Atlanta Hawks: On Magic Tricks and Josh’s Jumpers

Keep taking those jumpers Smoove……one will fall before season’s end!

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FIRE WOODY

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Josh wants to prove he can hit the jumper to expand his game and access to the bucket. I can see that, but he has to be mature enough to realize a short jumper from just outside the paint is worth just as many as those a few inches inside the stripe. He couldn’t make them last year, he can’t make them this year.

Problem isn’t the jumper, it’s how far out he takes them. Why doesn’t Horford crank just inside the line 3’s? Because he can’t make them. That’s why he focusses just outside the paint…where he’s very effective.

Too bad Josh is too selfish and immature to see that. Hopefully he’ll have an epiphany this summer. When he does – Hello ALL STAR!

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Leon is right. Tell me how many guys in the NBA want to take a charge from Smoove going full speed with only one thing on his mind? Not many. And if they do….they might not do it again

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Keep taking those Jumpers JOSH!!!

Josh has to take and hit those shots if we are going to advance in the playoffs. He is our best defender and will be on the floor in the 4Th and teams are going to leave him open…if he drive closer they are going to foul him.(3 of 10 jump shots or 6 of 10 from the line). In the 4Th we are playing 4 on 5 because the don’t guard Josh on offense..HE HAS TO MAKE THEM PAY!!!

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josh jumper is not that smoove at all lol, but with that being said he still has the most potential upside of all the hawks including big al and he can evenully even be a bigger star than joe,smoove just need to go to the buckets more this for the rest of this year pratice those jumpers over the summer and at pratice see how much lebrons shot has improved over the years iam not saying he;ll ever be a knock down mid range shooter but enough improvment with thats mid range shot and impeoving on the free throw line will make himm unstoppable,GO HAWKS well beat the magic by 7 tonight and i said it fist MC lol

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MC . . . you’re the only AJC sportswriter that I’ve seen that has EVER actively criticized Josh Smith. The jumpers ( especially the early in the shot clock jumpers ) are definitely a part of his game that he should abandon. Now, if there’s less than 5 seconds on the shot clock, he has to shoot the shot. If not, he should ALWAYS drive and look to score or pass to a shooter.

As I say with Josh Smith, all anybody has to do ( including him ), is to look at his Hotspots data on nba.com

http://www.nba.com/hotspots

Everything on the court is blue ( blue = bad shooting ), except the area around the rim. He FINALLY turned the area near the right elbow to gray, meaning that if he’s going to remotely hit a jumper, it’s going to be from that area.

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never shoot josh.. always drive!! he must be a really stubborn individual.

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JeJe:

Don’t let northcyde sway your opinion. The guy thinks we’re an elite team and that we can make it past the ECF.

Done in 2nd round in 4 or 5

************

Now why tell a boldface lie about me sir?

LOL . . I KNOW the Hawks aren’t elite, and have said so on numerous occasions. It’s you guys who think that every game that we’ve blown, should’ve been a game that we win . . . but don’t take into account the games that we’ve come from behind to win, in that same equation.

The Hawks are who I thought they would exactly be . . . a great home team and a schizophrenic ( but better than last year ) road team. That’s why I’ve been able to enjoy this season, while 80% of the board have been stressed out all year.

All I say is that if we DO get to the EC Finals, all of you who have been dogging the Hawks, the coaches, and the players the entire year . . . don’t do a 180 degree turn, and act like you had faith in them from Day 1.

And for those of you who wish the Hawks go into a freefall, just so that the coach can get fired. LOL . . do yourself a favor and root for another team.

This team is much more mentally tough than the fan base. And so is the coach.

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Just wanted to respond to a comment Rod made on that last blog. You made a good point when you mentioned Dwight Howard’s ability to defend in the post. But, that shouldn’t mean we phase Horford out of the offense. Why is that teams like Miami can give Orlando trouble, but we can’t even show that we belong on the same court? It’s because our BIGS are non-existent when we play Orlando. We can’t get easy buckets (points in the paint). Regardless of how Horford gets his touches, either on the block or in the pick and pop game, he needs to show up tonight. Horford hasn’t shown up to any of the games against Orlando. I don’t know if that has to do with his responsibilites defending Howard on the other end, but he needs to be involved in the offense.

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If he wants to shoot jumpers he needs to shoot MID RANGE JUMPSHOTS. Not Long Range jumpers.

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Josh Smith hit a jump shot, IT’S AMAZING, SO AMAZING, SO AMAZING, SO AMAZING.

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@ Calvin Klein, we’ve doubled Dwight Howard the past 6 games vs ORL and lost all of them. Either you haven’t watched us play Dwight or you’re ignorant to reality. Doubling Dwight is the problem. If Dwight goes for 30, fine. Our problem is Rashard, Redick & VC’s outside shooting not Dwight getting 20 & 15.

-REEtest Roe!!!

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MC. . . every blog I’ve seen on Smoove from an AJC writer, gives him a pass on this area. They assume like some of the fans that he’d eventually get better shooting the long jumper. In fact, he may have gotten worse.

Smoove is the hometown dude. So he’s going to get the benefit of the doubt because everyone wants him to succeed. I’m sure people are in his ear all the time telling him how great he could be, if he hit that jumper. What they should be telling him, is to attack the basket as much as possible, or be a good offensive rebounder ( ala what Shawn Marion used to be ), and get his points like that.

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It’s always interesting to read the other team’s newspaper to see how they see the matchup. The Orlando folks have a much more positive opinion of the Hawks than some us do (they see the Hawks as the Magic a few years ago):

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-03-23/sports/os-orlando-magic-0324-20100323_1_philips-arena-jamal-crawford-anthony-johnson

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…and the Magic’s beat writer sums it up pretty sucinctly in his blog:

The Orlando Magic face the Atlanta Hawks, a team that is a tough out for anyone but the Magic. Atlanta simply can’t match up with Dwight Howard.

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I wish we were the nets so that all you people would have a reason to complain.

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Josh is tough to handle in the paint, and he is also a good passer. Why doesn’t he drive the ball, or pass it (unless there is less than 5 seconds on the clock)?

Woody has to take part of the blame too, because he needs to be on Josh about the jump shots. I dont care how hard he plays. If Al was taking 3s, and shooting .30%, would Woody not get on him over and over?

Popovich basically forbid Tony Parker from taking 3s during his early years in San Antonio, because TP did not have the range, and he is a much better player when he drives or passes. Same with Josh. Stay on him Woody.

northcyde,

Hawks need to make their FT too. In 3 games against the Magic, we are 33-52 (.63%) from the FT line. Thats a lot of (free) points left on the court. And we are 18-57 (.315%) on 3s. We need to drive, and not settle for so many 3s.

Wabe,

One of the things that allows other teams to beat the Magic is because they get penetration from their guards. We get nothing from our PG, and JJ does not initiate contact, so Crawford would be our best bet at penetration.

But against the Magic, Crawford is 4-14, 6-17, and 4-13. A combined 14-44 (.32%). That will not get it done Crawford. We need more out of you tonight.

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I don’t think we should be focusing on J smmmovvee, Thank god, he’s been the most consistent Hawk this year. Just look at the numbers!!!!

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MID-RANGE game = lost art

Smoove is usually wide open on those LONG jumpers….

if it just KILLS him that he has to take it…then why not take a few dribbles in closer then take the J????

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Yea those long jumpers are just as bad as those 3’s he used to take. I’m glad he wanted to add something to his game but he has to realize that those shots are not falling at a clip that warrants him to keep shooting them. He should come in a lot closer.. And it always seems that he shoots those jumpers early in the shot clock or in clutch situations. He needs to put in a lot of work during the summer if he is going to keep taking them….Like others have said, don’t double Dwight. Let him get his but stay on those shooters. Knowing how we play the Magic I wouldn’t be shocked if some other bench guy puts up big numbers against us tonight.

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I like Josh and think he can be the leader of this team. But I have to rename him Osh Smith becuz he has on J.

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@Westurd…..ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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@Westurd – I think it should be the other way around. Could you imagine how slow Bibby would be with someone on his shoulders?

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newkid if u used that b4 then I must not of saw it. Besides people use to call Jason Kidd, Ason becuz he couldn’t hit the ocean with a rock if he was in a boat.

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From the last blog……

Wabe,

Not saying we should phase Horford out, but obviously Horford has problems scoring over Howard in the post. He needs to take advantage of the pick and pop jumper. Going in the post will not work for him against Howard on a consistent basis.

Ken Strickland,

Miami, and other teams are successful going in the post against Howard because the have players who have polished post moves (O’Neal) in the paint. Horford has not developed that part of his game yet. They also have guys who are bigger or just as big as Howard. Al is shorter and weighs a lot less. If you ever played any organized ball, you would understand that that is not a good matchup for Horford in the post offensively or defensively. Horford might be successful down there if he had a polished post game like Hakeem, but he does not have that yet. His best bet will be to pick and pop. Howard is a much bigger stronger and longer Josh Smith on the defensive end. NBA is about exploting bad matchups, not trying to post the best defensive center in the league with a guy who has no post moves. Take advantage of what you are good at, don’t try to disprove something that is proven.

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Does anyone remember the Thanksgiving game against Orlando when we were beating the brakes off them in the first half?? Does anyone remember what strategy we used then because obviously we need to try and do that again. Also if “THE BOSS” plays like he did in the second half of the San Antonio game D.Howard will have his hands full on both ends of the court. And can someone explain to me why JSmoove cant get to the rim against Rashard Lewis, is he that good of a defender? If JSmoove plays “his” game tonight we should be fine. Finally i would like to say to any of the hawks players that are reading this blog: Please don’t be afraid to cause a ruckus tonight period. Get in their face, throw some elbows if you have to. That way even if you lose they will realize they are going to have to fight in the playoffs. GO HAWKS!!!

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@ Rod

Right on the money about Horford’s post up game. It’s simply not polished enough to be effective against Howard. I want to see if Al does what he said he’s going to do in that AJC article yesterday. He said that he was going to go at Howard a little faster wen he got the ball in the post. I want to see if he does that, to see if he can pick up a cheap foul or two on Dwight.

@ O’Brien

You’re right on the money too. Those missed FTs, coupled with both Marvin and Crawford now showng up as outside shooters, have killed us against Orlando.

A lot of this vs Orlando simply has to do with us not executing . . . not because Orlando is vastly superior. I don’t know why our jumpshooting goes extra cold vs the Magic, but it does.

- The Thanksgivng night game, we play an excellent 1st half, only to go ice cold in the 2nd half, only scoring 25 points.

- The 1st January game, our starters play them even, but their 2nd team completely outplays our bench and then our starters, to blow that game open.

- The 2nd January game, we play them virtually even for a half, then Dwight turns into Superman and takes the game over. Meanwhile, just like in the Thanksgiving game, no one can make a shot for a 6 minute stretch, which allows them to balloon the lead to double digits, and not look back.

People may not like this, but JJ may very well have to take 25 shots again tonight, just to keep us going offensively. If our frontcourt sows any signs of struggling, he and Crawford have to look to take the game over, to keep the game close.

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On the subject of jump shots, I hope Al takes many of them. If he is hitting, Howard will come out to guard him. ZaZa also. Feed a big – get a win.

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Does anyone know how many attempts he takes per game outside of the paint? I think the number is low, but I have to admit I do not know that for sure. I believe he would say that he is only shooting from outside when his man is sitting in the paint waiting for him or doubling down on Joe. He is trying to set up his inside game.
Dominique was not a great shooter until about year three. I remember cringing as hoisted up the threes. He really worked during the offseasons. Josh is a much better player this year than in previous years.Maybe he will develop the jumper during this offseason. He is still young.

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I hate to see Josh Smith take a jumper and miss it. But it happens.

I think Josh should take less jumpers in games, but I cannot advocate him abandoning the jumpshot altogether. He needs to work like a demon on it over the summer, then come back and start hitting them in games.

It’s all well and good for him to hit jumpers during shootarounds. D-leaguers can do that. Hitting them in scrimmages/practices and then hitting them in games is a different story.

I don’t hear anybody complaining about Horford developing his jumpshot and shooting it, and he’s the center. One day, Josh won’t be the most athletic player on the floor. One day, he won’t be able to run past or jump over everybody. One day he’ll come up against a team (wait until the playoffs) that will take away the driving lanes. What then? Oh wait, I forgot, we have guards for those shots, and they are guaranteed to be open every single time. And we shouldn’t be disappointed when they miss, even if other guys are open and they’re trying to shoot over a double team.

I want to see Josh Smith grow and expand his game. Not at the cost of the team, that’s not what I’m saying. I repeat again: he needs to take far fewer jump shots in games, and work on that jumper in the offseason. Never shoot a jumpshot again in his life? NONSENSE. Only if you are an unstoppable force in the post or driving to the hoop. And guess what? 15ppg does not indicate an unstoppable force. If it does, then you’ve been swimming in all those nicky neat little stat sites for way too long.

One more thing. Why in the world do people yap all day about Josh needing to drive to the hole every single time he gets the ball……only to turn around and say he can’t dribble? Make up your damn minds!

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Guards shooting jumpers should be our reward for attacking the basket, feeding our big’s and good team ball movement. Not the other way around.

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I’ll just say this before this game really cranks up. I think if we beat them, we’ll beat them convincingly. It won’t be any doubt who was the better team on the floor tonight.

So if we win, the score will be something like:

Hawks 108

Magic 95

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good start lol

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Barnes is a nasty looking dude

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Didn’t take long

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See Josh witha stupid jumper

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1017 Brick Squad so far out there

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People need to just sit down lol

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finally

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brick fest

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hawks on fire

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So, ummmm….out of all the missed jumpers we’ve taken in this game so far, how many were by Josh Smith?

What’s that? Just one? Huh….

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Big Ray the point is that Osh Smith doesn’t need to take any LONG JUMPERS. Why don’t ya’ll get that????

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Hawk n the Ham If Woody drew a Pizza Jason Collins would eat it

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Manhandled

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see…..atleast Josh hustles though

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Anybody who actually thought the hawks would somehow change and compete in this game. U ARE AN EXAMPLE OF THE FANS WHO ARE WAY TOO OPTIMISTIC.

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Hawks 1 for 11. Niiiicceee!!

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stupid josh is the only one to hit a shot you dummies

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So does anyone wanna rebound or score? Just a thought…

-REEap for Roe!

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When Joe misses it or Marvin thats different. They are shooters.

You’re absolutely right. You DON’T get it.

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lol if they aren’t going to show heart…they might as well have started

Randmo
Joe Smith
Evans Smith
Mario
Teague

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Mo Evans
i mean

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wdf

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WTF “turning the ball over” really Nique lol

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Matt Barnes is taking turns burning Bibby and Joe. sigh </em.

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CALL GRADY HORFORD NEEDS SOME HELP

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Dwight Howard has but two jobs to do tonight, and I think everybody on the Magic bench knows it: rebound our misses, and act like he’s going to block our shots if we go inside.

He has 8 rebounds already. I forsee 20 for him tonight, 18 of them on the defensive end, off of missed jumpers.

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I don’t have access to the game…just watching the stats, and listening to the blog, but how is it that Howard has more rebounds that the entire Hawks’ team?

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As I said the other night with everyone defending Joe . Its easy to praise him for getting hot against teams we should beat in games we had a good control over but where is the passion in big games like this.

I dont want the leader of my team to be along for the ride I want him leading the way and I just dont see those qualities in Joe . We are in trouble after this year with him or without him .

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Man we got some bigs.Collins smith at the same time, let them play dwight hard. He cant shot free throws, Get bibby out of game so we can run with teague. Penertrate on these guys, kick and hit yo shots, thats what everbody else does when they play them. Film coach hello,watch a team that beat the magic, see how they did it.ITS BEEN DONE B 4 U KNOW.

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man i hate the magic

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Sleepy ,

Watch it now. Every time you post like that, Joe sees it. And when he does, that just puts him an inch closer to leaving the Hawks.

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zaza is great off the bench in quarters 1-3 but like Bibby sometimes you have to sit him the entire 4th

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THERE U GO JEFF!!

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What a pass by Teague….

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Josh with the block, Teague with the dime. These are ballers, gentlemen

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we’re gonna need these guys in the playoffs to beat the Tragic…good to see them contributing here

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Good Attack Jamal

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three fouls for gortad wow lol

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Magic just playing with the Hawks

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HAWKS FANS…MAKE SOME NOISE!!!!

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Is the Hawks’ bench performing as well as the stats indicate. They’ve outscored the Hawks’ starters 13 – 10.

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Tie game! Way to battle back Hawks. Iso-Mo with 10 pts in the first half

-REElated to Roe!!!

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lol @ Mac Town…

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The Hawks bench playing like hey this aint nothing but the magic lets go

the Hawks starters are playing like ooohhhh did you see Dwights muscles they are sooooo large

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Vince still got it…amazing

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lmao Marvin….ABUSED

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Unless of course, the starters are absolutely smokin’ hot.

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‘Nique is hopeless……

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Now duck gets ran over LOL. Quack Quack

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why are we doubling ? Howard has two fouls………. let Zaza flop

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Hope we pull this off tonight. I’m getting liquored-up in advance, just in case.

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Now that Horford’s at the four, it seems he’s having an easier time getting a shot up on the rim and he just scored on a nice jump hook over Brandon Bass.

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Solution against Orlando? Play ZaZa. Puts either Al or josh at the 4. Attack with the 4 spot.

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or*

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Damn Joe that was ugly

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Joe was lazy and didnt go after the loose ball on that one..

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Marvin should be thanking zaza for that pass

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Horford gets blocked, but still hustles to get the ball back, tries to tap it to Joe, who stands there and watches the whole thing. That pissed me off.

Great drive and dish by Pachulia.

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Doubling Dwight = that happens….or open 3 nailed

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I thought Pee Truss was doin some church dance lol

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Ray,

I suggested trading Evans for a more legit backup SF, because Mo is small. But he has been playing great tonight.

And why bring Bibby back in the game when our defense was playing well with Teague in the game?

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looooooooooool tht ni66 petrus was crip walkin

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LMAO!!!!

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It makes me mad to think we got screwed out of getting Howard in the lottery

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Man, that REE ROE stuff is so lame and corny!!!

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And just as I say that Bibby hits a 3 lol

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lol… @the block of Bibby… he tried to destroy the ball…

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damn these dudes are scared of Howard .Cmon mix up how you play him . Sometimes you just raise your hands and let him shoot over you sometimes you challenge the shot sometimes you pull out the rug etc ….Its like they are in awe

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Have to applaud Woody for playing Zaza at the 5, with Horford/Smith at the 4.

Spoke too soon, Bibby hits a shot.

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bibby said suc his dicc

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loooooooooooool wow

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If that ball hadn’t been block it wouldn’t of even made it to the rim LMAO

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i respect dwight cuz he from the city, but when smoove blocked it, i said “GET DAT SHYYYYYT OUTTA HERE 6ITCH AZZ NI66″ LOOOOOOOOOOL

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Bibby is getting his FROG ON

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yesssssss

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I take back what I said about Bibby.

In other news….

Joe finally gets a foul call!!!!

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Uh oh with Marvin in the game with Bibby the Frog and Duck connection begins

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Hawk n the Ham ,

I like it just fine.

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Okay, maybe we should let Jamal Crawford have those kinds of plays. Joe is just not getting a break here…

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lack of respect.

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30pts in the 2nd qtr… Nice..

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Give the bench a kiss – they got us back in it. We are back to hawks ball. ZaZa, Teague and Mo a big push.

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with the way we’ve looked against the Magic in the past few games, it should lol@Taylor

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The games not over, but I’m proud of the heart we showed to battle back & take the lead at half. I know few of us thought we’d even have a shot at the lead after we were down 15-2 late in the first. We gotta stay aggressive and attack them guys.

-pREEach it Roe!!!

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Okay, well we’ve had a lead over these guys before, so I’ll reserve my barely-contained excitement for the second half, where Orlando will no doubt try to come out and punch is dead in the mouth.

In the meantime, here’s the difference in the game for me:

1) Our bench has performed well. Those guys came in with major energy, played some defense, hit some shots. Mo Evans and Jamal Crawford combine for 17 points on 50% shooting from both the field and from 3 point range.

2) We didn’t let their bench torch us, like we’ve done in the past. Reddick, JWill, and Gortat? Non-factors.

3) They have the advantage on the boards, but we have half as many turnovers as they do.

4) Both teams are shooting low percentages. However, the second quarter did it for us. We held them to 20 points, while we scored 30.

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I think the question comes down to this: will we forget what was working in the first half?

If the Magic come back in the second half with a different approach, will we recognize it and adjust as well?

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lol@that Jazz/Raptors score in Toronto…….It’s as if nobody even wants the 8th spot in the East…TOR and CHI sure arent playing like it

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I still think we are going to lose lol

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good shot Al

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MC—I disagree, although I can’t argue that Josh is making them at a decent enough clip, because below 30% is bad (and it could hurt us in games—but there are so many other things that hurt the Hawks more, that yeah i think it’s nitpicking).

Besides, I WANT JSmoove to be that all @ player like KG, or Tim Duncan. Those guys play defense & can shoot facing the hoop. I think in the day & age of all this specialization, why try to put unique talents like JSmoove into a box and tell him what he can’t do.

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there goes the switch

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YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

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Bibbster kissed that one just for you Ray :^*

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Did Jameer really think he was going to get that shot off?

Meanwhile, Joe’s assists picking up, even as his shooting dips. Love that he’s still contributing without hitting shots.

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Bibby is feeling FROGGYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

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LOL @ Hawk n the Ham .

Hey, keep talkin’. Maybe as long as you do, Bibby will keep hitting them, in which case, I’ll eat all the crow you can serve!

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@ Hawk n the Ham:

Love it, man, love it!

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Al is Bossin Up

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Bibby musta ate some frog legs b4 the game

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Uh oh, they’re setting us up for another 4th qtr. collapse.

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Joe shouldn’t hold the ball that long

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Great Game!

Hawks came to play tonight.

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That was a damn GOALTENDING violation!!

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Stupid freakin’ refs!

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Great Game!

Hawks look hungry. These boys came to PLAY tonight!

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Marvin playing ghost again.

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Nique said it all. Hawks are unstoppable when they move the ball. Glad to see Joe out.

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Great Game. Great Hawks Defense!

Hawks look – Hungry as a hostage! These Hawks came to PLAY tonight!
Magic look satisfied and a step slower than my boys. Where is Vin-sanity?

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All Hawks have to do is play even with the Magic this quarter. And no fourth quarter collapse please.

And once again, Marvin has disappeared.

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lol refs love howard

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WTF at those fouls on Howard. Nice job tho ZaZa

-REEap for Roe

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Oh oh. FT the rest of the way for the Magic.

Do we have Collins dressed? Can he give us a few fouls on Howard? Either way, just keep fouling Howard.

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lmao@the fans sayin no to josh

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They did it again LMAO

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Let me help myself to another serving of grilled crow as Mike Bibby’s long range shooting bails us out once again….

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Hawks run up the lead everytime Joe is on the bench. If he starts playing selfish, yank his ass.

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lol & smh at the crowds groans when Josh shot those jumpers. SMH @ these fouls

-REEks of Roe!!

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pass the ball joe

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What do we do if Al picks up his 5th foul?

I dont like that shot by JJ. Run some clock, pass the ball. And then maybe he can get it back for a better shot.

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Is it really a smart marketing strategy for the WNBA comparing themselves to the NBA? Basketball is basketball? I’ll have to take them on their word…

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I guess I ain’t the only one who gets madat Joe LOL

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And the crazy thing is that when Joe moves the ball, he ends up with a wide open jumper he normally makes. Rocket science, anyone????????

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Fo’ all all uh ya’ pimply, honky boys who likes t’rip on me, jez rememba’ I had one great game dis month. An fo sho man I gots ta have another great game next month or next year. Ah be baaad… Now shut yo pie holes. Sincerely, The Maaavelous One, and There IS Only One

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Freakin rasists.

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I feel a drought coming

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Maavelous You are a real man.

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And real funny.

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Great to see Bibby get some PT!

If we close this Game out? It will be because Bibby is making –
“THE PROFESSIONAL DIFFERENCE”

Smart Plays is not seen on a STAT-LINE!

WOODY – is COACHING his AZZ-OFF! He’s managing this game & putting the RIGHT combos on that floor.
Bibby looks like – “Henry Lee” (A Blood-Splatter Expert) out there. I think his DADDY’s Name is HENRY!

LOL.

Bag – it – Up! Hawks Win!

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“Is it really a smart marketing strategy for the WNBA comparing themselves to the NBA? Basketball is basketball? I’ll have to take them on their word…”

Very true. 10 years and they still haven’t learned.

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lol @ reddick

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choke time

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How’d y’all Southern boys like that behind the back smoooothness? I am much toooo smooooth.

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We’re about to blow the lead

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here we go again

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hawks are pathetic

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Hawks LOSE!

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Hawks get a lead a start throwing the ball away….

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Joe is losing this game for Hawks, again…..

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Woody calls a time out, and we go ISO JJ. That makes no sense.

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lol howard gets away with everything I guess

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The refs are just helpin em now

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WOODY = COY

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Marvin I understand you got hit but you cant just walk off the court…

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true@J.J.M

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Same as usual. Zone defense kills the Hawks. We are very nervous in section 115 right now.

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That turnover by Joe did hurt us…

But these freakin’ refs…

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“Woody calls a time out, and we go ISO JJ. That makes no sense.” -O’Brien

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Somebody send Zaza back in the game for one mission: head butt Howard.

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ouch, those boyz are mean to me.

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Marvin just walked off the court, lol!

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hahahaha smoove

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the irony of it all Ray…

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WHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! BIG JOSH!!!!!

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why jumpshots come on hawks be smart and drive

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that was a nasty swat lmfao

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I need to get some more points. I want that damn ball, now!!!!!!!!!!

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no jump?

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Hawks Win & Clinch! Its a CINCH. Hawks in Control this whole Game. We want it MORE!

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About time we get a call….

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Joe, can you please make two free throws?

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Enter your comments hereMarvin got his beak elbowed off LMAO

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big free throws

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Marvin got his beak elbowed off LMAO

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big 2 right there..

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Play Defense guys and the game is yours

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I wonder if the Refs are going to ride back to the airport with the Magic….

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Haters please go away

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d4mn game shouldnt even have come down to this type of crap

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I mean I guess if you want that 2…go head

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no help D

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These defensive subs dont work 90% of the time or us .

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Somebody explain to me why in the devil we had Horford on Carter…

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Foul these biatches NOW & get the ball back! ” You can not WIN w/o the Ball” – Charles Barkley -

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Make your FT Hawks. And remember, that was our last Time Out

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Clutch.

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clutch.

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Time to coach Mike.

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dont want to see OT….ORL would have the momentum goin into that for certain

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Put them on the line…they need a 3 to win!

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Way to go Joe, the haters forget the Lebron misses FT’s at the end of games, but yet nobody jumps on him

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OMG DAMNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

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JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

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THE IRONY OF IT ALL

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maaaaan forget that….its over..

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Enter your comments here

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J-Smoove!

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that one trumps the Houston effort…

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See my remarks at 7:30 pm

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Nice way to clinch.

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nailbiters the last week and a half, Bucks getting blown out tonight. second game winner for smoove this year!

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Hawks have had some buzzer beaters, but this might be the best of the lot. Didn’t think they could beat Magic tonight, but they pulled it off. Hats out to them.

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JSmoove with a clutch jump shot down the stretch & dunk to send it home!!

I feel like the way the Hawks played down the stretch they would have lost in OT.

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What kind a shot was it? (not able to watch)

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thats why josh does not need to be by the 3pt line. We need him crashing the boards. great play by Josh.

I’m glad this didnt go to OT, because with the way the refs were calling the game, we would have probably lost.

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wow… class act. Josh praising Joe even in his moment of glory…

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I agree O’Brien

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DEFENSE WON THAT GAME! ITS ALL ABOUT DEFENSE IN THE PAINT!

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hard to Crash the boards O’brien when you’re standing 17 ft away from the basket cleared out for an iso…

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not alot of open 3’s for the magic in the game, hawks were attacking on defense for 48 minutes

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Man I love this team!!!! It’s just so awesome to watch them play. I got mad respect for Bibby. Even though he’s clearly lost a step and is spending a lot more time on the bench that he’s used to, he shows no signs of it disappointing him. He took it like a man, and to see the pure joy on his face celebrating with the team tells me we can do anything in the playoffs. This team is unified and has been playing that way recently.

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For some reason boat racing was on instead of the game. Anybody know where you can see the replay of Josh’s dunk online?

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@ Justin there should be vids of the dunk online shorty, I’ll post something when I see it. However I can almost guarantee it will be either the #1, or #2 play on sportscenter tonight.

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LOL Bibby didn’t mind touching Josh during the celebration. Hypocrite!!!

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I hope now you guys are seeing that this team is mentally tough. They could’ve easily rolled over and died in that 1st quarter ( like a couple of fans on this board were doing ). But they stayed focus, and was able to keep themselves in position to win the game.

Mental toughness.

As for Smoove . . lol . . that’s the Shawn Kemp version of Smoove that I love to see. If that’s not the #1 play on SportsCenter, they should just quit doing the top 10.

5 playoff-like intensity games in a row, all coming down to the final play. This is the Hawks version of March Madness.

Now next week is the big challenge. Can we take a game from the East and West favorites to play for the NBA title.

Somebody needs to hurry up and youtube the final play, starting with Carter’s 3 ( which shows why the Magic got him ), so I can watch Smoove Kemp jam it home about 15 times in a row.

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I want Bibby to play less. But the idea he can still be productive and be a team player is so important. Our blog is much more negitive than the team is. I still think JJ and Jamal shoot to much, along with Woody being a little slow on adjustments, but overall we are playing much better team ball and have developed more options. We have many great Hawks ball seasons ahead of us. Could not be much more fun.

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VenomSpitter

March 24th, 2010
1:47 pm
Who actually thinks beat the Magic 2nite. I mean seriously.

SWAT Native

March 24th, 2010
1:59 pm
Venom Spitter,

I think the Hawks finally beat the Magic tonight – and I’ll be at the game trying to help them. They’re overdue just like they were overdue to beat the Spurs.

Like Danny Ainge would say, “man, I told you we would beat those freaks!”

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I think I’ve finally calmed down enough to type on the keyboard…..whewwwww! What a win! What a play at the end by Josh!

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How about J-J-J-J-JOOOOEEEE with the clutch free throws?!

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The Hawks are Long & Athletic!

Great Defense tonite from Start to Finish!

Hey WOODY ,,. Great Rotations & Great Coaching the Entire Game Tonight,
You earned a Game Ball & A 5 Year Extension tonite!
You can only COACH the TALENT … You were GIVEN! You Fathered these Kids & Helped turn them into Men!
You & Mr. Johnson did that together!
Joe please Re-Sign…We Love You & NEED you to Win that Ring!

Drmaryb … A real FAN since 1986!

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If Woody were a real coach, the Hawks–with the personnel they have, would be challenging Cleveland for the top spot in the East.

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Shame on you who doubted the Hawks. I’m amazed at the constant negativity of this blog, even though we have a 50 win team here. Get off Of Joe Johnson’s ****. He is struggling to get back in his groove right now but we all know that he carries this team every night. Wait until the playoffs, it’s his year. Bank on it.

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FIRE MIKE WOODSON

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JeJe ,

While ZaZa got caught up on fouls, Howard missed many of them. Howard also missed a few shots going with ZaZa one on one with Howard. I believe we won that battle. Gundy did not push Howard enough. Our coach wins this battle.

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David,

who cares – a top 20 is just fine.

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JeJe

depending on what numbers you look at – Josh is rated #6. With a good PG out team could go from top #6-12 to top 4

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drmaryb,

I agree with you about Bibby in a 20 min per game role. Just star in diminished minutes.

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@KevinA,

I was simply responding to JeJe’s assertion that Smoove will soon be a top 10 player.

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Najeh,

We were close to 10 minutes without a basket in the 4th… not championship material.

Fortunately Josh hit his 1 for 4 jump shot average at the right time and then saved our asses.

I am quite surprised that Carter hit that clutch shot, it seems that he is improving and becoming more reliable with the age.

However, Woody’s beloved switching D gave 2 easy looks to Carter with Al switching to him on ORL’s last two possessions.

Again, not championship material.

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In our defense:

The refs were plain awful again, bailing out Howard with bad calls against us and non calls benefiting him (elbow to Marvin’s face, for instance).

Also, on the last play, Carter pushes JJ on the hip and that should have been a foul called against ORL but the refs were not going to call it.

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WHY DOES WOODSON CALL TIMEOUTS AT THE END WHEN IT’S CLOSE? THE PLAY IS JUST GONNA BE AN ISO.

DO NOT LET THE OTHER TEAM SET UP A DEFENSE.

IDIOT

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David: Do us all a favor and never post on here again. The Celtics have 3 likely hall of fame players. Don’t act like they are washed up. When healthy, they are as good as any team in the league.
Josh Smith does have a chance to be a top 10 player. You do realize that he is just 24? A lot of second year players are that old. Many players don’t prime until 30. Take your idiocy and negativity to another blog. I think I had problems with you last year.

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WOODSON CALLS FOR RETARDED SWITCHES ON P&RS.

HE BURNS CRUCIAL TIMEOUTS DOWN THE STRETCH SO HE CAN CALL JJ ISOS WHEN THEY’D BE MORE CONVENIENT IF WE JUST RAN THEM WHEN OTHER TEAM COULDN’T PREPARE (LIKE THAT LAST SHOT).

DAMNIT WOODSON. STOP HOLDING US BACK

DID ORLANDO INTENTIONALLY LOSE TO HELP US TOWARD THAT #3 SEED? THEY KNOW THEY’LL OWN US IN A SERIES

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Some of y’all are f-cking insane. The Hawks played great and Woody coached an amazing game. Yes, the Hawks displayed their zone defense issues again, but you cannot overlook the incredible defense they played in this game, including during that stretch. How y’all are still b-tching is beyond me.

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We got away with the win but we are still having problems scoring in the 4th quarter.

FIRE WOODY

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CLYDE

Is a RETARD!

Whenever You see his name … Get Your SCROLL – ON! OMG he’s so smart…he sell’s T-SHIRTS! Or does he even sell any?

Something a Cave-Man can do! Maybe even a Monkey can do that!

He has nothing of substance to say … Its always the same old tired AZZ chant…something @ Firing Somebody?

Who is his answer for a REPLACEMENT! OMG! There is no recommendation of WHO he would hire.

This guy is like toilet-paper…ClYDE is good for wiping the SHIAAT OFF YOUR AZZ!

A BROKEN RECORD…An old 8-TRACK TAPE that is STUCK in the 70’s…it just says the same thing over &over & over … Until you pull the plug on it …or drop it off at a GOODWILL.

Whew! I’m so Happy that the HAWKs are gonna reach 50 wins & Play .500 on the road!

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Co-sign everything Najeh said. I was at the game and that finish was priceless. I had upper level seats, but it still was the SH!!!!!

Best time ever.

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Try as we might, you gotta be hard-pressed to find fault with this one. The crowd was rockin’, The team D was smothering, the Hawks all kept their heads even though they played 5 on 8 the whole game. The coach managed a masterful game, guards recognized when their shots weren’t falling and played unselfishly, inside out game, just can’t say enough about the total team effort tonight.

Did I mention the defensive game the Hawks played tonight? And Josh Smith really showed his maturity, playing with 5 fouls and keeping his head in the game down the stretch.

Truling outstanding.

GO HAWKS!

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yo mr.najeh,
i think that people are a little nutty tonite to but you got to admit,a lot of games we played this year and lost or almost lost is because of woodson.
yes he did coach a decent game tonight but neither he nor this team is consistent.
i am a true hawks fan and will support this team!
but i will not pretend like this team is ready for the big time when they do have a coach who is holding them back.

he might be a nice person,but woodson is holding this team back!

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drmaryb,
you must be mrs.mike woodson. how is your hubby holding up after that win? josh bailed he and johnson out tonight.the 2nd last second shot that josh has missed in a row.
why is it that your husband lets the hot hand cool off and goes into this play my starters till they show up mode?
could it be that because they are sluggish in the 1st half and 1 quarter as of recently,is because of the minutes they have been playing?
and the bench,mrs.woodson,is a little more rested?

before you tuck him in tonight and shine off that bald head of his with some good old fashion murrays in the orange can hair grease,talk to him about that,will you?

thanks mrs.woodson,err umm,drmaryb

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my bad,i meant that was the 2nd last second shot that joe johnson missed in a row

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chuck chuck, I give Woody plenty of criticism too, and it wouldn’t have surprised me at all if he had found a way to screw this game up. But Woody simply coached a great game tonight. He deserves his props. Will he continue that? I hope so, but I’ll wait to see it before I believe it.

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drmaryb, I’m not in the FIRE WOODSON club yet, but he does need to get a clue (or an offensive strategist) regarding how to construct an offensive attack when we are in a slump. I understand isolation, but five players are on the court because they are all supposed to be a threat to put the ball in the basket. Woodson doesn’t coach like that is a reality. He preaches team ball but late he places ALL the scoring responsibilities in one or two hands. A coach simply does not do that – coaches set up plays to make scoring a basket easier. And usually have an assortment of them to make sure the attack is not predictable.

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Great win for Woody and the Hawks. It wasn’t pretty, but overall, our defense was good, we did a good job guarding Howard, and we made enough plays to win, showing some mental toughness. Great job guys.

I liked the substitutions Woody made, and the combination of guys he was using. One of his better coaching jobs so far.

Vava,

Although Carter fouled JJ on that last shot, if you look at the replay, it looks like JJ took 3 steps to get that shot off, so the refs could have called a travel too. However, LeBron and the other stars get away with steps all the time, so it was good to see JJ get the benefit of the doubt with the game on the line.

Charley Rosen lays into the Hawks in his article you posted, but I agreed with 2 of his points.

“Their strategy of switching every screen and roll led to too many mismatches (of which the Magic failed to take full advantage)”;

“As the weak sisters are weeded out of the playoff picture, the defenses of the surviving teams get sharper and smarter with each succeeding round and iso-oriented offenses become increasingly ineffective”.

But all things considered, Hawks have to be pleased with this win. Regardless of how it looked, we needed this win bad.

Now I see why Rod does not say much when Marvin has a good game. Because chances are, he will disappear again for the next 5. How can one guy with so much talent and potential be so inconsistent?

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I wish Dwight Howard, the king and Wade could all play for Boston. That way the NBA refs would have an easier time making bad calls.

Dwight Howard is a cry baby who expects to get fouls called for him when someone’s nose hits his elbow.

The NBA has little credibility.

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Woody=COY

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I THOUGHT WE SIGNED JASON COLLINS IN ORDER TO GUARD THE RUGGED BIGS IN THE NBA

WHY THE HECK IS HE ON THIS TEAM?

DAMNIT

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Last night’s game is tough to gauge. No one really played that well and Rashard and Vince are still in hiding for the playoffs. Don’t forget Redick, R.Anderson (who owns us but doesn’t play), J.Will and AJ who can all hit every 3 they take.

I don’t think we can or will beat this team in a series. It’s not our fault — this is the deepest team in the NBA, has every position and skill set covered extensively, and will beat LAL in an NBA Finals rematch

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Jeje and eric are the same person

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At this point, the Hawks might just need to hope Josh watches film again this summer and decides on his own he needs to quit taking those long jump shots.

@MC: Not good ,as in not good journalism( see Fox News analysis posted above) and not good nonesense.

On the second point, commen sense would tell you that you cannot improve on a task if you don’t practice it.As several commentaors remarked on the various networks remarked(see ,for instance,D. Scott@NBATV), regarding the issue,The EXPERTS opinions were that if he is open he HAS to take the shot.

As it relates to the Fox analysis,the lack of any offensive scheme is a factor as well.IMHO, if there was a scheme that put players other than the usual suspects in a position to do what they do best on a regular and consistent basis the jump shooting issue would be less of a concern.

Which brings me to my main concern. Call me cynical, but your comments sound very much like “someone” said you are getting on me about iso, why aren’t you getting on x about his jump shot.

The primary challenges for the Hawks going forward have very little to do with Josh’s jump shooting ability per se, especially if you listen to to what the national media has been harping on ever since the team has been more exposed (pun intended) during their ascent into the upper echelons of the NBA.And the person directly responsible for addressing those concerns keeps playing games with the local media. Don’t be an enabler!

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