Do they have anything left?
Do Joe, Josh and the Hawks have anything left? We're going to find out in a few hours.
HAWKSVILLE - The clock is ticking on this once miraculous season for the Hawks.
How much time remains is hard to tell, could be a couple games or a couple days.
No one knows for sure.
But one question about these Hawks remains.
Do they have anything left?
Fresh off two straight blowout loss in Cleveland, it’s all come down to this one showing, tonight’s Game 3 against Cleveland at Philips Arena.
If the Hawks can dig down and find something that works long enough to hold off the Cavaliers, maybe, just perhaps maybe, they can stretch this series out a few days longer.
We all know there have been far too many injuries to contend with for the Hawks to actually dream about springing an upset.
But there is still time to save a little face and make the NBA, the city of Cleveland and even the Cavaliers sweat a little bit.
Win tonight and waking up Sunday morning in a 2-1 hole gives people hope. Go to bed tonight down 3-0, however, and Monday’s Game 4 becomes 48 minutes of survivor. And with LeBron James smelling blood and the Hawks smelling vacation … well, it could be just enough to shove the Hawks all the way over the playoff cliff.
I took a seat in my barber’s chair a little earlier today and before he could even get started, one of his fellow barbers stopped him so he could ask the question that I’ve been getting non-stop the past 48 hours.
“Them boys gettin’ swept or what man?”
I’ll tell you like I told him, it all comes down to tonight.
The Hawks have been holding on to the aura of their own home court advantage, and all the cosmic energy that comes with it, all season long.
It worked for them in Game 7 against Miami. But that was a series clincher. And they weren’t missing three injured starters (only Marvin Williams sat that one out, Al Horford and Joe Johnson did not).
Johnson, Horford and Williams might play tonight (all three are officially “game-time” decisions) and it still might not be enough to hold off the Cavs. They’re that good. And that focused. And that serious about doing whatever it takes, whenever they have to and wherever they have to in an effort to win a championship.
I loved Wally Szczerbiak’s quote after Game 2 when he was asked about the Cavs’ six, double-digit playoff wins this postseason – “You haven’t seen the hard work we’ve been putting in,” he said, insulted that anyone would dare to think the Cavs are just good enough to show up and blow teams away without doing any dirty work to make it happen. “There’s a lot of work that goes into playing as well as we’re playing. We definitely put the effort in on the practice floor, in the film room and in the weight room. We’ve done it all season long, so we are going to continue to do that and it’s paying off during game time.”
This from the team’s seventh, eighth or ninth man, depending on Mike Brown’s playing rotation on a given night. That’s what winning big is all about, that attitude, that mindset and that kind of sacrifice.
And while this looks like hard work from the Hawks’ perspective, James is smiling at the opportunity to play in “another hostile environment” – if an arena filled with fans wearing his jerseys and gasping at his every move, from the powder toss at the start of the game to his headband toss to the crowd at the end, and everything in between, can be considered hostile.
“We have a 2-0 lead,” James said. “A series is never won in two games or three games. But Game 3 is going to be really fun.”
We shall see shortly.
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845 comments Add your comment
NUNNA YO BIZZNEZZ
May 11th, 2009
12:20 am
rollins tree,
i’ll answer that for u..
no!!
no bench developement/running down players legs so in postseason they are tired/no control over josh smith/team doing the opposite of what he tells them to do/never adjusting his gAme plan to combat whAt the other team is doing/1st josh smith,now everyone is not listening to him/dressing out injured plAyers when he hAs guys on the bench whom Are healthy And could plAY now..
he is so long gone out of here!!!
Clyde
May 11th, 2009
12:24 am
I liked Terry Stotts too. JT, Sura, and Steven Jackson played well together. They were a entertaining group that played hard each night despite the lack of talent. If we would have added a few more pieces around them we would have been alright but Billy decided to blow up the team. I remember he told JT he wanted him around during the rebuilding process then one year later he traded him.
This season needs to hurry up and end. I got a lot of negativity I want to get off my chest.
doc
May 11th, 2009
12:44 am
myk, it is about i when there is a loss to consider, looking at me in the mirror only, not about the others. it is only seeing what i could have done to make a difference. when it is about winning then it is a shared experience a collective coming together to deliver.
i only wish that for all of the comments jj has made recently he would change the we to i. just look what would happen if he did. talk for yourself and lead, to say what you expect of every member of the team to do jj. jj play a game with fire and see what happens, a whole game like it is your last; bringing nothing but fire. wow, would that be interesting where everyone knows it is about jj’s will to win and nothing else?
mykhalc
May 11th, 2009
1:10 am
DOC, totally agree
Kid from CLE
May 11th, 2009
1:12 am
I love reading these comments. Really alleviates the Grass-is-Greener syndrome I get all the time, and believe me, the feeling is hard to shake living in Cleveland.
Much respect to the Hawks Faithful, and from what I gather, there aren’t as many out there as I’d thought.
After Craig Ehlo left the Hawks for Seattle, I’d never paid much attention to the Hawks. And, as much as the sting still lingers from the 95 World Series, I gotta give it to this year’s squad. Commendable season. But let’s face it: you guys are the Cavs’ warm-up for the conference finals. You heard this train coming as soon as the playoff seeds were announced.
Now, prepare for LeBron’s coup de grace. See you birds next year. It’s been real.
bigeasy830
May 11th, 2009
7:25 am
We never had a chance in that game. I was there at the Highlight factory. Whenever the Hawks made somewhat of a run, Lebron told his teammates to calm down and give him the ball. The Hawks could not stop him he scored at will. The Hawks players looked scared and intimidated. I will be there tonight and hope that we avoid the sweep, but the Hawks are not on this teams level. if we lose Bibby in the off season, I say the one player that can change the swag of this team immediately and make us a legit threat or the east is a player that is available and if healthy be our superstar that get us over the hump and that is, Allen Iverson. After this season go out and get A.I. He still have a few years left in him and he when healthy can still score at will. The Hawks need that type of player. If we want to win 45 to 50 games a year for 4 or 5 years and say, hey, nice season then keep the status quo, but if we want to truly be a contender then the Hawks should go out and get A.I. now that they don’t have to give up anything for him. Look at what Artest have done for the Rockets and if he can change his ways A.I. can do the same.
Holla……
kreedham
May 11th, 2009
7:36 am
The Hawks have the superstar factor working against them. It was all started by MJ and now Lebron and Kobe are the heir apparent. They always get fouled and never get fouled, They take 3 steps to the basket and it’s never traveling. Remember when you were a kid, you took one step and it was traveling. They game today is too often decided by refs but it’s not their fault. The NBA has allowed it to evolve into this! So if the refs are gonna call fouls on the Hawks, at least get your money’s worth. Lebron got called for his 1st and probably only foul last Saturday and I hear he looked at the ref like he couldn’t believe he called it. I’ll repeat, if you’re gonna get called for a foul, at least let them know they were fouled.
terrell barron
May 11th, 2009
7:37 am
Lets see the Rockets are tied 2-2 with LA, their 2 best players are injured, they throw out a starting lineup of Brooks, Battier, Artest, Scola, and Chuck freakin Hayes, and they blow out the Lakers at home yesterday. Question #1. Is that lineup any better than ours? 2. Are the Cavs that much better than Kobe and co.? 3. Is Aldeman that much better of a Coach than Woody? If your answer is #3, I totally agree.
kreedham
May 11th, 2009
7:38 am
Sorry…on that last one it should have said in sentence 1…and they never commit a foul.
Joe "Sucks" Johnson
May 11th, 2009
8:14 am
I can’t wait until I go to a team that already has a superstar, so I can be a role player again…where I’m meant to be.
Realist ***** In It
May 11th, 2009
8:16 am
Ramon Sessions > Joe Johnson
Courtney Lee > Joe Johnson
Anthony Johnson > Joe Johnson
Eddie House > Joe Johnson
James Jones > Joe Johnson
Mike Bibby's Defensive Abilities
May 11th, 2009
8:17 am
Gone on Vaction…
Be Back Never
Highlight Factory DVD Promoter
May 11th, 2009
8:19 am
Hello All!!!
Check out the new “Highlight Factory Presents: Josh Smith” DVD…..featuring the top 100 of your favorite Josh Smith MISSED Dunk attempts….
dap01
May 11th, 2009
8:23 am
We need a coach who can make adjustments.
We do not need a “no defense” point guard.
We need defensive ability in the paint. We need toughness. I love Hortford but he needs to improve his offensive ability. No improvements yet.
We need an offense.
We need a GM that does not take a year to look over his team. Did Thomas Dimtrioff take his first year off?
We need a guard that can penetrate. (We have one in AC).
Our team has been exposed.
We need a NBA Commissioner that does not want the refs to have man crushes on certain players. We need a league with credibility.
darrell starks
May 11th, 2009
8:47 am
dap01 wow i totally agree with you on every thing.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!
le brown james THE KING OF ATLANTA
May 11th, 2009
8:47 am
last spanking and i over hawks.
JD
May 11th, 2009
9:02 am
The Hawks need a defensive “scheme”, an offensive “scheme” and a game plan.
One definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over while expecting a different result.
Game 2 followed game 1 and game 3 followed the first two with apparently the same approach to defense on LeBron, the old offense and no attempt to force the game into a pace or flow to give the Hawks a chance to win.
I truly believe Mike Woodson is a likeable individual but some coaches are just created to be assistants. The time has come to recognize Mike’s limitations and cut the losses. Either his approach is incapable of producing a team to compete above the first round level or the players are unwilling to follow the lead of the coach.
In either case the coach must go. The NBA is a player’s league now and though this creates a poor brand of basketball centered on the individual rather than the team, the fact should not be ignored.
Luke Cage
May 11th, 2009
9:13 am
CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF GOOD COACHING AND NO COACHING:
GLENN DAVIS’ GAME HAS RISEN TREMENDOUSLY SINCE GARNETT WENT DOWN, WHILE AL HORFORD IS CONSISTENTLY IGNORED ON THE OFFENSIVE END. THE WAY DAVIS IS PLAYING OFFENSIVELY IS THE WAY I THOUGHT HORFORD WOULD BE, BUT LACK OF COACHING IS HOLDING HIM BACK
Iron Fist
May 11th, 2009
9:29 am
What’s up, Power Man? You like watching these blowouts too?
Joe "Small Penis" Johnson
May 11th, 2009
9:31 am
I’m…tired.
Astro Joe
May 11th, 2009
9:32 am
Let’s see, Sund took over a playoff team with a very young roster. Dmitroff took over a team that pretty much had the worse 12 months (on/off the field) in professional sports history. And you think both of those scenaorios warranted the identical approach from their new GMs? They both did the right thing for their respective circumstances.
le brown james THE KING OF ATLANTA
May 11th, 2009
9:32 am
I like long walks in the park.
And puppies.
darrell starks
May 11th, 2009
9:35 am
Horford is a good player but this year his game have diminish badly on the offense side this off season he realy need to work on his skills in the paint and his 10foot jump shot that he continue to be inconsistent with.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!
Arthur Blank
May 11th, 2009
9:36 am
If I buy the Hawks, I’m sure Thomas can be GM for two teams.
Heck, I’ll even fire Woodson as a token of good faith!
What do you say, Hawks fans? Is Atlanta ready for another Cindarella story?
le brown james THE KING OF ATLANTA
May 11th, 2009
9:37 am
Watching LeBron’s big muscles makes me large in the pants.
bakerman
May 11th, 2009
9:42 am
Sekou, they had nothing to begin with, so they surely don’t have anything left!
Sautee
May 11th, 2009
9:44 am
Tribe,
about this: ” Sautee, I know he put up those numbers — I watched the entire game. Also, you fail to mention that those numbers were after the Cavs were up [at least] 20 and he was doing that against Cleveland benchwarmers like ATL’s own JJ Hickson and Darnell Jackson (if that’s even his name).”
LOL, Tribe, like we haven’t been down twenty and playing against their bench most of THIS SERIES! If Acie did THAT against their bench earlier, then why wouldn’t he be used against those same players in the playoffs?
“In this series we just haven’t made the adjustments,” Woodson said. “And you can blame it on the coach. I’ll take the heat for that. I think a lot of time it comes down to who wants it the most. And right now they’re beating us to the punch on pretty much everything that they want to do and what we want to do.”
Well, there’s your answer.
rms,
The locals sports talk guys can mock me for saying Acie has quicks all they want. It’s just a freakin’ opinion, just like theirs. No more, no less.
erstwhile hawks fan
May 11th, 2009
9:50 am
I miss Sheldon Williams at a time like this.
At least he was big.
le brown james THE KING OF ATLANTA
May 11th, 2009
10:44 am
haha that don’t bother me a$$ ho### your hawks are history the magics are next.
newkid
May 11th, 2009
11:57 am
AJ, your warm reception of the comparative approaches of Dimitroff and Sund may be a bit of a stretch. Here’s why. For whatever his reasons, Dimitroff hit the ground running with player and system evaluations, and took immediate actions to install a new system under a new HC with a large complement of new players (which he acquired) and the fairly immediate dismissal of a few players he deemed of not the proper ilk for the new culture he wished to create. Even though he had to evaluate players for 53 positions, decide on a new system, and select a new HC, he didn’t come in under a pre-determined ‘I need a year to evaluate’ mantra. Oh, and he did’t come in with the 15 million years of experience that Sund had garnered.
Sund, by comparison, had been around the league since well before the rise of the Roman Empire, came in to an under-performing 37-45 team (you make too much of the fact that squad made the playoffs in 2008), and decided right up front that he was going to essentially ‘do nothing’ for the next 12 months. He had to make player evaluations for essentially 12 positions (only 8-9 of which were significant); he’d seen this team’s system several times a year for the past several years Woody had been the HC; and he’s clearly a very smart guy. He never said that based upon his evaluation of the team, the system, what might be available on the market, and other considerations, he thought it best to sit tight for the season. Instead he made an a priori decision; said he needed a full 12 months simply to complete his evaluation (save the Evans and Flip moves). Okay, so maybe the ASG fiasco represented an impediment that would not have allowed Sund to be aggressive even if his 15 million years of experience, unparalleled skill in talent evaluation, and unrivaled deal-making ability had properly positioned him to fix the major flaws this squad has demonstrated for some time. Rather he simply said he needed a year to evaluate things. How can one rationally compare that course of action, or non-action (and the rationale provided there for), with Dimitroff’s path?
In the words of Mark Jackson, you’re better than that. Don’t give this cat an unwarranted pass. He has been little more than a seat-warmer for 12 months, and the inconsistent play and leadership void of the past season and playoffs make the clear statement that this seat-warmer status is totally unjustified. But that’s yesterday. Let’s hope past is not prologue.
Sautee
May 11th, 2009
12:07 pm
Excellent, Newk, most excellent
Ken Strickland
May 11th, 2009
12:26 pm
Last yr, we had a subpar regular season, but made the playoffs by making a strong season ending playoff run to gain the #8 playoff seed. We surprised everyone, including ourselves, by taking the Boston Celtics, the eventual NBA champs, to an exciting 7gm playoff series.
This yr, we used last yrs playoff success as inspiration to finish with a very good regular season record and the 4th playoff seed. Even though we’ve made it to the 2nd rd of this yrs playoffs, the Hawks play, especially their inability to make adjustments, or be competitive, especially away from Phipps Areaa, hasn’t inspired much hope for the future. The question now is, CAN WE DRAW ANYTHING INSPIRATIONAL OR POSITIVE TO BUILD UPON FROM THE HAWKS’ EMBARRASSING OVERALL PLAY IN THIS YRS PLAYOFFS?
WE ALL KNOW THE HAWKS ARE ALL BUT OFFICIALLY ELIMINATED FROM THE PLAYOFFS, AND THEY’RE NOW PLAYING TO TRY AND SALVAGE WHAT LITTLE SELF RESPECT THEY HAVE LEFT, WE HOPE. GOOD LUCK TONIGHT HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JDUB
May 11th, 2009
12:38 pm
This team has completely quit. They worked so hard to get homecourt advantage, and barely squeaked out of round 1. I’ve NEVER seen a team just completely throw in the towel before the series even started. I’m sooooo disappointed in these guys. What’s wrong with Joe?
Ken Strickland
May 11th, 2009
12:41 pm
In regards to the Falcons vs Hawks comparison here’s my take. Falcon ownership(ABlank) didn’t look for excuses or someone to blame, he identified the causes of the teams problems and sought a solution to his problems. So, he virtually started over by firing his HC and replacing his GM.
Hawk ownership was too preoccupied with their own petty energy and money draining legal issues to recognize the difference between the cause of their problems and the effects, even though former GM Billy Knight did and tried to do something about it, PERIOD.
bigdave
May 11th, 2009
12:44 pm
sooo… Doc & mykhalc,
am i interpreting what yall are saying as Joe should take the blame for the losses…? single handily the reason we have lost 3 straight…?
jhan
May 11th, 2009
1:12 pm
Now Sund is to blame for what we’re seeing? I can’t say that I disagree with his approach this first season. ZaZa, Flip, Bibby, Marvin, Solo are all looking for new contracts. Before resigning them OR trading them doesn’t it make sense to see what you got?
Does anyone really think Sund was given the same freedom to build the Hawks that Dimitrov was given? Think the ownership for each team have the same directives? IF you do then come talk to me about purchasing some real estate!
This offseason is where Sund will be held to the fire. He needs to make changes that is obvious – will he make the correct changes is the question.
richbrave
May 11th, 2009
1:19 pm
The win for the HAWKS that I predicted last week is at hand.
richbrave
May 11th, 2009
1:21 pm
And the HAwks HAVE LEARNED IN THIS SERIES WHAT WILL BE NECESSARY MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY FOR THE CLUB TO WIN AN nba CROWN. wILL THEY? oNLY TIME WILL TELL.
mykhalc
May 11th, 2009
1:26 pm
bigdave, i can say absolutely not on my part. i’d speak for my cosmic bro doc but i’ll let him do that. ;o)
what i’m sayin’ and gettin’ from Joe is the lack of him steppin’ up as THE leader. listen to Lebron, Kobe, Chancey, KG, etc when they speak they take ownership in the singular as they ‘also’ speak in the concept of the team. and i think this is especially needed when the team is not playin’ well. Billups clearly stated in their last win, to para-phrase, ‘young cats might freeze up a bit on the road. so i take it upon myself to be more aggressive when we are on the road’. so he realizes ‘more’ is needed from him in certain situations and he states it.
Joe had a medicore if not poor series against MIA. i never heard him say ‘I need to step up MY game’. and he clearly needed to. instead i ‘always’ heard him say ‘we’ need to play better. now that’s true, but when leaders claim it in the singularly, others will tend to do the same IMHO. but when it’s always in the ‘we’ then ’some’ players could be thinkin’/sayin’…no ‘you’ need to be playin’ better. so the psyche could send them in the other direction…again IMHO
so lately, i’m just disappointed in his leadership as bein’ ‘the’ man. gotta step up…PERIOD…IMHO!!!
Mike is back
May 11th, 2009
1:27 pm
JD and New Kid, excellent point!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I keep hearing everyone say we need to bring Bibby back…I would love to have Bibby back as a backup…but not a starter. The only way to bring Bibby back as a starter…you have to go out and get a Big to defend the post…or we are right back where we started. Next you got to ask yourself will he accepted less pay and accept a backup roll on a flawed team…I don’t think so. Add to that Woody is not using him properly or managing his minutes…I say a playoff caliber team will make a hard push for Bibby. He’s proved his worth…he just needs to be in different system.
We got Acie Law…Yeah…Yeah…He needs to you something…well how can you show case your skills with one hand tied behind your back…that’s basically what he’s been doing since we drafted him. BE BOLD…GIVE HIM THE KEYS AND SEE WHAT HE CAN DO…IF ANYONE CAN TELL ME THAT ACIE IS A BUST…I WOULD SAY BASE ON WHAT??????????THE LAME DUCK PLAYING TIME HE GETS FROM WOODY…GET ME A BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I still say Acie can fill our needs at PG…everyone was saying the same thing about Rondo…now he’s an emerging superstar…I think we can get by with acquiring a serviceable vet PG and turn things over to Acie. Take the expiring contracts and a package that will have include some of your top talent…and go get a Big.
You’ll know my two Bigs are Brook Lopez and Thabeet. No one has been able pull off a trade of that magnitude without giving some top talent…get over it…it’s time to make some moves. This is where the Hawks have an advantage…because they have duplicate assets those teams would be willing to trade for. I think two players and a first round draft pick would entice some team to roll the dice.
GO HAWKS…WIN ONE FOR THE GIPPER!!!!!!!!!!!
GA Bulldawg
May 11th, 2009
1:32 pm
Did anybody noticed how many minutes JJ played in Game 3? The box score showed that he played 46 MINUTES!!!!! This man has a bad ankle, a broken down body and is playing on pure guts and fumes right now…why is Mike Woodson intent on running him into the ground??!!!
If you don’t think these minutes take a toll on a player’s body, then you are FOOLISH.
GA Bulldawg
May 11th, 2009
1:33 pm
FIRE MIKE WOODSON!!!
Joe
May 11th, 2009
2:21 pm
Hawks players are a bunch of quitters!
Mike is back
May 11th, 2009
2:29 pm
A Tribe Called Quest,
Dumars thought the same thing about Stuckey when he traded away Billups…we know how that turned out…they were ranked lower than we were. Besides Stuckey gets consistent minutes…and he hasn’t showed me nothing to make me believe he’s any ready to lead a team than Acie. He’s been hit by the injury bug too.
What is overlooked is the invaluable knowledge and insight Acie has gained from playing behind Bibby and Flip. Let’s see what he can do for a whole season before we rush to judgment.
cp
May 11th, 2009
2:43 pm
We are in the second round of the playoffs and the head coach has come out and admitted that he has not made any adjustments. Are you kidding me? How much longer do we have to deal with this guy? Fire Woody as soon as the game is over with tonight.
cleveland.com
May 11th, 2009
2:49 pm
well, well,well…here we go again…popcorn on me tonight folks….GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CLEVELAND
mykhalc
May 11th, 2009
2:51 pm
cp, i gave ‘em until TUES AM but the earlier the better!! the cat flat out sucks as a HC…PERIOD!!!
cleveland.com
May 11th, 2009
3:05 pm
the hawks GM let you guys best player go overseas
Astro Joe
May 11th, 2009
3:38 pm
newkid, I completely disagree. Blank told Dmitroff to do the same thing that BK did 4-5 years ago. Start over. I’m fairly certain that it is far easier to demolish a team and rebuild than it is to take a middling team and make them better. How many franchises have won an NBA championship since the days of Magic Johnson? Maybe 6 or 7. While all 30 have been to the playoffs. If it were so easy to walk in the door and pull the right levers, then why have so few franchises brought home the golden trophy? With such a young nucleus, Sund made the right decision before trading away portions of our nucleus. He needed to see first hand the leadership void, the chemistry problems and the relationships between players and coaches. There was NO need for snap judgement with a young team. The NFL is a different animal, we just saw the St. Louis F’ing Cardinals in the Super Bowl. The NBA typically doesn’t have those kind of “out-of no-where” teams that suddenly make it to the Finals. Again, Sund and TD both did the right things for their respective teams.
doc
May 11th, 2009
3:40 pm
uh no big dave, i do think he has not shown leadership at least in the public eye, like by what he says and how he acts on the court. it is all about we when we lose or they rather than i am not getting the job done. that is what leaders do. remember how shaq would respond to a loss or bird or magic or isiah … the list goes on? sometimes a guy needs to say a need to do better rather than others ought to do better. he can only take care of himself.
now answer this bigdave ….. are you saying that after 17 playoff games as a hawk as the guy to lead us out of purgatory with the salary to boot that he has been “the man”? myk if you want you can answer too. heh heh
big dave, the cavs are clearly the better team and said that before the series started. unfortunately we couldnt beat them when they were playing terrible and allowed one man to beat them and the rest of the team to out rebound them. plenty of reasons to say how this team is losing beyond saying it is due to jj. i am looking for that guy who takes this loss personal, you know kind of like how lebron responded when his team got waxed by the spurs a few years back. that is all i want to see. thus far i dont see it in the guy they have said is going to lead. clear?