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
Astro Joe
May 11th, 2009
3:50 pm
I can’t wait to see the adjustments that Van Gundy, Rivers, Adelman or Jackson make that will shake the foundation of the Cavaliers. I mean, it should be fairly easy to figure out how to score on the Cavs defense, right? And stopping LeBron from either scoring or setting up his high priced, experienced teammates should be as easy as boiling water. In fact, if the Cavs win 2 more playoff games this year, it will be a real miracle.
bigdave
May 11th, 2009
4:25 pm
doc..
i dont know man.. i can say that since, and not because, Joe arrived i watched every single Hawk (that they aired) minus a few (weekend package last year +8-10) games that i actually payed good money to see. including post game, and they had pre game a couple years. when Joe gets interviewed, and just as recently as the MIA series, he gave you what you wanted; ” honestly,i fell like i haven’t played well the whole series” after the game 7 win. now minus the contract, lets say if they were just playing for sheer love, Joe is the reason why we are here. i said it.. i actually mean it.. you can point to Bibby if you’d like, but truthfully Joe makes Bibby’s game.. given that he has no defense, and only contributes on offense. you can credit that 3 pt % and wide open looks mostly to the blitzing of Joe…
given the conditions that the “Atlanta Hawks” (Steven A. Smith’s voice) have played under, no… no.. forget the other variables… im just going to out right point the finger to Coach Woodson. how can 1 single player be the reason we are getting beat down this series or a regular season loss? truthfully it depends on what you want out of a leader.. Joe Johnson could have absolutely pulled a “Kobe” and put the organization, head coach, teammates (by name) on blast, or he do what he has done and prevent all hell breaking loose, wheels falling off or all the work that these guys have put in over the past seasons and has just gone out and play. in the words of his head coach, “Joe is a big part of what we do”, “Joe’s our all-star, he goes out and does everything we ask him to do”.. geesh.. we are a extremely FLAWED team Doc… and you know it man…
as far as on the court is concerned, how many times have you seen so-called leaders quit on there young teams? “Dewaaayne Waaaade” (Holman’s voice) did it to his young team game 1 of the Hawks series. as much as he is to that team and their offense, he refused to shoot. So did Kobe, that one series, i think it was a game 7 even, with Phx. Suns. as if they were saying, “o… im not apart of this.. ” “im too good for this beatdown”.. i have absolutely never seen Joe do this to his Hawks even when they have won 13 F-in games…!!! as a matter of fact, Joe does the opposite.. when we are down.. he starts chuckin, i mean pulling, from deep… an more often than not he hits.. did it in the reg. season.. did it Sat. when the game was getting away, he was getting frustrated, but he fought… regardless of the non calls…
like i said in a conversation with Big Ray, and Najeh last blog (Sekou recommended we copy and paste) its a wonder how Joe, Josh and others havent lost their cool. though you are seeing signs of it in these playoffs. body language, in their games. i wonder how other “leaders/stars” would react to having to play in a system that, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, and everyone and their mama knows whats coming… and to still manage to put up good numbers… play above avg mins. (Joe and Josh)
ILL SAY IT AGAIN… WE NEED A HEAD COACH!!! A SYSTEM!! AN IDENTITY!!! PERIMETER DEFENSE!! A LOW POST SCORING THREAT!!!
Doc, with the above mentioned Joe Johnson is a equal player away from taking this team to the Conference Finals… he never got the help he asked for… this is obvious Bibby’s contributions negate themselves because of his defensive deficiencies… look at Joe’s body of work… on a whole.. what he is asked to do, night end and night out.. his life isnt as easy as other All Stars.. yet he does not Bytch and people still find fault in him… its not about Joe.. its about TEAM!!! those players that you referenced about they’re leadership in post conference hell, at times those players are, and have proven that they think they are bigger than TEAM!!! minus Chauncy… but hey, his name is Chauncy…
-FIN
GO HAWKSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!
bigdave
May 11th, 2009
4:28 pm
disregard all of the grammatical errors… had no time to proof read, hopefully you still get the jest…
A Tribe Called Quest
May 11th, 2009
4:33 pm
Just saw the Hawks All-Access vid and Woody said “We’re right where we wanna be.” Great, down 3-0 is what I’ve wanted this whole series!
Fire Woodson after this year, hire Avery, then trade Smoove + Marvin + Law for Bosh/Amare, resign Chillz, and resign ZaZa and Flip (for cheap). That’s called a top 2 team in the East.
The reason the Celts and Cavs are #1 the last 2 years in the East is they MADE A TRADE TO BRING IN A STAR/SUPERSTAR WHO CAN SCORE THE BASKETBALL. We can’t just rot with the same roster and expect Smoove or Marv to turn into a 25 ppg superstar
COME ON SUND. ITS NOT AS HARD AS IT SOUNDS. GET BOSH
A Tribe Called Quest
May 11th, 2009
4:49 pm
Can we please double team LeBron?
Hey, that’s a genius idea! Let’s make it tough for the best player in the NBA rather than let Mo give him 10 feet of space on every 3 while the other 4 players pick their boogers. LET’S MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR HIM. IT’S NOT LIKE MO WILLIAMS HAS DONE ANYTHING
King James
May 11th, 2009
4:56 pm
Hawks fans – enjoy your 30 minutes of basketball today. The last 10 minutes will involve quiet reflection on the season that was and what you will do with your free time until September.
GO CAVS and congrats on your sweep of the hawks
ajw
May 11th, 2009
5:06 pm
Since you would never see anything like this in the Atlanta paper, here you go. A little hope and advice for Mike Woodson
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/11/090511fa_fact_gladwell?yrail
O'brien
May 11th, 2009
5:10 pm
One of Woody’s biggest weaknesses is his inability to make adjustments. I’m just glad he recognizes it as well.
“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.”
A change has to be made somewhere, because he has taken us as far as he can take us. If we come back next year with the same team and the same coaching staff, I think we will get the same inconsistent results.
SWAT Native
May 11th, 2009
5:12 pm
Here’s the difference between Sund and Dimitroff. Dimitroff got a franchise that was going down the toilet, with their franchise player going to prison, open player dissension and a fan base that was dissolving. Sund got a team on the rise, fresh off their first playoff experience in 10 years, that stretched the eventual world champion to the limit, and a roster of young talent that hadn’t yet reached its prime and a rejuvenated fan base. See why the approaches were different?
newkid
May 11th, 2009
5:15 pm
AJ, if one starts from the premise – as reported – that the ASG wanted Knight around for at least another year (in fact offered him the opportunity), then it follows that the ASG’s desire was for continuation of roster modification/improvement based upon evaluations to that point in time. Now if that’s true, why would the ASG essentially take a step back (with the hiring of Sund) and encourage him to ‘do nothing’ for a year so as to allow him to get his bearings? If you argue that the ASG didn’t really want to sit tight, but had no choice after Billy refused to continue and the other cat (don’t remember his name) with a Hawks history opted to not take the GM offer, then perhaps you’re on to something. But no such logic was offered. If in fact that was the logic, then certainly no credit can be accorded Sund for this.
But let’s agree to disagree. On the matter of the paramount importance of continuing the advance this off-season, there can be no disagreement. He has cap room. tradeable commodities, present and future draft picks, talent on the farm in Europe, and presumably evaluations heretofore unavailable. If we haven’t already, we’ll soon see if there’s any substance to this chap. I certainly hope there is.
SWAT Native
May 11th, 2009
5:20 pm
Also, don’t underestimate the impact of the continuing court battle over the ASG ownership on Sund’s ability to make big changes.
doc
May 11th, 2009
5:21 pm
big dave, i am a supporter of jj and called him little d wade. would like for him to just do it, in 17 playoff games he has not shined. josh for all his failures singularly has done more to push this franchise forward in the playoffs than anyone else the last two years, not jj. i would like to have seen that more balanced.
the main problem is the cavs, they got stronger as the season progressed we got weaker due to injuiries and an unprepared or inept bench. they are long and dominate us because of it along with the best player in the game and maybe what hasnt been recognized by anyone else the best player 24 years old to play the game ever.
we dont match up well with the cavs if we are not hitting on all cylinders. we do if we are and proved it with a win and a near miss at home. a bad call may have been to begin to get sterns teams in the order he wanted them in. i had hoped that we would at least challenge them at home in this series and trouble them away.
the cavs have been giving us fits for all the reasons we have talked about to ad nauseum on this blog; as you put it, too flawed to go very far. just the same, these guys have done themselves proud this year. i have enjoyed it very much.
we do have to figure out the reason this team turns into the worst team in the playoffs on the road and can compete at home in the playoffs. is it the coach or the players or the opposition? rick sund gets final answer, he has watched long enough to maybe assure himself of one more year as the big boss unless the whole folds next year. it is now his to configure as he has 9 roster spots open and one not open that woody would prefer to be open in acie. he really has ten spots to fill. i guess he can reconstruct any way he wants including getting his own coach, can you say doug collins?
i am not the grammar police and chuckle when one comes on because they usually have several errors in their first sentence to complain.
no telling what we will see next year. as a ticket season owner i will get it served up right in front of me.
Westurd
May 11th, 2009
5:23 pm
Stay tuned for the HAWKS post game unraveling….I predict it will all come undone after tonight loss…..NOW YOU KNOW
bigdave
May 11th, 2009
5:42 pm
know you will doc…
doug collins would be a blessing…personally id entertain all offers… someone who will define roles and responsibilities…
the contrast between home and road is nothing ive ever seen before in any sport… i mean we dont just lose on the road.. we get embarrassed… with regularity…
i just think that Woody has done all that he can do with this team.. he probably was the best fit for “those” Hawks, but not “these”. there is a lot of talent on the floor, some dont even get out of their break-aways… i cant think of a reason why Solo (with that length and shooting touch, best shooting big on roster) and Acie (speed, handle, size) cant see the floor.. to me Woodson coaches scared…
the Hawks are in a position to excel but i dont think Woodson gets us there…
Hubie gave out a stat during the broadcast Sat. pertaining to our youth and playing experience relative to the Cavs and the other elite 8… we have a lot to look forward to, if and only if things are managed correctly…
mykhalc
May 11th, 2009
5:47 pm
here ya go…if after observation you still have to ‘wonder’ if someone is a leader or not then chances are they ARE NOT!!! i believe leaders IMPOSE their will and game when it’s needed the most. and bigdave, all i can say it’s amazin’ how two people can watch the same thing and see it entirely different??!!?? i totally dig JOE as a player and what i’ve observed of him representin’ the team, on and off the court. but what i see of him as ‘THE’ man is more as a complimentary type (not that all are to some degree but you get my drift (i hope)). question…who’s a better leader on the court MELO or JOE??
bigdave
May 11th, 2009
5:52 pm
Ole shyt…
K- Mart Vs Cuban…
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2009/news/story?id=4158987
Mike Woodson
May 11th, 2009
5:55 pm
Hi there guys. I see a lot of player hating going on.. Yea I admitted I don’t make adjustments. Stevie Wonder can see that I don’t but hey the owners love me so I can always come out in the media and say things that other coaches would catch heat for…I’m Mike freaking Woodson. We took Boston to 7 games last year. Yea we got destroyed on the road but hey it is still 7 games… We wanted home court this year and got it. Yea we struggled to beat a one man team but guess what, we took Boston to 7 games last year….Yea Joe is tired. I mean even in blowouts I’m giving him 40 plus minutes and I do it because I’m Mike freaking Woodson…..We went from 13 wins to the second round of the playoffs this year. Even if we are losing by 30 tonight Joe is going to get his 46 minutes. When we need offense I’m going to bring in Mario West. I mean he cant shoot or anything but he is Mario. When we need defense I’m bringing back in Mike Bibby. He cant guard a newborn baby but hey I’m Mike freaking Woodson. If Josh takes a bunch of ill advised jumpers tonight its cool I wont bench him because last year we took Boston to 7 games. If we take another guard this year in the draft he will get the same treatment that Salim and Law got. I don’t like young guards. I like proven vets. Who cares if the vets make more mistakes than the young guys it does not matter. I would play Anthony Johnson over Chris Paul. I know talent. I thought CP would be too small to defend and he couldn’t shoot. Heck make me the gm slash coach. We wont win tonight and the guys wont listen to me in the huddle but at the end of the day we took Boston to 7 games last year.
p.s. Samuel call me later buddy.
bigdave
May 11th, 2009
5:56 pm
in my opinion.. Joe..
consistency, skill set, and accountability…
like Melo, Joe needs another piece, Melo has had AI and Billups…
if you can find Joe a running mate… we’d be in good shape (someone at this point in their career of equal value)…
mykhalc
May 11th, 2009
6:05 pm
yeah…i’m not sure. but i’m totally with you on another piece would mean a lot. in fact i had written but then deleted it, that if JOE had BIBBY and BOSH then you’d see a different and better JOE. and like i said it earlier, if JOE had a REAL HC he wouldn’t have to lead as much. with WOODSON at the helm, JOE stands, willingly or not, at the head of this team. maybe SUND will prove he is at the helm at season’s end??!!??
Clyde
May 11th, 2009
6:45 pm
I just saw Joe snap on 11alive. He said the Hawks were just letting the Cavs walk right down and throw up uncontested shots. Who is to blame for this? I’ve been saying this for 3 years but the Hawks still need a force in the middle and Al Horford and Zaza ain’t it.
bigdave
May 11th, 2009
6:47 pm
we shall see… well… its almost the moment of truth.. this is like the most at piece ive ever been before a Hawk playoff game.. hopefully they can fight for the home folks, and who knows, make it back here for a gm 6…
either way, if you’ve ever been to the hospital to visit a dying relative, its like a calming that comes over you. something you just have to accept so that you can appreciate them while their still there; but you know that it might be the last time you see em’ as is for a long time…
bigdave
May 11th, 2009
6:48 pm
correction, “at peace”…
O'brien
May 11th, 2009
7:04 pm
Looking at the other playoff games, Houston won without Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, their 2 best players (at one point, they led the Lakers by close to 30 points). Aaron brooks had 34 points. Aaron Brooks. Are you serious? Isnt it amazing what PT, a competent coach, and an offensive system can do.
Big Baby was a second round pick, and he has stepped up since KG is out. Isnt it amazing what PT, a competent coach, and an offensive system can do.
The Hawks have lost 4 games by over 20 points this playoffs (the most it has ever happened in playoff history). Plus we’ve also lost by 17, and 15. The Hawks need to win this game tonight, make a statement, show thay they have some resiliency!
Blast
May 11th, 2009
7:05 pm
The Last Stand. Yes. It has come to that for the Hawks. Do they fight at home or give up? Lose now at home, clean out your locker and go fishing, or try to win now to lose in Cleveland.
I say the Hawks put up a spirited attempt like in game 3 but still lose.
Hawks cannot stop LeBron, and James is fuelling up his team. Dude has scored 108 points in 108 minutes in this series! A point for every minute he plays!
I pick Clevalnd to win a championship this year.
Gonna be a steady diet of LeBron tonite.
bigdave
May 11th, 2009
7:07 pm
give me Acie Law… BIBBY R U GOING TO HUSTLE!?!?!?!
bigdave
May 11th, 2009
7:10 pm
finally they double team the pick and roll…!!!!!!!!!
bigdave
May 11th, 2009
7:13 pm
what took so long for coach to tell Marvin to come double LeBron he was dribbling for 14 sec. shot got to about 4 he could have left Anderson V. and come to double.. made Anderson V. take a 18 ft. jumper… simple coaching..
Blast
May 11th, 2009
7:14 pm
Good to love Houston. What a game! What a gutsy performance! LA never knew what hit them!
mykhalc
May 11th, 2009
7:18 pm
i’ll watch thtis one thr the blog!! don’t wanna get pi$$ed!!!
bigdave
May 11th, 2009
7:21 pm
if we are going to have a chance Joe has to guard Lebron.. Mo Evans is the 2nd poorest defender on this team…!!!
bigdave
May 11th, 2009
7:28 pm
wtf… Moe Evans.. why play Ben Wallace like that… its Ben Wallace…
Astro Joe
May 11th, 2009
7:29 pm
newkid, someone earlier was suggesting that Sund should have done what Dmitroff did in is first year. And I was just sayng that they had vastly different misssions for their respective teams. ASG wanted BK because they claim that they like the idea of continuity. Sund made some nice additions but they were on the fringes. I agree that he didn’t need to tinker with the nucleus (featuring young, relatively inexpensive players) until he could conduct his own evaluation. We all assume that the “non-move” may have been a good one that may have resulted in more wins and a better chance to competein the playoffs. BUt what if he did something like signed and traded Smith to Memphis for Darko and Warrick? Again, I have no problem with him waiting a year to evaluate his roster.
RJ
May 11th, 2009
7:30 pm
Enter your comments here
RJ
May 11th, 2009
7:31 pm
why doesn’t Joe just pull up for a 3 at the end of quarters?
Melvin
May 11th, 2009
7:32 pm
Not a bad first quarter. Would have like to see Joe rest the last min of the 1st and thru the break of quarters….
A Tribe Called Quest
May 11th, 2009
7:32 pm
WTF @ Woodson’s “let’s try to win” pregame speech. He said the same thing before a road playoff game vs. Boston last year. Wtf is with that statement?
Marvin looks really frail. Needed LeBron to help him up. Anyone notice on that play where Marv and LeBron ended up on the ground, LeBron knocked Smoove’s hand away? Should’ve been a foul
bigdave
May 11th, 2009
7:41 pm
just read Brons lips… talking shyt about Marvin Williams… talking about how he went up on that last little fade away…
bigdave
May 11th, 2009
7:44 pm
Wally: traveling violation… but know excuse to let him drive the lane and dunk…!
Melvin
May 11th, 2009
7:44 pm
My goodness. Cavs go on a 8-0 run with Lebron on the bench to take the lead….
RJ
May 11th, 2009
7:44 pm
mo is terrible
Astro Joe
May 11th, 2009
7:49 pm
Smith CAN’T gamble on steals when he is guarding LeBron. He must maintain discipline and guard him straight up.
bigdave
May 11th, 2009
7:50 pm
why was that not a loose ball foul…
Melvin
May 11th, 2009
7:51 pm
Those two plays are the biggest different marker in this series. Leborn gets away with committing a foul on defense and gets the benefit of foul call on the offensive end….
niremetal
May 11th, 2009
7:51 pm
That was definitely a foul by Smoove on Wally. Ha. Hawks got away with one, for once.
niremetal
May 11th, 2009
7:54 pm
And then LeBron is FINALLY called for his first foul of the game. And what does he do immediately? Put on an expression of disbelief and complain to the nearest ref.
niremetal
May 11th, 2009
7:57 pm
Wow…two airballs by Al.
Melvin
May 11th, 2009
7:57 pm
niremetal, its comical how much these superstars players cry to the refs…
Melvin
May 11th, 2009
7:59 pm
I wonder if the crowd will boo AL on his next jumper…
Sautee
May 11th, 2009
8:01 pm
Interesting that at last we’re getting SOME calls.
A cynic would wonder if the refs have been told to try to extend the series so there’s more LeBronTV. Otherwise if the Cavs sweep, no LeBron on tv for a week.
But I’m not NEARLY that cynical!
Astro Joe
May 11th, 2009
8:06 pm
And he’s still yappng. After the tech.