Come in, Houston
Question: Who is Houston’s leading scorer? (Answer below)
What’s up, folks?
Sorry to jump on so late today. I have to get cranking on a couple different things – a story about the Hawks’ second team for tomorrow and then a notes column for Sunday – so not much time today.
Hope you all are doing well.
A couple links:
Sekou’s blog off of last night’s game.
Ken Berger’s column for CBS Sportsline. (I met Ken after the game last night at Manuel’s with AP writer Paul Newberry and former AJC staffer and now nba.com freelancer Matt Winkeljohn. Ken bought my Sprite, so kudos to Ken.)
Matt’s story for nba.com.
A little shout-out to the Hawks in Ball Don’t Lie.
A Fox Sports column by Charley Rosen.
The view from South Florida and the Sun-Sentinel.
Lastly, you can check out Al Horford on TNT tonight at 8 p.m. for the pregame with Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson.
Looking ahead
Mike Woodson’s take on the Rockets:
The fact that hey don’t have Yao (Ming), they have become this solid team that, defensively, they get after you and offensively, they get up and down the floor making shots. They can score the ball too. We’ve just got to be in ready to defend for 48 minutes because they can score. They’re averaging, I think, over 100 points a game, too. (Ed: 103.7) Somewhere along the line, somebody’s going to have to defend to win this game. I like the makeup of their team because you don’t know who’s going to get you. They’ve got a few pieces that they all can make offensive plays.”
Sorry I don’t have time for much more. I’ll have more tomorrow.
Ken
Answer: Props to you if you knew it was Trevor Ariza, a free-agent signee from the Lakers last offseason. After mostly coming off the bench with 8.9 points per game last season, Ariza is averaging 18.4 per game for the Rockets, who are the fourth team he has played for in his six NBA seasons.
(Apologies if that difficulty of that question was WAY beneath you. I’m still learning the waters here. Maybe the question should what teams has he played for.) (Wikipedia fact: Ariza’s high school team had five future NBA players on it – Hassan Adams, Brandon Heath, Bobby Brown, Gabriet Pruitt and Ariza. That’s crazy. You could have been a Division I player on that team and would have had to come off the bench.)
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324 comments Add your comment
Wabe
November 20th, 2009
9:57 pm
Big posession right here.
Wabe
November 20th, 2009
9:59 pm
What a horrible look.
Are you kidding me? You’ve got to be looking to drive that ball into the lane and try to get the ref to blow the whistle.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 20th, 2009
9:59 pm
Kinda disappointed that this comes down to the last possession, after the Hawks outplayed the Rockets most of the game. They should have been able to put this game away in the last few minutes.
Melvin
November 20th, 2009
9:59 pm
Why did Bibby attempt that shot? I thought they could have work it for a better shot, if not closer shot…
Wabe
November 20th, 2009
10:00 pm
The Hawks gotta stay on the boards here.
Melvin
November 20th, 2009
10:02 pm
Terrible game management to end the 4th qtr….
The Hawksta
November 20th, 2009
10:03 pm
Bibby hits the game winner! Who wants to take this bet
Wabe
November 20th, 2009
10:03 pm
No doubt about that.
10 point lead with 2 1/2 minutes left – gotta protect that lead at home.
The Hawksta
November 20th, 2009
10:04 pm
Josh!!!!!
Wabe
November 20th, 2009
10:04 pm
SMOOVEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Najeh Davenpoop
November 20th, 2009
10:04 pm
Josh Smith with the game saver! What a finish!
Truth-Serum
November 20th, 2009
10:04 pm
Bam!
Melvin
November 20th, 2009
10:04 pm
Josh Smith MVP
kirkinga
November 20th, 2009
10:04 pm
WOW! Hightlight Factory Indeed!
Wabe
November 20th, 2009
10:04 pm
I love it!!!!!!!!!
The Hawksta
November 20th, 2009
10:05 pm
Man this dude has really grown up!!!
vava74
November 20th, 2009
10:05 pm
Jooooooooosh!!!!!! WHOOOOOAAAAAHHHHH!!!
rms
November 20th, 2009
10:05 pm
That was good. I wish I had tickets to the game.
niremetal
November 20th, 2009
10:06 pm
HELL YEAH, JOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kane337
November 20th, 2009
10:08 pm
JSMOOVE!!!! Way to go Hawks!!!
D.carter
November 20th, 2009
10:08 pm
C’mon Woody u almost blew the the game with that Iso joe non-sense….Crawford is a much better 1 on 1 player than joe
Freshmaker
November 20th, 2009
10:09 pm
Wow! What a game! Man I love this team.
Blast
November 20th, 2009
10:09 pm
Though win, but Hawks pulled it off.
Kudos to Josh Smith. Game winner of the day.
Hawks have the best record in the league right now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
cincyatlfan
November 20th, 2009
10:11 pm
Joe 45 minutes 6-19, Mo 2 minutes 0-0. Woody, you the man, best team in the nba, one of the worst coaches.
kirkinga
November 20th, 2009
10:14 pm
Well a win is a win is a win. The question now is there anything left in the tank for tomorrow after tonight’s sky-high win? I think the play of the bench tomorrow will be the deciding factor.
Go Hawks!!
Najeh Davenpoop
November 20th, 2009
10:16 pm
Yeah, someone is going to have to step up and pick up the slack tomorrow. No way the Hawks can play Joe another 40 after his workload tonight. New Orleans showed they can still be a tough out even with no CP3, by beating Phoenix yesterday, so the Hawks can’t sleep on this game either.
The Hawksta
November 20th, 2009
10:16 pm
Long time no see Kirk! Know you’ve been watching! Never to high never to low(lol)!
JSS
November 20th, 2009
10:17 pm
Now, I rarely say this, but on the subject of Marvin Williams, I told you so!
Ken Strickland
November 20th, 2009
10:17 pm
Houston is by far the best 7-5 team in the NBA. This 7gm winning streak ties last yrs longest. Marvin played the gm we needed him to play, otherwise, we lose this gm big time.
It’s amazing how some of you Marvin haters will bash and degrade him, even though we’re winning, yet use WE’ER WINNING to challenge anyone making any comments you feel aren’t flattering to MWoodson. THAT’S JUST PLAIN STUPID. We finally have a quality team, and you’re taking every opportunity to bash a key element of the team.
Thank you HC Mike Woodson for not being as negative minded, overreactive, and in some cases just plain ignorant, as some of your more ardent supporters when dealing with MWilliam.
niremetal
November 20th, 2009
10:20 pm
That was an Horry-esque play by Josh. He wasn’t even on Houston’s radar, nobody was watching him on the last possession, Josh saw that everyone else was just sitting around watching Bibby’s shot go up, and he stepped up and made the big play. And so emphatic! That one tops JJ’s 30-foot icer against Philly last year.
KevinA
November 20th, 2009
10:20 pm
I can give the Marvin bashers a break tonight. Tomorrow a different story lol. WTG Hawks
bigdave
November 20th, 2009
10:22 pm
depth will be huge this year…
big scoring efforts from struggling of late Marvin and Jamal…
though they were all over our backs, they killed us on the offensive glass. im worried about JT confidence… GREAT WIN
vava74
November 20th, 2009
10:25 pm
Tough game tonight.
I really feel that refs went after us big time. Al and Josh got called on everything while HOU’s guys were getting away with pushes on the back to get some of those rebounds.
Also, poor management of our 10pts margin, a mark of a still immature team.
Great game by Marvin and Crawford.
Since Josh and Al played less today, they should be OK for tomorrow and in principle we will get in without taking them for granted, in light of their performance in ATL and tonight’s performance by HOU.
Our bread n butter has been rebounding and with both Al and Josh limited by fouls we struggled to box out the small HOU line up.
Biiby made a very poor decision with that 3 pointer and that prolonged the discussion unnecessarily: drive and get the foul. Basic stuff which was overlooked.
Fortunately his last second shot was not too bad and rolled enough to give Josh the rebound. Great hustle.
Difficult but pleasing win: the game did not go our way and nonetheless we got the win.
Clyde
November 20th, 2009
10:30 pm
Ok I’m starting to believe in this team now.
Roll Tide
Ken Strickland
November 20th, 2009
10:37 pm
We have too many weapons to have a prolonged letdown like we sometimes did last yr following the end of a winning streak. Just think, we are 11-2, with the NBA’s best record, and have yet to play a gm where every starter has played well, WOW!
I don’t know how many of you noticed, but MWoodson did an excellent job of dealing with Smoove’s situation. When we had a 6-10pt lead, he kept him on the bench because he knew the Rockets would start fouling intentionally. Yet, when the gm got down to a 3pt lead, he put him in knowing they wouldn’t intentionally foul, and low and behold, Smoove won the gm.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 20th, 2009
10:43 pm
I agree that Woody handled the J-Smoove situation nicely in the 4th, especially with his idea of keeping the hot Marvin in the game to replace him, but I did think he should have given Joe Smith and Zaza Pachulia more burn in the late 3rd and early 4th quarters when Houston was clawing its way back with their offensive boards. Either one of those guys would have probably helped on the glass. Joe Smith only played 5 minutes in this game.
O'Brien
November 20th, 2009
10:47 pm
Ken,
Woody also did a good job subbing defense (Josh) for offense (Bibby)on a couple possessions at the end.
I did not like the way we tried to milk the clock with Joe pounding the ball at the end, because we ended up taking bad/rushed shots.
That being said, I’ve been on Marvin all year…so good job Marvin (co-player of the game). These are the kind of performances we need to see more often. And even if you’re not scoring many points, we need you to shoot a high percentage.
Good job players and coaches. Lets beat the Hornets tomorrow.
nvnvnv
November 20th, 2009
10:47 pm
Game
Reggie (The Bird and Indian)
November 20th, 2009
10:53 pm
What a game folks. I’m glad I got to watch that one from the factory. Joe has to get a break tomorrow night. Play him 35 minutes max. He was worn out all game trying to get inside on Battier. It was a grind it out game for him and he made some big baskets. Marvin was on. Crawford was on. Horford was on. The Hawks are on. I’m looking forward to some nights on here once we get to December, where I have time. I’m mostly looking forward to Rod/Sam.
richbrave
November 20th, 2009
11:12 pm
doc
November 20th, 2009
10:54 am
richie did the soccer routine with two. yes and worth it.
also dont forget … when in doubt scroll.
Yeah, doc. I thought the blog was all clean of these fools, and only serious HAWKS fans populated these premises. Sigh. Another disappointment in life. Hell,what’s new?
HAWKS looking strong once again. WIZARDS so bad the local affiliate of COMCAST put on ice hockey. And of course, the CAPOS lost. I flipped channels in frustration ’till ten o’clock.
doc
November 20th, 2009
11:30 pm
truth: “My experience has been that no one can give me confidence or take it away. Thats a me and God thing. I challenge people to take responsibility for themselves and not come up with cop outs or blame some one else for there own short comings.”
dont disagree with it at all and in my business that is one of the things iam working to break folks free of, being the victim. again my point is some build u up, some tear u down. different strokes for different strokes. ultimately, you have to take responsibility for the bed you make.
doc
November 20th, 2009
11:40 pm
richie, working and loving, cant beat it.
glad to see marvin get untracked, i know some folks like to beat down players, me i want them all to succeed as we are going to need all of these guys on board if we want to take it to a higher level. still want to see more and quicker ball movement like the C’s do it. good spacing and quick passes are the key to our defense.
j smash lives! JOSH=MVP!
HAWKS!
November 20th, 2009
11:47 pm
I was there tonight and although it was only about 85% full, it seemed like a GREAT crowd. it was constantly loud and the crowd went crazy several times through out the game. great win
GO HAWKS
Samuel
November 20th, 2009
11:53 pm
Missed the game again but my high school team is still in the hunt. We did it again. I love high school football. Nice to see Marvin have a good game and the Hawks take care of business. We’re starting to look like a real contender right now. beating the teams we’re supposed to and competitive against everybody.
Has Woody earned his extension yet? What more does a man have to do?
Extend my Woody
Josh=All Star
JJ=All NBA
Woody=COY
Josh
November 20th, 2009
11:58 pm
that game was sick…. glad i had a chance to be there! marvin made some shots tonight!
Billy Knight
November 21st, 2009
12:08 am
Dear Mr. Sam F.D.S.,
I still await your response to my question. Why are you still mad at Marvin for being picked #2? I was the one who picked him there, Marvin didn’t draft himself that high.
Sincerely,
William Knight
Grandad
November 21st, 2009
12:15 am
bigdave: I’m with you on J.T.
Marvin – good kid , he deserved (earned) a night like tonight.
doc: I’m not necessarily responding to your post.
bigdave – Bill Parcells said “confidence comes from demonstrated
ability.” Concerning J.T.; he only needs ample opportunity
to demonstrate said ability.
***People keep discussing how our depth is going to be a factor down
the road, but, a player such as Teague may not be in the picture
down the road. The less he plays, the further he gets behind.
Eventually he will be an afterthought. Whereas a player like J.Smith
can play limited min. and not miss a beat [15 yrs.].
Having said all that, I’m not complaining, being a longsuffering fan
just like all you fellas. This season is what we’ve all been waiting
for.
T.S.: You say you can read and tell where everyone stands. Thats not necessarily so. Sometimes folks are simply objectve and you/others
assume you know exactly what a guy thinks. myself, I might criticize
someone’s post and yet respect that person immensely.
Big Ray
November 21st, 2009
12:23 am
Samuel ,
Josh=All Star
I hope.
JJ=All NBA
It’s possible.
Woody=COY
This could be the year.
Extend my Woody
Sending the wrong signals dude….
Big Ray
November 21st, 2009
12:25 am
Billy Knight,
Yes, we know. How’s the house project going? Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll have all the time in the world to complete it. And the next one, too…..
RLP
November 21st, 2009
12:33 am
I think Marvin’s play tonight demonstrates why this team is on the rise. I cannot remember a Hawks team that had the offensive firepower this years team possesses. before the year began I predicted 50-55 wins for this team. Right now I think the team has the ability to brake the franchise record for wins in a season of 57. Let’s ride this hot spell as long as it will go and hope it does not end even though it inevitably will. But what a ride this team is on. It brings to mind all of the great years of the past. This year’s start is making up for years of heartbreak. Let’s keep it going and ride it as long as it will go.