Magic at Atlanta Hawks Game 3: Final(ly) Movement?
The strange thing with listening to the Hawks talk about their problems with stagnating offense is they all seem to agree on the problem:
“Ball movement, like there was in the first three quarters [in Game 2],” J.J. said. “In that fourth quarter, we did a lot of ‘iso’ instead of moving the ball and getting good shots.”
“It all starts with our guards,” Al said. “We have to create movement, we have to have guys moving around. When our guards are doing that, it opens up for us and opens up for them, as well. [The Magic] can’t just sit there and pinpoint.”
“We’ve just got to have more movement and guys have got to make shots,” Woody said. “It’ ain’t scientific or no big secret.”
The Hawks say these things and then they go out and fall back into iso at critical times of the game. When things go bad and the pressure is on, it gets even worse. It’s not always about just missing shots they normally make, it’s about getting better shots, particularly in the playoffs. And the Hawks (and every team) is much better at that when players and the ball are moving.
The Hawks missed some open shots in the first three quarters of Game 2, but didn’t they also get better looks until they faded late?
“Yes but we made shots, though, too,” Woody said. “Joe made a 3, Jamal made a 3. We had some good looks in Game 1 and we didn’t make shots. You can’t have starters and guy coming off bench go 11 for 54 not going to beat nobody in the league.”
According to Hoopdata, in Game 1 the Hawks were 6 of 26 on long jump shots, the bane of basketball number-crunchers, 15 of 25 from closer than 10 feet and 2 of 13 on 3-point shots. In Game 2 they were 7-for-22 on long jumpers, 9 of 20 closer than 10 feet and 6 of 11 on 3-pointers.
If the Hawks stay away from iso, maybe some of those long jump shots become open, spot-up 3-pointers or shots closer to the basket. None of that would solve their considerable problems with defending the Magic, of course. But because of their abilities, talent and temperament the Hawks’ best hope to at least make this a competitive series might be moving the ball and scoring enough points to overcome their defensive deficiencies.
They seem to know iso isn’t the way to do that even if they don’t always show it.
MC
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621 comments Add your comment
VenomSpitter
May 8th, 2010
6:55 pm
Damn Joe is Horrible LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Go on Northcyde defend him.
Wabe
May 8th, 2010
6:55 pm
Boo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“Fire, Mike, Woodson!”
“Fire, Mike, Woodson!”
VenomSpitter
May 8th, 2010
6:56 pm
I have never seen someone underperform as much as Joe Mr. Mx Johnson has.
TigerWoods
May 8th, 2010
6:56 pm
ok this must be the baddest performance of a max want a be i have ever seen. There is no comparsion here.
VenomSpitter
May 8th, 2010
6:57 pm
I feel sorry for the folks who actually paid to see this awful team.
o.O-Mac-Town -Macon, Georgia- Westsider-O.o
May 8th, 2010
6:57 pm
Max Johnson with the kiss off the glass….that didnt get anywhere near the hoop.
o.O-Mac-Town -Macon, Georgia- Westsider-O.o
May 8th, 2010
6:58 pm
lmao…MJ
South ga boy in the atl
May 8th, 2010
6:58 pm
What !!! Joe can’t even make a layup. Some people shrink under pressure while other excell. In that Boston series 2 yrs ago, I thought Joe was the kind of player who would thrive in pressure games, sadly I was wrong. Josh is just playing defense when he wants to or from time to time.
brody
May 8th, 2010
6:58 pm
ALL TRUE ATLANTA FANS, DON’T GET UPSET. IF THE HAWKS DONT CARE WHY SHOULD WE? NOBODY SHOULD COME TO THE GAME ON MONDAY. JOE JOHNSON AND MIKE WOODSON ARE A JOKE. REBUILDING AROUND AL,JOSH, AND JAMAL IS IN FULL EFFECT.
Ramon
May 8th, 2010
6:59 pm
Lol, Make you wish the Hawks would pay $8 Mil a year to get Van Gundy. But seriously what available coach is better than Mike Woodson, and has done more without a superstar?
Sautee, I pray that deal doesn’t happen lol. The Hawks would have Boozer and Horford who plays the exact same way. Needless to say I would become a Utah fan on that day. D Williams, Joe Johnson, AND Smoove with Jerry Sloan as the coach? That sounds like a winner lol.
James
May 8th, 2010
6:59 pm
Ed Malloy – Quickest “T” in the East…lol
Sautee
May 8th, 2010
7:00 pm
54 points in three quarters at home in a must-win game.
Maybe Woody should have given a sh!t about offense. Too late now, I’m afraid.
JeJe
May 8th, 2010
7:00 pm
RESIGN WOODY! WE WON MORE GAMES THIS YEAR THAN LAST YEAR! THATS ALL THAT MATTERS!
VenomSpitter
May 8th, 2010
7:00 pm
No just rebound around AL. If we have to trade Josh to improve so be it. But Josh is mos def not a plyer to build around.
I just wanna make that clear.
TigerWoods
May 8th, 2010
7:00 pm
Tonight’s title for the game: Joe Exposed – a fraud
VenomSpitter
May 8th, 2010
7:00 pm
No just rebuild around AL. If we have to trade Josh to improve so be it. But Josh is mos def not a player to build around.
I just wanna make that clear.
steven
May 8th, 2010
7:01 pm
if we can resign joe for under max then I say do it and see what can happen with a new coach. However, I’m sure some GM will be dumb enough to throw max money at Joe so he’ll probably be gone
TNScott
May 8th, 2010
7:01 pm
Next poll question: Will the Hawks mail in Game 4 as they have the previous 7 NBA Eastern Division Semifinal Games?
cp
May 8th, 2010
7:01 pm
The playoffs don’t matter to Woodrow because he increased the win total every year and they won 53 this year. I guess he thought you win championships for good regular seasons.
bigdave
May 8th, 2010
7:01 pm
Joe under max new coach.
northcyde
May 8th, 2010
7:01 pm
I’m gonna stay till the end. I want to see just how many people are here at the end of the game. A LOT of people leaving now . . . wow.
Million dollar question will be how many people will be her on Monday. I’ll say about 80% of the season tix holders and most of the Game 4 tix purchasers. But the usual walk-up crowd may not even shot up. And it’ll probably be a lot of people selling tix starting tonight.
VenomSpitter
May 8th, 2010
7:02 pm
Joe doesn’t deserve anything over 15 mil.
lewis
May 8th, 2010
7:02 pm
al and teage are future of hawks
steven
May 8th, 2010
7:02 pm
If this team hasn’t cared so far then there is no way in hell we stay within 40 on Monday
o.O-Mac-Town -Macon, Georgia- Westsider-O.o
May 8th, 2010
7:02 pm
During the playoffs, Joe is exposed more than those strippers yall got up there in the A, except he DOESNT deserve the dollars.
hawkfan
May 8th, 2010
7:02 pm
well i knew we should have just gone the 4th seed and play the cavs at least we can compete with lebron and the cavs better than the magic who we get blown out time and time again
Najeh Davenpoop
May 8th, 2010
7:02 pm
“You’d send a pretty tough statement to Sund if you could get the arena to start chanting “Fire Mike Woodson.”
Believe me, dude, I’m trying. I think in this economy it’s hard to get anyone to chant “Fire Anyone” unless it’s a politician.
Ramon
May 8th, 2010
7:02 pm
Sorry to say this, but Chris Bosh really isn’t that much better than Joe Johnson. He has been on an even more talented team than the Hawks, and still didn’t do anything with it. And he wouldn’t help with the Dwight Howard problem that the Hawks have. Truly, if I was the Hawks, I would make a run at one of the Blazers big men, in exchange for Zaza. Or I would see if the Clippers would consider a Marvin for Kaman deal.
Wabe
May 8th, 2010
7:03 pm
Najeh Davenpoop
May 8th, 2010
7:02 pm
“You’d send a pretty tough statement to Sund if you could get the arena to start chanting “Fire Mike Woodson.”
Believe me, dude, I’m trying. I think in this economy it’s hard to get anyone to chant “Fire Anyone” unless it’s a politician.
That’s funny.
Clyde
May 8th, 2010
7:03 pm
I would have rather seen the Bucks play the Magic.
fire woody
o.O-Mac-Town -Macon, Georgia- Westsider-O.o
May 8th, 2010
7:04 pm
Hawks goal Vs. ORL (that’s basically considered a moral victory) = losing by less than 20.
steven
May 8th, 2010
7:04 pm
Smoove just chuckin shots right and left
VenomSpitter
May 8th, 2010
7:05 pm
Josh still thinks he can shoot.
Forrest Gump is sharper than Josh
Clyde
May 8th, 2010
7:05 pm
SMOOVE TRY CUTTING TO THE BASKET INSTEAD OF STANDING ON THE PERIMETER!!!!
FIRE WOODY
Wabe
May 8th, 2010
7:05 pm
If Woody’s gonna let JT0 play this one out, he might as well give him the start in the next game.
J.J.M.
May 8th, 2010
7:05 pm
let joe sorry ass walk…go after chris bosh and john salmons…try trading marvin for nets center lopez
sleepy
May 8th, 2010
7:05 pm
josh why not cut to the basket looking for the ball while the guards are dribbling around the screen ?
Coach Woooooody
May 8th, 2010
7:06 pm
“Hey guys, If we can just get this under 20 with 5 to go we still have a chance” Holla
JeJe
May 8th, 2010
7:06 pm
THE ONLY PLAYERS ON THIS TEAM WHO EVER GET CALLED OUT ARE TEAGUE, CRAWFORD, ZAZA, AND SMOOVE.
WHEN JOE AND MARVIN AND BIBBY SUCK, THERE’S NOTHING TO BE SAID
MissSection120
May 8th, 2010
7:06 pm
This arena is dead
oooo
May 8th, 2010
7:07 pm
trade bosh for josh
Wabe
May 8th, 2010
7:07 pm
“try trading marvin for nets center lopez”
Let’s see Sund try to pull that one off…
Clyde
May 8th, 2010
7:07 pm
What happened to Joe Smith?
FIRE WOODY
James
May 8th, 2010
7:07 pm
1st Quarter: Hawks (-10)
2nd Quarter: Hawks (-9)
3rd Quarter: Hawks (-5)
Rebounds: Hawks (-13)
Assists: Hawks (-11)
Blocks: Hawks (-4)
FG %: Hawks 33%, Magic 52%
3P%: Hawks 25%, Magic 38%
FTA/M: Hawks 12-18. Magic 16-25
It’s unbelievable that the Hawks are losing in almost every single means possible. Something seems strange tonight.
Wabe
May 8th, 2010
7:07 pm
That’d be the day ^
Who the hell would trade their building block for Marvin Williams?
MissSection120
May 8th, 2010
7:07 pm
People more excited about chick Fila cow drop
VenomSpitter
May 8th, 2010
7:08 pm
This team is more done than a roasted azz turkey.
ha
May 8th, 2010
7:08 pm
we had our chance to get rid of marvin before we re-signed up..now everyone knows he sucks and we’re screwed
o.O-Mac-Town -Macon, Georgia- Westsider-O.o
May 8th, 2010
7:08 pm
TJ-MaXx player Johnson will sign with a team that already has a star or 2 so he can be just be passed the ball only to shoot jumpers in a role player situation….just the way he wants it anyway.
steven
May 8th, 2010
7:08 pm
notice how the magic listen to stan when he talks