Atlanta Hawks at Raptors: No Canada
Long and boring story short: I didn’t make it to Toronto. Neither did Etan, who apparently couldn’t get out of his ‘hood. Marvin’s sore back didn’t allow didn’t make the trip, either.
I plan to watch the game on TV and then post some analysis here. Until then, here is some Hawks-related linkage:
Hollinger cautions: “‘good’ here is relative — none of these teams is going to win the championship, and it’s likely that none will even host a first-round playoff series. Nonetheless, there’s an interesting story brewing with several clubs that have been well off the league’s radar since early in the season, and it’s high time we revisited them” Says Hollinger:
“Especially noticeable is that there’s far better ball movement than in the “iso-Joe” offense under Mike Woodson. But perhaps more important is that the Hawks’ formerly shambolic transition D has significantly improved now that they’re not sending the entire team to the offensive glass. . . . This team remains flawed — it’s basically four good players and a whole lot of filler — but has coped with injuries surprisingly well. . . . As a result, the Hawks are on the upswing.”
“Makes sense since: A) He was the only capable scorer for many of the past 7 seasons. B) One must gobble up possessions to achieve such heights, usually, and Johnson was/is the alpha dog in terms of possession usage, so it would be difficult for another player to sneak in there unless Joe was injured and that player took his possessions.”
MC
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332 comments Add your comment
jason
January 12th, 2011
9:31 pm
hawks win!!
Najeh Davenpoop
January 12th, 2011
9:32 pm
That was a little too close.
O'Brien
January 12th, 2011
9:32 pm
I forgot PJ Carlisemo (sp) was still in the league.
Hawks, we still need more consistent play. but we’ll take the win.
Blast
January 12th, 2011
9:32 pm
Tough road win, but a good one!
bigdave
January 12th, 2011
9:32 pm
monster games from Joe and Jamal
Sautee
January 12th, 2011
9:33 pm
No matter the quality of the opposition, road wins are like GOLD!
Najeh Davenpoop
January 12th, 2011
9:33 pm
“I forgot PJ Carlisemo (sp) was still in the league.”
Me too. Didn’t realize he was on Toronto’s staff. I guess now we know why they choked.
Melvin
January 12th, 2011
9:33 pm
Let’s get the hell out of Toronto…
Sautee
January 12th, 2011
9:37 pm
“Jameer Johnson”. Poor ole Nique.
At least he didn’t call them “the Rapners” tonight (unlike the earlier game against them).
Rev in Tampa
January 12th, 2011
9:40 pm
Hawks are tied with Chicago in the east since they lost tonight. If Orlando loses, and they are behind in the third quarter, there will be a three-way tie for third in the east.
Ramon
January 12th, 2011
9:41 pm
Didn’t see the game. From the look of the box score, Jamal played great, Joe played good, Al played sufficient (yet passive), Josh and Bibby sucked, and played like their games were left snowed in back in Atlanta. Great to see the team get a win. Also, if Wilkins stop being so passive on the offensive end, and choose to attack, he will be way better of an option than Mo in the playoffs.
Ramon
January 12th, 2011
9:42 pm
O’Brien, am I the only one who thinks AI2 is very similar to Sprewell? lol
O'Brien
January 12th, 2011
9:43 pm
“I forgot PJ Carlisemo (sp) was still in the league.”
Me too. Didn’t realize he was on Toronto’s staff. I guess now we know why they choked. Najeh .
That’s funny lol.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 12th, 2011
9:43 pm
51 shots from Joe, Jamal, and Bibby… 29 shots from everyone else.
Hawks need more offensive balance than that. They let the Raptors get back in the game by going away from their inside game.
O'Brien
January 12th, 2011
9:44 pm
I’ve been on the trade Jamal bandwagon, but when he plays like this, wow. It makes it almost impossible to trade him.
LD calls him “a coach’s dream”. If Jamal continues to play like this, and potentially wins SMOY again, can the Hawks afford to let him walk (especially if he plays well in the playoffs)?
Sautee
January 12th, 2011
9:45 pm
Kudos to LD for having his best defensive lineup in at the end.
We now have the same record as last year after 40 games. Considering how many games have been missed for injuries, not at all bad.
Jae Evolution
January 12th, 2011
9:54 pm
@ Sautee
Was our road record positive at this point last season, if you know?
O'Brien
January 12th, 2011
9:55 pm
Sautee,
We’ve also had more back to back games this season (if I’m not mistaken).
Marvin is on SS again. I think “it was not a bad pick” called in and requested it
@ Ramon,
I’m not a fan of Mo Evans, but he has been knocking down a few shots of late. And I think JJ at SF, Mo Evans at SG, and Jamal at PG might be one of LD’s lineups at times.
Ramon
January 12th, 2011
9:57 pm
O’Brien, I think if Jamal plays like this, it makes it more important to move Bibby during the off season. You can’t go forward having that much money in the back court, when Joe is the only one who can defend. Do you think Jamal would be willing to take a pay cut, similar to 3 years for $23 mil, with a team option for a 4th.
Melvin
January 12th, 2011
9:57 pm
OB,
I think its time to abandon the trade Jamal bandwagon. He provides too much offensively for this team. We may need to look at other options to upgrade this team…
drmaryb (*_*)
January 12th, 2011
9:57 pm
Sound Bite!
Josh’s sound bite has been played so much, I am hearing it in my sleep.
________________
It really irks me when Josh said this:
“How really far can we go?”
Uugghh! I only wish he said:
How far can we really go?
_______________________
ECF?
Championship Game 7?
Why not us?
Melvin
January 12th, 2011
9:59 pm
Ramon,
Agree with your 9:57 post…
Hoops
January 12th, 2011
10:03 pm
Good road win by the Hawks!
I read a rumor that says the Hawks are interested in trading for Steve Nash. Does anyone have any insight on this rumor?
Ramon
January 12th, 2011
10:04 pm
Does Marvin gets injured intentionally? Does his agent know the Hawks want to trade him, so every season after playing consistently for more than 6 games, he advices him to get injured? The smart GMs know never to trade for a player who’s on the trainer’s table more than he’s on the court. Are GMs really going to want to take a risk on Marvin after his documented problems with his back? I can’t recall a single player who’s had so many issues with their back, and came back to not be effected by their backs throughout their careers. More and more it seems like we’re stuck with Marvin for another 2 seasons minimum.
Joe Black
January 12th, 2011
10:07 pm
The Hawks played pretty badly in this game. Josh took a ton of awful shots and once again took way more shots than he should have taken. Joe was so-so, but did a bit too much ball hogging when things got tight. Thank goodness for those big rebounds by our bigs near the end on the awful shots by Jamal and Joe. Those final plays by Bibby and Al were really huge. I’m glad things went the Hawks way in the end.
Now, with that being said, I was severely disappointed by the way the Hawks played tonight. I’m completely blown away and disgusted by the fact that Al only had 7 field goal attempts for the game. He was open several times and was calling for the ball in the post, meanwhile his teammates continuously went away from him. This is getting to be purely disrespectful. Al deserves a much larger role in the offense. He’s already proven that he can carry a larger offensive load, and he shouldn’t be treated like the team janitor. He had a very good all-around game tonight, but was not rewarded with field goal attempts at all. I’m sick of watching Al get treated like some rookie roleplayer or like he’s Marcus Camby and is incapable of scoring and only out there for defense and rebounding. This guy is an integral part of the team, and I firmly believe that the Hawks would be far worse without him on the roster. Either start using him effectively and give the man some respect, or trade him to a team that will appreciate him. There are tons of other teams out there that would love to have him.
drmaryb (*_*)
January 12th, 2011
10:08 pm
A Nail in the Coffin!
Charles Barkley would have said: A nail in the coffee … Would that be a Rusty Nail? (an alcoholic beverage).
_____________________
Ramon surmised:
“Josh and Bibby sucked, and played like their games were left snowed in back in Atlanta. ”
___________________________
Ugh Ramon dear, Bibby put the nail in the coffin tonight. He signed sealed and delivered this game to the win column. He fired the shot that was heard around the world. His three point shot was a walk off home run!
Don’t get it twisted little man. Bibby made an IMPACT play that determined the outcome of the game!
Since you didn’t see the game? Just sit back and listen, learn.
__________________________
drmaryb (*_*)
January 12th, 2011
10:18 pm
Passing Through!
Ramon, Josh made some terrific and unbelievable passes to help his team win. His shot was not falling, but he made a big three and played terrific all around, he encouraged his team mates and was very supportive to them.
Now you know!
We used to find ways to lose these games and now we are winning them. Drew is teaching this team how to win in a variety of ways! We should NEVER apologize for a win, road or a home. A one point win counts the same as a 30 point win. You didn’t see the Celtics apologizing when the beat the Knicks by one point on the road. Paul Pierce did a victory lap around MSG like Jeff George did in the Georgia Dome when his team came back to Atlanta and won a game that he didn’t even play one snap in.
Let’s Go Hawks! Beat ‘Em All! The Good, The Bad and The Ugly!
I wouldn’t be mad if The Hawks beat a Grandmother right now.
(some Grannys are really mean.). Just kidding.
O'Brien
January 12th, 2011
10:22 pm
Ramon, Melvin,
With Jamal playing this well, I dont think the Hawks can trade him now. And I dont know if he will give them a hometown discount at the end of the season. He asked them for a contract, and they refused, so he said he will not give them a deal.
Over the offseason, if they want to resign Jamal, they may have to trade Josh Smith for a legit starting center. Their lineup would be New Center/Al/Marvin/JJ/Bibby.
I dont think trading Bibby will bring us much in return, because the bad teams will want to play their young guy to bring them along, and the good teams will not start Bibby (he will probably come off the bench for them).
Would the Mavericks dare let Chandler go? i think he would be the kind of starting center we need.
Ron
January 12th, 2011
10:23 pm
I have some more good news. The Magic look like they may lose tonight, which would drop their record to 25-13. That would put them in a virtual tie with Atlanta’s 26-14 record for second in the southeast division. They are down by 2 right now to the Hornets in New Orleans with 43 seconds left and the Hornets have possession of the ball.
Ron
January 12th, 2011
10:25 pm
Oh, and on top of a potential Magic loss, the Bulls lost to Charlotte. Hooray! I’m sick of hearing about the Bulls.
SteveW
January 12th, 2011
10:28 pm
Keeping Jamal is next to impossible because of the cap. We have 64+ mill. committed next season to 9 players. We would have to trade Marvin for an expiring contract like Nocini from the Sixers to afford him. Or Bibby, but Bibby only has 1 season left on his contract, so the savings just wouldn’t be there.
But Crawford is looking awfully indispensible right now. On fire! SMOY is now his for the taking, over Jason Terry.
Melvin
January 12th, 2011
10:28 pm
Ron,
Paul missed a FT that would have put the Hornets up by 4. Next play down Turk ties the game with a 3pt shot… Overtime…
MsDee
January 12th, 2011
10:29 pm
I’m not disagreeing with those who say Horford should have taken more shots than some others BUT Horford was OFF TONIGHT!! He wasn’t even looking for his 15-20ft-er tonight. AL is SUCH a professional though that he realized that he was OFF and NEVER forced anything, nor complained..he just continued to look for Jamal and set screens for him for open shots. Im not worried about AL, as long as he does the other little things in the game, I’M CONTENT!!
Ron
January 12th, 2011
10:30 pm
Melvin,
Yeah, that’s disappointing. But, there’s still a chance that the Hornets can come out with a victory in that game. Hopefully, they can keep it together during the OT.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 12th, 2011
10:30 pm
“Charles Barkley would have said: A nail in the coffee”
Nique would have said “a dagger in the coffin”.
Ron
January 12th, 2011
10:32 pm
MsDee,
How exactly was Horford “off” tonight? He was 5-7 from the field and hit the mid-range shot that he took. He only had 1 miss that even looked off. The first miss rimmed out. He didn’t seem to be looking for the 15-20 footer much, but I don’t think it had anything to do with him being off. He was very efficient shooting the ball. I think him taking fewer shots had to do with the offense that the Hawks were running and the zone defense that Toronto was using.
SteveW
January 12th, 2011
10:33 pm
The Nets and Nuggets are looking for takers for Devin Harris in the ‘Melo trade that may go down. He’s got about 2.5 years left, at 9 mill. per. Bibby and Mo’ and a couple of 2nd picks may be enough to get us into this trade if the Nuggets would take Bibby to play behind Ty Lawson. Harris’ 3rd year may be a deal breaker for ASG however.
Ugly win tonite BTW, but the line was only Hawks by 4.
Rev in Tampa
January 12th, 2011
10:33 pm
Ron, sorry to disappoint regarding Magic. They hit several 3’s in a row and hornets missed their free throws so the Magic tied it with a three with 6 seconds. They are now in overtime. At least the Magic are on the road.
In overtime the Hornets cant throw the ball in the ocean. Magic up by 1.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 12th, 2011
10:36 pm
The “trade Jamal” bandwagon has NEVER been about him or his quality of play. It has always been about what he’s worth vs. the Hawks’ cap situation. It never would have come to this if Marvin, Bibby, and Zaza weren’t signed to contracts that pay them double what they are worth. If the Hawks could trade some combination of those three for more productive, properly paid players, I’d much rather see that happen and see Jamal get extended. If that can’t happen, the chances of the Hawks extending Jamal – after drafting Jordan to take over his spot — seem pretty slim. If Jamal is not going to get extended, the Hawks may as well cash in his expiring contract to improve other areas of the team.
If I’m wrong and the DASG is planning to extend Jamal, obviously things change. In that case, the Hawks should try to dump Jordan and some combination of those three for a point guard upgrade or a perimeter defender.
MsDee
January 12th, 2011
10:37 pm
@Ron,
AL may have been 5-7 from the field but we ALL know that Horford’s bread and butter is his 15fter which he didnt even look toward since he was being guarded tight. My point of the matter IS he never forces anything even when the ball comes to him ever now and then. Horford is a TRUE professional and I love that in him!!
Brandon
January 12th, 2011
10:37 pm
“Nique would have said ‘a dagger in the coffin’.” – Najeh
LOL, I love that quote by ‘Nique. It’s especially funny when you think about who in the world stick a dagger in a coffin. Obviously, ‘Nique is confused between saying that a shot is a “dagger” and a shot putting the “nail in the coffin”.
At any rate, ‘Nique is hilarious. I love his crazy quotes. Nimbers, Hibbits (Hibbert), Mah-ha-bootay (Mbah a Moute), etc. Classic stuff. ‘Nique is a big part of the entertainment during the games.
Melvin
January 12th, 2011
10:38 pm
Rev,
Thronton just made a big shot for the Hornets to take a 1pt lead with 30seconds remaining.
Ramon
January 12th, 2011
10:39 pm
Drmaryb, I stated “From the look of the box score, Jamal played great, Joe played good, Al played sufficient (yet passive), Josh and Bibby sucked, and played like their games were left snowed in back in Atlanta.” I clearly stated looking at the game statistics, that is how it seems the individuals played. Bibby went 2 for 6 from beyond the arc (2-8 overall). One PLAY never is the reason for the result of the game. If Bibby was 1 for 1 in the last minute of the game, that still doesn’t change the fact that if he (or Josh) would’ve had a better shooting night, they wouldn’t have been in the position for it to be so close late in the game, possibly. I also said it was ‘great to see the team get the win’. I know just as well as anyone that Atlanta would’ve lost this kind of game before.
Ron
January 12th, 2011
10:41 pm
MsDee,
I definitely agree that Al is a professional. He’s one of the most mature players I have ever watched, and is definitely a coach’s dream. Not many players would be content doing all the dirty work and sometimes getting overlooked on the offensive end, despite having a lot of offensive skill, yet Horford never seems to complain or be bothered by that. I’m very impressed by that.
Melvin
January 12th, 2011
10:42 pm
LOL…. Howard missed both his freethrows with 9 seconds left. Magic still down by 1pt..
Najeh Davenpoop
January 12th, 2011
10:43 pm
Dwight just missed two free throws which would have given the Magic a lead with ten seconds left. Hornets have the ball with a one point lead. A Magic loss ties the Hawks for third place in the East.
Ron
January 12th, 2011
10:43 pm
Wow, this Magic-Hornets game is really coming down to the wire. Neither team has been able to pull away. The Hornets really need to put the “dagger in the coffin”.
SteveW
January 12th, 2011
10:44 pm
O’Brien – The Mavs are shopping Haywood, not Chandler. Chandler is being called the best C that Dirk has played beside in 13 seasons in the League. Dirk credits him with the Mavs great play this year. I don’t think he’s going anywhere anytime soon.
Now in this Melo trade that may go down, we could resign Jamal and get Harris if these teams would let us give somebody Marvin, Mo’, and Bibby. Maybe have Detroit throw in TMac, a vet minimum guy, and then sign Jerry Stackhouse, Rodney Carney, or Jarvis Hayes for that last spot.
Could TMac and Stackhouse/Hayes/Carney take Mo’ and Marvin’s place and do equally well I think is the question? We would also still have Wilkens at the 2/3 also.
ant banks
January 12th, 2011
10:45 pm
Najeh Davenpoop
January 12th, 2011
9:33 pm
“I forgot PJ Carlisemo (sp) was still in the league.”
Me too. Didn’t realize he was on Toronto’s staff. I guess now we know why they choked.
omg!! lol
drmaryb (*_*)
January 12th, 2011
10:46 pm
Joe said it!
Ms. Dee!
Excellent analysis of Horford’s terrific game tonight. He made the defensive play of the game! Joe said in one of his rare interviews last week, that, in this motion offense everyone has a chance to shine and be the game’s MVP. Joe said, teams can’t just focus on stopping one player to win and that the Hawks are a 5 man attack team now. (paraphrased by me)