Atlanta Hawks: Will they come to praise the Lakers at Philips?
Will they clap for Kobe at Philips? (US Presswire)
I’m curious what my blog people think about Woody’s pretty forceful comments about Hawks fans showing too much love for some visiting teams. If you are reading this then you probably aren’t a casual fan; I doubt any of you are heading to Philips in your Kobe jersey. So since Woody probably isn’t talking about you, can you get on board with his view that Philips needs to be more hostile to visiting stars or do you think he’s off base?
Woody first mentioned the topic a few weeks back because he thought support for visiting teams at Philips had increased even though the Hawks are better. I kept the angle in the back of my mind and planned to address it when a marquee team came to town. Well, the Lakers are here and obviously they fit that description.
There’s just something about the Lakers, and I think it goes beyond winning. I spent a decent amount of time reporting on the Lakers in 2004-05 season because they’d traded Shaq to the Heat the previous summer. That was the year it was basically Kobe surrounded by nondescript guys. The Lakers won 34 games and missed the playoffs. But what struck me after following the team was how they still got so much support even though they were also-rans.
I remember going to a shooataround in Orlando and there was a crush of fans in Lakers jerseys trying to get close to the team. At the arena before the game there was a group of probably 200 fans hanging around the tunnel during warmups hoping to get autographs. When I interviewed fans at the Staples Center, they were all so sure (or smug, depending on your perspective) that the Lakers would be good again soon because, as one guy said, “We’re the Lakers.”
At the time, Lamar Odom said he was at first disappointed to get traded to the Lakers from the Heat but eventually embraced the move because of the increased opportunities for exposure in LA. I silently scoffed at that because, well, he was only Lamar Odom. But now I see him in Taco Bell commercials and hugged up on a hot Kardashian and it turns out dude was right.
And, oh yeah, Odom also got a ring.
– Hoopinion looks at USA Today’s story on Josh Childress’ options this summer. In the blog comments, Brett Lagree opines on whether he thinks Woody and J.J.’s futures are tied together:
“I do think that the playoffs will determine whether or not re-signing one or both would be a positive or negative PR move for the organization. I think the very public show of interest in Ilgauskas from an organization that typically doesn’t announce whether they give restricted free agents qualifying offers shows that they’re fairly concerned about appearing* to compete. Ultimately, the decisions on Johnson and Woodson may not entirely be informed by basketball concerns.”
*I’m skeptical they’re interested in the risk and/or cost of actually competing.
MC
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184 comments Add your comment
Wabe
March 31st, 2010
7:04 pm
Go time
northcyde
March 31st, 2010
7:05 pm
The Hawks have been consistent all year, not having lost more than 5 games in a month. In March, we’re currently 10 – 5.
It’s funny a difference 2 weeks makes. 2 weeks ago, we had fans looking toward these stretch of games as the point in which the Hawks will fail to deliver. The Spurs, Magic, Lakers, and Cavs games were supposed to prove that the Hawks “don’t belong”
LOL . . . so far, we’re 2 – 0 with 2 to go.
It’s GAMETIME . . . is the arena mostly full right now? I bet it is. So much for the start time issue, if it is.
Taylor
March 31st, 2010
7:10 pm
Haven’t won 9 straight @ home since the omni!
Najeh Davenpoop
March 31st, 2010
7:10 pm
No Andrew Bynum means the Hawks have a chance to exploit the Lakers’ middle tonight. Odom and Gasol are extremely talented but neither one is a defensive stopper. If the Hawks play inside out they can take some pressure off Joe, who will have to deal with Ron Artest or Kobe Bryant defending him all night.
I can’t watch this game (if it were up to me I would be at Philips right now) so I’m counting on y’all to drop some knowledge through the game as usual so I can come back and see how it all went down.
Taylor
March 31st, 2010
7:13 pm
Smoove tried to call a time out 10 seconds before he called it
Taylor
March 31st, 2010
7:14 pm
for once our PG matchup looks even
Taylor
March 31st, 2010
7:14 pm
This is why Smoove needs to give the ball up….
Taylor
March 31st, 2010
7:18 pm
where is everyone tonight?
Sautee
March 31st, 2010
7:21 pm
LOL, Horford rode Gasol right out of the paint.
But he’s too small and frail. And he got called for a foul.
Sautee
March 31st, 2010
7:22 pm
Najeh, we look good on offense so far. Lots of ball movement and Bibby is hitting.
Taylor
March 31st, 2010
7:25 pm
Listen to all the Kobe nut huggers LOL
Sautee
March 31st, 2010
7:27 pm
Najeh,
Horford pulls the chair out from Gasol, doesn’t even TOUCH him, and they call a foul, his second.
Hawk n the Ham
March 31st, 2010
7:29 pm
Expect the Lakers to get the superstar calls all night from the refs. It’s become just too natural for those thieves with whistles.
Sautee
March 31st, 2010
7:29 pm
Josh with 4 assists already.
Taylor
March 31st, 2010
7:32 pm
Foul on the Lakers
Hawk n the Ham
March 31st, 2010
7:34 pm
Steve Holman said, “..well there’s Kobe’s foul for the night”.
LOL
Wabe
March 31st, 2010
7:35 pm
You gotta like what you’re seeing out of the 2nd unit guys here in the 1st quarter.
Hawk n the Ham
March 31st, 2010
7:35 pm
JT0!!!!!!
Wabe
March 31st, 2010
7:38 pm
I don’t get why we can’t finish games the way we start them. We played a pretty good 1st quarter there. Ball movement was pretty good. We made shots, and we got a number of guys involved. Bench guys came in and sustained the effort.
Wabe
March 31st, 2010
7:39 pm
Woody can’t abandon the bench guys in the 2nd half. Mo Evans is playing pretty well, and Zaza has provided good energy.
Sautee
March 31st, 2010
8:03 pm
Good job by the bench.
Taylor
March 31st, 2010
8:11 pm
Solid first half. Gotta keep it going though
Sautee
March 31st, 2010
8:13 pm
Nice first half. Woody shouldn’t forget the bench in the 2nd.
Horford will have the freshest legs on the court in the 3rd quarter. Let him RUN!
One GREAT sequence in the 2nd quarter where JJ played in Kobe’s chest. But, alas, we switch, so JJ doesn’t STAY on Kobe.
JASon
March 31st, 2010
8:28 pm
Transplants make up a much larger percentage of the population here than in cities like LA or DC. It is a fact. Should that be an excuse for people like me not to go to games? Heck no. I am to blame as much as everyone else. But right now I haven’t been doing much with the economy.
Sautee
March 31st, 2010
8:44 pm
Joe is playing tough d on Kobe.
Sautee
March 31st, 2010
8:53 pm
GREAT bench tonight. Mo and Zaza are filling it.
Sautee
March 31st, 2010
9:03 pm
LOL Marvin doesn’t know his own strength.
Sautee
March 31st, 2010
9:12 pm
Is this thing on? testing, testing.
Rich
March 31st, 2010
9:27 pm
Who cares? All the players are criminals and so are the fans.
Taylor
March 31st, 2010
9:54 pm
Rich..smh, you are pitiful. I didn’t know I was a criminal.
Taylor
March 31st, 2010
9:56 pm
Josh Smith just said he told the Lakers fans behind the Hawks bench to go home! HAHAHAHAHAHA
Truth-Serum
March 31st, 2010
10:43 pm
“Horford will have the freshest legs on the court in the 3rd quarter. Let him RUN!”
Let him run to the locker run and get Zaza the second string center a Gatorade for showing him how to play some freaking defense!
irishmafia116
March 31st, 2010
10:53 pm
The Hawks are totally irrelevan in the Atlanta sports community
Truth-Serum
March 31st, 2010
11:09 pm
Sautee
“Now can you tell us exactly what it is about Horford that makes you react so vehemently against him?”
I normally try to do a “Dezz Nuttz” reply when I get asked willfully ignorant questions. This question to borders uselessness but I guess its the “most cogent question youve ever asked when you consider your level of understanding the game.
I have shown you repeatedly by stats, view and professional analysis how teams abuse us in the paint because of Horford s lack of defensive intensity. We won tonight because horford was too weak in the post and got in foul trouble so Zaza, who is a much better defender than Al came in and got physical in the paint. Guys just kill us in the paint and Horford is always accommodating and helpful to opponents wish to score. Nothing has change, You may enjoy his nuttz in your role as his personal nut hugger, but I like results. A centers # 1 job is to protect the rim from invasion. Yes you are right, being number 29th among centers out of thirty teams in the block shot category is repulsive. He was 29th at one point last week but has currently move back to 18th where he was 2 weeks ago. Play some defense under the basket. Im dont like all the pictures with every body else doing the defensive work while horford is waiting for a free rebound while someone else does the work.
Bottom line is that inspite of the way you paint me as a horford hater, im not. I think the man is a very good power forward, just not as good as josh. I think hes mediocre as a center. My view is that you have to defend the rack and the paint if you are going to go deep in the playoffs. I doubt that we can do that with Horford in the middle.
Tonight perfectly illustrated that as has many other nights.