Atlanta Hawks: Magic 93, Hawks 89
Dwight got his but Magic had to win it late. (Gary W. Green, Orlando Sentinel)
Orlando– Afterward, the Hawks seemed caught somewhere between being satisfied with their effort and disappointed with their execution when things got tight at the end.
– Asked if there was any consolation in giving a competitive effort against the Magic under the circumstances (back-to-back, no Marvin or Mo, recent history), L.D. said: “None whatsoever.”
– But he later added: “They came in here and played with a lot of energy right off the bat and I am very proud of them for doing that.”
– The Hawks were primed from the jump and built a 21-8 lead. Smoove was the catalyst with seven points, four rebounds, two assists a steal and just one turnover. “We wanted to be able to show the Orlando Magic we can come in and make a game out of it and not just hand them the game,” he said.
– Things went awry when L.D. started sending in the reserves. After Josh Powell scored for a 23-10 lead, Atlanta’s possessions to end the first quarter went like this: Jamal miss, Jamal turnover, Zaza turnover, Jamal miss, Jamal missed free throw on Rashard Lewis tech, Zaza turnover, Teague turnover, Josh miss.
– Meanwhile, the Magic scored 11 straight points with VC working against Jamal and Gortat against Zaza. The Magic beat the Hawks to some loose balls during that stretch.
– “When I went to the bench, the energy level went down,” L.D. said. “We kind of lost focus. Offensively, we started trying to do it individually and defensively we didn’t play with as much physicality as our first unit. That got Orlando going.”
– This was another game where Atlanta’s offensive numbers looked pretty good but the game was close because of a glaring deficiency in one area. It was the turnovers again tonight: 17 for 22 Magic points. Orlando also converted a high percentage of its 11 offensive rebounds into points with 16.
– Just 19 points for the Hawks in the fourth quarter with 7 of 20 shooting. Al said the Hawks lacked organization. “It was taking us too long to get into our offensive sets,” he said. “So instead of getting into our plays at 16 or 17 [on the shot clock], we were doing it at 8. That was kind of putting ourselves in a jam.”
– VC had a classic VC game: Superb for stretches but shaky at the end. He left the Hawks an opening with two missed free throws but his driving basket against Horford on a switch was the difference. I couldn’t see the play from way, way up in my media perch and I missed the replay but some Tweeps said it was a bad call.
– “I watched him last night and Horford was switching everything,” Jason Williams said. “I was kind of surprised they waited that late to do it.”
– No need to switch with Jameer (ankle) out and Duhon in. J-Will finished for Orlando instead of Duhon.
– “I thought our execution of what the gameplan was was right on the money,” L.D. said. “We wanted to defend the three; I thought we did a good job of that. We wanted to defend Howard one-on-one; I thought we did a good job of that. We just didn’t make timely plays.”
– J.J. had another strong game. He had just one turnover, but it was critical: Dribbling across the lane with the Hawks leading 82-81, he lost the ball out of bounds. J-Will made a 3 after that and the Magic never trailed again as the Hawks missed three consecutive 3-pointers (Bibby, J.J. and, um, Josh).
– Twin did about the only thing he could with Dwight, which is to hold his ground and make Howard use his athleticism to score. Howard did so, going for 27 on 10 of 20 shooting and seven free throws. Etan and Zaza did their best, too, but Dwight couldn’t be denied despite foul trouble.
– “He’s a monster down there and seems like his post game has only gotten better,” Josh said. “That’s going to be hard top stop when he is doing that and making free throws at the same time.”
– It helped that the Hawks caught the Magic on a night when they missed a handful of open looks at the 3-point line (Bibby was particularly guilty of losing his man). “I thought tonight was a good win for us because we’re shooting the ball so poorly right now,” Stan Van Gundy said. “Our perimeter shooting has been abominable and we had to win just by fighting.”
– Still, several times in the fourth quarter the Hawks worked hard to scramble and find shooters, the kind of extended effort L.D. has been seeking. The Magic never really delivered the long stretches of perimeter daggers that usually do in the Hawks.
– At least the Hawks now believe they have a plan that can work against Orlando. “No question,” Al said. “I think now more than ever. It’s a new year. We are a different team. We feel confident. It was encouraging.”
– — “Definitely this is something we can build on,.” J.J. said. “We feel like we can honestly play with any team in this league. I think our coaching staff does a great job of preparing us and getting us ready for games.”
– I’m out, Hawks fans.
MC
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167 comments Add your comment
cp
November 9th, 2010
7:17 pm
O’Brien I would take Boone over Etan and not look back but for some reason Sund thought Thomas had something left. Anybody who saw him the past few years would tell you that Etan is pretty much done. Dude has no lift in those legs anymore……….Nash might be a bad defender but he is still a better player than Bibby at this point but I doubt Sund goes after him.
superiorblogman
November 9th, 2010
8:33 pm
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=22oogx9
A great trade for all parties.
Detroit gets Gilbert Arenas and Al Thorton while getting rid of Prince and RIP, maybe even pick up a draft pick in the process.
Clippers get Zaza a better offensive option at backup C and maybe they pick up a 2nd rounder or something.
Wizards get Deandre Jordan, Marvin Williams, and RIP Hamilton, they get rid of Arenas contract and save about $7 million over the life of contracts.
Hawks get Javal McGee and Tayshaun Prince boosting there needy defense both on perimeter and at the basket. Getting rid of Marvin and Zaza also allows them to resign Prince and McGee.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 9th, 2010
8:40 pm
The Clippers would have to get a lot of draft picks for them to accept that trade, but it’s actually not all that far-fetched.
darrell starks
November 9th, 2010
9:23 pm
Why in the world would anyone trade JC1 for prince who career is on the down fall, NO THANKS BAD TRADE.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!
darrell starks
November 9th, 2010
9:28 pm
The hawks chemistry is great if coach LD continue with the same game plain, but trading jamal better be and up grade big time and prince is not that guy.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
November 9th, 2010
9:31 pm
JC2 defense is horrible right now, but the development could get better with time.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!
Melvin
November 9th, 2010
10:05 pm
Unbelievable come back by the Jazz to send the game into overtime against the Heat…. Milsap has 44pts… My goodness…
O'Brien
November 9th, 2010
10:07 pm
Jazz and heat going into OT. I hope heat lose. Bucks blowing out Knicks.
Whoever we play tomorrow, they should be tired. We can’t afford a 3 game losing streak
superiorblogman
November 9th, 2010
10:12 pm
Najeh Davenpoop
November 9th, 2010
8:40 pm
The Clippers would have to get a lot of draft picks for them to accept that trade, but it’s actually not all that far-fetched.
Why do you say the ClipShow would need a lot of picks to accept this? They are giving up Jordan and getting Zaza. Jordan’s contract comes up this summer, he will want Zaza type money and he has shown to be inconsistent and is still a project. The Pistons would be the team probably asking for a 1st rounder and 2nd round pick out of this. Clippers would deserve a 2nd round pick at best being that Jordan was a 2nd rounder and Zaza’s career numbers are better than Jordan’s and the fact that over the long haul they will end up paying about same money being that Jordan’s contract is up.
Melvin
November 9th, 2010
10:24 pm
Utah beat the Heat in OT after being down 22pts in the 2nd half… LOL
O'Brien
November 9th, 2010
10:25 pm
So the jazz play in Miami tonight. And then they play Orlando tomorrow in Orlando, the jazz play the second game of a back to back.
Why does the NBA give Orlando 2 games against playoff teams, at home, and rested, while the other team is coming off a back to back.
I hope it evens out in the end.
Props to Utah winning in Miami. They will be tough when we play them.
bigdave
November 9th, 2010
10:25 pm
Milsap went pure ape sh!t.
lewis
November 9th, 2010
10:29 pm
milsap went ape sh!t but u gotta keep in mind bosh is a horrific defender
lewis
November 9th, 2010
10:33 pm
chris weber “heat got the same offense as cleveland. they just standin around!”
Melvin
November 9th, 2010
10:36 pm
The Heat was expose at their two weakest links, PG and C…. I guess they will sign Diamper tomorrow…
Ken Strickland
November 9th, 2010
10:37 pm
I have a question. DOES ANYONE STILL CRINGE WHEN JSMITH TAKES A JUMPSHOT NOW? Like I said when some of our fans complained when he took several jumpers earlier in the season, why shouldn’t he do what he’s worked on the entire off season? He’s trying to become a complete player, and he’s awfully close. We could end up with 3 All Stars this yr(AHorford, JJohnson and JSmith).
What we’re witnessing is the progress and maturity of our players and team. Can anyone say that Bibby, JJ, Marvin, Zaza, JCollins, JSmith, Teague and Horford aren’t playing much better this yr under LDrew than they played last yr? We’re witnessing this teams improvement based on ORGANIC GROWTH, much better coaching, structure, commitment, accountability, development and more effective utilization of our bench, effective use of overall strategy, and the development and utilization of our younger less experienced players.
How many of you prognosticators, who boldly predicted the Hawks would finish with no more than 41-48 wins and finish below the Bucks, Bulls, Celtics and Heat, feel that way now?
SAMUEL, ROD FROM CP-If your BELOVED WOODY had been coaching Monday’s gm against the Magic, which senario do you think would have likely taken place:
1- the team would have been as competitive as they were Monday night,
2- or suffered another embarrassing whipping?
Now be honest and don’t let you MAN CRUSH influence your answer.
Rufus1
November 9th, 2010
11:11 pm
Go get them Ken!!!!
Remind these fools that HYPE doesn’t win basketball games…Talent, chemistry, continuity and coaching win in the NBA. The last 6 years we have been missing the coaching part…JUST THINK ABOUT THE DRAFT PICKS THAT WERE WASTED UNDER THAT BAD COACH.
Go Hawks,,
Freshfromatl AKA Fresh
November 9th, 2010
11:23 pm
Ken,
Neither one of those dudes will ever show their face around here again.
Ramon
November 10th, 2010
12:54 am
I’m sorry, but I have a hard time seeing that this Miami team can beat Atlanta in a 7 game series without the Referees having to take the series over.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 10th, 2010
12:59 am
Has there ever been a more overrated player than Chris Bosh? Looking back, was he even one of the top 3 big men on the market this summer?
Najeh Davenpoop
November 10th, 2010
1:02 am
“Why do you say the ClipShow would need a lot of picks to accept this? They are giving up Jordan and getting Zaza. Jordan’s contract comes up this summer, he will want Zaza type money and he has shown to be inconsistent and is still a project.”
It’s kinda splitting hairs since both are scrubs, but Jordan has more upside, gets paid less, isn’t getting paid a long-term deal at a higher rate than he deserves, is younger, and blocks shots. Maybe he is no better than Zaza, but as far as bang for the buck goes, he is no worse — especially with CBA uncertainty looming. As far as payroll is concerned I would think most teams would rather have him than Zaza, simply because of their respective contracts.
MsDee
November 10th, 2010
1:07 am
I know the Cavs’ GM is having a FIELD DAY with Lebron and his new team having lost 3 games already in the season. I believe the Cavs’ lost their 3rd game in mid-December of last year when Lebron was there. But already 3 loses..WOW!!
Najeh Davenpoop
November 10th, 2010
1:27 am
For what it’s worth, Cleveland is only a half game back of Miami.
I would love to see those two teams meet in the playoffs with Cleveland pulling the upset.
northcyde
November 10th, 2010
5:37 am
I forget which one of you guys mentioned adding Trenton Hassell to this team a few weeks ago. Well, here is an update on him.
http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20101108/SPORTS7002/311080001
Look like he’s content right now with just living his life without basketball. He made around 35 mill in the league, thanks to Kevin McHale giving him that 5 yr / 25 mill contract back when the T-Wolves made a title run.
Trenton is a cool, low key, no frills kind of dude, so it wouldn’t surprise me that he’d decline all offers if the team wasn’t good. At 6-5, he’d be a welcomed addition off the bench to defend the 2 and the 3.
O'Brien
November 10th, 2010
7:17 am
Ken S,
In Rod from CP’s defense, he wasn’t a fan of Woody like Samuel was. Rod spoke mostly against Marvin. And Rod was one of the first to insist that Josh playing SF would be better than Marvin playing SF.
As for Josh and his jump shots, I didnt like it earlier in the season. But he has been a much better shooter these last few games. As long as his shot selection is good, I dont cringe anymore.
Miami blew a 22 point lead at home last night. I wonder how many games they have to lose before Riley takes over.
If the Hawks blew that lead, everybody would be ready to give up on them, and call for LD’s job. And all the Woody supporters would show up in full force.
Speaking of Woody supporters, where is Jeff Van Gundy at? he said the Heat would win 70 games. That means they have to go 65-7 the rest of the way.
Najeh,
Bosh is a very good player. But for some reason, the media has hyped him up to be a great player. Part of his struggles in Miami though is probably because with Wade and LeBron handling the ball so much, he doesnt know where to be, what to do etc.
doc
November 10th, 2010
7:23 am
o’b, does it bother you we get the jazz at the end of a three in four with the first two miami and orlando? hope the magic dont put them away early to have sloan pull his starters early to fight another day. that is what he did last year in atlanta when we jumped them early and blew them out.
najeh, if miami is number one and cleveland number eight that match up is exactly what you could see. it also might only take about 39 wins to make it as the eight seed in the east. you may get your wish.
doc
November 10th, 2010
7:29 am
interesting, seems folks forgot miami blew out the magic as we begin to put them six feet under.
lewis
November 10th, 2010
7:46 am
Is it just me, or would anyone else like to see Horford at the 4 again tonight?
I really don’t think Bogut will hurt us much offensively, let J Collins do his thing.
terrell
November 10th, 2010
7:49 am
LMFAO at Dwade, the Queen, and Christina blowing a 20 point lead to Utah last night. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahhahaha!
terrell
November 10th, 2010
8:04 am
Ken Strickland, in defense of Rod from cp, he’s just a Marvin hater, not a Woody lover. Haha
Now Samuel, that’s a different story. Btw, where is Samuel? Must be trying to find his boy Woody another coaching gig. lol!
terrell
November 10th, 2010
8:21 am
Ken Strickland, in defense of Rod from cp, he’s just a Marvin hater, not a Woody lover. Haha
Now Samuel, that’s a different story. Btw, where is Samuel? Must be trying to find his boy Woody another coaching gig. lol! And btw, it might be a little early in the season for I told u so’s. All except for LD being head and shoulders better than Woody. lol!
darrell starks
November 10th, 2010
8:28 am
BOSH on the trading block already wow, and people are saying he is overrated, they must be joking the problem with miami is bosh playing out of position and he should be posted more down low, but the heat coach is no LD thank the mosthigh 4 that, THE HEAT NEED A NEW HEAD COACH.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!
Jody
November 10th, 2010
8:28 am
@ lewis,
I would like to see Horford at the 4 again tonight. I hope LD continues to play him there because it makes the Hawks a better rebounding team and the more you rebound, the more opportunities you have to run. Also, Horford is playing extremely well at the spot on both ends of the floor.
darrell starks
November 10th, 2010
8:32 am
Now if the hawks was going 2 trade jamal and zaza for a player 2 make this team better,and 2 get somthing for jamal worth trading for bosh would be a perfict fit at center for the hawks.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
November 10th, 2010
8:36 am
I LIKE THIS
STARTER BIBBY, JOE, JOSH, HORFORD, BOSH,
BENCH TEAGUE, MOE, MARVIN, POWEL, COLLINS
RESERVE JC2, ETAN
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!
dap01
November 10th, 2010
9:08 am
Would anyone trade JC1, ZaZa, and Teague for Nash and Childress? Money matches up.
Mike is back
November 10th, 2010
9:17 am
After a 14 page blog…there is little else to say.
I haven’t been able to blog much…but I seen both loses…I want make no excuses…BUT I’M PROUD OF THIS HAWKS TEAM…THEY NEVER GAVE UP. That’s a sign of maturity.
The good news is…I finally get a chance to make it to my first Hawks Game of the season…me and the Wify will be in the house…I’M EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sautee
November 10th, 2010
9:17 am
ding!
Ken Strickland
November 10th, 2010
9:18 am
DARRELL STARKS-Why are you so obsessed with making trades? Haven’t you noticed how much the Hawks have improved without making any trades, or signing any high priced FA’S? And haven’t you also noticed how little impact making trades and signing high priced FA’s has had on the Bulls, Celtics and Bucks? YOUR MIND AND APPROACH SEEMS TO BE STUCK IN FANTASY BASKETBALL, AND FOLLOWING THE HAWKS ISN’T ABOUT FANTASY BASKETBALL, OR ABOUT MAKING IMAGINARY TRADES AND/OR FA SIGNINGS.
vava74
November 10th, 2010
9:28 am
Ken Strickland,
Also in Rod’s defense, he always said that he preferred to see Josh occupying the SF slot rather than Marvin.
Indeed, as many pointed out, he was never a Woody lover, rather a Marvin hater.
Grandad
November 10th, 2010
9:36 am
nc
Trenton Hassell:
“Let’s Go Peay”
hm
November 10th, 2010
9:50 am
My left knee has been real sore lately.
Must be something in the ATL water.
O'Brien
November 10th, 2010
11:41 am
Doc,
Good point. This is a brutal trip for Utah.
Guys,
One thing to keep in mind. We probably wont see any trades until we get closer to the deadline. The hawks and other teams need to see exactly what they have after 40 games or so. Its difficult to tell right now, plus LD still needs time to get all his players on the same page.
I just hope the hawks use their TPE, and explore trading Mo and his expiring contract for an upgrade if possible
Rod from College Park
November 10th, 2010
11:46 am
Ken Strickland,
Glad to know that there are some people on this blog who can read, and interpret, as opposed to putting words in my mouth. Shout out to terrell, O’Brien, and vava74, for holding me down on my hiatus. i have never once stated that I was a Woody fan. Drew is doing a good job, but it is still early in the season. I will wait until later in the season, after teams have fim on the Hawks, before I annoint him the next Phil Jackson. I actually said that I would not comment on the Hawks or Marvin until after 10 games, but I changed my mind.
Marvin is still Marvin. Very inconsistent. He had two great games, two bad games, and he was playing OK in the game that he got hurt. He is the key to this team becoming great if he stays in the starting lineup. As long as he stays inconsistent the Hawks will not progress past the second round. Again you guys say I’m a Marvin hater, I say I’m a guy who calls it like it is. He is the weakest link. If you look at any of the other players on the team, you can tell that they really worked on their games in the offeason. Marvin just does not show me that. His post up game is terrible, and my point was made again this year when Cleveland decided to guard Marvin at the end of the game with Daniel Gibson. He finally was able to take advantage of a clear mismatch. His FG% is very good, but he is shooting worse than Josh from 3. When he looks like he might turn the corner, he gets hurt. I still don’t see Marvin as this defensive stallwart that some her do, but I’ll leave that alone. As I said once before, Josh can play the 3, if needed, and will do a better job than Marvin. No I did actually say that Ken.
JeJe
November 10th, 2010
12:13 pm
Marvin would not have started on any other NBA team in the playoffs last year, and probably not on more than 3 other rosters in the NBA.
Good job people. Keep acting like this guy who doesn’t enjoy watching games on TV is a star.
Marvin has never stated he wants to be an All-Star or a great player.
Settle for mediocrity
lewis
November 10th, 2010
12:16 pm
My buddies here in the Cleveland were insisting that Marvin is underrated. He’s harder to score on than you think, is a good foul shooter, good at running in the open court, powerful around the rim when he wants to be. He’s just so inconsistent. We’ll see by the deadline but I bet they try to get rid of Marvin, Zaza and or Jamal
northcyde
November 10th, 2010
12:20 pm
Blog monster is killing me today
northcyde
November 10th, 2010
12:23 pm
Shooting % from 16 – 23 FT
Horford – 64
Jamal – 58
Marvin – 55
Bibby – 50
Smith – 48
Collins – 43
Powell – 36
Johnson – 30
Teague – 14
Freshfromatl AKA Fresh
November 10th, 2010
12:31 pm
From Steve Nash’s Twitter:
“What do you guys think of all this trade talk surrounding me? Is it real?”
Something is definitely starting to brew here. Maybe, Sund got another “steal” of a trade in the works.
cp
November 10th, 2010
12:44 pm
Avery Johnson a guy a lot of folks wanted to come here is looking overrated at this point. Its early so he might turn the Nets around but they still look as bad as they did last season. They cant score and they don’t defend…. A Nash trade to the Hawks almost seems to good to be true. He plays no defense but his bball IQ, passing ability, and ability to get in the lane would be very beneficial to this team. I would be shocked if we could pull that move off………And I hope LD sticks with this new lineup……. I wonder if we get Nique back tonight and his “nimbers”