Atlanta Hawks at Magic Game 2: J.J. is All-NBA but is he fading away?
J.J. can't find his groove.
ORLANDO–A reminder that J.J. is considered to be among the best players in the league, at least by media types: He was named to the All-NBA Third Team, the league announced today. It’s the first time for J.J. and the first time the Hawks have had a player selected since Dikembe in 97-98.
The timing is interesting since J.J. is slumping in the playoffs. He’s not the only one, of course, but he’s the lead dog. Before the playoffs opened, J.J. said he knew that as the Hawks’ veteran star he would take the heat if they don’t meet expectations or get the glory if they make a breakthrough. He said he embraced that role. Now, though, both J.J. and Woody seem to want to avoid putting the onus on him to deliver a big game when the Hawks need it most.
Looking at the other guys on the All-NBA teams, all of them except maybe Bogut would be looked at to be The Man for their team in trying times. J.J. needs help–more from fellow All-Star Horford, second-team All-Defense Smoove, Sixth Man of the Year Jamal and Woody. But if the Hawks’ All-NBA star doesn’t come through it’s hard to see them making this a series. It also could end up costing him in free agency.
– You have to be an Insider to read it, but ESPN.com’s John Hollinger makes a case that Iso-heavy offenses like the Hawks and Blazers run are good for the regular season, not so good for the playoffs.
Atlanta, as the league’s third-best offense, should at least be able to battle these defenses [Milwaukee and Orlando] to a draw. But even before Tuesday’s Game 1 implosion against Orlando, they were struggling. The Hawks can’t make shots, ranking just 14th out of 16 teams in postseason TS percentage. While they’ve still been able to generate second shots (they lead all teams in playoff Offensive Rebound Rate) and have been somewhat successful at avoiding turnovers, the net result put the Hawks 11th among the 16 playoff teams in postseason Offensive Efficiency.
So what is it? Perhaps the Hawks and Blazers have just had some bad games against some pretty good defenses. But between the two, we’ve built up a 31-game sample showing that something more nefarious might be at work.
Obviously, this has important implications for Atlanta’s Game 2 in Orlando on Thursday. Iso-Joe has had its moments; Game 4 of the 2008 Boston series, for instance, when Johnson single-handedly tore apart one of the best defensive teams in history. But in the aggregate, its failures have been far greater than its successes, and it’s notable that the most similar offensive team has faced similar troubles.
Is there something about iso-heavy offenses that makes them vulnerable in the playoffs? We can’t say it with certainty yet, but the case is building rapidly. The Hawks have three games left to show that Iso-Joe can be as effective in May as it is between November and April.
– In Game 1, the Hawks ran two isolation plays in the first quarter, one for Bibby (miss) and one for J.J. (a make, but it came just after a steal and Orlando’s defense hadn’t yet set). They ran four isos in that awful second quarter: Marvin (miss), Zaza (miss), J.J. (miss) and Jamal (miss). Of those six plays, all but two were long, challenged jump shots: Marvin got his layup blocked by Dwight Howard and Jamal missed on a runner near the end of the half.
– I covered Stan Van Gundy so this doesn’t surprise me. The guy is fanatical about not letting his team slip. And the Magic are aware of what happened against ‘Nique’s Celtics in ‘95. Still, I keep wondering what lesson there is to learn from a series they ended up winning, anyway.
– Slam Online ranks the Euroleague players and puts Childress at No. 5.
MC
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
815 comments Add your comment
Najeh Davenpoop
May 6th, 2010
10:52 pm
As tempting as it may be to blame Woody or Joe for this loss, I’m going to pass. For three quarters, the Hawks had the blueprint and the energy. The bottom fell out in the 4th, and that falls on the entire team, but you can’t blame poor preparation (Woody) or poor energy (the players). The Hawks are a poor road team, and when the Magic started making their run in crunch time they fell back into the bad habits that plagued them all year instead of rolling with what had been working all game long.
Maybe I’m an idiot, but I see a silver lining. The Hawks showed that they can scheme for this team, match their energy, and outscore them if they get the ball inside and stay away from isolation. I’m confident enough that they won’t melt down like they did here if they are playing in front of the home crowd.
Come home and pull a Milwaukee, Hawks. Show them what you got.
bigdave
May 6th, 2010
10:52 pm
guard depth.
played Joe and Jamal damn near the whole game.
Big Ray
May 6th, 2010
10:52 pm
VenomSpitter ,
If Josh was doing a Magic Johnson impersonation, we’d be winning this game. Unfortunately, he did his best ” I play for that team that gets beat by the Globetrotters all the time” impression.
And Al does deserve better.
NUNNA!!
May 6th, 2010
10:52 pm
Mystikal
May 6th, 2010
10:49 pm
Dang, Dwight Howard is a big mofo!!!!!!!
yo,is dat da jailbird in u talking????
u looking at dwight like dat???
WATCH YOSELF!!!
VenomSpitter
May 6th, 2010
10:52 pm
Booooooooo Hawks (except Al,Marvin,and Jamal) Disgraceful showing in the 4th.
Old Hawks Fan
May 6th, 2010
10:54 pm
Hawks need a true center(b9 Bye Woddyg) that can clogged the middle, rebound and make players driving to the lane to alter their shots. So Hofford can move to the PF slot and get a small forward that can score with a Basketball IQ. The next coach should be a teacher as well as a disciplinarian that will develop all the players. Use a second unit that can jell. If Josh Smith has to be trade…..so be it. Good riddance Woody will not be back. Fire Woodson!
Melvin
May 6th, 2010
10:55 pm
Woody will have to find a way to play the bench b/c I think fatigue played apart in the Hawks 4th qtr meltdown tonight. They have played 7 games in 13 days…
JSS
May 6th, 2010
10:56 pm
They let Pietrus, Lwis and Nelson get on a roll and suddenly it was out of sight! Amazing!!!
Big Ray
May 6th, 2010
10:57 pm
Najeh ,
Great post, but I have to admit I feel more negative.
Our energy was good, but Josh Smith came out in the second half and sapped a lot of it by not providing what he did in the first half. That hurt us, hurt our defense, hurt our rebounding, even hurt our offense.
The fact that we did what we’ve done all year long does NOT make me want to give the coach a pass. Making the same mistake consistently over the course of 82 games means you’ve had that many opportunities to learn from it. To continue making those mistakes in the playoffs does not make it any more okay, it actually makes it worse.
I’d like to see us pull what Milwaukee did on us. We’ll know how much of a chance we have at that in this next game. Lose the next one (and I don’t care if it’s in triple overtime) and this show is all but officially over.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 6th, 2010
10:57 pm
If I’m the Hawks, I would strongly consider starting Evans or Teague in the backcourt in Bibby’s place to start next game, and let Crawford come off the bench and play a majority of those minutes. Bibby was flat-out awful in this game again as he’s been all postseason, and he pretty much single-handedly let the Magic back into the game starting the 2nd half. I can’t see how starting him in Game 3 can result in anything good. He has nothing left.
NUNNA!!
May 6th, 2010
10:58 pm
NAJEH,I FEEL YA..
BUT,WOODY CAN TELL U WAT HE WANTS ALL DAY,ITS UP TO HE AND HIS COACHING STAFF TO:
A.IMPLEMENT AND OFFENSIVE SCHEME THAT WORKS FOR THE ADVANTAGE OF HIS TEAM..
B.DEVELOPE HIS BENCH AND ROOKS TO WHERE WHENEVER HE NEEDS A CERTAIN TYPE OF PLAY,OFFENSE,DEFENSE,OR PLAYER THAT IS NOT AMONG THE STARTERS FOR CERTAIN SITUATIONS,HE’D HAVE IT..AND NOT BE DUMBING IT OUT LIKE HE IS WELL,DID TONITE..
C.GROW SOME!! AND PULL PLAYERS WHEN THEY ARE NOT PLAYING WELL OR HAVE THEIR HEADS IN DA GAME,I.E.JOSH SMITH AND HIS TURN OVERS,TONITE….
D.DO MORE THAN JUST SAY,OK WE NEED TO REBOUND,OR WE NEED TO GET TO DA HOOP AND TO THE LINE..DRAW UP PLAYS OR DEVISE A SCHEME TO DO DAT SO EVERYONE IS ON THE SAME PAGE..
E. IM TIRED OF THE SAME OLD THING,OVER,OVER,OVER AND OVER AGAIN..
AREN’T YOU??
GO HAWKS..WE SHOULD PLAY BETTER AT HOME..
Clyde
May 6th, 2010
10:59 pm
FIRE WOODY
NUNNA!!
May 6th, 2010
10:59 pm
Melvin
May 6th, 2010
10:55 pm
Woody will have to find a way to play the bench b/c I think fatigue played apart in the Hawks 4th qtr meltdown tonight. They have played 7 games in 13 days…
DID YOU HEAR HORFORD SAYING HE DIDN’T HAVE HIS LEGS THE LAST GAME,AT THE HALFTIME BREAK??
Fire VenomSpitter
May 6th, 2010
11:00 pm
you don’t boo your own team
Woodys No Goody
May 6th, 2010
11:00 pm
Is everyone happy now? We could have had an easy firing of Woody but noooooo! Had to beat the Bucks just to witness this mess. Later Joe Johnson and Woody!
Ya suck!!!
south ga boy
May 6th, 2010
11:00 pm
when the ASG, thru Rick Sund, lets JJ walk and fire Woody then as they reconfigure this team then I hate to say it but its time to let Josh go. He’s immature and while he has grown some this yr he just doesn’t get it. and this is coming from a guy who shellled out a lot of money for a no 5 jersey. His basketball IQ is so low that if he doubled it over the next 2-3 yrs it would still be lower than forrest gump’s mental IQ. Trade him for a real center and move Al to a 4 where he belongs. Howard is about the same age and we cant beat this team without a true center. Smoove, my man, YOU JUST DONT GET IT
Mystikal
May 6th, 2010
11:00 pm
Avery Johnson!
Najeh Davenpoop
May 6th, 2010
11:01 pm
“The fact that we did what we’ve done all year long does NOT make me want to give the coach a pass. Making the same mistake consistently over the course of 82 games means you’ve had that many opportunities to learn from it. To continue making those mistakes in the playoffs does not make it any more okay, it actually makes it worse. ”
Let me clarify — I’m not saying making those mistakes is OK. I’m just attributing the mistakes to being on the road, not to coaching or effort. What I was trying to say is that if this exact same game is played in Philips Arena, I don’t think the Hawks get away from what worked all game and melt down in the 4th quarter.
There’s still no excuse for their poor road play, and that goes to a broader criticism of Woody and this team’s lack of leadership. But I think if this loss is attributable to being on the road as opposed to preparation and coaching, like I think it is, it’s a much more positive outlook for the Hawks going forward in this series.
VenomSpitter
May 6th, 2010
11:01 pm
I agree Najeh. At this point Bibby is just an awful player. HE does nothing. He is one big NEGATIVE.
Old Hawks Fan
May 6th, 2010
11:02 pm
This is probably the Most Selfish NBA Group in NBA History!
Old Hawks Fan
May 6th, 2010
11:03 pm
But Good Ole Woody will start Bibby Saturday……………….watch and see!
VenomSpitter
May 6th, 2010
11:04 pm
LMAO @ south ga boy.
O'Brien
May 6th, 2010
11:04 pm
Melvin,
I think fatigue has to be a factor. JJ and Josh played 43 minutes, while Mo played 7, and ZaZa 6. But mentally, the Hawks always find a way to struggle offensively and defensively in the fourth.
Hawks need a backup PG. On the 790 the zone interview, Horford said they need Bibby to help them get into their sets.
But when Bibby is playing like crap, we just cant leave him on the court. So we end up initiating the offense through JJ and Crawford, which contributes to the ISOs that we see in the fourth when the game gets tight. They ar SGs for a reason.
But JJ gave us nothing again (offensively or defensively). Thats 5 bad games in a row for our max contract wanna be elite JJ. I cant help but wonder if something is wrong with him (fatigue or his wrist/thumb).
And Josh did not have his head in the game.
Good game for Horford though. Unfortunately his 5th foul forced him out in the fourth quarter. And Marvin tried, but he is just not skilled enough.
Hawks looked good for 3 quarters, but once again, they go away from whats working, and score less than 19 points in the fourth. Along with bad defense.
Rick Sund
May 6th, 2010
11:04 pm
How abouth that effort tonight from the hawks and didn’t Coach do a good job coaching this game. The players played hard all Four Quarters!
Mystikal
May 6th, 2010
11:05 pm
I agree, Josh Smith can be a beast on defense and make some highlight plays, but when things are going bad he looks like a selfish 6 yr old. This is his 6th yr in the league and his basketball IQ is still heavily lacking. He still has no goto move and whines way too much.
Mystikal
May 6th, 2010
11:07 pm
Did Jeff Teaguue get in the game at all? Was Mike Bibby in the game at all? Do we just hate the point guard position, is that it?
Wabe
May 6th, 2010
11:08 pm
I don’t think it has anything to do with selfishness.
I think there’s a lack of direction.
You don’t make the same mistake and have the same issues scoring the ball doing what you do if you’re being properly directed.
And, if selfishness was the issue, you would’ve liked to see plays drawn up out of timeouts to get the ball moving and to get guys looks off a pass rather than off the dribble.
The truth is, this team is what it is. They do what they’ve been doing all along. They’ve got the talent to compete with any team in the NBA. But, they lack the direction that’s needed through crucial points in a playoff game to come up with big W’s, especially on the road. They’ve struggled getting buckets all season in the 4th, but you see the same issues plague this team.
We’ve seen throughout the regular season, and we’re still seeing it. It’s obvious he still hasn’t figured it out…
darrell starks
May 6th, 2010
11:09 pm
The hawks are going 2 have make a choice this offseason between JOSH AND HORFORD on who play power forward.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!
south ga boy
May 6th, 2010
11:09 pm
But Najeh, we all know what your saying, but what really lost this game tonight. BIBBY, like you said, but JJ and JOsh lost this game too. Joe does the same thing he always does in big games the last half of this yr. He shrinks from the moment. He cant make a decision. he dribbles and dribbles rather than using his advantage as soon as he comes off the pick or around the screen. IM sick to death of him and his same old tired act. And Josh just doesnt get it. How many times have commentators, former players, current playres, hell everybody said give the ball up on the fast break but what does he do. How many times do we see him whinning about a no call on one end while his man is streaking toward the other backet. Of course, let woody go, but let JJ go with him. Save the money, and trade Josh for a true 5 and build on Al, a true center, Jamal, and Teague
bigdave
May 6th, 2010
11:10 pm
Steve Smith just spoke on fatigue..
darrell starks
May 6th, 2010
11:10 pm
HORFORD OR JOSH SHOULD BE TRADED THIS OFFSEASON WE CAN’T KEEP BOTH.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!
Mystikal
May 6th, 2010
11:11 pm
Mike Bibby gives the team an offensive spark once every 4or5 games and consistently gets torched on defense. Marvin Williams at least show up every other game, but you can not have this kind of inconsistency from your starters and expect to be successful.
Wabe
May 6th, 2010
11:11 pm
At this point, I’ve accepted the fact that JT0 won’t be getting into many of these games.
We “have the luxury of bringing him along slowly”.
Only if *coach* had known, Bibby’s aging quickly.
Grandad
May 6th, 2010
11:11 pm
I do believe we’ve seen this 4th qtr. before.
can’t say starters were tired:
Orl. – *56 bench min.
Atl. – *61 bench min.
[must be somethin' else]
Mystikal
May 6th, 2010
11:13 pm
If the hawks were dumb enough to let Horford slip away, I think I’d have to find another team!
Wabe
May 6th, 2010
11:14 pm
Woody’s said all season, there’s no need to “throw the kid at the wolves.”
Do you honestly see him giving JT0 any meaningful minutes in the playoffs?
I honestly don’t even want to see JT0 get broken into the rotation in this situation. There’s very little chance he’ll play well, because he hasn’t had the time to gel with the starters. He’d also play pretty tentative.
At this point, it’s just up to him to be ready next season, because that starting PG job should be his to lose.
darrell starks
May 6th, 2010
11:15 pm
LET JOE WALK AND SIGN ONE OF THE 2 AMARE STOUDEMIRE OR CHRIS BOSH.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!
VenomSpitter
May 6th, 2010
11:15 pm
Man please Al Vs. Josh. Gimme Al all day. Al is a real PF. Josh is a SF with no Jumpshot or handles.
O'Brien
May 6th, 2010
11:15 pm
@ Najeh,
“What I was trying to say is that if this exact same game is played in Philips Arena, I don’t think the Hawks get away from what worked all game and melt down in the 4th quarter”.
Let me remind you that in 2 home games against the Magic this season, we scored 11 points, and 18 points in each fourth quarter.
While giving up 26 and 22.
Mystikal
May 6th, 2010
11:16 pm
Must be a hoop dream, If we could sign and trade Josh Smith for Chris Bosh that would be awesome, especially if we could sucker them into taking Bibby. Yeah, askin too much.
south ga boy
May 6th, 2010
11:16 pm
Wabe, dont make excuses for the players. Its not just about direction. People have to be willing to take direction when its given to them. Your right that Joe, for instance, does what he does. Ok, well it doesnt work. The whole league knows how to defend Iso Joe, they have seen it a million times. How many time does Josh have to be told the same fundamental things, that you learn in middle school, over and over again and he still doesnt get it. He’s a big baby out on the court while play is still going on. If your gonna cry about every call at least do it when there’s a break in the action. But NOOOOOOOOO. same thing every time, just like old faithful
O'Brien
May 6th, 2010
11:17 pm
@ Najeh,
In game 6 at home against Milwaukee, we scored 18 in the fourth, and gave up 30. So I dont share your confidence that this wont happen at home.
I hope I’m wrong.
J.J.M.
May 6th, 2010
11:18 pm
I might sound crazy but i would sign joe and salmons and trade marvin for nets center lopez…wont happen but that would be a huge step up
Big Ray
May 6th, 2010
11:18 pm
I don’t readily see a trade involving Josh Smith or Al Horford. But if one of them has to happen, I say trade Josh, and I’m a fan of his. But Al Horfords don’t come along all that often, and this guy still has upside, despite what many thought when he came in the league, and what many still think. He has all the intangibles, but doesn’t lack in athletic ability or anywhere else.
BUT…..
If you do that, Horford has to play PF. Unless you’re getting an Amare Stoudamire, Carlos Boozer, or some other PF type that won’t play center better than he can.
But that’s another story for another day, and I also don’t know that it’s a likely scenario. I’d say it’s not….
donald caldwell
May 6th, 2010
11:19 pm
the game as i saw it. hawks great in the 1st half, 7 point lead. josh smith turnovers and lack of heart and hustle is what changed the game. Also by 4th atl looked tired. since woody doesnt use the bench effectively thats to expect. joe smith was brought in for experience but has not played. but to me josh is still too immature to compete at the playoff level.
Grandad
May 6th, 2010
11:19 pm
Mystikal:
Dawgawnit every time you go & say Av.Jhnsn,I’ve gotta go & do this:
Mike Budeholzer
bigdave
May 6th, 2010
11:19 pm
Woodson say’s it “takes a near perfect game to beat Orlando…”
Najeh Davenpoop
May 6th, 2010
11:20 pm
“Let me remind you that in 2 home games against the Magic this season, we scored 11 points, and 18 points in each fourth quarter.
While giving up 26 and 22.”
Keep in mind that the first game you refer to was a total meltdown and the 4th quarter was basically a joke at that point. In the second game, they got outscored by 4 — not great, but certainly not a meltdown. I don’t discount the possibility that they do dumb sh-t at home in crunch time, but I think it’s a lot less likely. They did win that 2nd home game against the Magic this year, after all.
south ga boy
May 6th, 2010
11:20 pm
venomspitter, we finally agree on something. If its Al or Josh, tonight is a prime example of why you keep Al and trade the human highlight film jr. with a low basketball IQ and his temper tantrums to someone with a decent center
darrell starks
May 6th, 2010
11:21 pm
JOHN WALL may be first player taking in the draft by the nets devin harris will be on trade block can the hawks get him.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!