrible.
Fire Mike Woodson Express
May 7th, 2009
7:23 pm
HIRE AVERY JOHNSON and fire Mike Woodson
LeBron
May 7th, 2009
7:27 pm
You all should lay the 13 points and bet us to cover the spread tonight. You might as well make some money while watching the beat down.
doc
May 7th, 2009
7:29 pm
melvin i have no clue to what you are referring in connection to me and govt schools.
mykhalc
May 7th, 2009
7:33 pm
it’s funny that when BIBBY called out WOODSON while on the court that WOODSON said, to para-phrase, he smiled ’cause he was glad to see the fire from his veteran PG. BIBBY might not be the player he once was but he STILL f’n knows what it takes to really compete in a playoff atmosphere(sp?). WOODSON smiled ’cause he got called out by BIBBY…PERIOD!!! it’s just plain stupid to keep puttin’ JS on the 3pt line if you don’t wanna take the ‘chance’ that he might take the shot!!??? (WTF emoticon!!) i mean, what’s JS’ habit???!!! could that be a clue to what he might do!!??? yeah, we all can wish JS’ bball IQ might be a tad ‘different’ but it’s not like he hasn’t shown us what he’s likely to do in certain situations!!?? and i ain’t hatin’ on SMOOVE either. he is who he is as a player!!! i’m as proud as the next HAWKS fan but i HATE CONTINUED STUPIDITY…especially across MULTIPLE seasons!!!
Zup
May 7th, 2009
7:34 pm
Poor Woodson. . .I love the guy, but you guys are right. His actual Xs and Os ability is lacking. He’s smart but can’t string together a game plan, involving intricate offensive and defensive schemes (though I think he is a better defensive coach). He would make an outstanding assisstant coach.
drmaryb
May 7th, 2009
7:36 pm
HATERS’
DX (diagnosis): Hater-itis , Associative – Not enough hugs, Concomittiant – visceral headaches, back pain & anal pain.
Onset: Childhood
TX (treatment): Self-Love
PX (prognosis): Bleak
RX: Love Pills Bid (2x/Daily) for a Lifetime
Recommended: Psychological Counseling & LOA from work 12 months continuous
Fees: $75/minute – 1 hour session daily
drmaryb
May 7th, 2009
7:38 pm
Hawks,
Your team has a DRUG Problem, LeBron & ‘Nem DRUG the Hawks UP & DOWN the court last game.
What are you HAWKS gonna’ do about it?
Fire Mike Woodson Express
May 7th, 2009
7:49 pm
Avery Johnson just said on ESPN, that somebody from the reseach team pass him a note that Joe Johnson said he was tired. Avery words we’re, ” tired tried? please joe it’s playoff time” That’s the kind of coach the Hawks need.
Fire Mike Woodson Express
May 7th, 2009
7:51 pm
Woodson uses those sorry ass excuses, Joe and our team is banged up but we are battling. Maybe try fixing your defense and offense.
Fire Mike Woodson Express
May 7th, 2009
7:55 pm
LOL. BIBBY just told ESPN Live that they have to do a better job with the other calvs players because they can’t control James lol. That’s something what Woodson would say.
vava74
May 7th, 2009
8:08 pm
bad, stupid shot by J-Smoove…
le brown james THE KING OF ATLANTA
May 7th, 2009
8:09 pm
ready girls for round 2 of the 4 round knoutout .
vava74
May 7th, 2009
8:10 pm
awful one on one defense by J-Smoove
doc
May 7th, 2009
8:15 pm
couldnt find folks to go to the prayer hall so i am sitting in front of the tv with my white now you know and the retro red smith number 5 jersey on. got to try something, need huge gaems from the survivors we got. seems we sent some key folks off the island.
Melvin
May 7th, 2009
8:17 pm
Doc, i saw that post on Mark Bradley’s blog last nite….
bigdave
May 7th, 2009
8:17 pm
i hear ya doc…
FrenchyFries
May 7th, 2009
8:17 pm
Hawks learning how to control the ball unlike they did in game 1?
Nope not this Hawks team, two Cleveland steals and 3 Atlanta turnovers.
RJ
May 7th, 2009
8:17 pm
this hawks team is full of bullsh.it excuses
RJ
May 7th, 2009
8:19 pm
Look in every Hawks player’s eyes. There isn’t one player that looks like they want to win.
le brown james THE KING OF ATLANTA
May 7th, 2009
8:19 pm
long live king james.
le brown james THE KING OF ATLANTA
May 7th, 2009
8:22 pm
and don’t boome on atlanta i don’t want to score 100 pts on your sorry ass team.
bigdave
May 7th, 2009
8:22 pm
CHAAAAARGEE!!! SHYT… HE TAKES THE COLLISION AND DOESNT EVEN GET THE CALL!!
vava74
May 7th, 2009
8:22 pm
atrocious shots by J-Smoove and atrocious defense on Varejão…
pensacola dawg
May 7th, 2009
8:22 pm
Hawks suck!
vava74
May 7th, 2009
8:22 pm
bad call against us… they are starting
doc
May 7th, 2009
8:22 pm
refs going to work on us.
Melvin
May 7th, 2009
8:23 pm
Terrible call on Josh. Im glad Hubie Brown is calling it down the line tonight….
bigdave
May 7th, 2009
8:23 pm
MOVING SCREEEN…!!! SHE DONT CALL SHYT..
pensacola dawg
May 7th, 2009
8:24 pm
If Joe Johson is tired maybe he should work as hard as James!!!!!
bigdave
May 7th, 2009
8:26 pm
Melvin,
u can trust Hubie and Co to do a good job tonight.. they are the best team on…
well, besides Bob &Nique’ …
Pete
May 7th, 2009
8:26 pm
Look, the Hawks are no different than 90% of all NBA teams. They are a collection of “spare parts”, shamefully overpaid, each player having the work ethic and inner character of a 12 year old child. With kids like this, when the going gets tough they shrink like week old flowers. Can you imagine any of these “children” having to spend ONE MONTH in the U.S. armed forces ?? They would shrivel up and die……….on the spot.
And you wonder why they play like they do ??
vava74
May 7th, 2009
8:26 pm
Yes, Hubie Brown was right on the money: instead of an offensive foul, we got a second foul on our second best player.
Instead of a defensive stop, we got one point against and a diminished offense… instant impact of a single bad call…
Melvin
May 7th, 2009
8:27 pm
Glad to here Hubie calling the game. He does a great job in analyzing the game instead of riding the Superstars jock straps…
vava74
May 7th, 2009
8:28 pm
zero fouls by the cavs by now!!! nice stat!
ajw
May 7th, 2009
8:31 pm
Well they are only go to give the cavs a foul when the bench is in.
Firsty McFirst
May 7th, 2009
8:32 pm
Wow, apparently Zaza Pachulia is a spokesman for Travelers Insurance.
Suckers.
ajw
May 7th, 2009
8:33 pm
Put it on Wikipedia. LeBron had a call against him.
ajw
May 7th, 2009
8:34 pm
LeBron is a monkey.