Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 88, Celtics 83
- The Hawks were down 60-49. They couldn’t score. J.J. dribbled out a possession and missed a forced 3-pointer over Rondo.
- This is where you figured the Hawks would fold. That’s been there M.O. for over a month now. You could sense Hawks fans at Philips bracing for the inevitable.
- Instead, the Hawks kept competing. They got stops. They rebounded. They earned free throws. They came back to beat a tough team with a tough effort.
- “Third quarter it could have gone either way,” Al said. “Guys really stayed together, we took it a play at a time and we didn’t get discouraged. Instead of hanging our heads we focused more on defense. That’s a good sign. We are starting to figure it out.”
- That’s two games in a row where the Hawks found it tough to score against opponents who play good D but managed to stick it out for a W. For all the fretting about the offense, could it be that the Hawks are finally developing a defensive identity that will allow them to win even when it’s not pretty?
- That’s what Al has been looking for all year: “I’m actually happy. In the past I haven’t felt like that. Guys are really buying into defense. Even though struggled defensively, we found a way.”
- “We had to grind it out,” Smoove said. “Boston is a hell of a defensive team and they made us work hard for every shot we took. We answered the bell and guys really stepped up and I’m just really proud of my teammates. Even thought shots were not falling we are playing stingy on the defensive end. We are not scoring, they are not scoring. That’s what we need to do with get consistent wins.”
- Where has that been?
- “We learned,” Zaza said. “Maybe it was late, but it always good to figure out something.”
- L.D. might have discovered that Zaza needs to play big minutes when the Hawks need the physical presence he’s always talking about and regulars can take a seat when they aren’t getting it done.
- “Zaza was playing super, super well,” L.D. said. “I was not going to take him out of the game. He was doing a great job. He was a presence in there, he was rebounding, he was going after loose balls. He was doing a lot of big man things. We got into a rhythm when he came into a game and I did not want to break that rhythm.”
- Zaza thrashed the C’s on the boards, D’d up old nemesis KG and got to the free-throw line by way of aggression. The Hawks can use all of that.
- “I thought Zaza Pachulia was the toughest dude on the floor and changed the whole game,” Doc Rivers said. “He was banging everybody, getting offensive rebounds, and I thought that was a great move by them.”
- Smoove was offering little beyond missed jump shots and lax D so he sat while Zaza played.
- “We was rolling,” Josh said. “Zaza was playing his ass off. You have got to reward a man by putting your trust in him so that’s what I did. I was one of the biggest cheerleaders over there. Individual accolades don’t mean anything as long as we win as a team and play consistently that’s all that matters.”
- There’s something about the Celtics at Philips that turns Zaza into a wrecking machine.
- “Maybe he needs to visualize everybody in a Celtics uniform,” Smoove said. “Like ‘Waterboy,’ make an illusion like he ses KG and Paul Pierce.”
- “They can be very arrogant sometimes,” Al said. “I think they have come at ‘Z’ the wrong way and it’s fired him up. ‘Z’ is not going to back down from anyone. For some reason they think they can come at him. ‘Z’ is a good player and I am very proud that he came out and showed what he can do.”
- “I don’t hate them,” Zaza said. “I just like to play them. It goes back to playoffs, not only for me, but also for the fans.”
- They went crazy when Zaza did damage, finally drowning out all the Celtics supporters.
- “He plays with so much fire,” Jamal said. “He’s one of the few players who gets the fans into it. They love him.”
- They loved Jamal tonight, too. He was the only consistent thing the Hawks had going offensively and the only guy attacking the basket for long stretches. He scored 12 straight points to keep the Hawks afloat in the second quarter.
- “We set some screens for him and he was exploding off the screens,” L.D. said. “He’s Jamal he’s going to dance with it a little bit for the most part I thought he came off the screen-and-rolls and really came off and separated from the screens. That’s how he has to be.”
- Jamal also helped spark the rally in the second half with his rebounding and playmaking. He did both on one key play, rebounding a miss and quickly finding Zaza for a layup that gave the Hawks a 71-69 lead.
- The Celtics scored 16 points in the third quarter and 15 in the fourth.
- “Clearly our defense was the staple tonight,” L.D. said. “When you stay within striking distance at home, all you are looking for is to get on a little of a roll, a little run and gain some momentum. We did that when and Jamal came in the game and energized us when we were flat.”
- The jump shots weren’t falling so the Hawks found other ways to score when things got tight (or at least they did after a few unfortunate renditions of Iso-Joe). In the fourth quarter, they got to the free-throw line and made 11 of 13 attempts and hit the offensive glass for 10 second-chance points.
- “If you are a great defensive team, you can never allow that many points in the fourth quarter,” Doc said.
- Joe was in foul trouble early and then missed 13 shots in a row at one point. He kept pressing for a while but then started darting to the rim and drawing fouls. He made 5 of 5 free-throw attempts in the fourth.
- “I made a conscience effort in second half to put the ball in Joe’s hand as much as we could,” Drew said. “I thought the guys responded to that.”
- Maybe, but I saw the ball stop with Joe and the offense stangante. Playing that way makes it too easy for a great defensive team like the Celtics.
- The Celtics can be taken on the boards. The Hawks did it, collecting 38 of their 41 misses, including 11 of 12 in the fourth quarter.
- The Celtics made it tough for Al to get position and challenged his jump shots early. He got loose for 10 points on eight shots after halftime and also had seven of his 12 defensive boards.
- L.D. still wasn’t ready to say the Hawks have figured things out.
- “Not yet. I like what I am seeing, especially getting two quality wins against two quality opponents. I’ve been waiting for this type of effort. I see signs but I’m not going to go out on a limb right now and say we are there. There are six games left and try to get as many wins as we can and, more importantly, get a rhythm and some momentum going into the playoffs.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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247 comments Add your comment
sam'l
April 2nd, 2011
10:11 am
ran out of gas….corrects typo
Rusty
April 2nd, 2011
10:37 am
Yea iso joe really worked great last night.
Rusty
April 2nd, 2011
10:48 am
How can we complain they won even they seemed to play horribly & the coaching seemed pretty bad.
Not Sund
April 2nd, 2011
10:49 am
Dang a couple posters wrote their own column.
We all know that in the playfoffs the games are not pretty.
I’d rather see J.J. take a bunch of shots even if he misses, he draws defenders and creates opportunites for the rebounders better positioning.
Thanks L.D. for doing something right when you put Josh on the bench.
Rusty
April 2nd, 2011
10:50 am
I guess the celtics played worse.
darrell starks
April 2nd, 2011
10:54 am
Boston look like the hawks last night with all jumshots, thats why bost lost to much perimeter.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
April 2nd, 2011
10:58 am
If LD can’t tell that horford do not want play center with his body language at center, then LD must be blind, it’s very clear that horford and the hawks are a better team when he plays powerforward.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!
Double Zero Eight
April 2nd, 2011
11:04 am
Zaza played a good game. He was the difference.
JJ struggled. If the Hawks are to stand a chance,
of winning the playoff series against Orlando, JJ
will have to average 20 points. .
darrell starks
April 2nd, 2011
11:07 am
Let’s keep it real, the hawks look bad last night even with a win, coach continue 2 make bad decision with his horrible 7man rotation and not having a solid rotation 2 get them ready for the playoffs this guy will not succeed as a head coach.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!
phil
April 2nd, 2011
11:44 am
•Smoove was offering little beyond missed jump shots and lax D so he sat while Zaza played…
What a shocker….Smith playing like crap….get rid of this guy!
Proud of the team for finally winning a few games THANKS TO SOME DEFENSIVE INTENSITY…
Will they keep it up? Not a chance….
Prove me wrong….that means you, marvin! Earn your damn money for once…..and you too, smith!
Play for crying out loud or get lost….
MJC
April 2nd, 2011
11:53 am
I like how people conveniently forgot about Smoove’s game against Orlando when they are trashing him here.
Worldwide Clyde
April 2nd, 2011
11:59 am
Jordan Crawford will go for 30 against the Hawks
Katie
April 2nd, 2011
12:04 pm
“Jordan Crawford will go for 30 against the Hawks”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA yeah RIGHT. With Wall being in that game he won’t get nearly as many touches.
MsDee
April 2nd, 2011
12:23 pm
Jordan Crawford is either going to look really really good or really really bad against us next Saturday cause he will try to do too much to prove we should have played him more..either way, I proud of the guy!!
brigadierjerry
April 2nd, 2011
12:37 pm
Kind of off topic but congrats to Dennis Rodman looks like he is going tomake the Hof. Tremendous rebounder and defender and was able to guard Magic, Bird Jordan and even Shaq. Unfortunately those type of players/rebounders bangers are few and far between in todays NBA
doc
April 2nd, 2011
12:43 pm
since our winning and scorers slump began about february 5th after the sixers smoked us and the cats took one away from us and after blowing up huge numbers by jj and jamal in january we have won 11 games. in ten of those wins we have kept the opposition to less than 90 points. only one game did we lose against charlotte in keeping the other team below 90.
does anyone see a trend here? in only one win did the other team go above 90 and that was against detroit. we also had a win in early feb against the wiz where they went above 90. yes to win, we will have to win this way and it is not pretty. it was how the young hawks established themselves a few years ago and forgot by thinking they could outscore folks. i dont think jamal or jj is suddenly going to come back to life like the run they had in january and even if they do this is still the style they are going to have to play.
after reading the blogs recently it seems this way is bad. as far as is it bad, i dont think winning is bad. i would take every one of those lousy wins and trophies home that the spurs had over the years in a second. it is time folks quit complaining in how it looks and open your eyes to the big picture. it was a hard fought win against a very tenacious team that has a lot of pride and wanted very bad to intimidate us. zaza just wouldnt let them and the rest of the team picked up the pace. boston had no quit in them and neither did zaza. good game.
as far as jordan going for 30? i hope he does as long as we win the game. we dont need any more guys willing to jack it up at will and not either know how or want to play playoff style basketball.
northcyde
April 2nd, 2011
12:43 pm
Rusty . . you still don’t get it ( as usual ).
It’s not that ISO worked. It’s that other people were in proper position to get rebounds, when it didn’t work.
JJ went a dismal 1 – 9 FG in the 4th quarter. He helped himself by going 5 – 5 FT, which softened the blow a bit from the dismal FG performance. But what really helped us out tonight, was the fact that we got 4 offensive rebounds off of JJ’s misses, and scored 8 points off of those misses.
So in a game in which he was shooting horribly, we STILL scored 17 points either by him scoring, or by other people gobbling up his misses.
It’s playing with balance and being in position to get the rebounds. With Smith in the game, neither he nor Al would’ve been on the inside, because they would’ve been waiting for JJ to pass the ball out to them on the perimeter.
northcyde
April 2nd, 2011
12:44 pm
16 points . . . not 17 points.
doc
April 2nd, 2011
12:45 pm
yeah, we forget somewhere hidden inside of rodman’s haze of roids and stimulants and other drugs was a very dedicated and hard working basketball player. good for him for the hof nod though it surprised me in a way.
tony
April 2nd, 2011
1:20 pm
For the 1st time LD showed that he has GUTS by benching BONEHEAD(js). Now show some guts and let CAPTAIN KIRK run the offense the way a pg suppose to so that trade will look more meaningful.
Rusty
April 2nd, 2011
1:39 pm
Nortcyde according to you we will be successful if he takes a lot of shots & misses them, we will get the rebounds & make points all them,that makes a lot of sense to me. Just think it’s okay if the 124 million man misses his shots. I say don’t shoot them if your not going to make a good % of them.
Sam'l
April 2nd, 2011
1:39 pm
I see bloggers who want to believe but don’t want to get hurt again. I see bloggers who have strayed now using the Hawks minor success stories to justify all their bonehead theories. I see bloggers who want to forget Jordan Crawford and they will after about 10 years of watching him tear up the league.
I’m just happy they won.
Scoop
April 2nd, 2011
1:40 pm
@MJC
You forget that in the Orlando game Smoove made 3 three’s!!!!!!
How many times has he done that this season?????? When Josh takes 4 3-pointers in a game 9/10 we will lose.
That is his problem-he does not know his role. He thinks he is Jordan taking long jump shots and deep, contested fade away jump shots, BUT HES NOT!!!!!!!!!!
He helps this team win with his defense and activity, but sadly that has been missing this whole year. I’ll say it again-he is horrible in defending the pick and roll, and he’s lazy 1-1 defensively. Before, he got his blocks on help side defense but even that is missing this year. Physically, if you just look at Josh, he doesnt even look like hes in as good of shape this year as years past. He seems content to just brick jumpshots and if notice there is a trickle effect-the offense stalls because Josh is camping out on the perimeter, instead of being inside, and so the offense gets stagnant.
Its not just Josh though, Marvin’s effort has been questionable as well. Little noticed last night was Marvin was on the bench during our stretch run as well(usually the norm). THIS IS THE REASON FOR THE HAWKS WOES!!!!!!
Lack of production from their forwards-we play small to take advantage of our athleticism but when your getting zero production from your wings consistently, its hard to win.
Logically, a more traditional lineup would be the adjustment-Hinrich, J J, Smoove/Marvin(doesnt matter), Al, ZaZa
drmaryb (*_-) AKA Matt "CHOKE" Ryan #1 Fan
April 2nd, 2011
1:45 pm
I think we will beat the magic in the 1st round..However, I still feel like we are a couples pieces away from contending from a championship…D12??? We get him and we’re there!!
Najeh Davenpoop
April 2nd, 2011
2:01 pm
“I like how people conveniently forgot about Smoove’s game against Orlando when they are trashing him here.”
Co-sign.
Rusty
April 2nd, 2011
2:07 pm
God we are not letting jj be him self,poor guy getting 2 shots less per game ( as per nortcyde)
Rusty
April 2nd, 2011
2:08 pm
Nortcyde we should have gave jj player of the game award.
MJC
April 2nd, 2011
2:22 pm
@scoop:
Any rant that talks about Smoove’s shot selection needs to have the phrase, “It doesn’t help that JJ hangs him out to dry with 2 seconds left on the shot clock at least 3 times a game” somewhere in it.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 2nd, 2011
3:26 pm
From Hoopinion:
One wonders how good the Hawks could be if they committed to anything that worked well with the same fervor with which they commit to Joe Johnson. Marvin Williams was no great shakes himself last night but, had Larry Drew swapped Williams for Johnson as he did Pachulia for Smith, perhaps the Hawks cruise to victory against the Celtics. Jamal Crawford (20 points on 14 shots, 4 assists against just 2 turnovers) might could have handled an even greater scoring load and the ball moved so much better in the first half when Al Horford got enough touches in the middle of the floor to attempt six shots and earn four assists.
Johnson needed 20 field goal and 11 free throw attempts to score 19 points. He earned two assists. Offense was the strong part of his performance in the game. Saddled with two fouls early in the first half from his unsuccessful efforts to defend Paul Pierce (to be fair, Williams wasn’t much more effective against Pierce), Johnson took just three shots and four free throws in the first half. In the second half, when Johnson wasn’t splitting his ineffective defensive play between Pierce and Ray Allen and forcing his teammates to switch with him on every screen Boston set, the Hawks were forcing the ball to Johnson–in the post, in isolation on the wing, and at the top of a 1-4 set. The results: 3-17 from the floor, 7-7 from the line, an assist, and a turnover. Were it not for the 10 second half points that Pachulia, Williams, and Al Horford scored by following Joe Johnson misses (nor the lone three-pointer that Johnson made, which put the Hawks up 82-75, a shot created completely by Kirk Hinrich), the Hawks likely lose this game the way they’ve lost so many others.
The bad news: No matter how much this organization wants it to be or acts as if it is true, Joe Johnson cannot beat good teams by himself.
The good news: No matter how much this organization tries to limit the amount of talent surrounding Johnson, there remains sufficient talent available to help him win games against good teams. At least some of the time.
northcyde
April 2nd, 2011
3:31 pm
Rusty
April 2nd, 2011
1:39 pm
Nortcyde according to you we will be successful if he takes a lot of shots & misses them, we will get the rebounds & make points all them,that makes a lot of sense to me. Just think it’s okay if the 124 million man misses his shots. I say don’t shoot them if your not going to make a good % of them.
******************
The Hawks are 6 – 1 this year when JJ takes 20+ shots, but shoots less than 40%.
Is that an anomaly, or is there something to this? Could it be because other people are in the right place at the right time, despite his dismal shooting.
Even in that Milwaukee series, JJ went 8 – 24 FG in one of those games vs Milwaukee ( Game 6 ). Jamal had a big game . . and HOrford had 15 points and 15 rebounds ( 6 offensive ).
WE win the game.
So like I said . . is this an anomaly, or is there something to this?
northcyde
April 2nd, 2011
3:32 pm
That was also the game in which we played stellar defense in that 3rd quarter.
northcyde
April 2nd, 2011
3:33 pm
The whole “let’s make everybody a threat offensively” concept was only good in theory. The fact is that people need to start playing their role. If they played their role, we’ll win more games.
drmaryb (*_-) AKA Matt "CHOKE" Ryan #1 Fan
April 2nd, 2011
3:40 pm
Jordan Crawford dropped a triple double last night…LOL SMH atlanta hawks at its finest!!
drmaryb (*_-)
April 2nd, 2011
4:16 pm
Celtics off in Zaza land
Pachulia, Hawks put hurtin’ on Green late
By Mark Murphy
Saturday, April 2, 2011 – Updated 14 hours ago
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ATLANTA — The Celtics [team stats] couldn’t complain about the atmosphere. Though Hawks crowds have improved since these two went to seven games in the first round of the 2008 playoffs, the turncoats were cheering as much for the Celts as their own team last night.
But the C’s were unable to parlay Thursday night’s success in San Antonio into a two-game swing.
Signs of slippage were everywhere, but especially in that area that has dogged this veteran team to such a curious degree — stretch execution.
They were again outworked late in last night’s 88-83 loss to Atlanta. The result dropped their record in the second night of back-to-back games, when the second is played on the road, to 3-10. It also dropped them three games behind first-place Chicago and a half-game behind second-place Miami in the East. Both the Bulls and Heat won last night.
But talk of playoff seeding isn’t a good subject in this locker room right now.
The Celtics, 5-6 in their last 11 games, will settle for something just as elusive — consistency.
That’s tough for a team that led by 12 points (60-48) in the third quarter last night before surrendering a 16-3 run that covered the last 1:22 of the third and the first 2:18 of the fourth.
Rajon Rondo responded with a pair of drives, and the Hawks pushed back again, this time with a 10-2 burst that caught the Celtics shooting 1-for-6 with two turnovers in a horrid 5:36 stretch.
“There was a point in the third where I thought we had a chance to stretch things out, but I thought we started settling for jumpers,” said Pierce, who had a game-high 25 points. “We were getting stops all night, but things changed in the fourth quarter.
“We also weren’t getting rebounds. A lot of our shots were good shots, but maybe we could have gotten better looks closer to the basket. At the end of the day, when I see them shooting 36 percent and we get outrebounded, that has to be the reason we lost.”
Indeed, the Celtics were outboarded 52-38, and were not only beated to the glass all night by players like Al Horford (16 points, 15 boards) but also by one of their favorite antagonists, Zaza Pachulia (15 points, 10 rebounds).
The Celts also were pushed around.
Exhibit A was Pachulia’s ability to tear a rebound out of Kevin Garnett’s hands, draw a retaliatory foul from Pierce, and hit two free throws to put Atlanta ahead 79-75 with 4:15 remaining.
The 7-footer made this play in the midst of the aforementioned 10-2 run, which Joe Johnson capped with a 3-pointer.
Though Pierce, who had the only Celtics basket during that 5:36 stretch, stopped the burst by driving for a three-point play, the Celts already had lost hold.
Glen Davis missed two free throws with 36 seconds left that would have tied the game at 83
_______________________
Here’s an interesting quote, para-phrased from Doc Rivers in regards to Al Horford:
“He was hands down my favorite All Star player this year. He came to me and said, you really only have to play me just one stint. This is all about the stars.”. I told him, “You are one of those guys.”
He is the most unassuming All-Stars in this league and is genuine.”
________________
That was the gist of what Doc was saying. I read a blogger’s post from last night’s game, intimating that Al Horford has always been one of his favorite players, since his days at Florida. This blogger continued to say, “Al would look really good in Celtic green uniform.
Another blogger, took a dig at Zaza, calling him ZaZa “Gabor”. LOL! saying, he man handled them in the paint with his effective play.
Their blog has got nothing on ours though, as far as intellect and high level communication skills, not ‘nam thing. We truly are the best and more insightful and deep.
northcyde
April 2nd, 2011
4:21 pm
it’s funny though.
As great as Bret LeGree can be at times, he simply doesn’t pay attention to trends on other occasions.
The Hawks are 11 – 6 when JJ attempts 20+ shots. That’s a .647 winning percentage. Extrapolate that to 82 games . . and you get 53 wins.
So like I said . . is this an anomaly, or is there something to this?
Slimjr
April 2nd, 2011
4:22 pm
HAWKS ARE 9-21 IN THEIR LAST 30!!!!!!!!!!!
SUND GIVES AWAY A FLAT OUT BALLER BETTER THAN THE #2 PICK IN O5 AND A 1ST FOR a B- PLAYER WHO’s GONNA GET LIT UP NEXT WEEK BY JC2..A FUTURE STAR IN THIS LEAGUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1.
LD HAD TO BENCH HIS STARTING #3 AND #4 TO GET A WIN??????? WTF?????????????
WHATS TO CELEBRATE???????????? ANOTHER PLAYOFF MELTDOWN COMING??????
drmaryb (*_-)
April 2nd, 2011
4:24 pm
I see the trolle is off his meds again, jacking partial I’d’s today. LOL!
He typically runs out before the end of the month and the Medicaid Pharmacists are closed till Monday.
Oh well, should be a hilarious day on the blog.
If he just get laid? That would tie him up at least 2 or 3 seconds, but no such luck.
ROF-LMAO!
_____________
On that note, I’m outa’ here for today. I need to go wash the car and do laundry anyways now.
Great Team Win! Let’s Go Hawks! Get The Spurs next.
A
mykhalc
April 2nd, 2011
4:31 pm
it took how many games into the season for LD to do somethin’ that a HC should do nite-in, nite-out…bench the f’n players that ain’t gettin’ it done…WHOMEVER they might be!!! Zaza showed heart, no doubt!!! even in victory this team exhibits no BB smarts, no BB cohesion…PERIOD!!! ok…maybe in small spurts…ONLY!!! but most get what i’m sayin’. anyway, LD still sucks as a HC…PERIOD!!!
Scoop
April 2nd, 2011
4:34 pm
@MJC
Any rant that talks about Smoove’s shot selection needs to have the phrase, “It doesn’t help that JJ hangs him out to dry with 2 seconds left on the shot clock at least 3 times a game” somewhere in it.
-It would help if you(and Smoove) would realize that the reason Joe dishes it to Smoove on the perimeter low in the shot clock is because teams double Joe off Smoove’s man!!!!!!
What is Joe supposed to do with two guys in front of him and a lazy teammate standing on the perimeter. This is what I was talking about when Smoove is content to stand around on the 3-point line. If he’d get down on the box things would open up for everybody.
Slimjr
April 2nd, 2011
4:37 pm
Al your help defense is one word ATROCIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!! I cant believe how many times this year you let guards come into the paint and since your out of position because your mentally not paying attention to whats going on around you, and letting these guys get uncontested layups!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Your are f__ing 6″10.5″!!. You are supposed to playing handball with some of those layups…I should know better since I play ball, that just like scoring is a gift you either have or dont, so is shot blocking!!!!!!! You definitely dont have it but your coaches should be pointing that out to you because you and your squad are going to be destroyed again in the playoffs if dramatic changes dont come on the deffensive side of the ball! PLAYOFFS????? Yep……………..
northcyde
April 2nd, 2011
4:38 pm
More trends:
- The Hawks are 24 – 8 when Josh Smith grabs 10 or more total rebounds . . . 16 – 8 when he scores 20 or more points
- The Hawks are 8 – 2 when Al Horford grabs 5 or more offensive rebounds . . . 13 – 5 when he scores 20 points or more
drmaryb (*_-) AKA Matt "CHOKE" Ryan #1 Fan
April 2nd, 2011
4:44 pm
Good try dr maryb
Slimjr
April 2nd, 2011
4:46 pm
This team is going into the playoff’s with no Home court advantage like the 07 squad and what happened?? They were eliminated in the 1st Rd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So what they took BC 7 games.. and were flat out killed on the road!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.This 2011 team has no home court advantage throughout the playoffs= History tends to repeat itself??????
Slimjr
April 2nd, 2011
4:49 pm
Is JC2 playing tonight??????
northcyde
April 2nd, 2011
4:56 pm
Scoop
April 2nd, 2011
4:34 pm
-It would help if you(and Smoove) would realize that the reason Joe dishes it to Smoove on the perimeter low in the shot clock is because teams double Joe off Smoove’s man!!!!!!
What is Joe supposed to do with two guys in front of him and a lazy teammate standing on the perimeter. This is what I was talking about when Smoove is content to stand around on the 3-point line. If he’d get down on the box things would open up for everybody.
****************
And that means that he’d be around the rim more to either gobble up and offensive rebound and put it back in ( like Zaza does ), or he’d get fouled on the put back, or he’d grab a rebound and find another open shooter ( like he’s very capable of doing ). He might even receive an interior pass from JJ, and get a hoop going to the basket.
Instead, when the ball his kicked to him, he shoots the ball ( sometimes because he has to ). The problem, is that when our PF is taking 21 foot jumpers, who is in the paint to rebound the miss? Normally, it’s only Horford, seeing that JJ will be on one wing, Marvin will be stuck in the corner, and whomever is playing the point is out on the perimeter as well.
To me, it’s all about playing balanced basketball. If Smith and Horford are going to continue to play out on the perimeter, we need somebody on the interior to gobble up rebounds. That’s why I’d rather play Zaza with the starters, than off the bench. It’s actually the same premise that people have for playing Teague with the starters.
Slimjr
April 2nd, 2011
5:01 pm
“lol im not even a hawks fan and i feel sorry for them ”
quote from youtube ref Hawks trading away JC2 for peanuts…………………………….Shoot…….
Jae Evolution
April 2nd, 2011
5:04 pm
If we can draft Marshon Brooks this year we can let Jamal walk and either sign and trade or free up space for FA’s.
Damien From Port Arthur Texas
April 2nd, 2011
5:13 pm
this is my third post and i started off saying we had to get tougher and what do you know. we are scrapping now. we are winning. Hard fouls, pushin shovin. hell if i didnt know better i’d say a team with some pride was out there. being a former athlete i cant understand how this (my) team would bend over and take it up the a** and not fight back. Every since our great leaDER Mr Dominique Wilkens pieced up ol buddy we have followed suit. Go Mutha F’n Hardcore Hawks.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 2nd, 2011
5:37 pm
“The Hawks are 11 – 6 when JJ attempts 20+ shots. That’s a .647 winning percentage. Extrapolate that to 82 games . . and you get 53 wins.
So like I said . . is this an anomaly, or is there something to this?”
They are also 6-4 without Joe Johnson. Stats only mean whatever you want them to mean.
We have plenty of evidence to suggest this team cannot win in the playoffs if they run the offense through Joe. That was the whole reason for opening up the offense in the first place. Running the offense through Smoove and Al doesn’t mean they have to take perimeter shots.
Don V
April 2nd, 2011
5:56 pm
Some of you overrate the offense skills of Josh Smith and Horford. They are at their best when we play good hard defense and then run the ball…but when we run a set offense, like it or not it has to run through Johnson/Crawford, and hope Al and Josh rebound missed shots.