Hawks Squawks: Hawks 105, Jazz 100
Salt Lake City–Forget that Deron Williams and Andrei Kirilenko sat out with injuries for the Jazz. Remember that the Jazz had won 17 of 19, the Hawks had lost 15 straight in Utah and of course they were coming off that debacle at Golden State on Sunday night.
– “It’s big, especially with that long flight home,” Jamal said. “You don’t want to be sitting there thinking about a loss the whole time.”
– The Hawks showed resiliency in winning this one. They were down 85-79 and 95-94 but lots of guys made plays: Al (that blocked shot to stop a fastbreak layup), J.J. (that 3-pointer from the corner and a fadeaway jumper), Josh (blocked shot) and Crawford (the steal and two free throws).
– The Hawks went 2-2 on the trip. “It was a big win after an upsetting loss last night,” Bibby said. “We could have won 3 of 4 but .500 is pretty good.”
– Blowing that 18-point lead at Golden State tested the Hawks’ mettle. “After last night we could have folded it in,” Al said. “Especially with the last game of the road trip, we could have just came out with no focus.”
– “We did a good job of staying together when times got tough,” Bibby said.
– The Hawks came back from deficits in the second and fourth quarters. There wasn’t much of the panicked play that marred the end of the Warriors game. “I thought we were very composed tonight in the fourth quarter when we got down,” J.J. said. “We were able to not get rattled and made a run of our own.”
– The Hawks last won here on Feb. 13, 1993. “‘93? I was 15,” Bibby said.
– ‘Nique was in uniform that night. “I didn’t even realize that until today,” ‘he said. “Like I told them, records are made to be broken.”
– ‘Nique scored 43 points to beat the Jazz back then. “We had three ‘bigs’ hurt and I had to play power forward,” he said.
– J.J. poured in 28 to finally beat the Jazz again. “It fells great, man,” he said. “It’s been along time since the Hawks won in this building.”
– It wasn’t easy. The Jazz still gave a spirited effort and Energy Solutions Center is notorious as a tough place to play. “You saw the guy waving the little umbrella when I was shooting free throws?” Josh said. “They get under your skin, I’m not even going to lie. You can hear them. They are right there. They don’t stop the whole game. I’m glad I only have to play here once a year.”
– Marvin kept the Hawks in it early. Then Woody went to his bench. He got nothing until Mo gave the defense a lift and Jamal (4 of 8 on 3s) started making shots. “That was a total team effort by everybody who played,” Woody said. “That’s what we need the rest of the way.”
– After the offense bogged down in the third quarter, Smoove spoke up. “He kept harping on us to share the ball, share the ball and make it easier for each other” Al said.
– “I just noticed that we were passing the ball one time and taking a shot,” Josh said. “They were catching our misses and getting out on the break.”
– It was redemption of sorts for Jamal, whose technical foul late at Golden State was costly. It was awful timing for only his fourth career technical. “I rarely lose my composure,” he said. “I’ll take the blame for that loss. When good things happen I get credit so I’ve got to take blame when things go bad.”
– That and everything else about the Oakland meltdown was easier to forget after this rare W at Utah. “Yesterday was yesterday,” J.J. said. “We pulled together and got this one. That’s how we’ve got to think. That’s got to be our mentality: Whatever happened yesterday is yesterday.”
– I’m out, Hawks fans.
MC
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276 comments Add your comment
Rod from College Park
February 24th, 2010
12:45 pm
Agreed with Fundamentals. My agenda is I want to win a championship. I don’t just want to go to the 2nd round, go to the playoffs, win 50 something games….. I want to win it all. When I see a player who is hindering are ability to do that, and does not hustle or do his job, I will continue to harp on it. This year those 3 players are Marvin and Bibby. Zaza also, but I personally think he is injured, and I can’t question his effort. I have confidence that Bibby will find his shot. I have no confidence in Marvin to hustle, play defense on his man, bring intangibles or score when he is wide-open because he has never proved that he can consistently do that in the league. Zaza and Bibby have.
GeeMack
February 24th, 2010
1:06 pm
Daniel
A healthy Celtic team is still a championship contender, and a healthy Hawks team is still a very good playoff team. That’s why I rank them ahead of the Hawks.
Take away our best player JJ (the Celtics: KG) for a month are the Hawks still in contention for a top 4? I can’t say they are.
Daniel
February 24th, 2010
1:14 pm
The issue about the Celtics IS their health. We have caught up with them because their stars are agining and injured. Of course we are not at the calibre of team that the C’s were two years ago, but neither are they.
Daniel
February 24th, 2010
1:20 pm
BTW- Did you see that Pierce is now out with a thumb injury?
Aren’t we all glad we are not Wizards fans? Josh Howard is not out for the season with injury. I know that team can’t wait for the season to be over with.
Mike is Back
February 24th, 2010
1:24 pm
Astro Joe and Daniel , we have all witness the different diverse line-up that the Hawks have employs thus far in the season. From that stand point there is a noticeable improvement. However, like Vava I have witness regression with Woody’s in game rotation decisions. No one expects to see a 10 or 12 man rotation, that is unrealistic…but when your starters are struggling…have enough trust in the reserve to give them a chance to contribute.
All we heard going into the season was how much the bench had improved. Clearly, Woody is still reluctant to use the reserves on the bench. Save for Crawford and Zaza…Woody shows very little confidence in the reserves. This has to change between now and the playoff.
I’m not concern about Toronto…the Hawks played one of the toughest schedule in the league in the first half of the season…they should at the very lease be able to improve on their first half performance… my biggest concern is having worn down injured players going into the playoff…and I’m sure I’m not alone.
As far how the Hawks rate as a team…when you listen to comments about other teams…the Denver Nugget is the team I would say that closely resemble the Hawks. However even George Karl makes use of his bench.
DecDawg
February 24th, 2010
1:26 pm
Rod – you continuously bash Marvin for his lack of production. Currently, the Hawks are 9th in the league in scoring. I don’t see a replacement improving the number of possessions so which Hawk(s) do you want to take shots away from to get the production you seek?
vava74
February 24th, 2010
1:33 pm
Astro,
a hard fought win in utah against a jazz team without Deron and AK is not in the same league as the two losses we had in Phoenix and Oakland.
If I had a valuation scale 1-5 for losses and wins I wod qualify the loss in Phoenix as a -3, the loss with the Warriors a -5 and the win in Utah a +2 (at best).
Not nearly enough to wash out the bad taste.
And when read Al reporting that it was Josh who was shooting for more ball movement in the 4th quarter after reading Woody’s complete junk statements, I feel no relief.
Anyhow, I hope that we play well today and get an easy win.
O'Brien
February 24th, 2010
1:37 pm
GeeMack,
I think Sund will also take into account how we competed in the playoffs, not just if we win the series or not.
If we lose 4-2 to the Cavs in round 2, I’m okay with that. But if the Cavs sweep us 4-0 again, thats unacceptable.
Daniel,
I think the lack of focus is a big problem. At the all-star game, our captain and leader talked about focus, and being scrappy. And then we lose our second and third game from the break the way we did.
I look forward to seeing us blowing out Minny tonight so our bench can get lots of PT, especially since Minny played last night.
vava74
February 24th, 2010
1:39 pm
shouting
dap01
February 24th, 2010
1:52 pm
I do not believe that my issues with Woody’s coaching stems from unrealistic expectations.
I do not think that having AN offensive play is expecting too much.
I do not think that NORMAL player rotations is expecting too much.
I do not think that hoping to not ruin another young PG is expecting too much.
terrell
February 24th, 2010
1:58 pm
Fundementals, too far into the season for development. Should’ve already been taken care of. They should definitely get more min, but I dont know about starting. Leave it to the Ole eyebrowless, stubborn one to run his starters in the ground, ALL FREAKIN YEAR LONG. And btw, remember last offseason when Woody was talking all that jazz about developing his young players and keeping his starters fresh? What the duck ever!
Astro Joe
February 24th, 2010
2:07 pm
Vava, if your issue is the nuances of player substitutions and strategy, then I don’t know what difference it makes who is playing and who isn’t on the other team. I would think that you want to see how he manages his assets against the other team’s assets. How he substitutes based on the ebb and flow of a game and how he strategizes in late/close game situations. Woody can’t control injuries on the other team. It almost sounds like wins against teams that are either bad or hurt don’t count as much as games against good teams or fully healthy teams. That sounds like college sports, where “quality of win” counts for something. If we are playing a broke down team in the 2nd round and win, will you give the team credit? Or maybe the team gets credit but not Woody.
Astro Joe
February 24th, 2010
2:08 pm
Hey y’all, who does this sound like:
Schafe last year unfortunately broke his hand, and played with it,” Cox said. “It really wasn’t fair to him. I was kind of selfish, I left him in there because of his defense. I thought we’d hit enough to get by”.
Rod from College Park
February 24th, 2010
2:09 pm
GeeMAck,
“I don’t always agree with some of the coaching moves, or rotation the coached put together, but I do realize that the Hawks are exactly where they are suppose to be, and Woody is doing a good job.
Adjust your expectations we are not the Lakers Cav Magic, Bos. or Denver. Our expectations should be 50 to 55 wins, win the 1st rd, and hope fully the 2nd round with the correct seeding, but even that is a long shot.”
I have to disagree with you. We are not the Cavs or the Lakers, but we are just as good as Boston, and Denver, and we can’t beat Orlando because of coaching issues and the switching defense, which should not be used agianst Orlando. I feel that we could compete with any of those teams with the right coaching strategies and personel useage. Not starting Marvin at the 3 would be a start. We also could have made one or two moves this year, or in the summer that could have put us on the level of the Cavs, or the Lakers, like upgrading the 1 and the 3 positions. I am not one who believes that we can’t win with Horford at the 5, you just have to coach to your strengths. Ball movement and creative offense is the key.
GeeMack
February 24th, 2010
2:13 pm
dap01
You may not like the offensive plays Woody has, but for him as the coach they are working.
You may not like the player rotations, but the Hawks are winning.
Wow I wasn’t aware that AC Law, & Salim were such good prospects. Is Salim still in the league? Also did Don Nelson see so much potential in AC Law that he sent him to the Bobcats for Larry Brown to develope. I see your point about ruinning young PG’s.
jerrywest
February 24th, 2010
2:31 pm
Guess who is the only NBA player with 15 ppg,8 rpg & 4 apg?
Guess who leads the league in (Blocks+steals)?
Hint: He didn’t make the all star team.
GeeMack
February 24th, 2010
2:35 pm
Rod from College Park
Boston has surely lost a step, but if healthy they can beat any team in the NBA in a 7 game series.
You are correct coaching can improve, but not enough to make up for a gap in talent. Denver has a stud in Melo who is just as good as Kobe or LBJ, and that put them slightly above the Hawks IMO.
Ashe
February 24th, 2010
2:51 pm
I just wanted to say that i am very pleased with the growth and maturity of Josh (Jsmooth). I have always thought that he had great talent. but, his hothead and lack of discipline have always been in his way to becoming an elite player in this league. If I were the hawks I would lock this guy in a deal for a few more years and not let him get away and be something like they are dealing with Joe now.
Astro Joe
February 24th, 2010
2:54 pm
Anyone remember how reliant we used to be on the 3-ball? Remember when Joe,Ty Lue, Flip, Bibby and others would have those runs in a game when they would hit like 3-4 3s in a 4-minute span? Remember the days when we couldn’t score if the 3-ball wasn’t falling?
Rod from College Park
February 24th, 2010
2:54 pm
DecDawg,
“Rod – you continuously bash Marvin for his lack of production. Currently, the Hawks are 9th in the league in scoring. I don’t see a replacement improving the number of possessions so which Hawk(s) do you want to take shots away from to get the production you seek?”
We are basically the same team we were last year minus Flip, with the addition of Jamal which was a great upgrade. You seem to forget that our problem in the playoffs last year, especially against Cleveland was the lack of scoring. We went several minutes in many of those games without scoring because teams double and tripled Joe. So my question to you is, this year when the double and triple teams come at Joe, and the ball swings to the man who is left wide open in the corner (Marvin), do you have confidence that he will make that team pay for doubling or tripling Joe? I don’t. Look at it like this. If we are playing Cleveland, and Bibby does not break out of his shooting slump, Joe will have West(a pretty good defender) or Moon, and a roaming Lebron on him, Josh will have Jamison or Verajao(a great defender) on him, Al will have a much bigger Shaq or Big Z on him, Mo on Bibby, who’s on Marvin? Answer nobody. He will be the only guy unguarded, or guarded by a smaller man, with the best chance to score. 10 to 13 points won’t get it done. Another guy (like Crawford) in that spot changes everything. 9th in the league in scoring means nothing to me because I see the bigger picture.
The Truth
February 24th, 2010
3:01 pm
If anyone is wondering what will be the “TALKING POINTS” of the teams that will be pursuing JJ this summer to get him out of Atlanta, then here it is:
Rod from College Park
February 24th, 2010
3:14 pm
GeeMack,
I can see your arguement, but I just don’t see the big disparity in talent between the Hawks and the Celtic’s. Only real advantage I see for them is at the point, and that’s because Doc actually developed his young point guard. Joe=Peirce, Jamal= Ray Allen, Marvin=one of their bench guys (Daniels), Horford is better than Perkins, KG is better than Josh when healthy, but it’s not a huge gap, and it is not true this year, Zaza, Mo, Teague and Smith vs. Wallace(not impressed), Nate, Allen and Davis. Slight advantage to Boston because of Nate’s ability against us. Same applies with Denver, I think our talent level in on par with them also.
Astro Joe
February 24th, 2010
3:21 pm
Same ‘Ole Hawks?
No! The team is averaging 3 points per game more this year while making 14% fewer 3s per game and reducing our reliance on the 3-ball for overall points by 18%. Those percentages are just for MADE 3s… if you back out the 3FGAs (Josh shot over 80 last year), the percentages would be far more dramatic.
You think improving scoring output inside the 3-point line may improve your ability to compete in the playoffs? Or said differently, relying less on nailing a long-range bomb may have a positive impact on scoring in the playoffs, right?
terrell
February 24th, 2010
4:01 pm
Questions:
1.Which rookie pg gets the least amount of playing time? Collisen, Lawson, Evans, Jennings, Holiday, Flynn, Curry, Maynor or Teague?
2. Which rookie pg gets pulled if he makes a mistake?
3. Which rookie pg cant get in the game even when the starting pg is struggling?
4. Which rookie pg passes to a sg and watches the ISO show?
5. Which rookie pg has never got consistent min(with the starters) to show what he could do?
6.Which rookie pg comes in the game with 1 min left in the game like they do in kiddie ball, so the parents wont complain?
Answer:
The one that plays for Woody.
DecDawg
February 24th, 2010
4:03 pm
Rod – I didn’t forget what happened against Cleveland. The problem we have in playoff basketball is that teams actually play better defense. They do not simply let you play one-on-one basketball and beat them. They try to take away what you do best. Playoff matchups are typically a test of systems. Which is why I blame the loss on the system moreso than one player whose role is to stand in the corner and make 3s. You don’t really believe you’re going to win a series that way, do you? Ray Allen is one of the best pure shooters in the game and the Celtics don’t ask him to do that. They actually get Ray involved in the offense so that he can try to establish a rhythm. Standing in the corner waiting…and waiting…for the ball to rotate 6 times a game is not going to work.
We’re better off with an offensive system that provides options and offers mismatch opportunities. Our offensive set (notice the singular reference) is too easy to prepare for in a series. And who’s responsible for the offensive system? Now that’s the person you should have an issue with. And I only pointed out our scoring rank to help you answer the question (which you didn’t). Now, again, who do you want to take shots away from in getting production out of Marvin? It’s not like the entire team is going to average 15 pts/game.
Ken Strickland
February 24th, 2010
6:15 pm
All of you can argue about Woodson’s coaching ability all you want, but the bottomline is, HE WAS A GOOD COACH FOR A BAD HAWKS TEAM, AND HE’S NOW A BAD COACH FOR A GOOD HAWKS TEAM. Hell, he’s into his 6th yr as our HC and he’s offering the same sorry a$$ excuses and telling some of the same lies to try and justify making the same stupid mistakes.
If the same players continue doing the same things while getting the same undesirable results, and the HC insists on playing these players heavy mins without taking any known corrective action over a 2+yr period, HOW IN THE HELL DO YOU BLAME THE PLAYERS FOR DOING WHAT THE HC HAS OBVIOUSLY ENCOURAGED THEM TO DO? Remember, IF YOU’RE NOT PART OF THE SOLUTION, YOU’RE PART OF THE PROBLEM.