Hawks 99, Wizards 92
Greetings-
A good enough effort, with a strong game from Josh Smith, did the job against Washington.
A couple numbers jump out – first, the Hawks were 26 for 35 from the free-throw line, while the Wizards were 8 for 18. I think Washington got a little jobbed with foul calls, but, regardless, 35 free throws says something about a team’s aggressiveness in going to the basket, something we haven’t seen a ton of on a consistent basis lately.
Hawks free throws for the last 10 games – 12, 20, 14, 11, 23, 23, 23, 22, 9, 13. Notably, the Hawks took (and made) 13 free throws in the fourth, when in recent games they’ve resorted to jump shots. I’m going to guess that’s a season high for the fourth quarter.
“Going down the stretch, we talked about it being a possession game, meaning on every possession we’ve got to come away with the shot that we want,” Larry Drew said.
- Terrific game from Smith. He played well in the post, taking Andray Blatche’s lunch money, and I thought was pretty good distributing the ball, better than his two assists would indicate.
“Smoove picked up the slack, had an unbelievable game,” Joe Johnson said.
Said Drew, “I thought he did a magnificent job in his post-ups. He made some passes out of the post and got to the basket a couple times for some three-point plays. I just thought he played a well-rounded game.”
Another quote from Johnson about the Smith-Blatche matchup: “When you’ve got something that’s working, you’ve got to milk it. That hasn’t always been the case for us this year. I just kept telling Mike (Bibby) and Jamal (Crawford), ‘Just keep going to him because he’s in a rhythm.”
- Drew made comments about Smith’s shot selection that were interesting. “The third quarter, we got into a situation where we were taking some ill-advised shots, and him in particular, and he knows that I’m going to stay on him about his shot selection. I do feel very comfortable with Josh Smith taking the jump shot, it’s when he takes it that I have a problem with, but he and I, we’re going to battle that all year long, but we’re on the same page. We’re on the same page with it.”
Smith did have one particularly egregious shot, I thought, about halfway through the third quarter, a fadeaway near the lane that, if memory serves, went off the backboard. Zaza Pachulia rebounded it and got fouled, which minimized the error. He then hit a jump shot, missed another, then airballed one from the corner. After that, he took Blatche to the basket, had a vicious dunk, and then Crawford went on his personal 6-0 run at the end of the third.
That said, I thought Smith’s shot selection was by and large was acceptable. For what it’s worth, Drew’s tone when he said that was even and not challenging.
- Strong minutes from Damien Wilkins. Six big points in the fourth quarter and good defense.
Smith: “Every time he gets the opportunity to play, he does something good on the court. He definitely came in in the fourth quarter and gave us some big points and was pretty much able to hold (Nick) Young down on his own.”
- Pachulia held his own, drawing some fouls and scoring seven points with four rebounds. He’s 2-0 this season as a starter. He helped the Hawks get the early lead, which they held for nearly the whole game.
- Not the most important aspect of the game, but Bibby shot better – 2-for-3 from 3-point range – and did alright against John Wall. Notably, he drew two or maybe three fouls on him, which helped limit Wall to 32 minutes. (Kirk Hinrich’s effectiveness probably had something to do with that, too. When did he start wearing those glasses?)
- Hawks have won three in a row with a chance to make it six with Philadelphia, Charlotte and Detroit up next followed by a bit of a rough patch. Ten of the next 12 after that have winning records, including two with the Lakers, Knicks and Bulls, as well as Oklahoma City.
- They’re also now 12-4 on the second game of back-to-backs, which is ridiculous, and 16-11 on the road. I’ll have to dig in the media guide to find out the last time they finished above .500 on the road for the season.
- That’s all.
Ken Sugiura, Hawks writer
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106 comments Add your comment
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
February 6th, 2011
6:18 pm
lol at blog imposters and trolls
RLP
February 6th, 2011
6:45 pm
As a fan I am excited because with Orlando’s loss to Boston and the Chicago loss to the Warriors I can see the Hawks pulling away from the Magic and overcoming the Bulls to take the third slot in the East. WI’ll it happen? Who knows but as a fan of the Hawks that is my hope.
I was never as opposed to BWAF as some on this blog. But based on what I have seen so far this season I think LD is definitely an upgrade.
Ra'mon
February 6th, 2011
10:02 pm
Sautee, I’m watching the game so will respond to the entire post later. But the stat about JC1 being the only one to score more than 30 points more than once is a lie. Joe has scored over 30 5 times this season.
O'Brien
February 6th, 2011
10:15 pm
Doc,
I was a big fan of Thibodeau, and I was hoping he would get an interview. But like you said, who knows if he had any interest in the Hawks. Because the Bulls were a better destination since they had the chance to potentially acquire LeBron, Wade, or JJ.
Plus Bulls dont have 8 different owners.
Good weekend for the Hawks. Bulls lose, and Orlando lose. So now the Hawks are 3 games behind the Bulls in the loss column, and 2 games in front of the Magic in the loss column.
Ra'mon
February 6th, 2011
10:20 pm
Sautee, JC has had 11 games where he scored 10 points or less, and 5 more games where he scored 11 points. JC has also had 24 games where he shot under 40% for the game. That is to go along with 6 games where he’s had 4 or more turnovers. Keep in mind, JC has only played in 45 games this season. So over half of the games he’s played in he’s shot less than 40%. This is the pure offensive player on the Hawks. JC has only had 13 games with 20 or more points this season. Lets rewind, that is 11 games under 16 games with 11 or fewer points, and 13 games with 20 or more points. This is to go along with the minimum impact JC provides on the defensive end. JC is not a core player.
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
February 7th, 2011
1:00 am
@ doc “just the same their projected first team for the season is yet to play more than 9 games together and that was with noah already injured ”
Cannot argue that that’s not impressive and TT is of course a defensive mastermind – a guy the hawks could have desperately used. That being said these 3 games are some of the most important games of the season. If we slow down Rose – somehow, they can be had.
drmaryb (*_*)
February 7th, 2011
7:52 am
Ra’mon
“But the stat about JC1 being the only one to score more than 30 points more than once is a lie. Joe has scored over 30 5 times this season.”
—————–
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe Sautee was comparing Jamal’s 30 pt scoring stats to that of bench players – not Joe Johnson. If, Jamal scores 20 points 11 times? That is a phenomenal feat within itself. So, what is your point really? Are you sumizing that Jamal is not part of this team’s core?
Who really knows what ASKG means when they say “core” since they have never come forward to list who they consider “core”. We can only assume they
are referring to Joe, Josh, Al and Marvin. Anyone else is speculative on the fans part. If they resign Jamal, then we can assume he is included in that core.
TT refused to interview with New Orleans, who knows if he ever considered The Hawks. As far as ASKG having 8 owners compared to The Bulls Group?
The Bulls Group is more meddlesome and has proven to be a worse group than the Hawks and Clippers combined. Reports say that Vinny DelNegro was literally sucker punched in the mouth and chest in their corporate offices, because he played Noah too many minutes in a return game from a foot injury ast season. Talk about micro-management? Vinny called upstairs for permission to put Noah in the game itself. Then got reamed for going over his allowable minutes, even though Noah insisted on playing those extra minutes.
Let’s not forget that the Bully Owner actually took credit for the Six Championships that we all saw Jordan and Pippen deliver him. Jordan left that team due to infighting, disrespect and discord only to retire and go play baseball for the Sox, and was forced to go play for the Wizards after that 6th Championship. DWade accused The Bulls of having NO LOYALTY to their franchise Stars just this past FA period and never considered playing for them prior to LeBron heading to Miami. Pippen was never offered employment from the Bulls, even though he was having financial turmoil this past year. Just recently Pippen was offered a accepted a job with that org.
The Bulls owner(s) is/are gawd-awful!
drmaryb (*_*)
February 7th, 2011
8:07 am
Put Joe and Damien on rose, trap him, double him and zone defense him. Al and Josh will man-handle Boozer and Noah. Hit Noah on his hand, key in on that thumb and bend it backwards. Step on his foot – hard, stomp on it!
And Hawks Win!
lewis
February 7th, 2011
8:08 am
So, anyone else have the realization that Marv played better as a stretch 4?
Jamal/Joe/Marvin/Josh/AL
LOL @ OUR 3 PF 2 SG LINEUP
lewis
February 7th, 2011
8:09 am
And Josh was phenomenal at the 5
That was the best game he’s played in recent memory, he was in beast mode
Trojan
February 7th, 2011
8:12 am
I have always liked Marvin to play a few minutes at the 4 each game.
slimjr
February 7th, 2011
8:49 am
Enter your comments here
slimjr
February 7th, 2011
9:02 am
Calm down Ken,the Hawks are only 8-11 against teams above .500. That alone should show concern…Gives one a clue on how they will perform in the playoffs,PLAYOFFS? Where everbody are above .500..Also the Hawks schedule after the break will intensify, so their true “color” should emerge. We will find out if the Hawks are true contenders in the East or busters over the next couple months. Glad I’m not a betting man…..lol
slimjr
February 7th, 2011
9:05 am
The Hawks must concentrate on REBOUNDING the basketball…..28th will not cut it..All the bigs should practice rebound drills along with the guards….. Come on LD earn your check!
slimjr
February 7th, 2011
9:10 am
When you guys have some time check out a guy named “Brian Tuohy”. He wrote a book called “The Fix is in”.. Eye opening stuff about our beloved professional sports……
KevinM
February 7th, 2011
9:58 am
Marvin at the 4…well, guess Josh Powell’s days are numbered.
The BK/Woody/Larry/Sund model of interchangeable parts…will this ever end?
Its all about the playoffs in this city, and while these wins keep them in the top 4 seeds, for a core that has been together so long, they should be up in the Top 2 at this stage when you look at their SOS so far this year. Chicago and Miami has blown by the ATL core and IMO the Hawks have this playoff stint to prove their value as a unit.
Rufus1
February 7th, 2011
10:13 am
I want the ECF….
I don’t care how well we play against the west because I don’t think we have the depth to win a title.
I do believe we have a very good chance to make it to the ECF and this is why……
2-1 vs Magic
1-1 vs Heat
2-0 vs Knicks
0-2 vs Celtics
0-0 vs Bulls
These teams are our true opponents and we can beat anyone of them. The only reason losing to the west matters to me…. it prevents us from getting closer to one of the top 2 seeds.
Rufus1
February 7th, 2011
10:19 am
Bibby Critic…
I have been one of the BIGGER Bibby critics on this blog and I stand by everything I have said…. But I did not wish this kind of shooting slump on him, because I think we need his shooting to make it to the ECF…
So Bibby I am praying that you find your “stroke”(moment of silence)….AMEN.
KevinM
February 7th, 2011
10:32 am
Rufus, I think we will improve our record against the Celtics….it seems like we have ways to finally compete with Orlando and Larry has made adjustments unlike his predecessor.
Will it be enough in a 7 game series though?
I don’t see why we can’t play well against Chicago as well, but if they beat us, it will be because of Bibster and his limitations. I think Joe gets the assignment, but I don’t think he wants to play tough defense an entire game.
I don’t see us with an advantage over Miami at all going forward. If you want to see the Heatles in action, you better get the March tix. I don’t expect to see them play much in April after sewing up a 1 or 2 seed.
The rest of the month in Feb is about to challenge the core: 5/7 road games West to end the month.
JeJe
February 7th, 2011
11:11 am
FIRE SUND
Sautee
February 7th, 2011
11:18 am
Ramon and drmaryb,
Y’all are mixed up. I didn’t post anything about JC1 and 30 point games. I believe that was “sleepy”. No problem, but it “weren’t me” as they say up here in the hills.
Rufus1
February 7th, 2011
11:20 am
KevinM
I don’t think we will lose to the Magic or Bulls in the 1st round…I think the Bulls will be a tougher match-up, but I still think we will win…because we have been their and will there be no mental lapses.
If we get the 4th or 5th seed we may get Boston in the 2nd round and I think we can beat them. I also think we match-up well with the Heat and I think the difference will be Jamal and Marvin. The games against the Heat neither team was completely healthy, so I hoping the next 2 will give a true barometer.
So I am very confident in this years team.
Sautee
February 7th, 2011
11:22 am
KevinM,
about this: “I think Joe gets the assignment, but I don’t think he wants to play tough defense an entire game.”
Kevin, don’t you think that ANY Hawk on the floor should be playing tough defense at all times?
I’m not ready to give out a license to loaf on D just because you are guarding a tough cover.
KevinM
February 7th, 2011
11:41 am
Sautee, I totally agree with that, but my example was based on the past years where the excuse is Woody always wore Joe down during the season and had nothing left for the playoffs. Well, after 2-3 years of the same results in the playoffs, I stopped sympathizing with Joe and his worn down body.
Besides the fact, he is 25% of the Hawks’ gross national pay scale….
I say throw it all at him, and if he doesn’t climb any higher or take this team further, so what? If the ASG and Rick and Larry don’t care, then why should fans of that team? We have already seen it when trying to save Joe’s energy for the playoffs….it’s a built-in excuse just in case.
Ra'mon
February 7th, 2011
12:15 pm
Sautee, you’re right, I’m sorry. It was Sleepy. Please forgive me.
O'Brien
February 7th, 2011
12:20 pm
Rufus1,
“I think the Bulls will be a tougher match-up, but I still think we will win…because we have been their and will there be no mental lapses.”.
The Hawks have mental lapses in regular season games (including this season), so why do you think they wont have any in the playoffs?
And dont sell the Bulls short. Although they lost in the first round, they made it to the playoffs the last 2 years so Rose has experience. Plus they have Boozer, who has lots of playoff experience with the Jazz.
And they have a coach who has been to multiplle NBA finals, and has a championship ring from his time with the Celtics. I dont think the Bulls and Rose will be fazed by the Hawks at all.
O'Brien
February 7th, 2011
12:25 pm
I like the Hawks chances against the Heat in the playoffs, because Bibby is not a major liability against Chalmers and Arroyo, JJ forces Wade to work on defense too, and the Heat dont have a dominant big man in the post.
Currently, I like our chances against Orlando, but I think Orlando makes a move before the trade deadline. They have a payroll of almost $90 mil, and they are in 5th. Plus they are concerned about Dwight leaving in 2012. I think they make a move.
If they dont make a move, then I like our chances against them too.
slimjr
February 7th, 2011
12:31 pm
LD is going to regret not playing Teague..Bibby is running on fumes! He is going to get lit up on that Western rd. trip and that will repeat in the playoffs against Chicago in the 1st rd.. If Chicago meets up with the Hawks in the 1st rd. with home court in a 7 game series, I see Chicago winning that series in 5 or 6 games.. The Hawks have proved in the past they just lay down and die……………………………………LD has got to get these guys to show up every night with their men cards and totally commit to defending at every position. They must rotate desperately helping the helper..Stop playing soft.. Go hard!!! Crash the boards every night!!!!!!! Enough with the excuses. LD you got to figure out how to overcome defensive zones. It appears to be your squads “cryptonite”…
LD your team should be running sprints to get the guys in tip top shape to run hard for 48 not 36 mins! That’s why the Hawks are struggling in the past 5 4th quarters. They tire and start hoisting up bricks as they run out of gas and on D the bigs stand around and watch instead of rotating and defending penetration of those pg’s There is absolutely no intimidation factor coming into the painted area.The opposing guards are feasting inside.. This has been an on going problem for at least 10 years now……………………..Yawn……………………..Clean up the defense asap!
slimjr
February 7th, 2011
12:38 pm
32 and 18 record for the Hawks is “fools gold” for the fans……………………They won 53 last season and got annihilated in the playoffs,PLAYOFFS?
Sund=Blah……………Blah
Worldwide Clyde
February 7th, 2011
12:43 pm
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Rufus1
February 7th, 2011
1:11 pm
OB
I am not discounting the Bulls. I think the Hawks are on a playoff mission and not a regular season on. The defense we played against the Heat and the Magic is what I think we will see in the Playoffs.
I think Josh will become the player he was last year on the defensive end and that will the Bulls downfall… I think Boozer average 9pts and 8rebs against the Hawks…They can’t bet us if he puts up those kind of numbers.
Also…
If you look at the Hawks loses, the primary cause is poor defense from the PG position. I don’t think LD will let DRose bet us and I am not sure they are good enough offensively without him.
These are the reasons i think we will beat them.
GOHAWKS988
February 7th, 2011
1:14 pm
If you’re an Atlanta/Georgia Sports fan and want to talk with other fans, check out our NEW message board.
http://www.atlsportsnation.com/forum
We have team forums for the Falcons, Bulldogs, Hawks, Braves, Yellow Jackets, Thrashers, etc. Please register and post! Be apart of a huge site in the early days of existence. See ya there! We’re looking for posters, moderators, bloggers/writers. Join up if interested.
JeJe
February 7th, 2011
1:21 pm
Any update on if Joe is 100%?
FIRE SUND
Najeh Davenpoop
February 7th, 2011
1:23 pm
“Marvin at the 4…well, guess Josh Powell’s days are numbered.”
Thank God.
As inconsistent and infuriating as Marvin can sometimes be, he is a Hall of Famer compared to Powell.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 7th, 2011
1:25 pm
“Calm down Ken,the Hawks are only 8-11 against teams above .500.”
I forget where I read this, but the Hawks at 8-11 apparently have the 4th best record in the East against teams above .500.
I haven’t done the research, but I’d be surprised if more than three or four teams had winning records against above-.500 teams. The majority of the league’s winning teams build up their record against weaker opponents. In that regard, the Hawks are no exception.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 7th, 2011
1:30 pm
With that said, the Hawks’ average margin of victory and offensive and defensive efficiency rankings paint a picture of a team that isn’t nearly as good as the Hawks’ record. When you take that into account along with the Hawks’ relatively weak schedule so far, it’s reasonable to make the argument that the Hawks are due for a fall when they hit the tough part of their schedule after the All Star break.
Sautee
February 7th, 2011
1:37 pm
Ramon,
We’re good, man. No problem, as I knew it was just mistaken identity.
Grandad
February 7th, 2011
1:56 pm
*G-Dad’s~~~Amir Johnson~~~bandwagon…..hop on.
! Sund … git ‘er done !
Robert
February 7th, 2011
2:06 pm
start working toward getting Dwight Howard next summer.
Ken Sugiura
February 7th, 2011
2:23 pm
i agree with Najeh. i think we’ll know a whole lot more about this team in another four weeks after their road trip and ensuing homestand – chicago, okc, new york, lakers – is complete. i think if they can hold their own – which i’d call maybe going .500, with some quality wins – it will say a lot about to what degree the team is ready to challenge for an ecf spot.
slimjr
February 7th, 2011
3:32 pm
‘With that said, the Hawks’ average margin of victory and offensive and defensive efficiency rankings paint a picture of a team that isn’t nearly as good as the Hawks’ record. When you take that into account along with the Hawks’ relatively weak schedule so far, it’s reasonable to make the argument that the Hawks are due for a fall when they hit the tough part of their schedule after the All Star break.”
Well put Najeh! It’s going to get really interesting real soon. We won’t have to wait 3 months either….
drmaryb (*_*)
February 7th, 2011
3:34 pm
JeJe
“Any update on if Joe is 100%?”
February 7th, 2011
1:21 pm
___________________
Look at his Jan-Feb “Nimbers”. What else do you need to know about that?
drmaryb (*_*)
February 7th, 2011
3:36 pm
There is no such thing as 100% in pro sports.
doc
February 7th, 2011
3:43 pm
if there is a report marvin is to play four?i think marvin can stay inthe league at four. hope he spends some time there. hope it is true. owell brings less to his ositipn thsn collins does. at least collins takes up the right kind of space
drmaryb (*_*)
February 7th, 2011
3:50 pm
Hello Kenneth!
Uggh … Didn’t you Host “Falcons Face to Face” a few years back? If so, man you were “off da chain!” with personality and humor. I liked that thing you did with your hand over your face. Sort of like what Al does on his Sports South segment.
Anyway, looking forward to seeing the 2nd half of The Hawks season. Just hope everyone stays healthy and plays well. IDK what happened to Powell, what did he do or didn’t do to get benched.
IDK what all the Teague crying is about? You can’t develop a heart, fire and zeal. You my friends are born with that, that’s in your DNA or not?
How many time to you have top tell a guy, to run ike hell when, I call your number, and you walk the ball up like your name is Bibby? If we need the ball walked up to run a half court set? All we got to do is put Bibby in there.
KevinM
February 7th, 2011
3:53 pm
Amir Johnson, he’s getting 30M these 2014.
Not the kind of contract I see Sund bringing in here. Not sure we need another ‘forward’ with versatility. Don’t we have like 8 of these already?
KevinM
February 7th, 2011
4:03 pm
Amir, thru 2014…
I was looking at Bibby vs. Teague numbers and the only 2 areas the Bibster has an advantage over Teague is 3FG% and the number of turnovers…but as we all know, unless you get the experience, you are going to struggle in spotty minutes….Bibster just gets a pass way too much, plus he cost 5X+ what Teague costs us. I don’t see efficiency numbers going forward.
KevinM
February 7th, 2011
4:11 pm
“Robert
February 7th, 2011
2:06 pm
start working toward getting Dwight Howard next summer.”
DHoward “Its Orlando, NY or LA”…..I think he forgot to mention the ASG and Sund.
slimjr
February 7th, 2011
4:11 pm
Ken, if you run into Teague, suggest to him to watch some film on Mookie Blaylock.. If he can imitate Mookie he’ll have a job for a long time in this league as a starting pg..Try you tube for starters. Lots of flim there on Mookie….
lewis
February 7th, 2011
4:23 pm
yeah i balled for 3 hours on saturday and sunday and can’t really walk or raise my arms, give these guys some freaking credit for getting through the season and playing hurt all the time