Atlanta Hawks: Jazz 90, Hawks 86
Deron Williams and the Jazz slipped past the Hawks. (AP Photo)
–When things got tight down the stretch, you could see the Jazz thrive on the situation as the Hawks started hiccuping. Before the game, L.D. praised the Jazz for their mental toughness and discipline and then the Hawks saw exactly what he meant. Utah rallied for a W for the fourth straight game.
– “They are a team that has no quit in them,” L.D. said. “At no point in the game could we relax or take possessions off because this is a team that’s going to be solid for 48 minutes. We may get a little lead in them, but they have no quit in them.”
– It’s not like the Hawks quit, either. It’s just that for the third time in the last four games they weren’t good enough to finish off a quality opponent. Viewed in isolation, this wasn’t such a terrible loss for the Hawks. But placed in the context of those losses to Phoenix and Orlando and the surrender against Milwaukee, this was a game the Hawks couldn’t lose.
– It’s still early in the season but no doubt the Hawks are in crisis mode. “We have to learn how to grind in crunch-time situations,” L.D. said. “We’ve got to make the plays.”
– They did that when the opponents weren’t so tough. “I didn’t get too excited about 6-0 because we weren’t playing playoff teams,” J.J.said. “Now we are playing playoff teams.”
– He’s probably discounting the 6-0 start too much considering the four road Ws and signs of growth when it comes to closing out close games away from Philips. But clearly the Hawks have a lot of work to do to be considered anything but a middling playoff team in the East.
– Asked before the game how the Hawks could avoid another debacle like the Bucks game, L.D. said: “Make some shots.” Well, the Hawks made nearly half of their shots (35 of 71) and still loss thanks missing 11 of 21 free throws and giving up 15 offensive rebounds.
– On the free throws, L.D. said: “We work on them and practice. You just have to step up, focus and concentrate and knock your free throws down.” On the rebounds, he said the Hawks spent all of Thursday’s practice working on defense, with two sessions devoted to rebounding: “It’s a problem. It won’t be fixed until we get into our mindset that we have to pay more attention and be more focused. It will be worked on every day in practice, I can tell you that. It won’t be something we will let slide.”
– L.D. talks about focus and concentration and mindset, then you see the Hawks can’t execute the things he spends so much time on and you wonder if he can get this group of guys to do those kinds of things all the time.
– The Hawks made fundamental mistakes down the stretch.
– Marvin had a fastbreak layup and could neither score nor get fouled and instead fumbled the ball out of bounds
– Smoove tried to feed Al for a lob dunk that wasn’t there and Deron Williams broke it up.
– Kirilenko stole the ball from J.J.
– The Hawks played a great defensive possession, forcing Milsap to a rush a 3-point attempt, but left Al Jefferson alone to rebound the miss.
– And then Al missed the free throws. “It’s a tough loss to take,” Al said. “We were tough and we hung in there. I have to take the blame for not knocking down those free throws at the end. But I will just have to keep working because I know I will be back in that situation again.”
– “They just made plays to win the game,” Josh said.
– “We just have to put this behind us and move on,” J.J. said.
– Marvin seemed to be moving OK but he missed some easy baskets. Mo had s strong stint in the first half with three rebounds in eight minutes.
– The bench held the lead in the first half and extended it in the third quarter. All of the starters were back in after the Jazz tied it at 78-78.
– L.D. has instituted what he calls a “20-20″ rule: Guys who don’t play 20 minutes in a game now will do 20 minutes of cardio work after. So Zaza, JC2, Teague and Powell ran sprints and Twin hit the treadmill. I’m guessing Mo was exempt because he’s coming off an injury.
– I’m out, Hawks fans.
MC
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116 comments Add your comment
Double Zero Eight
November 13th, 2010
11:32 am
Atlanta……….”We have a problem”. There is a lack of team chemistry. Crawford is sulking. We need a true center to compete with the elite teams. MW is about as good as he is going to get.
I don’t see us even beating Milwaukee in the playoffs without a big man if Bogut is healthy.
terrell
November 13th, 2010
11:52 am
Double Zero Eight, NEW HEAD COACH, NEW SCHEME, NEW PLAYERS, NEW PHILOSOPHY. These things take time. Cant happen overnight. And who is this TRUE CENTER you speak of? I have to agree with you on JC and Marvin though. Jamal wants out, and Marvin is back to being Marvin.
truthspitter
November 13th, 2010
12:36 pm
I swear I have a life and wont post as much but all I did was change my name. I still think I’m smarter than everybody on here yet i suggest the dumbest trades on here daily. I post as much as anybody on here but that doesn’t count because I’m smart. Who cares if my trades are unrealistic or that i can never refute facts when in debate.
JeJe
November 13th, 2010
1:14 pm
The AJC Hawks page is a freaking mess
Not only does it take time just to figure out where the most recent post in the blog is (or to find the right page), there are like 8 blogs open on AJC Hawks page at all times and more keep being posted. Where the hell are we supposed to post?
AND I’M READY NOW, CLYDE
FIRE DREW, FIRE SUND
SELL THE TEAM
JeJe
November 13th, 2010
1:15 pm
THIS TEAM IS SOFT
IT DOES NOT PLAY DEFENSE CONSISTENTLY AND NO ONE IS SCARED OF US
MINNY IS ON A 2 GM WINNING STREAK AND BEASLEY AND LOVE ARE ON FIRE. AND ALSO TORONTO BEAT ORLANDO.
LOSS TOMORROW
JeJe
November 13th, 2010
1:18 pm
MAKE A TRADE
OFFER JAMAL, MARVIN, AND PICKS FOR THE BEST POSSIBLE SMALL FORWARD OUT THERE.
WE DO NOT NEED MORE DRAFT PICKS
SO, LIKE I SAID:
1) OFFER JAMAL, MARVIN, AND PICKS FOR THE BEST POSSIBLE SMALL FORWARD OUT THERE. (CARMELO WHERE U AT?)
2) OFFER A FIRST ROUNDER FOR DAHNTAY JONES ON INDY. THEY WANT TO TRADE HIM – HE COSTS AS MUCH AS MO DOES AND IS A RUGGED DEFENDER
3) THIS TEAM NEEDS MORE JERKS. EVERYONE ON THIS TEAM IS QUIET AND SOFT. EVEN HORFORD IS SOFT. LOOK AT THE GUY. HE LOOKS LIKE HE HAS NEVER BEEN IN A WEIGHT ROOM BEFORE
4) THE REASON THE LAKERS ARE SO DOMINANT IS NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF THEIR STARS, BUT THEY HAVE @$$HOLES LIKE ARTEST, BARNES, AND EVEN ODOM WHO ARE NOT AFRAID OF A CONFRONTATION OR TECHNICAL
I HAVE NOT SEEN A HAWK PLAYER GET IN AN ALTERCATION SINCE ZAZA 3 YEARS AGO, AND BEFORE THAT, PROBABLY STEPHEN JACKSON VS. LEBRON IN LEBRON’S ROOKIE YEAR OR SHAREEF VS. KENNY THOMAS LIKE 8 YEARS AGO
GROW A PAIR AND STOP BEING SOFT
JeJe
November 13th, 2010
1:19 pm
THIS TEAM IS THE SAME AS ANY GOLDEN STATE TEAM FROM THE LAST 5 YEARS, WITH SLIGHTLY MORE TALENTED PLAYERS
JeJe
November 13th, 2010
1:25 pm
I’VE NEVER SEEN MARVIN GO UP FOR A LAYUP, DRAW CONTACT, AND FINISH THE PLAY. HOW CAN U BE 6″9, 230 AND BE SOFT LIKE TOILET TISSUE? I THINK MATT FREIJE COULD’VE FINISHED 3 OF THOSE PLAYS LAST NIGHT
JESUS
Marvin Willaims fan
November 13th, 2010
1:29 pm
Marvin is not the problem in Atlanta, Hell, he doesnt get enough shots to impact this team… the problems are easy to see..
1.Drew is playing the wrong starting lineup,it should be Twin,Al,Josh,Joe,Bibby.The hawks never play guys at their natural position….You will not win a ring with Al playing center..he is only 6ft8….he would kill most pf though…Josh would be an all star at Sf…Marvin should come off the bench, and Drew should call more plays for Marvin….Give him a break last night,you could clearly see his knee isnt 100%….
2.Joe refuses to take his game to the next level….Simply not good enough….no heart..
3.Jamal has been terrible this year..the first good deal Sund gets,he has to take it….this guy is killing us…
Marvin Williams fan
November 13th, 2010
1:31 pm
Excuse my spelling
mgm
November 13th, 2010
1:37 pm
I really was upset when Joe received that contract because I knew that was the end of this organization for the next ten years. The Hawks are going to be mired in mediocrity. What is so frustrating is you have a solid couple of players in Josh and Al to build a serious team around. But Joe isn’t a superstar and now we are stuck with it. Sure, they will make the playoffs and then make an early exit for a few years with this team. But that is what we had in the 80s and 90s and nobody wants that. We won’t even get a good draft pick as a consolation any more. Boy this sucks.
Sautee
November 13th, 2010
1:40 pm
Double Zero Eight,
about this: “I don’t see us even beating Milwaukee in the playoffs without a big man if Bogut is healthy.”
Just for your information, here’s how Bogut matched up with Horford last year (before his injury):
2/28/10 in ATL:
Bogut: 14 pts 9 reb
Horford: 17 pts 10 reb
3/22/10 in MIL:
Bogut: 9 pts 11 reb
Horford: 12 pts 12 reb
Our “little” Big Man did just fine against Bogut, so why do folks NOW think that Bogut would make such a difference?
JeJe
November 13th, 2010
1:43 pm
Bogut is a big dude. No way Horford can beat him on boards this year. That team could be scary with Jennings, Salmons, and Maggette out there
JeJe
November 13th, 2010
1:47 pm
HORFORD HAS 19 REBOUNDS IN THE LAST 3 GAMES AND DOES NOT BLOCK SHOTS
YEAH, GREAT DEFENDER U GUYS!
Sautee
November 13th, 2010
2:02 pm
Jeje,
Yeah I was the first to mention his 19 rebounds in three games. That’s totally unacceptable for Al and I’m sure he knows it. But has Bogut gotten taller since last year? If Horford could hold him to those stats last year, why not now?
And remember, it was Horford and David Lee who were named to the All-Star game by the coaches and NOT Bogut.
JeJe
November 13th, 2010
2:04 pm
Sautee, I’m pretty sure I’d take a healthy Bogut over Horford. Horford is thin and only 6″9 (if even that). I can’t explain their h2h stats, but Milwaukee could’ve won that series vs us in Spring with Bogut. Imagine if MIchael Redd was actually healthy too
superiorblogman
November 13th, 2010
2:20 pm
Josh Smith has been a big problem this year. You put the guy in a couple of commercials now he wants the ball more and starts whining about guys missing him but he along with Joe turn the ball over the most on the team so-far. So, Josh is missing guys himself when he turns the ball over. Josh also dribbles too much, people are quick to point it out when it comes to Joe but Josh does also. Everytime Josh gets a defensive rebound he brings the ball up the court and tries to be a Point Forward and he is not good at it. Everytime he runs the break he passes it to Bibby and teams will soon catch on to that. Furthermore, it is not the sound play most of the time. Josh is simply look to stuff the stat sheet not make the team better. He needs to be put in his place as a finisher not a playmaker but who will put this little whiny crybaby in his place? Larry Drew was a bad hire. I could see Mark Jackson, Avery Johnson, or Jeff Van Gundy putting Josh in his place.
Sautee
November 13th, 2010
2:23 pm
I see that Kevin Love had 31 rebounds against the Knicks.
Let’s see, the way Horford has played lately, that’s about 6 games worth.
Step it up, Al.
Sautee
November 13th, 2010
2:28 pm
Jeje,
about this: “I can’t explain their h2h stats, but Milwaukee could’ve won that series vs us in Spring with Bogut.”
OK, if you can’t explain the head to head stats, then please explain WHY you think the Bucks would have won the series? Why wouldn’t Horford have similar success against Bogut in the playoffs?
And, by the way, 6′ 9″ 245 is NOT “thin”.
JeJe
November 13th, 2010
2:29 pm
Sautee, give me a break. Horford vs. Bogut is a fairly equal matchup. I’m pretty sure 99% of this board agrees that Bogut playing is better than Kurt Thomas or whatever washed up scrub they had out there
Sautee
November 13th, 2010
2:39 pm
Jeje,
If, as you just said, Bogut vs. Horford is a fairly equal matchup, then WHY do you think they would win the series just because they had a healthy Bogut?
Yes, I agree that Bogut is better than Kurt Thomas, but he can’t defend Horford as well as Thomas did. I just have the opinion that we were STILL the better team in that series and we played down to their level. Had Bogut been there, in my opinion, we might not have been as complacent, but we STILL win the series.
I like Bogut, and think his game is still developing. But you can’t deny the head to head stats. Which showed Horford completely negating any edge Bogut might have given the Bucks.
lewis
November 13th, 2010
3:35 pm
Plain to see that the team gives up on the motion offense every time the 4th quarter rolls around. JJ is still as predictable as ever, as is Jamal. Zaza is a failure.
rebuild around:
JJ
Al
Josh
Jordan
Teague
Clyde
November 13th, 2010
4:17 pm
Al Horford has 6 blocks this year.
Clyde
November 13th, 2010
4:22 pm
The new contracts the Hawks gave to Bibby, Zaza, Marvin, Joe, and Horford will destroy the Hawks. These players didn’t deserve a dime.
Clyde
November 13th, 2010
4:31 pm
We gave Horford a new contract to let folks walk down the lane but won’t give our second leading scorer nothing. #wheretheydodatat
Clyde
November 13th, 2010
4:33 pm
Al Horford is the worst defensive center in the league.
Clyde
November 13th, 2010
4:36 pm
The Spirit Group said they didn’t want to move Horford to PF because they like him at center.
SHAKING MY GOT DAM HEAD
AOL Time Warner > The Spirit Group
Clyde
November 13th, 2010
4:39 pm
SELL THE TEAM
JeJe.
November 13th, 2010
6:19 pm
THIS TEAM HAS FUN IN THE 1ST HALF, THEN ONCE THE END OF THE GAME GETS CLOSER, IT CHOKES
FIRE SUND
northcyde
November 13th, 2010
6:20 pm
You people talking about JJ and the ISO . . were we watching the same game?
JJ had 3 FG attempts TOTAL in the 4th quarter. The Hawks were trying to run offense in the 4th, but couldn’t convert or missed FTs.
So when an ISO play for JJ is called, people are still complaining? Granted, JJ wasn’t successful on one shot, and got ripped by AK47 in another instance. But it’s not like we had a lot of stuff working down the stretch.
So what were the Hawks supposed to do offensively? Work the ball around to get Marvin or Smoove an open jumper?
JJ was 9 – 14 FG going into the 4th. If anything, he shoud’ve been looking to shoot the ball everytime. But some of you are acting like . . (a) he shouldn’t be shooting the ball at all to play “hero” . . or (b) no individual plays should be called for him, even if he has it going.
It’s funny how fans want him to take over a game like a superstar, but get mad at him when he takes superstar-like shots.
O'Brien
November 13th, 2010
7:03 pm
I would like to see Marvin step his game up. We need him to play well offensively so that Jamal can get less minutes. Jamal has not bought into the motion offense, and his defense and free lancing is bad.
Sautee,
One reason why Milwaukee is so tough on us, is that they have bought into their coach, and they have good role players.
As for Al and his rebounding, I notice that his rebounding has gotten worse since he moved to PF. I dont know why, because Josh still gets his rebounds from the SF position.
Al really needs to step his game up. And the Hawks as a whole need to play better
northcyde,
Some people will never be satisfied. If JJ does not take lot of shots (even if the team wins), they complain that he is overpaid for what he brings to the table. If he takes a lot of shots, and they lose, they blame him.
The only way they will be satisfied is if he goes 15 for 15 and the Hawks win.
Sautee
November 13th, 2010
8:14 pm
O’Brien,
Yeah, it’s weird. But I’m sure when the ball is coming off the rim, there’s not a player in the league who is thinking about what position they play.
Or at least I sure hope so.
You’re right about him needing to step it up.
Nique's Revenge
November 13th, 2010
8:30 pm
FIRE JOKE JOHNSON
Ra'mon
November 13th, 2010
8:40 pm
O’Brien and Sautee, here’s a question for you guys. While we agree that Horford is close to untouchable. IF, big IF, he was to be dealt (packaged with Jamal). Who do you think the Hawks would have to acquire to see that trade as a win?
My trade of the day (Grandad, I’m bored lol)…
Hawks Get:
Jason Thompson
Samuel Dalembert
Francis Garcia
Kings Get
Jamal Crawford
Zaza Pachulia
Mo Evans
And 1st round pick.
Thompson is in the doghouse in Sac for some crazy reason. And the Kings really like the front court of Cousins and Landry. Zaza produces a little less than Dalembert, but also cost half the price of Dalembert. Thompson is able to play PF or C, which would make the bench even more versatile. Garcia at 6-7 is a valuable player. But his price tag is 2x as much as Evans. And Sac would love to have a scorer come off the bench like Jamal. They could look at a possible tandem of Jamal and Evans together as being dynamic.
Nique's Revenge
November 13th, 2010
8:42 pm
whattttttttttttttttt
u trade jamal but not joke johnson? whatevaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
jamal > joke
Ra'mon
November 13th, 2010
9:04 pm
Nique, Jamal will never be even half the player Joe is. Because Jamal only plays on one side of the game, and that’s offense. Joe (by a wide margin) is the Hawks best perimeter defender. And he’s arguably the best perimeter defense in the division. While Jamal acts as if he’s allergic to defense. Jamal’s defense is so terrible he couldn’t guard a safe house with General Patton as his coach, and Colin Powell as his wing man. Jamal is so ignorant of HOW to play defense, the first time LD mentioned defense in training camp, Jamal pulled out his Home Depot savings card. When you’re a one dimensional player, you will never be considered a champion.
O'Brien
November 13th, 2010
9:08 pm
Ramon,
If Hawks were to trade horford and Jamal, in return, they would probably expect a legit all star PG, or a legit all star center.
I am cool with your trade of the day. And since dalembert is expiring, hawks can let him walk if they want.
If Garcia plays SG, we would need to sign a backup SF though, which would mean using up the 15th roster spot.
If Garcia plays SF, then that means more minutes for JS2 at SG.
Ramon
November 13th, 2010
9:19 pm
O’brien, Garcia is listed as a SG. However, he’s 6′7 with a long wingspan. And he’s a hustle player. So I couldn’t see him being any worse at the SF position than Evans (who isn’t a pushover himself). And I agree about Dalembert. He comes off the books. Takes a pay cut if he returns. And the Hawks front court is set for the next 3 seasons. Also as you said this will allow more time for JC2.
O'Brien
November 13th, 2010
10:40 pm
Ramon,
I would make that trade. Jamal has not bought into the motion offense, whereas Garcia likely will. Plus Damelbert is averaging 8 rebounds and 2 blocks per game in 24 minutes.
However, as with all these trades, it takes two teams to tango. And I just dont know if Sacramento will do it.
I think Rick messed up when he didnt trade Jamal after resigning JJ and drafting Jordan. And now we are forced to watch and wonder how the season will play out.
Big Ray
November 13th, 2010
10:52 pm
Al’s rebounding bothers me. I don’t know what his deal is. He’s slacking off in that area, while Josh is picking it up. Weird, but it is what it is.
Those missed free throws were absolute killers. Al’s were the worst, but you know it’s bad when other guys who are normally good at it, start missing them.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 13th, 2010
11:05 pm
The Hawks’ problems have more to do with mentality than they do with talent or scoring. Francisco Garcia would help on the wings, but he’s not going to change the mentality of the team.
I still like the Prince and Wallace for Jamal and Zaza idea (although the idea of any team taking on the remaining years of Zaza’s contract is laughable). Those two guys would come in here and instantly upgrade the mental toughness of the team.
Ra'mon
November 13th, 2010
11:38 pm
Najeh, I would love that deal also. Its just the make up of the trade partner. Detroit has Gordon still, where Sac has no scoring guard (Evans is great but not a pure scorer, just a straight baller, lol). Either trade makes the Hawks better defensively. Although I must say I like the idea of having Thompson backing up Josh, and having Powell being the reserve.
Melvin
November 14th, 2010
12:14 am
How you guys feel about a Jamal for Kirk Hinrich trade? I wonder if the Hawks would be willing to committ an extra year for Hinrich contract. However, I’m not sure if the Wizards would be willing to give up Hinrich but Jamal’s expiring contract may be enticing enough for them to pull the trigger.
cp
November 14th, 2010
1:08 am
I read that Jarret Jack is available. He is a guy a lot of folks on here wanted when Bibby was a free agent….
mykhalc
November 14th, 2010
1:46 am
break ‘em up!!! bad chemistry…unbalanced roster…NO LEADERS!!!! L.D. is only a partial fresh start. break ‘em up !! BUT before that PLEASE puts Marvin’s azz on the bench…PLEASE!!!! sad…really sad that the same discussions have carried over for 5 years on this blog!! NOTHIN’ has been fixed except gettin’ rid of Woodson…and that was 3yrs to late!!! SAD!!!!
superiorblogman
November 14th, 2010
2:26 am
Move the team out of Georgia. Too many devilish KKK remainders in Georgia to ever support basketball. They like football because they like to see blacks hurt each other. Rick Sund is a piece of shi… So, is the ASG. Move this piece of shi.. franchise out of Atlanta. They are done. They will lose to the Twolves 2morrow also because they are tired of each other and hate each other. Josh Smith is the main culprit. He wants to be the star so bad that he has turned into a hating little biatch.
oldtimer
November 14th, 2010
7:26 am
So while Hawks are losing at home, do fans start missing Woody? Is it better to win with the ISO heavy ball, or play like a real basketball team with a future while losing now?
My point is that Hawks fans have to have patience. For this team which relied for years on ISO ball, it is going to take time to even things out. Remember at the end Drew’s system makes Hawks a real basketball team, and the last 3-4 games don’t really count, as Hawks been playing with no small forward. Hang in there, as team adjusts to new style, and small forwards get healthy.
Go Hawks
steve
November 14th, 2010
8:14 am
marvin williams must have some naked picutures of some hawks staff members why is this dude allowed to just not do nothing for over 5yrs in the top basketball league in the world and be a starter thats why they can’t win you get nothing from the small forword spot.It;s just like having a weak hitting firstbaseman he;s not a nba player go over sea;s marvin get your game right.
Ramon
November 14th, 2010
8:51 am
By the way guys, Utah did the same thing to Charlotte last night. That’s five games in a row.
JeJe.
November 14th, 2010
9:33 am
THE WAY THIS TEAM PLAYS, IT WILL ALWAYS HAVE A CHANCE OF BEATING ANY TEAM IN THIS LEAGUE.
IT WILL ALSO HAVE A CHANCE OF LOSING TO ANY TEAM IN THIS LEAGUE THE WAY IT PLAYS DEFENSE
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS OF 2010-2011