Hawks Squawks: Hawks 103, Bobcats 89
This is what it felt like for Jax and the Bobcats. (Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com)
– Man, it was crazy to watch the Hawks dismantle the Bobcats like that. They finished their homestand 4-1 and that’s big with a brutal week ahead: at Houston, at San Antonio, vs. Boston and at Orlando.
– “We judge it week by week,” Woody said. “Last week was a great week. We had some slippage against Oklahoma City, can’t take anything away from them, they are playing well. But we bounced back to win the last two games. It was a good week.”
– The start was one for that school of thought that says “flat” really means “can’t make open shots.” The Hawks made 15 of 20 shots in the first quarter and it didn’t really come from working inside. Even Smoove got in on it with a 20-foot jumper.
– That started a run of 11 straight baskets during a six-minute stretch of the first quarter. Smoove had two steals and J.J. one during that 25-10 run.
– The Hawks came out smoking against the league’s best defensive team, which looked helpless to do anything about it. The Hawks ended up with assists on 32 of 42 field goals.
– It was pretty to watch. ““Everybody had a chance to see who was on tonight,” Smoove said. “Whenever we get a chance to see who has the hot hand, we are a good team.”
– Then again, the Hawks got those shots because they had more early oomph than in their last three or four games. “We came out with energy and effort,” J.J. said. “That makes up for a lot.”
– Reserves Jeff Teague, Zaza, Jamal Crawford, Mo Evans plus Smoove held it down to start the second quarter.
– Then the second quarter became one for those who think “flat” really means “lack of energy”. The starters began to trickle back in, and the Bobcats got back in it. They got 16 of their 26 second-quarter points in the paint, including layups on 3 of their last 5 baskets of the half.
– “We relaxed a little bit,” Al Horford said. “We had a big lead and they were just attacking the basket and making plays. But I think we made a good adjustment at halftime, and came out in the third quarter and really put them away.”
– There was a third-quarter possession that told it. Smoove was out of position for the play the Hawks wanted to run. Woodson barked at him, but Smoove didn’t seem to hear. Meanwhile, while all of that was going on, J.J. made a jumper.
– See how making shots makes everything better?
– Defense does, too.Woody likes to say how run-outs are the reward for defensive intensity, and that was on display during that stretch and another in the fourth after the Bobcats creeped back in it..
– “Our defense was good, too,” Woody said. “We shot it pretty well, but defensively I thought we were solid.”
– Especially in the first and third quarters, when the Bobcats shot a combined 13 for 43. “It shows how we can turn it on with defense,” Smoove said. “We’ve just got to be more consistent.”
– The Hawks start the second half of the season leading the Southeast Division and trail Boston by a half game for No. 2 in the East. They are feeling themselves, and they should. “We know we can beat any team in the league if we play up to our ability,” J. J. said.
– Larry Brown took out his starters trailing by 13 with 3-plus minutes to play. Guess he saw enough from them. Strange, though, even for Brown.
– Ochocinco was in the house after boasting on Twitter: “I wonder if the HAWKS will let me suit up tonight? I might not get in the game but I bet I sell the arena out-CASH COW”
– Turns out the Hawks were the real show.
– I’m out, Hawks fans.
MC
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87 comments Add your comment
Blast
January 23rd, 2010
7:33 pm
Amazing game last night. Isn’t it so much fun watching Hawks play great defence resulting in steals which triggers their running game? The Cats looked like a bulldozer steamrolled over them. And I was worried about the game! Nice to see Hawks take care of business because next week is going to be another tough one!
Go Hawks!
Benjamin
January 23rd, 2010
8:03 pm
I really am surprised so many Hawks fans seem to have a genuine dislike of Joe Johnson. The guy is going to be a top ten MVP vote getter this year and is (deservingly) on his way to another All Star appearance, and you guys act as if he were Ty Corbin or something.
If the man leaves us this offseason, which is a possibility, we’re going to see just how valuable an asset he was to us the past few years.
Fundamentals
January 23rd, 2010
9:08 pm
I was very pleased to see the solid D, good rebounding and diverse scoring last night. We made a really hot team look like an expansion team. A few lapses late with our lead, but overall I think everyone brought it last night.
I’m hopeful for a 3-1 for the next few. Houston is playing great team ball, but i think we can overcome them. San Antonio is banged up and we should get 1 of the games vs ORL or BOS. I personally hope it’s ORL that we beat. A solid effort each night regardless of wins will make me happy. I’ve been critical, yet very pleased by our month. We’re headed in the right direction and raising the bar of expectations.
All-Star is what it is. Al & Jamal deserve it most to me, followed by Joe. Josh is very close, but he’s had a few lapses to me that might cloud folks opinions of his game. Whatever happens I think it’ll be good for our team. Players would relish the spotlight, no doubt. If Horford & Josh get snubbed they’ll be bringing it hard during the 2nd half. I think it’ll really be a statement from them both. Either way I’m excited to see what the next 1/2 brings.
Clyde
January 23rd, 2010
9:10 pm
My All-Stars
East- Bosh, Howard, Jsmooth, Garnett, Paul Pierce, Lebron, Granger, Gerald Wallace, JJ, Rondo, B Jennings, D Wade
West- Stoudamire, Kaman, Tim Duncan, Z Randolph, Durant, Carmelo, Dirk, B Roy, Kobe, Nash, D Williams
FIRE WOODY
Eman
January 23rd, 2010
9:21 pm
You guys are not real hawks fans!! That’s why we have poor attendance at the arena. The hawks need our support not or negative comments. That’s why this team will be without a star player next year when Joe Johnson leaves. The fans in this town sucks and are the most fair weather in the US.
Coach D
January 23rd, 2010
9:45 pm
Good call Northcyde. Thought Johnson was a little out of sorts last night. Was doing it to raise $ for Haiti.
I really hope this team stays unselfish and together. If they do, they can go far. At least I hope they can go far. Someone needs to knock the O. Magic out for us in the playoffs.
RA
January 23rd, 2010
10:27 pm
They can knock out Orlando themselves, and they need to. Mark me, if this team plays its game, there isn’t a team east of the Mississippie River that can stand in front of them. The problem comes in when they stop playing their game, or worse yet, start playing someone else’s game. We got a glympse last night of what the Hawks can do when they aren’t worried about what the other team is going to do to them, but what they are going to do to the other team. It would be a major step in the right direction if we as fans start thinking that way too.
Ken Strickland
January 23rd, 2010
11:51 pm
LACSHO-you’d better be careful what you say about Bibby, even if you hit the nail on the head with your comments. There are fans out there that can’t seem to see the forest for the tree because of some weird love affair with him.
His overall production is decreasing. His assists are down to 4.5, which is only .6 ahead of Smoove who’s increased his assists to 3.9, and we’re taking about our PF. His overall shooting % is down to .418, which is below Marvin’s .440. He lacks speed, quickness, penetrating ability, is a definite DEF liability, and except when he’s hitting his jumpers, is often an offensive liability. There are those who desperately want to get rid of Marvin because they claim he’s struggling offensively and not producing.
Well, he’s scoring more than Bibby and shooting a higher percentage overall. In fact, the only category in which Bibby has a decided advantage over Marvin is assists. Yet, these individuals feel that replacing Marvin’s superior overall production will do more to improve the team than replacing the inferior production we’re now getting from the most important position on the court, PG. And I won’t even mention the night and day difference in their DEF.
Along with Woodson’s unexplained reasons for continuing to protect him and give him major mins, there are others who, for some unexplained reason, believe he’s the best option possible for the team. I even read one comment from one of his groupies that referenced his impact on the team when he first arrived as an excuse, like it has anything to do with his LACK OF IMPACT now.
While he does a good job of running pick and rolls and throwing alley oop passes, he’s doing a poor job when it comes to:
(1) Running and controlling the overall OFF, especially down the stretch.
(2) Consistently getting the ball inside to his frontline players and making sure none of his teammates get excluded.
(3) Limiting WOODY BALL and the use of ISO’s, one on one and excessive jumpshooting.
(4) Maintaining consistent ball movement and uptempo pace.
(5) Maintaining control of the ball and OFF, and not letting JJ and/or Crawford dominate both at the expense of overall OFF flow and/or the exclusion of others.
Kip Smithers
January 24th, 2010
5:11 am
If Mike Woodson coaches the East in the All-Star game, it’ll replace the Gilbert Arenas gun incident as the most disturbing event to occur in the NBA this season.
No use to have All Star reserves, Woody’s only gonna play the starters!!!
Well, since Joe is on the team. One reserve will get in, and ISO-Joe will be the only play call.
KevinA
January 24th, 2010
6:43 am
The last 10 games Marvin is shooting .477 FG%. Quite a turn around.
KevinA
January 24th, 2010
6:56 am
Ken Strickland,
Great post. Playing Marvin, Evans and Teague more of Bibby’s minutes works for me. Bibby is capable of playing well in short stretches but should be played with a much shorter chain.
doc
January 24th, 2010
11:52 am
lacsho, those were my sentiments exactly as i watched from my seats, “jj just about shot us out of an easy win”. they made a run at us and it wasnt comfortable to watch. on the other hand he led the break many times and passed effectively. i hope he realizes he got carried away. if josh isnt above criticism for his misguided play they jj isnt either nor anyone else on the hawks. man that is what we are all about.
northcyde
January 24th, 2010
4:58 pm
Strickland . . . having said all of that, Woody is STILL doing this exactly right. He’s starting Bibby, seeing if he can get it going shooting wise. If he isn’t, or if the opposing team is taking advantage of him, he’s playing the Crawford – JJ backcourt.
And until Bibby starts posting negative +/- numbers in a game, he isn’t going to deviate from not playing Bibby.
No matter how many people don’t like that, it’s the right call, because Teague simply isn’t ready to run an NBA team. He can’t make a jumpshot. He can’t make a layup in traffic. And his awareness off the ball is just as poor s Bibby’s.
Because of that, you always opt to go with the veteran PG.
It is what it is.
cp
January 24th, 2010
5:07 pm
I’m starting to think some of these posters are related to Woodson.
northcyde
January 24th, 2010
6:00 pm
Nah cp . . . it’s just that some people can give Woody credit where credit is due.
The hater nature of the fan base won’t let them believe that he’s making the right decisions, despite the fact that the Hawks have their best record midway through the season, in 13 years.
Playing a rookie PG that can’t shoot and can’t make layups, is not the soultion for the Hawks to become a better team.
Traceman
January 24th, 2010
6:45 pm
Kudos to those who support JJ and recognize that he is one of the best players in the NBA. You would think that fans would be proud of the fact that he is an All Star lock but I read far more criticism of him from fans of this team than from anywhere else. Other cities are drooling about stealing him away to improve their teams but Hawks fans can’t appreciate all the good that he brings to the table. It doesn’t surprise me though. Half the Hawks’ fans only saw Nique as a selfish ballhog too.
As for the criticism of Bibby, I don’t get that either. He is one of the few starts in recent memory who has accepted a pay cut and a lesser role for the good of the team. Of course he’s not as quick as he once was. He still plays a valuable role for this team. Many players would pout about losing so many minutes but not Bibby. I love his attitude and I appreciate what he brings to the team. Teague is the future but he is CLEARLY not ready to takeover. He can’t shoot or finish consistently and he is at least as bad as Bibby on D if not worse. Every time he gets in the game, his man ends up getting easy layups by cutting to the basket. He’ll get there, but he’s not there yet
Finally, why can’t some of you appreciate the Hawks as a TEAM rather than always looking for flaws in individual players? All of the guys make up for deficiencies in there temmates which is what is SUPPOSED to happen. Jamaal fills the 6th man role to perfection but he has been succesful here largely because Woody is able to let him stay on the floor because of the tremendous help D from his teammates. Jamaal remains one of the worst defenders in the NBA even though his D has improved a little. That said, he provides a 4th quarter alternative to JJ that we haven’t had before.
Bottom line, we are not perfect but we are a team and every player has a role. Go Hawks.
O'Brien
January 24th, 2010
7:14 pm
Traceman,
I agree with your most of your 6:45 post, but I disagree with 2 points.
1) You say Bibby took a paycut. Look at the other PGs who signed contracts this past offseason. The only one who signed for more money was Andre Miller, who signed for 2 years, $14 mil (3rd year option).
I dont think Bibby took a paycut, because I dont think any other team out there would offer him the kind of money the Hawks did. And even if they did, he wouldn’t be a starter for them, and I doubt if they would guarantee the 3rd year like the Hawks did. By the 3rd year, Bibby should be coming off the bench (regardless of who the starter is).
2) You say Teague is as bad on D as Bibby is, if not worse. Sure, there are times when Teague’s man drives by him, but overall, Teague provides more ball pressure, and is able to recover faster than Bibby. How many PGs have had career nights against Bibby?
Overall though, very solid first half from the Hawks. At the start of the year, who would not be thrilled to be 27-14 at the midway point. Sure, there were some winnable games they gave away (2 Knicks games, Cleveland come to mind), but they won some games we didnt know they would win (all 3 against Boston).
Hopefully, Woody and the Hawks will continue to grow in the second half, and will finish as a top 2 seed.
ILL-logical
January 24th, 2010
7:14 pm
3) Limiting WOODY BALL and the use of ISO’s, one on one and excessive jumpshooting.
(4) Maintaining consistent ball movement and uptempo pace.
(5) Maintaining control of the ball and OFF, and not letting JJ and/or Crawford dominate both at the expense of overall OFF flow and/or the exclusion of others.
These are the reasons that Woodson KEEPS Bibby in the rotation.Woodson wants 3 and 5 to occur but does not want 4.
KevinA
January 24th, 2010
8:02 pm
Traceman,
Critiquing parts of the JJ game does not mean we are not proud of him, do not appreciate him or realize he has All – Star talent. We also appreciate that Bibby took a pay cut and plays a valuable role on this team. I personally have not decided if Teague is our future but I agree he is not ready for major minutes. We do disagree about The difference in defense between the two. Neither are good but Teague has much more upside. Only more minutes and time will decide. Jamal like you suggested has many problems with defense but has stretched the floor for JJ and himself and both are having career numbers in FG%. Jamal has also provided another scoring threat that has worked out great. So with all this agreement what would I like you to consider.
First let’s discuss tempo and the reason we blog for change. Consistency = identity and consistency also = style of play. We are not there yet. Some games we play great team ball, beaten some the best teams in the NBA and are blowing out teams at a higher ratio than in past years. We push the ball, hit the open man and involve our big’s in a much more significant way. These are the nights when Bibby, Jamal and JJ have good assist nights. These same nights also produce assists from the big’s as well.
In most of our loses and some of our wins, we play with a much slower tempo, do not get into our sets early in the shot clock, shoot more jumpers, run more ISO plays. The results are a stagnant offense with players standing around. The stagnant offense leads to less energy on D. I will be the first to admit our guards are good enough to win games on their talent and excellent offense. They can overcome their defensive deficiencies (Bibby/Teague/Jamal) to carry us to victory.
The fact is, jump shooting teams are streaky. Jump shooting and guard play has won many games but has lost many games. For the first time in a decade we have an option. Al and Josh are playing great. They are not perfect but stats do not lie. The more we feed Al and Josh the better off we are. They are young and pass extremely well, they out run their opponents, shoot at the highest FG% on the team and provide the energy on defense to dominate chunks of games.
Night after night the big’s are under extreme pressure from the lack of defense by Bibby and Jamal. When do we discuss when the defensive energy of Jamal and Bibby sparked a win.
The Cat win was the Hawks at their best. When JJ/Jamal and Bibby are getting assists, when the guards are pushing the tempo and the big’s are getting touches at a much higher rate than normal – we win. When the Hawks claim this style of play and demonstrate consistency, we can and will beat anybody on a more consistent basis. Our complaints are an expression of Hawks love. An
KevinA
January 24th, 2010
8:03 pm
Raptors playing lakers tough. Love to see the Lakers go down.
KevinA
January 24th, 2010
8:20 pm
KevinA
January 24th, 2010
6:56 am
Ken Strickland,
Great post. Playing Marvin, Evans and Teague more of Bibby’s minutes works for me. Bibby is capable of playing well in short stretches but should be played with a much shorter chain.
I wish we would add a 5th guard, (not Mario) and keep a shorter chain on all of them. Minutes should come with good play. Woody has done a better job this year but still leaves us wondering if he is watching the same game – sometimes.
And what is up with Rondo. Unlike Teague he has played great or at least not destructive in the limited minutes he has had. His minutes played can only be deserving of more minutes. We need to find out if he can hang with Cleveland, Orlando and Boston. Against quicker centers I like Joe Smith with the quicker feet. Is he better than ZaZa? (witch could be a great trading piece) . It would be in our best interests to find out.We may have the upgrade we have always wanted. Give the kid some opportunity.
KevinA
January 24th, 2010
8:32 pm
Michael Cunningham,
I like the way you left this thread going. It is easier to have a discussion. Do your posts which have been great but we do not need a new thread every day. Information is the key, not chopped up discussion,
O'Brien
January 24th, 2010
8:38 pm
Lakers lost. Hawks are 3 games out from the best record in the NBA. Who would have thunk it.
Bring on the Rockets. And I love how the 26th pick Aaron Brooks has developed in less than 3 years. I hope our 19 pick continues to work on his jump shot, because he has the potential to be our starter in 2 years.
KevinA
January 24th, 2010
8:46 pm
check this out. I love JJ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo-TvGBaNYE
KevinA
January 24th, 2010
8:47 pm
do not mistake the fact he is an all star
KevinA
January 24th, 2010
9:33 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB17uWuBrL0
KevinA
January 24th, 2010
9:42 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1f7eZ8cHpM&NR=1
We appreciate the contributions of those who who have given to Hatie. this song is for you.
Just Saying
January 24th, 2010
10:04 pm
If you are posting on this blog every 2 mins, You Might be lonely….. Kevin
doc
January 24th, 2010
10:14 pm
i continue to go on record as saying teague does not behave like he belongs. except for very few flashes i for one have not been impressed. he still looks very lost on both ends of the court. the game has not slowed down for him yet nor does he seem to be able to anticipate anything. wish i could say otherwise dont know if it is the coaching lack of play time or what. i can say it isnt there for him yet to play extended minutes based on what i have seen from him.
northcyde
January 24th, 2010
10:22 pm
1:11 – 1:21 of that video is the essence of ISO Joe Johnson. Not in a rush at all.
He just calmly went at Allen . . didn’t have a shot . . . backed him out to the 3 point line . . did THREE between the legs dribbles . . crossed him over . . did a BACKWARDS between the legs dribble . . did a set dribble to set up the shot . . took a BACKWARDS hop step . . . and shot a fadeaway 18 footer with Allen in his face that hit nothing but net.
No highlight type dunk.
No flopping into people trying to draw a foul.
Just PURE BASKETBALL SKILL.
LOL . . Marvin knew IMMEADIATELY that the shot was good.
Melvin
January 24th, 2010
10:52 pm
doc,
Not sure how Teague can be assess at this point. He’s only 40 something games into his rookie season, where his mins are inconsistent along with several DNPs. I don’t see how he’s going to become comfortable on the floor while watching the game from the bench. There’s no substitute for playtime. I have yet to see Woody play him for extended mins in a meaningful game. Remember Woody is on record saying that he’s not going to throw Teague to the wolves (i.e. not going to play him extended mins). Woody is not interested in developing young talent at this point with this team. He’s auditioning for a contract extension and he’s going to ride his starters to the end. In closing, I would say that Teague gets an incomplete grade at this point because he doesn’t have enough on court time to evaluate his play.
RLP
January 24th, 2010
11:13 pm
BIBBY:
This year his minutes have declined from a career average of 35.6 to 27.6. His FG % has declined from a career average of 43.8% to 41.8%.His 3P % has increased from a career average of 37.5% to 39.4%. Moreover it is higher than during his previous two years with this team. His FT% has increased from a career average of 80.5% to 84.1% this year. For his career he has average6.0 APG but this year he is averaging 4.5 per game. His career turnovers per game has been 2.34 but this year he is only averaging 1.14 per game. His career average points per game is 16.1 but this year he is averaging 9.2.
Obviously some of his stats are adversely affected by the decline in his playing time. But when you look at a comparison of ALL of the relevant stats I do not see how you can argue that he is not a valuable member of this team. I expect he is on the downhill side of his career but he continues to provide the kind of veteran leadership that a young team like the Hawks need. I also suspect that most coaches understand that part of coaching is to take the resources you have available to you and mold the best team you can with those resources. I would argue that using Bibby, JC and JJ in the role of pg provides the best available use of this team’s current resources to get the possible performance from this team.
To those that argue the team needs a driving, slashing pg I don’t disagree. I wish we had one. But you do not have a proven pg available to do that for this team this year. Jeff Teague may prove to be that pg. But he has not demonstrated that ability thus far this year in the limited pt he has received. Let us hope that he acquires or perfects those traits in the future. To thrust him into that role this year is asking a coach to risk his future. If I were the coach I would not do that.
Tanqueray
January 24th, 2010
11:38 pm
He just calmly went at Allen . . didn’t have a shot . . . backed him out to the 3 point line . . did THREE between the legs dribbles . . crossed him over . . did a BACKWARDS between the legs dribble . . did a set dribble to set up the shot . . took a BACKWARDS hop step . . . and shot a fadeaway 18 footer with Allen in his face that hit nothing but net.
This calmly took up about 10 blasted seconds. How many times have we seen this, only to watch Joe miss? And that part about shooting the hawks out of the game to donate to Haitians is so much bullshizz. The man is an idiot and so is his coach.
RAP
January 24th, 2010
11:41 pm
Which charity benefit was Joe shooting for in all those other games that he shot 5-16 and 7-21? You know before the earthquakes and all that.
Just saying stupid stuff
January 24th, 2010
11:43 pm
WOODY MAKES EXCELLENT DECISIONS ALL THE TIME. DIDNT YALL KNOW THAT? WHY PLAY AND DEVELOP YOUR YOUNG POINT GUARD WHEN YOU KNOW BIBBY IS THE BEST PG IN THE EAST AND WILL LIVE FOREVER. NEVER THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE. YEAH THATS THE TICKET.
northcyde
January 24th, 2010
11:53 pm
Hawks are 28 – 14 . . .
#3 in the East . . .
#5 team in the entire NBA . . .
Hawks destiny at the end of the season:
Woody = Coach of the Year
JJ = 3rd team All-NBA . . #7th in MVP voting
Crawford = 6th Man of the Year
Smoove = #3 in Defensive Player of the Year voting
Great job guys.
jhan
January 25th, 2010
12:12 am
NO way has Teague done anything to justify more than spot minutes. He can’t shoot or finish right now. He does play nice on-ball defense but he is offensively challenged.
How can anyone say with a straight face this team would be better off without JJ? Do the research on Crawford led teams & see if you like them better than what we have now!