Atlanta Hawks Squawks Game 1: Hawks 102, Bucks 92
– Any questions about the Hawks’ ability to crank it up for the playoffs were answered immediately. They buried the Bucks from the jump in a wave of energy. The Bucks were shook. “The first half we were a little shell shocked,” Bucks coach Scott Skiles said.
– Once that early energy jolt wore off some of those other questions about the Hawks resurfaced but set those aside for a moment and admire that display before halftime. The Hawks shared the ball. They exploited mismatches on offense. The were sharp when switching on defense. They defended with vigor.
– They did all of those things and used a rowdy home crowd at Philips Arena to rattle the Bucks. “We’re at home,” Woody said. “We’re playing playoff basketball and we’re playing in front of our fans, who were fantastic tonight. That’s the energy. We came out and jumped them right away.”
– The Hawks scored 34 points in the first quarter, their third-highest total for the period in the franchise’s postseason history. They led 62-40 at halftime after posting their sixth-highest total in the first half of a playoff game.
– The Bucks might have folded without Brandon Jennings, who for a while seemed to be the only Milwaukee player who wasn’t rattled. He scored 20 points and made 8 of 14 shots in the first half while his teammates combined to score 20 points with 8 of 28 field goals made.
– “I feel like we have to come out with a little more intensity,” Jennings said. “I think we were a little nervous.”
– Without Bogut the Bucks had mismatches all over the place. One of the most lopsided was Delfino trying to check Josh, who would have done more damage if a few shot attempts hadn’t spun out.
– “Early in the game we were letting Josh catch it where he wanted to,” Skiles said. “They threw it in to him, he backed us down and scored. We didn’t react very well, just standing around watching. He can score on almost anybody, especially smaller players.”
– Then again, when the Bucks doubled Josh, the Hawks worked it around for open perimeter shots and J.J., Bibby and Marvin all were making them.
– When the Hawks played at Milwaukee on Monday, Al kept forcing the issue against Kurt Thomas, who is too wide and solid to move in the post. This time Al took Thomas outside and stuck jumpers early.
– First half for the Hawks: 62 points, 62 percent shooting, four turnovers, 13 assists on 26 baskets, 6 of 7 free throws, four and turnovers. Smoove and Al combined for 23 points, 11 of 15 shooting and six blocked shots. The Bucks were 38 percent from the field with just 14 of their 40 points scored in the paint.
– Second half for the Hawks: 40 points and 44 percent shooting. The latter isn’t terrible but it came along with nine turnovers, just five assists on 15 baskets and 8 of 12 free throws. Smoove and Al were a combined 2 of 9 for four points. The Bucks shot 53 percent from the field and scored 28 of their 52 points in the paint.
– “We had a great first half,” Jamal said. “The second half, we slacked off a little bit.”
– The Hawks started doing the opposite of the many good things they did in the first half. One problem was they stopped exploiting the matchups in the post Skiles was talking about. “We definitely got away from it,” Smoove said. “We’ve got to stay with that gameplan. That’s what’s going to be successful with Bogut being absent.”
– But, to be fair, Josh and Al also didn’t respond very well when the Bucks started pushing them farther from the basket. The Hawks did try to throw it to the post a few times but the entry passes were sloppy and the Bucks kept easily poking them away. The post-ups and the passes have to be crisper.
– In the first half Josh and Al generally did a good job when they switched out to guards. It looked like the last meeting in Milwaukee, when the Bucks were passive and Josh and Al recovered nicely when they did get the ball to the rim. But the switches didn’t work so well once the Bucks shared the ball better and finished stronger at the rim in the second half.
– Someone asked Woody a question in which they said the second half is “indicative of our Hawks.” The question was legit but the phrasing was indelicate, and Woody didn’t much like it.
–”First of all, I don’t agree with you that that’s indicative of our Hawks,” he said. “We’ve played solidly all year. We’ve had some close games, and when you get into playoff basketball, you can build a big lead but teams are going to make runs and you’re going to see that in the playoffs the rest of the way out.”
– Bibby’s final ledger was positive–he made shots to stymie the Bucks’ rally in the second half. But once again he was better at the start (4 of 4 field goals, three assists no turnovers in first half) than the finish (two straight turnovers leading to Bucks layups when the Hawks led 96-84).
– Jamal was just 4 of 11 from the field but notice how his shooting covered up the sins of the bench. His eight points to start the second quarter kept the Bucks at arm’s length.
– Despite his status as a 10-year vet, Jamal admitted to being nervous for his first postseason game. “It’s good to just get that first game out of the way,” he said .“The intensity level (is) like going from preseason to regular season, but it’s even more magnified here.”
– Rook’ had a tough time chasing Jennings. But so did everyone except J.J., who picked his pocket twice to stymie a Bucks surge in the third quarter. Milwaukee’s rookie is a tough cover.
– In my five things to watch I said the Hawks might be in trouble if both Jennings and Salmon got going. Jennings certainly did, but Salmons didn’t until it was too late. If he gets off to a better start in Game 2 the Hawks might wish they had one more perimeter defender.
– I’m out, Hawks fans.
MC
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153 comments Add your comment
LouFan
April 18th, 2010
1:13 pm
I agree with you northcyde.
JJ did a wonderful job. I just wish he drove to the basket more like he did in the first half. He did a little ISO action too at the end, which I didn’t really like. Yet I am proud of his performance.
I just hope JC gets on it next game… 4-11. Thinking this is his first playoff game so I am going to cut him some slack. But that lack of accuracy let the Bucks get some confidence in the third quarter.
northcyde
April 18th, 2010
1:20 pm
As for people saying to use the bench . . this is the playoffs folks. Rotations will shrink across the board.
- Boston, who usually goes with a 10 man rotation, really only used 8 guys yesterday ( with Nate Robinson not even getting into the game and Finley logging only 6 minutes ).
- With the return of Shaq, Cleveland basically went to a heavy 7 man rotation, with Moon and Big Z logging under 10 minutes. J.J. Hickson, a guy who has helped them all year, only got in at the end of the game.
- Chicago gave heavy minutes to their starters, only seeing 7 guys log double figure minutes, with Hakim Warrick being the only other guy in the rotation ( 9 minutes ).
- Even with the Okur injury ( and other people hurt ), Jerry Sloan and the Jazz significantly reduced their rotation . . basically playing 8 guys.
**************
Of the 8 guys that the Hawks usually go with off the bench, only Crawford is guaranteed minutes. If Evans and Zaza isn’t playing effective basketball, there is no need to keep them on the floor, if the starters can extend their minutes and do the job. Guys like Mo and Zaza do not deserve a set 18 – 22 minutes a game. They better play well if they want extended minutes.
i_am_soulstar
April 18th, 2010
1:21 pm
All this talk of letting JJ go and firing Woody. Who would/could you replace them with?
Besides D. Wade or Kobe as a substitute, JJ is irreplaceable at the 2 guard. No one can guard him 1-on-1.
You can make an argument for Brandon Roy, and he and JJ are about evenly matched as 2 guards, but the edge goes to Joe as Brandon Roy is often injured. That’d be like trading Al Horford for Greg Oden. Silly move when you consider durability.
4 stars: Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford, Jamal Crawford = 1 mega superstar
But Joe is star of this particular motion picture, and the others are supporting actors. Let your star walk and you’ll find that the movie just doesn’t quite flow.
Keep these guys together, continue to add above average players with good character, and
trade draft picks for proven players, since Woody’s not great at trusting rookies.
Hold onto Teague, I believe he can very well blossom into a top-10 point guard in the league. He definitely has the skills, just needs a little more on-the-job training.
And what about Woody?
GM’s fire coaches all the time hoping that a new coach can take the team to another level.
Joe Dumars’ firing of Flip Saunders 4 days after the Pistons lost in the Eastern Conference finals instantly comes to mind. 3 years of success simply overlooked.
But the Pistons haven’t been as good or barely even relevant since.
Would letting Woody go be the mistake that haunts the franchise for years to come?
i_am_soulstar
April 18th, 2010
1:29 pm
Northcyde,
Oh yes, good game by our captain yesterday, 2 back-to-back steals on the opposing teams high scorer was just the momentum changer we needed.
And OMG, Jamal Crawford took Brandon Jennings’ soul with that crossover in the 2nd half.
He left him in the locker room with that one.
cdog
April 18th, 2010
1:32 pm
jon barry of espn, is a has been.he’s knows nothing about the game or the hawks.he reminds me of the legendary dan jiggets who use to have a venetta against the falcons because they use to knock the redskins out of the playoffs so when use to announce games for the nfl he would put down the falcons because of it.he use to target especially deion sanders.barry is doing the same thing with the hawks.he should be banned or cut off from his microphone everytime he opens his mouth.hawk fans, don’t pay any attention to him.he knows nothing.he is against the hawks because they let him go.he’s trying live off his father rep now which is not working.
Cali girl
April 18th, 2010
1:38 pm
i see ESPN is getting no love here right about now but hey it is what it is cause they dont show us no love they never mentioned us not even once what do we have to do to even let folks stop talking trash WIN!
GO HAWKKKKKKKKKKKKKSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
cdog
April 18th, 2010
1:38 pm
also, to all, coach woodson isn’t going anywhere but here with the hawks next year.if you want be critical, look at the braves situation.you can use your coaching fantasies there.the hawks are a solid playoff team who without woodson would still be winning only 15-20 games a year.we got milwaukee to beat not woodson.it won’t do any good to run your mouth about woodson anyway, he’s the hawks coach for as long as he wants to,like it or not.go hawks all the way to the finals!
NUNNA YO BIZNEZZ
April 18th, 2010
1:50 pm
drmaryb,
it was woody who wanted marvin,and bibbs back..sund would like to bring in other players to fill those roles,but,it was woody who wanted to keep this group in tact..
sund is sitting back and waiting for the end of the hawks season to point out how things woody wanted didn’t work well..
it was sund who signed,mo/crawford/joe smith/flip/collins(who has a decent outside game/and drafted teague..
flip is gone,but,what would u say if he were here instead of bibby?? better offense and better on the defensive end as well..bibbs is decent on the offensive end,but his skills on defense are eroding fast..
can you imagine having flip and crawford in the game together??
crawford would be more of a pg,and he would work well with flip..
if you let this man(sund)do his thing and you develope your bench,you will come out on top..
p.s. i didn’t forget othello nor thomas gardner..both of whom had great upside potential,but i bet you this,we will see the rise of othello once he gets on a team that will allow him some playing time,and it will hunt woody when he does…
NUNNA YO BIZNEZZ
April 18th, 2010
2:07 pm
cdog,u must be freakniking??
this team wins in spite of woody’s coaching..
he has a formula every time we lose on what happened to the media after every game..
so why in da heck does he not address those issues and put in players when others (like the starters or those who do get burn) don’t carry out his marching orders???
why can’t he make the needed adjustments??
i bet you that scott skiles will..
our m.o. is that we do let others back in the game and you have to wait for our mid 3rd qtr.-mid 4th qtr. to happen and be ready to climb back in..
lewis
April 18th, 2010
2:14 pm
hawks need some adderal
sam'l
April 18th, 2010
2:31 pm
The Hawks win. Staffs break down tapes. “Watch what happens.”
The most interesting match to me surprisingly was Boston-Miami. Here I have been touting Spoelstra as “crazy-smart,” but last night Boston got into their classic defense and it was Spoelstra who failed to make adjustments, and bad shot after bad shot was missed. The Heat crashed and burned after a promising start. Watching that defense…..Boston players perfectly spaced….you can see openings and are tempted to go in that direction…..but players move in unison to cut off those openings…just close enough to maybe not block shots but cause irritation so shot strokes are changed, body positions are awkward, 4 hands defending instead of 2. The result is those shots don’t go in, fouls aren’t called and it looks like a leprechaun sits above the rim swatting the ball away or pushing bounce backs to the side. In truth, it’s the energy of 5 players working in perfect unison forming a moving net. .
I’ve been saying Miami is a scrappy bunch, and last night’s pseudo-brawl fits in. Can’t win the game with talent, create some controversy. Maybe Garnett will leave the game. Wade is full of swagger….Takes a crucial foul shot in the last minute, then goes hanging on the rim for fun.
. .
I think any other opponent, Bobcats, Heat or Bulls, would be more exciting than Milwaukee, and that would explain the empty seats, the national ho-hum mentality and my own torpid reaction. Turns out the “best” team to play for strategic reasons is the Bucks, but the least interesting.
No….this isn’t about firing Woodson…just want the Hawks to put these guys away. You know, they’re still sitting around, guzzling booze and screaming “Fear the deer!” I visited their blog yesterday, and Hawks bloggers, true to Atlanta’s “Vibes” are more fiery and confrontational and totally divided, but at least they’re not living in a 50s mentality and are about 500% more interesting as writers qua writers and analysts.
But here’s a note to the “lovers”….cause if some of us are haters, the opposition must be lovers, right? In truth, ain’t no lovers or haters, just different opinions, which I subscribe to an overall lack of intuitive thinking and disorganization plaguing the metropolis called Atlanta, leading to traffic problems diagnosed decades ago, a rather violent mentality and inability to field a viable basketball franchise, and oh yeah, marauding funlovers seeking a good time wandering the streets being hustled off the streets by cops who are getting paid to do their marauding. . .
Maybe if we take Woody out of this for a minute and do an example, you’ll get it. Think of Spoelstra sending in troops into Boston in the fourth quarter without a battle plan and watching them get killed, then doing the same thing time after time while his 12- or so-point lead disintegrates and Pat Riley’s turns even more dour if that was possible. (On the same subject was that Danny Ainge or Glenn Beck…couldn’t tell). On an extreme scale, this is what rational Hawks fans want to avoid in an Atlanta coach.
In our case it has been more subtle but longer lived and just as deadly.
Game 2 would be interesting….but it’s still the Bucks. Hawks in 4…..
Go Hawks.
sam'l
April 18th, 2010
2:41 pm
Sorry, didn’t have my coffee yet.
Sautee
April 18th, 2010
3:02 pm
northcyde,
You said this: “As for people saying to use the bench . . this is the playoffs folks. Rotations will shrink across the board.”
Last years Finals:
LAL Gm. 1 – 12 players
Gm. 2 – 10 players
Gm. 3 – 10 players
Gm. 4 – 12 players
Gm. 5 – 9 players
ORL Gm. 1 – 10 players
Gm. 2 – 10 players
Gm. 3 – 9 players
Gm. 4 – 10 players
Gm. 5 – 10 players
So why weren’t these rotations shortened? After all it WAS the playoffs.
Seattle Hawks Fan
April 18th, 2010
3:08 pm
Congrats on the win Hawks but, WHAT IS THE PROBLEM IN THE SECOND HALF!!!! We would be a 70 win team if we didn’t implode in the 2nd half all year. That crap will get us past the Bucks but not the Magic. What is going on? It looks like we just fall apart. Not just one player but the whole team. But a WIN is a WIN! GO HAWKS!
drmaryb
April 18th, 2010
3:23 pm
Wabe
My bad. That’s what I meantm. Thanks. Btw. I love reding your posts all the time.
-smiles-
drmaryb
April 18th, 2010
3:35 pm
Sautee
I believe LAL & ORL both have deeper talent on their benches. Why not mention ALL the teams in the play offs & not just those two?
Like you said, were talking about the playoffs.
Btw, I love reading ALL your posts ALL the time.
ant banks
April 18th, 2010
3:46 pm
DRMARYB,
there is no logical explanation as to why woody keeps playin’ marvin. marvin +/- is 11 when he is on the floor. childress said that is the reason that he left, woody kept playin’ marvin, who was strugglin’ over him.
and what’s wit’ the “go back to sleep” comment? i am expressin’ my opnion as are you.
ant banks
April 18th, 2010
3:51 pm
this team wins inspite of woody. we are the only team in the league with 4 arguable allstars (horford, crawford, jj, and josh) and we can’t show up in any of the magic games. name another team with 4 allstars who don’t DOMINATE. clev has 4 allstars: shaq, lbj, mo, and antaun. THEY DOMINATE. boston has 4 allstars: kg, rondo, pierce, and ray allen. they don’t dominate this year, but the past 2 years they did.
all i am sayin’ is that woody don’t get the best out of his guys
bonquesha
April 18th, 2010
3:51 pm
The first half was great, but it is INDICATIVE of OUR Hawks to give the fans their money’s worth.
terrell
April 18th, 2010
3:53 pm
MaryB, it was Woody who didn’t want Paul or Williams. BK said in an interview that Woody preffered VET PG’S. Woody and Dominique were in love with Marvin’s sorry azz. BK hired Woody, so he had to draft what the coach wanted. And it for damn sure wasn’t a rookie pg. When BK knew he was leaving, he drafted Acie, just to piss Woody off. lol! I also remember Woody saying that he thought Deron was too slow, and Paul couldn’t shoot. If Deron is too slow, wtf is Bibby?
ant banks
April 18th, 2010
3:54 pm
WOODY=BOBBY COX. bobby cox had atleast 4 hall of famers durin’ the 90’s: glavine, maddox, smoltz, chipper and some other allstars and he couldnot coach them up. 14 straight pennants and one world series? tampa bay go 2 rings, with 2 completely diff teams.
cp
April 18th, 2010
3:55 pm
Yea I cant lie, ESPN was so bad i looked to see if i could get a feed listening to Nique. Its just frustrating trying to watch your team play but you have to constantly be reminded of how good Cleveland is. The game was the Hawks vs the Bucks but hell you heard almost more about Cleveland than the two teams that were playing. Then you had Mike Tirico or whatever his name is take a shot at the Hawks. I have never liked that guy. I haven’t been a fan of ESPN in a long time and watching the game yesterday reminded me why. I rather watch TNT than ESPN for basketball. And thank God for the NFL network because I refuse to watch ESPN for the draft. ESPN also ruined the NBA draft by having corny azz Stuart Scott on there.
hawkfan
April 18th, 2010
3:57 pm
on a side note, what is going on with ron artest’s hair?
ant banks
April 18th, 2010
3:58 pm
DRMARYB,
see TERRELL’S 3;53 post. thanks TERRELL
JohhnyWalking
April 18th, 2010
4:01 pm
Great Game yesterday. Phillips was rocking! Some seats were empty, but people were everywhere. Maybe thats why. A sweep would be nice but the Hawks just need a Playoff road win BAD. The Magic seem to be the forgotten team in the Playoffs with all the LA and Cleveland talk. They are the team to beat in my book. Hawks get past em, there will be a Helluva parade on Peachtree in June.
sam'l
April 18th, 2010
4:12 pm
Think BIBBY will be the difference next game? “Watch what happens.”
LouFan
April 18th, 2010
4:29 pm
Wait a sec… Thunder only 7 points behind. Did the Lakers become Jekyl and Hyde too? Of course not, they are on the Lakers’ d*cks. Stupid ESPN.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 18th, 2010
4:47 pm
“Najeh . . . you mean like how college football games are late in the evening ( 6 PM start )? Just say that the crowd just don’t make it a priority to make it to the game on time. LOL @ can’t make it to a 5:30 PM Saturday start.”
Just keeping it real. 5:30 is a weird time to start a game, and no matter how much you want to complain about those fans not being good enough or whatever, you greatly reduce the chances of them being late by starting the game at a normal time. A lot of people walked in halfway through the first quarter and were genuinely surprised to see that the game had started already. Start the games at 7:30 or 8 and there will be a lot more people in the stands at tipoff.
Also, comparing pro basketball to college football in a college football city is pointless. If nothing else, people don’t show up three hours early to pro basketball games to tail gate like they do at college football games.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 18th, 2010
4:51 pm
Y’all can complain about ESPN all you want, but you’re just going to drive yourselves crazy. We all know they are biased towards big markets and superstars, and the Hawks neither have a marketable superstar on the level of Wade or LeBron nor are they a big market on the level of New York or Chicago. If the Hawks keep proving their critics wrong, steadily improving, and going farther in the playoffs, they will earn the respect they deserve.
northcyde
April 18th, 2010
5:31 pm
Sautee
April 18th, 2010
3:02 pm
northcyde,
You said this: “As for people saying to use the bench . . this is the playoffs folks. Rotations will shrink across the board.”
Last years Finals:
LAL Gm. 1 – 12 players
Gm. 2 – 10 players
Gm. 3 – 10 players
Gm. 4 – 12 players
Gm. 5 – 9 players
ORL Gm. 1 – 10 players
Gm. 2 – 10 players
Gm. 3 – 9 players
Gm. 4 – 10 players
Gm. 5 – 10 players
So why weren’t these rotations shortened? After all it WAS the playoffs.
***************************
You guys always think you’re making a point. The difference though, is that the vast majority of you FAIL to research when you’re think you’re posting something informative. And you guys also FAIL to understand that I’m the KING of RESEARCH around here. If I tell you something, I can usually back it up with facts. And I know what websites to use to back up my facts.
Game 1: Lakers 100 – Orlando 75
See . . . to the regular NBA watcher, that would immediately tell you something right there. But to a person like you, it doesn’t. The game is A BLOWOUT . . so everyone is going to play. Before that game got completely out of hand in the 3rd quarter, Orlando was basically playing 8 guys . . , while the Lakers played 8 guys as well. So after Orlando was down 23 at the end of the 3rd quarter, of course everybody is going to play.
Game 2: Lakers 101 – Orlando 96 in OT
Orlando uses it’s regular 10 man rotation, even though Courtney Lee ( a starter ) played a whopping 11 minutes, seeing most of his time go to Redick and Pietrus. The Lakers, while playing 10 people, saw 3 of those guys play 6, 5, and 4 minutes respectively. And Bynum ( a starter ) only played 16 minutes.
Game 3: Orlando 108 – Lakers 104
Lakers play basically 8 guys, with Vujucic playing only 3 minutes and DJ Mbenga playing 16 seconds. Orlando shrinks the rotation and the bench minutes even more, seeing that only 7 guys played double digit minutes. 3 Magic players play 40+ minutes in the game. Redick, after getting big minutes the previous game, didn’t even hit the floor.
Game 4: Lakers 99 – Orlando 91 in OT
Lakers uncharacteristically play 12 guys in the first half. But that was due to Odom, Bynum, and Gasol all picking up 2 fouls in the 1st quarter. In the 2nd half, Phil Jackson makes up for that by playing 8 guys in the 2nd half. But Kobe and Gasol played the ENTIRE 2ND HALF, and the last 2 guys into the game in the 2nd half, ( Walton and Farmar ), played a combined 5 minutes total in that 2nd half. So he basically went with a 6-man rotation in the 2nd half of that game . . something that Woody would get absolutely KILLED FOR. At the end of the game, the Lakers still only had 7 players log double figure minutes.
Orlando plays 10 guys, but once again, the starter ( Courtney Lee ), plays only 7 minutes, and Gortat plays 4 minutes. So it’s basically an 8 man rotation for the Magic.
Game 5: Lakers 99 – Orlando 86
Lakers see 8 players log double figure minutes. Orlando also sees 8 players log double figure minutes.
*****************
Now we can play this silly game if you want to. People complain about our bench playing MORE MINUTES, not simply getting into the game. Just becauseyou get into the game, does not mean that you’re part of the rotation. Woody played 11 players yesterday. 8 of those guys played double-figure minutes. Teague played 6 minutes . . Joe Smith played 5 minutes . . Mario played 1 minute.
But no one will say that Woody extended the rotation, seeing that Woody went with his usual 8-man rotation in the 2nd half.
In the playoffs, even coaches like Phil Jackson and Stan Van Gundy are NOT going to waste minutes on guys who aren’t producing ( outside of their core guys ). So even they shortened their rotations in the NBA Finals last year.
Now . . . keep playing the game, so I can post the actual game links proving everything I said.
cdog
April 18th, 2010
5:38 pm
NUNNA YO BIZNEZZ, WOODSON MUST BE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT. HE HAS HIS TEAM IN THE PLAYOFFS FOR THREE YEARS STRAIGHT.THIS IS SKILES FIRST YEAR IN THE PLAYOFFS WITH MILWAUKEE. IF HE IS SO GREAT, WHY WASN’T HE THERE THOSE OTHER SEASONS? 53 WINS AND YOU CAN’T ACKNOWLEDGE HIM AS PART OF THE HAWKS SUCCESS? YOU HAVE MUST SNEAKED OVER TO FREAKNIK AND TOOK PLACE IN ALL OF THE SMOKING POT AND OTHER DRUG ACTIVITIES SECRETLY.YOU HAVE THE OLD SLAVE MENTALITY THINKING THAT HAS EVERYONE HATING ON COACH WOODSON,THE BLACK MAN IS DUMB WHERE AS THE WHITE MAN IS SMART. COACH WOODSON LIKE IT OR NOT HAS TURNED THE PROGRAM INTO A WINNER
bigdave
April 18th, 2010
5:47 pm
from the early looks of it.. this Bobcat/Magic series has the potential to be a good 1..
northcyde
April 18th, 2010
5:48 pm
Najeh . . . if people don’t know what time a game starts, then that’s on them. Anybody going to that game should have known that the game started at 5:30 PM.
Fans didn’t have a problem with the 2:00 PM start on MLK Day vs the Thunder . . they just didn’t show up. The Milwaukee game back on March 1st had a 6:00 PM start time on a Sunday . . no problem there either . . . they just didn’t show up.
So call it like it REALLY is. Let that be the Heat that we’re playing, and they don’t show up to the game all late like that.
The only legit excuse as to why the crowd showed up that late to the game . . would be that maybe thousands of people lined up at the ticket gate right at game time, trying to purchase a ticket.
It’s a late Saturday evening on pretty much a perfect day weather wise. No excuses for people not getting there on time for the game.
bigdave
April 18th, 2010
5:52 pm
a healthy Jameer Nelson is going to be a problem this playoff…
northcyde
April 18th, 2010
6:02 pm
ant banks
April 18th, 2010
3:54 pm
WOODY = BOBBY COX. bobby cox had atleast 4 hall of famers durin’ the 90’s: glavine, maddox, smoltz, chipper and some other allstars and he could not coach them up. 14 straight pennants and one world series? tampa bay go 2 rings, with 2 completely diff teams.
******************
And what Hall of Famers/All-Stars have Woody had?
I like the way people are tying to condemn Woody before this playoff run is over. Let’s just see how this turns out.
JeJe
April 18th, 2010
6:37 pm
Watch the Bobcats/Magic game and you’ll realize why Orlando is so much better than us.
Jameer had FOURTEEN in the 1st quarter and didn’t come back in til 5:30 in the 2nd. SVG trusted the BACKUP POINT GUARD for 7 minutes while his main PG was RESTING. Charlotte cut it all the way down to 4, and Dwight stayed on the bench.
WOODY DOES NOT TRUST THE BENCH IN CLOSE GAMES
FIRE WOODY
cdog
April 18th, 2010
6:41 pm
YEAH BUT ONE THING SEPARATES WOODSON WHETHER HE USES A BENCH, A CLUB OR WHATEVER, HE WINS.THATS WHAT COUNTS IN THE END
drmaryb
April 18th, 2010
7:19 pm
Ant Banks
Bobby?
OMG he’s a manager!
Bobby doesn’t Pitch or Hit! R U Kiddin, Me?
All he does during Game-Time is make PITCHING changes!!!!!!
Give Me A Break, I sure deserve one!
Najeh Davenpoop
April 18th, 2010
7:31 pm
Watching this Magic-Bobcats game, it seems like what happened to the Hawks in game one is becoming a common thread throughout these playoffs. Better, more experienced playoff team gets off to a hot start and has an early double digit lead; scrappy, inexperienced team cuts it back to single digits by the 3rd. In the case of the Cavs, Hawks, and Lakers, the better team came out on top despite relinquishing a large portion of the lead.
ATL Shawty
April 18th, 2010
7:39 pm
@najeh davenpop
so true cause the higher seeds team in the playoffs so far have been off to hot starts but then just come flat in the 2nd half i think because the lower seeds were just nervous and in 2nd hald they got the hang of it
so i do not understand why the Hawks are the only ones being discussed as far as blowing a lead the Magic blew a 22 point lead so did the cavaliers but y isn’t no one mentioning that cause they don’t like the Hawks and will find any reason to say they aren’t elite yet and ready for the Finals!!
its the playoffs nobody is just going to come out and lay down so I just think this whats going on the Hawks still got potential no matter what!!
northcyde
April 18th, 2010
7:40 pm
JeJe . . Orlando is better than us because they have Dwight Howard and a plethora of long range bombers.
And let’s see how long Jameer stays out of the game when he leaves in the 2nd half. And it’s a big difference between some of the guys we have, and a veteran PG like Jason Williams. But with Charlotte making a little bit of a run now, let’s see how much rest Jameer gets in the 4th quarter.
SVG does just like all coaches do in the 2nd half of playoff games. He won’t hesitate at all to reduce the minutes of the bench if they’re not producing.
Jameer averages 29 minutes a game, and he’s already reached the 29 minute mark.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 18th, 2010
7:42 pm
How the hell Ice Cube is still making money off that wack-azz “Are We There Yet” franchise is beyond me. That man has done a complete 180 from “AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted” and “Death Certificate” in his career.
Sautee
April 18th, 2010
7:43 pm
northcyde,
No need to. You already proved my point, when you said “they UNCHARACTERISTICALLY used 12 players”, and “In the playoffs, even coaches like Phil Jackson and Stan Van Gundy are NOT going to waste minutes on guys who aren’t producing ( outside of their core guys ).”
They played 10 to 12 players most of the games. Did they waste any minutes?
BTW, I’d LOVE to be there when you tell D.J. Mbenga to his face that HIS minutes were a waste.
LOL.
rusty
April 18th, 2010
7:59 pm
woody makes the dumbest substitutions hasnt he learned by now that he dont need to take out horford & josh at the same time. what is he thinging about with jj, bibby & teague playing together. what the hell is teague supposed to do in that lineup. hasnt he realized that crawford and jj does not play well together,why does he give mw huge minutes when he is not playing well. why does he let jj play iso stopping all ball movement. why does he pull teague out for little mistakes when bibby plays no defense & makes sloppy passes; if i was teague i would be pissed. woody has hurt his rookie year & he shouldnt always be calling him rook,i doubt teague has any use for him.
northcyde
April 18th, 2010
8:00 pm
SVG played Jason Williams another 5 minutes in that 4th quarter . . “trusting him”.
And they scored 2 points in that 5 minute stretch.
So if they lose, blame that.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 18th, 2010
8:00 pm
If the Hawks end up beating the Magic in the 2nd round, it’s going to be because they force Vince Carter to shoulder the offensive load. He is shooting the Bobcats back into the game right now.
Charlotte’s blueprint is a good one. They kept taking the ball at Howard, and even though he blocked 7 shots in the first quarter, they eventually got him in foul trouble. He’s on the bench with five fouls now, and without him the Magic are just another team that relies too much on perimeter shooting.
Wabe
April 18th, 2010
8:01 pm
Where’s Jon Barry?!?!?!
Najeh Davenpoop
April 18th, 2010
8:02 pm
Correction: not on the bench, but he does have five fouls. Either way, the Magic are on their heels defensively and Charlotte can now drive to the rim whenever they want, knowing Howard won’t be as aggressive.
Wabe
April 18th, 2010
8:02 pm
TNT > > > > > ESPN
amazingly grateful
April 18th, 2010
8:05 pm
vince carter done fouled out the bobcats got the ball back did anybody see that rebound he got! i say the bobcats taking this one to 7 and dont be surprised if they win what a comeback!