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Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 88, Celtics 83

12:39 am April 2, 2011, by Michael Cunningham

  • 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

slimjr

April 3rd, 2011
7:46 am

Bulls have won 15 out of 17!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Man thats impressive..

slimjr

April 3rd, 2011
7:49 am

up next 7pm tonight in Houston. Houston by 10………..

doc

April 3rd, 2011
8:18 am

slimjr, wake me when one of your predictions is right.

lakers 16 of 17 more impressive. ;-)

bulls lakers could be fun.

okc 12-2 in march.

not so fast, eh?

40 games in forty nights, nba playoffs > march madness.

doc

April 3rd, 2011
8:28 am

okc lost 2 straight

denver 16-4 since trade of melo

play lakers today then okc

too bad okc and denver prob start off on each other, hope that changes.

slimjr

April 3rd, 2011
9:21 am

Hey Doc, like Josh jump shot, I am going to keep trying…..LOL

OKC/Denver would be an interesting series…Very talented athletic young teams…Okc will have home court so they should pull it out..
Man Melo is overrated????? Another on trick pony…Denver ballin since that joker left??? We think iso has issues??

doc

April 3rd, 2011
9:41 am

slimjr you have heard of the blind squirrel syndrome? just keep your money in your pocket from what i can tell.

okc/denver and hawks/magic may be the compelling first series. the difference is the okc/denver winner has a chance; magic/hawks winner has no chance to take it all. remember, okc made the lakers work last year. i like their length, speed and superstars to compete with the lakers. the addition of kp if healthy could seal the deal. my jaw dropped at that one, got to wonder how, why and who made the deal. i cant believe six mil over 3 years made the deal not work. anyway, it might have shifted the power to the west from the east long term. okc, feeds on the east anyway.

slimjr

April 3rd, 2011
10:10 am

“okc/denver winner has a chance; magic/hawks winner has no chance to take it all”!

Doc, I totally agree with you.Lakers were supposed to sweep OKC last year.I really like OKC and now they have Perkins???? Still cant believe Boston gave up on him????? Yep..OKC owns the Hawks as well as others in the EAST…. I cant remember the last time we beat them? Its got to be at least 4 years ago??? Wow.. Best time of year to be an NBA FAN!!!!The PLAYOFFS! PLAYOFFS????Yep…………….

Just for the record, I hate casinos……LOL

As you all know

April 3rd, 2011
10:14 am

“The broader point, that ATL fans have tuned out ”

BECAUSE MANAGEMENT WONT MAKE THE RIGHT MOVES TO GET THE RIGHT TALENT HERE! YOU WONT WIN WITH AN IDIOT FOR A GM OR COACH.

we miss you already M. Woodson

YOU WONT WIN WITH THE TALENT LEVEL THE HAWKS HAVE AT THE KEY POSITONS i.e. CENTER!

thats why the fans have apathy, this team has regressed since woodson was let go. 3 years from now we will see Woodsons era as the “good ol days”

LOTTERY IN 3 YEARS

Idiot watch

April 3rd, 2011
10:19 am

Only an idiot would quote a blogger who is quoting a blogger who is quoting another blogger who says he has translated this paraphrase from coach rivers and then say it is evidence…

Where do they get these people from?

Idiot watch

April 3rd, 2011
10:21 am

and speaking of idiots, why does Sund still have a job? Drew?

Princeton Offensive

April 3rd, 2011
10:26 am

Actually M. Woodson got us to the second round and 53 wins. Sund said he let Woodson go, to a) take us in another direction and b) take us to another level.

He has done both. We are certainly going in another direction with 9 wins in our last 30 games and we are now on another level 2 seeds down…

Kind of reminds me of republican strategics… go figure.

Princeton Offensive

April 3rd, 2011
10:30 am

Ok 11 wins in the last 30

drmaryb (*_-)

April 3rd, 2011
10:40 am

“Ray just has to relax, really,” coach Doc Rivers said after Friday night’s loss in Atlanta. “I just think Ray, like Rondo was, is struggling right now, and when you struggle you press. Ray is dribbling far more than he ever has. “To me, if it’s open, take the shot, and if not move it and see if we can get you another shot. But he’ll be fine. I have no concern about Ray Allen. None at all.” Boston Herald

Boston Celtics, Ray Allen, Doc Rivers  |  share
________________________

Interesting insight from a really good coach, lends some fodder to the
Northcyde and Najeh debate re: Joe Johnson. The difference is Joe doesn’t have 4 future HOF’ers on his team if you count Rondo @ some point.
____________________________

I other hoopshype rumor, the #1 rumor is that Jerry Sloan would like to coach again for another team. I posted this when he resigned, that a man like him should and would ultimately like to leave the game on HIS
own terms. The rumor stated that unlike all other NBA coaches, Sloan has no Agent. Allegedly Sloan will not pursue any team, but will to any/all offers and if the situation is right? He will listen.

doc

April 3rd, 2011
11:17 am

slimjr, just for the record, i too hate casinos and add horror flicks, high ladders or sloping roofs and electricity to the list, uh, not necessarily in that order. heh heh

i think sloan would find the weather perfect here, problem is salary.

p o cant count if he is counting victories for the hawks …. 15-15 last 30 games.

Ken Strickland

April 3rd, 2011
1:22 pm

DOC-Boston traded KPerkins because he refused to sign their contract offer.

What’s so encouraging about our 4gms winning streak, especially our last 2 victories, is how we managed to win. Before the trade, we would have lost at least 3 of those gms, because wouldn’t have had the overall DEF to overcome our OFF futility.

Our DEF against the Celtics was so good, that we were able to turn them into a jump shooting team for an entire half. Without the ability to consistently play this kind of DEF, there’s no way we could have over come our poor and inconsistent shooting. Before the trade, let’s face it, Drew would have played Bibby major mins no matter what, and we would have lost.

JeJe

April 3rd, 2011
1:38 pm

FIRE LD
FIRE WOODY
FIRE JOE
FIRE SUND

JeJe

April 3rd, 2011
1:42 pm

Chris Paul
Deron Williams
Andrew Bynum
Danny Granger
Brandon Roy
Rudy Gay
Monta Ellis

FIRE SUND AND BK

JeJe

April 3rd, 2011
2:00 pm

The Hawks have to play their best basketball (top defense, make all jumpshots) to beat the best teams.

The best teams don’t have to play their best basketball to beat us.

We lost at home to Boston when they were without Rondo

LOL

darrell starks

April 3rd, 2011
2:10 pm

FIRE WOODY
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!

darrell starks

April 3rd, 2011
2:11 pm

FIRE HIGHLIGHT FACTORY
FIRE HAWKS
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!

darrell starks

April 3rd, 2011
2:14 pm

I wonder how good would george hill be if drafted by hawks, might be in the D LEAGUE by now, LOL!!!!!!!
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Najeh Davenpoop

April 3rd, 2011
3:25 pm

“The Hawks have to play their best basketball (top defense, make all jumpshots) to beat the best teams.

The best teams don’t have to play their best basketball to beat us.”

This is exactly why teams with superstars win titles and teams without superstars don’t. In the playoffs everyone (except the Hawks) brings their A game, including the teams with superstars. And when they do, teams without superstars can’t compete, no matter how well they play.

Worldwide Clyde

April 3rd, 2011
3:42 pm

*yawn*

FIRE LD

FREE TEAGUE

slimjr

April 3rd, 2011
5:44 pm

You guys left out one more major piece of the puzzle to FIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE RETARDED OWNERSHIP!!!! GEARON AND THE OTHER not so famous seven ASKGeeMen………FIRE THOSE IDIOTS TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This dysfunctional Franchise has no shot at winning anything until these bums don’t walk but run outta here ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I get it Mr. Stern, there will never be a Championship in Atlanta….Not an accident that this franchise has been in operation in this great City for 43 years and never won nam nothin???

slimjr

April 3rd, 2011
5:48 pm

JC2 JC2 JC2 JC2 JC2..Hey he’s the guy that posterized(new word? LOL) Lebron in a summer camp???? Yep……

Sund run dont walk…………………

Najeh Davenpoop

April 3rd, 2011
5:59 pm

Those ball-sharing Nuggets with no go-to scorer are looking pretty good against the Lakers right now. A lot better than the Hawks did, that’s for sure.

doc

April 3rd, 2011
6:11 pm

yup najeh, a different coach out of ld’s league who develops players and schemes during games and a lot of depth and length. go nuggets. they also play the thunder next. could be a sleeper.

Najeh Davenpoop

April 3rd, 2011
6:14 pm

It kinda sucks that the Nuggets and Thunder are meeting in the first round. I’d like to see both of those teams go deep in the playoffs.

Worldwide Clyde

April 3rd, 2011
6:14 pm

FIRE SKY HAWK

FIRE SUND

FIRE DREW

slimjr

April 3rd, 2011
6:16 pm

Al for NENE yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nugguts play much smarter than the HAWKS………………………………….

Worldwide Clyde

April 3rd, 2011
6:17 pm

Denver uses their length Drew keeps his on the bench.

Worldwide Clyde

April 3rd, 2011
6:19 pm

Hilton Armstrong – bench
Jason Collins – bench
Etan Thomas – bench

FIRE DREW

slimjr

April 3rd, 2011
6:20 pm

The Nuggets have guys who can get to the Rim in Blink of an eye…Hawks are stuck in quick sand…Wanna be jumpshooters for ever and cant even stop an pop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(AL and Josh)????????

Sautee

April 3rd, 2011
6:28 pm

Clyde,

LOL @ Skyhawk.

uh

April 3rd, 2011
6:35 pm

anybody got a link to watch the game?

uh

Najeh Davenpoop

April 3rd, 2011
6:39 pm

atdhe.fm

doc

April 3rd, 2011
6:47 pm

najeh right after the trade i saw a karl interview. he had a hard time concealing his cat ate canary look. looking deep you could see relief and a very smug smile. he couldnt wait to let the horses loose. he says they are hard to scheme on because even he doesnt know where the points ar gonn come from. 17-4 sijce the trade, retooling on the fly.

uh

April 3rd, 2011
6:47 pm

Najeh,

Thank You.

Sincerely,

Uh

Larry Drew

April 3rd, 2011
6:50 pm

JC2 on his way to another triple double!
9 points
5 rebounds
2 assists.
Not even half way through second quarter yet!

doc

April 3rd, 2011
6:56 pm

najeh they share and move is the difference.

slimjr

April 3rd, 2011
6:59 pm

JC2=Triple Double!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A STAR in the MAKING????????????????????

slimjr

April 3rd, 2011
7:00 pm

JC2 had Cat like reflexes!!! Its crazy…………..

drmaryb (*_-)

April 3rd, 2011
7:00 pm

4:16 pm

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.”

********************
Here is what a Self – Proclaimed Idiot would say:_

Idiot watch

April 3rd, 2011
10:19 am
Only an idiot would quote a blogger who is quoting a blogger who is quoting another blogger who says he has translated this paraphrase from coach rivers and then say it is evidence…

Where do they get these people from?
_________________________________
The Boston Herald

Back-to-back flack

Another poor showing on 2nd night

By Mark Murphy / Celtics Notebook
Saturday, April 2, 2011 – Updated 2 days ago
    
Horford has Green fans

Hawks center Al Horford hasn’t needed much time to become one of Rivers’ favorite players — anywhere.

“Of all the guys on the All-Star team it wasn’t even close, he was my favorite guy,” said Rivers. “He made a comment to me, ‘Coach, don’t worry about playing me, I just want to play one stint because this is about the stars,’ and I said, ‘You know, you’re one of those guys.’

“Man, he’s so unassuming, I was like, wow, but you know he’s for real.”

- An Excerpt taken from the Boston Herald Article / Beat Writer –
________________________

I would say my paraphrase is pretty accurate for someone who was commenting from pure memory … Hugh.

Najeh Davenpoop

April 3rd, 2011
7:00 pm

No new blog for this game?

I’m watching Wizards-Bobcats right now. Jordan looks good, but neither team is even trying to play defense.

Najeh Davenpoop

April 3rd, 2011
7:03 pm

“right after the trade i saw a karl interview. he had a hard time concealing his cat ate canary look. looking deep you could see relief and a very smug smile. he couldnt wait to let the horses loose. ”

I think I either saw that interview or read about it somewhere.

If only the Hawks would share and move. I came away from watching that Nuggets/Lakers game thinking if the Hawks did exactly what the Nuggets do — and for the most part they have the personnel to do it — they would look like a real threat in the East.

Najeh Davenpoop

April 3rd, 2011
7:04 pm

Never mind, new blog up.

drmaryb (*_-)

April 3rd, 2011
7:05 pm

Najeh

Thanks! I didn’t even know The Hawks were playing tonight.
I would have totally missed this game. (*_*)

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