Atlanta Hawks at Pistons: Getting started (Update: ‘Big’ lineup tonight)
Auburn Hills, Mich.–The cabby showed up this morning and couldn’t start his car because of a battery issue. He didn’t listen when I told him it’s not a good idea to pop-start an automatic transmission. Hated to leave him like that but I had a flight to catch.
So that’s how my 15-night Hawks road trip/All-Star weekend trek started. I will spare you an attempt at some lame metaphor about how the cabby’s car is like the Hawks, who are looking to get out of their “rut” on this trip.
Me? I’m just trying to perfect the art of hitting the 50-pound limit on my luggage.
Anyway, before the Hawks headed up to Michigan, they talked about the collapse against the Bobcats, which followed the beatdown to the Sixers. Mo usually sounds the alarm about those kind of things but he’s taking the long view:
“I don’t think we need to panic. We had a bad game against Philadelphia when Al was out. They had a great night. [NOTE: Sorry, but this is the part where I've got to point this out again.] [The Sixers] went home and beat the Spurs. [Saturday] night we were up 20 and again our defense and offense failed us at times. A guy who has 30, he’s already feeling great, we let him get comfortable and he hit a tough shot to win the game. I don’t think that’s anything to panic about. We could have easily won that game, and had we won that I don’t think anyone would have been raising their hands and saying that everything is cured. Again, it is a long season. These last 30 games will be telling.”
L.D. also addressed the L to the Bobcats but, really, he could have been talking about any of a number of his team’s losses. Not sure exactly how many times I’ve heard some variation of the following this season:
“We had individual defensive breakdowns. Individually, we stopped defending. We didn’t do a good job on the ball. Our transition defense, we had some bad possessions with that. And then offensively we had some bad possessions with our shot selection. The combination of those three things, when you watch the tape you can clearly see the reasons that we lost the game. it was so black and white it was unbelievable.”
And my follow-up question was, I’m sure, the same one I’ve asked several times this season: Since those things have been issues pretty much all season, what can L.D. at this point to solve them?
“You have got to stay on them. I have got to keep pointing it out. I have got to keep challenging each individual player. We can’t get into a situation where we are going out and trying to outscore people. Everybody in this league can score. You have got to have some kind of defensive presence. If you don’t, you can go up 20 but teams can get back in it just like that. It’s something I’ve been harping on from Day 1, and I will keep harping on it. And I have got to keep challenging guys individually. We have got some guys that are not taking the defensive challenge and I am going to challenge those guys. I know some of these guys can score, I know that. But they have go to get it done at the other end.”
And so that naturally (and repetitively, I’m sure) led to questions about his lineup. L.D. said he doesn’t want to make a change before the All-Star break, so that (probably) means the Hawks use the “regular” lineup tonight against the Pistons and Wednesday at New York (Drew says Al is good to go).
(UPDATE: L.D. is using the “big” lineup tonight, so we get to see what it looks like against a team that doesn’t pound the ball to the post. “With both Wallace and Monroe I just felt it might be best for us to go big against those guys. They are a physical team and they really do a good job rebounding, so we have got to make sure we have enough beef in there to combat that.”)
Drew did say that he still likes the big lineup though he’s still hesitant to use it all the time:
“You are big at four and three. That gives us an advantage. It may open up a can of worms at the other end. Josh Smith is not really used to chasing threes off of screens, that kind of thing. He has the athleticism to do it. I like the pros of it more than I [dislike] the cons. It has been good to us so far. Thinking about doing it all the time it just puts [Twin] out there against anybody that would play. For example, if I decide to do it against New York, it will be a matchup problem with Gallinari and Amar’e. I’m not going to be pigeonholed into doing same way every time. Not right now. It may be something that we have to tweak.”
And so begins the journey, blog people. Just like the cabby needed jumper cables to get going, the Hawks . . . aw, hell, forget it.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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362 comments Add your comment
2 FOR JOHN DREW
February 14th, 2011
9:33 pm
Oh no!!!! ….. Dominique did it again ….. Just predicted another easy win !
Rev in Tampa
February 14th, 2011
9:34 pm
Bibby is flirting with a triple-double
Sautee
February 14th, 2011
9:36 pm
northcyde,
The last play showed why people (not me) might think Joe is selfish. He had Bibby (who is unquestionably shooting well tonight) for a wide open three but chose a contested half hook. An odd choice under the circumstances.
That said, I’m not complaining about a shot in the paint. I’ll take that 9 times out of 10.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 14th, 2011
9:38 pm
Another good drive by Marvin. KEEP PLAYING LIKE THIS! PROVE YOUR GRANDMA RIGHT!
terrell
February 14th, 2011
9:39 pm
Oh no, Nique just jinxed us. Said we were in control of the game AGAIN.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 14th, 2011
9:39 pm
First time I have ever heard the Carlton Dance song played in an NBA arena.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 14th, 2011
9:39 pm
“And Daye, with the reacharound…” — Bob Rathbun
terrell
February 14th, 2011
9:40 pm
lol @ Marvin messin up the pick and roll.
Melvin
February 14th, 2011
9:41 pm
Najeh,
If the Hawks do your trade, they would have several wing players so they could possible trade Marvin for a PG (Devin/Hinrich)…
Sautee
February 14th, 2011
9:42 pm
Najeh,
And right there in public, LOL
yodaddy
February 14th, 2011
9:44 pm
Bibby finally regained his form from January and 2010 part of this season
terrell
February 14th, 2011
9:44 pm
What did Nique just say?
O'Brien
February 14th, 2011
9:44 pm
Teague is going to get some PT after all…
Sautee
February 14th, 2011
9:47 pm
leo,
are you convinced yet?
terrell
February 14th, 2011
9:47 pm
Teage trying to wipe those eye buggers from his eyes. lol! Better wake up kid.
Tremaine
February 14th, 2011
9:47 pm
YES
terrell
February 14th, 2011
9:48 pm
“Teague”
Tremaine
February 14th, 2011
9:48 pm
Good game Teague.
pinoy hawk
February 14th, 2011
9:48 pm
nice game hawks
Melvin
February 14th, 2011
9:48 pm
Another road win I will take it… Especially since the Hawks are having trouble winning at home of late….
Rev in Tampa
February 14th, 2011
9:48 pm
Teague is not impressing LD tonight
Sautee
February 14th, 2011
9:49 pm
Yet another sub 20 4th qtr. Luckily they couldn’t throw it in the ocean and only scored 11, LOL.
And that wasn’t because of our awesome D.
Sautee
February 14th, 2011
9:51 pm
My bad, they did get 20.
As someone once said……..
No matter the quality of the opposition, road wins are like GOLD.
Tremaine
February 14th, 2011
9:52 pm
Thanks Teague for motivating Bibby.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 14th, 2011
9:53 pm
This is a good way to waste a lot of time.
Smoove’s game winning tip dunk last year is on there.
Tremaine
February 14th, 2011
9:54 pm
Is that a jerry curl?
Najeh Davenpoop
February 14th, 2011
9:55 pm
So is Nique’s double pump dunk.
Blake
February 14th, 2011
9:59 pm
Unless Al’s back was bothering him, benching him for the entire fourth quarter was totally uncalled for. You should reward players for playing well and giving effort, not punish them for it.
Sautee
February 14th, 2011
10:02 pm
Blake,
How about the idea that the small lineup was working, and Al got some rest.
I didn’t see it as any kind of punishment, and I’d bet LD would laugh at that idea.
Sautee
February 14th, 2011
10:03 pm
So where is the “trade Josh” crowd?
O'Brien
February 14th, 2011
10:04 pm
I’m glad hawks came back to win, because if they had lost this game…this blog would have erupted.
Good win. but there are still things we can build on. Like turnovers (we had 17), we gave up lots of offensive rebounds early, and we didnt always get a hand up.
But we showed poise, which is what the Hawks do. They may look horrible for a game or 2, but then they bounce back for a resilient game, making LD and others believe in them again.
Lets hope we can get a win against the Knicks.
Tremaine
February 14th, 2011
10:06 pm
Trade Josh, start Teague.
Sautee
February 14th, 2011
10:06 pm
VERY telling that Bibby earned his first “:Stinger’s Star” of the YEAR tonight.
Sautee
February 14th, 2011
10:07 pm
Oh, there they are.
O'Brien
February 14th, 2011
10:09 pm
What’s up with all this “Marvin spotlights”?
northcyde
February 14th, 2011
10:10 pm
@ Sautee
And yet, when you look at the game or the box score, you realize that the shot JJ took was only his 12th or 13th shot of the game.
This is the same guy that people expect to play like Kobe ( because he’s being paid like him ), yet, he only takes 13 shots in the game . . and dishes out 6 assists.
But because the dude looked for his own shot for once, people say he’s selfish?
That’s the problem I have with that label on JJ. What main scorer in the league defers like that to his teammates? Paul Pierce maybe? Everyone else looks to jack up their 16 – 22 shots a game.
What it is Sautee, is that people simply don’t like Joe Johnson. That’s why whenever he has a monster game, people are silent. But let him play horribly, they come out the woodwork. The same thing happens with Smith, even though people like him more.
Speaking of Smih, that’s the Josh I like to see. Not necessarily the scoring ( in which he did an outstanding job in ), but the rebounding. With Horford battling foul trouble and still not being 100%, Josh took it upon himself to eat up the defensive glass.
And LD really pulled ” a Woody”, by significantly shortening that bench in the 2nd half. He wasn’t even going to chance the 2nd unit blowing the lead.
Tremaine
February 14th, 2011
10:15 pm
northcyde, JJ is getting Kobe money but when we need him the most he doesn’t show up. That’s why people have a problem with him. Plus the comment he made last year.
Section 303
February 14th, 2011
10:18 pm
Good win. About time. I still say the team needs to make a trade.
I want the Hawks to win every game, but I really, really, really want them to win on Wednesday night. I pretty much hate all NYC teams. The Knicks are starting to become my least favorite of the bunch. Their attitude that they are better than the Hawks is annoying.
Plus, if you follow any of their beat writers on Twitter, they never hold back talking trash about the Hawks (though, I guess you could say the same about me these days).
2 FOR JOHN DREW
February 14th, 2011
10:20 pm
If Josh,Bibby,& Marv played this way all the time ……. We would be in 1st place in not just the division, BUT THE EASTERN CONFERENCE ! I was extremely impressed w/ Josh !
I honestly can’t remember the last time he didn’t lose focus or get angry or complain incessantly to the point where he doesn’t get back on defense. If Josh could have found a way to consistently play w/ purpose & focus like he did tonght ….. He would have made the All-Star Team two years ago ….. MY GOD !!!!!!!!
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
February 14th, 2011
10:30 pm
Bibby shut a lot of us up today. if only for one game we got a glimpse of the younger more athletic Bibby: 17 points and 7 assists.
northcyde
February 14th, 2011
10:35 pm
Tremaine, it really doesn’t matter if he shows up or not. People simply don’t like him. And this was before that comment ( in which he was simply telling the truth the fans don’t want to hear )”
I remember the Milwaukee regular season game late last year in which JJ had a monster quarter ( he was like 7 – 10 FG ) in that quarter. He was literally unstoppable.
Unfortunately, JJ missed his last 2 shots, and we lost. And most of the JJ detractors had a field day ripping him.
But how abou the fact that while JJ was scoring at will, the team couldn’t stop the Bucks offensively? Despite JJ making 5 or 6 shots in a row that quarter, we ended up basically trading baskets with them. And we lost at the end because we never stopped them.
But he got a good chunk of the blame for the loss, for missing those 2 shots the end.
Ether you like JJ, or you don’t. Other than Marvin, he’s probably the most polarizing player on the team.
(( clapping ))
Good job “core”, for saving our butts tonight.
doc
February 14th, 2011
10:37 pm
northcyde you like our guy j smash tonight?
HawkEye
February 14th, 2011
10:39 pm
Wow. Bibby found the fountain of youth tonight. 6 rebs and 7 assists.
lol. Smoove just needs to play with a chip on his shoulder all the time. Every game he needs to remember his snubs from being a All Star.
doc
February 14th, 2011
10:42 pm
other than the lightening rod of j smash? come on jj and marvin dont come close to the antipathy josh gets in spite of how many areas he gets results in.
jj is under the radar if he doenst make his stupid statement about fans then not having a pr person able to shed light on the fact he really didnt mean it like that and is sorry if anyone misunderstood him.
marvin as good a guy as he is deserves the ridicule for his inconsistent play.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 14th, 2011
10:47 pm
I’m with doc. Smoove gets a LOT more hate than Joe, at least on here.
Bibby and Marvin get a reprieve for now. Great games from both of them. If they could each do that every game, this team would be so much more consistent.
SteveW
February 14th, 2011
10:54 pm
JJ doesn’t get paid anywhere near Kobe money:
Kobe this season makes $24,806,205 at age 32 JJ this season $16,324,000 at age 29
Kobe next season $25,240,000 age 33 JJ will make $18,038,573 at age 30 next season
Kobe ‘012-’013 makes $27,840,000 at age 34 – JJ will make $19,752,646 at age 31 then
Age 35 Kobe makes $30,450,000 JJ will make $21,466,719 at age 32 then
JJ will have 2 seasons left on his contract making $23,180,792 at age 33 and
$24,894,865 at age 34.
But JJ doesn’t make Kobe money, not even close really, depending on your idea of close I guess.
Next 4 seasons Kobe makes (approx.):
8.5 Million more this season than JJ
7+ Mill. more next season
8+ Mill. more the next season
Almost 9 Mill. more the last season of Kobe’s contract.
Now JJ is signed for 2 more seasons, but Kobe is older than JJ, and you don’t know what LA will offer Kobe in those last 2 seasons. Jeanie Buss or her dad (I forget) let it slip that Kobe makes them 70-80 mill per year with merchandise sales etc.
lewis
February 14th, 2011
10:56 pm
As a former Josh hater, the dude is kind of hateable because of his mannerisms and the walking up / down the court we’ve all witnessed.
It’s not like the casual fan pays attention to defense.
But, he is by far the best defender, post player and energy guy we have. This game and the Wizards game….he looks like Barkley at times. He is the only real intimidation factor on the hawks.
Starts every game, never gets injured, his hustle has been on point this year. fck bosh
SteveW
February 14th, 2011
10:58 pm
Kobe has also made a whole lot more money during his career than JJ….
SteveW
February 14th, 2011
11:00 pm
What if Josh really is taking his game to another level? What if he becomes a perennial All Star the next 5 seasons? Good for the Hawks!
SteveW
February 14th, 2011
11:01 pm
I sure don’t see Boozer, Garnett, or Stoudamire being All Stars next season, either thru age (Garnett) or injury prone.
It may be Josh and Bosh next season for the East
And then Favors kicks in…