Atlanta Hawks at Pistons: Handling biz against bad teams
Auburn Hills, Mich.–The Pistons are bad. Historically bad. Blowing-a-25-point-lead-to-the-Raptors-at-home-bad. So bad that Magic called them out when he was back in East Lansing the other day:
As for the current Pistons, Johnson said they were a long way from the teams he faced in consecutive NBA Finals in the late 1980s.
“Too many individuals,” Johnson said. “You have to get back to what made them great, and that’s defense and rebounding. … What we see now is a team that’s soft. People from Detroit and Michigan can accept losing, but not the way they’re losing.”
The Hawks should win this game and the temptation is to say it won’t tell us anything about them. But the thing the Hawks almost always do win this kind of game. Their troubles against the good teams have been well documented, and they have to start winning more games like Thursday in Boston to be considered legit contenders in the East. But until the Hawks figure that part out, there’s something to be said for handling their business against the league’s also-rans.
The Hawks have 12 Ws and just there Ls against teams that currently have losing records: Milwaukee, New Jersey and Phoenix. Of those teams, the Nets are the only squad with no real hope of turning things around.
So chances are the Hawks will handle Detroit tonight, then move on to the next one. That won’t earn accolades but neither should it be completely discounted.
Michael Cunningham
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328 comments Add your comment
bigdave
December 14th, 2010
8:43 pm
again..
Miami game.. Spur game
lewis
December 14th, 2010
8:43 pm
teague should not be on rip hamilton u cant realy blme him for that
bigdave
December 14th, 2010
8:43 pm
this one more so Miami..
trailing .. but dont get the feel you out of it..
SteveW
December 14th, 2010
8:43 pm
Rev – I think it’s good for Teague. Bad for the team though.
O'Brien
December 14th, 2010
8:44 pm
Josh is 2-7 from the field. And Jamal is 1-5 with 2 assists.
That’s the bad with jamal. When he is off, he is bad in every way…
Wabe
December 14th, 2010
8:45 pm
Watching the Hawks night after night gets straight up frustrating…
They can play so well and earn the praise of everybody for fighting hard in games vs. San Antonio.
Then they follow it up by playing a pathetic 1st half against the lowly Pistons.
Damien
December 14th, 2010
8:48 pm
The offense in that first half was absolutely horrid. Too many guys who aren’t that great offensively were trying to do too much. Too many hero plays by Josh, too much 1 vs. 1 by Jamal. Too many shots for our role players, and not enough in the paint. We need to get some post-ups for Al going. Also, where the hell is the pick and pop or the pick and roll? I’m guessing that the main reason why we didn’t see many plays run was due to the fact that Bibby missed a lot of the first half with foul trouble. Even though Bibby is a liability on defense, he at least knows how to run plays and how to get the ball to Al to high percentage shots, as well as how to keep the ball away from Jamal or Josh when they are trying to be heroes. On the defensive end, L.D. really needs to stop putting smaller, slower guys on Rip. He can just shoot right over them, or blow by them. It’s just a bad idea. The team needs to get it together quick, because they are letting the Pistons make them look like a d-league team with all of the bonehead plays and lack of execution.
Rev in Tampa
December 14th, 2010
8:48 pm
I am a poor shooter from outside the paint so I don’t know how difficult it is to adjust your shot. What I am seeing from Jamal is that he is consistently hitting the back of the rim.
lewis
December 14th, 2010
8:54 pm
its all in the legs jamal just isn’t loose at all
stretch the dude or something he’s not explosive tonight
Ronald D.
December 14th, 2010
8:55 pm
The Hawks are getting beaten significantly on the glass. The pistons hold a 19-12 advantage, and a lot of that has to do with the bad shot selection. So many times in that quarter, I saw Josh try some extremely low percentage post-ups with no one else even having a chance to get close enough to be in rebound position. Also, Jamal’s shot selection was pretty bad too, and Mo Evans and Zaza pachulia basically just need to stop shooting the ball, altogether, unless they have a wide open layup (in Zaza’s case, even is he has a wide open layup, he might get blocked by the rim). Maybe the Hawks should give Powell a few minutes, since Jordan Crawford is inactive, just for a change of pace. With Josh and Jamal out of the game, I think we may be able to run an actual structured play.
Chillin on paradise island.
December 14th, 2010
8:55 pm
sigh…….At least we got the Falcons. They are the last hope for an Atlanta sports championship. The hawks biggest mistake was the resigning of Joe johnson. Unfortunately its gonna haunt them for the next 6 six years.
Andy
December 14th, 2010
8:57 pm
We’re down by 12 at halftime to the pistons!? Are you kidding me? Talk about a Jeckyll and Hyde team. This is insane.
Rev in Tampa
December 14th, 2010
8:57 pm
Hawks are on pace to score less than 80
YoDaddy
December 14th, 2010
8:57 pm
hawks looking like trash
JeJe
December 14th, 2010
9:04 pm
LOL @ Marvin.
*Post up, 2 dribbles, strip*
Melvin
December 14th, 2010
9:04 pm
Take Mo out right now…
Rev in Tampa
December 14th, 2010
9:06 pm
Marvin = 16 minutes = 1 point
JeJe
December 14th, 2010
9:06 pm
how is this team supposed to get off to good starts WHEN IT HAS 3 STIFFS STARTING RIGHT NOW
BIBBY, MO, AND MARVIN CAN WE GET SOME DAMN PRODUCTION FROM U PATHETIC EXCUSES FOR BASKETBALL PLAYERS?
MARVIN U ARE A PATHETIC JOKE
JeJe
December 14th, 2010
9:07 pm
JAMAL DAMIEN SMOOVE HORFORD AND POWELL SHOULD BE OUR LINEUP AT THE END OF THE GAME. WHERE THE HELL IS POWELL
Rev in Tampa
December 14th, 2010
9:07 pm
At least the Pistons are cold in their shooting.
{MAC-Town Georgia 478}
December 14th, 2010
9:08 pm
nice run
Melvin
December 14th, 2010
9:08 pm
Here comes the Hawks….
JeJe
December 14th, 2010
9:08 pm
TOLD U ALL WE’D DOMINATE THIS QUARTER. WHY DOES IT ALWAYS COME TO THIS THOUGH? DOMINATE FROM THE START
Rev in Tampa
December 14th, 2010
9:08 pm
The Hawks are not playing appreciably better this half. The Pistons are just playing like the Pistons normally play.
O'Brien
December 14th, 2010
9:09 pm
Great ball movement by the Hawks. Good finish by Josh, and then good 3 by Marvin next time down.
That is what was missing in the first half. Could it be that LD makes adjustments at half time? Something we didnt see much of from Woody…
Jae Evolution
December 14th, 2010
9:09 pm
This team is..crazy, man they play so terrible and can completely turn around all their mistakes in 2 minutes? WOW
Sautee
December 14th, 2010
9:10 pm
Rev,
Excellent point.
O'Brien
December 14th, 2010
9:12 pm
Why cant these Hawks set screens?
It seems to me that they are called for an illegal screen every game.
JeJe
December 14th, 2010
9:13 pm
WAKE UP DAMNIT
Melvin
December 14th, 2010
9:13 pm
Hawks made their run by attacking the paint now they are going back to jump shots…SMH…
JeJe
December 14th, 2010
9:15 pm
iS IT MANDATORY WE GET 2 MOVING SCREENS A GAME? JESUS
EVERY DAMN GAME
ITS A HORFOD MOVING SCREEN
HOW HARD IS IT TO NOT SET A MOVING SCREEN
WE’RE PLAYING 2 ON 5 RIGHT NOW. HORFORD AND JOSH ARE THE ONLY PLAYERS WORTH A DAMN IN THIS GAME
JeJe
December 14th, 2010
9:16 pm
THIS IS A DISGRACE
MARVIN U ARE PATHETIC GARBAGE
JeJe
December 14th, 2010
9:17 pm
STOP LEAVING RIP HAMILTON OPEN
Rev in Tampa
December 14th, 2010
9:20 pm
Everytime I started to give a complement to the Hawks, they did something stupid before I could finish typing the sentence so I had to keep erasing it.
Blast
December 14th, 2010
9:20 pm
What Hawks have to do to get the NBA refs respect?
Win the East?
Can we get a call versus the horrible Pistons, please?
JeJe
December 14th, 2010
9:21 pm
damnit Al U HAVE 4 SECONDS. DONT PASS IT TO DAMN BIBBY SO HE TAKES ANOTHER BS SHOT
Melvin
December 14th, 2010
9:22 pm
Jamal is struggling….
O'Brien
December 14th, 2010
9:22 pm
Jamal is out cold…
pinoy hawk
December 14th, 2010
9:23 pm
box out!!!!
Rev in Tampa
December 14th, 2010
9:23 pm
Great d by Wilkins, but Jamal is off tonight. Mo is shooting better than Jamal tonight.
Rev in Tampa
December 14th, 2010
9:24 pm
Bibby putting the team on his back.
Melvin
December 14th, 2010
9:24 pm
Damien is a madman on defense….
JeJe
December 14th, 2010
9:24 pm
JUST STEAL THIS GAME AND GET OUTTA MO-TOWN
GOD WE LOOK AWFUL
lewis
December 14th, 2010
9:25 pm
Wilkins has played worth a damn. he’s played legit, pest D.
Sautee
December 14th, 2010
9:26 pm
Jamal is useless if he’s not shooting well.
JeJe
December 14th, 2010
9:26 pm
CMON DAMIEN SHOOT THAT
Hawks vs Pistons
December 14th, 2010
9:26 pm
Hawks Bench needs to do a better job, bench scoring is pretty much the difference in this game. Det. has more points off the bench than the Hawks do.
Need to do a better job of getting rebounds and get the bench involved during the 4th
JeJe
December 14th, 2010
9:27 pm
That D u just saw Damien play on Rip he could play on anyone in this league…Wade, Kobe, LeBron.
Keep this guy and let him start over Marvin damnit. Let Mo sit until he promises to actually contribute
JeJe
December 14th, 2010
9:27 pm
Jamal’s back is hurting.
!@#$
JeJe
December 14th, 2010
9:28 pm
If Jamal God Forbid goes down, we are screwed