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
Slimjr
April 29th, 2011
12:15 am
1st again??????????????????????????
Slimjr
April 29th, 2011
12:16 am
Good job iso!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Slimjr
April 29th, 2011
12:17 am
Stay BIG LARRY..KEEP ALLSTAR AL OUT THE PAINT…..
Slimjr
April 29th, 2011
12:19 am
Josh for Rudy Gay…..
Magic jr will never get it…Even after getting booed by the fans…..SAD…………………………
Slimjr
April 29th, 2011
12:22 am
“The Hawks will never beat the Bulls playing like this!”
YOU GOT THAT RIGHT @mc!!!!!!
ScoutDawg
April 29th, 2011
12:22 am
Damn, can’t we just enjoy this one for a minute?
mykhalc
April 29th, 2011
12:24 am
@Slimjr…agree with you about Collins. man, look who has been coachin’ these cats since they came into the league…Woodson and LD!!! Josh…str8 outta HS and that’s who he’s learned from. same with Marvin with just 1 yr of college ball. i really wonder where these 2 cats in particular would be had they had a Collins, Sloan, or Adelman etc etc etc to coach ‘em…
(from previous blog)
Slimjr
April 29th, 2011
12:28 am
IF JOSH WENT TO COLLEGE HE WOULD HAVE BEEN A LOTTERY PICK WITH A SOLID HANDLE AND MUCH MORE MATURE AND EFFICIENT OFFENSIVE GAME…..
Najeh Davenpoop
April 29th, 2011
12:29 am
True story: five seconds before Marvin got stripped by Jameer Nelson, I turned to the guy next to me and called it.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 29th, 2011
12:30 am
Not to take away from Marvin’s otherwise very good performance of course. He really came up big.
Section 303
April 29th, 2011
12:31 am
Michael, geez….I take it you’re expecting a sweep in this Bulls series? You go right at the Hawks to start off your write up.
Josh Smith was awful. I mean just awful tonight. Not a surprise that the Hawks big runs in this game came without him on the floor. I am convinced he will be moved in the offseason. I have no doubts, actually.
I agree with Marvin….let’s enjoy this one. The Bulls can wait. This was a big series win, no matter what anyone says. But, like Michael said, it did not need to be so hard.
mykhalc
April 29th, 2011
12:31 am
like i said…i’m glad we won but i ain’t drinkin’ the koolaid!!!
Slimjr
April 29th, 2011
12:32 am
Collins proved to be a really good leader and coach. I still cant believe Philly made the freaking playoffs with that squad, but got those cats to believe and trust each other!!! And they took off…Didnt they destroy the Hawks back in March??
Collins coached Hawks would have swept the illusion……….LOL
Rufus1
April 29th, 2011
12:34 am
NOT ONE EXPERT PICKED THE HAWKS!!!!!!!!
THEY WILL ALL PICK THE HAWKS TO GET SWEPT!!!!!!
Game one will tell the story. If we win, The Bulls will Lose in 6…If we lose a close game the Bukks win in 7
Slimjr
April 29th, 2011
12:36 am
Move on…Chicago is a huge task and the coaching staff should be watching film right now..Getting ready…..
Whoever wins GAME 1, will advance…ITS that simple……………
Kaye
April 29th, 2011
12:37 am
GREAT SERIES HAWKS! Let’s take it Chi-Town! Get everyone hyped! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTY074F6Oio
Slimjr
April 29th, 2011
12:39 am
Josh ego is his mountain or baggage!!!! it is hindering his game big time…….
Buddy Grizzard
April 29th, 2011
12:46 am
From previous:
“How bad is the injury to Hinrich?
And if he is out, what is the chance LD places enough trust in Teague to give him serious minutes in the Chicago series?” – Big Al
Big Al, what options does Vegas have? JC1 at point 40 minutes per game? Pape Sy??
Teague will get some run. If he embarrasses himself, we all know Vegas didn’t even try to develop him or instill confidence during the regular season. But this is basketball. Either you can play or you can’t. I think we’re going to find out alot about our favorite forgotten Hawk this series.
Slimjr
April 29th, 2011
12:47 am
The reason why we all thought the Hawks was going to lose to the Magic before the series began was because of their awful second half play!!!!!!!!!!!! They backed into the playoffs with a 6 game losing streak. Also they sucked with a 13-26 record against above .500 teams…Now that they have advanced out of the 1st round reinforces that Larry was a turrible hire………
Buddy Grizzard
April 29th, 2011
12:48 am
Don’t drink the MC Hatorade!
Sleepy
April 29th, 2011
12:49 am
Boozer has turf toe and Rose is still banged up from the first rd .
We have to do what the Pacer did which is wear Rose down they just didnt have enough scoring to ever really make a serious run.
We need for Josh Smith to show why he was considered one of the best athletes in the nba .He needs to make his presence felt .
Rose was horrible from three last series I would let him shoot outside of 15 feet and hammer him when he drives and then run him around some screens when hes on defense even if that means Joe initiating the offense and Kirk coming off screens
Rev in Tampa
April 29th, 2011
12:52 am
MC,
Dang! I was waiting for the light-hearted “Just-kidding” moment. An exclamation point on the first four sentences and it didn’t let up. I thought you were going to go ALL CAPS on us. Watch out, you are beginning to sound like us on the blog.
lewis
April 29th, 2011
12:53 am
Kirk was the series MVP.
We’re all fools.
darrell starks
April 29th, 2011
12:54 am
Great win hawks, now it’s on 2 the next round bulls.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Slimjr
April 29th, 2011
12:54 am
Rose makes Chicago go..Slow him down and you slow down that squad….
The Real Mandingo
April 29th, 2011
12:55 am
The Hawks need to get at the very least a split in the first two games against the Bulls in Chicago to put themselves in a good position to take the next series. Superstitiously speaking, I hope the Hawks wear the Red Alternate Uniforms in all future road games this playoff season. It seems the Hawks played better this season for whatever reason in the road warrior reds (or road rage reds) as I like to call those red alternate uniforms.
Rev in Tampa
April 29th, 2011
12:56 am
From the previous blog -
I have been very vocal about the need to fire Larry Drew. I still hope he will be fired even if the Hawks make it into the ECF. The only thing that Drew brings to the Hawks is his own flawed personality. Who knows, maybe it takes a personality that is as messed up as Drew’s to be able to understand and motivate the messed up personality of this team.
I know this, if Teague has to get major minutes because of Kirk’s injury and Teague looks unprepared, I will be screaming for Drew’s head on a platter.
Slimjr
April 29th, 2011
12:58 am
Hawks must will themselves and take game!
A MUST WIN or they’re done…………………………………………
Slimjr
April 29th, 2011
12:58 am
^^^^^^ game 1!
darrell starks
April 29th, 2011
12:59 am
Kirk had and out standing series but my game ball for the series go collins, with out collins the hawks loose this series, but everybody played there role, the hole time i said starte teague, collins the hawks win this series atleast i got one right in collins but teague was never giving a chance, but it’s okay the hawks win this series and that what matter.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Slimjr
April 29th, 2011
1:00 am
AllStar Al has to start playing like an ALLSTAR! No more excuses………………….
Buddy Grizzard
April 29th, 2011
1:01 am
Teague needs to be listening to eminem Rev….
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow… this opportunity comes once in a lifetime…
Najeh Davenpoop
April 29th, 2011
1:01 am
After Passive Joe made an unwanted appearance in the first half, I was really happy to see Aggressive Joe step up and start looking for the floaters instead of the jumpers in the second half. He brought it on the defensive end too. Al wasn’t good on offense, but he really made up for it with his D and his impact on the boards. Both the Hawks’ All Stars showed up in a big way when it counted.
Jamal was up and down — I thought LD left him in a little too long after the Magic started cutting into the Hawks’ 4th quarter lead — but he did hit some big shots at crucial times as he has done this entire series.
Marvin, like I mentioned earlier, really came through. The 3’s were big, but his perimeter D was bigger.
As for Smoove, well, I can’t say this was entirely unexpected. I had a bad feeling when I saw that he had taken that Orlando Sentinel article personally. Smoove seems like the type for whom motivational factors are a detriment, because his nature is already to be over-aggressive, and things like that just amplify that tendency. He missed some shots he shouldn’t have taken, but he also missed badly on several shots that he normally makes. As is usually the case, I don’t have a huge problem with the shot selection, but I do have a big problem with mediocre D and 4 boards in 26 minutes. He picked a bad time to have a poor all around game. The only silver lining is that when he was reinserted late in the 4th he came through with some big plays on D and on the glass, which were missing for most of the game. Hopefully he carries that over to the Chicago series, where he will presumably play a much bigger chunk of his minutes at his natural PF position.
I gotta say, though, that for most of the game Hedo Turkoglu did more to win the game for the Hawks than anyone in a Hawks uniform. Every time that guy did anything more than catch and shoot it seemed like he was killing the Magic’s entire offensive flow.
On the whole the Hawks made this game much more difficult than it should have been. Great atmosphere in Philips, even with the empty seats in the upper level, but we all would have liked to see the comfortable blowout win that should have resulted as opposed to the grind it out contest that the Hawks insisted on playing.
darrell starks
April 29th, 2011
1:03 am
Teague and Collins starte the hawks will win this series against the bulls, now that hinrich is hurt watch teague with the first unit they will run the bulls of the court watch what i say.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Najeh Davenpoop
April 29th, 2011
1:05 am
Also, I don’t know if this came through on the TV broadcast, but the reason Dwight blew kisses to the crowd in the late 3rd quarter was because the people behind the basket started a “Dwight You Suck” chant as he was at the line. I did not join in — doesn’t seem like a good idea to alienate someone who might be willing to come here as a free agent.
darrell starks
April 29th, 2011
1:06 am
STARTER TEAGUE, JOE, JOSH, HORFORD, COLLINS
RESERVE JAMAL, DAMIEN, MARVIN, ZAZA, HILTON
BENCH ETAN, POWELL
GO HAWKS ALL THE WAY 2 THE FINALLS
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!
Slimjr
April 29th, 2011
1:07 am
Derrick Williams, D-12 would look great in a Hawks uni???
Mike W
April 29th, 2011
1:07 am
Good Win HAWKS i predicted hawks win series no doubt,Now its time to move on to chicago tomorrow.My take in the chicago series is a wait and see approach with this team,i want the hawks to win but not going to make a predict till i see how game 1 goes,not go listen to what the media thinks. I believe the pacers showed how to slow rose and the bulls down a little.
darrell starks
April 29th, 2011
1:09 am
It show time now teague will get his chance 2 starte and show why us hawks bloggers have been screaming at LD all year.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Grandad
April 29th, 2011
1:11 am
For yawl gettin’ on Mr. Cunningham:
I think he was displaying a certain amount of acerbic wit,
rather than suddenly morphing into a misanthropist.
Don’t you think?
Najeh Davenpoop
April 29th, 2011
1:12 am
Really, the last sequence of this game summed up the entire series. Hawks take a bad shot, but hustle gets them a second chance. Magic get a wide open look out of a timeout to tie, but they brick the shot. Hawks get the board but step out of bounds. Magic get one more desperation look and get their shot blocked. The Hawks played hard in every game — except Game 5 — but they routinely tried to shoot themselves in the foot, only to be bailed out by the Magic who would stab themselves in the heart in response.
The Hawks did not play well, but they played hard. Hopefully if they can keep that up in Round 2 they can make the second round series competitive for a change.
Hawks and Bulls at a glance
April 29th, 2011
1:13 am
If anyone wants a bit of that “hey maybe they can win this thing” feeling than just look to the Bulls opening series against the 8 Seed:
5 pt win
6 pt win
4 pt win
5 pt loss
17 pt series ending blowout win
Not much different from what the Hawks did. They may be number 1 seed but they’re certainly NOT unbeatable.
Rev in Tampa
April 29th, 2011
1:13 am
Najeh,
I posted this on the Magic blog as a parting shot but since you mentioned the possibility of Dwight coming here I’ll repost:
“Have you guys seen Dwight’s post-game interview? Did you see his bow-tie? It was not Laker gold or Knicks orange. IT WAS HAWKS RED.”
Rev in Tampa
April 29th, 2011
1:15 am
Gradad,
I might agree with you if I knew what you said.
Reddjonn68
April 29th, 2011
1:23 am
3-14 fg atts- 0-2 3pt fg atts in a Game 5 victory, this is the man that will lose the series against the Bulls for the Hawks, can anyone guess who’s line that was tonight ??????
Grandad
April 29th, 2011
1:26 am
Rev:
answerting your query from the last blog,
hammies are tricky.
If it were early in season,
patience would be perscribed.
However, as we all know, these are the play-offs,
no tomorrow, and all that.
So, I think Cap’n Kirk will try to be a warrior and play.
* tricky part # 1.
He could, pull / tear his hammie & be out for rest of season.
* tricky part # 2.
He could tear the hammie & do seriou damage…requiring surgery.
* [they will not allow him to take that chance]…..@ least I wouldn’t.
Best case scenario:
Ice, rest, treatment (ice-alt-heat, E-stim, therapy, massage, deep heat, etc)
wrap, compression, and see if he can go?
Better case:
he wakes up in the AM and he’s fine / good as new.
[I don't know the extent of Kirk's faith]
Absolute worse case:
knee swells tonite -&- uh oh !
Grandad
April 29th, 2011
1:28 am
I answerted your query.
*Answert – ain’t that in Belgium?
Grandad
April 29th, 2011
1:29 am
Rev,
I actually took up for MC this time !
drmaryb (*_-)
April 29th, 2011
1:31 am
The Hawks -vs- Magic can not be remotely compared to:
The Hawks -vs- The Bulls. Two different match ups totally, will be on display. We beat The Magic from the Perimeter. In The Bulls series?
The battle will be won in the paint. The forwards and center positions will be our advantage. Less Collins and more Horford will be the key!
__________________
I called Joe to be the closer in The Magic win tonight. But, Joe will not be the answer down low against the Bulls. Joe will become the PG, especially if Kirk can’t go. Look to Jeff Teague to be the NEW X-FACTOR!
His game skills will be the perfect and only anecdote to Mr. Rose, if we even have a prayer at that position on the floor. A heavy dose of Damien and Marvin will be necessary to neutralize Taj Gibson. Josh will need to shut down Deng. ZaZa and Josh will have to also shut down Boozer, unless the Turf Toe (a big deal!) – takes Boozer out.
We Goode!
Let’s Go!
Grandad
April 29th, 2011
1:32 am
Rev;
to quote Mary Ellen:
“I’m rolling on the floor kicking the couch”
I think she is laughing when she does that.
Rev in Tampa
April 29th, 2011
1:36 am
Grandad,
I suppose I can read MC’s article as a witty. But its too late for me to think that hard. I’m only still up because the tail end of that storm that you guys got yesterday is only just now passing over Tampa. But it is pretty weak. Only more thunder than wind.
Rev in Tampa
April 29th, 2011
1:40 am
“answerted” – being from Georgia, it sounds right to me.
The Real Mandingo
April 29th, 2011
1:43 am
Jamal Crawford aka “The Difference” is underrated by NBA experts and aficionados, under-utilized by the Hawks’ coaching staff, and unappreciated by Hawks’ mgmt. J-Craw was clutch off the bench all last year and won Sixth Man of the Year last year but couldn’t get a contract extension this year. Joe Johnson gets a max deal, then “Boss” gets a 5yr deal shortly after the start of this year’s regular season before the deadline and Jamal gets nothing. Then Jamal goes from last year’s number two scoring option (and number one clutch option) for the Hawks to the number four scoring option. Most people are financially motivated and I think Jamal just like most people wants to be rewarded for excellent performance. It should be no surprise his numbers (scoring avg., shooting percentage, etc.) were down this year because he felt dissed, dismissed, and disrespected by the Hawks organization coupled with the fact that the delusional Josh Smith thinks he is a legitimate all-star forward in the Eastern Conference who has taken away shots from Jamal in this year’s team shot distribution. I realize Jamal tanks it defensively. He has the ability and athleticism to play good defense but he lacks the will and the desire to play good defense. Jamal needs to be motivated to play defense. He has the length and quickness to get steals, pass deflections and blocked shots especially on smaller guards. I can’t feel sorry for Jamal because he’s still making $10mil. this year but by the same token he should be paid commensurate to his skill set, talent, ability, potential, and performance according to the NBA salary structure. I’m done with this rant. Yeah, I know I’m riding Jamal’s jock, sac, or whatever you want to call it.
drmaryb (*_-)
April 29th, 2011
1:44 am
Lucky Charm!
SlimJr! You are my Lucky Charm in this series.
Sorry Grand-Daddy but, you got Mrs. Grand-Daddy.
I LOVE SLIMJR! He is my man, my hope to beat The Magic!
Najeh Davenpoop
April 29th, 2011
1:45 am
LMAO
Ernie is talking about the Hawks putting the Biatchi article in the locker room.
Kenny says “could they read it?”
Najeh Davenpoop
April 29th, 2011
1:52 am
Kenny Smith is basically saying the Hawks will lose to the Bulls because the Bulls get hustle plays and hockey assists.
Wabe
April 29th, 2011
1:53 am
lmao just heard that najeh
dacheesecakeman
April 29th, 2011
1:55 am
@Najeh Davenpoop that what that chant was. I couldn’t make it out sitting in the 400 section
northcyde
April 29th, 2011
1:56 am
Playing like what MC? You mean the lockdown defense they played on the Magic tonight, until the layups at the end? You mean the 14 offensive rebounds we grabbed, which led to us taking 12 more shots?
Like most fans, you need to simply accept what the Hawks are. They already told you what they are . . and that’s a jumpshooting team. We shoot jumpers. We don’t have a leader PG to make the game easier for everybody else . . or some sophisticated offense . . or a low post scorer to toss the ball down to on the block . . so we simply do what we do.
It’s not pretty, but it is what it is.
To say that we can’t beat Chicago playing like this is a flat out lie. The key to beating Chicago has nothing to do with what we do offensively. It’s how we play DEFENSIVELY. And that’s always been the case. What this team has to do against Chicago is the same thing we did with the Illusion. Don’t let the fringe guys around Rose beat us. Make the “new Isaiah” score 40 a night to beat us. And most of all, make his azz shoot jumpers.
We have no PG to set other players up, so it’s ISO JJ or ISO JAMAL it is. You give it to the guys that can make tough shots. Sometimes they settle for the long jumpers, which make the shots look horrible.
Honestly, I could care less how ugly the offense looks. We don’t have the personnel to run a “pretty offense”. The only thing that matters at the end of the day, is if we win or not.
Here are the facts MC. We need JJ and Jamal to be on their games to beat the Bulls. We all know that. If they are, that gives us the 2nd and 3rd best player in this series, with Rose being #1.
Let this ish play out. Let’s see if a Bulls team that has never played together in the playoffs, can withstand the pressure of playing as the favorite. I know they made the playoffs last year, but they have 9 new players on this team, with only Rose, Noah, and Deng the holdovers from last year’s squad. They looked VERY SHAKY doing that against a much inferior Pacers team.
So let’s see how this plays out, if JJ and Jamal have it going in one of these games.
The Bulls are not invincible. Not even close.
Harry Hawk
April 29th, 2011
1:56 am
Hawks in a sweep. Beating an all-time great Magic team in the first round means that this Hawks team is ready for championship glory.
Grandad
April 29th, 2011
1:57 am
Najeh
assistin’ the assister [hockey assists]
are a great stat.
I wish basketball kept up with those.
Great * -team- stat.
Larry Bird used to talk about it alot.
Paradise Lost
April 29th, 2011
1:58 am
“— but they routinely tried to shoot themselves in the foot, only to be bailed out by the Magic who would stab themselves in the heart in response.”
LOL and co-freakin sign!
I will have relocated to ATL in just over a week’s time. Hawks, please, please, PLEASE keep winning till I get home. Watching a play-off game in person would be sweet!
Msevey
April 29th, 2011
1:59 am
We need to worry about if the hawks are going to show every game against the bulls,this isn’t the magic,you play subpar ball against this team you’re in trouble,I know some hawks fan think we can win this series,we won’t win playing the way we did against the magic,let us just pray.
dacheesecakeman
April 29th, 2011
2:01 am
I wonder what those kids will call themselves now that Dwight Howard’s out the playoffs? Cant use Club Kyptonite anymore.
drmaryb (*_-)
April 29th, 2011
2:01 am
ROF – CTC!
Grand – Daddy! Mmmmmwah!
__________________
It has been a while, since, I rolled on the floor and was kicking the couch!
You really do hang on my every word.
I should slip you my address. To heck with my phone ‘nimber’.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 29th, 2011
2:02 am
Northcyde and others, I think it’s pretty obvious MC is being sarcastic, and possibly even making fun of the more overreaction-prone among us blog people, with those first few lines of his post.
northcyde
April 29th, 2011
2:04 am
Game 3 on Friday . . Game 4 on Sunday.
Looks like it will be Game 4 for me next weekend. Just depends on what time the game is.
northcyde
April 29th, 2011
2:06 am
LOL . . maybe he is Najeh. Just wasn’t expecting that from him. But now that I re-read it, maybe he is.
dacheesecakeman
April 29th, 2011
2:06 am
If the Pacers can play great against Chicago, then we can too, if we can play with some heart and not give up. Chicago may be the best team but this is the playoffs and they haven’t done anything yet
Grandad
April 29th, 2011
2:07 am
northcyde;
You didn’t want a rah rah homer.
You wanted a tell it like it is journalist.
Now all of a sudden has MC hurt your feelings?
What were all those things you said to me
when I dared to mention the word “dispassionate” ? [to MC]
Now he pokes a little fun or simply tells the bitter truth,
truth…..truth…..you can’t handle the truth !
Go Hawks !
Chicago in 5.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 29th, 2011
2:10 am
Fun fact: the Magic outscored the Hawks by 11 points over the course of this series, and the Hawks in going 7-3 against the Magic this season outscored them in those 10 games by a total of 4 points.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 29th, 2011
2:12 am
Cheapest tickets available for Games 3 and 4 vs. the Bulls are $43 right now on Seatgeek.
Don’t call me an ass hole for saying this, but I wouldn’t mind a Game 1 blowout loss if the Hawks could bounce back and win Game 2, for the simple reason that those tickets are going to get a LOT cheaper after Game 1 if that happens.
drmaryb (*_-)
April 29th, 2011
2:13 am
*ROF – KTC
Najeh Davenpoop
April 29th, 2011
2:13 am
Hollinger has an article up praising the role of Collins and Zaza in this series win.
The Real Mandingo
April 29th, 2011
2:14 am
I wonder if the Hawks’ coaching staff and mgmt. grab their ankles from the front or the back when they get ready to bend over and take from Josh Smith aka J-Smurf. Better yet, I wonder if they ask Josh Smith how he wants them to grab their ankles.
Message to the Hawks organization: Man up and stand up to this cancerous wankster before he utterly destroys this team.
I apologize for the vulgarity but he just p_sses me off.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 29th, 2011
2:19 am
Hopefully Kirk gets well, but if not, hopefully Teague gets to play big minutes and play well.
northcyde
April 29th, 2011
2:19 am
Grandad please. MC is an excellent journalist. And I always expect him to call it like it is . . good or bad.
But that sensationalistic first 3 bullet points isn’t his style at all. So now that Najeh has pointed it out to me, it has to be a sarcastic, tongue and cheek type of start to his article.
If MC actually believes that, he would’ve articulated it in a different way, as he always does. It’s late, so I overreacted to the post.
What you did was call the man out for his professional “matter of factness” in covering the Hawks, like it was a negative or something. And I wasn’t the only one that saw that.
LOL . . it’s all good though. Like I said. It’s late.
drmaryb (*_-)
April 29th, 2011
2:21 am
I LOVE ME SOME – poop!
(that’s najeh for the slooow people)
northcyde
April 29th, 2011
2:23 am
And people need to lay off of Smith. He had a bad game. Every player on the Hawks has had at least one bad game in this series. Enjoy the win, instead of hating on him for a minute.
Hopefully LD will put him back at PF vs the Bulls, so he may be more inclined to work on the inside and be more of a defensive force in the paint.
northcyde
April 29th, 2011
2:24 am
Now it’s bedtime. Good job Hawks. A real good team win tonight.
superiorblogman
April 29th, 2011
2:27 am
LD will lose the Bulls series when he goes back to starting the regular lineup which is just horrible.
PG Hinrich-Not what the Hawks need longterm and does not get others involved but plays good D most of the time.
SG Joe-Good all around player and best closer on team.
SF- Marvin-Maybe the worse starter in the league. Can not create his own shot, overrated defensively, and can not even make open shots consistently. Does nothing well consistently.
PF-Josh-Totally inconsistent at doing anything positive, consistently struggles to take good shots. Athletic ability looks to be fading this year.
C- Al- Not a C, does not defend the rim or play rough enough to be a C in the NBA.
That starting lineup is just overly flawed. Joe and Al are the only 2 guys that I would want starting on my team and Al would be at PF.
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
April 29th, 2011
2:44 am
The TNT prognosticators don’t give us a chance in round 2 against The Chi.
I feel we can slay the bull and shut up the Rose-riders with a shocking game one victory. It can be done.
Grandad
April 29th, 2011
2:57 am
northcyde
Grandad @ 1:11 am
I actually brought it to Rev’s attn…..^…..above…..^…..!
Let’s get two things straight:
(1) I was just messin’ with you above.
Seein’ if you could take what you dish out.
What you did was call the man out
for his professional “matter of factness”
in covering the Hawks.
(2) I did no such thing !
I said MC was dispassionate;
and that was interpreted incorrectly by you and others.
* ["And I wasn’t the only one that saw that"]
What I said, I said to MC, not to you.
He answered accordingly.
I had / have not one problem with matter of factness.
(I rather appreciate it)
And w/o dredging up old crap, it’s useless
[was then and is now]
to bring up old stuff just so I can explain to you what I mean’t.
Nonetheless, Mr Cunningham is a fine journalist.
If I remember correctly, I think I asked him if;
“he enjoyed his job” ?
You & others missed my point.
So be it.
I’ve caught all your little jabs along the way…oh yeah.
Now you catch a little bow in the ribs & you want to whine?
northcyde, you’re a right good feller, evenin’.
Michael Cunningham
April 29th, 2011
2:58 am
@Grandad: “For yawl gettin’ on Mr. Cunningham:
I think he was displaying a certain amount of acerbic wit,
rather than suddenly morphing into a misanthropist.
Don’t you think?”
my ambition apparently exceeds my talent.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 29th, 2011
3:08 am
SVG gave LD some major props in his postgame press conference.
Grandad
April 29th, 2011
3:09 am
As soon as I put up my post;
nc there you were…..
” hatin’ ”
I wish we could outlaw that word from the blog.
northcyde criticizes [hates] MC. (tonite)
Now we are not supposed to critique Josh.
I reckon because we are not professional journalists,
then we as blogger / posters cannot make observations.
(it’s hatin’)
Yet nc can distribute the propaganda proclaiming
Joe to be an elite defender -&- so on…
But only because he has the stats to prove it.
We journeymen [not alists] can’t opine by observation.
Otherwise ” it’s hatin’ ” !
G’nite.
Grandad
April 29th, 2011
3:11 am
MC;
enjoyed the article,
it summed up my feelings exactly.
Worldwide Clyde
April 29th, 2011
3:23 am
The 2006 Blogger Of The Year Strikes Again
Worldwide Clyde was the only one to predict Hawks in 6 before the series started. Shout out to the people that made money off my prediction.
Now the Hawks face the Bulls. My prediction for this series is Hawks in 7. Rose will get his but so will JJ. Keith Bogans and Ronnie Brewer won’t be able to guard him. Josh Smith will hold Deng in check and Horford always has big games against his former teammate in Noah.
Hawks reach the Eastern Conference Finals
FIRE LD
jonn m
April 29th, 2011
3:25 am
FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1970 THE HAWKS DEFEATED A HIGHER SEED IN A SEVEN GAME SERIES, IN ARGUABLY ONE OF GREATEST WINS FOR THE TEAM IN THE LAST 41 YEARS AND
YOUR STORY LEADS WITH HOW “THE HAWKS WILL NEVER BEAT THE BULLS”……SEKOU SMITH WAS ONE OF THE BEST BEAT WRITERS IN THE COUNTRY…YOU ON THE OTHER HAND ARE A SAD SUBSTITUTE WHO
CONTINUALLY FOCUSES ON THE NEGATIVE AND STRUGGLES AS A WRITER.
Grandad
April 29th, 2011
3:26 am
Josh:
I fear that he is a distraction.
“You can win a game with distractions,
but you can’t win a *championship”
- Tom Izzo –
It’s time [this summer]…..let’s wish him well
& And for the umpteenth time I like the young man.
Josh plays hard;
but he costs us [the Hawks] ballgames.
*(decision making)
If he has not learned by now,
what do yawl really think, he’s gonna have an epiphany.
We must, have to, gotta, acquire a Big.
As most pundits have said;
Josh is the most marketable.
I do not believe I’ve ever seen a player that,
can make me go from thinking:
franchise player to trade him within, I said “within” a qtr.
Bless his heart.
mykhalc
April 29th, 2011
3:33 am
@Clyde…LOL at Fire LD after CHI upset,,,too funny brah!!! KA BOOM!!!
Michael Cunningham
April 29th, 2011
3:33 am
@john m: “SEKOU SMITH WAS ONE OF THE BEST BEAT WRITERS IN THE COUNTRY…YOU ON THE OTHER HAND ARE A SAD SUBSTITUTE WHO
CONTINUALLY FOCUSES ON THE NEGATIVE AND STRUGGLES AS A WRITER.”
no kidding.
vava74
April 29th, 2011
4:58 am
Let us not get carried away.
The MAGIC sucked throughout this series and would have been easily swept by CHI, BOS and would have lost to just about anyone else this year.
That mid season trade was a total disaster for them.
It may have also helped us that last year’s beat down made them come in with excessive confidence that in the playoffs Howard would dominate, we would collapse on him (like last year) and they would cash in from outside.
ORL played ONE game in which they were smart and played the right kind of basketball and in that game they ran us over (game 5).
I also think Bianchi’s column ended up have a double positive effect: motivated our guys and relaxed ORL.
SVG sucked big time this series in the battle of the idiots where LD showed that although he came up with the right strategy (play Howard one on one and close out on the shooters and penetrators, as some of us always said over the summer) as soon as adjustments were needed – Game 5 – “his wheels came off”.
It was sheer luck that ORL reverted back in to a good Hawks impersonation in game 6, playing impatient perimeter basketball, jacking up rushed and bad shots and having no one crashing the boards besides Howard.
vava74
April 29th, 2011
4:59 am
MC,
send me an e-mail with your address (it obviously can be at AJC) so I can forward you a consolation prize instead of the $100.00
CoastDog
April 29th, 2011
5:00 am
Way to go Hocks!
MsDee
April 29th, 2011
5:14 am
We might have an advantage over Chicago. Just like Jameer ASSUMED they would have been in the 2nd round right now, with Kirk hurt or maybe out for a few games, they TOO will ASSUME they can walk right thru us in the 2nd round. But Teague will and should be comfortable out there now since he knows he wont be pulled as quickly as he normally is. This should be a great opportunity for Teague to play with the starters and play the DEFense we know he could play against Rose!!
Big Daddy
April 29th, 2011
5:24 am
What a great win for this team. The Hawk survived by making great matchups and determination. I applaud them. They did not play well but played hard. To move further along in the playoffs they are going to have to play smart. It is possible. Two weeks ago, I did not believe we would be in this position. Now that we are, i have to give them their props and say that this was truly a team effort. Everybody who played really contributed and we are going to need that to continue playing Chicago.
Reggie
April 29th, 2011
6:26 am
We should stay big with the exception of Za Za starting and Collins off the bench because we need a more active player on offense vs Noah.
terrell
April 29th, 2011
6:39 am
Get well Kirk!
vava74
April 29th, 2011
7:27 am
The KEY to be competitive against CHI is again to stop the perimeter shooting.
In particular by Deng (who has been killing us) and Korver (who is hot).
If Al puts his mind to it and brings back his blue collar mentality, he will be able to win the match up against Noah.
Boozer is perfectly within the limits of what Josh can do defensively man to man and sufficiently soft defensively for him to be able to attack the rim and get him into foul trouble.
Even if Rose goes for 45 points every single game, like Howard did on game 1, we can win if we shut down the perimeter shots from his kick outs.
Obviously, we need JJ and Jamal to be quick to pass off the traps which Thibs will devise to slow them down.
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.
sam'l
April 29th, 2011
1:59 pm
Michael Cunningham’s lead wasn’t warm and fuzzy, but I’ve been thinking Chicago since last night…….and now word that everybody else is ready to bury the Hawks…….so it looks like a valid storyline…think the Hawks enjoy being the clear, hopeless underdog.
Again, use Jeff Teague on defense……have him steer Rose to double teams. make that his first and foremost job…..Hinrich needs to be at top strength and he probably won’t be……
Granted Rose is a great player…..but the rest of the Chicago are just above average players playing great system basketball. Hawks beat em once….
And back to Cunningham’s piece….Why WAS Jameer Nelson uncontested when he drove in for his critical layup last night? It’s a good question.
MJC
April 29th, 2011
1:59 pm
Worldwide Clyde was the only one to predict Hawks in 6 before the series started. Shout out to the people that made money off my prediction.
________________________________
You are incorrect with that assumption.
LisaLeslie
April 29th, 2011
2:02 pm
I am proud of my Atlanta Hawks. They came through like the champions that they are. A complete team effort by JJ, JSmoove, Big Al, Jamal, “Captain” Kirk Hinrich, Marvin and the entire band of assasins. They came through in the clutch and made the Magic Tricks disappear. I am stunned, I am surprised, but I called it from the very outset because I knew that Dwight Howards team was not as powerful as the edition that was in the finals two seasons ago. This Magic Show was weak and couldnt perform enough tricks to extend their season. Lights out on the Magic and good luck to the Hawks from now on.
The Real Mandingo
April 29th, 2011
2:08 pm
The Hawks playoff series victory against the Magic last night was a referendum of this year’s regular season success the Hawks had against the Magic. On average, the Hawks played harder than the Magic in head-to-head matchups this year but did not necessarily play better than the Magic. If the Hawks did indeed play better than the Magic, it was only marginal at best; simply put, the Hawks just wanted it more than the Magic. Once the Hawks were able to string three consecutive victories against the Magic this past regular season, it was obvious that the Hawks just had the Magic’s number this year.
With that being said, let’s hope that the Hawks in this year’s Eastern Conference semi-finals versus the Bulls can turn back the proverbial clock and play like the Hawks did against the Bulls in last year’s regular season head-to-head matchups. The Hawks dominated the Bulls last year in regular season head-to-head matchups but the Bulls this year have different personnel and a different coach. The Hawks still have a chance to shock the basketball world and so-called pundits and pull off a playoff series victory. The Hawks need to play well from the start against the Bulls which will have a snowball effect. A good start will give the Hawks the momentum and confidence they will need in order to beat the Bulls.
Finally, did Stan van Gundy or anyone think that the Orlando Magic was going to go far in the playoffs this year after his critique against the powerful David Stern and/or the NBA of “not wanting to be challenged”? He acts as if he wants to be blackballed. He already messed up the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA finals when he inserted Jameer Nelson into the rotation which disrupted team chemistry when Rafer Alston and backup Anthony Johnson were playing well at the point guard position. This year’s first round playoff exit clearly shows the Orlando Magic is in regression mode or medically speaking retrogression mode. I’m not saying that the Orlando Magic would have won the 2009 NBA Championship but I think that championship series would have been more competitive if SVG doesn’t implement that player rotation change at the point guard position. Remember Craig Hodges, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (formerly Chris Jackson) and others. The NBA has a way of phasing out players, coaches, and other personalities it deems troublesome, offensive, loathsome, a public relations/image disaster and antithetical to its philosophy, ideology and political agenda. One way to phase out a talented player is to keep trading and/or moving him from team to team until he gets tired of moving. Once the player gets tired of trying to fit in with a different team, a different coach, a different city, etc., his game begins to decline and suffer. I don’t care how good a particular player is; those types of constant changes create instability and discomfort and can throw that player’s rhythmn and routine off. Some of the following players while still in their relative prime may have brought their own demise on themselves: Rafer Alston, Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, Craig Hodges, Mahmound Abdul-Rauf aka Chris Jackson, Jim Jackson, Allen Iverson, Isiah (J.R.) Rider, etc. I feel, however, some of these aforementioned players were “good guys” who got a raw deal. I’ll let you decide who the “good guys” were.
I would like to thank this blog for giving a bitter and angry guy like me an outlet to rant and vent. The handle should speak for itself (lol). Thank you and much love.
sam'l
April 29th, 2011
2:11 pm
Just thinking: What if you used the same technique we just used on Howard……
Start off with Teague on Rose playing at superhigh energy level. Then go to……Wilkins also playing as hard as he can for several minutes? Then Joe Johnson…..then 2 on 1 zone…..then back to Teague……and wear that mother out….
Press in the backcourt?
You know, I was way down on Drew, especially just before the playoffs, but we would not have beaten Orlando without some smarts on his part. …….
Which is why I think he can put a game plan together……
Stay thirsty……
CrumbSnatcher
April 29th, 2011
2:19 pm
MARVIN REALLY ANSWERED THE BELL LAST NIGHT! For the only one night in his illustrious career, THE GREAT MARVIN WILLIAMS LOOKED LIKE PISTOL PETE MARAVICH out there raining 3s, draining jumpers and playing steller defense LIKE THE HALL-OF-FAME CALIBRE potential player that he is. MARVIN WILLIAMS LAST NIGHT SIMPLY PLAYED OUT OF HIS MIND, AND PLAYED SIMPLY UP TO HIS ENORMOUS, MAMMOTH POTENTIAL. MARVIN CAN POTENTIALLY PLAY LIKE THIS EVERY NIGHT BECAUSE HE WAS DRAFTED SECOND IN THE ENTIRE DRAFT. MARVIN has allways played as if he were the last player picked in the draft and Marvin is capable of so much more. LAST NIGHT FOR THE ONLY TIME IN HIS ENTIRE CAREER, MARVIN PLAYED UP TO HIS INCREDIBLE, UNLIMITED POTENTIAL AND IT WAS EXTREMELY EXCITING TO SEE, INDEED. YES, THE PISTOL WAS FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS AND HE WAS DISGUISED AS MARVIN WILLIAMS.
JeJe
April 29th, 2011
2:21 pm
IF IT WASN’T FOR LARRY DREW’S IDIOTIC DECISION TO SIT HORFORD IN GAME 2 (HE FINISHED WITH 2 FOULS) WITH FOUL TROUBLE, WE WOULD’VE SWEPT ORLANDO AND HINRICH WOULDN’T BE HURT
FIRE LD
JOEY1
April 29th, 2011
2:30 pm
againj,
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????
Sautee
April 29th, 2011
2:52 pm
Jeje,
So Hinrich couldn’t have gotten hurt in practice?
That logic fails.
And BTW for all of the LD haters, he’ll still be here next year. The Hawks have just made sure of that. There are only 3 teams in the entire league who have been to the second round the last 3 years in a row:
Lakers
Celtics
and yes….. The Atlanta Hawks. Don’t think for a minute that Sund and the ASKG won’t be pulling THAT fact out to justify keeping LD. Not to mention slaying the dragon that ate us last year.
FYI – I’m still bitterly disappointed in Drew for failing to hold players accountable, so don’t put me in with the Drew defenders. It just is what it is. He WILL be here for at least another year.
JeJe
April 29th, 2011
4:45 pm
Sautee,
Who cares if we have been to the 2nd round 3 years in a row.
We got murdered in 2 of the 2nd rounds and idk what will happen vs. Chicago. We have not gotten any better in the last 2 years
JewelNelson
April 29th, 2011
4:47 pm
I wonder if the fans feel that this years team (44-38) is better than last years team (53-29), although last years team won 9 games more and this years team lost 9 more games. I think there are only TWO reasons why this years team is better than last years..#1:Kurk Hinrich (Defenseive Presence and Defensive Philosophy) has made a major difference in our team defense and has changed the defensive culture of our entire team; and #2:Joe Johnson AND Jamal Crawford had great games against Orlando and wonderful shooting nights whereas last year they couldnt score the basketball to save their lives. All the other parts are similar; this year we dont have fat pig Mike Bibby to hold us back, but with Josh Smith’s lack of development or maybe even a regression in his skills, Josh has made it difficult for us to win and has made it harder to get wins that would have been easier because he keeps making senseless turnovers; taking stupid 3-pointers, and he continues to dribble downcourt as if he is a guard, subsequently turning the ball over and coughs it up to the opposing team. JOSH SMITH NEEDS TO FIND HIMSELF IN THE GYM AND SHOOT ABOUT 1000 JUMPSHOTS EVERY DAY AND NIGHT UNTIL HE BECOMES A PROLIFIC SCORER. HE HAS THE TALENT HE JUST NEEDS TO PERFECT HIS CRAFT. Josh needs to learn how to play under control instead of his sloppy play that he is accustomed to. During the offseason if Josh were to watch videos of D-Wade and LaBron James, next year in training camp with some diligent hard work, Josh can become nearly as good as both of them. Josh needs to play the power game and slash to the basket and the Hawk players will feed it to him so he can get a steady diet of stuffs, ally-oops and layups, making it much easier for him to score the basketball. If you dont believe a player can dramatically improve over the offseason, look at Dwight Howards improvement from a year ago. Last year Dwight Howard offensively was probably the 30th best player in the league. Today he is in the top 5 offensive players in the association. That is due to hard work and tremendous work ethic and Dwight is now headed for a hall-of-fame career. I cant believe how much Im praising Dwight Howard after our Hawks just beat the tar out of the Magic. Good Luck Hawks. Beat Chicago in 4.
JeJe
April 29th, 2011
5:13 pm
If Mike Bibby was still on our team, Jameer would’ve averaged 22 ppg in this series
JeJe
April 29th, 2011
5:19 pm
Why are people acting like Hinrich won’t play in the series? He definitely is not missing the whole series.