The Hawks’ major acquisition, JCrawford, was labeled by so called experts as an erratic, selfish, undeciplined player that played absolutely no DEF. Yet, he’s done more on OFF and DEF to improve the Hawks than any of the Allstars, Allpros and superstars, or any combination of acquisitions, acquired by the top 3 rated Eastern conference teams.

Hell, I even stated how I believed Woodson would do a good job of coaching the team this yr, although I started having my doubts early. I knew he had the ability, because he’s demonstrated it on occasions, but not consistently or often. That’s why I wasn’t advocating he be fired. I just wanted him to do what he’s demonstrated he can do on a consistent basis, and he’s certainly done it so far this season.

ILL-LOGICAL-I totally agree with your sentiments on tomorrows gm against the Rockets. I see this as another Bobcat type of gm and opponent, only the Rockets are better. Personally, I can’t wait to see how we approach and play the Magic, after that preseason ending butt kicking embarrassment they gave us. CONFIDENCE is what fuels us, and will carry us and make us better.

Nash has rebounded nicely this year. I actually like him but as usual he will get “manhandled” in the playoffs. That’s just the way it is i’m afraid but I really love to watch him play.

STEVE NASH = MVP

Should make for an interesting evening especially since the Rockets aren’t a marque draw and the crowd may not reach 13,000.

Let’s face it, if we end up playing the Celtics, Magic or Cavaliers in the playoffs, how much more physical can either team be? Orlando has only 2 players on their roster that can be considered physical, BBass and DHoward. Boston has KPerkins. Neither RWallace or KG are considered physical players. Cleveland has LJames, LPowe and Shaq. I don’t see any of these players becoming more physical during the playoffs than the regular season. Shaq’s skills are so eroded he can’t be anything but physical. How can DHoward become more physical in the playoffs and still play within the rules? There certainly aren’t any championship calibur Western conference teams that can be considered physical, including the Lakers.

What the Hawks frontline lacks in heft and height they make up for with speed, quickness, athleticism and energy. They’ve proven that eary in the season against some of the tallest, heftiest teams in the NBA, like the Lakers, Celtics, Pacers, Trailblazers(twice).

Woody knows that defense wins championships and he doesn’t want the guys to all of a sudden think their are the Phoenix Suns or Golden State Warriors just because they are scoring a lot of points. Those teams can’t win in the playoffs when the game slows down due to the intensity of the environment and the fact that the refs let them play more physically. Those teams can’t all of a sudden adapt to a defensive mentality. Woody is just trying to make sure that this team takes on a DEFENSIVE identity.

On the post game show last night, Coach Drew said they always tell the players that offense will come and go because you can get good shots every night but sometimes they just won’t fall. You can’t control that. However, you CAN control your defensive EFFORT and rebounding EFFORT every night and THAT is what they want the players to focus on. I agree with that philosophy and I think we have the players to implement it.

Looking at our play as of late, it looks like the team is buying into Woody’s philosophy as well. The players are always talking about D during their interviews and it is clear they have adapted Woody’s “defense first” mindset. We are giving up fewer PPG and we are outrebounding teams on a nightly basis.

First 6 games – 103.8 PPG scored / 102.5 PPG allowed

Last 6 games – 110.1 PPG scored / 95.0 PPG allowed

Looks like Woody knows his team and he knows what he is doing.

I also remember saying that if we played an uptempo style, it would allow Horford to become a much better center. I don’t know of another center that can match his combination of speed, quickness, size, strength and athleticism. DHoward comes as close as anyone. To be honest, my thinking was, running would allow him to become more of a neutralizer to the bigger, taller centers. But so far its allowed him to actually outplay them.

I knew there weren’t any prominant players on either the Celtics, Cavaliers or Magic that could match the growth potential, or have as much growth potential as Marvin, Smoove or Horford. The confidence factor, as well as chemistry, were also elements I felt strongly about as far as giving us an advantage over the other teams and their acquisitions.

I expected what we’re doing now to take place after the Allstar break, if it was going to happen at all. But Woodson coming out of the gate with his changes and adjustments made it all possible early. It would be foolish to think we’ll continue winning at this pace, but we will continue winning. We’ll definitely be a much better road team than in the past, while we were good at home last yr.

We should be able to win at least 4-5 addition road gms and 2-3 additional home gms, which would be quite an accomplishment in an improved Eastern conference. Last yr, we got swept by Boston, even without KG for part of the season, and we managed to split a home and home against Portland. This yr, we swept a stronger Portland team, with the addition of PG AMiller and the improvement of C GOden, and creamed Boston in Boston, with KG.

Once the legal situation is resolved with the ASG, the money they’ve been wasting/spending on attorney’s fees can be used on the team. Of course, I know they’re not paying all of their fees on they go, but they are playing some as they go. More importantly, it will allow them to make team decisions without needing to get approval from the court and Belkin.

Usually, it’s ownership that contributes to bringing a winning team together, but in this case, it might be a winning team that contributes to bringing ownership together. GO, YOU HIGH FLYING HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!