Hawks 99, Cavs 83
Greetings, all-
Hope you all enjoyed the game. Cleveland isn’t the true test we’re waiting for, but the Hawks won, won convincingly, won without Joe Johnson and won with strong individual performances, so that’s about all you can ask for tonight.
- Marvin Williams had one of the best games of his career – 31 points on just 14 shots, 10-for-11 from the free-throw line, seven rebounds. He had 13 in the fourth quarter. Larry Drew got him a lot of touches. He posted up a good bit and got his shots from the corner. Drew said prior to the game that he thought he was responding to coming off the bench because he got more touches that way and wanted to keep the rhythm going.
“I got going early and [Drew] kept coming to me, my teammates kept coming to me,” Williams said. “I had a big night, our team had a big night.”
He had two fairly significant baskets in the fourth – the Cavs were trying to rally and Williams hit a pair of 3-pointers from the corner in about a minute’s span that helped them maintain the lead. Perhaps not memorable in the aftermath, but noteworthy I thought how things got messy Saturday night against New Jersey.
Drew saw a similarity with the game against Philadelphia.
“We were in an identical situation, but this time we finished it off,” he said.
- Drew used eight players until less than two minutes remained, the five starters and Jeff Teague, Zaza Pachulia and Jamal Crawford. Drew said he “wanted to maintain the rhythm with the short rotation.” He also said he wanted Josh Smith or Al Horford on the floor at all times. They played a combined 79 minutes and will undoubtedly enjoy the day off they’re getting Monday before returning to practice Tuesday to prep for Orlando.
- Cleveland missed its first eight shots, fell behind 8-0 and it never felt like to me that they were going to be competitive. Coach Byron Scott said the team didn’t start with energy and intensity. They played in spurts, and they got 11 offensive rebounds, but it seemed pretty clear that they just don’t have the horses.
- The Hawks pushed the pace a good bit, more than the 12 fast-break points would indicate. “They got a lot of fast-break and easy points in transition and that kind of was the ballgame for us,” Cavaliers forward J.J. Hickson said.
- A strong all-around game for Smith. The shot selection wasn’t very selective, but you can’t argue with 18 rebounds (season high), eight assists and 13 points. He passed well out of the double team and ran the floor well, I thought. Williams at the 2 and Smith at the 3 poses some unusual matchup challenges.
- No real update on Johnson. Drew said he didn’t know when he’d be back. Sprains, obviously, can vary. Kirk Hinrich sprained his right thumb against Philadelphia and kept playing while Johnson’s knocked him out of the game.
“He’s a fast healer,” Williams said. “I don’t know what he does. I’ve got to figure out the trick. He’ll be back soon, I’m confident of that.”
- From the stats: Hawks shot 50.0 percent from the floor. Of their 74 shots, 30 were taken in the paint, compared to 45 out of 87 shots for Cleveland. Hawks had two offensive rebounds and four second-chance points, compared to 11 and 14 for Cleveland. Hawks had 29 assists on 37 baskets, their highest assist total in the past seven games.
- I spoke at length with Crawford before the game, some of which will find its way into a story for Tuesday’s paper about his season. He said some interesting things. He said he’s at times played passively this season, which I think has something to do with being a point guard in this offense. Whereas last season he was the guy coming off the bench to light it up, now he’s sometimes that guy, sometimes a facilitator and that, I think, has had an effect on his play. One thing you’ll find interesting. He reads the blog all the time and knows he’s getting killed.
“I can’t wait till your blog people read this,” he said.
- Some of you noted the crowd in the game thread. It was announced at 20,226, but there were a lot of empty seats. It was kind of dead, although the fact that Cleveland was never really into the game had something to do with it. But, as you noted, give the fans credit for sticking around. They deserve better than what they’re getting.
- You’ll be pleased to know that your coach doesn’t think all problems are solved.
“When teams get us down, we haven’t responded well,” he said. “That, to me, will be the ultimate test for us, when we withstand a run by teams of those caliber (like Orlando) and are able to push our way through it.”
- The last word from Horford: “I think we still have a ways (to go). At least we’re going in the right direction and it’s good to get a couple wins under our belt. We’ve been struggling but we just need to keep building off of this.”
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
180 comments Add your comment
Astro Joe
March 28th, 2011
10:20 am
When you place the Hawks’ record under the microscope, you mostly see ugliness. The one hope is that maybe (maybe), Orlando is comparably dysfunctional this season. But so far, we have feasted on the junior varsity teams (75% of our wins) while getting blown out in most of our losses (56% of our losses by 10+ points). And we’ve won fewer games against winning teams than the Clippers. That’s right, the Clippers.
http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/type/expanded
drmaryb (*_-)
March 28th, 2011
10:34 am
The Heat set a record for three 30 pt scorers in 50 years.
Bibby was 5/7 for 14, but they didn’t play a lick of defense.
I guess they wanted to show their offensive power of their big three?
In the playoffs, that ain’t gonna’ happen Captain. But, it was a cute little game for the big three’s confidence level, I guess. Just cute.
O’Brien, Najeh, where you impressed with The Heat performance last night? I wasn’t, because they didn’t pass the ball to anyone else, they are not gonna’ win those 6 Titles they claim playing 3 on 5 + a playoff bench anytime this century.
Orlando and Boston have down-sized their teams. Boston in the post, Orlando in the post and perimeter. I like the Magic match upped against a healthy Hawks team, clicking on all cylinders. When Dwight gets into foul trouble, we should be fine. But, we got to go at Dwight from start to finish for 7 games straight.
Can we do that?
Geemack
March 28th, 2011
10:49 am
Yawnnnnn! Boorrring! We beat the Cavs
Najeh Davenpoop
March 28th, 2011
10:53 am
“Soometimes I get frustrated with ZaZa, because he does the same thing. Rather than going up stong, he tries to draw a foul. Maybe he can learn from Marvin.”
The problem with Zaza though is that he doesn’t go strong. He tries to draw contact by pump faking instead of just being aggressive, initiating the action, and making the defense react to him instead of the other way around.
Geemack
March 28th, 2011
11:03 am
Lets see what the Hawks do with Boston and Orlando coming to town.
The Game Has Changed
March 28th, 2011
11:04 am
@Najeh-ZaZa is garbage. He serves no purpose. And know one can learn anything from big butt Marvin.
The Game Has Changed
March 28th, 2011
11:05 am
@Worldwide Clyde-Go ahead and get use to LD because he will be here a couple more years.
drmaryb (*_-)
March 28th, 2011
11:13 am
If Al and Za are boxing out so Josh can swoop in and get the rebounds,
Is that a bad thing? I mean, is that a fundamental part of rebounding?
Gang rebounding in the post I know typically involves the guards too.
But Josh got 18 boards last night, I was just wondering how did he get all those boards?
Astro Joe
March 28th, 2011
11:17 am
doc mary, what you’re describing is way too advanced for some. They would prefer to believe that Josh simply jumped 11 feet in the air and snatched all of those rebounds before they would acknowledge that sometimes the linebacker makes big plays because the DT is occupying the guard & center. Or said differently, Collins and Zaza held position while Josh used his athleticism to collect the rebound.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 28th, 2011
11:37 am
“in your ongoing Teague update… it helps that all but one of those wins (I think) were against losing teams while I’m pretty sure that all of the losses (or at least teh vast majority) were against winning teams.”
To an extent, sure. But Portland is a good team, and the Hawks beat them comfortably with Teague playing 44 minutes. Milwaukee is not a good team but they are an elite defensive team, and the Hawks hung a higher point total and margin of victory on them than they have on anyone else since the trade. Golden State is not a good team but they are a good offensive team, and the Hawks with Teague playing 25 minutes held them to their 3rd lowest point total of the season. And considering how awful the Knicks have looked since drubbing the Hawks in Philips Arena (in a game where Teague played only 11 minutes) I don’t think the quality of opponent has that much to do with the Hawks’ struggles in games where Teague hasn’t gotten minutes.
The advanced stat-heads pretty much universally agree that margin of victory matters in the NBA — this is why, for example, the Hawks have rated so low all season on Hollinger’s power rankings. The Hawks for the season outscore their opponents by less than one point per game; in the six games Teague has played 20+ minutes since the trade, they have outscored their opponents by close to 7 points per game. And in the four wins in that stretch, the Hawks average margin of victory is 16 points.
“Or said differently, I don’t think that there is a relationship between Teague playing and the Hawks winning,”
Maybe, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make with my Teague updates. Pretty much since Teague was drafted, the chorus from the anti-Teagueites has been that a winning team can’t set aside rotation minutes for a developmental player. My point is that Teague has proven and continues to prove that he can play a steady role in the rotation for this team without costing them wins, and it is possible that he may actually increase the team’s likelihood of winning. Far from being a developmental project, he is a solid enough contributor right now that he can help this team if he is given a steady role in the rotation.
drmaryb (*_-)
March 28th, 2011
11:44 am
Astro Joe
Yeah, that football analogy is perfect. I was thinking those 18 boards were a result of team effort. Playing off each other in the post.
Sort of like a three man attack down there. Those boys all together seemed to be in a rhythm.
Nice analogy. I thought that was what I was seeing.
Regardless of the opponent, I liked the style of team plays last night.
I hope they can bottle some of that for the remainder of this season and more importantly, the play offs.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 28th, 2011
11:49 am
“ZaZa is garbage. He serves no purpose.”
For the most part, yes. But even as one of his most vocal critics, I can say he has played a lot better since that game at Portland where he went all Kevin Love in the first half. He’s still a horrible off the ball defender and isn’t consistent enough to be the first big man off the bench for a playoff team, but considering what we have seen from him over the last couple of years I’ll take what he’s giving the Hawks now.
drmaryb (*_-)
March 28th, 2011
11:51 am
Najeh
Yeah, what you said. Mm mmmh … I agree 100, re: Teague.
Buddy Grizzard
March 28th, 2011
11:54 am
Here’s the link and full text of NY Daily News’ Mitch Lawrence regarding Larry Drew’s game preparation and leadership:
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/2011/03/26/2011-03-26_if_donnie_walsh_is_let_go_by_knicks_dont_be_shocked_to_see_him_back_in_indiana_i.html?page=1
The Hawks, losers of 14 of 21 games entering this weekend and with eight home losses since Feb. 8, are on the fast-track to getting swept out of the playoffs. What’s the problem? One veteran player called rookie head coach Larry Drew’s preparation and attention to detail “a (bleeping) joke.” Drew also hasn’t been able to rein in Josh Smith and get him to stop jacking up jumpers.
There’s an obvious leadership void and the Hawks have been getting nothing on that front from Joe Johnson, even after they gave him close to $120 million last summer. The Hawks have prided themselves on being one of the top home teams, losing only seven times last season, after going 31-10 the year before. Already, they’ve lost 15 games in Philips Arena. Since their swoon began last month, the alarming home losses include routs by 34 points against the Sixers; 13 by the Knicks; 14 by the Lakers; 15 by the Nuggets; 21 by the Heat and 33 this past week by the Bulls. Perhaps most ominously for Drew: The Hawks have spent too many games not fighting or playing hard.
My comments about the leadership void on the Atlanta Hawks, March 19th, 2011
2:47 am:
“I started off as an LD supporter, but the more I saw the players were not listening to him, the more I wondered why. So I did a little digging, and came to the conclusion that LD Sr. simply is not a leader.”
LOL@MC getting mad at Mitch Lawrence for stepping on his beat. For one thing, he never said a “veteran HAWKS player” made these comments, just a veteran player. It could have been Bibby or Mo Evans. Way to leap to LD’s defense though.
JeJe
March 28th, 2011
12:02 pm
Teague looked horrendous vs. NJN. Maybe that’s how he looks in practice. Looks like he needs to get burn with the starters to produce
FIRE LD
FIRE JOE
FIRE WOODY
JOSH HAS BEEN SOLID LATELY
Buddy Grizzard
March 28th, 2011
12:04 pm
“Far from being a developmental project, he is a solid enough contributor right now that he can help this team if he is given a steady role in the rotation.” – Poop
Spot on. Teague proven that he deserves at least a consistent bench role. By playing him sporadic minutes and denying him a consistent role for this team, LD is actually sabotaging the Hawks. He is directly contributing to the Hawks’ under-performance with poor coaching.
slimjr
March 28th, 2011
12:08 pm
“Lets see what the Hawks do with Boston and Orlando coming to town”
0-2!!!!!!!! Next…………………………
JeJe
March 28th, 2011
12:17 pm
FIRE LD
Trojan
March 28th, 2011
12:17 pm
Does anyone on this blog have confience in LD?
slimjr
March 28th, 2011
12:21 pm
“One veteran player called rookie head coach Larry Drew’s preparation and attention to detail “a (bleeping) joke.” Drew also hasn’t been able to rein in Josh Smith and get him to stop jacking up jumpers.”
Drew you cannot fool us blogger’s but WTF????????????????? The truth hurts……Have lost 14 of 21, nice way to back into the playoffs????? NOT………………
Boy those Thunder Cats are ROLLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What an impressive squad..Anybody remember the last time the Hawks beat them?? About 4 years ago????????????????WTF??????????????
Shop Josh
Shop Marvin
Jamal run dont walk
LD run
Sund run, GM 101 never hire the assistant coach
The Bench waive em
Worldwide Clyde
March 28th, 2011
12:24 pm
If Teague was starting he would be an All-Star
FIRE LD
JeJe
March 28th, 2011
12:30 pm
JOSH IS NOT THE PROBLEM. HE’S ONE OF THE ONLY GUYS ON THIS PATHETIC “TEAM” ACTUALLY DOING ANYTHING LATELY. HE HAS MADE SOME JUMPSHOTS AND ATTACKED THE HOOP LAST NIGHT
THE ONLY TIMES MARVIN EVER STEPS UP ARE WHEN HE COMES OFF THE BENCH (SOMETIMES) AND WHEN A MAJOR PLAYER IS OUT
WE NEED TO KEEP HIM ACTIVE ON OFFENSE
OH WAIT, THAT’S LD’S JOB BUT HIS “MOTION OFFENSE” IS A JOKE
tom
March 28th, 2011
12:35 pm
who owned the atlanta hawks before the ASG?
ICECOLD
March 28th, 2011
12:40 pm
Jamal…
Just sign with us next year…. they are going to need u again… tell them u are only going to sign if they get a true center…. force them to wamt to be the best… somebody is willing to come from a losing team to be the final peace for a championship run….
Marvin Williams can be like lamar odem off the bench, next year …
That’s all. Hit me up.. we can go to magic ,
sam'l
March 28th, 2011
12:53 pm
So, when we win against New Jersey and Cleveland, all of a sudden the team is healed? Then, when we get slaughtered by 30 or 40 points by a good team or an up and coming team who plays hard throughout the entire game, the players are all demons from Hell who should be traded?
I think this collective blog suffers from short-term memory loss. There is a level of complexity you can throw at the Hawks and if it is high enough, the team does not have the capacity to overcome it….(This could be as low as running two screens on the same play). The good teams have it; the bad teams don’t…..
Do you not understand this?
Still waiting from some informed blog master or columnist to hear about the impending Hawks sale….
Nunna!!
March 28th, 2011
1:07 pm
Jamaal i’ve been screaming for u to play the SG all year..
The only thing u need to do is come off the bench and look for your shot,NOT,having u to bring the ball up.
Now,if u were able to do so and maintain your scoring and getting hella assists then i would not complain but it seems like u are being taking out of what u do best.
And i got a few questions for u..I always do this..
1.Have u ever went under a name commented on here whether it was good or bad?
2.Who is your favorite blogger on here?
3.Who is the blogger dat u don’t give an “ish” about lol..
4.Who on here speaks more of the truth about what is going on or what should be done?
5.Are we wrong on our opinions of any of your team mates?(if u can answer dat one)..
5a. Who else besides u read this blog?
6.Lastly,is there anything that u would like for us to know? Anything u want to say specifically to us,the ajc bloggers?
Give Ken your answers..
Thanks
Rod from College Park
March 28th, 2011
1:11 pm
Marvin played well last night. I would like to apologize to him for saying that he would not be an above average D league player, because that Gee cat for Cleveland was tearing up the D-league, and Marvin abused him last night. Now lets see if he can continue to play at a high level against NBA level players. As a have said for the last 3 years, I won’t hold my breath.
Najeh,
That Marvin interview is on 680 the fan’s website under audio vault, and under the Rude Awakening.
aytunstopable
March 28th, 2011
1:38 pm
Man come on yall. Who cares about who they beat they just needed a couple of wins. May I remind yall the Heat were struggling and then they started beating bad teams and got on a roll of confidence and now look at them. they are ballin. Hopefully being able to win these two games will give them confidence moving as we have Orlando and Boston coming in. And I swear if they win these two that will give them very good momentum in the playoffs
Slimjr
March 28th, 2011
1:38 pm
what did Marvin put up in that 40 something pt loss if it wasnt for JT breakout in the 4th the other night against Chicago????
Next…………………Yawn………..
LD I would not be surprised if the Hawks brought you back as HC! LOL…
Slimjr
March 28th, 2011
1:39 pm
Keep it up Marvin, so your stock keeps rising…..Yeah…………….
drmaryb (*_-)
March 28th, 2011
2:08 pm
Hot Rod!
I was in the car when Marvin gave that interview on 680.
I only caught the tail end and no, he wasn’t sniffing LeBron’s jock,
but as a fierce competitor myself, I can’t stand to hear a player from my team praising another team’s player in any way, shape or form.
Star-Gazing is yucky to me! I’d rather hear him praise himself or his own teammate. Throw down the gauntlet and draw a line in the sand!
Damn LeBron! Him and Wade/Bosh was clowning us from the bench!
Tell Buck and Kincade, “don’t ask me about them punks! Next time they come here, I’m gonna’ personally try to take his big azz head off in my paint!”. That’s all I want to hear about LeBron on 680 The Fan!
Child Please, talking about he is a very good player, he got game!
Bump that noise. So I was more irritated by what he didn’t say versus what he did say!
I’m just saying, I ain’t got no love, praise or kind words for the Heat.
It’s bad enough our fans are chanting MVP and the owners selling his Jersey and pumping game tickets when he comes here!
The old school wouldn’t hear of it, these players are not throw backs!
MJ, Kobe and LeBron never praised the Hawks either, for that matter.
That was my point !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rod from College Park
March 28th, 2011
2:22 pm
drmaryb,
I totally agree with you. I was raised the exact same way. My brother or cousin could be on the opposing team, and they will get no credit from me. I guess these young cats were not raised that way.
drmaryb (*_-)
March 28th, 2011
2:36 pm
Oh Yeah!
And fist bumping and hugging before and after a game peeves me off too! I hate that ISH! I don’t care what they do in the tunnel, locker rooms and parking lots, but I don’t care to see all that brotherly love on my flat screen.
Two play off seasons ago, when the Magic whupped the Cavaliers?
LeBron stormed off the court and refused to lolly gag with the “winning”
(In Charlie Sheen’s voice), Magic players!
Awwh man! The media was all over that drama! LeBron was unsportsman like, blah blah … Whatever, LeBron did the right thing.
He was feeling the agony of defeat, not the thrill of victory!
That’s just human nature, raw and real is how drmaryb likes it.
I can’t stand fake azz, giggling, phony and soft people – smiling in my face.
ant banks
March 28th, 2011
3:10 pm
it was reported that LD shortend the bench to 7players the other night. said he wanted to send a message when the bench comes out lethargic.
WHAT HAPPS WHEN THE STARTERS COME OUT LETHARGIC? DO YOU EVER SIT THEM?
smitty derf
March 28th, 2011
3:19 pm
Looking at the stats in today’s AJC, does anybody want to face the fact that Josh Smith has at least 30 more turnovers and 30 more fouls than any other player on the Hawks? what does that say about his contribution and value despite all the “highlight ” blocks and even disregarding his less than 30 % on 3 point shots, where he is 4th on the team in attempts? will anyone face that the “emperor has no clothes”?
Geemack
March 28th, 2011
3:20 pm
drmaryb (*_-)
Professional pride! That’s why I love a player like Kobe.
It’s bee almost 6 years since Nash won back to back MVP’s and eliminated the Lakers in the first round and Kobe’s still pissed.
Everytime he plays the Suns it’s personal.
Geemack
March 28th, 2011
3:23 pm
ant banks
WHAT HAPPS WHEN THE STARTERS COME OUT LETHARGIC?
He plays them 45 mins. so they can get into a rhythm. Lol.
Geemack
March 28th, 2011
3:26 pm
smitty derf
That’s coaching. When you keep rewarding a player for continuing to make plays that’s detrimental to the team. That’s a coaching issue.
drmaryb (*_-)
March 28th, 2011
3:31 pm
Geemack
Spot on. That’s all I’m saying … Be like Mike!
Easy Dunker
March 28th, 2011
3:36 pm
I wished Joe Johnson read the blogs too then he would know that we all think he ain’t worth near the money he gets paid. He is getting D.Wade,Carmelo,Pierce,Kobe type money and is playing like a Jermaine O’Neal. If Marvin can shoot at a high percentage then run the offense thru him. I think JJ just wants D.Wade money but doesn’t want to be counted on as the top scorer for the Hawks.
Jamaal, why do ya’ll beat up the bad teams then get embarassed (even at home) by the good teams every night ?
Grandad
March 28th, 2011
3:36 pm
Mary Ellen: [with respect for Lewis Grizzard]
Once upon a time;
there was a revival at an old southern church.
The preacher stirrred the congregation into a frenzy.
“tell it all brother tell it all”
one man jumped up and confessed;
“preacher, I’m bad to drank me some whiskey”
and the preacher shouted “tell it all brother tell it all”
another fella stood up and said ” I’m bad to gamble”
again the preacher said “tell it all brother tell it all”
the next man hollered out ” I stole a hawg from my neighbor”
preacher said; “tell it all brother tell it all”
Then this on old guy jumps up on the pew and yells;
” I Had Sex With A Goat ! ”
The preacher looks at the old feller and said:
” Damn brother I don’t know if I would `of told that ! ”
Mary Ellen;
Tell it all sister, tell it all !
Easy Dunker
March 28th, 2011
3:37 pm
Hawks remind of a bully. They beat the little guys then face someone tougher than them and fold like a tent in a tornado…
drmaryb (*_-)
March 28th, 2011
3:46 pm
“Easy Dunker
I wished Joe Johnson read the blogs too then he would know that we all think he ain’t worth near the money he gets paid.”
_____________________
I’ll take a stab at this one: Sir, I seriously doubt Mr. Johnson could give a rats tail what you think about anything at all. Much less his bank account.
Perhaps you can make a few calls and figure out where ASKG got the money to pay Mr. Johnson (it sure ain’t coming from the fans). Better yet, figure out how much ASKG is making over the next 6 years.
That should give you something to do. Keep yourself busy.
Speaking of, I gotta’ go pay some bills now.
Later Fellas, its been fun!
Grandad
March 28th, 2011
3:48 pm
smitty derf: [r.e. Josh Smith]
“less than 30 % on 3 point shots”
INCORRECT
over 32% from 3 pt range.
over 47% overall shooting %
most of his jumpers are inside 3 pt range.
He has more assts than TOs
over 1 blk per game,
contributes to the fouls + he plays hard on defense.
he covers alot of bad def by teammates formerly Bibby.
Bad stat data -> pick another target
Learn something about the game before you attack someone.
Geemack
March 28th, 2011
4:05 pm
Everybody that’s bashing JJ.
Remember this team was a bottom feeder before JJ.
I don’t like the contract either. I think the Hawks grossly overpaid, but this team is better with him than without him.
The Hawks biggest challenge is they’ve failed to surround him comparable talent.
It’s not JJ’s fault that the Hawks have drafted 6′ 7″ – 6″ 9′ forward 9 of the last 10 NBA drafts.
With the exceptions being Teague and Pau Gasol whom they traded for a 6′ 9 forward Shereef.
BTW I’m only counting their first picks in those draft.
The Truth
March 28th, 2011
4:13 pm
At this point, the Hawks regular season is officially over since they have secured the 5th seed position (partially by default and partially with a win over subpar NJ). LD SHOULD be in the mode of preparing his team for the playoff against Orlando and NOT padding his victories for his own personal job security. So why isn’t Collins getting more than 13 minutes since he will likely be the one tangling with Dwight Howard in the playoffs? Why is Al Horford who played 42 minutes in NJ game, still played nearly 40 minutes against the Cavs in a meaningless game? Since his quickness is vital to him because he’s an undersize center, it is important for Al to be well rested to maintain his “quick-feet” edge over his opponent. Why isn’t Damien getting more minutes since his intensity will also be important against Orlando? In short, LD is wearing his thoroughbreds out for the sake of saving his job.
There are two factors to determine a successful season for the Hawks:
1) Meet or exceed the win totals of last season
2) Improve their playoff performance in the second round
Scratch #1 as they will fail to win 53 games this season. This will make the Hawks playoff performance even more crucial for LD. Not only will they have to overcome a tough first round opponent with Orlando, but somehow show their readiness for primetime in the second round. Based on the Hawks recent performances excluding their last 2 wins against subpar teams, it would seem this feat will be impossible to accomplish.
Fortunately for the Hawks and LD, that is why they play the game. So that “The Truth” will be brought to light.
We Shall See
Geemack
March 28th, 2011
4:25 pm
Enter your comments here
smitty derf
March 28th, 2011
4:34 pm
Grandad
You’re defending 47/146 on threes? Why is he allowed to 146 3’s. most of his makes have to be inside the line. he does lead n steals and blocks. he is a superb athlete. he does have 231 assists(only 4th on the team) But, he has 80+ more turnovers than the point guard. You admire and defend him but he is part of the major weakness of this team except when they play losing teams.
doc
March 28th, 2011
4:40 pm
LD will pad his record as much as he possibly can in the silly season time of the nba. others do it too i imagine, take no prisoners in the guise of ready the troops.
Geemack
March 28th, 2011
5:10 pm
The Truth
It’s not like the Hawks are playing for a title, or deep playoff run.
The way these guys have taken off all season, resting them should be the last thing on LD’s mind.
They’ve had about 13 blowouts, this season where they’ve mailed it in from the tip off.
That was there rest period. Desides Philly is still within striking distance of the Hawks.