Hawks Squawks: 76ers 105, Hawks 98

northcyde,

We dont think you’re crazy. We just think that you should not think that we are crazy because we expect better from the Hawks.

The sixers had won 11 or 12 games at home all year, their coach had called them out for not showing any leadership on the court, Sports illustrated mentioned them as teams that have cashed it in.

So is it too much to expect the Hawks to take care of business? Now we are basically 2 games behind the Celtics for the 3rd seed.

MC,

Based on the type of team that gives the Hawks trouble, Cleveland fits the bill. They will exploit the switching defense, and they are an athletic team too. We should be trying to avoid them at all costs.

I think we have a better chance at beating Orlando in 7 games…

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At least Big Al tells the truth. ["We overlooked 'em"]
Top notch talent/top notch team. Not ‘YET’ elite.

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I wasn’t as maavelous as usual tonight, but you pimple faced computer geeks know you love me anyway. Ain’t I a handsome stud or what? Imagine a night with me.

Look at the bright side, kids. When we do the one and done playoff thing, we can all forget hoops and work on our golf swings. Of course mine already is simply maavy. Toodles.

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“And I know some of you don’t like me telling you how to feel or act . . . but the minute some of you just simply ACCEPT the Hawks for who they are . . and not WISH for them to be something else . . your life as a Hawks fan will be so much easier.”

Just accept us for who we are and your blogging life will be so much easier.

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“They simply believe ( like most of the fan base ) that they’re better than what they really are. Even if the coach tells them that they have to work on a nightly basis, the team ( whether consciously or unconsciously ) feels that they can just flip a switch, start playing well, and everything will be OK.”

TRANSLATION – THE TEAM AND THE FANS ARE IDIOTS, WOODROW IS THE ONLY PERSON WORTH KEEPING AROUND. WATCH OUT, GENIUS MIND AT WORK.

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cha cha, great post! You are absolutely right!

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The fans aren’t idiots. Just unrealistic at times. Wishing this team to be “elite”, isn’t going to make it happen. The Hawks are what they are. A very good team. A mentally tough team. But a team who can easily lose focus on the road.

very good + mentally tough – lose focus = 50+ win team ( see Atlanta, Utah, Denver, Phoenix, etc )

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who is woodrow? what position he play?

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There are the 7 teams in the NBA who have a winning record on the road, listed by their Defensive Rating and their road record.

Boston: 2nd . . . 24 – 13
Orlando: 3rd . . . 22 – 15
LA Lakers: 4th . . . 21 – 14 . . although they’re shaky as hell on the road lately
Cleveland: 6th . . . 26 – 12
Oklahoma City: 7th . . . 20 – 15

See a pattern?

The other two are Dallas: 14th . . . 22 – 14 and Portland: 15th . . . 19 – 16

The Hawks actually rank 12th in defense, but our road record is 17 – 19 . . . and a good chunk of that has to do with our poor defensive rebounding and our poor transition defense.

Gotta bring that defensive intensity, if a team wants to win on the road.

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“And the Hawks’ 19 turnovers were due to poor focus against an athletic, scrappy team that tries hard. The Hawks can be twice the team if they always added those last two traits to their talent.”

The Hawks should know. Four years ago, they were an athletic, scrappy team that tried hard and occasionally beat superior teams by forcing turnovers.

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GET A LIFE YOU ACT LIFE THE HAWKS ARE YOUR WORLD LMAOOO, WHAT A NERD

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northcyde:
sometimes I think what you and others forget, is, it’s not about
how good individual players are, or can be.
It’s all about the ‘team’. Yeah I know, I’m old fashioned, but the
day that ‘team’ ceases to be the central focus & individual skill
exceeds the complementary performance for the greater good,
then I’m out.
Therefore, the Hawks have plenty of skilled players.
Whether or not they can fuse into a balanced organism with the
‘WILL’ of a champion, I do not know.
Do they have a player/players with said ‘will’ & drive, we have
yet to see.
Is Wdsn capable of managing his team through the intense pressure
and scrutiny of the play-offs? Perhaps Mr. Sund is looking for the answer to that query. I hope Wdsn has the chops to pull it off.

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Things are slow out on patrol.

Najeh ,

Excellent points, as usual.

Grandad ,

My sentiments exactly. Woody must be judged by the playoffs (this time with a healthy team) and the performance therein. The Hawks will probably win north of 50 games. That is an improvement, but it isn’t the entire body of work, and it’s not what management will judge him by. In fact, winning more than 50 games may be diminished in light of the injuries we suffered last season. With much better health and more firepower, it’s possible that 50+ wins is exactly where we should be (and may have been last season), making this season’s playoff performance the real deciding factor, or at least something that will not receive the pass it got last season. We shall see.

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You mean 2 tell me we lost 2 a team with out LOUIS WILLIAMS AND THADDEUS YOUNG and with 26-47 record that them hawks.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!

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Why is it so hard 2 try somthing new if a player is not performing you have 2 recognize that as a coach and try somthing different, o whale i guest woody want be back next year waiting for the next star 2 come by.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!

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maybe they miss their mommy when they aren’t at home. Way to suck all yea on the road!

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Teams that pick and choose when to play hard never go anywhere. You need TRUE professionals, who bring it EVERY NIGHT, to scale the highest level. This team has not, and will not, ever reach that point.

We’ll be one-and-done in the playoffs, just wait and see…

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i like marvin a lot and I want him to be the best he can be, but he along with woody probably need to go next year. Evans plays twice as hard and puts up the same numbers at 32. disappointing. Mo Evans and Joe Smith and Al Horford want to win a championship, but they have little control over it…..Josh Smith does too but until he stops walking so much on the court and giving it all he’s got every game, i can’t call him dedicated. Van Gundy and M Brown can say whatever they want because they have a disciplined team who knows what coach says goes, no matter what. Everytime a Hawks player makes a miserable play, Woody just does that staring thing, probably because he doesn’t feel like getting in a fight with a team that doesn’t seem to listen to or respect him. Woody would be a great assistant coach.

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“58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint,”58 points in the paint “58 points in the paint

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I love this article and it makes great sense. It seems like the Hawks have so many problems winning on the road even against weaker teams due to a lack of focus and energy and playing at a higher level. They have so many wins in their home arena at Philips because they have the big crowds getting into the game to help give them that needed spark. The Hawks have go to learn how to take that same high energy level and focus on the road and play the same way. And, until they figure out how to do that and produce a lot of wins on the road, they will still be a long way from the league with the Cavs and the Lakers. Those teams play at a high energy level every night they play a game no matter who it is against or where the game is played!

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@northcyde,

Your view implies that because other teams are doing it (Denver, Phoenix, Utah etc), then we should understand when our team does it (struggles on the road, loses focus etc). Who cares about those other teams? I only care about the Hawks.

There is no excuse for losing focus this late in the season. Like Woody says, what gives them the right? Have they won 50 games? Won a division title? Been to the ECF? No. These Hawks have accomplished nothing.

The Pistons used to think they could turn it on and off, but that was after winning the NBA championship, and reacing the ECF on multiple occasions. And they found out the hard way in the playoffs that they couldn’t.

I agree with northcyde though, that I dont see the Hawks losing a first round series no matter who the opponent is, because we will have 4 games at home. However, whoever it is, we need to put them away early so we can rest for the second round. And I would hate to see the injury bug bite us this late.

@Grandad,

I think for Woodson to be retained, the Hawks must play well in the second round, and they must win at least 2 games in the 2nd round.

The Hawks won 47 games last year with Flip, and they dealt with injuries. This year, we added Crawford (SMOY), we have been the healthiest team in the NBA all year, and we will improve our win total by 5-10 games. I’m happy for the Hawks, but there would have been no excuses if they did not improve on last year’s record.

And as for the game last night, although I blame the players for their horrible performance and lack of energy, my impression is that Woody did nothing to hold them accountable. Why not give the bench more burn in the second half?

Maybe that would have lit a fire under the starters behind. And even if you lose with the bench, the starters would have gotten the message that their lack of focus will not be tolerated (like when Bobby Cox pulled Andrew Jones in the middle of a game).

Because we dont want these kind of games to be a recurring theme this late in the season. But instead, Woody just lets the starters do what they do, and hope they will play better.

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what time is hwks game sunday

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The HAWKS will always struggle in games that they don’t bring a lot of energy because they really can’t easy points in the paint. Horford and Smoove really work hard in the post but neither has the moves to get easy shots. Also, for the last few games, at least one of our main scorers has been completely off. Clearly Cleveland and Orlando are better at this point, but the season isn’t over and we have a lot of room for improvement.

GO HAWKS!!!

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I didn’t get to catch the game last night, but was pretty damn bummed to hear we lost to the sixers. This is the inconsistency that I’ve come to expect from this team. They play up or down to the level of competition.

They just beat Orlando on WED night, but turn around and get beat by a bad sixer team. We have no business losing these games, but we still do. It sucks because we were just talking about how mentally tough the Hawks were a couple days back, but then they pull this last night?

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From O’Brien

Your view implies that because other teams are doing it (Denver, Phoenix, Utah etc), then we should understand when our team does it (struggles on the road, loses focus etc). Who cares about those other teams? I only care about the Hawks.

There is no excuse for losing focus this late in the season. Like Woody says, what gives them the right? Have they won 50 games? Won a division title? Been to the ECF? No. These Hawks have accomplished nothing.

I only mention those other teams to dispel the notion that this has something to do with coaching. The coaches know what the problems are. But when you see a team play like we do, it’s almost always about the players.

Jerry Sloan stays on his players about this. But they do the same thing we do. Look at the quotes from them:

“They played excellent in the second half . . . Our defense was non-existent. They did a great job getting people open and they got on a roll. We couldn’t shut them down. I was disappointed in our energy level in a game as important as this. I didn’t know if they need a memo to tell them where they are.”" – Jerry Sloan

That’s a future Hall of Fame coach saying that about his team.

I list those other teams, because this phenomenon isn’t unique to Woody, like everyone wants to believe ( not necessarily you ). Even with you saying that he could’ve played the bench more, do you mean play the bench as in play Teague? Because Craw, Evans, and Zaza got burn in that 2nd half. Smoove played the entire half, but mainly because he was the one who had it going in the 3rd quarter.

- Mo played 8 minutes in the 2nd half, and didn’t take a shot
- Zaza played 5 minutes in the 2nd half, and didn’t take a shot
- Crawford was erratic, but made 2 of 5 shots in the 4th quarter

Joe Smith gave us nothing in the 1st half. So I guess you mean that Teague should’ve played in the 2nd half.

Oh . . one other significant thing about the 2nd half . . . JJ ( uncharacteristically ), got to rest for almost 7 minutes. Maybe if Woody played him like he usually plays him, we pull the game out.

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Northclyde is exactly right. Woody isn’t to be blamed for what happened last night. Woody has done a GREAT job with his bench this season. They give us PLENTY of production. We trust Woodson’s coaching style. He knows his personnel and if he wants to play his starters 48 minutes, then that’s his business. Northclyde knows that it TAKES TIME to build a championship. He is one of those SATISFIED fans that we need. Real fans should never CRITICIZE the team, just be HAPPY with the fact that we are ELITE and 20 GAMES over 500. ELITE TEAMS don’t necessarily have to WIN ON THE ROAD, Good for you NORTHCLYDE!

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LOL @ Rick . . . you need to call a “Players Only + the GM” meeting, and tell the Hawks that they are the HUNTED now. The way we get jacked up for Boston, is the way these “lesser teams” get jacked for us now . . . especially on their home floor.

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I LOVE the core I have helped keep.

The guys are YOUNG and have POTENTIAL. I plan on keeping this starting 5 together for 7 more years.

ALL that matters is that we win 50 games — that’ll show IMPROVEMENT over last year.

Woodson is a TOP defensive coach, a true genius at shutting down players like Nate Robinson and John Salmons. I will offer him a $100 million/6 year extension after the season, making him the highest paid coach in NBA history.

Woodson’s rapid development of Teague is just astonishing. Just yesterday, a successful Eastern Conference GM contacted me that he believes Teague is already better than Isiah Thomas!

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“They simply believe ( like most of the fan base ) that they’re better than what they really are. Even if the coach tells them that they have to work on a nightly basis, the team ( whether consciously or unconsciously ) feels that they can just flip a switch, start playing well, and everything will be OK.”

TRANSLATION – THE TEAM AND THE FANS ARE IDIOTS, WOODROW IS THE ONLY PERSON WORTH KEEPING AROUND. WATCH OUT, GENIUS MIND AT WORK.

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RICK SUND bring in ROGER BELL now, he just been release by goldenstate, and in our system he would fit perfect with the switch deffense that the play.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!

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Truth Serum:

You’ve been watching Erin Andrews, haven’t you? Cha cha cha.

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ROGER BELL STARTE DAY 1 MOVE MARVIN 2 THE BENCH AND MAKE THE BENCH DEEPER.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!

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STARTER BIBBY, JOE, ROGER BELL, JOSH, HORFORD.
BENCH JAMAL, MOE, MARVIN, JOE SMITH, ZAZA.
RESERVE TEAGUE, COLLINS
STREET CLOTHES WEST, MORRIS.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!

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darrell starks:

Raja Bell would not be eligible for the play-offs.
This summer considering him:
*NEGATIVES/CONS
1. age
2. too much money to sign [probably]
3. would need to be the *piece that puts you over the top
* you & I agree, that needs to be a ‘Big’
4. Roger mason better alternative

* All work for summer.
* Right now, “what you see is what you get” ‘Flip Wilson’

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“It was interesting to see JJ defer to others almost the entire game. Then it was interesting to see how much the other guys turned the ball over trying to do what JJ does on a nightly basis.”

I wonder if it’s also been interesting to watch the team win games in which Joe doesn’t “do what he does on a nightly basis” ? What was JJ doing when we beat Orlando? Shooting 5-17. What was JJ doing when we beat San Antonio? Shooting 8-23. What was JJ doing when we beat Charlotte? Shooting 7-21. What was JJ doing when we beat New Jersey by 24 points? Sitting the game out, recovering. How about against Washington? 18 points on 8-19 shooting (not really bad). How about against Golden State? Shot 3-14 and scored 10 points. Against Philly? 6-13, 18 points. Against Chicago? 5-15 shooting.

Okay, that covers all the wins in the month of March, except one, wherein JJ shot 10 for 15. That’s a total of 8 wins, out of 12 games played.

Let me put this plainly and factually, so there will be no confusion. We have won 8 out of 12 games with Joe Johnson shooting 67% in ONE win, 46% in ONE win, 42% in ONE win, and LESS THAN 33% in the other FIVE wins.

And before we talk about his nice assist numbers, which have been very helpful, allow me to point out that he has averaged 4.6 apg for the month, which is about average for him anyway. For the month, he has shot 40.9% and averaged 19.2 ppg.

Now I seem to recall some people scoffing at Jamal Crawford for similar numbers. The point is NOT that JJ is a bad player, he’s a GREAT player. And I am not even coming close to bashing the man. He’s our best player, he’s our team leader.

But this TEAM has won down the stretch, late in the season (in March) at a .667 clip with it’s best player clearly struggling to maintain all-star form. JJ is having his worst month, unless I miss my mark.

What’s interesting is this team’s ability to OVERCOME that, where other teams would be breaking even at best.

JJ deferring? Give me a break. Compare shot attempts and see who is still taking the most shots (and he SHOULD be). But don’t ignore the FACTS. And don’t act like Joe carries this team ALL the time, while his teammates bumble about, hoping one day to be good enough to hold his jock strap.

rant off …..

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Big Ray:

I agree on everything except 1* tiny part.
Joe – We MUST re-sign, cannot replace! [indispensable]
Jamal – has suppressed his game for the TEAM. [my opinion]
*Al – Leader
*That is the 1 tiny point I had in mind.
I feel like Al is becoming the leader of this team.
**With Josh as his ***wingman.
****Not a knock on Joe…quiet, subtle, humble, subdued, introverted,
even somewhat bashful.

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LOL. The headline on AJC Hawks says we must play the “Slumping Pacers.” They have won 5 in a row. Good job, writers!

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We FIRMLY believe this is the best team in the NBA.

I was watching clips of the 2002 WCF the other day, reminding myself that Bibby STILL is the MOST ATHLETIC and best DEFENDING point guard in the game. We believe he is in EXCELLENT SHAPE, and that Chris Paul will seek his guidance come this summer.

Best,
Rick

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If you let northcyde tell it then its never Joe’s or Woodrows fault. Its everybody else, those 2 are the untouchable. Joe and Woodrow can do no wrong in northcyde’s eyes. Seriously dude, are you related to these cats or just love riding their laps.

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“There is a reason why this team proved to be better than the Miami Heat in the playoffs last year.

Because, and I quote Astro Joe , the sum is greater than the individual parts. That’s why a team like this is better than a team that features one player who is greater than any on our team.”

Brilliant, Ray! We need more precocious and intelligent fans like you!

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from Grandad

Now you’re saying Joe is pulling a “Kobe”;
to teach the young guys a lesson.

I don’t know. But it did look similar to what Kobe had to do in order to shut people up about him not passing enough ( including his coach ). Except Kobe went to the extreme, and didn’t look to score AT ALL for a half. At least JJ took open shots, he just didn’t force the issue like he usually does. I think JJ was simply gaving the other guys the opportunity to “shine”.

All I know is that JJ should NEVER be taking 13 shots in a game, unless we’re getting blown out or blowing someone out. A lot of people are under the assumption that we should be a totally balanced team in which everyone contributes equally. The facts are that all of our guys don’t shoot well enough, nor can they create their own offense well enough, for that to be a reality.

Smoove excels in transition offense and when he can go early. Once in the halfcourt offense, his game dramatically decreses from an efficiency standpoint.

Horford, when he tries to go one on one, is a far less efficient player, than when he’s being set up by other people.

So is Bibby. He needs to be set up as well.

Marvin . . . he’s either totally inactive, or simply missing shots

And Crawford can do what JJ does . . he just take real bad shots even when he’s off.

I just think that it’s interesting that we were turning the ball over left and right, when other people tried to assume a larger role in the offense.

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Big Ray . . . those wins when JJ was struggling, shows the mental toughness of the team. Something I’ve been saying for a while about the Hawks.

It comes down to people knowing their roles. JJ’s main job on this team, is to score the basketball and secondarily, to set people up. The team, for the most part, know their roles, which is why they’ve been able to overcome adversity for much of the season.

As long as everyone play their roles on this team, we’re going to be OK on most nights. What we DON’T need, is JJ deferring to other guys down the stretch of games, unless they’re wide open off of one of his passes. That’s what he did last year in the playoffs, with Flip missing all of those shots in the 2nd half. That can’t happen again.

Make no mistake . . . if we’re to do anything in the 2nd round of the playoffs, we’re going to need the superstar version of JJ to show up. Not JJ the “team guy who only scores 18 points”. We’ll probably need the superstar version of Crawford as well, so that they’ll be a 1 – 2 punch. Offensively, those are the guys that have to get it done for us.

Defensively, it’s going to be all about Smoove and Horford, especially on the boards. Asking them for increased production offensively, is asking them to go out of their element as players. But they can excel, and the team will be OK, if they dominate the boards. And if they really hit the offensive boards like they have all season, that’ll be an extra bonus come playoff time.

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Granger just scored 44! last night. The HAWKS better be ready to play some defense, because Indiana destroyed Utah and they would like nothing better than to do the same thing to the HAWKS! The HAWKS always have trouble with Murphy because of his ability to shoot the 3 and Brandon Rush seems to do well against us. I think Marvin and Mo should do most of the work on Granger, which should give JJ a chance to rest on defense and work his magic on offensive. I’m OK with Bibby on Watson, if Bibby comes to play! If Crawford brings his A game off the bench, then I think we should be able to take care of business. But Smoove has to stay with Murphy and guard the rim! Horford is going to have his hands full with Hibbert. Woody might consider putting Smoove on Hibbert and letting Horford guard Murphy. I really don’t want Smoove leaving the paint with Granger in his current groove, we have to keep him on the perimeter. I actually think the switching defensive should work “Ok” against Indiana, because most of their offensive is Granger. If we can limit his touches and keep him out of the paint and off the foul line, we should be successful. BUT, if Bibby keeps switching off of his man and Watson gets to play against Horford or Smoove most the night, we will LOSE!!! Mark my works!!

GO HAWKS!!!

GO HAWKS!!!

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northcyde ,

I can’t argue with that. The team is mentally tough (when they’re mentally in the game), but I also say it’s talent. Guys can know their roles all they want, but until they develop their individual games to greater heights, and it translates to on-court production, you can tattoo their roles on their bodies and it still won’t matter. This team is seriously talented . We’ve got two all-stars, a Sixth Man, and another who shoulda/coulda been named an all-star, and that’s just four guys we’re talking about. Mentally tough? Yep. Talented and versatile? You bet. With Joe shooting as badly as he was, how did we manage to score 119 points against the Spurs, of all teams? Talent and versatility, along with mental toughness.

In fact, I AGREE that Joe can’t defer so much at times in the playoffs, the way he did to Flip. But I don’t know if we’ll agree as to why he did it.

Dude has been to the playoffs before, and in some very intense games, back when he was with the Suns. Of course, he wasn’t the top guy/headliner/main attraction, and that team was more balanced and in better tune (by far ) offensively.

I know he was hurt during last year’s playoffs, and I think his deferring had something to do with not only being less than 100% physically, but our lack of offensive diversity. That, and he drew every double team there was to be had. Flip was as much of a security blanket for Joe as he was for Woody, especially when Bibby couldn’t get much going. Watch, they will lean on Crawford the same way, but they must include Josh and Al for this to work to it’s best potential.

Oddly enough, Josh Smith averaged more points than Joe did in the playoffs, despite the fact that he was still playing inefficiently, and outside of his own strengths. Imagine what he can do for this team THIS time around, playing within himself, and doing what he knows how to do best.

Similarly, Al Horford has shown himself to be reliable in many games, even in late game situations. He has been able to make plays and get us buckets when those millions of jumpers just aren’t falling.

I’m not saying take the ball out of JJ’s hands when the chips are down, or give our bigs all the shots. In fact, I’d leave the ball in JJ’s hands. And Bibby’s. And trust them to know when to give that ball up to Al, Craw, or Josh. Trust them to involve those guys, who will also then play with even more energy on the defensive end. You have to reward your bigs for the hard work they do on everybody’s behalf on the other end. Especially when they can get higher percentage baskets as the opposing team locks down your perimeter shooters.

Again, I’m not asking that we take the ball out of our best scorer’s hands. But good teams win when they have other options, and make use of them. Versatility. Talent. We’ve got it. We have to use it.

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Blast ,

You’re right. It wasn’t Joe’s fault. The team failed to play defense and got outhustled, end of story.

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I think someone swapped the Red Bull with Sprite Zero.

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yeah northcyde i would like to see jj dribble for 18 seconds force the shot over 3 defenders,pass the ball to js or mw 20 feet from the basket with 2 seconds on the cloak or throw the ball away. yeah i would like him to take at least 20 shots he might make 8, he will get to the line 2 times. when other super stars shoot 8 for 23 they usallly make 10 of 13 free throws. yeah i like to see every body stand around & see no ball movement while joe has fun.

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The Hawks will always have long running DEF lapses as long as Woodson continues to force the team to play his beloved switching DEF. How can Woodson watch subpar teams shred his beloved switching DEF, and all he does is complain about the players not doing a ggod job of playing DEF? Hell, what kind of DEF can he reasonably expect from our centers and PF’s when they’re consistently forced to defend opposing PG’s, SG’s and SF’s from taking them off the dribble from the top of the key? What kind of successful DEF can anyone but a fool expect from Bibby and Crawford, with them being matched against C and PF’s under the basket?

IF WOODSON IS TOO STUPID OR STUBBORN TO MAKE A NEEDED DEF ADJUSTMENT OR CHANGE AT THIS POINT IN THE SEASON, HOW CAN WE EXPECT HIM TO MAKE A NEEDED DEF ADJUSTMENT DURING A 4-7GM PLAYOFF SERIES? We have too many areas of vulnerability to be a serious title contender, and most of them can, but won’t, be corrected by Woodson, like:

(1) Not relying so heavily on the switching DEF, especially when it’s so blatantly obvious it’s hurting us.

(2) Take control of the OFF during crunch time and insist the players controlling the ball and the OFF run the plays and maintain ball movement. THERE’S ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE FOR WOODSON ALLOWING JJ TO CONSTANTLY DISRUPT THE OFF AND BALL MOVEMENT WHENEVER HE DECIDES HE WANTS TO GO ISO.

(3) If Woodson sees teams constantly getting into the lane and beating our DEF, he has to get it through his thick stubborn head that leaving PG MBibby in the gm and having him switch off on the opposing teams Bigs ain’t the damned answer.

(4) While a lot of you insist on claiming JTeague isn’t ready to run a team, he’s sure as hell capable of playing a lot better DEF than MBibby or JCrawford.

Since Crawford and/or JJ usually dominate the ball and run ISO’s during crunch time, it would make a lot of sense to play Teague during those times to iliminate any DEF weaknesses. C-Horford, PF-Smoove, SF-JJ, SG-Crawford and PG-Teague. If they try to double JJ or Crawford, that gives us Teague and either JJ or Crawford with the ability to effectively penetrate off the dribble.

WOODSON JUST DOESN’T THINK OR RESPOND TO CRITICAL OR EVEN OBVIOUS SITUATIONS WITH ANY SENSE OF URGENCY OR UNDERSTANDING. HE JUST SITS BACK AND ALLOWS THINGS TO TRANSPIRE AND THEN BLAMES THE PLAYERS IF THE RESULTS ARE UNFAVORABLE. A HC HAS TO BE AN ACTIVE AN VIABLE PARTICIPANT IN THE PROCESS THROUGHOUT EVERY GM, JUST LIKE THE PLAYERS.

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right on ken

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I hated the loss too, but I think the Hawks got a dose of their own homecourt advantage. They probably got in early the night before and hit the Philly nightclubs and were tired for the game, just like other teams do when the come to Atlanta. They also took Philly lightly, and the Sixers saw a chance to show that they can play after all. It really was a trap game.

I still say you have to put this loss in context. If you looked at their week at the beginning, with San Antonio, at Milwaukee, Orlando, at Philly and Indiana, I would have said they would be doing well to win three. They still have a chance to do it if they beat Indiana tomorrow, which won’t be as easy as some might think (they’re hot right now).

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Ray and Northcyde seriously have no lives. Go outside

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I just saw Dikembe Mutumbo and Dale Davis playing pick-up basketball..
RICK SUND, you need to call these guys! AND, while you are at it,
please FIRE “cornbread Collins’” and clueless Randolph Morris, PLEASE….

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Readin’ these posts cornvinces me we haf th’ dumbess fans in th’ histo’y of baxetball, ah reckon. IsoldJoe ain’t fit t’polish mah shoes, the gunner. Shoot, pass the ball ya ballhog to THE MAN WHO IS SMOOOOOOOTH, ya fool. I am the greatest since Ali.

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well, 2 goals were to snag 50 Ws and be above 0.500 on the road:
Well 50 wins is within reach ……. but with our debacle in PHL (standing at 17-19 on the road), we need to go 4-1 the rest of the way with the following AWAY schedule:
@ CLE, @ CHA, @ DET (2nd nite of back2back) @ WSH (2nd nite of back2back), @ MIL

Think the thing is …… we have fallen prey to 1 – 2 things that have contributed to probably 5-10 Ls that could have been Ws:
1. Malaise esp. vs. bad teams and/or small crowds (HOME and AWAY)
2. 4Q swoon precipitated by rushed/questionable shot selection and lack of passing

I think we all see it and are pi$$ed that it continues … despite our elevation in the East conf. and the fact that this year we were expected to make the playoffs vs. being an up-and-comer

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“LOL @ JeJe . . half of the stuff I post on here, comes from my phone while I’m at work.”

So the other half of the stuff comes from when you are at home?
Ray and Northcyde seriously have no lives. Go outside

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JeJe, how do you know Northcyde posts so much, if your’re not on here reading it? Hmm???

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Rod, how many points do you see Marvin having today. I’d say about 7pts 5 reb

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I thought the Hawks would go 1-3 last week. Beat the Spurs, but lose the games on the road and to Orlando. They went 2-2, so better than I thought.

If they can go 2-2 this week, losing to the Lakers and Cavs, that would be expected.

I’ve thought about what maybe ought to be done in the offseason, but have some ideas assuming we re-sign Joe and Woody. Not saying we will/should be assuming. Here are my dumb thoughts on how to upgrade:

Sign Mike Miller to back up Marvin and maybe even play more than him.
Sign Damien Wilkins to the veterans minimum to take the place of Mario West (Damien can defend and is a better scorer)
Try to unload Mo Evans (I like him) but Miller is an upgrade and shooter
Sign Jermaine O’Neal (he’d be the first big off the bench, not ZaZa)

This is just my idea on what may be able to happen financially, maybe.

Go Hawks, don’t have a let down today.

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terrell,

“Rod, how many points do you see Marvin having today. I’d say about 7pts 5 reb”

This is very hard to predict. No more than 10. LOL.

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The only offensive adjustment woodson has made all year was shaving his eyebrows

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Terrell,

I come here about twice a day and see my screen bombarded by 5 paragraph posts by the resident Hawks geniuses northcyde and Big Ray. These guys obviously have way too much time on their hands. Also, the fact that they post from work all day means they must be doing a pretty pathetic job at wherever they work. Northcyde, in particular, spends his whole life researching useless stats and posting them here, and blaming everything on the players and commending Woodson for being a HOF player.

Big Ray, on the other hand, is just a sardonic scrub, who is 35, lives in his mom’s basement, and doesn’t even go to the games.

Thanks,
JeJe

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MC,

Could we get the blog an hour or so before game time? That way, we’ll have some new nuggets to comment on before the game starts…

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JeJe,

MC has been courteous in his responses towards my comments, questions, or suggestions…

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O’Brien,

don’t talk back to higher authority.

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@terrell .. i agree completely. This team should definitely be closing in on 60 wins. Looking at all the games we lost by BS’n we should have the best record in the East or at least there with Cleveland.

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LOL. Just finished watching the Marvin Show “At Home.” It’s true, people: He does not enjoy playing basketball video games/watching basketball.

Hearing this guy talk, it’s obvious he has no heart or passion to go the extra step. He’s just an average guy who happens to be 6″9

FIRE WOODY

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Northcyde, I’m talking about 60 wins this year, not 60 wins right now.

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What a pitiful first quarter.

Marvin and Bibby are showing their true colors: useless basketball players who are lost on defense, can’t guard anyone, and who spend more time falling to the ground than actually contributing anything to this team.

Can we please just release Marvin? Seriously. He is a bigger asset to this team not being on it than he is being on it

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We’re just not that good. Can beat anybody, but can lose to anybody. It is what it is.

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