Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 84, Magic 81
- The Hawks will never beat the Bulls playing like this!
- Chicago’s elite defense will bottle up all those jump shooters! If Jameer gets open layups on critical possessions what is D-Rose going to do to the Hawks?! The Hawks gained confidence from the Dwight Defense in this series but they don’t have such tricks for the Bulls!
- And don’t get me started on J.J.’s insistence on dribbling out possessions and taking bad shots in the face of defensive pressure! Chicago’s offense isn’t special but even if the Hawks manage to get a lead they will shoot themselves out of it! Josh might be able to bother Boozer but does anybody deliver more momentum-sapping bad shots and turnovers?
- And I haven’t even mentioned how Chicago is going to . . . “We will worry about Chicago tomorrow,” Marvin said.
- (UPDATE: Yes, blog people, I was trying to be facetious there.)
- The Hawks won ugly, but they did win. They may not have had to show so much resolve if they’d figure out how to play with leads, but they did show resolve. “Our will to come up with the loose ball, come up with the big plays down the stretch was big,” J.J. said.
- The Hawks overcame (another) bad offensive night by getting 14 offensive rebounds and converting 14 Magic turnovers (eight steals) into 19 points. So they found a way to score when they took and missed a lot of jump shots. That’s something.
- “It’s a bad feeling to let a team outwork you and they did tonight,” Dwight said.
- Hinrich left the game with what the team at first said was a right knee injury but later updated as a strained right hamstring. The Hawks said he will have an MRI on Friday. If he misses any games then obviously Atlanta’s chances against Chicago dwindle.
- The Hawks are in the second round for the third consecutive season. They got there by winning in 6 against the team that shellacked them last spring. OK, it’s not the same team, but it’s still Dwight, Jameer, Stan Van Gundy and their band of shooters.
- “This is a very hard-fought series,” L.D. said. “Coming into the series, not many people gave us a chance. A lot of people thought what we accomplished against this team in the regular season was a fluke. But our guys came into the series thinking they could win.”
- The Hawks achieved some rare franchise feats by both finishing this series early and winning as the lower seed. And now they will be picked apart between now and Monday as critics scrutinize their well-known weaknesses and question their credentials.
- It’s what should be expected for a team that often can’t seem to get out of its own way. The Hawks blew leads in Games 3 and 4 then nearly blew one on Thursday before stirring fans at Philips with another close W.
- In the aftermath, Jameer’s reservation with D-Rose for the second round was on the Hawks’ mind.
- “That kind of a slap in the face to us and our organization for him to come out and say something like that,” Al said. “I’m sure he’s a great guy and everything but at the end of the day, that’s uncalled for. You can say whatever you want but you have to be able to back it up.”
- Once again Atlanta’s offense moved outside as the minutes ticked off.
- After attempting 23 shots in the paint in the first half and making eight, the Hawks attempted 12 from close range and made seven after halftime. After earning six free-throw attempts in the first quarter, the Hawks took nine over the final three periods.
- Marvin, left with room to operate as the Magic focused on Joe and Jamal, made some big shots in the second half. Then he missed one and J.J. tapped it out to Jamal, who made two clutch free throws.
- “I just wanted to make a play,” J.J. said. “The play was designed as a pick-and-roll with Al and Jamal. We didn’t really come up with what we wanted but Jamal shot the ball and when it went up, I just tried to crash glass and somehow get my hand on it, and I did.”
- Joe needed 25 shots to get his 23 points. He started 1 for 8 and then made 9 of his next 17. In the fourth quarter, those included a deep 3 with the shot clock winding down; a nice slice to the basket for a 9-footer; a missed fadeaway 19-footer, and a nice reverse layup.
- That pretty much summed up his night: some good mixed with some bad and it all worked out at the end of his 46 minutes.
- “I really thought Joe got into a good rhythm,” Drew said. “He missed some easy shots but I thought he was really aggressive. I was going to ride him all night–not to run every play to him, but I was going to try to keep him on the floor as long as I could. I just felt he was going to will him to this win.”
- Josh, meanwhile, had his worst game of the series and at one point was booed by fans frustrated by his bad shots and careless turnovers.
- Hinrich was good on D again and also had Dwight flustered with some early dig-downs. Dwight turned it over on his first three post-ups. One came when Hinrich tied him up for a jump ball and then stole the tip.
- Dwight finished the series with outstanding production and efficiency. He scored 20 percent of his team’s points, had 29 percent of its rebounds and not only protected the rim on defense but disrupted Joe and Jamal on the perimeter.
- And yet Dwight’s offseason has started already.
- “There’s no need for me to comment on my future, so don’t even bring it up,” Dwight said. “I’m focusing on how I can get better for next year with the Magic.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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163 comments Add your comment
It was not a bad pick
April 29th, 2011
7:42 am
Go ahead, trade Marvin!..
MsDee
April 29th, 2011
7:50 am
@it was not a bad pick…u are too funny when it comes to Marvin. True, Marvin stepped way up with those 4 big shots but u CAN NOT continue to crown the guy for that. I have always felt, him coming off the bench, was best suited for him. That is what he had come accustomed to..and it has worked!!
vava74
April 29th, 2011
7:56 am
Rod, my “blog arch-enemy” wrote a few weeks ago something that I feel was spot on:
CHI played the whole year playoff basketball.
This means that they may not have anything else to dig in from, whilst others* – including the Hawks – still had margin to increase effort and execution levels.
* the example was BOS playing possum to close the season
And the fact is that this:
http://hoopspeak.com/2011/04/atlantas-new-pick-and-roll-defense/
illustrates that someone within our coaching staff (Conner?) in the middle of all that incompetence on the bench actually thought about what would they be doing in these series, allowing us to improve (or maybe this was already in place against ORL during the regular season).
Let’s hope that they are also able to devise something to improve our D against CHI and close those shooters which, again, I feel will be crucial again.
Mike is back
April 29th, 2011
8:10 am
MC, even in victory…you maintain a level of civility when it comes to the Hawks…I respect that.
Terrific Win by the HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are right on it…IT ALL DEPENDS ON JOE…if he holds that ball…we are dead…same with Jamal.
The Bulls defense thrives on teams that like to run a lot of ISOs…it allows them to run a lot of traps.
The only way we got a chance is to attack early in the clock.
It’s funny to hear this chatter…about the Hawks…all of sudden having an advantage…over the Bulls…”Right!”
Like said about ESPN…you can believe that BS…if you want…THE HAWKS BETTER HAVE THEIR ASSSSSSSS…READY TO PLAY.
IF WE DON’T MOVE THAT BALL…WE DEAD…I think we both agree on that MC.
JOSH, I’m looking for JOSH to make amends with YOUR defense… in this series…its TIMES FOR JOSH TO GROW TF UP…WORD UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GO
HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hoops
April 29th, 2011
8:24 am
Say what you want to say – HAWKS WIN!!!
steve brown
April 29th, 2011
8:32 am
“but does anybody have more momentum-sapping bad shots and turnovers?”-that is a perfect description of Josh Smith in full bloom, in the big game, in his seventh year in the league. He is a “birdbrain” on the court and is the reason I find it difficult to watch this team play. I have noticed Kirk opting not to pass Smith the play numerous times and for that alone I make him my MVP. All you Josh Smith lovers are on crack or just don’t know the game.
No Woody for Me
April 29th, 2011
8:41 am
Everybody seems to be hating on LD, and it may be deserved. However, I will say this for him – he went with a lot of creative line-ups on the floor and he had the gonads to keep Josh off the court for a whole lot of 4th quarter minutes during this series. I don’t think Woody would have done that.
Kerry
April 29th, 2011
8:46 am
GREAT JOB HAWKS, JOE WAS PLAYIN LIKE A SUPERSTAR, NOW ON TO THE 2ND ROUND, I’M PROUD OF MY HAWKS!!!!
The Game Has Changed
April 29th, 2011
8:57 am
Whats going on good people. @MC-Im not that concerned about Rose. He can only beat us if we allow him to dribble-drive. I think we need to remain on the shooters and just make sure we put him on his butt when he drives. Za Za is our Bill Lambier. Thats my opinion. But should we leave the shooters and go with help defense or stay on the shooters?
ejh
April 29th, 2011
8:59 am
First off congrads to the Hawks. I said they would win this series in six and they did. I also believe they will win the series against the bulls in six also. The playoffs are about matchups, and for any team in the eastern conference that has to play the Hawks, the hawks are a bad matchup for Boston, Chicago,and Miami. but miami would be the team that would give them the most problems because of Wade and James who both like to get to the basket.
The Hawks have mismatche advantages all over the floor against the bulls, starting with Horford over Noah, If josh plays in the post boozer will have a hard time. Keith bogans only averages 4 points as the bulls starting 2 guard, he will not be able to guard joe nor jamaal. Look for joe to post up derek rose in the post a lot and probably get him into some foul trouble. This series will be easier for the Hawks than it was against the magic. The magic would have beaten any of the other teams in the east in this years playoffs, but the hawks was the worst matchup they could draw.
JeJe
April 29th, 2011
9:08 am
CAN SOMEONE TEACH JOSH HOW TO PLAY BASKETBALL BEFORE MONDAY PLEASE?
JeJe
April 29th, 2011
9:10 am
NAJEH,
LOL! I predicted the same thing. He is 9 inches taller than Jameer and still got stripped by him [TWICE] in the series
JeJe
April 29th, 2011
9:15 am
WORLDWIDE CLYDE: POSTER OF THE YEAR
I PREDICTED HAWKS IN 6 BUT HAD MY DOUBTS
FIRE LD
BBIB
April 29th, 2011
9:15 am
Why is everybody afraid of the Bulls? How many times has the team with the best record in the league won it all lately?
Even more rare, how many times has a team with it’s PG as its leading scorer won it all?
forwardmo
April 29th, 2011
9:16 am
enjoy the day cunningham. probably good that you are so hawks neg. nobody had hawks beating magic either. seemed to help them focus. fortunately for the hawks, most of the fans in the philips arena had a little more POSITIVE THINKING AND ENERGY than you show in this article. glad you were not in the huddle the last couple minutes of game 6.
JeJe
April 29th, 2011
9:17 am
THIS WHOLE SERIES IS ON JOE AND JAMAL SCORING THE BASKETBALL. THE DEFENSIVE INTENSITY SHOULD BE THERE. WE JUST CANNOT GET DOWN, OR LIKE SVG SAID, WE WILL SUFFER
How to succeed at basketball without really trying | Sports Plop
April 29th, 2011
9:26 am
[...] Larry Drew’s strategy is a strategy borne of desperation. Straight-up basketball, man-to-man, doubling down on the post was not going to lead the Hawks to the second round. But Larry Drew got them there. [...]
JeJe
April 29th, 2011
9:29 am
northcyde,
Is there a way you can compile stats of Horford’s Head-To-Head vs. Noah?
I wouldn’t mind a front line of Marvin Al and ZaZa as our starters. I.E. bench Smoove or don’t play him at all.
Smoove pissed me off more than any other player I’ve seen over the years on the Hawks in this series
The guy does not understand how to play basketball. he is just freakishly athletic (and still hurt probably).
That’s it
Michael Cunningham
April 29th, 2011
10:03 am
@forwardmo: “enjoy the day cunningham. probably good that you are so hawks neg”
i’m a little concerned that so many people missed my attempts at bombastic sarcasm. does that mean it’s hard to tell the difference between that and my normal writing? or is forwardmo’s response here also sarcasm and i’m missing it, which would mean that i’m dense in addition to being a hack writer?
in William Zinsser’s “On Writing Well” he says that if you lose the reader it’s always your fault. sorry, Mr. Zinsser. i have failed.
JeJe
April 29th, 2011
10:14 am
I think it’s pretty obvious without the update MC is being sarcastic. Probably because all those claims are pretty reminiscent of what the negative people here like myself keep making
Keep it up, MC
*Brush That Dirt Off Your Shoulder*
JeJe
April 29th, 2011
10:15 am
I read Hollinger’s piece on Z/Twin and he claims Dwight didn’t have many assists in this series.
Then I looked at the box scores from last year’s series [which is pretty painful to do] and saw he didn’t have many last year either
Hmm
Daniel
April 29th, 2011
10:16 am
MC- Your sarcasm is very obvious. The issue is that being a Hawks fan makes you crazy. We have a hard time enjoying success because it is often followed by abject failure. We see amazing talent, then complete mental lapses. We see toughness and maturity followed immediately by quit. How you can you expect us to be able to see sarcasm in that constantly confused state. I think the DSM-IV calls it the “highlight syndrome.”
Rufus1
April 29th, 2011
10:34 am
THE HAWKS JUST BEAT-UP THEIR BULLY….
The Bulls are not the Hawks bully.(Marty McFly)…
The Bull haven’t been to the 2nd rd with this team. The pressure is on them and not on the VET team(Hawks). All we have to do is keep them off the boards and we will win in the 80’s…..6 games
Slimjr
April 29th, 2011
10:39 am
BYE JOSH!!!!!
Slimjr
April 29th, 2011
10:55 am
ALLSTAR AL NEEDS TO EXCEL ON THE BOARDS!!! AT LEAST 15-20 REBOUNDS/15-20 POINTS A NITE FROM YOU….
THE HAWKS MUST WIN THE BATTLE ON THE BOARDS.CRASH CRASH CRASH…EVERBODY!!
ALLSTAR AL NO MORE INTIMIDATION FROM YOU. GET YOUR AZZ IN THE PAINT AND DESTROY THE RIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! USE THAT POST UP GAME FROM YOUR COLLEGE Days and git’er done man???????????????
LARRY THIS BLOG HAS BEEN STATING THE OBVIOUS FOR MONTHS NOW..
PLAY FREAKING TEAGUE TO GET HIM READY FOR THE PLAYOFFS..NOW YOU’LL NEED HIM MORE THAN YOU COULD EVER KNOW.
I JUST HOPE THIS DUDE IS READY IN SPITE OF YOUR SORRY AZZ…
DONT LIKE THAT THAT MARVIN/DENG MATCH UP ONE BIT….
TRAP TRAP TRAP ROSE GET THE BALL OUT OF HIS HANDS!!!!
Slimjr
April 29th, 2011
10:59 am
“CAN SOMEONE TEACH JOSH HOW TO PLAY BASKETBALL BEFORE MONDAY PLEASE?”
YOU CAN LEAD A HORSE TO WATER BUT YOU CANT MAKE HIM DRINK…
ITS OBVIOUS HE THINKS HE’S A COMPLETE PACKAGE IN HIS OWN MIND….(ego) HIS WORST ENEMY…..
Slimjr
April 29th, 2011
11:03 am
JOSH MAYBE A HINDRANCE FOR THIS TEAM TO ADVANCE PAST CHICAGO…THAT COACHING STAFF NEED TO TRY AND REACH THIS BONEHEAD..CHICAGO IS NO AN ILLUSION. THEY GUYS WILL KILL YOU WHEN TURN OR THE ROCK…..
HE NEEDS TO SEE MORE PINE TIME….
Slimjr
April 29th, 2011
11:04 am
TURN OVER ^^^^^
Slimjr
April 29th, 2011
11:05 am
THESE^^^^^ NEED MORE COFFEE….LOL
Slimjr
April 29th, 2011
11:09 am
“Why is everybody afraid of the Bulls? How many times has the team with the best record in the league won it all lately?”
Chicago beat the Hawks by a combine score of 51 points!…………………….Not scared but showing respect for them…….that is all….
Daniel
April 29th, 2011
11:10 am
Slimjr- Dude you may need more than coffee, who are you RANTING IN ALL CAPS at? It’ll be ok, man just relax. See MC, another example of the “highlight syndrome”, we start ranting at ghosts because Josh won’t just play within himself.
JeJe
April 29th, 2011
11:14 am
I WAS THE ONE 2 DAYS AGO WHO SAID THAT BIANCHI ARTICLE SHOULD BE PUT IN THE PLAYERS LOCKERS
WORLDWIDE CLYDE PREDICTED HAWKS IN 6 REPEATEDLY.
ME AND MY MENTOR DOING WORK
YAGA
JeJe
April 29th, 2011
11:16 am
MAVS LINEUP OF:
KIDD
TERRY
MARION
DIRK
CHANDLER
THAT IS CALLED A LINEUP OF VETS
PLAYERS LIKE JOSH SMITH AND MARVIN ARE NOT VETS. SORRY ASG
SalimStoudemire
April 29th, 2011
11:19 am
I’m glad the Hawks survived the Magic and I’m thrilled that they beat the Magic and advanced to the next round against the Bulls, but the Hawks have a lot of sloppy play that they have to clean up if they want to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals and WIN against either Miami or Boston. The Hawks had COUNTLESS turnovers and during one stretch in the game last night, it appeared to me as I was watching that the Hawks commit something like 8 turnovers in a row. Had the Magic converted each time they got possesion of the ball back, we would be playing the Magic in game 7 with the possibility of losing the series. IT LOOKS TO ME THAT A LOT OF THE PLAYERS HAVE TROUBLE SECURING THE BASKETBALL. LOOK HOW AL HORFORD STEPPED ON THE BASELINE OUT-OF-BOUNDS AFTER JJ RIDDICK MISSED HIS SHOT AT THE END. With a second try at it, the Magic could have won the game. THE HAWKS KEPT TURNING THE BALL OVER AND THEY MUST CLEAN THAT UP IF THEY ARE TO WIN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS. I think the Hawks can beat chicago regardless of how many times they turn the ball over, BECAUSE ALL THE HAWKS HAVE TO DO TO BEAT CHICAGO IS DOUBLE-TEAM DERRICK ROSE and force Rose to give up the basketball. Boozer, Dang and Noah dont scare anybody and the Hawks have power people to neutralize them:Jamal Crawford, JSmmove, Al Horford and Joe Johnson. But against Miami or Boston they will not. So the Hawks have time to clean this up and then I will say go Hawks, once they learn to play turnover free basketball.
CrumbSnatcher
April 29th, 2011
11:24 am
A SHOUT OUT HAS TO GO TO THE GREAT MARVIN WILLIAMS. I tell you that guy allways surprises when he is at the end of his rope. Did you see those TOWERING THREE-POINTERS HE MADE LAST NIGHT THAT SWISHED THROUGH THE NETS! AWESOME. THAT WAS THE BEST GAME THAT MARVIN EVER HAD AND HE SAVED IT FOR THE JUST THE RIGHT MOMENT. Kudos to Marvin Williams. All Hail to the King. Not King LaBron James. King Marvin Williams. What a spectacular peformance by Marvin Williams–a professional in every sense of the word. No wonder Marvin started for all those years. Marvin played basketball the old-fashioned way. HE EARNED HIS SALARY LAST NIGHT. WOW. MARVIN WAS CLEARLY THE BEST PLAYER IN THE FLOOR LAST NIGHT.
mykhalc
April 29th, 2011
11:24 am
@Daniel…LOL
mykhalc
April 29th, 2011
11:28 am
@CrumbSnatcher…don’t drink so early in the mornin’ brah!!!LOL
JeJe
April 29th, 2011
11:40 am
JOSH SMITH IS THIS TEAM’S ACHILLES HEEL AT THE END OF THE DAY, EVEN IF JOE NEEDS TO SCORE
The Game Has Changed
April 29th, 2011
11:57 am
@Steve-lol I thought I was the only one that noticed Kirck not passing Josh the ball. Josh is a hand full out there. You know he has the talent but he refuses to show self discipline. He acts as though he is playing pick up ball. But nevertheless, I love the Hawks. They keep us on the edge of our seats. Promise me this. Once we beat the Bulls you will start cheering for us.
Slimjr
April 29th, 2011
11:59 am
new blog up…
drmaryb (*_-)
April 29th, 2011
12:03 pm
Evil Magic Voo-Doo!
Boy, those Magic Fans are rabid. We are talking about a
game of basketball. It is not the game of life, unless you don’t have one.
Heres my point: some bird-brain over there said, he hopes the team plane crashes on the way to Chicago. That really bothers me because, its just basketball. Let’s not forget that at the end of the day, this is for entertainment purposes only.
This is our fun and happy place to share ideas and currency about the game we love. Yeah, we fight and poke and cuss and fuss – but that’s what makes the blog fun.
Great Win Hawks! Have a safe flight to Chicago and kick some butts in Chi-Town. Bring it back to the Highlight Factory, I’ll be there.
_________________
BTW, a fellow blogger did call that idiot out for his disparaging comments. Someone over there does have a brain after all.
The Game Has Changed
April 29th, 2011
12:09 pm
@Mike Is Back- I dont just think we have a shot. I know we have a shot. Bench-edge goes to Atlanta. PG-Bulls SG-Atlanta SF-Atlanta PF-Atlanta C-Atlanta. Coaching-Bulls. So this is what I think could happen. Marvin and Crawford continue to shoot well. If that happens there isnt a team in the East that could beat us. We have more weapons than the Bulls.
The Game Has Changed
April 29th, 2011
12:15 pm
@Je-Je LOL That was funny. I dont know what is wrong with Josh. I dont know which is worst. Him shooting threes, turning the ball over, or arguing with the refs instead of getting back on D
JeJe
April 29th, 2011
12:25 pm
How the heck do you find the most recent Magic blog? I see the list, but there are hardly any listed comments there for each one
LINK
JeJe
April 29th, 2011
12:27 pm
If Hinrich God Forbid can’t play, start Joe at PG, Damien at SF, and bring Duck off the bench
JeJe
April 29th, 2011
12:27 pm
Or Damien at the 2 and Josh at the 3. We gotta have defense in
JeJe
April 29th, 2011
12:39 pm
Another thing is Marvin cannot drive to the basket or create offense at all. Everything he did last night was off long jumpers [which he usually missed in the series].
That doesn’t give me confidence in him.
If he could POST UP SOMEONE 9 INCHES SHORTER THAN HIM and not get stripped I’d be more confident.
This is the same guy who has gotten stuffed by Luther Head on a post-up before. Just looking at Marvin, he has no upper body strength at all
JOEY1
April 29th, 2011
1:29 pm
if the hawks play with the heart and effort they played with against orlando in game 6 they will beat the bull in 6. but the question is which hawks team will so up??? the hungry team that plays with some much heart and effort like in orlando series game 6 or the team that often gives up when things dont go their way like in orlando game 5????
aytunstopable
April 29th, 2011
1:31 pm
Well I want them to beat chicago. Idk if it will happen though I think it can be done. Because really if indiana for 4 games could keep a lead..til the fourth quater….late in the fourth quarter…. Atlanta should be able to do the same. Mind you Atlanta still way better than the Pacers.
CapedCrusader
April 29th, 2011
1:54 pm
I think ALL the fans now realize that the Hawks can beat the Bulls and get to the Eastern Conference Finals. The only question Hawks fans have right now is ARE WE GOOD ENOUGH TO BEAT EITHER THE MIAMI HEAT OR THE BOSTON CELTICS? Well three years ago we were good enough to split 6 games with the Celtics in the first 6 games of that series, and the Celtics eventually became the World Champions. This year, the Celtics are much worse than that team. I think we can beat the Celtics in a 7 game series this year, easily. I dont think we can beat Miami though. The funny thing about basketball is that we may not need to face Miami. If the Celtics eliminate Miami in their series with them, and we defeat the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, guess what folks, your Atlanta Hawks might be representing the East in the Finals this year. I THINK ITS GOING TO HAPPEN BECAUSE I PREDICTED IT AT THE START OF THIS SEASON. Now all the dominos are about to fall in place in order for it to become a reality. Stay tuned folks. Hawks may win the NBA championship in 6 games this season. Championship Victory Parade down peachtree street follows. Stay tuned.