Hawks Squawks: Warriors 108, Hawks 104
Stephen Curry and the Warriors took one from Hawks. (NBA.com Photo)
Oakland– That’s two games in a row where an all-systems failure led to a dispiriting loss for the Hawks. Same scene after each one, too: J.J. sitting dejectedly at his locker, still in uniform while his teammates hit the showers.
– Not hard to figure why he was bummed about this one. The Hawks did so much right to build an 18-point lead, then blew it by doing everything wrong.
– “We were too comfortable,” Al said. “We thought we could just let them make their run and come back and we would still win.”
– Instead the Warriors took it from them. They had just eight healthy bodies and probably no more than two players on the court who could crack the Hawks’ rotation. Yet they were poised while the Hawks fell apart.
– “We just failed to execute coming down the stretch,” Woody said. “We had a comfortable lead and we stopped doing the things that got us the lead. Defensively, we just shut down.”
– “We definitely stopped playing D,” Jamal said.
– They still had their chances to win. It was tied at 104-104 when Al missed a jumper and it went out of bounds off the Warriors. But Jamal was called for a technical foul, and the Warriors made the free throw for a 105-104 lead.
– “I thought I got pushed under the basket,” Jamal said. “He (the official) didn’t think so. I voiced my frustration and got the technical.”
– Crawford had a chance to make amends when he was wide open for a corner 3-pointer on a pass from J.J. He missed, the Warriors rebounded and Ellis made two free throws for a 107-104 lead.
– The last play for the Hawks: Smoove for a 3-point miss. Huh?
– For the second straight game, the offense stalled in the fourth quarter. Too much standing around and not enough ball movement. “I’ve got to get us out of that,” Woody said. “We are isolating too much now. I’ve got to get more movement, more ball screens, give the ‘bigs’ a chance to make plays.”
– Al is all for that. “The first three quarters we were great. We were unselfish and moving the ball. In the fourth quarter we got very stagnant. We can’t keep letting that happen. It happened early in the year, we fixed it, and now we can’t let it happen again down the stretch when the games are so important.”
– The fourth quarter Iso-Joe count: missed a shot that went off the rim and out of bounds; got fouled and made both free throws; made a 29-foot 3-pointer; missed a leaning jumper on the baseline that Smoove rebounded; and passed out to Jamal for that missed 3-pointer. That’s the most Iso-Joe plays in the fourth since I started keeping count.
– Rookie Stephen Curry ran circles around the Hawks, who never really figured out how to stop him from getting into the lane coming off picks. When they did slow him that way, he made shots.
– “He reminds me of his daddy (Del Curry) except he’s a better pick-and-roll player,” Woody said before the game. “And he’s got a jumpshot. That’s a tough combination.”
– The Hawks now head to Utah, where they’ve lost 15 straight, trying to get a split on the four-game trip. They couldn’t close out the Suns when Woody wouldn’t use his bench, and everyone had a hand in this debacle. “It’s a tough loss,” Woody said. “We are trying to stay at the top of the division. We are trying to stay .500 or better on the road, and now we have slipped under .500. We have some ground to make up.”
– I’m out, Hawks fans.
MC
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231 comments Add your comment
JeJe
February 22nd, 2010
8:09 am
“I’ve got to get us out of that,” Woody said. “We are isolating too much now. I’ve got to get more movement, more ball screens, give the ‘bigs’ a chance to make plays.”
LOL! This guy has said numerous times he does NOT care about our offense.
Good luck to him
JeJe
February 22nd, 2010
8:10 am
How the hell is Joe Johnson the biggest SG in the game but only averages 4.7 rebounds? That is a pathetic number and he has no heart
JeJe
February 22nd, 2010
8:12 am
Woodson had absolutely NO gameplan for stopping Curry or Ellis. He could’ve even used Mario on Ellis or Curry for more minutes.
WOODSON DOES NOT USE HIS BENCH IN CLOSE GAMES. HE USES THE SAME LINEUP REGARDLESS OF HOW EFFECTIVE IT IS
FIRE THIS IDIOT NOW
dap01
February 22nd, 2010
8:15 am
The NBA letting the players to get traded and still go back to a team that is $20,000,000 over the salary cap is wrong.
The NBA needs to keep the very little credibility it has by not letting Cleveland trade expensive players and then get the back in prearranged deals.
Stern has no credibility.
ILL-logical
February 22nd, 2010
8:28 am
Three things happened last night that have some long term implications:
1. Woodson removed all doubt as to why he is not considered a championship caliber coach.
2. Josh reverted back to all of the bad habits that were thought to be behind him.
3. Joe made up his mind about his future plans.
Taken together, these three things argue for a major shake up in the off season. Sad. Of course management and the media will try to spin things like this absurd notion that a slow, unathletic jump shooting old center is somehow going to make a difference.
I now know why Horford was voted into the ALL Star game and Josh was not: His attitude -and I have seen the team practice- is bad and the refs, as well as the other coaches recognize it.
The team is going to have to be built around Horford because there are no superstars who want to play for this franchise, even with a better coach. So whatever comes about this season is going to be as good as it gets for long time.
O'Brien
February 22nd, 2010
8:33 am
First of all, total team loss (players and coaches), so plenty of blame to go around.
Crawford (who also went 6-15) can’t get a technical that late in a tight game. And what was Josh doing shooting that 3 with 6 seconds left? And Marvin gave us nothing again.
Bibby gave us nothing again (offensively or defensively), but yet he still played 30 minutes, and once again, an opposing PG burned us. Can Teague really look that bad in practice not to get more PT?
Woody should have been posting them up from the start of the game (as Najeh pointed out). And then in the 4th, Woody stood by on the sidelines and couldnt figure out how to get the team to execute offensively.
Ms. Dee has a good point. Why put Josh in the game when you’re down 3. If he gets the ball and gets fouled, we probably lose (even if he gets 3 FT). If he takes the 3pt shot, we probably lose. If he gets an offensive rebound and put back, we’re still down 1.
And even if he gets an AND 1, he might miss the FT. It might have been a good strategy to put Marvin in the game instead of Josh. Thats a tough call though.
Interesting quote from Woody. “I’ve got to get us out of that,” Woody said. “We are isolating too much now. I’ve got to get more movement, more ball screens, give the ‘bigs’ a chance to make plays.”
Really Woody? How long have us fans been screaming the same thing? 6 years in, and Woody is coming to the same conclusion that bloggers have been saying for at least the last 2 seasons.
I wonder what Rick Sund is thinking right now? He’s probably glad that he hasn’t given Woody an extension yet. Plus, keep in mind, the Raptors are only 4 games behind us in the loss column.
don medeiros
February 22nd, 2010
8:42 am
Except for a short period in the 3rd quarter when the bigs were involved, this team is painful to watch. So predictable. Iso-Joe is coming and they double team it and everything comes to a stop. For an alleged defensive coach, our D stunk it up. If there is a less imaginative offense in the league, I don’t know what it is.
This team is not mentally capable of going far into the playoffs. They just aren’t. They have been created in the image of their coach, which is not a good thing.
GeeMack
February 22nd, 2010
9:02 am
How in the world did the Hawks lose this game? I went to bed at the end of the 3rd, and we where up 15. The way the Hawks were playing I thought this game was in the bag.
I knew they would try and make a run, but not enought to over the lead we established. Wow another blown opportunity. Cle lost 3 in a row, Orl lost to Dallas, & Bos. lost yesterday, and the Hawks blow 2 games they should have won.
JeJe
February 22nd, 2010
9:04 am
LOL @ this talk of Hawks interested in Ilgauskas.
We just saw what happened with Johnny Damon.
The Nuggets or Mavs could offer Ilgauskas $750,000, and we’d offer $749,999 and not get him because we wouldn’t pay those extra 2 dollars. That’s the ASG. Cheap broke owners who suck
Chris
February 22nd, 2010
9:05 am
Maybe I’m too new of an NBA fan, but did anyone notice how Bob Devaney and Co. let GS maul our guys on the defensive end during their run? It seemed as if they got caught up in the crowd. On one play, JJ got his man up in the air, drew contact and put up a shot. No call.
In addition, it is pretty clear that Woody is a lousy coach. How does Joe not at least TOUCH the ball on that last posession? He was the only guy in red having a good shooting night. I really think coaching has cost this team 5 or more games this season.
Astro Joe
February 22nd, 2010
9:07 am
Does Josh pass well? Does he rebound well? Are those attributes that can help you with few seconds left in a tight game? Come oe, are you seriously suggesting that Woody should bench our $58M man in those situations? I thought people claim that he has ice water in his veins in those late game situations and makes his free throws. So unless you’re concerned that he may forget time and situation after 6 years in the league, there is NO way you bench Josh Smith with a few ticks left on the clock. It’s hilarious that y’all could spend all of these bites and bytes trashing Marvin and then suggest he should have been in instead of Josh at the end of that game. Just be honest and say that Josh made a boneheaded play and stop looking for excuses for why he should not have been allowed to make that boneheaded play. Any excuses y’all want to offer up for going 2-7 from the free throw line? It’s like Josh isn’t allowed to have a bad night, he is. And now we go to Utah.
R,U,KIDDEN-ME??!!
February 22nd, 2010
9:12 am
DUE TO IDIOT OWNER’S,IDIOT G.M.’S & A IDIOT COACH WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS ANOTHER WASTED SEASON!!!!
niremetal
February 22nd, 2010
9:13 am
Big co-sign on Najeh’s 1:32 am.
JJ Fan
February 22nd, 2010
9:15 am
OK, any comment about this game has to include “The Warriors dressed EIGHT GUYS!” Why weren’t the Hawks forcing them into foul trouble?!? The Warriors dressed EIGHT GUYS! None of them was disqualified?!? The Warriors dressed EIGHT GUYS! Why wasn’t their trainer running around like a medic on D-Day trying to relieve cramping and exhaustion? The Warriors dressed EIGHT GUYS! You play Teague, Crawford, JJ, Smoove, and Horford and run them out of the gym!! Then bring in Marvin and Zaza when you want to smash them in the paint!!!
The Warriors dressed EIGHT GUYS!
The Warriors dressed EIGHT GUYS!
Hawks are one round and done again this year…..
jay dubu
February 22nd, 2010
9:15 am
Something is missing with the Hawks.
They need to get whatever the issue is with Bibby corrected. Marvin has to make the most of his touches, and Zaza has to hold onto the ball, and make plays down low. It seems as though he fumbled every single pass that he received last night.
jay dubu
February 22nd, 2010
9:18 am
JJ Fan, 8 is a good rotation most nights. Look back at the Hawks, if they more than 8 guys, it’s usually for a couple of minutes at the end of 1, 2, or 3 quarters.
PMC
February 22nd, 2010
9:20 am
You can easily lay this one at the feet of Jamal Crawford for that nonsensical technical when they had the ball and 30 seconds left. That one was just silly.
BigD
February 22nd, 2010
9:23 am
OK, I’m starting to think Woody is actually an assistant coach working for the Orlando Magic!!
You’ve gotta be kiddin me right with his coaching decisions.
Why did he again not give his starters a break when the Hawks built that lead late in the 3rd Quarter. They had absoulutely nothing left in the 4th Quarter, esp. Josh. He wasn’t explosive at all. Marvin, Joe Smith, and Mo all sat on the bench in the 4th Quarter.
Secondly have you seen M. Biddy’s stat line. 3pts in 30 minutes of play. He does create offensive of the dribble penentration. He can’t defend as well as Teague. Why is he not at least splitting minutes with Teague at this point? Who he gonna guard come playoff times. All of the opposing teams PG’s are much quicker than Bibby.
tidog
February 22nd, 2010
9:23 am
The Hawks are playoff tested and harden. They should have responded better to the crowd and the run. Woodson has coaching defiencies as we all like to point out. This loss can be placed solely on the shoulders of the players. C’mon a 14 point 4th quarter and to add insult to injury you give up a 18 point lead going into the 4th. Now for the bright side, 29 games left to change 4th quarter meltdowns. The big three (cavs,celts,magic) will take their lunch if it’s not solved.
PMC
February 22nd, 2010
9:24 am
YOu can’t blame Josh for taking that shot with time running down when he had a clean look. The guy played his butt off last night scrapping for balls on the floor and pulling down rebounds. This team is AGAIN hurt by guard play that needs to be better in the last 2 minutes. They couldn’t get open he had a good look and just missed it. NO big deal it’s not like he’s doing that 15 times a game like last year. The fact that they only scored 14 in the 4th against THAT team…. yeah I hope no one said a word on the plane to Utah. They should be embarassed. If Joe is the star… then JOE should be taking over and winning games like those.
They are going to have to upgrade point guard big time next year.
BigD
February 22nd, 2010
9:24 am
Typo Does Biddy Not create offense
Mr. T
February 22nd, 2010
9:25 am
I pity the fool (Mike Woodson). Time for Woodson to go. When was the last time you saw the Hawks come out of a timeout and run a play that wasn’t “give the ball to Joe Johnson”. When was the last time you thought that Woodson had out-coached the opposing coach? (never). How can you have a strong team down the stretch if you’re not giving your bench significant playing time? (even if it may cost you a win or two during the season) Please, please, please, can we have a new coach after the season is over. I find myself wishing for a Hawks flop in the playoffs, just to improve our chances of getting ourselves a COACH !!
Fundamentals
February 22nd, 2010
9:26 am
Same scenario, same result. This team is satisfied with the 50 win mark. They won a nice game to start the road trip, gave away the 2nd and then thought they could outshoot somebody. Same reason we lose to OKC and New York. We thought we we’re better. Problem is any team in the NBA or D-League can beat you on any given night. They played tough D, they played team ball and they took what was theirs in the 4th quarter.
We’ve lost that fire because we’re satisfied with the 4th seed. We’re satisfied with 50 wins. Hopefully they’ll be satisfied getting bounced in the 2nd round convincingly with that attitude. If we hit Toronto or the Bobcats we might just slip out 1st round.
Where’s all the “Focus” we heard about that was coming after the All Star Break? We have the potential. Somebody let the pilot light go out this weekend.
Very Dissappointed Here!
jay dubu
February 22nd, 2010
9:26 am
Josh has some flaws, but is a major, major talent. If he can develope a mid-range jump shot, and stay away from the 3 pointers, he’ll be an great player.
If Dirk Nowitzki can play the long range game that he plays at 7 feet, then Josh should be able to handle 10 12 feet from the basket.
PMC
February 22nd, 2010
9:26 am
I’m not sure what Bibby does well at this point in his career. They might as well ride and die with Jeff Teague at this point. Bibby just looks old.
Astro Joe
February 22nd, 2010
9:29 am
Let’s hope that Woody has told Josh to shoot around 75% from the free throw line for the remainder of the year, since all things broken about this team comes down to the coaching. Oh yeah, and maybe he should also remind his players that late game technical fouls in tight games is not generally a good thing. Idiot coach, doesn’t he realize that he must constantly teach because these guys retain nothing?
Clyde
February 22nd, 2010
9:30 am
PMC Bibby looked old last year and he got a new contract.
Section 303
February 22nd, 2010
9:31 am
Clyde, you might be back in buisness. When hear Woodson say “I have to get them out of that”, in reference to all the iso plays, I think he is in over his head. When will that guy learn to stop taking the air out of the ball when the team is rolling?
Have not been one to rip Woody, but this is as bad of a loss as I have seen. I thought the Miami debacle was the “wake up call”.
Ladies and gentlemen….make some noise for your ATLANTAAAAAA FRAUDSSSS
JJ Fan
February 22nd, 2010
9:33 am
Jay,
There is HUGE difference between having a full bench, and not playing them vs. having a limited number of players dressed. And those “couple of minutes at the end of the quarter” are crucial rest periods for your starters. With TV timeouts, those 3 minutes of game time are still close to 10-15 minutes of actual rest.
As the ESPN guys were pointing out, this was a lineup made up mostly of D-league guys and 2nd-round draft picks. They’re having a bad season, anyway. Now you add the pressure of having to play one of the best teams in the East with no margin for error? On national TV?
The Hawks played this like Tyson did against Buster Douglas, and got the same result….
jay dubu
February 22nd, 2010
9:35 am
Last night’s loss makes this a bad road trip. The Hawks have blown 2 very winable games, last was a gift to the Warriors, and tonight they face a good team.
The Hawks have difficulty in back to back games as is. Let’s hope that last night’s performance will cause the Hawks to play with a chip on shoulder tonight. If they can pull it out, they finish with a 2 – 2 road trip that could have been 3 -1.
tidog
February 22nd, 2010
9:39 am
Bibby has put in his NBA time and payed his dues. Bibby will be well rested for the playoffs and he’ll shine. His leadership and experience come playoffs will rise. Rookies ain’t getting no calls in playoffs Bibby will get his NBA, been there,done that respect.
BigD
February 22nd, 2010
9:40 am
I’m starting to think that if Woody comes back, JJ goes to the Knicks or Chicago and pairs with a better coach. Johnson is smart enough to know he may get his shots up and pad his stats with the Hawks, but he will not win a Championship in Atlanta under our current coach. He will have his money this summer so it’s not going to be about his stats anymore, it’s going to be about winning!
JM
February 22nd, 2010
9:42 am
This loss is on Woodson. If you see your guards being ran off the court why not try to change the momentum for a few minutes. Put Mario or Mo in to harrass/foul them or leave Teague in to run them on defense. The lack of in game adjustments continues. Sund should have a meeting with Woody just to let him know he expects his next coach to make in game adjustments and then we can only hope that Woodson gets the point.
dangerousdan87
February 22nd, 2010
9:45 am
I wish Dominque could coach this team.Where were the reserves last night? Why isn’t Joe Smith playing more? Why not put Teague on Curry? He had fresher legs. Flusing an 18 point lead is inexcusable. I know the guys were tired with a three game west coast trip, but come on. Coaching lost that game last night. I’m worried about the playoffs I would like to see Joe Smith, Horford and Josh Smith get some minutes together.
Grandad
February 22nd, 2010
9:46 am
Ill-logical:
I Disagree slightly, abought Josh.
He played his tail off last night.
he should not have been in the game on the last pos.
He ended up with the ball in his hands and one cannot say if he saw Joe and or Jamal open?
As far as his barking @ refs and practice habits …I fault Wdsn for allowing him to be/grow into that type player.
On the flip side he is one of the few Hawks I’ve seen who will lay out for a loose ball.
I’m really not debating, just seeing both sides a little.
As for Joe; what made you think, ‘last night made up his mind’ ?
Someone mentioned Jamal cannot get a ‘T’ in that sit. I agree.
However, do you think [Stern's most favored one] LbJ gets one in that sit.? Of course not.
NC Braves Fan
February 22nd, 2010
9:54 am
I said this a couple of months ago, after the Knicks came to ATL and knocked off the Hawks, and I’ll say it again: I think Woodson has taken this team as far as it’s going to go. The reasons the players and coaches cite in their losses are exactly the same today as they were very early in the season.
Can anyone honestly say this is a better team today than it was in game one of the year?
The trouble is, and it was pointed out yesterday by another poster – is there a better coach available at the salary level the ASG is willing to pay?
Gman
February 22nd, 2010
9:55 am
Woodson’s contract will not be renewed and Joe Johnson will only resign if the money is right and Woodson is gone!
Daniel
February 22nd, 2010
9:58 am
very tough loss last night, this could be one of those come back to haunt you losses if we miss being a 3rd seed by one game. Lots of blame to go around here. I do actually have to give a fair amount to Josh and Woodson. Yes, Josh overall played well, but he kept going to Josh and/or Josh kept running the offense in the 4th quarter when things were not working. Jamal had a horrible game. Nobody on the team did enough.
I will say that I strongly agree with Fundamentals post. What happened to this “focus” that we heard so much about coming back from the All Star break? Weird things happen but blowing a 16 point lead in the 4th quarter to a sub standard NBA team? That is completely about focus or lack there of. What gives?
Daniel
February 22nd, 2010
9:59 am
Gman- Really? How do you know that? You have some inside source?
Clyde
February 22nd, 2010
10:02 am
Samuel The FIRE WOODY train is on full steam. Where u at Sammy?????? Woody surely lost some points in the COY running last night.
This morning we have heard from Jeje and Granddad about last night’s lost. All we need now is a nice long post from The Blogger of The Year Ken Strickland.
FIRE WOODY
Grandad
February 22nd, 2010
10:06 am
AJ:
“He must constantly teach because these guys retain nothing”
I get the sense that he doesn’t talk to them at all:
(re ‘Collins & Smith’ concerning their play-off rotation/minutes)
“I haven’t told them that, but I hope they can sense it”
Wdsn teaching methodology – ‘let them sense it’ ???
JeJe
February 22nd, 2010
10:06 am
Why is everyone wanting Joe to have the ball on that last possession? Jamal was the one who hit a ton of 3’s?
Joe is clearly a moron.
WE COULD HAVE DONE A 2 FOR 1 WITH 34 SECONDS LEFT.
WHAT THE !@#$ING HELL WAS HE THINKING? HE DOES THIS EVERY TIME. 2 FOR 1 IS A FREAKING GIVEN
JESUS
vava74
February 22nd, 2010
10:07 am
I will be brief:
1. The refs killed us. But, apart from that, which accounted to at least 50% of the loss:
2. Woody was again an idiot on the bench (not playing Mo, Joe Smith; not going big when GS went “big”; playing Bibby in a running game with one the fastest backcourts in the game and in particular at the end when he he didn’t even look at the basket; the list could go on and on…)
3. Josh was not to blame: yes he launched 2 or 3 jump shots which in a perfect world he should not have launched but – in particular the 3 pointer he should not have been given the ball in that position in the first place. Bad shot, no major blame on Josh.
4. Bibby is virtually dead and should not be in the game more than 20 minutes. JT0 was doing an acceptable job and AT LEAST he could keep up with the pace of the game.
5. JJ had a good game but he ran out of legs by chasing Curry on the defensive end and carrying the offensive load in the other end. Without any quality offensive strategy he ended up being an easy prey to the hacking he took without any calls going our way.
6. Craw lost it a bit, however, he got fouled several times in a row and no calls were given. He’s human.
7. Why the hell is anyone blaming Marvin? He was 4-7 and out of the game when his shot could have been handy. Why blame him? He was less than stellar but did not contribute to the loss AT ALL!!!!!!
Melvin
February 22nd, 2010
10:10 am
Astro,
Look like you are going hard after your two favorite whooping boys for this lost….lol
Astro Joe
February 22nd, 2010
10:12 am
Grandad, i suspect that discussing how you plan to use a guy in 35 games is a little different than providing game-to-game teaching. If this team can win 50 games without a coach, then the ASG needs to hire one of them as a player-coach next season and save a couple of million dollars on the coaching staff.
Astro Joe
February 22nd, 2010
10:14 am
Melvin, you have yours, I have mine.
Grandad
February 22nd, 2010
10:15 am
Clyde – I can’t type fast enough to say all that’s on my mind.
Most centers around the misuse of young Teaguer.
I was criticized early in the year for suggesting he play about 16 min per. People said ‘Oh, let him go around the league one time, then play him. Where would the young fella be right now if he had been playing
16 min. per for the wlole season. He might be ready to take the wheel.
Put your earmuffs on, I know Ken’s on his way !!!
Melvin
February 22nd, 2010
10:15 am
28pts combine in the 4th qtrs of the last two games against subpar defensive teams (Phx and GS). You want to talk defense!!!
Melvin
February 22nd, 2010
10:16 am
Astro,
I thought my comments was well balance…lol
Ken
February 22nd, 2010
10:17 am
It’s hard to figure out how after 54 games the Hawks are still trying to figure out their identity. I can only imagine how fustrated the players must be both starters and bench players. How can an six year NBA coach be this inept. Your starting pg gives you 3pts and 5 assists in over 30 minutes it seems for the past 20 games and you make no adjustments. Your starting sf has been inconsistent all year , yet you refuse to give your your improved players a shot. What is it with this guy and his loyalty to certain players. I hate to see anybody lose their jobs but this is just ridiculious. Its not rocket science. Even after admitting that his failure to use his bench backfired on him in the loss to the Suns, Coach Woody comes right out and does the same thing in the very next game where his starters blow a 18 pt lead and lose to a team wit 8 healthy players. Somebody please help me to understand what’s going on here if you can!