Atlanta Hawks: Drew still says sitting Horford was right move
L.D. slept on it and came to the same conclusion as he did after he game: Sitting his best all-around best player for the final 21:50 of the first half in an attempt to avoid foul trouble was the right move.
Asked today after practice if he had any second thoughts on the decision, Drew provided a similar explanation as last night:
“When he picked up the early two fouls it put it us in a bit of a bind. You don’t anticipate your starters picking up two early fouls like that. When he went to the bench, had we hit a bad stretch at the start of the second quarter to the middle of the second quarter, I would have put him back in. We actually had a really good stretch in the middle of second quarter. With three minutes left we hit a bump in the road and I didn’t want to jeopardize him picking up his third when we were going good.”
By the middle of the second quarter, Atlanta’s 32-22 lead was down to 34-33 because Marvin, Jamal, Hinrich and Joe all missed jumpers; Hinrich lost the ball on a careless turnover; and Dwight went to work against Powell and then Armstrong.
After Al went to the bench, the Hawks gave up 15 offensive rebounds in the rest of the first half. They missed 26 of 41 shots and scored just 38 points on 49 possessions. If L.D. thought the Hawks were having a really good stretch then playing Horford, their best rebounder and most efficient scorer, might have made for an even better stretch.
Also note that Al averaged just 2.6 fouls per 36 minutes this season, the lowest rate of his career. I guess that number would be perhaps three if he were allowed to play regularly with two first-half fouls. Al has fouled out of four of his 335 career games, including playoffs. Among centers who played at least 1,000 minutes this season, Al has the fewest fouls per 36 minutes.
So it’s not like Al is prone to picking up fouls or has to check any Magic players who are particularly good at drawing them. Al doesn’t play a physical defensive style, instead relying on his quick feet to get good position. In other words, he’s not like Zaza, whom L.D. also left on the bench with two fouls. That made more sense because Zaza fouls a lot and is the last decent line of defense against Dwight.
Speaking of which . . .
The Magic were -21.3 points per 48 minutes with Twin on the court during the regular season. After two playoff games, they are . . . . -21.3 per 48 minutes with Twin on the court.
With Zaza on the court, the Magic were +9.8 per 48 minutes during the regular season and are +8.6 in the playoffs. The numbers vs. Etan are +31.1 and +27.4, vs. Powell -4.4 and +9.0. Armstrong didn’t play against Orlando during the regular season with the Hawks; the Magic were +61.7 per 48 vs. him in Game 2.
(All numbers are from NBA.com’s dope new StatsCube feature.)
The Hawks don’t really have anyone other than Twin who can provide much resistance against Dwight but the numbers suggest Zaza should be first in line (though he wasn’t last night). After those two the Hawks are simply hoping that any of the other bigs can somehow hang on.
“It’s always been like that,” L.D. said. “That’s nothing different. We go with Twin and Zaza and then we start using other big bodies and their jobs are to try to make him earn everything. They are battling him; there is a lot of banging going on. We are getting what we want out of those guys in those cases. We have to buy Twin and Zaza time.
“I’m not discouraged by that not one bit. In putting together this team one thing we knew we had to do was get big bodies in here in the event of playing Orlando in the playoffs. Hilton, Etan, Josh Powell–they are big bodies and their jobs are to force Dwight to work for everything. They are going to create fouls and force the issue. I am not discouraged by that.”
Notes
- Al said he has a bone bruise on his right knee. “It’s swollen but it’s good. I plan on playing.”
- Smoove reported no problems with the elbow.
- L.D., Al and J.J. all were in agreement that J.J. needs to pass the ball quicker if the Magic send aggressive double teams at him again in Game 2. Dwight chased Joe out to the perimeter at times, which (theoretically) should leave space on the weak side if the ball swings around quickly and the Hawks attack before Dwight can get back to the rim.
- “Move the ball,” Drew said. “I thought we got a little stagnant. We reverted back to a little too much one-on-one. But looking at the video, we gave up 20 offensive rebounds, they were plus-18 free-throw wise, yet with two minutes to go it was a two-point ballgame. We need to clean up a couple areas. The guys watched guys and saw some things we could have done differently.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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222 comments Add your comment
drmaryb (*_-)
April 21st, 2011
12:18 am
Thrifty – Nickel!
O’Brien
Then you are right. The ASKG does not spend wisely. Najeh has trumpeted this same sentiment, through out the Summer of FA.
________________
MC
Will you please share the post that SteveW just levied @ 12:01 AM?
Please inform Mr. Drew what the experts think of his stubborn stance on not playing ASA for the entire 21 minutes and how ASA ended the game with those same 2 damned fouls?
This is the NBA Play Offs – Maane! Borrow one of Marvins spare brains!
For The Love of Basketball …. Get out of your own Fkn way!
Geez-Us!
The Truth
April 21st, 2011
12:20 am
IDK who has the advantage with the long gap in the schedule between game 3 (4/24) and game 4 (4/30); It seems like Orlando. If the Hawks win game 3, Orlando has a longer time to reset and make adjustments. The Hawks has already spoiled Stern’s master plan to keep the Hawks from advancing by stealing game one. The schedule for games 1 and 2 was written to steam roll us quickly (3 days gap) with a shorter adjust period in Orlando compared to a 4 day gap in Atlanta. When you add this with the unbalance foul distribution, the NBA promoting Orlando over the Hawks is not a coincidence but closer to a conspiracy.
Grandad
April 21st, 2011
12:35 am
Mary Ellen:
“Marv’s got an ass brain”
Now that’s funny !
Grandad
April 21st, 2011
12:41 am
From the 1st page:
Najeh, were you implying;
that to be the best player on a team,
one has to be able to get his own shot,
or score off the dribble.
[I can't remember the phrasing]
*(as it pertains to Al)
Grandad
April 21st, 2011
12:50 am
One stategy that no one has thought of:
[requires thinking outside the box]
start or just play Marv with Josh & Al.
Allowing Al to pull Dwight outside,
but, defensively, have Marv guard dwight.
Marv:
*Long wing-span
*low base of support (butt)
*good position defender / fundamental
*expendable
*6 fouls
* and hey…he may throw a haymaker at Dwight.
Ra'mon
April 21st, 2011
12:59 am
Grandad, I think Don Nelson is the only NBA coach who would try that one. And because its crazy, it may would work lol.
Buddy Grizzard
April 21st, 2011
1:11 am
SteveW could you paste some of Hollinger’s quotes about Las Vegas Larry?
Grandad
April 21st, 2011
1:13 am
Ra’mon
One time coming out of a timeout,
two of my players were in a zone while
two other players of mine were in man,
the other young fella was so confused
he decided to play neither one.
The moral of this story.
The opponent was even more confused tan we were
and by the time we (coaches) figured out what was goin’ on,
we had shut out the other team for half a quarter.
We let it play out ’til a break in the action.
It was some of the best defense we played all season.
My staff and I tried to figure out how to design that defense
and put it in…to no avail. We couldn’t figure it out either.
So, sometimes, confusing the other team,
(as long as you get in their way)
is the best method.
Jae Evolution
April 21st, 2011
1:23 am
Wow did anyone see Jarrett Jack literally call out Emeka Okafor and Carl Landry in the middle of the floor for not running back on defense to crash the boards?
drmaryb (*_-)
April 21st, 2011
1:23 am
Nephilims!
Slimjr
Those Giants which you so eloquently speak of in Genesis 6:4 are actually Lucifer/Satan’s army of angels/demons who were hurled from the heavens as described in Revelations 12:9 They are wrathful and powerful.
Lucifer, the original fallen angel challenged God’s – Universal Sovereignty, (the right to rule over human kind and proclaimed that man could live without God’s judgment). This epic battle has been coined:
The Battle of Armagedon. The Battle of Good -vs- Evil. The Battle of Gog and Magog. The Holy War aka: Jihad.
Once Lucifer was hurled from the heavenly realm and into the vicinity of the earth, his myriad of followers, demons/fallen angels were sent with him. Revelations says, “Woe to the earth and to the seas, for the devil has come down having great wrath and anger, seeking to devour any and all who will go down with him.”
Prior to being evicted, the fallen angels admired earthly man and desired the flesh of women. They came down and had sex with harlots, fornicators and prostitutes and fathered children. That were gigantic and evil – Goliath in stature.
Yes, they chose earth over heaven. All these wicked people, Nephilims, people of Sodom and Gomarrah, etc. Were destroyed in The Flood of Noah’s Day. Yes, they no longer exist in human form.
The occasional Minute Bol, Yao Ming and George Murushan’s of the world are simply “freaks of nature”. Just normal people with not so normal DNA. Notice how they lumber up and down the court, have sensory defects, speak and talk sloow, and suffer more than usual health problems.
They are gigantic, but are not Nephilims. The Devil and his Demons are limited to spiritual bodies now. They have super natural influence and power over humans, that choose evil -vs- good. For now … The End is Near! We are living in the last days of Satanic Rule! See the world events as evidence.
_____________________
Oh Yes! I have a strong spiritual education in my background, from infancy, thanks to my Mother (RIP). I had drifted away for 25 years and am now getting back on track spiritually these past 2 years. It is a work in progress, I’m grateful that God is patient with all of us.
_____________________
Let’s Go Hawks! I’m praying for a win in Game 3!
Najeh Davenpoop
April 21st, 2011
1:37 am
SteveW, you can read the full Hollinger article here.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 21st, 2011
1:51 am
“Najeh, were you implying;
that to be the best player on a team,
one has to be able to get his own shot,
or score off the dribble.”
No. I made that statement to indicate the limitations of stats and what can be inferred from them. Stats say Al is the Hawks’ best player, by a considerable margin at that. A big reason for this is because he is one of the league’s most efficient offensive players and one of the few big men in the league who shoots a high percentage from the field as well as the free throw line. The advanced stat-heads see this and wonder why the Hawks don’t run their offense through him. My point is that just because Al, by the stats, is the Hawks’ best player doesn’t necessarily mean that a) he will maintain his efficiency and effectiveness given a more prominent role, or b) the team as a whole would be better off making him the offensive centerpiece.
And really, there is the bigger question of what exactly constitutes “best”. I think depending on who you ask, you’d get different answers on whether a team’s best player necessarily has to be an offensive focal point or simply the guy who makes the greatest positive impact, regardless of whether that impact comes via scoring, defense, rebounding, or something else.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 21st, 2011
1:52 am
That 1:37 post was supposed to be addressed to Buddy Grizzard, not SteveW.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 21st, 2011
1:54 am
Also, might I suggest “Leisure Suit Larry” as a more suitable nickname for LD?
vava74
April 21st, 2011
2:38 am
So much for Shaq would have helped us.
The guy couldn’t even motivate himself into getting into game shape with the Celts, just imagine how he would be if had come to Atlanta:
http://sports.mobile.msn.com/en-us/nba/article.aspx?aid=742394&acid=2&afid=73
vava74
April 21st, 2011
2:51 am
LD is an idiot and it’s painful to read all the nonsense he says.
I would prefer that MC refrain from doing such a good job at exposing this unbelievably sorry excuse for an head-coach. it’s really too damn painful.
The Magic are a crappy team right now, a far cry from their 09/10 set up but even so they will probably win game 3 and the series thanks to this fool.
Why the hell isn’t Twin playing more minutes on Howard? Wouldn’t it be better if he used Twin as much as possible to build a lead and frustrate Howard in the first half rather than also taking him out “to protect him from fouling out” to then not use him for more than a few minutes in the second?
Grandad
April 21st, 2011
2:54 am
Najeh
Thanks for clearing that up.
*[stat-heads] – I am most assuredly not a S.H.
well I’ve been called one kind of s-head…..
but it had nothing to do with statistics.
” And really, there is the bigger question of what exactly constitutes “best”.
I think depending on who you ask,
you’d get different answers on whether a team’s best player
necessarily has to be an offensive focal point
or simply the guy who makes the greatest positive impact ”
Well said:
As the age old argument about the MVP:
Is the MVP ?
The best player, the most important player,
the player you can least afford to be without,
a player who is untouchable [as far as trades] ?
I prefer the eye test.
I believe what I see.
As a coach, statistics are grand.
But I was always looking at them in context,
as to how they affected and or fit into the teams formula.
Grandad
April 21st, 2011
3:04 am
vava
You are right on.
Use up all your fouls with Twin & Zaza [+ +]
then play your skilled athletes during nut-cuttin’ time.
! * Not sayin’ don’t play Al sooner & more though * !
Andrew
April 21st, 2011
3:43 am
I definitely believe that the Hawks have the personnel (players) to win this series, but the problem is that they do not have the coach to do so. If the Hawks win, it will be in spite of Coach Disgrace. Even though our execution was flawed and we failed to execute at the end of a tight game 2, I can’t really fault the players all that much. They were playing with a lot of intensity. They didn’t’ lose that game, Drew lost the game with his idiotic coaching. This is something he has done before. His biggest mistakes were how he managed the frontcourt rotation. He didn’t play Collins enough, and most importantly, he essentially fouled Horford out the game with his completely moronic decision to bench him for what was the vast majority of the first half. I still can’t get over how bad of a decision that was. I love this quote by John Hollinger on Drew’s decision to sit Horford for the remainder of the first half after picking up 2 early fouls.
“There is no way to sugarcoat it: This is the most indefensible
coaching decision I’ve seen this season. Horford played the entire
second half and finished the game with — you guessed it — two fouls.
This didn’t come as a surprise to anyone who watched the Hawks this
season. Horford has one of the lowest foul rates in the league at his
position — just 2.85 fouls per 40 minutes — so even if he had stayed
in the game with the two fouls he was at virtually no risk of fouling
out. ”
He’s right, and he’s not the only one who has stated this in some fashion. I’m fed up with putting up with Drew. To make things worse, he was also too much of a pompous coward to admit his mistakes. Drew is just a disgrace to this organization. He’s an absolute joke as a head coach. For one who preaches about effort and “sense of urgency”, he fails to display either of those characteristics in his coaching. The man cannot even do a mediocre coaching job. I don’t think there’s one head coach in the NBA today that couldn’t do a better job with this team than Drew does.
Under absolutely no circumstances should a coach put his team in a position to lose in the post-season. If the team loses, it should be due to the inability of the players to execute, or due to lack of heart/effort by the players, or simply due to the fact that the team loses to a better team which their greatest effort and flawless execution simply cannot beat. I’ve followed this team very closely for many years, and I’ve never been more disappointed in the man on the sidelines than I am now. Woodson was infuriating at times and was very poor at making adjustments, but even his coaching prowess was far better than Drew’s, and that is saying something.
For this team to succeed, they need a real head coach, not some arrogant fraud who refuses to own up to his own mistakes. The Hawks have a chance at winning this series and may accomplish it, but if they do, they’ll have to counteract the poor decisions by their head coach. One can only hope that stupidity by Drew doesn’t ultimately decide this series for the Hawks. The fans have suffered enough through the terrible, yet brief, Larry Drew era.
At least we can all rejoice when this incompetent man is replaced by a true head coach, or at least when he is just replaced. At this point, almost anyone would be an improvement.
Worldwide Clyde
April 21st, 2011
3:46 am
Praise The Lord drmaryb.
FIRE LD
Worldwide Clyde
April 21st, 2011
3:56 am
Pape Sy > Marvin
Worldwide Clyde
April 21st, 2011
3:58 am
Why does Drew keep puttin Powell out there against Howard? Where is Sean Williams when you need him. SMH
Ole Hawks Fan
April 21st, 2011
4:10 am
For the hawks to win this series…………………Teague needs to start a PG friday where he can use his speed to attack the basketball and get Dwight in foul trouble trying to defend the basket. Play Jeff Teague……………..his speed alone would make SVG pull his hair out. Teague is the missing piece to the hawks winning this round and moving on. Use JC1 like the Paces used Reggie Miller moving without the ball around screens so he can get an open look. As I’ve been saying on here since Jeff Teague was drafted………………these coaches(Woody & Woody Lite) would not play Rondo if he had been drafted by this TEAM. He would be DNP-CD as he waste away on the bench. Thankful for Rondo, he had a Former NBA Point Guard(Doc Rivers) as his coach. Too bad teague didn’t have Doc as his coach when he got here. If he is not going to be used here, I hope ASG would trade him to The Lakers so he can be Derrick Fisher replacement when he retires. GIVE TEAGUE A CHANCE AND LET HIM PLAY(Major Minutes Friday).
Buddy Grizzard
April 21st, 2011
4:54 am
Thanks Najeh. Favorite Hollinger quote:
“The cost of having a player foul out is that he’s taken off the court.
So sitting him for 22 minutes to eliminate the “penalty” of a third
foul out is inherently counterintuitive — the Hawks basically chose a
cure that was dramatically worse than the disease.”
LOL… to save Horford, who fouls out less than any rotation center in the league, from sitting with six fouls, LD sat him for 22 minutes with 2 fouls.
Buddy Grizzard
April 21st, 2011
5:21 am
More Hollinger… just brutal:
Yes, the Hawks did the same thing with
Collins, too — their most valuable player this series because of his
defense on Dwight Howard. Wanting to preserve Collins for the fourth
quarter — one he ended up not playing a minute in, because the Hawks
were behind and Collins can’t score — Drew also sat Collins for the
final 8:44 of the half with two fouls.
Buddy Grizzard
April 21st, 2011
5:22 am
(True story: I was talking to two NBA
front-office types before a game this month and we were trying to come
up with the worst player in the league. Without any prodding from me,
both of them nominated Powell.) – Hollinger
Buddy Grizzard
April 21st, 2011
5:28 am
“There is no way to SUGARCOAT it: This is the most INDEFENSIBLE coaching decision I’ve seen this season. Horford has one of the lowest foul rates in the league at his position — just 2.85 fouls per 40 minutes — so even if he had stayed in the game with the two fouls he was at virtually NO RISK of fouling out.
Overall, when a real center was on the court the Hawks won Game 2 by 10 points. Unfortunately, Drew’s personnel choices SABOTAGED them so badly in the second quarter that they missed a golden opportunity to grab this series by the throat.” – Hollinger
Let me just say that I really appreciate Michael Cunningham’s excellent reporting in this blog entry. He really lays out exactly what Hollinger is saying while maintaining the professional distance from these facts that’s required for a reporter in his position who still has to talk to Las Vegas Larry every day.
SABOTAGED BY LAS VEGAS LARRY!!
drmaryb (*_-)
April 21st, 2011
5:47 am
Tee’d UP!
Worldwide Clyde! You Got Jokes? PTL. LOL! Too bad you don’t really mean that?
Also, Too Bad no one over at The ASKG executive offices
listens to your chants and rants, especially when it comes to:
FIRE DREW! That is one rant, chant I could definitely get behind.
I am so sick of this fool, I can’t even express it in words.
He will go down as the dumbest coach with the most talent the Hawks have ever had.
Worse than Mr. Woodson, too bad this team quit on him, he was really pushing most of the right buttons. IDK what to say really, it’s getting really hard to stay on topic here, these days!
Buddy Grizzard
April 21st, 2011
5:49 am
Sorry… got carried away… Andrew had already posted the key quote.
Buddy Grizzard
April 21st, 2011
5:57 am
“Also, might I suggest “Leisure Suit Larry” as a more suitable nickname for LD?” – Najeh
Najeh, the image of LVL in his rumpled suits fit, but he’s not a bachelor about town looking for action like the original Leisure Suit Larry. Our own Las Vegas Larry is a committed family man who is trying to steer his son to the NBA while occasionally hopping on a private jet with the wife to the town that loves them more than Atlanta ever will: Sin City. He sits down at the blackjack table and they’re like, here you go Mr. Drew, and lay down a couple hundred g’s in free chips for him. Las Vegas can’t get enough of Las Vegas Larry.
drmaryb (*_-)
April 21st, 2011
6:09 am
My Buddy!
Buddy, and to add to your fine points, didn’t Josh yell at Drew on the sidelines, in the 4th Qrtr of the last Hawks – Magic game at Phillips,
“PUT COLLINS in! He’s too BIG!” When, Al was getting tossed around the paint by Dwight. We went on to win that game, thanks to Josh.
I believe Najeh was at that game and reported this nugget, even before MC did. Hopefully, Josh will be the TOP Assistant at home Friday night.
Drew is more horrible than Marvin, they should both get shipped!
Worldwide! Fire up the presses! Get those screen prints ready!
I got five on it, we should be able to pool about $10K between now and Friday!
I’m serious!
Buddy Grizzard
April 21st, 2011
6:30 am
drmaryb – Let’s look at this from another angle. Maybe Smoove’s actions in that game tell us something. When the coach isn’t doing the right thing, and it’s up to the players to win in spite of, maybe Smoove was showing us all the way. While Al Horford was spectating for 22 minutes in the first half, maybe when he saw the momentum shift the other way, he should have pulled a J. Smoove. Maybe he should have got up in Las Vegas Larry’s grill and shouted:
“WE’RE GETTING KILLED OUT THERE VEGAS! HE’S TOO BIG!!”
And got himself subbed back in. AH is considered one of the only leaders on the Hawks roster. He should have said something.
Buddy Grizzard
April 21st, 2011
7:09 am
Total change of subject:
Najeh it looks like that Perk trade is going down how you called it. This whole thing is super weird to me because, didn’t the Celtics players all act horrified when the trade went down? And then Doc called them all out on a radio program, saying they were all told about it before it happened and “everybody was on board.”
Asked specifically if Rondo, supposedly Perk’s best friend on the team, was on board with the trade, Doc said “he didn’t say no.” That’s gotta be awkward… whole team outed by Doc for turning its back on Perk.
But let’s dig a little deeper. When I heard the trade announced, I couldn’t make any sense out of letting a defensive pretense like Perkins go. All I could think was maybe he’s got chronic knees and they’re trying to dump him and grab Jeff Greene.
But Perk’s knees look fine. And it’s kinda funny to me that Nenad Krisic ends up on the Celtics playing alongside KG. Garnett, of course, is a player who is known for bullying guys he knows won’t fight back, but wanting no part of anybody who will stand toe to toe with him
Kristic, of course, is the guy who choked and punched Sofoklis Schortsanitis from behind during the brawl at the World Championships tune up in Greece. When Schortsanitis, who is one big dude, turned around and went after Kristic, you see on the video that he backpedals the entire length of the court trying to get away from Schortsanitis. Then he throws a chair like a little b1tch. Sounds like KG’s kinda guy.
O'Brien
April 21st, 2011
7:21 am
Thanks to Najeh for posting the entire article. Its amazing how coaches can over think (or under think). because most of us casual fans and media types can see that taking Al, Twin, and ZaZa off the court in the first half was the wrong decision. But yet, even after the fact…LD still thinks it was the right move.
For those who didn’t click on the link, it is a good read. From Hollinger;
For those who didn’t see, Horford — Atlanta’s best player — picked
up two fouls in the first 2:11 of the game, and Drew’s response was to sit him out for the ENTIRE FIRST HALF. This is straight out of the Larry Brown-Mike Woodson playbook, and Drew comes from that coaching tree, but I can’t emphasize enough what an irrational and
counterproductive strategy this is.
The cost of having a player foul out is that he’s taken off the court. So sitting him for 22 minutes to eliminate the “penalty” of a third foul out is inherently counterintuitive — the Hawks basically chose a cure that was dramatically worse than the disease.
Yes, studies have shown there may be some benefit to sitting a player in more dire foul trouble — with more fouls than the quarter of the game, basically (i.e., two fouls in the first quarter, three in the second, four in the third) — because such players will slack off on
defense if they stay on the court.
Even by this logic, however, Horford should have been back on the court to begin the second quarter. Or, at worst, come back in with 8:44 left in the quarter after Jason Collins picked up his second foul.
Oh, did I leave that part out? Yes, the Hawks did the same thing withCollins, too — their most valuable player this series because of his defense on Dwight Howard. Wanting to preserve Collins for the fourth quarter — one he ended up not playing a minute in, because the Hawks were behind and Collins can’t score — Drew also sat Collins for the final 8:44 of the half with two fouls.
And Zaza Pachulia, the backup to those two players? Yes, really. Him too. He picked up his second foul with 11:22 left in the half and immediately hit the pine for the rest of the period. Can’t be having players getting a third foul in the second quarter, after all, because
if they get three more, they’ll be forced to sit out. And there’s nothing worse than having a player forced to sit out. Which is why Drew sat them out. My brain hurts.
Unfortunately, Drew’s personnel choices sabotaged them so badly in the second quarter that they missed a golden opportunity to grab this series by the throat..
I don’t always agree with Holinger. But in this case…a big co-sign.
Nate ArchiBALL
April 21st, 2011
7:27 am
The real question: What is ASA;s foul rate in games against Dwight Howard and the Magic. Why would I care about his foul rate against the rest of the league.
Double Zero Eight
April 21st, 2011
7:28 am
Drew = Mora
Clueless as to when and how to make adjustments!
Double Zero Eight
April 21st, 2011
7:34 am
LD, we get the message. You are the boss!!!
You will be “doggone” if you allow bloggers and
the media to influence your decisions. You will
play Teague when you are good and ready!
If Al gets two quick fouls again, he will be yanked
immediately.
ILL-Logical
April 21st, 2011
7:47 am
Not defending LD’s move but why should I be concerned about how many fouls ASA averages against the league? The real question is how many does he average against Dwight Howard and the Magic?
padre
April 21st, 2011
7:52 am
the game was lost because jj had to force shot that were not there
btwarren
April 21st, 2011
9:12 am
This is the playoffs. If you have a chance to maybe put them away early or at last get a big lead, then do it. Especially if you have a chance to go 2 up on them in their building. The hawks had already accomplished more than what they needed in Orlando, they won game one.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 21st, 2011
9:38 am
If, as Hollinger says, LD’s reason for not playing Collins in the 4th was because he can’t score, that is arguably dumber than sitting Al the entire first half. What, like Zaza was going to score on Dwight? Give me a break.
In order to slice into a lead and get back into a game, you need stops. The numbers and all our collective observation says that the Hawks get stops against the Magic much more effectively when Collins is on the floor, and in fact, Collins’ presence has also (by my observation) allowed the Hawks to force Dwight into more turnovers, which in turn create transition opportunities.
Sitting Al was by no means the only dumb coaching move LD made in Game 2.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 21st, 2011
9:44 am
“But let’s dig a little deeper. When I heard the trade announced, I couldn’t make any sense out of letting a defensive pretense like Perkins go. All I could think was maybe he’s got chronic knees and they’re trying to dump him and grab Jeff Greene.”
The only explanation I could think of at the time was that they thought Shaq and JO could hold down Perkins’ defensive responsibilities in the playoffs this year — ensuring that the trade wouldn’t cost them a shot at a title — and at the same time they could get a young player in Green who could provide scoring depth off the bench now while possibly being groomed to be a long term replacement for Paul Pierce. It’s beyond stupid to trade your present for your future when you are a favorite to win your conference, which is why I gotta think the C’s thought they could still contend for a title with Shaq around. Needless to say that has backfired big time for them.
As someone who wants to see the Thunder come out of the West though, I am thrilled with how that trade has turned out.
Astro Joe
April 21st, 2011
9:47 am
I recall last season when Jennings torched the Hawks while we were switching on virtually every play, that Woody said that he would not change his defensive schemes going back to Milwaukee for Game 6. And guess what he did, he changed his scheme in Game 6 (and the Hawks won easily). I said it back then (before the game) and I’ll say it again, it would be nothing short of idiotic for a head coach to tell the media his strategy for a future game. So while LD is saying that he won’t budge from his 2-foul rule, I think we have to wait and see. Those of us who pay attention know that he loosened up toward the latter half of the season and would play Al or Josh later in the 2nd quarter with 2 fouls. Again, the biggest crime (IMO) would be flapping his gums and telling the media what he will do… that is a far greater mistake than suggesting that he is inflexible. (Now if he actually proves to be inflexible, feel free to storm the arena).
Lastly, anyone who still takes LD at his word clearly doesn’t have the capacity to learn.
O'Brien
April 21st, 2011
9:58 am
Najeh,
ZaZa is more likely to get a rebound and put back, or maybe go to the FT line. And LD’s ammo this season has been to go offense instead of defense when the team is behind, even if his offensive players are struggling.
O'Brien
April 21st, 2011
9:59 am
ILL-Logical;
The real question is how many does he average against Dwight Howard and the Magic?.
Good question. Against Orlando this season, Horford had;
Gmae 1: 4 fouls in 28 mins (his stats: 16 pts, 5 rebs and 5 assists)
Game 2: 2 fouls in 42 minutes (16 pts, 10 rebs)
Game 3: 1 foul in 38 minutes (and put up 24, 11 and 4)
Game 4: 1 foul in 45 minutes (11, 9 and 5)
So in 153 minutes against Orlando in the regular season, Al committed a whopping total of 8 fouls..
So what if Al got his third foul in the first half? He still had 2 more fouls to play with in the second, and Al is not a threat to foul out.
tru atl fan
April 21st, 2011
10:03 am
its the refs. yeah they let it b a physical game but orlando 37 ft atlanta 17 and for once we tried to attack the basket. I guess we have to go get a big time player just to get some calls. and watch when we get home we still want get any calls
kevkat
April 21st, 2011
10:11 am
Hollinger’s assessment was right on.
O'Brien
April 21st, 2011
10:18 am
AJ,
Even if LD adjusts his 2-foul rule this series (and I think he will), the point is he missed a great opportunity to slow down the Magic’s momentum in the second quarter of game 2.
And its one thing to use the 2-foul rule on a player, but he used the 2-foul rule on all 3 guys (Al, Collins and ZaZa). I know Hawks were leading for a while, but once Orlando started to make a run, he should have brought Al back in.
With Horford, Collins and ZaZa out of the game for much of the second quarter, the Magic close the half on a big run…and go up by 6 at halftime with all the momentum. And the Hawks sucked in the 3rd and Al seemed out of rhythym, which made it worse.
The final score? Magic win by 6.
Imagine if we could have won that game and be up 2-0?
Slimjr
April 21st, 2011
10:32 am
You guys have to realize, the chief of captains, the godfather himself,the boss of gangsters desperately wants superman to advance over these Atlanta Hawks..
I am starting to believe that Drew is a “Company Man” as Tim Donaghy the 13 year NBA ref put it to make sure the Chief of captains gets his way…..
The “LOVE OF MONEY” is the root of all evil…..You would be surprise what humans will do the most despicable, inhuman,unspeakable acts to get theirs….But their maker is waiting for them..
Yes drmaryb..That “Giant” research is fascinating..The children of those fallen angels and human women have been totally covered up?? Why, because then the history books would have to be re written! LIES LIES LIES……..
drmaryb (*_-)
April 21st, 2011
11:07 am
Killer Instinct!
O’Brien
You just described a killer instinct, when you put your foot on that neck and bear down hard. Being up 2-0 was right there for the taking and it would have been huge, if not insurmountable!
After all, isn’t that what pay back is all about, they did that to us last season and by an average of 25 points. It’s a crime shame, what Drew did or didn’t do.