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
TheAntiMe
May 7th, 2009
9:14 pm
It looks like Woody will get to use the scrubs a little early tonight.
D Hawk
May 7th, 2009
9:14 pm
Turn out the lights, the party’s over. Lebron is making it look like his high school days.
HawksSuck
May 7th, 2009
9:14 pm
“Maybe the Hawks will steal one” – har dee har har. Maybe they’ll score more than 70.
Game, SET, MATCH. CAVS DOMINATE!
ajw
May 7th, 2009
9:14 pm
Wally gives credit to the Cavs coaching staff. Has a single Hawk ever done that?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
le brown james THE KING OF ATLANTA
May 7th, 2009
9:15 pm
ajw i’m a monkey but you are a cry baby girl
bigdave
May 7th, 2009
9:15 pm
good post Eski…
le brown james THE KING OF ATLANTA
May 7th, 2009
9:15 pm
puss hawk fan
Melvin
May 7th, 2009
9:16 pm
Im turning my TV off. Not b/c Lebron made that last second shot before the half from Akron but the ball hit ZaZa in the head after it went throw the net. Bad sign when the ball beats up Rocky (I meant ZaZa)….
Witness
May 7th, 2009
9:16 pm
The Cavs have this on lockdown. The Hawks appear ill prepared for the Cavs. This is the playoff, the Hawks look as thought they are in the Pre-Season. This is ugly, just ugly!!
niremetal
May 7th, 2009
9:16 pm
Telling moment of the first-half for me – Hunter goes in and doesn’t notice the shot clock. Woody has so under-utilized his bench that Othello didn’t even know to mind the clock when he actually gets in the game. Ugh.
No mental focus from anyone tonight.
D Hawk
May 7th, 2009
9:16 pm
Why the Flip does Murray dish to a guy that barely knows what the floor looks like when he and Joe are on the floor? When I watch these guys play on the road they look like the dumbest team in the NBA. Sadly, they don’t look that much smarter at home. The just play better.
James
May 7th, 2009
9:17 pm
Well, the Atlanta Dream are playing pretty good in cleveland considering they are all women playing men. WOW.
le brown james THE KING OF ATLANTA
May 7th, 2009
9:18 pm
ready for vacations girls bahamas is waiting.
darrell starks
May 7th, 2009
9:18 pm
This is what happen when you dont devolop your bench during the season your starters get burn out during the playoffs 1playoff game is like 5regular season games there is no way you can win a nba tittle with a 7 or 8 man rotation.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!
ajw
May 7th, 2009
9:18 pm
Hey I like monkeys.
doc
May 7th, 2009
9:18 pm
samuel, cant wait for josh to start practicing the shot we just saw from queen labron. heh heh
vava74
May 7th, 2009
9:18 pm
J. Smoove is still an idiot and a huge one simply because he has the hability to play consistently but doesn’t on account of his absolute lack of BB inteligence.
When we win, we win because he plays a huge role in getting us there, but when we loose, typically he is involved in the momentum changing bone head plays which lead to our demise.
Look at his line today and tell me that I am wrong. Look on how he defended Varejão, an absolutely worthless offensive player who got 6 points and many, many rebounds with J. Smoove on the “watch”.
Please don’t mix up blocking shots actual defense.
bigdave
May 7th, 2009
9:19 pm
it doesnt matter if it wont work Coach Johnson… he wont change or adjust…
richbrave
May 7th, 2009
9:20 pm
Without BIG AL and DUCK, I just don’t see ATLANTA prevailing.
Eric Amous
May 7th, 2009
9:21 pm
These guys suck. How on earth did they make the playoffs. They can’t even get a shot off. The “best” player on the team is shell shocked and can’t even make free throws! I don’t want to hear excuses. Everybody in the playoffs have played the same amount of games. Sissies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Big Ray
May 7th, 2009
9:21 pm
“we need a worthy opponent not this girls”
That’s what the Lakers will be saying about you in the Finals…
D Hawk
May 7th, 2009
9:21 pm
This is what happens when you play the same 7 guys all season, and then you lose 2 to injury and your best player to lala land. The backups don’t have a clue of what to do.
CJ
May 7th, 2009
9:21 pm
The Hawks could bring in Avery Johnson, Phil Jackson, or even exhume Red Auerbach…wouldn’t do any good. This team was beaten before the lineups were announced. It doesn’t really matter who your coach is when the players aren’t interested. It’s simply easier to get rid of a coach than players with multiyear multimillion dollar contracts. But again in the Hawks’ case it wouldn’t matter who is calling the plays.
TheAntiMe
May 7th, 2009
9:21 pm
It looks like all the Hawks ever cared about was winning a Game 7 in the 1st round. They’re all already halfway to the Bahamas in their minds right now.
Actually, this looks more like a freaking Air Tran commercial than a playoff game. Want to get away?
doc
May 7th, 2009
9:22 pm
always felt manny was hiding something under that loose uni he wore. those here for a while have heard me say it. not surprised that he finally got caught.
Melvin
May 7th, 2009
9:22 pm
Vava74, Josh pickup 2 quick fouls and 3rd cheap foul. What can he do when he’s sitting on the bench…
mykhalc
May 7th, 2009
9:22 pm
JERRY SLOAN with this same team…entirely different effort if not result!! just sayin’…
le brown james THE KING OF ATLANTA
May 7th, 2009
9:23 pm
awj you can stop your pain, move to cleveland problem solve.
Big Ray
May 7th, 2009
9:23 pm
Darrell Starks,
Yeah, developing the bench has been a long-standing issue. One that will get re-hashed from time to time. You want to see the value in developing your bench players, so that you can survive when your big guns go down? Look no further than Boston’s Glen “Big Baby” Davis. ‘Nuff said…
HawksSuck
May 7th, 2009
9:23 pm
Nice BigRay – cant do the job yourself, so you have to rely on someone else. We’ll see…. Might do you some good to see how the Cavs and the Lakers have been playing the last several years – not just this year. and please pay close attention to LBJ’s and Kobe’s stats when you look.
Melvin
May 7th, 2009
9:24 pm
Lebron shot 1 fewer free throw than the Atlanta Hawks team in the 1st half…
Murphy
May 7th, 2009
9:24 pm
I agree CJ
RJ
May 7th, 2009
9:24 pm
the hawks could sure use some steroids
Sautee
May 7th, 2009
9:25 pm
Please don’t mix up clueless hatin’ with actual basketball posts.
NoleRick
May 7th, 2009
9:26 pm
Where is Matt Ryan when you need him??
Le Brown… no one in their right minds would move to Cleveland.
ajw
May 7th, 2009
9:26 pm
I *want to get away* but it will be with Southwest, not the dogfighter sponsor.
atlstew
May 7th, 2009
9:27 pm
le brown. “move to clevland problem solved.” Yeah or siberia or detroit right. Even your boy lebron cant wait to get out of that $hitty city.
le brown james THE KING OF ATLANTA
May 7th, 2009
9:27 pm
4-0 anyone disagree?
Big Ray
May 7th, 2009
9:28 pm
Vava74,
Isn’t that what I just said? If he struggles, the team struggles. If he plays well, we tend to play better.
Meanwhile, the so-called best player on the team can’t even play up to the level of the so-called idiot, but that’s okay. Wow.
As for his performance in this game, yes it’s bad. So is everybody else’s. The guy who seems to be having the best game right now is Mo Evans. What does that tell you, huh? I’m sure it’s Josh Smith’s fault. He’s screwing everybody over, and that’s why they’re all playing so badly. Typical, typical, typical…
MAC-TOWN
May 7th, 2009
9:28 pm
Hey, even with the playoff experience from the “thriller” with boston last year….it seems one of our main problem is that the guys have no energy, no swag. I’m not josh smith’s biggest fan, but he seems to be THE ONLY PLAYER who has got pumped up at some point during the playoffs.
They have looked uptight in both series. No emotions at all. That’s pretty weird to me.
The Hawks need a Fiery, emotional leader out there.
Josh Smith gets openly emotional but its not usually the “yea im gettin in my teammates face to pump them up” …aka positive way….its usually the cryin about a no call or call on him…..which furthrer depresses an already depressed lookin/playing teams.
vava74
May 7th, 2009
9:28 pm
J-Smoove: 11 minutes, 1-6 FG, 1 Rebound! and Varejão (!) scored 6 points on him!
In his defense, one of his defensive calls was totally wrong and the offensive also questionable BUT he is 6′10”, he should get more than 1 rebound in 11 minutes and he should not launch stupid jump shots.
In one of them he was two steps from the basket with not defenders and on another he was guarded by a 6′7” white guy with no jumping hability and defenseless.
His has a peanut for a brain. FACE IT: hugely talented, no judgement, resulting in terrible inconsistency.
Melvin
May 7th, 2009
9:29 pm
ASG, get a good look the results of tonight game when you decided to invest money in bench players such as Mario West, Othello Hunter, Randolph Morris and Thomas Gardner. I hope you are happy with the return on your investment.
cp
May 7th, 2009
9:29 pm
Game over. I’m about to start researching available players in the draft. These guys are not showing any hear, energy, or any type of emotion period…… We need offense and Woodpecker puts in Mario who has no offensive game what so ever… Cleveland lets him have open jumpers and he passes them up…. Hunter got in the game before Law. If I was Law I would go head and shower and catch a flight back to the A…. Bibby is getting destroyed on defense and Evans cant guard Lebron. Flip is looking horrible again.. I guess it would be too much to ask to let Law handle the pg duties, move Bibby to the sg, and leg Joe guard Lebron.. I have never seen a coach not make adjustments but Woodpecker does not know what that is. This team is soft. Get some guy with some damn heart in here.
CJ
May 7th, 2009
9:30 pm
Look at the bright side, Hawk fans…Cleveland is head and shoulders better than us but, dang…they have to have something don’t they?
Their weather is deplorable, the city is drab, Brady Quinn is their QB, their women are fat, the Indians haven’t done much, they live by a lake that actually caught fire. Give them their moment, the Cavs are good…let them gloat.
Meanwhile, go downtown, stroll up Peachtree, walk through Centennial Park, look at a beautiful Atlanta woman, enjoy the weather…and thank the Lord above, even though the Cavs are making the Hawks look like a rec league team, that you don’t live in Cleveland.
Bring on Falcons minicamp.
TheAntiMe
May 7th, 2009
9:31 pm
It kind of looks like even if Woody could have the starters and the entire bench on the floor all at the same time against the Cavs 5 that the Hawks still would be getting their tails whipped. When was the last time a team lost a playoff game by 70 points. It looks like it really could happen. Wow.
le brown james THE KING OF ATLANTA
May 7th, 2009
9:33 pm
and don’t boo me on your sorry arena i don’t want to embarass your sorry team on your sorry city.
Big Ray
May 7th, 2009
9:34 pm
Melvin,
Exactly. But I don’t expect everyone to understand that, obviously. Still, he’s not having a good game. But neither is anybody else, and last I looked, this was a team sport. But hey, what do I know?
Hawksuck,
I know. You can’t do it all by yourself, and that’s the problem here. I’ve been watching the Lakers and Cavs play for several years, thankyou. Until they added a second consistent, credible threat in Mo Williams (which still won’t be enough against the best in the West), Cleveland was going to hit a ceiling every time.
Boston was going nowhere until they got ahold of two aging but still very dangerous all-stars to play with Paul Pierce. Of course, Pierce’s dumb ass likes to act like they were champions all along, but he’s full of it. What he is, is lucky that Ainge managed to pull it off.
The problem with the Hawks is they have other weapons. They don’t use them properly. But I also happen to think they don’t have that “other stand-alone weapon” yet either. I don’t know if we’re going to be able to develop such a thing, given the current state of affairs, so we might have to trade for it.
HawksSuck
May 7th, 2009
9:34 pm
Yo CJ – The RIVER caught on fire, not the lake!
Murphy
May 7th, 2009
9:35 pm
How can people crap on Josh when Joe is not doing anything out there, and hasnt done anything except for one game when he was hitting 40 foot three pointers? Joe gets no respect from the league and obviously none from the hawks fans if your not willing to sh*t on him as much as u do Josh. At least Josh wants to try to win the game
le james brown THE KING OF ATLANTA
May 7th, 2009
9:35 pm
I AM AN IDIOT OF GLOBAL PROPORTIONS.