Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 88, Magic 85
- The key for the Hawks in Game 5 is obvious: Score 88 points.
- The Hawks survived to win Game 4 after they made lots of their familiar mistakes–poor shot selection, stagnant possessions, blown defensive assignments, turnovers. “We made some plays that weren’t very characteristic of us and took some ill-advised shots,” L.D. said, pointing out one thing that is very characteristic of this team.
- The Hawks offset all of the bad with key rebounds, another efficient game from Jamal and some clutch free throws by J.J..
- The Hawks have taken a beating for their lack of toughness and character in the past and so now they deserve some credit for winning ugly in this series. From the time Arenas made that 3 to tie it early in the fourth until the final buzzer, the Hawks answered every challenge.
- “In the huddle, the first thing I did was look at all the guys’ faces and I didn’t see a sense of panic, which was a great sign for me,” Drew said. “In the past this team has been in those type of situations and didn’t respond well.”
- The Dwight Defense and the Magic’s trades can’t completely explain how the Hawks are on the verge of winning this series after they got handled by the Magic last spring.
- “We’re very confident right now, understanding during the regular season we had success with this team,” J.J. said. “Coming into the playoffs, we just wanted to ride that confidence. We got game one in Orlando, so our confidence grew through the roof. Now we’re up three to one, we just have to go to Orlando and stay focused and try to get another one.”
- It’s not over. The Hawks have needed stretches of hot shooting to win three games and at some point don’t the Magic have to start making shots even if the Hawks are not really giving them lots of clean looks?
- “It’s hard to play against a team whose back is against the wall,” Smoove said. “We have to play our best basketball of this series to close this team out.”
- Jamal is still a big-time shotmaker. It’s easier to overlook that forced 3 on the bad possession in the final minute when he scores 25 points on 18 shots and adds six assists against one turnover and a blocked shot (!).
- “We’ve tried a lot of guys on him so far and no one has been able to guard him yet,” Stan Van Gundy said.
- J.J. offset his 6 for 15 shooting and six turnovers by making all six of his free-throw attempts in the fourth and collecting four of his nine defensive rebounds in the final period. OK, one of those rebounds was after Dwight blocked his shot, but still.
- Smoove had some Josh Moments, especially in the third quarter. He also had 10 rebounds, five assists and did good work protecting the rim.
- It’s a strange phenomenon hearing fans at Philips Arena beg and plead with Josh to stay focused and play smart is a strange phenomenon. You can feel the mix of frustration/affection/hope/anguish/joy as he goes through his cycles.
- The Hawks outrebounded the Magic 44-42. Atlanta’s guards combined for 16 boards.
- The Magic were desperate for someone else other than Dwight and Jameer to score. Surprisingly Arenas delivered, but then Nelson was 3 for 12 and Turkoglu turned in another clunker.
- The final play, when Al poked the ball away from Turkoglu, illustrated how badly he’s hurt the Magic in this series. Van Gundy has barely been able to contain his disdain for his forward’s decision-making: “He basically gave him the ball.”
- The Magic were 2 for 23 on 3-pointers.”I thought about taking a couple threes myself to boost our percentage,” Dwight said.
- “I don’t want to take anything away from them because they are playing great defense, they are having an effect on our threes, but I really thought we had good looks tonight,” Van Gundy said.
- Maybe, but it’s clear the Magic’s shooters have been flustered by a defense that stays sound on the perimeter and has long guys running at them. “Even when they do have looks, we’re making a conscious effort to get out and get a hand up,” Drew said. “I give my players all the credit for that.”
- Hinrich (42 minutes) outplayed Jameer. The debate about whether the trade for him was a good one in the big picture won’t be settled for a while. But there’s no longer any question the team is better with him at point guard instead of Bibby, especially since Hinrich has rediscovered his shot (which he can get on his own, unlike his predecessor).
- Hilton Armstrong, the throw-in in that trade, was called into action because of Zaza’s suspension and Twin’s foul trouble. He had had two steals, drew a charge on Dwight and was checking Dwight when he twice traveled.
- “I was trying to make him use his counter more,” Armstrong said. “I didn’t want him to get flowing with his regular running hook. I know that’s his go-to move so I was make him spin a little bit more.”
- If the Hawks win this series and Armstrong never does another thing for them, he will be remembered for this night.
- Josh had a turn on Dwight, too: “I knew I was going to have to guard him a little bit.” L.D. took him out after he picked up his fifth foul. and out Collins back in.
- If the Magic come back to win this series, they still have to realize that this team is flawed. The Hawks have outlined the blueprint to defend them and the Magic’s role players have all been tight.
- “I told [teammates] if they don’t believe that we can win, then stay in Atlanta,” Dwight said. “We just have to keep believing and guys have to make shots, it’s as simple as that. They gotta act like it’s a practice or shootaround and don’t be afraid to miss. These guys are putting a lot of pressure on themselves to make shots.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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175 comments Add your comment
Rev in Tampa
April 25th, 2011
12:22 am
first?
Slimjr
April 25th, 2011
12:26 am
2nd? Eye candy on Latineuro
tom
April 25th, 2011
12:27 am
the ride has been bumpy but glad to be up 3-1! GO HAWKS!!!!! how was game 4s crowd compared to game 3???
Slimjr
April 25th, 2011
12:28 am
Hawks=pickup game
Najeh Davenpoop
April 25th, 2011
12:30 am
“We made some plays that weren’t very characteristic of us and took some ill-advised shots,” L.D. said, pointing out one thing that is very characteristic of this team.
Haha real talk.
Slimjr
April 25th, 2011
12:31 am
“I told [teammates] if they don’t believe that we can win, then stay in Atlanta,” Dwight said
Stay in Atlanta Dwight
Dewight on the hot seat on NBA TV right now…12:31am
Najeh Davenpoop
April 25th, 2011
12:35 am
“Hinrich (42 minutes) outplayed Jameer. The debate about whether the trade for him was a good one in the big picture won’t be settled for a while. But there’s no longer any question the team is better with him at point guard instead of Bibby, especially since Hinrich has rediscovered his shot (which he can get on his own, unlike his predecessor).”
Definitely in the short term the trade has improved the team. But the ideal alternative would have been to simply develop Teague over the last two years so that trading two first round picks for a stopgap point guard wouldn’t have been necessary.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 25th, 2011
12:36 am
“If the Hawks win this series and Armstrong never does another thing for them, he will be remembered for this night.”
Specifically, he’ll be remembered for murdering Quentin Richardson on that pick at mid floor. I didn’t know he had that in him. That brought an audible buzz through the crowd.
Nate ArchiBALL
April 25th, 2011
12:37 am
Magic: 2 of 23 from the 3 point line……wow
Slimjr
April 25th, 2011
12:38 am
it was a brutal pick!^^^^
Najeh Davenpoop
April 25th, 2011
12:38 am
Great atmosphere at Philips tonight. Probably the first playoff game in the last three years that has approached sustaining the level of crowd noise from the Boston series in 2008. There were times here and there when the crowd got that loud against Milwaukee and Miami, but not for the whole game like we did tonight.
Rev in Tampa
April 25th, 2011
12:39 am
What is frustrating is that when Orlando and Atlanta play straight-up team basketball the Hawks are clearly the better team. So at the beginning of the game when both teams are working their game plans and sticking to their strengths the Hawks jump out to a double-digit lead. But then the Hawks start making sloppy passes, stop running out at their 3pt shooters, and start shooting jump-shots. Quickly the game turns into a playground pick-up game. All discipline goes out the window and the Magic climb back into the game.
That second quarter and most of the third quarter was hard to watch.
James on Pharr Rd
April 25th, 2011
12:40 am
LD finally answered a question all he Hawks faithful have wondered about for a while. Apparently, he lets JC do his thing and jack up shots with a” mile-long” leash because “he is an assassin.” We will win this series, but I hate that mentality going into a tougher series in the second round. We have a very good chance to make it to the Conf finals:might even be the best shot we have had in years. Am not taking anything away from Chi, but who thought we would be here?
JeJe
April 25th, 2011
12:42 am
Why did we not trade for Hinrich last summer so he had more time with these guys? If we had, we’d have won more games in the regular season, including later in the season
WE GOTTA ATTACK THE BASKET. TOO MANY JUMPSHOTS
Slimjr
April 25th, 2011
12:46 am
iam watch the 3rd quarter on the dvr, Josh Smith dribbles dribbles dribbles then shoots an 18 foot fade away air ball.This guy doesn’t get it. Just a momentum killer Josh is…Brutal man………………..
JSS
April 25th, 2011
12:47 am
@ Najeh…
They just can’t develop front line guards. I’m so over losing sleep because of it… I’m just going to dwell on the “here and now.” Bring on Game 5, the Hawks can close out an opponent on their floor for the 1st time since 1996 at Indy!
James on Pharr Rd
April 25th, 2011
12:48 am
Najeh
Glad to see your opinion on Kirk come around.
I think this underdog thing definitely helps the Hawks’ mojo against talented teams, and the Bulls better take notes. It is amazing how dynamics sway in the playoffs because in the space of 2 months, the Hawks could potentially have gone from being talented, but mentally soft and inconsistent to a grind it down playoff team….The playoffs Baby
Plain & Simple...
April 25th, 2011
12:49 am
If the Hawks can match their defensive presence with poise and patience on the offensive side, they’ll be hard to beat by anyone. This game was a blow out in the making, but the Hawks did not take advantage of their hard work on defense.
Armstrong just might develop into something and as a big man, that would certainly make up for losing JC2 and a late first rounder in a weak draft year.
Love to SVG whine while Dwight gets frustrated.
Jamal is a stone cold killer.
Come out running Tuesday night again!
Keep it going Hawks!
Najeh Davenpoop
April 25th, 2011
12:53 am
“Glad to see your opinion on Kirk come around.”
“Come around” is a good choice of words, because as Kirk’s play has fluctuated my opinion about him and the trade has fluctuated accordingly. Right now he’s playing really well on defense and is making enough plays on offense to keep the offense flowing.
Row 109
April 25th, 2011
12:53 am
Wow, what a difference 1 year makes! As hard as everyone, including myself has been on LD, we have to give some credit. I mean really, I like this grind it out style. GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!
Plain & Simple...
April 25th, 2011
12:55 am
Orlando was 2 for 23 from behind the arc. At 8.7 percent, it was the worst 3-point performance in a playoff game with at least 20 attempts in the last 20 years.
Row 109
April 25th, 2011
12:57 am
Woody would have doubled DH and left a shooter open.
Grandad
April 25th, 2011
12:57 am
I don’t mean to be a “BabyRuth” in the punch bowl;
But,
the Hawks had a chance to win today
-&- destroy the Magic”s confidence completely while they were @ it.
We pissed around and nearly lost,
what should have been an un-lose-able game.
I’m really not going to lambast LD on this one.
1st, I must say again, I like Josh.
but he displayed the most remarkable lack of basketball acumen
in the 1st half, I’ve ever seen.
Then Joe with his disappearing act???
I know he made some big shots in the clutch,
but we should never been in a clutch situation.
These guys…..they drive me banannas !
Up 3-1…Go Hawks.
Magic body language = dispirited.
As drmaryb would say:
Now go down there and put your foot on their throat !
James on Pharr Rd
April 25th, 2011
1:01 am
Am not trying to beat a dead horse, but from day one it was clear that Kirk is a playoff type guard-Teague, Bibby were not. Win, lose or draw-The Hawks, have decided to live and die with JC according to LD’s press conference statements. But, he’s a jump shooter and streak shooter at that. We wont win against Chicago with that game plan.I am not a Jamal hater, but boy is he a team offense killer even when the shots are falling.
kgbsfinst
April 25th, 2011
1:02 am
Great series so far. After watching this team in the playoffs the last three years, I am expecting after they give up the lead in the 3rd the last two games we fold and the magic would run away with the game, but it hasn’t happened. Maybe this team is different, but it will take finishing off the magic and play good, if not great in the second round.
doc
April 25th, 2011
1:07 am
mc these videos bog down the i phones. it is impossible to scroll with them on the screen
Slimjr
April 25th, 2011
1:09 am
cp3 destroyed LA!
Stat line:27 pts, 13 rebs, 15 dimes!!!!!!!!!!! We coulda had him?????????
Grandad
April 25th, 2011
1:09 am
James on Pharr Rd
On Jamal:
“but boy is he a team offense killer even when the shots are falling”
I must disagree;
*Jamal runs the pick and roll well
*Jamal feeds the post well [when someone is actually in there]
*Jamal hits cutters
*Jamal moves well w/o the ball
*Jamal consistently feeds Zaza / (only one to do so)
*Jamal makes quick decisions
**Joe on the other hand ??????
Slimjr
April 25th, 2011
1:13 am
New Orleans tied 2-2 with LA, what a surprise?? Like this Hawks series??
Slimjr
April 25th, 2011
1:14 am
@doc, life is full of surprises? LOL
Crazy Fan
April 25th, 2011
1:17 am
Was in the crazy fan section for game 3 and 4 and it was great to see Phillips rocking for the hawks other than half the arena cheering for the other squad. I know the players really appreciated the love and support the fans have showed already.
doc
April 25th, 2011
1:18 am
yeah MC the fan reaction to josh is kind of like the home depot game of higher or lower where the audience is asked to play. only i dont think it is what josh wants to hear but is so stubborn he does it anyway. when do they get him with a good sports psychologist?
Sleepy
April 25th, 2011
1:19 am
James on Pharr Rd – and James just how do you know we wont win against the Bulls ? Did you even think we could win against the magic prior to game one ?
If you think 25 pts 6 assists on 55% shooting is killing this team when you consider how poorly we are offensively to start the 1st and 3rd quarters before jamal even comes in the game well then I dont know what to say .
Why dont you tell us what gameplan that involves benching jamal because hes a team killer would work ?
doc
April 25th, 2011
1:28 am
hilton may have learned a bit from twin. he was huge tonight just huge. sad twin isnt more of a player. maybe he is a coach though. certainly seems intelligent enough for it. keep him, magnum and hilton along with zaza and we might have something young and competent to go with al and josh uh, smith that is.
slim watched it and enjoyed it. have a love hate relationship to kobe so i dint mind someone sticking it to him. also a big fan of phil but i like monty and the hornets and really like cp3. we dont see enough of him and a good thing or we would have torched bk, woody and nique by now for making that collective mistake. bk pulled the trigger but it wasnt in a vacuum.
HawkEye
April 25th, 2011
1:33 am
If the Hawks make it out of this series, I’m curious to see how they plan to defend D Rose and the Bulls.
Good ugly win. 3-1 going back to Disneyland.
doc
April 25th, 2011
1:34 am
i like the way svg has boiled down his coaching to “guys you are going to have to make a shot”, while not developing a well rounded attack over the past three years becoming more enamored with getting the game centered on dwight not realizing that teams can weaken them by allowing him to have his way and take care of the rest. dwight is good but he aint wilt, nor jabbar or even shaq who couldnt win em by themselves either. just saying svg, so go back to the drawing board
doc
April 25th, 2011
1:35 am
but wait until next year if there is one and you are coaching. heh heh
doc
April 25th, 2011
1:39 am
jeje both astro and i were begging for kirk on the other blog during the summer of stagnation. geez, the guy was not going to play with walls there and tou had to wonder why he went there and why we didnt inquire maybe of it of chicago who seemed set with rose though thibs was saying he could make room for both.
James on Pharr Rd
April 25th, 2011
1:41 am
Grandad and Sleepy:
Let me re-state, I root for the Hawks, and I am excited to see us win-pleasantly surprised as most will admit to see us here,right? But our success in this round doesnt mean we can beat a better defensive team on the same game plan. My issue with Jamal is his style of game- he takes too many jump shots and bad shots as the TNT crew brought to our attention EVEN WHEN THEY ARE FALLING.(refer to Kenny’s pictures) For as long as I can remember, there is not team that has prevailed in the playoffs with one on one jump shooting style ball.
@Grandad:
Jamal runs the pick and roll well…You mean he doesnt pass the ball out-I saw one play this game with AL and he was a full second late on letting the ball into the post to Al
*Jamal feeds the post well [when someone is actually in there
*Jamal hits cutters-Yes
*Jamal moves well w/o the ball-So does Marvin and Zaza
*Jamal consistently feeds Zaza / (only one to do so)-That is not true, if am not mistaken, we do not run many offensive plays successfully when he has the ball as point man.
*Jamal makes quick decisions-Yes, he does, but how many bad ones.
mykhalc
April 25th, 2011
1:43 am
Kirk has always been a hard nosed, blue collar player!!! bet cha CHI would like him in their lineup for the playoffs!!! luv the W…still hate the way they play…even MORE after tonite!!!
SUPERIORBLOGMAN
April 25th, 2011
1:44 am
Hawks are the worse winning team in the NBA. I am not impressed. I would not be surprised if we still lose this series. All Orlando needs to do is blow us out by 30 on Tuesday and they will win this series. Kirk is just another jumpshooter who can defend well against certain people and Jameer seems to be one of those people. Al nor Josh nor JJ’s numbers are impressive. Jamal is playing good defense for his standards which is scary, he will revert. For those of you that say let’s enjoy the goodtimes while they last, do your thing but that’s not my personality I am a BIG PICTURE being and the picture is clear. This team is not winning anything worth noting as constructed.
Fire LD
Let Sund Walk
Get a New Owner
Get a Legit Starting NBA Center
Then your core is worth noting. You build from your core. A core of Al, Josh, Joe, and Jamal is not worth much attention.
James on Pharr Rd
April 25th, 2011
1:44 am
^
The Hawks strength is our defense, and with JC on the floor for his usual starter-like minutes, we become vulnerable. I would like to see Marvin play some more minutes that almost always go to Jamal. He’ll bail us out for stretches, and then set us back in other stretches. Fools Gold baby!!!!!
James on Pharr Rd
April 25th, 2011
1:46 am
Superiorblogman
Help me out on this Jamal thing, why does everyone fall for the bait about JC-When his shots are not dropping, and believe me, they will stop……
mykhalc
April 25th, 2011
1:47 am
AAU bball at its best…PERIOD!!!
Ra'mon
April 25th, 2011
1:49 am
If the Hawks win on Tuesday, I could very much see D12 forcing a trade this summer. Hedo and Arenas are both impossible to trade now. So Orlando virtually have no way of improving their roster going into next season. And its clear, this roster will only be a first round out next season too, because no one is young enough to significantly improve for them.
Wabe
April 25th, 2011
1:51 am
To chime in on what Najeh mentioned about Hinrich improving this team in the short-term.
That’s a no brainer. I don’t think anybody was arguing prior to the playoffs starting that Hinrich wasn’t an upgrade over Bibby. Most agreed that Hinrich did make the Hawks better. But, would that upgrade really make the Hawks that much closer to getting over the hump?
Simply put, the Hawks have gotten to the 2nd round the previous two seasons with Bibby at PG, so getting past a declining Magic team still doesn’t mean this deal was a good move for the long term success of this team. How the Hawks perform the next round will shed a bit more light as to how close the Hawks are to being over the hump.
As for the Teague bashers who expect dude to come into the league and tear it up without any time to develop. Just look at Philadelphia and Jrue Holiday. This kid seriously looked like a bum just a season ago, but he seems to be coming along quite nicely now. That’s what playing time and development could do for a young guy whose raw. The same could be the case with Teague had our coaching staff given this kid an opportunity from day one. Bibby had been on the decline for some time. We wouldn’t have drafted a PG had we not needed one. But, we still chose to go with an aging PG rather than develop the one we drafted. The Hinrich deal could’ve been one not needed had we taken the initiative of developing the dude.
But, I’m sure most think continuing to talk about Teague’s development is just beating a dead horse. It’s the usual story with this team. It is what it is.
Lets hope the Hawks can close the Magic out and see how we match up with the Bulls. We’ve beaten the Magic 6 out of the 8 times we’ve played them this season, so I’m confident they’ll get this thing closed out. Hopefully they avoid making it interesting though.
SUPERIORBLOGMAN
April 25th, 2011
1:52 am
James on Pharr Rd
April 25th, 2011
1:46 am
Superiorblogman
Help me out on this Jamal thing, why does everyone fall for the bait about JC-When his shots are not dropping, and believe me, they will stop……
I don’t know my friend. I think they fall for him like they do Josh because Jamal looks good on ESPN and highlights and he can somewhat carry a team offensively for spurts. I am starting to think with the bad management crew we have that they will resign him and pay too much, instead of going after something we really need which is out there like, Dalembert, Tyson Chandler, Marc Gasol, DeAndre Jordan, or Greg Oden. Jamal is actually worse than Josh with his flaws to clarify my stance. Jamal does not play D consistently, takes bad shots, and is already 30 years old so he is not changing.
Sleepy
April 25th, 2011
1:57 am
James please why dont you tell us the lottery numbers since you keep telling us what we wont able to do in the future ?
This is the the NBA playoffs you do what works until someone stops and then you adjust . The key is to get he win and move on not stop and psych yourself about about the next series before its even played .
Its amazing how many hawks fans are more than wiling to bet on other teams before there own .
Who cares what the TNT crew has to say when was the last time they wanted the Hawks to do well or even complimented us on doing well(besides Cwebb)
How do you not believe a team will win and then complain about how they won it when they do ?
No team without a superstar had won it before the Pistons did it but does that mean they shouldnt have tried ?
You better learn to take what those clowns on TNT say s with a grain of salt because they are routinely wrong and contradict themselves all the time .
As I said before you watch the last two Bulls games and tell me that Rose didnt take any bad shots on his way to shooting 5-30 from three and then listen to them praise him . I love Rose but if you watch TNT all the time I do they dont have a leg to stand on this case as they always ALWAYS are playing favorites .
Why dont you tell us what other team you can think of in playoff history who has a player who has been as hot as jamal has been these past 4 games and somehow catches this much flack for the team riding him ?
Its the playoffs and you ride the hot hand .
Wabe
April 25th, 2011
1:59 am
Jameer’s not an attack the basket kinda player. He’s a spot up jump shooter. Occasionally, he’ll dribble-penetrate to set others up.
D.Rose is a different beast. Should we advance, you’ll see the same Kirk Hinrich defense that looked so great on Jameer look not so great on D.Rose. I know the regular season doesn’t matter anymore, but to ignore the Hawks performances (aside from one half) against the Bulls this season would be foolish. The Hawks played the Bulls 3 times since the Hinrich deal, and we managed to put together one good half out of 6 halves of hoops.
The Bulls are a much better defensive unit than the one we face. But we still find ourselves scoring in the 80’s against a Magic team that are throwing mismatches across the board at us.
We’ll have to be more efficient offensively if we stand a chance against the Bulls. Our bigs will need to step up their effort. We can’t go into that series looking for hero-efforts from JJ/Jamal. Horford and Smith will need to beast on Noah/Boozer. I honestly think we should contemplate rolling out a big lineup with Zaza in at the 5.
Of course this is all if we do advance. Don’t wanna get ahead of myself here, but I do think the Hawks will take care of business.
Sleepy
April 25th, 2011
2:01 am
here come all the haters trying to pose as fans who gave up on th team two weeks ago trying to act as though they are imparting some wisdom . After what some of you said before the playoffs started you dont have a leg to stand on .;
We werent supposed to show up but we did… we werent supposed to win but we have been and now some of you are here talking about whats going to happen . ROFLMAO
sam'l
April 25th, 2011
2:03 am
glad the Hawks won….but they sure put me and everyone else through a lot……..
Josh Powell….with Dwight falling on you after your fake, did you have to swerve to get out of the way? You had a perfect chance to pin him with another foul.
Josh Smith…..I know you got hit in the head…..but don’t act like you’ve sustained a brain injury. Many bone-headed plays….a few good ones….like driving into the basket and dunking….couldn’t you do that more often…also good hook shot toward the end.
Pachulia….still pissed at you for putting us through tonight.
Hinrich…without him, we wouldn’t have won….still lay off. he did his job well.
The new core of Johnson, Crawford and Horford…..people who can be depended upon………
and even Marvin was there for a while….
That said, I don’t feel that game is a clear cut victory…..should have won by 20. Spent most of the night thinking how dumb the Hawks play and worrying. I would rather be proud of some really good play than worry about being beaten. In other words, as a basketball game, this was very unprofessional on both sides.
mykhalc
April 25th, 2011
2:05 am
FWIW…i’ve been a Hawks fans since the 70s. and i’ll continue to call it like ‘I’ see it…W or L…right or wrong…PERIOD!!! like i said…AAU bball at its’ best…PERIOD!!!
James on Pharr Rd
April 25th, 2011
2:08 am
Sleepy:
I only used TNT as an illustration, and not for the fact of the matter asserted.I agree with riding the hot hand, but only if it gets you the W. Tonight, it did, but will this formula work against the Bulls?
Some of us are just overtly excited at this unforeseen opportunity, I didnt have us winning the series, so I would like for us to really take advantage of this opportunity. If it means pointing out an obvious playoff flaw in our style, am sorry, but it is just my opinion.
SUPERIORBLOGMAN
April 25th, 2011
2:08 am
Seriously, I know who posts on this board consistently and not. There are guys calling others haters and things of that nature that have shown more Hawks loyalty over the years in one finger than they have in there whole body. I agree with anyone not impressed by this. It’s still the 1st round, you are still playing against a team that has messed there team up worse than you have. You still have not won a 2nd round game with this core in 8 tries. If we win this series in less than 7 you can say that was a baby step because both series that we have won with this core were 7 games series and this Orlando team is better than Milwaukee, winning in less than 7 would be a babystep.
Sleepy
April 25th, 2011
2:08 am
The Bulls were #2 opp.ppg the magic were #2
The Bulls were #2 opp fg% the Magic were #4
So we did beat a good defensive team and do you really wanna talk about how they look facing Indiana ?
of course its gonna be a tough series but some of you are selling straight BS .
Wabe
April 25th, 2011
2:09 am
mykhalc
April 25th, 2011
2:05 am
“FWIW…i’ve been a Hawks fans since the 70s. and i’ll continue to call it like ‘I’ see it…W or L…right or wrong…PERIOD!!!”
co-sign that.
Wabe
April 25th, 2011
2:15 am
Dude you’re coming out with meaningless facts.
For one, the Magic completely reconstructed their team. Those numbers will be skewed.
Dwight Howard is the sole reason why the Magic play the caliber of defense than they do. Without Dwight, go through and look at the matchups. Every player is playing against essentially a mismatch.
Now fast foward it to the Bulls.
It’s not about stats, PPG, FG %. It’s about matchups. The Hawks match up well with the Magic. They beat them 3 out of 4 in the playoffs. The Bulls hammered the Hawks 7 out of 8 halves we played. Mainly because our style of ball plays in their favor. They can also matchup with our workhorses (JJ/Jamal). Boguns will check Johnson much better than Richardson/Reddick will. Turkoglu on Josh? Nobody on their team can stay in front of Jamal.
I don’t care about PPG and FG %. That means nothing. It’s about matchups. The Bulls can matchup with the Hawks. Calling it like it is doesn’t make you less of a fan. Some try to be real, not live on hope. Many hawks fans have been hopeful for years, only to watch 20 point beatdowns/sweeps in the playoffs. Until the Hawks can prove to their fanbase that they’re an improved group, a group ready to take the next step, criticism isn’t out of bounds. Nobody wants to see them fail, most are *tired of seeing them fail* – thus you hear the criticism.
Wabe
April 25th, 2011
2:16 am
3 out of 4 in the regular season*
Wabe
April 25th, 2011
2:16 am
5 out of 6 halves*
mykhalc
April 25th, 2011
2:18 am
@Wabe…dead on point!!
Wabe
April 25th, 2011
2:22 am
I’m not saying the Hawks can’t beat the Bulls…
But, after watching the Hawks vs Bulls games this past season, forgive us for not being more optimistic. I went to that Hawks/Bulls game when we got blown out by like 35 points. Watching that BS will tick you off. And for the Hawks, that kinda BS has caught up with us more times than not. Just look at these games within this series. Sure we play great in spurts, but we’ll also hit the wall and it almost seems like a tale of two halves. We’ll come out clicking, and we’ll come out of halftime a completely different time. Schizophrenic bball. That stuff makes you wonder if the Hawks really are a different team, one that can matchup with a more formidable opponent.
Sleepy
April 25th, 2011
2:24 am
Wabe – again with your BS who said the Bulls couldnt matchup with the Hawks.
You came in here talking about what wouldnt work against the Bulls like you miss cleo not that they can matchup with us .
Like I said so called fans like you are at trip . Rather bet your damn house on Keith Bogans than Joe johnson .
Derrick Roe is walking around today in a walking boot but you already got your rose jersey ready to cheer him on in ATL next week .
Looking back over the past 4 games for the Bulls and hawks and listening to these supposedly fans is hilarious .
Apparently the Bulls getting pounded physically and struggling in 3 of the 4 games against the #8 seed means nothing they are the same team they were 3 months ago but only when they play us.
mykhalc
April 25th, 2011
2:27 am
what pi$$es me off to no end is that after how many years of this core bein’ together they STILL CANNOT run an f’n offensive set, other than a damn ISO, effectively. and even the ISO starts to look ugly as hell after awhile. had the coaches along the way held these cats accountable and put their asses on the bench when they did not run the play, even this core as it is today, would be a much better team. i hate this offense and hate the lack of discipline that this ‘team’ exhibits…PERIOD!!! and i hated under Woodson and LD is no better IMHO. i’m ready for some QUALITY style PRO ball…not this AAU $hit that they continue to force to Hawks fans…PERIOD!!! and yeah, i’m pullin’ for ‘em despite how their play pi$$es me the eff off!!! /rant
Wabe
April 25th, 2011
2:35 am
Sleepy
April 25th, 2011
2:24 am
“Wabe – again with your BS who said the Bulls couldnt matchup with the Hawks.
You came in here talking about what wouldnt work against the Bulls like you miss cleo not that they can matchup with us .
Like I said so called fans like you are at trip . Rather bet your damn house on Keith Bogans than Joe johnson .
Derrick Roe is walking around today in a walking boot but you already got your rose jersey ready to cheer him on in ATL next week .
Looking back over the past 4 games for the Bulls and hawks and listening to these supposedly fans is hilarious .
Apparently the Bulls getting pounded physically and struggling in 3 of the 4 games against the #8 seed means nothing they are the same team they were 3 months ago but only when they play us.”
??????????
Dude, real talk, there’s no need for anybody here to prove how much of a fan they are. Doesn’t make a difference how much BS you think anybody here is full of.
I said Hinrich won’t defend Rose like he’s defended Jameer. Call that BS if you wanna, I’m being real when I say that. I don’t think Hinrich is the type of defender that can stay in front of Rose if he plays tight on him. I also said that I don’t think our guards will be able to have the type of success that we’ve been having against the Magic against the Bulls. Again, just my opinion. What am I basing these opinions on? Regular season performances.
mykhalc
April 25th, 2011
2:48 am
simply put…CHI and IND both have at least the equivalent athletes of the Hawks at all spots. and BOTH have better schemes and better execution…PERIOD!!! don’t let the 8th seed thing fool ya. the Hawks would NOT wanna be playin’ IND right now…nor CHI.
SUPERIORBLOGMAN
April 25th, 2011
2:55 am
Roster A 2011-2012 Season
Atlanta Hawks
PG Hinrich Teague Darius Morris
SG Joe Jamal Pape
SF Josh Marvin Damien
PF Al Evans,Reg/Chris Wilcox
C Dalembert/Collins/Pachulia
kgbsfinst
April 25th, 2011
3:00 am
Blogman,
I agree with what you said, as I said in my first post. We haven’t proven anything yet, and we need to reach and compete very well in the second round (and hopefully further). I hope I misunderstood when you said you haven’t enjoyed these games. If you cant get excited about holding on like we did tonight or when JC hit that 3 on Friday, whats the point of being a fan(please dont take that as me not thinking your a fan, I do believe you are a fan)? Having said that, we sure are a frustrating team to watch, probably the most of any team in the NBA.
I dont like looking ahead before we get there but I think we do match up pretty well with the Bulls. I do wonder when we get into these offensive ruts and the iso JJ/JC, is it that they are just reverting back to what they have been doing the last 4 or 5 years, listening to Larry Drew it seems like that isnt what he is wanting. Maybe its just that hard to break a terrible habit that our old coach started. If we dont break it against a team like the Bulls this could be just like the last 2 playoffs.
SUPERIORBLOGMAN
April 25th, 2011
3:03 am
Roster B 2011-2012 Season
Atlanta Hawks
Trade the Rights to Marvin Williams and Zaza Pachulia to the Phoenix Suns for the rights to Josh Childress and Marcin Gortat
PG Hinrich/Teague/Darius Morris (Draft)
SG Joe/Jamal/Pape
SF Josh/J Chillz/Damien
PF Al/Reggie Evans/Chris Wilcox
C Gortat/Collins/Jeff Foster
kgbsfinst
April 25th, 2011
3:04 am
I would rather go after a center who is a better scorer, we need someone that can play with his back to the basket.
JSS
April 25th, 2011
3:05 am
James on Pharr Rd
April 25th, 2011
1:41 am
“For as long as I can remember, there is not team that has prevailed in the playoffs with one on one jump shooting style ball.”
1975 Golden State Warriors (Barry and Wilkes), 1977 Portland Trailblaizers (even with Walton and Lucas, they midrange jump shot you to death.), 1978 Washington Bullets, 1979 Seattle Supersonics, and then 24 years later the 2004 Detroit Pistons (pseudo post play came from Corliss Williamson and Rasheed Wallace) …. Really the Bad Boys Pistons were jump shooters too…
SUPERIORBLOGMAN
April 25th, 2011
3:09 am
I AM HEARING THE HAWKS MIGHT BE OFFERING JOSH SMITH TO THE TIMBERWOLVES IF THE TIMBERWOLVES ARE IN POSITION TO TAKE DERRICK WILLIAMS. ANYONE ELSE HEARING THAT?
kgbsfinst
April 25th, 2011
3:14 am
I would make that trade in a heartbeat, but knowing the T-wolves they would want a PG!
Grandad
April 25th, 2011
3:29 am
Hawks fan since ‘68.
“Not a hater”…..ever !
I do get pissed off, on occasion.
The only way anybody’s been pullin’ for the Hawks longer than me,
is if they were a St. Louis fan.
But I agree with “mykhalc”
if I have something to say ,
I’ll be durn, I’m gonna say it.
They were unable to run LD’s motion offense,
[or unwilling] [or incapable due to lack of B-ball IQ]
so they do run an AAU offense.
Kirk is out there trying to play organized basketball
and it’s taken him awhile to adjust.
If we stay with him, and bring in some more like him,
[Battier or Grant Hill, et al]
maybe we can keep our knuckleheads focused.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 25th, 2011
3:38 am
Maintaining realistic expectations is not “hating”. We all want the Hawks to win — in my case badly enough that I have managed to make it to every Hawks home playoff game since ‘08. But sometimes expecting something realistic and being pleasantly surprised (like this series) is better than expecting big things and being disappointed. Let’s worry about the Bulls after they finish off the Magic, not yet.
Big Daddy
April 25th, 2011
6:07 am
Great win for the Hawks. They ran their offense well (early) and played defense (well). Few, if any of us, thought the team would be in this point going into the playoffs. It was inspiring to see and hear the crowd get into cheering early in the game and keep up the energy throughout. I also, thought the substitutes came in and contributed especially when Marvin hit that 3 shortly after coming in and Hilton laid that hard pick.
The games will almost always include a series of runs of both teams and the winner will have to weather those runs and keep the other teams run to a short one and make it as difficult as they can. But, come on guys, don’t lose focus late in the game and although Jamal can hit some big shots down the stretch, the point guard is supposed to also do well with clock management. This is not happening and shots are being taken too early when it should be in last 5 – 10 seconds.
We can do this. Pay attention to the details. If you don’t they will kill you. Good luck to the guys in Orlando. Everyone knows that for Orlando, for the rest of the series, it is win or go home. They are desparate and will really come at us. Stan VG has to be concerned for his job. However, sorry Orlando fans, your guys are done. The Hawks in 6.
sam'l
April 25th, 2011
6:37 am
Put Teague on Rose. Sort of like Collins on Howard. (Yeah, we could still lose to Orlando).
Maybe Indiana will extend one more game…..that would help.
Was Stern really asleep at last night’s game? Or just ill. Surely he saw somebody whacked Josh Smith and no foul was called. .
leo
April 25th, 2011
6:41 am
I like that the Hawks are up 3-1 and guys are still complaining. Die hard Hawk Fans, yeah right. The Hawks could do everything perfect and a couple of A$$@$ on here would still look at the Negative side of things. I am very proud of this team. They have Eastern Conference Finals written all over them.
GOOOOOOOOOOO HAWKS!!!!
sam'l
April 25th, 2011
6:46 am
Maybe the weirdest scene of all was Collins running away from Gilbert Arenas driving in toward the basket. Never seen that before and never will again.
tony
April 25th, 2011
7:11 am
Some1 mentioned that Kirk can only guard certain pgs. Heck, Joe Dumars (one of the best defending guards during his era) had his ups and downs with certain guards but he certainly kept MJ at bay. As long as Kirk gives us 100% effort, that’s all that matters to me.
This team can win the whole thing if JS and AH would just dominate the paint and let the guards control the perimeter……but of course they would have to grab around 14 rebounds, score around14 points a piece and play smart basketball. AS GOES THOSE 2, SO GOES THE HAWKS!
leo
April 25th, 2011
6:37 am
I like that the Hawks are up 3-1 and guys are still complaining. Die hard Hawk Fans, yeah right. The Hawks could do everything perfect and a couple of A$$@$ on here would still look at the Negative side of things. I am very proud of this team. They have Eastern Conference Finals written all over them.
I get the impression that certain fans hope Kirk will fail for the sake of Teague’s future and others hope he will fail because they hate the gm. AMAZING FANS!
The Game Has Changed
April 25th, 2011
7:29 am
@Leo-Im with you brother. We must press on and not let these Hawk Haters off the hook. I dont know what they expected out of Drew. This is his first year and if we dont make it to the finals they want the man fired. Wow. But its all good. We going to the finals anyway.
It was not a bad pick
April 25th, 2011
7:32 am
@SUPERIORBLOGMAN
you posted this crazy trade proposal “Trade the Rights to Marvin Williams and Zaza Pachulia to the Phoenix Suns for the rights to Josh Childress and Marcin Gortat”
I have a better idea…Fire Drew, Start ZaZa at c, START MARVIN and RUN PLAYS FOR HIM, bring josh smith off the bench..He is the perfect 6th man..No way the Hawks should break up this core without seeing what what they could do with a good coach, and a TRUE CENTER starting…I keep telling everyone that Marvin will be a 20ppg scorer once he leaves..The Hawks offense is a complete joke!..Drew is doing no coaching..We have more talent than the bulls, but the bulls are a better coached team..
truth
April 25th, 2011
7:34 am
Amazing that Crawford is the 1st option.
We pay Joe Johnson 20 million to be the 3rd option on this team.
STRETCH
April 25th, 2011
7:40 am
So true, this Hawks team clearly has more talent than Chicago but they are NOT coached well at all. Everybody can see that, even the annoucer last night kept saying “another bad possesion by the Hawks” And that was true, they came down the court on 6 straight possessions and jacked up shots thus letting Orlando get back in the game.
If they make it to the next round, Chicago will destroy these Hawks if they continue to play this way.
tremaine
April 25th, 2011
7:52 am
Lmao! Wow, just because we talk about the Hawks playing sh!tty basketball we are not fans all of a sudden? If you ask me we are more of a hawks fan than any of you that are happy the hawks are up 3-1 because we see the big picture. This style of play is not going to get us past the second round. Which is the goal anyway right or did somebody change the objective for this season?
Slimjr
April 25th, 2011
7:53 am
“AM HEARING THE HAWKS MIGHT BE OFFERING JOSH SMITH TO THE TIMBERWOLVES IF THE TIMBERWOLVES ARE IN POSITION TO TAKE DERRICK WILLIAMS. ANYONE ELSE HEARING THAT?”
Do it yesterday!!!! They can have Hilton too…
DW is a BEAST!!!!
tremaine
April 25th, 2011
7:54 am
Oh yeah,
FIRE LARRY DREW!
It was not a bad pick
April 25th, 2011
7:56 am
@STRETCH
If ownership would have allowed Knight to fire Woody, we would easily be a threat to win the east.i also blame Knight for hiring Woody, if we intended to build through the draft, why hire a coach that hated young players?..After we fired Woody, we hire one of his coaches?..BAD MOVE..Drew talked all summer about his “motion offense”..I simply don’t see it…we drafted a talented SF with the #2 pick and have refused to use the guy at all… At least Drew is playing a true center against Howard, but we should start a center against every team!..the key to the Bulls series is if Drew starts a center, we win, if he refuses to play one, we lose..
Mike is back
April 25th, 2011
7:58 am
MC, good stuff!!
A lot of people are Hating on the effort the Hawks are giving on defense…Including Stack House hating assssss…that’s cool…that way the Hawks can stay focus on the task at hand…closing out in Orlando
The Hawks want get no respect until they close out this series.
I know one thing we are up 3-1 hate on that.
For once…and I think MC would agree…I think our guys know…we need to close out Orlando…in Orlando to gain some respect…and for once…I think we will do it…LD needs to keep his word…and stay with his plan…a win is all that counts in the playoff…they talk all BS they want…Word up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Get Real
April 25th, 2011
8:02 am
I have also been a Hawks fans since the late 60’s. And I agree with Grandad and others. I am totally unimpressed with the way this Hawks team wins games. I’ve never been so embarrassed to support a Hawks team as I am this one — because of the way they play the game.
The amount of jumpers this team jacks-up is ….. I haven’t the words. It’s beyond all words and comprehension to me. Sorry, but this just isn’t basketball to me. It’s hard to support a team when you consider virtually all of the shots they take to be poor ones.
And it’s NOT OK (to me) when these bad shots just happen to fall and the team wins. Nothing is forgiven or forgotten. The longer-term ramifications of playing like this, win or lose, is grave — and provides zero hope for anything positive going forward.
Slimjr
April 25th, 2011
8:02 am
I agree @ it was a not a bad pick on this last point, play a real center(collins) against Chicago not Al at the 5 and we may have a shot. Put Allstar Al at the 5 and we get crushed…………
Slimjr
April 25th, 2011
8:04 am
Hawks=La Fitness Pickup games………
It was not a bad pick
April 25th, 2011
8:10 am
@SlimJr
Whats up with our offense?..I think the biggest problem is that Drew(woody jr) refuses to play JT at backup pg..Why would you want Crawford getting this team into the offense?
Section 303
April 25th, 2011
8:11 am
Take it easy, Sleepy. This thing is not over, yet.
drmaryb (*_-)
April 25th, 2011
8:14 am
doc
“Mc these videos bog down the i phones. it is impossible to scroll with them on the screen”
____________________
I guess I’m lucky then.n because the videos don’t even appear on my
Blackberry, whatsoever. I get the empty white screen and therefore, I have no clue what’s going on with all that extracurricular activity.
Heh heh.
Slimjr
April 25th, 2011
8:15 am
Woody lite is out of his mind not to play teague and develop him…
And I would start Marvin over Bonehead too…
Slimjr
April 25th, 2011
8:19 am
Josh mistakes are magnified in the playoffs since the games shrinks down..Thats why we cant blow people out.He is a momentum killer!!!!!!!!!!!! Sit his azz down till he gets it….
Slimjr
April 25th, 2011
8:25 am
the bigs are still taking time off in stretches standing at the 3 point line waiting for the guards to pass the ball back out after penetration….Motion Motion Motion, cut, slahes, move your body, stop standing around…Make believe your on a dance floor and keep it moving moving……
if your tired take a seat next to Woody Lite
honest_abe
April 25th, 2011
8:32 am
go back to bed sleepy.
the wins have been nice. but like i said before the playoffs began, if the hawks won it’d be more of a revelation of how far the magic have fallen off than the hawks have improved. besides dwight the magic have the worst team in the playoffs. by far!
where’s the direction? where’s the leadership? when your supposed “money” man (pun intended) takes the outlet pass on a 1 on 2 break and jacks up a contested 3? what kind of message are you sending to the rest of your team? that there’s no need to value possessions. what happens every time the hawks have a lead in the 4th with about 4 minutes to play. they get stagnant. resort to holding the ball till the 24 clock goes dead and then go 1 on 1. who’s idea is that? the captain’s? the coach? there is no clearly defined leader on this team and it shows in their crazy, undisciplined style of basketball. someone needs to fill this void quickly. al perhaps? or either the hapless magic will come back and take the series or the bulls will dispose of the hawks quite quickly.
can’t say enough about twin. awesome effort, grit and resiliency. if you have to point to one factor as to why the hawks are up 3-1 it’s him. sure jamal has been scoring great. but without that feeling that one guy can hang with “superman” and take the brunt of his punishment then that hawks would never have had the confidence to hang with the magic. keep it up twin, you’re the man!
Nate ArchiBALL
April 25th, 2011
8:33 am
How did the Hawks win?
Magic shot 39.2% from the field (31 of 79)……..drum roll please – translates into lots of rebounds.
Al – 12 boards / Josh – 10 boards / JJ – 9 boards
Why didn’t the Hawks blowout the Magic?
Al – 6 of 15 from the field / JJ – 6 of 15 from the field / Josh 4 of 10 from the field
Total 16 – 40 = 40%
Mr. Phil
April 25th, 2011
8:37 am
I’ve tried to be fair with this team all season, at this point I really don’t know what to think. From now on I am done trying to predict this team. Good win and- if we can close it out-good series.
RMikel58
April 25th, 2011
8:41 am
Now up 3-1 is a huge suprise and tilting the hand in favor to the Hawks. I dont think the Hawks have played better than Orlando but that Orlando just seems so sluggish and seems less motivated to win. I still think the Hawks will have to come back here to Atlanta if they hope to steal the series.
I cant believe my Hawks have come this far what has happened to them or yet i say what has happened to Orlando?
Its not only been JJ but infact Jamal is outscoring him during these playoffs and is the MVP in my book. Hes stepped up and kept the hawks in the game. If you put Dwight Howard in foul trouble at the beginning of the game i think the Hawks have the advantage but i wasnt expecting this because i figured he’d have a big day since the suspension of Pachulia.
If the Hawks beat Orlando and play Chicago, Derrick Rose is having problems with his ankle and may only be 50% healthy which may be fortunate for the HAWKS but we’ll have to wait and see. This is starting to look like a cinderella story for the HAWKS at this point but the next 5 days will tell.
We best hope that Orlando doesnt get on a hot streak the next few games and hopefully none of the HAWKS will start making derrogatory comments toward ORLANDO that will get them fired up cause thats all we need is something they can focus on to get up.
Keep telling the media how good Orlando is and lets finish this thing and move on to the next level.
ant banks
April 25th, 2011
8:48 am
some of y’all owe the asg/sund an apology. about a 10months ago some of yall were rippin’ them for:
1.NOT SIGNING SHAQ.
2.NOT GOIN’ AFTER RUDY GAY
3.NOT GOIN’ AFTER AVERY JOHNSON
4.NOT GOIN’ AFTER TY CORBIN
by not havin’ any of these characters, right now, makes us a better team. maybe we “won” by doin’ nothin’. maybe someone in the organization knew somethin’ that the public didn’t know.
rip the asg when they eff up. give credit when somethin’ works in their favor.
drmaryb (*_-)
April 25th, 2011
8:50 am
“Why dont you tell us what gameplan that involves benching jamal because hes a team killer would work ?”
________________
Yes, please do. We would love to hear YOUR expert game plan
(which is two words not one).
ant banks
April 25th, 2011
8:51 am
GAME NOTE. hawks shot 50% from the free throw. this CAN’T happen, ever again. had the magic not gone 2-22 from the 3pt, we woulda needed these points from the free throw
honest_abe
April 25th, 2011
8:51 am
ant? huh? i hope your comments are peppered with sarcasm. if not what the hell are you talking about? the hawks haven’t done anything yet except prove to the basketball world that they play the dumbest brand of basketball in the nba.
Mr. Phil
April 25th, 2011
8:56 am
@honest_abe
“dumbest brand of basketball in the nba.”
As a fan of basketball I completely agree. But while we are winning stupid, I will wear my dunce cap proudly.
ant banks
April 25th, 2011
8:57 am
ORLANDO MAGIC-DISAPPEARING ACT?
1. ‘08-09 nba finals, lose to lakers
2. ‘09-10 lose in 2nd rnd
3. ‘10-11 lose in 1st rnd?
Slimjr
April 25th, 2011
8:58 am
““dumbest brand of basketball in the nba.”
As a fan of basketball I completely agree. But while we are winning stupid, I will wear my dunce cap proudly.” LOL!
ant banks
April 25th, 2011
8:59 am
HONEST_ABE,
shaq is on the bench, rudy gay is on the bench, ty corbin and avery johnson watchin’ the games where you do…AT HOME.
honest_abe
April 25th, 2011
9:05 am
yes the asg knew that both shaq and rudy would be injured by this point in the season. avery johnson took over the worst team in the nba. ty corbin took over a team without derron williams. are you really so naive as to think that the asg made the “right” decision by hiring an assistant from the previous staff? a move obviously motivated by money as LD is the cheapest coach in the nba. it’s people like you that give hawks fans a bad name.
mr. phil. heh i got ya. its nice to be up no doubt. i’m enjoying the wins. even though this team has some obvious flaws as to how its been constructed, i just think with a little more structure and leadership this team has a chance to do something special. frustrating!
tremaine
April 25th, 2011
9:10 am
Did anybody else watch the Lakers-Hornets game after and think now this is playoff basketball?
ant banks
April 25th, 2011
9:11 am
HONEST_ABE,
sometimes its better to be LUCKY, than good. lol. i am a bonified hawks fan. yes, there was a li’l sarcasm but, while we are winning (charlie sheen voice), i wear my dunce cap proudly. lol.
tremaine
April 25th, 2011
9:12 am
I bet if ASG sold sh!t sandwiches during the game ant banks would be first in line.
darrell starks
April 25th, 2011
9:14 am
I am so proud of the hawks playing with a lot of heart, josh came to play last night with his game face on totally different from game 3, great game josh.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ant banks
April 25th, 2011
9:14 am
HONEST_ABE,
when i SARCASTICALLY support asg, i “give hawks fan a bad name.” but when the GOP supports all bs candidates, they give repubs a GOOD NAME? whatever mane.
GO HAWKS!!!!
darrell starks
April 25th, 2011
9:17 am
Hinrich is balling if he play like this in the playoffs the hawks have a chance.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
M10
April 25th, 2011
9:21 am
Jamal’s stock is rising we should of signed him to an extention when we had the chanc.He may play himself out of the Hawks price range,theres going to be teams interested.Hopefully they can retain him.
drmaryb (*_-)
April 25th, 2011
9:22 am
“Maybe the weirdest scene of all was Collins running away from Gilbert Arenas driving in toward the basket. Never seen that before and never will again.”
_____________________
Collins avoiding the foul and giving the Magic the And – 1 was. Brilliant.
A foul shot made would have put them up by one point.
What game were you watching? That is called having a high BBall IQ, something you incessantly complain about.
The player actually pushed Twin in the back and Twin went with that momentum, wisely so. He had NO chance of blocking that lay up.
Go back and watch that play again.
___________________
Bottom line is you will never please a pessimistic mind and at the end of the day, who cares about a “Debbie-Downer”. The play offs are ugly all over the league and through out history. The regular season past plays goes completely out the window! Just score one point more than them and there is nothing to complain about.
Common sense tells you, we will not play The Bulls the way we played The Magic. The Bulls don’t have a Dwight Howard on their team.
The Bulls better be concerned about The Hawks and Rose’s severely sprained right ankle. A sprain worsens as the days go by, it does not heal before it gets worse. It is a weight bearing, pivotal joint and the pain level is unbelievably high! Try one and get back to me.
Let’s Go! The Hawks hopefully will clean up some of the obvious
miscues they had this week in Atlanta. There were some bad plays, but they did not out weigh the great plays made. I really hope Al step it up and become more aggressive on offense. We need him to stop being ultra passive.
darrell starks
April 25th, 2011
9:23 am
Marvin is so lost it’s shame he still on the team 5years of marvin is enough, players have 2 show and prove 2 even have a chance 2 starte, but drafting him with the second pick is his alibi i guest.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
honest_abe
April 25th, 2011
9:23 am
asg to politics? i lost you when you said the asg was justified in not signing shaq.
the asg has no justification. they are the worst owners not named donald sterling!
when you need to start your morning with some of that “devil’s water” you sir have a problem. aa numbers near you can be found on google.
ant banks
April 25th, 2011
9:26 am
LOL @ HONEST_ABE
drmaryb (*_-)
April 25th, 2011
9:29 am
* collins avoiding the foul and NOT giving the And-1 …
darrell starks
April 25th, 2011
9:33 am
My game ball so far in the series go toward collins, the guy have a lot heart period, this is what you need player having a role and doing there job and collins is a perfect example of that, sprain ankle bad back taking charge being elbow in the face by superman standing in paint and being physical perfect fit for this team success go collins.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ant banks
April 25th, 2011
9:33 am
after the magic “meltdown” there is NO WAY that d12 re-signs with them. the magic are done!!!!
any chance d12 wants to come home?
tremaine
April 25th, 2011
9:34 am
M10
April 25th, 2011
9:21 am
Jamal’s stock is rising we should of signed him to an extention when we had the chanc.He may play himself out of the Hawks price range,theres going to be teams interested.Hopefully they can retain him.
Whatever money Joe didn’t take, ASG will throw at JC1. Don’t be surprised if he is the highest paid bench player in NBA history.
ant banks
April 25th, 2011
9:35 am
i would much rather be momar khadafi, than the gm of the orlando magic this summer. lol
tremaine
April 25th, 2011
9:36 am
If I was Dwight Howard, I would be on the phone with Chris Paul trying to figure out what city do he want to play together in come 2012.
M10
April 25th, 2011
9:43 am
Tremaine I hope so.
darrell starks
April 25th, 2011
9:45 am
LD have stop looking at teams going 2 smaller line up and changing up, staying big with collins should be in hawks advantage plus this free up horford and josh to get out on fast break more for easy basket, should stay big all the time, before during the season the hawks was rank 26 in rebounding with josh and horford in the post that should tell coach LD by staying big make this team better and more physical in the paint.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BYC
April 25th, 2011
9:53 am
I hate to be critical after a win but the hawks are such an embarrassing team. Is anyone growing tired of cheering for this perennially underperforming team? Josh Smith still bitching at every call that doesn’t go his way, and still taking every open jumpshot that is out of this range. Joe Johnson still disappears at some point every game and fails to be the do everything (rebound, play defense, set his teammates up) combo guard we paid him one of the the highest salaries in the NBA for. In game 3 and game 4 we had chances to easily put the game away, but once we get a lead higher than 10 points, the stupid switch turns on for everyone wearing a Hawks uniform. This team is extremely talented and if we played smart and started overperforming instead of underperforming, we could have a good chance to upset the Bulls, Celtics, Heat and make the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Props to the much hated on Jamal Crawford for winning games 3 and 4 for us.
Props to Kirk Hinrich for playing good defense and playing smart offense for EVERY MINUTE of EVERY GAME.
Props to “smart Josh” who came out in the second half and started blocking shots, rebounding, and driving to the hoop.
Props to Zaza and Jason Collins for trying their best to contain and frustrate Dwight.
Props to Al Horford for being consistently good this whole season.
“dumb Josh” please stop showing up at Hawks games, you are absolutely worthless and actually hurt our team when you are in the game. The highlight blocks may look cool but stop gambling on steals or a come-from-behind block and just stay in front of your man.
Joe Johnson, can you please do ANYTHING to justify paying you $20 million per year? I’m not talking about making late game free-throws (any above average guard in the NBA should be able to do that). If your past performance was erased from memory and you were given a new contract this year you would be struggling to get signed for mid-level exception. WTF happened to you after you got paid, did you just stop caring? Every single stat for you is down this year except for turnovers. Your 3PT% is more than 6% lower than your career average. The one mind-boggling stat for the true hawk fans who know this team: Josh Smith is actually shooting 0.331 from the arch while Joe is shooting 0.297. Unbelievable.
You are currently the 4th best player on this
DC
April 25th, 2011
10:00 am
with all this negativity you would think the hawks were down 3-1…don’t even utter the Bulls name out of your mouths…stick to this series and move on…we are playing a style that would benefit us against the magic…we will change the gameplan when we play you know who..
O'Brien
April 25th, 2011
10:04 am
it was not a bad pick,
They put Kobe (all Defense 1st team numerous times) on CP3, and he still can’t slow him down. Are you sure you don’t want to change your name to “it was a bad pick”?
Win or lose, I hope the Pacers beat up the Bulls in game 5. Bulls rely so much on DRose, and he is not 100% healthy.
As for game 5, I hope the Hawks win. Because if they think game 6 will be in the bag at home…anything can happen.
BYC
April 25th, 2011
10:08 am
That’s the frustrating thing though. If this team could consistently play with even an average basketball IQ, we would be resting for round two right now. If JJ Redick and a gimpy Arenas are making it to the hoop untouched, what will Rose do? Don’t discount how crappily the Magic are playing either, we are trying to give these games to the Magic, but the Magic players not named Dwight are giving it right back.
Slimjr
April 25th, 2011
10:13 am
“it was not a bad pick,
They put Kobe (all Defense 1st team numerous times) on CP3, and he still can’t slow him down. Are you sure you don’t want to change your name to “it was a bad pick”?” LOL
Slimjr
April 25th, 2011
10:25 am
CP3 is about 5′11″ with shoes on,Man hes short but got huge game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Astro Joe
April 25th, 2011
10:32 am
Would anyone fall out of their chair if the Hawks lose to a “back-against-the-wall” Magic in Game 5, come home and are way over-confident and lose a nail-biter in Game 6 and then are looking down the barrel of a Game 7 in Orlando? There is absolutely nothing trustworhty about this team… I’m waiting for the fat lady to sing before I start throwing confetti.
Hawks Fan From Day One
April 25th, 2011
10:39 am
Loving all of the comments thus far.
@SUPERIORBLOGMAN: You had me up until you went the “fantasy GM” on me. I can’t stand when people do that. It reeks of desperation and nobody’s in possession of a crystal ball. Putting who you want the Hawks to go get is of no concern to anybody, really.
Najeh Davenpoop and Grandad always make solid contributions in their comments. @sam’l: Collins was avoiding the foul and 1. It didn’t help him flailing his arms up in a weak, desperate attempt to HOPE to block or alter Gilbert’s layup. It was horrible-looking. This is what I saw from last night’s game, plus some tidbits from the reg. season. For those talkin’ trash about Hilton Armstrong are BLIND. We got some bargain dollar defense on Dwight last night. Hilton caused a couple of turnovers on Howard. I can forgive his slip up on offense when he could have caused another foul on Dwight, just because of his defense. Armstrong’s a sleeper. Like Teague, if he gets the PT, he’s a fool wit’ it. Joe Johnson should do the honorable thing and re-negotiate his contract and give back some of that money. If he truly wants to win with the Hawks, that money could be better served in signing some help. 6 turnovers by the $124 million dollar man is unacceptable, especially in the playoffs. We don’t take any time off the shot clock in crunch situations. Swing the ball around. I’m cool with Joe still taking the shot at the end of the clock (or Jamal), but MOVE THE BALL AROUND FIRST! Defenses could break down and another opportunity could open for someone else to make a play, but 18 seconds on the shot clock and shots start flying up isn’t cool. Moving on….
Can’t believe some of you guys are still talking about Billy Knight, Mike Woodson and CP3……give it a rest, people. Let us all move on and embrace THIS team. All three of those situations have grown trees on their graves. Oh, I too, am a realist. Hawks in 7, unfortunately. However, we’ll win. I said it first. THEN, we can discuss the BULLS (unless IND does something amazing)
JeJe
April 25th, 2011
10:41 am
DRIVE THE DAMN BALL TO THE HOOP
WHY DOES JOE DISAPPEAR ALL GAME, THEN HE TURNS IT ON WITH THAT DEADLY FLOATER?
WHY CAN JOE NOT ISO EARLY IN THE GAME AND GET THAT FLOATER GOING?
WHY DOES JOSH NOT TRY TO TAKE HIS MAN OFF THE DRIBBLE AND TRY THAT RUNNING HOOK?
THOSE ARE OUR 2 MOST EFFECTIVE PLAYS -THEY ARE HIGH PERCENTAGE PLAYS, RATHER THAN WILD JAMAL SHOTS.
DRIVE THE BALL TO THE DAMN BASKET. JAMAL QUIT TRYING TO BE HERO AND DRIVE THE DAMN BALL TO THE HOOP.
IF JOE AND JAMAL COMBINE FOR 45, WE ARE IN GOOD SHAPE (THAT’S WHAT THEY’VE PRETTY MUCH BEEN DOING)
DRIVE THE BALL TO THE BASKET DRIVE THE BALL TO THE BASKET DRIVE THE BALL TO THE BASKET DRIVE THE BALL TO THE BASKET DRIVE THE BALL TO THE BASKET DRIVE THE BALL TO THE BASKET DRIVE THE BALL TO THE BASKET DRIVE THE BALL TO THE BASKET DRIVE THE BALL TO THE BASKET DRIVE THE BALL TO THE BASKET DRIVE THE BALL TO THE BASKET
Astro Joe
April 25th, 2011
10:45 am
Fire BK.
Slimjr
April 25th, 2011
10:46 am
Magic jr for CP3 CP3 CP3 CP3 CP3 CP3. Hes not staying in New Orleans..Sund go make a wrong a right….in the summer of course………….
Rufus1
April 25th, 2011
10:49 am
drmaryb (*_-)
April 25th, 2011
9:22 am
Co-sign
So people feed on misery and the Hawks starving them.
Slimjr
April 25th, 2011
10:51 am
Dwight and CP3 in Atlanta. What a thang of beauty in 2013??????
tremaine
April 25th, 2011
11:01 am
Slimjr
April 25th, 2011
10:51 am
Dwight and CP3 in Atlanta. What a thang of beauty in 2013??????
Dream on. What team do you think will have enough money to pull that off?
Slimjr
April 25th, 2011
11:04 am
the hawks owners are loaded!!!!!!!! dont let em fool ya….
Ant banks
April 25th, 2011
11:16 am
Slim jr that is a nice dream cp3 and Dwight in the atl. What would we have to give up to make that happen?
Fireld!
April 25th, 2011
11:22 am
The reason we are not getting whooped right know has nothing to do with ld or the Hawks improvement. Nor does it have anything to do with the fact that the Magic are missing v.carter, r.lewis, m. pietrus, m.barnes. and m. gortat(all of whom are over 6′6 and m. barnes and pietrus would have shut that j. crawford and j. johnson iso BS down!) I know because you see crawford and joe in that order domimate jj. redick 6′4 and jameer nelson 5′10 you get excited, don’t fall for it. The only reason we won last night was because that idiot on the other bench took Gilbert out after he made the Hawks d look like crap, and tied the game up, only to put him back in after the magic go dwn by 6 with like 3 min left. Don’t fall for it. And for all yall Teague haters, yall really must not understand B-ball.
Slimjr
April 25th, 2011
11:37 am
“Slim jr that is a nice dream cp3 and Dwight in the atl. What would we have to give up to make that happen?”
@Ant banks, i dont know, its above my pay grade..I have to deffer to those brilliant minds on the these blogs like Grandad, drmaryb, northcyde, superior, , Steve w,Rev, and Najeh of course!! And all you other awesome bloggers out there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Theres got to be a way to make it happen?? Prayer????
ILL-Logical
April 25th, 2011
11:38 am
According to my reading of the facts,the Hawks are up 3-1 in a playoff serise where they were not the favorite and did not have home court advantage.
JeJe
April 25th, 2011
11:45 am
Most people are saying we win in 6. Damnit, just win tomorrow!
Crazy ATL Fans
April 25th, 2011
11:51 am
Not a Hawks fan, but am rooting for them to beat Orlando. You Atlanta fans are something else- your team is up 3-1 over a team that mostly everyone thought would beat you, but you all still complain.
Crawford scores 25 pts., shoots 55% from the field, and has 6 assts., but people say he’s playing AAU ball. Would you rather the Hawks pass 5 times then shoot up bricks like Butler did, or ride the hot hand?
Again, I really couldn’t care less about the Hawks, but lighten up. I’ll never forget when I came down there for the Packers/ Falcons game and you guys left early in the 3rd qtr. Instead of congratulating an upstart team for going 13-3, you all left whining and complaining.
Atlanta fans suck.
Ra'mon
April 25th, 2011
11:55 am
Slim Jr, you said the Hawks can’t blow out teams because of Josh Smith? How is that the case, when yesterday the Hawks were up by 10, that’s when the next 5-6 shots were bad 3pt attempts from Joe, Jamal, AND Kirk. The only three that quarter that Josh shot was after Joe dribbled the clock down to 3-4 seconds on the shot clock. And the other attempt was right as the buzzard expired at half time. Its Josh’ Smith’s shut down defense that allows the Hawks to have bad offensive quarters and still be winning. Josh Smith’s defense has made it nationally, as many in the national media today are saying ‘where is Hedo?’ The answer- he’s where ever Josh tells him to go.
The Hawks winning right now is sloppy. But they’re winning. And truthfully, the Bulls and Pacers series has been even SLOPPIER. So its not like they’re going to get killed if they play Chicago like that. The best thing the Hawks can do against Chicago, is to do the D12 rule. No matter what don’t double on D Rose. If Rose goes for 50 every other night, it doesn’t matter if no one else can contribute. If you shut down Boozer and Deng, you will win the series.
Slimjr
April 25th, 2011
11:56 am
one championship in 147 seasons from the Atlanta professional Sports teams= they suck……..not the fans…
Ra'mon
April 25th, 2011
11:57 am
Actually, I can’t believe I’m saying this. But in the 2nd quarters, D. Wilkins maybe the best option of guarding Rose. He’s hard nose and plays good defense. So if you have to have Crawford at the point, put him on Korver or Bogans, and let Marvin and Wilkins harass Rose one on one.
tremaine
April 25th, 2011
12:03 pm
Crazy ATL Fans- what nba team do you root for?
Slimjr
April 25th, 2011
12:05 pm
Thats whats driving us crazy about Josh..He’s up and he down, he starts out very slow in the 1st quarters..His defense as we all know is well above average at his position of course, but his risk taking offensive mind set is incredible and it got him benched in the 4th quarter of game 3..Are we are happy about the win? Oh yes we are and lets hope we put em out of their misery in Orlando and move on to Chicago who imho has the greatest deep dish pan pizza in the USA! Chicago bigs are much better than Orlando except for Dwight..Gotta take game 5 and close this ish out…..
Ra'mon
April 25th, 2011
12:23 pm
Slim, the point is Josh doesn’t make more bad decisions on offense than Joe, Jamal, or Horford. They all make the same amount of bad decisions on offense. Joe makes bad decision when he still WAITS for the double team to come, or take 8 seconds to finally attempt a shot over Hedo, when he could’ve blown by him on the first jab step. Jamal makes bad decisions with the timing of his 3pt attempts. He shoots more awkward shots than Josh does also. Horford makes bad decisions when he doesn’t aggressively move to open spaces in the court on offense to be more of a threat. Horford is reserved a lot. Is that not a bad decision? So while Josh may take 3-4 bad shots or pass attempts in a game, if you break down the film the other big three players make just as many mistakes.
Barry
April 25th, 2011
12:42 pm
Hey Y’all:
Everybody is wondering how the HAWKS are winning so convincingly as compared to last year. I tell you what it is!! IT IS COACHING AND COACHING PHILOSOPHY ON OFFENSE. Last year, Woodson’s offensive philosophy was “ISO JOE” mode. This philosophy made it easy for teams to defend the Hawsk, especially during the playoffs. All teams had to do was to stop Joe. The offense went through him. This year, coach John Drew’s philosophy is the “motion offense” wherein the ball is moved around where players have the option of passing or shooting the ball in a set passing scheme. The ball and the shooting is shared. Defenses can’t concentrate on one player. And all the HAWKS players can shoot and defend. Moreover, it takes a hell of a lot of presssure off of Joe. Now Joe can relax and just float around and do his thing offensively as do the other players in this scheme. PLAY, RUN, DEFEND, AND SHOOT!! That is what our HAWKS are doing. Orlando is totally confused and is being outcoached by Drew and his coaching staff with this offensive schemes. Moreover. Coach Drew appears to make critical game time adjustments based on what the opposition is doing . This would have never have happened under Woodson last year. Thank God we have an innovative, offensive minded coach how also likes to play defense. This “Center by Committee” might work throughout the playoff. The guys they are bringing in are young,big, quick, and smart. Moreover, THEY PLAY WITH HEART!!! With more playing time in the “Center By Committee” philosophy, I believe we can be effective throughout the playoffs. As long as the other players, play their game as all stars, this is the time that the HAWKS can “SHOCK THE WORLD!!”. This is a “RUMBLE”, baby. And I believe the other players in the offense are loving this style of play. Therefore, ARE YOU READY TO PLAY SOME BASKETBALLL!!!?????? THIS IS THE PLAYOFFS!! THIS IS THE PLAYOFFS. OUR HAWKS ARE IN IT.!!!!!!! THEY ARE IN IT TO “SHOCK THE WORLD!!” AND TO WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP. That is what this is about!! TO WIN THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!! ONE ROUND AT A TIME!!!!
WE ARE IN ROUND ONE, and WE HAVE ORLANDO DAZED AND ON THE ROPES READY FOR THE COUNT. OUR HAWKS ARE FOCUSED. THEY ARE HUNGRY!! THEY ARE ANGRY!! THEY ARE PREPARING A “ROUND HOUSE PUNCH” TO MAKE THE MAGIC SEE STARS. OUR HAWKS ARE ON THE PATH TO “SHOCK THE WORLD!!” FOR AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP. THIS IS OUR CITY!!! THIS OUR HAWKS!! ROUGH, TOUGH, FINEST BASKETBALL IS OUR STYLE. IT’S GOING DOWN ON OUR WAY TO AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!! LET’S DO THIS!!!!!!!!
NOW ARE YOU READY TO RUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMBBBBBBBLLLLEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!
LET’S GO HAWKS !! LET’S GO HAWKS. THIS IS A NEW YEAR, NEW COACH, NEW VISION!! LET’S DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a SECRET from a HAWK FAN!! TELL EVERYBODY!!!!!!!
……………………….”SHOCK THE WORLD!!!!………………
O'Brien
April 25th, 2011
12:44 pm
AJ,
Agreed. Even though we’ve been winning, the games have been close. And all it takes is for the Magic to go on a hot streak from 3, and before you know it, we could be in game 7.
Hawks are more talented, but we have a lot of bad habits, and we dont always play smart.
Ra'mon
April 25th, 2011
1:03 pm
There is great pleasure in knowing the Hawks are up 3-1, and they still haven’t played their ‘A’ game yet, besides game 1 for 2 quarters.
Buddy Grizzard
April 25th, 2011
1:04 pm
Ok it’s time to give Las Vegas Larry his props. Before I proceed, let me just say that I stand by what I said before the series started, that a series win over Orlando is not going to vindicate LD. His coaching will ultimately be judged by what the Hawks are able to do in the second round. Winning a series against an Orlando team with a gutted roster is not going to suddenly make LD a competent coach.
But I’m finally starting to see LD make some good moves to offset boneheaded decisions like he had in Game 2. Do not underestimate the importance of the pre-game/post-game gamesmanship with SVG. When LD pointed out all the moving screens DH has set, he made it difficult for the refs to adjust their foul calling in favor of the Magic. He went on record and risked a fine to protect his team, and I think it helped put focus on the refs and prevent them from obviously giving the game to Orlando.
The other thing is that playing JC1 all those minutes at the end of the regular season, a decision alot of us mocked, has obviously turned out in the Hawks favor. I would love to see Teague playing, but if he was not able to win a spot in the rotation during the regular season, now is not the time to experiment with working him into the lineup. You go with experience.
Ra'mon
April 25th, 2011
1:06 pm
O’brien, you’re right. But you must admit, its good to see the Hawks win, when they’re not playing their A game. The same way that the Magic can starting hitting their threes, Josh and Al can both go off for a 20-10 games (they both had many during the season).
Ra'mon
April 25th, 2011
1:07 pm
Here’s the question, what kind of contract has Jamal played himself into this off season?
Sleepy
April 25th, 2011
1:11 pm
Ramon everyone makes mistakes but the reason that Josh catches more flack than everyone else is because while Joe ,Al,Jamal make mistakes at some point they all still go back to what works for long stretches whereas Josh rarely adjusts.
Watch this video of KG after last nights sweep and tell me that this is not exactly the mindset that everyone wishes Josh had . Josh should watch that video and apply it and we would seriously be contenders
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6421283
tremaine
April 25th, 2011
1:17 pm
Wow, can’t believe Barry wasted all that time with that bs.
RalphWatson
April 25th, 2011
1:22 pm
The hawks were indeed LUCKY to win game 4. in my opinion they did not earn that victory. At the end, Heidu Turkelu coughs up the ball after some good harrassing from Al Hordford, and takes a mis-timed 3-pointer. Had Turk just squared up and got a good look, the game probably would have gone into overtime and the Magic probably would have won the game. Then if the series was tied 2-2, the magic would have wrestled back the home court advantage. If the Hawks lose this series to the Magic now with a 3-1 lead, the Hawks will continue to be the LAUGHINGSTOCK OF THE LEAGUE and should sell their team and move to Alaska.
tremaine
April 25th, 2011
1:24 pm
Question, isn’t LD doing the same thing on offense that Woody did last year, because I have seen a lot of one-on-one with Jamal and Joe? The only difference I see with the offense is that the hawks are taking a lot more jumpshots?
tremaine
April 25th, 2011
1:26 pm
RalphWatson
April 25th, 2011
1:22 pm
The hawks were indeed LUCKY to win game 4. in my opinion they did not earn that victory. At the end, Heidu Turkelu coughs up the ball after some good harrassing from Al Hordford, and takes a mis-timed 3-pointer. Had Turk just squared up and got a good look, the game probably would have gone into overtime and the Magic probably would have won the game. Then if the series was tied 2-2, the magic would have wrestled back the home court advantage. If the Hawks lose this series to the Magic now with a 3-1 lead, the Hawks will continue to be the LAUGHINGSTOCK OF THE LEAGUE and should sell their team and move to Alaska.
I don’t understand why you would go to Turk anyway. He was 0-5 before that shot and has been terrible during this series.
BBIB
April 25th, 2011
2:37 pm
“Question, isn’t LD doing the same thing on offense that Woody did last year, because I have seen a lot of one-on-one with Jamal and Joe? The only difference I see with the offense is that the hawks are taking a lot more jumpshots?”
The difference is that one on one was Woodson’s ENTIRE offense. The 1 on 1 under LD is just old habits dying hard
ant banks
April 25th, 2011
2:41 pm
for all of the rippin’ that we do on sund, can you all imagine what they are doin’ to the magic’s gm? they should be shreddin’ his arse to pieces. this magic team is way worse than last year’s team.
then he has to figure a way to keep dwight? can atlanta pull off a coup?
Wabe
April 25th, 2011
3:19 pm
tremaine
April 25th, 2011
1:24 pm
“Question, isn’t LD doing the same thing on offense that Woody did last year, because I have seen a lot of one-on-one with Jamal and Joe? The only difference I see with the offense is that the hawks are taking a lot more jumpshots?”
The Hawks do get into ISO a lot more than most would probably want. But, there are still a couple of things that LD has thrown in, wrinkles if you will. More picks being set at the top of the key which forces the defense to make decisions. More pick – pops for Al Horford. There are certain ‘wrinkles’ that are in place, so at times, it’s not exclusively ISOLATION. But, it does still lead to one man possessing the ball and trying to make a move to get buckets, unless they go with the gaurd – Horford pick/pop.
In this series though, it’s worked decently. Mainly because Jamal and Joe are working with mismatches – - especially Jamal. The Magic don’t have anybody that can cover Jamal, and he’s going off consistently. Dude has been money this series.
Wabe
April 25th, 2011
3:21 pm
Joe’s been pretty good this series, but I still wanna see the Joe we saw in game one consistently. Game one Joe was decisive and aggressive and knew what he wanted to do, where he wanted to go, and he got there. Since then, he’s slowed a bit making his move. Still averaging decent numbers, but at times his indecisiveness gets him into trouble. He ends up forcing up tough looks.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 25th, 2011
3:53 pm
“I bet if ASG sold sh!t sandwiches during the game ant banks would be first in line.”
They do sell sh-t sandwiches during the game. Have you ever tasted the food at their concession stand? Best to have about eight beers in you first so you don’t know what you are eating.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 25th, 2011
3:59 pm
“Again, I really couldn’t care less about the Hawks, but lighten up. I’ll never forget when I came down there for the Packers/ Falcons game and you guys left early in the 3rd qtr. Instead of congratulating an upstart team for going 13-3, you all left whining and complaining.
Atlanta fans suck.”
We have seen enough teams in this city that do enough to get in the playoffs but do nothing once they get there. That bores us now. We want championships, or at least serious championship contenders. Having high expectations doesn’t make a fan base bad. If this was Philly all those fans would have stuck around in the Dome and booed and thrown batteries the entire second half. Would that have been any better?
Game 4 Reactions « Howard the Dunk | An Orlando Magic Blog
April 25th, 2011
8:34 pm
[...] Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution gives a lot of credit to Kirk Hinrich: Hinrich (42 minutes) outplayed Jameer. The debate about whether the trade for him was a good one in the big picture won’t be settled for a while. But there’s no longer any question the team is better with him at point guard instead of Bibby, especially since Hinrich has rediscovered his shot (which he can get on his own, unlike his predecessor). [...]
ant banks
April 26th, 2011
8:25 am
what if the hawks go on to beat the magic? what if the hawks beat chicago and go on to meet boston or miami in the ecf?
what would we say about asg, sund, or larry drew or woody?
if this happens, it would validate 1.teague DID NOT need any pt 2.we DO NOT need a true center 3. we DO NOT need a point guard 4.we have a great core 5.jsmoove can keep jackin’ tres. 6. we DID NOT need jc2, bibby or the 1st rnd pick of 2011 draft.
DAMN, I WANT US TO GO ALL THE WAY, BUT I AM AFRAID OF VALIDATION OF OUR FLAWS WILL NOT BRING NEEDED CHANGES NEXT YEAR.