Atlanta Hawks: Bulls 95, Hawks 83

‘Smoove and Al challenged at the basket but it didn’t seem as if there was as much resistance on the perimeter.”

Play JC1 for 27 minutes on a night when he’s producing nothing and that will happen. Hawks won game 4 with occasional traps on the perimeter. This game they once again hung Teague out to dry and when help came in the paint, refs were blowing the whistle almost every time.

From the previous blog:

“Is it just me or did anybody else see the guy Omer Asik setting a lot of illegal picks.” -Guesswhosthis

Good call I saw this over and over… moving picks and not a single one was called. But the Godfather’s thugs can’t do it all by themselves, they need Las Vegas Larry to go with the three guard lineup as well to leave nothing up to chance.

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Truthfully, as much as we’ll jump on the offense, and rightfully so, the defense was far from impressive in that 4th quarter too.

Rose gets into the paint at will, but we did very little to cut off penetration. Earlier in the game, we trapped/doubled/helped on penetration. In the 4th, we allowed clear driving lanes for the dude to the rim. Teague can’t shut this guy down by himself. It’s gonna take help from others. Team defense.

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truthspitter wtf is wrong with u.

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“Teague thought Rose fouled him on a layup and again when Teague was headed down court with a steal.”

“You cannot go on the road in the fourth quarter down by one point and feel like the officials made bad calls or even the calls that were made in the fourth quarter affect you,” L.D. said. “A call probably didn’t go our way but at that point you cannot allow that to take you out of the game. That is just not being mentally strong. We have to play through it.”

LD sounds like he’s reprimanding Teague for his comments about bad calls. He’s suggesting that the ref bad calls took Teague out his game and that he’s not mentally strong. That’s a bone-face lie. “The Truth” is had it not been for Teague performance, Bulls would have blown the Hawks out in the 1st half. Teague comments are justified and it didn’t take him out of his game. He played great from start to finish.

LD has used Teague as a whipping boy all during the regular and is now trying to do it again. But this time, it’s not going to work since Teague is really the Hawk’s MVP in this series. Perhaps LD needs to whip his own azz for not jacking-up his players during game preparation. They played with no sense of purpose or urgency which made the difference late in the 4th quarter. They were just playing reactionary basketball, nothing like game 4. Hawk’s fans were waiting for them to shift gears in the 4th quarter to match the energy level of the previous game, but it never came. They kept digressing but still they had they’re chances to win it. Perhaps it reflected a “laid-back” practice similar to LD’s “laid-back”, personality; who knows. But whatever it was, we missed an opportunity.

If the Hawks lose the series, we can point to this game as the “could have, should have” won game that got away.

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*LD has used Teague as a whipping boy all during the regular season

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Seriously northcyde, JC1 was making us play 5-on-4. He provided no help on Rose, although they didn’t really attack him and make him work on defense. We would have been better off with Damien in there the entire 4th. Then we would have had some help defense. He might have even scored a basket! Oh my!

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From the previous blog:

ag

May 10th, 2011
7:27 pm

Buddy Grizzard, I am sure if KH would have started this series, we would be home now. Before you open your mouth and assume, facts speak for themself:
Teague 13 min 2.0 ast .9 TO (reg)

LOL at people getting on me for saying Teague was turnover prone!. I’m an original member of the Teague Party blog people! I’ll take SteveW’s 40 minute stats, and I’ll damn sure take Teague’s 7 assists and zero turnovers tonight.

As for ag’s comment, I agree if Captain Kirk didn’t get hurt, CHI would have swept this series and we’d all be in wait till next year mode. Kirk getting hurt and giving Teauge the opportunity to shine and make Las Vegas Larry look stupid is the best thing that could have happened as far as I am concerned.

I’m sure the no-leadership ASG (you know, they guys who gave $120m to no-leadership Joe Johnson?) will let no-leadership Las Vegas Larry serve out the second year of his contract since they’ll look at it as the Hawks played CHI tough, even though it was stupid rotations that kept us from winning games in this series, just as with the Orlando series.

But at lease JC1’s no-show performance in this game ends any speculation about ASG going over the cap to retain a guy who plays zero defense and can’t score against a strong defensive team. So next year it will be Teague, Kirk and JJ, the strongest defensive backcourt in the NBA.

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jeff teague is really the future point guard of the atlanta hawks

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Charley Rosen analyzed the game as one of memories or lack there of with both the Hawks and the Bulls doing what was good for them and what was not so good. There is enough blame to go around but this should be a lesson on what to do and what not to do.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/Derrick-Rose-Chicago-Bulls-remember-reasons-for-success-in-Game-5-win-over-Atlanta-Hawks-in-NBA-playoffs-051011

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Harry Hawk

May 11th, 2011
3:47 am

Just remember that Teague has to come back next season and show he can handle this over a full 82. If he does, we’ll have our PG. If he doesn’t…

(beating my head against a wall until I pass out)

You fools kill me with this Teague has to prove this and that shi+. What the phuck has Kirk proven in a Hawks uniform? Really this 5 game stint that Teague has had is greater than everything Kirk has done since being in a Hawks uniform. He helped us get here indeed but we had already been where he helped us get. This unit has never been where Teague is helping them go.

Lastly, I would like to see Teague and or Joe get up and get into Rose the same way they are letting Deng and Bogans put there hands all on Joe hand checking and things like that that are supposed to be illegal. That’s the only criticism of Teague I have right now but you think he got 2 fouls tonight. They would foul him out so quick if he played Rose how Bogans and Deng try to play Joe. Don’t use the excuse that he would just go by Teague or Joe either because it is not easy to go by a guy when he has his forearm in your stomach steering you around the court. Teague has earned the starting PG spot from now on out and some leadway for people not to be running around talking bout what he needs to prove for a whole year. None of the Hawks had great years. I would say fairly that I am looking forward to getting a top 2 seed next year and putting ourselves in a better position to get to the ECF.

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The Hawks were robbed of this game by the officials. Since the coaches and players cant complain publicly about then I will. Here is a copy of the email I sent to the NBA in regards to the officiating:
-The NBA has become a glorified wrestling league. I guess there is a reason only 5-6 teams have won a championship in the last 25 years.

“To Whom It May Concern,

After watching and re-watching the Hawks vs. Bulls game 5, there were a number of calls and their timing that, as a fan, infuriate me to no end. What follows is the sequence of calls and the situation:
-The Hawks took the lead in the game with 1:37 left in the third quarter with the score at 62-61, from that point, the Hawks were called for four fouls, all shooting, awarding the Bulls with four trips to the free throw line. Meanwhile Chicago was called for their first foul with 8:01 left in the fourth with a comfortable lead at 78-70. How is this competitive basketball?
-These plays show obvious inconsistency and bias favoring the Bulls. Here are the plays:
-33.8 left 3rd, Deng awarded free throws with questionnable call
-end of 3rd, no call as brewer makes contact with Jamal Crawford’s wrist shooting half court shot
-11:16 4th, Asik brings arms down on Teague driving to basket. No call
-Next Hawks possession, 10:47 4th-Joe Johnson drives to basket, Deng and Gibson brings arms down making contact with Joe. No call
-Next possession, 10:23 4th-Zaza called for questionable loose ball foul after apparent steal from blindside of Asik-score Bulls 71 Hawks 70
-Next Hawks possession, 9:12 4th-Jamal shoots 3-pointer, Brewer denies landing space-No call
-Next Bulls possession-free throws awarded to Taj Gibson on questionable call against Al Horford.
-8:08 4th, Asik gets away with goaltendding on Josh Smith’s hook shot, Josh gets loose ball, spins to basket and is hacked by Deng with his left arm-No call
-8:01 4th, 78-70 Bulls-Finally, the Bulls are called for their first foul since the Hawks took the lead but luckily have 8 point lead.
-However, next possession Derrick Rose is awarded free throws from a touch foul by Jeff Teague.
-Next possession, the officials award the Bulls with a fresh shot clock, despite no changing of possession on a loose ball. This was very questionable…….
-Bulls next possession (80-74), Rose awarded free throws on Al Horford touch foul
-Next possession, Joe brings ball through the outstretched arms of Deng-No call and possession awarded to Chicago
-5:12 4th (85-77), officials convienently find wet spot on floor, allowing Rose to get shoe on comfortably. Same possession, Rose impedes Teague’s progress to basket with bad defensive position but is not whistled for foul
-Next possession, Teague steals ball from Rose, who responds by pulling Teahue’s feet out from under him in transition-No call!!!!!!!!!!!

-This goes beyond the specific officials assigned to this game. These plays illustrate a blatant bias towards the Bulls and Derrick Rose in particular. How can Luol Deng be so aggressive in his defense with Joe Johnson but Rose can drive to the basket with the game close and get a foul call? That game was not officiated consistently and was not competitive, evidenced by the previous sequence of calls.”

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Having said that, kudos to the Hawks and I tip my hat to them. They battled and and fought their hearts out only to have an anti-climatic ending with piss-poor officiating. Yet they seem to not be discouraged and have the right attitude approaching game 6. If they can get this one at home, anything can happen in game 7’s.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Scoop for President of this blog, I hope you really sent that to them, but it want work. I sent a email to them after they stole a possession from us against Cleveland last year or the year before and nothing was done they said it was simply part of the game, but when the ref makes a call that he deemed bad against them last game he comes out and basically apologizes for it. The NBA hates the Hawks part of the new CBA should be that Stern has to go.

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Scoop, You are absolutely right. Great analysis and breakdown that people need to hear. I have two words that solidify your arguement:

TIM DONAGY

I live in S. Fla and I am a Heat fan but the officiating infuriates me and I had to see if Atlanta fans were ouraged so I came to this site. I feel the fans have a real pulse on what is going on in the game.

To add to your point…TNT and networks also wants the Bulls because they would be a significant boost to their ratings and they do not show replays of bad calls going against the less popular teams.

Does anyone else hate the Kenny Smith in front of the big screen segments. My advise…watch the NHL during breaks or like I do…have 4 tv’s in your living room.

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honestly thought we played a great game,

combination of jamal being in too long and playing ineffectively, a series of possessions where he and joe went iso 4 times in a row and nothing came of it,

Its obnoxious that Derrick Rose gets the automatic whistle when entering the paint. My friend says this is why he doesn’t watch the nba, its maddening.

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We played hard and that’s all I can ask for, the Bulls just played a little better Gibson won the game late for them. Teague looks like the team captain out there he was sensational once again, the Hawks long search for a future point guard is finally over since they traded away Jason Terry. Hey it’s not over let’s win at home and you never know in a game 7, the ball could bounce the Hawks way.

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northcyde,

LD has done it all year. Even when Jamal is ice-cold, LD continued to play him extended minutes (despite the fact that when Jamal is ice-cold on offense, combined with his toilet paper defense, he is a recipe for disaster).

And in my opinion, the offense should have gone through Jeff in the 4th until the Bulls made the adjustment. I think we tried to force it to JJ and others a few times.

That being said, After being down double digits in the first quarter, I give the Hawks credit for fighting back on the road, against the #1 seed, and against the refs. We just need better execution down the stretch.

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Yall sound like a bunch of sore losers..what about game 4 with the whistle being blown …then saying he didn’t blow it ..costing the bulls the game? Grow up we don’t havw a closer they out played us

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atl that one call got all the publicity but Game 4 my man Scoop could have made a list just as long. That one call didn’t cost CHI the game and all the other non calls were the only reason CHI was close. You’re right though… we don’t have a closer. JJ and JC1 think they’re closers but look at the play by play. Nothing but bricked 26-footers in winning time.

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So blame the hawks for not showing up in the forth

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First, I think the Hawks played well. In my opinion, they let the Bulls off the hook last night. They had them.

This team does not do well playing from behind. They did OK last night. They took the lead, but getting behind by so much early left them no cushion for their mandatory 2nd half rut they always go through. If they get ahead early, the Hawks often lose the lead and then get it back late. But, they can only do that when they get off to a good start and get the lead.

I thought Josh was great last night, if you don’t count the two 3-point shots (although, one was as the shot clock was running out, If I remember correctly). Also, there was part of me that just wished he would have kicked the living sh#t out of Boozer for the elbow after the dunk. So tired of these wannabe tough guys, like Boozer and Garnett. Boozer wants no part of Josh in a fight. He can just cut the tough guy act.

I still think the Hawks can win this series. But, they let the Bulls get away with one last night. Should have won that game.

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Hawks, for the most part, played well and played with energy. I was proud of them last night. Smart Josh came to play and was great. Teague was Rose-like. Horford consistent. Joe and Jamal- ugh. Through the end of the game it was very apparent that our offense runs much better through Teague. Joe always gets the ball and wastes 5-6 seconds dribbling or pumpfaking.

Unfortunately the refs inconsistency kept this game from going down to the wire, for example:
-no calls on hard fouls on Hawks
-many calls on touch fouls for the Bulls
-not ejecting Boozer for what was basically a punch (he’ll most likely be suspended, but the way he’s been struggling, it almost doesn’t help)
-not calling the foul on Rose for grabbing Teague after he stole the ball

Let’s take this to game 7 where anything can happen! Josh, keep playing smart!

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Boozer is a black guy from Alaska who went to Duke Ms. C I really don’t think he wants to deal with a guy from College Park

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FACTS. with jamal being non existant, josh having foul problems. super man d rose making everyone look like they were standing still PLUS rose getting MVP treatment by refs. not to mention sold out home court.

ALL THAT and the hawks were winning 70-69 in the 4TH QTR. if teaque gets a couple calls (chicago ???? REF CALLS IS A JOKE) and taj gibson shooting out of his mind, the hawks come back home with a 3-2 series lead.

HAWKS WIN ON THURSDAY AND MAKE FOR A VERY EXCITING WEEKEND. LOSE AND SEE IF DWIGHT HOWARD WANTS TO PLAY IN HOME TOWN AND WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP. EITHER WAY. HAWKS ARE BEGINNING TO LEARN TO WIN. JUST ASK ORLANDO.

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Ms.C

May 11th, 2011
7:56 am
“So blame the hawks for not showing up in the forth”

-

I’m assuming you were preaching the same message to whining Bulls fans after game 4? All I heard from Bulls fans after game 4 was about how they got ‘jobbed’ by the refs for one inadvertant whistle. They ignored how their squad failed to show up in the 4th.

League’s top ranked defense gave up 33 points in the 4th quarter of that game.
Their ‘one-trick pony’ offense stagnated in the 4th.

Yet they pinned it on refs…so go preach your same bullstuff to your own fanbase. Truth is, the city of Chicago looks pretty dumb whining about officiating. This is the same city that was spoiled for a decade by refs riding Jordan. Now we’re seeing the same ish with D.Rose.

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To Scoop: Your list of bad calls/no calls is indicative of every NBA game this year. You neglected to mention the bad calls that helped the Hawks. I could make a list of them from game 5 that would reflect your list but go the other direction. That is why LD said in the post game that you can’t worry about the calls. You gotta play through it. In game 4 Rose was fouled on that 3 point attempt but didn’t get the call. Those 3 free throws he didn’t get would have made it a 1 possession game. That sucks but it is a part of the game. The good teams win anyway. The bad teams have all off-season to cry about it. The real blame for the game 5 loss was the Hawks reverting to their ISO offense after sharing the ball beautifully the entire game and outplaying the Bulls. Why they went away from Teague driving to the hole is beyond me.

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RobbF, I’d like to see that list of bad calls in the Hawks favor. Remember, we’re talking Game 5. You’re list won’t get past #0. There were no close calls that went the Hawks way last night. None.

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I hope we don’t re-sign Jamal.

I say Start Teague at Point and let KH take Jamal’s place as the 6th man/ 3rd Guard in the rotation.

KH doesn’t have Jamal’s shotmaking ability, but he is deadly at mid-range and a way better defender.

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Al – “…and they were aggressive going to the basket. That might be something we need to do more of instead of settling for jump shots.”

Wow Al, what a revelation

PS – Al made the All Star team because of the Center shortage in the NBA, not because he is a great player. Solid, yes, but not great. And he’s playing too many minutes for him.

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Atlanta had bad possessions because they knew they weren’t going to get the call if they were to drive to the lane. JJ settled for jumpers because he’s not going to get the call. Horford settled for jumpers because he wasn’t going to get the call. The only person that got “A” call was Teague and that was because the refs had to at least give him one call.

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On fouls – ““You cannot go on the road in the fourth quarter down by one point and feel like the officials made bad calls or even the calls that were made in the fourth quarter affect you,” L.D. said. “A call probably didn’t go our way but at that point you cannot allow that to take you out of the game. That is just not being mentally strong. We have to play through it.”

Funny, you miss one call on D-Rose and a ref has to apologize and make amends before a whole nation. It’s literally national news.

We get mugged and no calls, and nothing

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SteveW, that’s a great point. Refs miss a call on Rose and a Presidential apology is required to make ammends. Joe gets whacked by 3 guys going to the hoop, no call, and no one says anything.

The double standards in this league are just absurd sometimes…..

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And good for the League for coming down on Bynum.

Hope they come down on Odom also – not as bad, but send a message.

I wonder if we should get in on the Lakers fire sale – Gasol, Bynum, and Odom are evidently all on the block.

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“The Bulls closed with Taj Gibson, Asik and Brewer instead of Boozer, Noah and Bogans. The three bench guys combined for 13 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocks in the period.”

Take notes LD, take notes. Trust your bench.

And I haven’t run the stats, but was it Marvin on the court when Deng ran wild? I didn’t put that together last night.

Marvin should at least be able to play D on Deng.

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Is Jamal going to show up again in this series?

Is Marvin still alive?

How can we beat a #1 seed when 2 of our rotational players are literally doing NOTHING?

How is Joe only scoring 15 points?

Teague, who did NOT play at all during the season, has been better than Joe in this series. The dude has DERRICK ROSE GUARDING HIM.

Why ARE ALL OF ROSE’S LAYUPS UNCONTESTED? MAKE HIM GO LEFT

I SAID THIS BEFORE THE GAME. MAKE THE GUY GO LEFT FOR ONCE. WE ARE FORCING HIM TO GO RIGHT

SMDH

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Jamal is always trying to hit hero shots. Just run THE OFFENSE. SMDH

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We definitely have D-Rose’s respect – from the same ESPN article:

“With the top-seeded Bulls now one victory from advancing to the Eastern Conference finals, Rose was asked Tuesday about a potential showdown with the Miami Heat, who have a 3-1 series lead on Boston entering Wednesday’s potential elimination game in Miami.

Rose’s response was the slowest he’s moved all series. Eventually, it was obvious he wanted no part in looking past the Hawks. Especially not with the way this series has been going.

Instead, he equated the challenge of getting past the Hawks to walking through fires and getting through wars. To Rose, it seems this series has trudged along for 50 games, not five.

“It’s seems like we’ve played a lot against each other,” Rose said. “We cannot get tired. This is the biggest thing. We know that game down there, they are going to give us their all. We know this is going to be a war going to Atlanta. The next game is the biggest game of our lives. That’s what we have to go in there thinking.”

That sentiment was mutual.”

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The fat lady is warming up her voice.

.

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Jamal, STOP TRYING TO BE HERO

LOL @ LD drawing up play at end of first half for Marvin to lob

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Is it possible we could start ZaZa over Collins tomorrow?

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The whole league just laughs at the Hawks. If we play well, they say it’s luck. Then we finally break down & they say “our true colors finally shine.” If the Bulls do badly, they say “what’s wrong with the Bulls?” Nobody says that about the Hawks. They all expect us to lose. Chicago won 6 championships in the 90’s. Now they think they are entitled to more. What’s wrong with our guys, why can’t they win? I really don’t expect the Hawks to really play in game 6. They are finished. But I hope they prove me wrong. There’s always hope.

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What about the refs resetting the shot clock for the Bulls in the fourth quarter? TNT never even re-visited the play via re-play. Marv Albert mentioned it and that was about it. Larry Drew and the Hawks coaching staff never even reacted. I guess they like getting screwed.

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Steve W,

Next season, I think Hiinirch will be here, and Jamal will not, for the simple reason that Hinrich is under contract, and Jamal is not. I dont see ASG spending $7 mil+ on another guard, especially with Teague playing so well.

And would anyone be surprised if LD said Hinrich is his starter for next season?

It would be nice to trade Marvin, but nobody wants him. Maybe the Hawks can pull off a sign and trade for Jamal.

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Best thing is that if this series goes 7 games, there is no excuse for us to not play our BEST basketball and exert our most effort

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When jamal and joe become primary ball handlers with Teague on the floor bad things happen. I f the could put the ego aside for the series and allow Teague to run the “O” they could get some unbelievable open shots versus the incessant pounding the ball to create space. Teague gets to rim at will, space out be ready to shoot and he’d get the assist and they’d get the bucket. Everybody wins. They have been playing ball too long not to see what has transpired with Teague in charge on the floor. It’s so frustrating watching joe and jamal give the series to the bulls.

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Tough loss last night, but the HAWKS showed a lot. The Bulls hit some 3’s early to take the 15pt lead but we really fought back to take the lead a few times in 3rd. I think the depth of Chicago was the difference tonight and as Sleepy said LD got out coached by Thibs. LD needed to get Jeff and JJ rest at the end of the 3rd and begining of the 4th. LD lost his early rotation schedule because of being down early but he still needed to find away to get those guys some rest late. Our offensive looked really good during the 2nd and 3rd, but we also can’t go 1-12 from 3 and expect to win. This team better not think this series is over, because all the Bulls can do is foul a lot and hope that Rose scores 50!! We’ve got to keep executing the offensive and attacking the basket.

GO HAWKS!!

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@scoop,

three plays off the top of my head that contradict your allegations of favoritism

Noah cleanly blocks Zaza Dunk Attempt, getting only ball = No call
Zaza drapes arms around Boozer as he drives to the hoop = not only no call, but TWO official timeouts for the cut on Boozer’s head to be treated
Collins puts hand on Boozer’s shoulder as both players attempt to jump for rebound which keeps Boozer from being able to jump = no call

This is not to say that there were not bad no calls against the Bulls, just that they went both ways. It’s just an acknowledgment that the calls in the game did not make the difference. If I can pull three no-calls from memory, it’s reasonable to expect that there were many others that favored the Hawks.

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BOOZER IS A LOSER. I wish that Josh Smith had punched Boozer’s lights out when the two drew technical fouls for their skirmish last night. Boozer is a good player and a complimentary piece, but he is a loser who couldnt win in Cleveland and Utah and WILL NOT WIN IN CHICAGO EITHER.

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What happened to the Hawks “picket fence” defense that discourages D Rose’s penetration in the 4th quarter? He was scoring at will with little resistance. As good as Zaza played offensively, he was soft and slow on defense. That’s because he’s a “banger” that needs to bang to punctuate his impact. Unfortunately for the Hawks, the Bulls interior defense consisting of Taj Gibson, Asik and Brewer was not predicated on banging anyone but quickness, speed and athleticism. It was on full display with Taj Gibson effectiveness using his “quick” feet and “quick” release. Defensively, that made Zaza the odd man out when Josh needed help. Al Horford could have answered the bell if he had felt like it. But he epitomizes the Hawks season, Up and Down.

For the Hawks to win both game 6 and 7, LD must make adjustments to counter the Bulls quicker interior lineup. Al Horford must play beyond himself and Josh must bring”Incredible Hulk Like” physicality to match the Bulls energy. LD must also present a new wrinkle; an interior X-factor to show something different. Maybe it’s Damien, or Marvin, maybe Hilton or even Magnum Ross; whoever, someone has to step-up.

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Zsa Zsa Pachulia is the guy who gave the Hawks a chance to win last night. Zsa Zsa had 11 points at half-time and played solid defense and did all the gruntwork and dirty work for the Hawks down in the low block. Zsa Zsa and Teague should have gotten game balls for their steller performances last night. Great job guys. I think the Hawks have STRUCK FEAR IN THEIR OPPONENTS–THE BULLS ARE NOW SCARED OF THE HAWKS BECAUSE THEY KNOW THE HAWKS ARE GOING TO WIN THE SERIES.

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Jamal was afraid to SCORE THE BASKETBALL last night. Every time he would receive the ball, he either committed a turnover or passed it off to someone else. Where was the ‘WHEELING AND DEALING JAMAL WHO TAKES IT IN YOUR FACE AND MAKES YOU LOOK SILLY’ draining 3s and driving unrelentless to the rim. THAT IS THE JAMAL WE NEEDED LAST NIGHT, BUT JAMAL PLAYED LIKE A SCARED OWL. We need the real Jamal to either show up on Thursday or sign with another team and play somewhere else. We dont need any more jekyl and hyde players on our team. The hawks need a consistent identity and they need to play great basketball from now on. Either do that or sell the team and get the hell out of Atlanta.

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There are some serious fools that post on this site. That’s why you kinda have to make people sign up or do other uncomfortable things if you want a site with smart sensible commentary. I see some little bytch whining about Teague not making plays for others. The guy led the team in Points and Assists last night. I am fine with Joe and Jamal dominating the ball but you will get the same results that you got the last couple of years, ISO after ISO after ISO. Hell atleast Teague isn’t running ISO’s to get his. His is coming off of pick and pop since Al refuses to roll. The only person on this team that prefers to roll rather than pick is Zaza. Zaza and Teague have really nice dynamics together as I have stated before.

Finally, I hope Teague is traded this offseason because I want to see his career skyrocket and I want you ignorant MF’er to get what you want. 5 more years of ISOJoe and ISOJamal

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You think the bulls will lose two games in a row? Youre dreaming lmao

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Great game Teague I am proud of you youngster!

Josh and Al keep fighting fellas. And Al I hope you are out of your shooting slump

Joe this was the kind of game that if you would have somehow some way took over in the 4th you would be considered a superstar and not just a Allstar.

NBA, David Stern I know the hawks have 2 teams to beat the bulls and the refs. I wish you all could just call it even on both sides. I see it in my sons high school baseball games. The refs have no consistency or integrity. Its so sad.

Zaza I thought you shouldve been let go back when we had to chance to let you Bibby and Marvin. Still feel that, I wanted Tyson Chandler I think every one agree he is a upgrade but good game.And at least out of 3 you will fight at the drop of a hat. LOL looking at the head you might not be a bad boxer sir.

Good Luck Hawks

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I don’t care how explosive any Hawk is…

When dude’s shooting 1-9 paired with his typical lack of defense, it’s not out of the question to sit him down. Plain and simple.

Look at what Thib did yesterday. Noah and Boozer aren’t really all that effective, but Taj and Asik were. Instead of going to what he’d normally go to in the 4th, he stuck with Taj and Asik throughout the entire 4th quarter.

It doesn’t matter who you’re accustomed to seeing. You have to adjust to what the guys are giving you throughout the game.

The Hawks real problem though was just their approach offensively. The Bulls made the effort not to let JJ get to his spot. So, JJ catches the ball on the perimeter. Instead of forcing the issue here, you pass the ball back out and try to reestablish better positioning. ISO JJ isn’t always a problem, it depends on where the dude’s getting the ball though. He has to do a better job establishing his position and getting to his spots. Otherwise, it’s not effective.

I don’t expect a duplicate performance from Jamal tomorrow night. I expect him to bounce back and give us something more than the 2 points he gave us on 9 shots last night. I also expect JJ to be a bit more aggressive and expect him to play a bit better than the average performance he gave us last night. Our bigs haven’t been all that bad. J.Smith’s been ballin, Horford’s been a bit up and down. I think both will give you the type of performance we saw in Game 4. And Teague’s been *the most consistent Hawk*, and I don’t see why that doesn’t continue.

The Hawks win Game 6. And if that’s the case, Predicta-Bulls fans should be nervous.

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MC should ask Drew why he took Zaza out of the game after that loose ball foul early in the 4th? Was he protecting Zaza because he picked up his 4th foul?

At the time Zaza came out of the game, Jamal was 1 – 8 FG, and not being productive on either end of the floor. Zaza ended up being the only guy with a positive +/- rating. He’s the only guy on the team that is willing to mix it up on the inside with Chicago’s goons.

If Drew was trying to protect Zaza at that point from fouling out, I just have to shake my head. You just can’t opt to keep Jamal in the game if he’s not performing on offense.

As for the officiating . . it’s the playoffs folks. We’re not going to get borderline ( or sometimes even obvious foul calls ) on the road. That’s the way this league has always been. We have no choice but to play through that ish and keep grinding.

And with the way the league is, don’t be surprised if a lot of those calls ( or non-calls ) go our way in Game 6, just so the NBA can set up a Game 7 scenario in which they’ll try to call the game right down the middle.

When we go back to Chicago on Sunday night though, this team may have to make jumpshots to win. If the refs will keep their whistles in their pockets, that obviously favors the Bulls. That means the Hawks will just have to make their shots, because looking for a whistle to reward us may not be there.

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Sleepy

May 11th, 2011
10:43 am

I recall game 4 the Bulls doubling and us moving the ball around and I saw Joe in the 4th make the extra pass to jamal for the dagger three in the 4th

—

Ok, go back and watch this play again. And ask yourself, who was the guy that penetrated into the lane and dished that pass out to Joe before Joe kicked it to Jamal?

Teague blew by Noah, pulled the Bulls defense into the paint, and Teague kicked the ball out to Joe in the corner. Joe, rather than shooting it, made the extra pass to Jamal who was wide open for a 3.

Dude had 7 dimes man. I know you’ve been hatin on the dude all season, just eat the crow and jump on the bandwagon. No shame in admitting when you’re wrong about something.

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As a Chicago fan I gotta say I have been very impressed with the Hawks this series. They have been the better team, fortunately the Bulls have played good enough defense when needed. It is also nice to see a team that knows they can win the series play straight up and not try and hurt anyone (despite what truthspitter says…”break rose’s neck”…you are an idiot), unlike the Pacers who knew they had no chance so they resorted to trying to playing dirty…like the Lakers did when the series began to slip away. Regardless of what happens in this series the Hawks have a BRIGHT future…Sorry Hinrich you will be on another team next year yet again…Teague is legit. Hopefully Smith continues to shoot 18 foot jumpers and the Bulls should be OK! Thanks Josh.

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a 1st the officiating was horrible in the 4th q in favor of the bulls, it didnt help the hawks offense got stagnant they need to let teague handle every possession and not every now and then, teague has showed us he will be a very good point guard that is being unleashed now. dont ever let jamal bring the ball up the court he slows down our offense to iso plays. if we run him and joe off screens and let teague drive and kick and pick and roll the hawks offense would not have crumbled,,,but i really do believe and how belived it for years that the nba wants to see the prime matchups with all the star player and they will do anything to make it happen. im a diehard hawks fan but could you imagine hawks and grizzles in the finals,,,, the nba would have a cow

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Stop with the whining about the refs. There have been bad calls on both sides. Here are the stats through 5 games in the series:
Bulls have been called for 89 fouls and the Hawks only 84.
Free throws shot have been 106 for the Hawks and 107 for the Bulls. This along with the bulls have more shot attempts at the rim for the series and less fouls called and the same amount of free throws attempted. Worry a little more about all the jump shots in the 4th qtr and playing some defense instead of collapsing at the end.

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I can live with questionable calls, but the refs not calling the foul on Crawford at the end of the 3rd period was inexcusable. I know it’s a midcourt, quarter-end shot but if the guy runs into the shooter it’s a foul, period. A stupid one, yes, but a major difference-maker that would put the Hawks up going into the 4th. Make-up no-call from the game 4 inadvertant whistle, perhaps?

And to those saying that no-call was a 5-point swing, the Hawks would have taken posession after the free throws anyway. So I might concede a 2-3 point missed opportunity for the Bulls but hardly a game-changer.

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Bulls win in 6,

I agree with you about the ref stuff, I never like to make that an issue, but there have been a number of very questionable calls. The call against Rose that they admitted was a mistake was a terrible call against the Bulls. That’s really all I can remember that were bad calls for the Bulls. Josh gets punched in the face, and they call a Double Technical. Rose goes to the rim, and a foul is called everytime. I saw Joe Johnson go to the hole, get molested and no call. Josh Smith in game 4 went up and caught a ball intended for Deng, came down, Deng ran into him, and Josh gets the foul. This Asik guy set moving screens, just like Dwight Horward did in round one, and did not get called for it all night. I will admit that our jumpshooting is responsible for us not getting calls, but a foul is a foul. I also saw Jamal get fouled at least 3 times yesterday with no call. The only bad calls that I have seen go against the Bulls are the Derrick Rose play, and 1 or 2 of those illegal defense calls that your team keeps getting.

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Section 303

May 11th, 2011
9:03 am

tyger, I thought Jamal was terrible last night. In fact, I really do not think he has performed well most of the playoffs. He was great in Orlando Game 1. Great in Chicago Game 1. Other than that he’s gone between very average to terrible. I thought he played bad in the Orlando Game 3, where he banked in the 3. That shot covered up his poor play throughout the entire game.

I was upset when Jamal was subbed in for Teague at the end of the 3rd. Felt like Jamal was better off on the bench. If he is not hitting his shot, he is worthless.

Also, refs aren’t giving Jamal the foul call on 3’s anymore. The past few games Jamal has taken a 3 with a defender closing on him, got the shot off, fallen down as the defender came in, no call given. It’s like the officials have made a pact that Jamal will not get that foul call. Wonder if Jamal has gone to that well too many times?

************************

The most irritating thing to me about Jamal’s game, is that he has almost the speed with the ball that Teague has. The dude can get just about any shot he wants to in a game. He has the handles to go anywhere he wants to on the court.

But he LOVES that damn jumper so much, that even when he beats his man off the dribble, he’ll pull up for a damn jumper, instead of getting into the lane or going all the way to the rim. And his jumper is so schizophrenic, that he really has no justification on depending on it so much, especially when he’s cold. Like I said, he could get in the paint anytime he wanted to, with the way he handles the ball. But like with Smith and his jumpshot, it’s almost like Jamal wants to prove that he can make that tough 3, or difficult 21 footer . . instead of going 10 more feet to shoot a runner in the lane.

He’s currently shooting 36% FG in the series and only averaging 10.8 ppg. Take away Game 1, and he’s shooting 11 – 37 FG ( 30% ) and averaging 8 ppg.

Jamal and JJ are the two guys who have the wildest swings in their level of play during these playoffs when we win or lose.

IN WINS

Johnson: 24.5 ppg . . 3.8 asst . . 5.7 rebs . . 0.8 stls . . 50% FG . . 55% 3FG . . 87% FT ( 26 – 30 )

Crawford: 20.7 ppg . . 3.0 asst . . 1.7 rebs . . 1.0 stls . . 46% FG . . 43% 3FG . . 73% FT ( 22 – 30 )

**************************

IN LOSSES

Johnson: 12.0 ppg . . 2.6 asst . . 3.6 rebs . . 1.6 stls . . 36% FG . . 35% 3FG . . 50% FT ( 4 – 8 )

Crawford: 10.6 ppg . . 2.0 asst . . 1.0 rebs . . 0.4 stls . . 31% FG . . 30% 3FG . . 94% FT ( 16 – 17 )

****************************

And it’s funny how their averages in wins equal the 45 point number that we’ve talked about since the playoffs started.

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Wabe -”I know you’ve been hatin on the dude all season, just eat the crow and jump on the bandwagon”

Co Sign

Rod – Asik sets moving screens, and then didn’t they call Collins for an illegal defense last night?

And Boozer should be suspended. It was a cheap shot.

And Taj is good for 25, 26 minutes a game, I think it would help us if he had to start.

But they may start Kurt Thomas and be done with it..

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The point on the referreeing is that, as Tim Donagy had explained in his book and after the scandal, is that the refs determine which teams are going to get the calls. And that is based on MONEY! Colin Cowert has been saying all day that noone (nationally) wants to see the Hawks. Rose moves the needle and if the refs want to continue to work in big games they will make the calls that David Stern wants. That means a lot of questionalble calls will go in favor of the Bulls. I really do not care who wins but I get sick and tired of investing my time in watching the games (which I LOVE basketball) and I feel shortchanged by the refs which is dictated by big TV revenue and Stern. And I get tired of hearing people on tv, radio and here on this blog that say the Hawks just need to make more shots. That is a bunch of crap. Just like in the NFL whne the phantom holding or pass interference changes the momentum early and it just snowballs from there. Seeing foul calls when there is absolutely no contact makes me pull my hair out. The games are overofficiated and the media needs to drive change and put more pressure on the refs.

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Teague has OUTPLAYED D-Rose for much of the series. The national media audience and the world has seen that Teague is a phenominon. If Teague sits next season and doesnt get into the games, LARRY DREW needs to take a sit in the electric chair because he will be purposely trying to ruin Teagues career. Mike Woodsen kept starting Mike Bibby instead of Teague and now with the Hinrich trade there is a log jam at the point guard position. Look, Teague has lightning quick speed and has the good instincts around the basket, in my opinion, even better than Derrick Rose. Rose is good but all he does is drive to the basket, curl up the basketball and try to force layups. If you built a brick fortress in front the paint and the rim, ROSE WOULD CRASH THROUGH IT LIKE A BULLDOZER. The Hawks should be confident and realize now that they can beat the tar out of the Bulls. In my opinion, Orlando is a much better team than Chicago, and if the Hawks got past Orlando they can get past Chicago. My gut is telling me the Hawks will quit on Thursday, throw up the white flag and come out flat and lay an egg and end their season. I hope the Hawks dont do that because the Hawks have the ability to hold serve at home, defeat Chicago on Thursday at home and then blow the Bulls out in game 7 by at least 20 points. I KNOW THE HAWKS ARE CAPABLE OF WINNING THE SERIES WITH THE BULLS. IT WILL HAPPEN JUST AS SOON AS THE HAWKS PLAYERS BUY IN AND BELIEVE THE SAME THING. Go Hawks, destroy Bulls in 7.

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Bottom line – I don’t know if ya’ll saw that D-Rose quote from ESPN posted here a few hours ago, but the dude is definitely scared to death of the Hawks.

We’ve earned his respect. Now Boozer has to start cheap shotting our guys.

We def, have more playoff experience.

Teaque ain’t backing down from no one, refs, coach’s included

We can still win this series.

I think we have the upper hand as strange as that sounds.

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COLLINS and ZAZA must rotate at center the hole game, remember defense is much better when big body in the paint, the hawks are a stronger team with JOSH at 3.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!

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Observation Deck!

I’m peering through the telescope from the bow of the vessel.
What do I see?

A flying hawk and a raging bull. A desperate hawk is the best hawk we have seen so far in this series. Come Thursday night the hawks will play desperately the raging bull will be cautious and measured, forget about the ambivalent fans in the stands. We see their lips but, but will be able to hear their words. The hawks will play inside the highlight zone. In short, this team will win game 6.

Worldwide Clyde has been very perceptive so far in this post season and he has called for a hawks series win in 7 games. I sure hope he is right. Coach Drew has given his team the blue print and has been
Rivers-Esque in the huddle. If the hawks can execute the master plan, we can re-write history.

It will be incumbent (strange term for a rookie coach), but it will be incumbent on coach to make the right substitutions to foster a game 6 triumph. He has the talent, but will the talent deliver?

We can hash and re-hash what we should have, would have and could have done, but the real truth is we did not. If this team will play together for 48 minutes tomorrow night and 5 players score in double digits but more importantly play great defense? Worldwide prediction should become a reality. Just win game 6 and there will be insurmountable pressure on the bulls.

They don’t want that, but that should be their fate. I like our chances, but I am not a betting woman and will not leverage my bank account on a sports event.

Forget the X’s and O’s. It will come down to wills.

Will the hawks step up to the challenge? We’ll see.

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* but will be UNABLE to hear their words.

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Smart move by LD – You never hear Josh Powell’s name mentioned except in garbage time.

And I think I’m the only guy who thinks we should activate Etan, and let him have a round with Noah and Boozer. Etan’s a hustler and a bruiser.

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It’s simple, Chicago stayed with what worked (Rose and Gibson) and we didn’t (Teague and Zaza).

I blame the coaching for that.

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Sorry, meant to say “is now the new MVP of the league”. Teague has been spectacular but…C’mon Man!

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Its amazing as a blogger pointed out that we had both JORDAN CRAWFORD and JEFF TEAGUE both sitting on the pines just rotting instead of helping us win games. Jordan Crawford was averaging 28 points with the Wizzards and Jeff Teague can probably average the same 28 points with the Hawks. Can you imagine how good the Hawks would have been had Jordan Crawford and Jeff Teague been starting since the beginning of the season. Gosh, our record would have been 82-0, all sweeps in the playoffs and more than likely a 4-0 sweep in the finals. The management and the powers that be upstairs in the front office just pissed away a PERFECT SEASON for mediocrity and now a chance for the Bulls to stampede us on Thursday and close us out for the year. Its too bad when you have bozos running the front office instead of competent personnel.

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“Hope they don’t find the cash to sign Jason Richardson”

We hope the same..now if we could get our hands on OJ Mayo..that would be ideal.

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I just hope LD doesn’t try to re-sign Bibby and Mo’ since there both FA’s. He seemed to have some type of attachment to them

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All I can say about the Hawks is that if you get an A+ game from Joe Johnson and another A+ game from “The Assasin” Jamal Crawford, the Bulls better watch out!!!! Thats all I’m going to hang my hat on is hope these two sleeping giants wake up and realize that game 7 is for all the marbles. Of course on Thursday that is provided we take care of business in game 6. If JOE and Jamal both get hot at the same time and we win game 6, the Hawks will win game 7 in an absolute and unmitigated cake walk, maybe 128-87, something like that. WATCH OUT BULLS WERE COMING FOR YOU.

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eXCELLENT POSTS

Northcyde 12:17 pretty much sums it up.

Jamal tries to be hero too damn much. His shot selection is horrendous. he’s done NOTHING since game 1

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“Drew put it another way: “He’s surely not the Jeff Teague we saw during the regular season.”

Larry Drew posturing for Mike Gearon Jr.? He’s gotta explain why he didn’t play Jeff all season, and why we mortgaged our future because of LD’s incompetence.

But LD does sound nice in the huddle.

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I was proud to see how Josh Smith stood up to Carlos Boozer. Boozer is a big bully and although the cut on his head was bleeding, he was still picking a fight with Smoove. I wish Josh would have head-butted Boozer and watch Boozer fall unconsciously to the floor.

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The shove that Josh gave to Boozer seemed to me to be more of a defensive reaction than a retaliation. Boozer was the aggressor plain and simple.

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Doc Rivers talking:

Look her boys. I will go ahead and accept the GM/Coaching position with you guys because your coach nor GM has a clue and no way I accept one or the other and you phuck up my legacy. Okay. Here is the plan. Go ahead and quit in GM 6. Get used to quitting because you will quit all of next year as we tank to get my boy or the younger Teague. In 2012-13 we will have the most athletic club in NBA history.

PG Teague
SG Teague2
SF Joe
PF Josh
C Al

or

PG Teague
SG Rivers
SF Joe
PF Josh
C Al

Run Run Run Boys!!!

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With the acquisition of Kirk and the break out performance by Teague, what do the Hawks do with Jamal this off season?

If they resign, then:
(1) They will most definitely go into the luxury tax (even under best case scenario where the new CBA looks much like the current).
(2) What about the rotations?
(a) Retaining Jamal as the “6th man” makes it such that either Jeff or Kirk will get all but buried at the end of the bench. Jeff has proven worthy of very solid minutes, and Kirk is more consistent and arguably a better all-around player than Jamal (defense anyone?).
(b) Pay Jamal significant money to be buried at the end of the bench. But why?
(3) Other options:
(a) Trade Kirk for a decent big man. Sounds good, but do you really want to have Jamal as your only/primary backup PG? (This may be a viable option if the Hawks can grab a decent FA PG, but i don’t know.)
(b) Resign Jamal for a reasonable contract knowing that he can be used as a trade chip. Resigning just to trade in December/January sounds risky, but maybe it could work.

If they don’t resign Jamal:
(1) They need to be able to use that money to fill another spot of need (e.g., starting-quality center, a very solid back-up big man off the bench, improved SF). But with the way the salary cap is, even if the Hawks don’t resign Jamal, that will not free up dollar-for-dollar monies (in fact, depending on the new CBA, it may not free up any additional monies to go after another solid players).

Depending on what is accomplished this off-season, first half of next season, this Hawks may be in a (even better) position to make (another?*) run at the Finals.

*Possibly ‘another’ because I am not counting the Hawks out yet. They have played a solid series, and the upset is still within their grasp. If they can past the Bulls, I think they will win the Conference Finals.

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Where is your defense truthspitter ? this why all the team that only think offense and no defense coaches never succeed.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I hope that Boozer gets suspended for the next game on thursday. The Hawks can beat the bulls with boozer in the lineup, but Booz deserves to sit down for his rough and roudy play in the paint. If the Hawks collapse and play poorly on thursday, its ok its still been a great season. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE HAWKS ARE PLAYING AN INFERIOR OPPONENT WHO THEY SHOULD PUT AWAY. Secondarily, the Lakers and the Celtics will not be around in the finals so this clears the path for someone else to get rings if its rings they really want. For the life of me i dont understand why joe johnson scored only 15 pts and grabbed a WHOPPING 2 REBOUNDS, while jamal crawford scored a collosal 2 points. In contrast, Jamal scored 24 points per game in the Orlando series. These 2 scorers need to step up big because we wouldnt be in this 2-3 predicament had they just done their jobs. Can you imagine how fired up the city would have been had the Hawks won last night and now the series shifts back to Phillips for us to close out the Bulls on Thursday being up 3-2. Wow…that would have been unbeliev-A-BULLS. Hawks, do the right thing and kick the crap out of the Bulls on thursday and then dominate them on sunday and lets get on to the Eastern Conference Finals. Sound like a good plan?

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In all fairness to Booz, Carlos Boozer is in reality a BULLS, BULLSDOZER OR Bulldozer as it were in the paint. He crashed through the paint several times shaking his head as if it was going to fall off as the sweat and blood were running from his big forehead. That would be a good nickname for Boozer. Carlos the Bulls Bulldozer.

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Or was it? I am so confused today. lol

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I’m not surprised we lost yesterday, b/c this is the Hawks. However, the Hawks need to stop playing around with these dudes and go on a two game winning streak and be done with this. Doing will catapult them into the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time ever. Go Hawks!

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boozer SHOULD be suspended the next game period for trying to throw that bow on the slick tip like a wuss, he’s a sneaky type player from what i have been seeing and the Hawks would be wrong if they went off with his head.

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Bulls win in 6: “Hilarious…62-20″

Regular season records mean nothing in the playoffs, ask the Spurs

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If josh had flailed his arms and fell down and stayed down for a minute.
Then, yes Boozer would have been suspended, especially if a teammate stepped in and bucked Boozer in defense of Josh going down.

The refs would have had to review the tape to see what happened.
I don’t think they say the first elbow, just the retaliatory push back.
Boozer did that because he was still smarting from ZaZa’s blow to his forehead.

We did not: Carpe’ Diem (seize the day).

Let’s move on people, there is nothing to see and here and that is not why we lost the game. We did not play well in the 4th Q –
plain and simple. We did not execute the offense.

Blame the hawks for that.

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our lineup of teague joe josh al twin will work for us, we need zaz to play like a man possesed downlow and absolutely zero in on drose driving, foul out if we have to, we cant let mvp score 30+ points with 20 comin from f-ing layups, activate etan and let him pick up fouls on mvp, no more layups its bs, also sub damien instead of marvin, if jamal cant find his shot dont feel obliged to wait for him to find it, put in damien like tibs put in brewer instead of korver, also plz do not resign jamal, let kirk takeover the 6th man spot and try to get that 7 footer, wheres that guy on here 2nd pick not a waste? sayn marvin is better than josh? go off urself u dont know ish bout bball, u r marvs cousin or knights relative

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MC on 790

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2 Live Stews!

Queried MC, “With your team access, what is your take on Teague and his DNP’s did you hear or see anything eluding to the fact this guy would be this good?”

MC basically said, IDK if we thought he would be this good. MC didn’t mention the blogs flaming opinions of how good most bloggers,
(me excluded) opined he would be this great. MC, you dropped the ball on the general blog’s consensus.

Doug said, “Coaches treated him like a punk! Teague probably asked for PT and the coaches said, sit down Teague! I’m busy. Teague probably thought his name was “sit down Teague.” LOL!

In defense of MC, his phone was breaking up there. Doug laughed and said his “metro” is not working. Ryan, quipped … I doubt if he has “metro.”

Like TBS … Very Funny!

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DMB, Tractor’s claim to fame…he was traded for Dirk Nowitski on draft day….he was Big Baby back in the day.

MC knows how much this blog begged for Teague to play and go through the pain of getting him ready. You can’t tell me LD had a plan in mind all along to make him more mentally ready. I still don’t think LD will let him do his thing going forward either.

We could end up against the Heat, and where is M-V-Teague? DNP-LD

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Hawks fan – here are some points to think over:

1. The Hawks have found their point guard. I think it is funny that he was on there bench all the time. It’s funny how injuries give players the opportunity that they were not given before.

2. Crawford needs to figure how to score or draw the foul vs. Rose. His performance in game 6 and game 7 could determine if the Hawks try to resign him or let him go.

3. The Hawks could go after Nene if they do not resign Crawford. Better yet, would they resign Crawford and trade J. Smith for Nene?

HAWKS in 7.

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KevinM

May 11th, 2011
3:12 pm

DMB, Tractor’s claim to fame…he was traded for Dirk Nowitski on draft day….he was Big Baby back in the day.

MC knows how much this blog begged for Teague to play and go through the pain of getting him ready. You can’t tell me LD had a plan in mind all along to make him more mentally ready. I still don’t think LD will let him do his thing going forward either.

We could end up against the Heat, and where is M-V-Teague? DNP-LD

********************

His other claim to fame was this

And surely Drew isn’t crazy. There’s no doubt that if we get past the Bulls, that Teague should be the starter, with Hinrich coming off the bench. You bring the vet Hinrich off the bench, and all of a sudden, that 2nd unit looks pretty decent with Hinrich – Jamal – Marvin – and Zaza.

Teague needs the ball in his hands, but playing alongside Jamal will take it out of it. So put Hinrich on the floor with Jamal, so that if Jamal passes back to Kirk, he can shoot the jumper. Something Teague isn’t known for doing yet.

But keep Teague as the starter to give us that penetrating PG to play alongside JJ, and to help the “bigs”.

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* “were fouls were called” should be “where fouls were called” (actually should probably be “in which” or something, but whatever)

* “say 22 fouls called against both teams” should be “say 22 fouls called against each team”

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oh and truthspiiter, you need to be locked up cuz you crazy…

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“Marvin should at least be able to play D on Deng.”

Deng is everything Marvin could and should realistically be if he cared at all about improving his game.

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There was one play, and someone already commented on it, where Teague stripped the ball cleanly from Rose and stole the ball, then as Teague was motoring down the court, it was obviously that Rose clearly fouled Rose, but the Refs SWALLOWED THEIR WHISTLES and didnt call the obvious foul where it showed on the replay that Teague was clearly fouled by Rose. The refs wouldnt call fouls on Rose because he is the MVP and he received favorable treatment from the refs as far as calling fouls were concerned. On that particular play the Hawks had a one point lead and Teague had a clear lane breakaway to the basket and would have extended the lead. ITS CLEAR THE REFS WANTED CHICAGO TO WIN THE GAME SO THEY PROMPTLY SWALLOWED THEIR WHISTLES SO THAT CHICAGO WOULD WIN. It worked. Chicago won.

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Do you guys agree with me on this: Play Wilkens over Marvin? I like Damien Wilkins. Marvin may be a better scorer, but Damien will attack the basket and play physical D. Sometimes I think Marvin is kind of like a little kid out there. I expect almost nothing from him. Anything he does is a bonus. I would rather go Wilkens.

Thoughts?

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@Section303- I must agree with you. Marvin is killing us. He is 6-9 with handles and refuse to drive to the basket. Damien will take it to the hole more than Marvin. He alson plays defense.

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Josh Smith said after last night’s game, We are not content with a loss but we can hang our hats on that we competed,” Josh said. “In Game 5 in Orlando you know what the outcome was with that.”

JOSH SMITH IS A FOOL. WHAT JOSH SHOULD HAVE SAID INSTEAD WAS,
YOU KNOW WHAT, IN GAME 4, I PLAYED OUT OF MY MIND, IN CONTROL AND WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE TEAM CONCEPT. I EXECUTED THE INSIDE GAME INSIDE THE PAINT AND SCORED 23 POINTS, 16 REBOUNDS AND 8 ASSISTS, AND ABSOLUTE ALL-STAR PERFORMANCE, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY HELPED MY TEAM GET A MUCH-NEEDED “WIN”. ALL OF THAT BEING SAID, INSTEAD OF REPEATING A POSITIVE PERFORMANCE THAT WORKED IN THAT GAME, WHAT I WILL DO TONIGHT IS HURT MY TEAM AND STAY OUT ON THE PERIMETER THOWING UP BRICKS, ILL-TIMED MISSED 3S, AND ILL-ADVISED LONG RANGE JUMPERS AND THIS WILL WORK OUT BETTER THAN GOING INSIDE BECAUSE MY TEAM WILL GET THE LOSS AND WE WILL GO HOME FOR THE SUMMER.

I TELL YOU WHAT. I CANT TELL YOU THAT STUPID MORON IS.

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@ Shawn

-Apparently you have not heard of “make-up calls”. Again my point is that THE TIMING OF THE CALLS WAS HORRENDOUS!!!!!!!! NOT THE ABSOLUTE NUMBER BECAUSE YOU CAN MASK LIKE YOU CLEARLY REFERENCED.

-Read my posting of the sequence of plays that followed after the Hawks took the lead for the first time in the game with 1:37 left in the 3rd quarter.
-Cliff Notes:
~Bulls were not whistled for a foul until 8:01 left in 4th and of course it came with 8 point lead
~Hawks whistled for 4 fouls, all shooting before Bull’s first
~2nd half free throws= Chicago 14 Atlanta 7

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@Scoop: nevermind the fact that he only Hawk that took to the rack was Teague. Where was everyone else? Oh yeah, jackin up brick or throwing away the ball…so yeah, 7 free thrws in the second half sounds about right.

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303,

I dont think you play Damien over marvin. i think you bring Marvin in first, but if he is ineffective the first few minutes (and misses his first 2 jumpers), then I would bring Damien in. That being said, its amazing how little Marvin has contributed this series.

Najeh,

Or we could have drafted Deng instead of Childress. And maybe that would have stopped us from drafting Marvin the following year.

J from the A,

Maybe the hawks can use the MLE to address the front court, giving us a backup PF (assuming we let jamal walk).

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@Najeh…i’ve thought about the 5 thingy also and i look at Zaza like i do Josh…just not sure what we’ll get from nite to nite…production or foul trouble and then he’s right back to the bench…no question on his effort tho.

i think the ace in the hole is Damien!!! re-sign him to a 2yr/X$ contract and let him be the 1st SF and 2nd G off the bench after Kirk. if KH goes in for JT then DW can sub for Joe. if KH gos in for Joe then DW subs for Josh. regardless, choices are there. Damien is smart, polished, and effective…no doubt. to me he just like Teague…he needs consistent minutes…PERIOD!!!

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@303…don’t get me or JeJe started about Marvin!!! he shouldn’t have even made the trip to CHI last nite!!!

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While I agree that the officiating has generally been awful in the last two games, it’s hard for me to harp on that too much when the Hawks in the 4th quarter blew the game by clearly going away from what was working. It’s one thing to blame the refs when you do everything right, and another thing entirely to blame them when you screw up.

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i did not get to see Pape Sy on the court once this season. could somebody give me a recap on what skills he brings???

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I agree that Damien should play more. Marvin has “no heart”.

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Did anybody else notice a lot of illegal screens from omer asik. He’s always moving or sticking his knee out to make it impossible for teague to fight through the screens. If the refs start to see that and call it, it will definitely slow rose down. And can the hawks let teague run the offense every time because jamal and joe only know how to look for their own shots and most of the time, it’s a tough shot.

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“When you’re hot your’re hot. When you’re not , you’re not.”
That song provides an excelllent synopsis of Jamal’s performance
during the playoffs. When he is cold, he is a “liability” on the floor
due to his defense.

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Re: Damien v. Marvin: I am with O’Brien (5:11 pm) on this one.

But really, perhaps, it shouldn’t be a Damien v. Marvin issue. Go big with Josh at the SF. When bigs needs a rest, go quick with the 3-guard line-up with JJ at SF. Problem solved! (Well, almost. We still don’t have a solid enough bench/rotation to give everyone the needed rest. My “solution” might end up compounding the rest problem.)

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Teague should never come off the bench again for the Hawks. Barring injury, he should start every game for the Hawks going forward.

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Actually, I don’t think Kirk would be a likely 6th man of the year candidate. He simply isn’t explosive, nor does he put up the type of “nimbers” that impress 6th man voters.

Teague’s game may be the type to catch the eye of 6th man voters, but, of course, if he is starting, he cannot be a 6th man.

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For more on the wunderkind, Jeff Teague, check out http://www.zardsalards.blogspot.com

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hawks will win in 7 i guarantee it

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Starter Teague, Joe,Josh, Horford, Collins
Bench Jamal, Damien, Marvin, Powell, Zaza.
Coach drew must use his bench better and play damien more.

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@FawnHall-Jerry Sloan couldnt win with the D. Williams,Kirlenko,Milsap, and Boozier. Plus he is old and set in his ways. Thats why they traded D. Williams. Im not sure about bringing him in at the price he would demand. We just need to give Drew the pieces he need to win a ring. That small forward position is killing us. Josh and Marvin are still playing pick-up ball. Package those two and go after Rudy.

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I am not a regular blogger so it might have been said before. The Hawks can’t win if they want to be Mr. Nice Guy. Early in the game someone and I mean anyone need to put Rose on his A**. The first time he drive to the basket put him on his A**. Don’t wait until you losing like the Lakers, put him on his A**.

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One other thing. DRose has been very effective shooting those floaters, but he only shoots them when he’s going to his right. Force him to his left, and you limit the type of shots he takes.

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Teague is usually the one that sets the picks for JJ when he has the ball. I’d like to see JJ put the ball in Teagues hands and set picks for him. There’s no way the Bulls can cover Teague and double JJ at the same time in that setup.

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The Bulls are taking full advantage of their biggest matchup advantage, MVP PG DRose, so why don’t we take full advantage of our biggest matchup advantage, PG JTeague.

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haha, kobe said this season feels like “I wasted a year of my life”

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@Rufus 1 – http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-magic/os-dwight-2012-interactive,0,1600830.htmlpage

Dwight with a Hawks jersey did look pretty cool. He wears that #12 a lot better than Josh Powell.

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Myhalk- I agree about Al his post moves leave alot to be desired.This is the worst he’s played all year-bad timing

Pape Sy ie a 6′6 sg with pg handle,really quick, pretty good outside shot and a bogans type defender-i think he should have gotten sum minutes during the season-he would probably give us more than marvin IMO

JC1 is playing like a scared lil bytch -my god -and no defense to top it off.He can score but i wont be mad if we let him walk this summer

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Ken Strickland!

Boy have I missed you! You keep everybody positive and on top of their toes. I have been praying for your health and recovery every single day.

How much weight have you lost total and are you “winning”?
(in Charlie Sheen’s voice). I sure hope so.

Fantastic comments on the blog as always. Too bad the powers that be didn’t listen to the intellectual bloggers re: M-V-Teague!
Truly catastrophic! Can you imagine if we had ended up with Miami’s seeding? What a cake walk for those punks! It just doesn’t seem fair, but, hey!

“Adversity reveals genius – Prosperity conceals it.”
- arthur unknown –
____________

Be Well my Kenny! Mmmmmwah! Aye! Let me know when you get that generator and tent, I may join you. I can cook and clean really good.

LOL!

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Some unrestricted SFs:

Tayshaun Prince, Shane Battier, Grant Hill, Josh Howard, Caron Butler. Unfortunately, Hawks are stuck with Marvin. Who wants him for 3 years, $22.5 mil?

Lets go Celtics.

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we take any BAD player(s), phuck his skill-set and level, for Marvin as long as their contract is expirin’…PERIOD!!! they don’t have to dress nor play..PERIOD!!! the mission is to send Marvin elsewhere REGARDLESS…PERIOD!!! Marvin’s has to go!!!

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DRMARYB-What’s up young lady? I had that silent assassin removed on the morning of April 25th. I know I’m going to die from something, but it won’t be prostate cancer. They got it all out, so I won’t have to do anything but recover and have regular tests. I’m not suppose to lift anything greater than 10lbs, and I’m still weak and rather lathargic.

I know how lucky I am, because it’s not often that a 64yr old man gets diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, that’s rated an 8 on a scale of 1-10, it’s early stages. I’m a cancer and stroke survivor, and I want the Atlanta Hawks to overcome the adversity that’s facing them in the 2nd rd of the playoffs.

They’ve already provided us all with a lot of excitement and hope, something we haven’t experienced since the 1st rd 7 gm series against the Celtics. Looks like the Lakers are ready to breakup their roster, which opens the door for DHoward to head west. Oh, do you still think we made a mistake when we refused to sign Shaq’s big sorry butt, especially to a 2yr contract like he was demanding?

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@Ken…congrats on your successful surgery and here’s to a speedy recovery!!!

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Ken Strickland,

Hooray! I’m delighted that you are back and on the road to full health. Keep it up.

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I got got by the Department!

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Bibby might get a ring for doing absolutely nothing. lol The Heat are something like -16 with Bibby on the floor, and +16 with Chalmers. Wow!

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hate the Celts!!!

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Don’t like either of those teams. I hope the winner of Bulls/Hawks makes it to the NBA Finals.

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The winner of the Hawks-Bulls is irrelevant. Heat will destroy both of them.

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Ken Strick, what’s up bro…it’s always great to hear positive outcome…from extremely difficult circumstances…that you have persevered thus far…is testament to your unyielding will to press forward…no matter the challenge …KEEP DOING THANG FOLK!!!

It would be easy to second LD guess for going small in the fourth quarter…but I want…dude has been doing his thaaaaaaaang…we let an excellent opportunity get away…time to move on.

Hopefully LD, will review the film, and see where things got away…should be pretty obvious…the blogs crew has kind of illuminate things for you…case you missed something.lol

Today is New Day, we just need to focus on want it’s going to take to Win Game Six…and go from there…I’m looking for the Hawks to bounce back in game six.

If we stick with the right personnel grouping…I think we still have a chance to win the series.

LET’S GO LD…AND LETS GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Win or go home…that’s whatzup!!!

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A friend of mine who is a big Spurs fan sent the following question and observation below. I thought him I haven’t noticed it but I will look closely for it next game. Do any of you agree with his observation?

Mel, is it me or does it seem like Joe Johnson is not on board with Teague running the show?

I know what you mean, but I keyed in on him a few times and it seems like he’s a little uncomfortable with Teague’s success.

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I’m a little surprised that I’m saying this, but for all of LD’s various shortcomings when it comes to keeping his players motivated, substitution patterns, and lineup decisions, I think he’s done a good job with X’s and O’s in these playoffs. He’s generally come up with good ideas both offensively and defensively to attack the Magic and Bulls, and he’s done a pretty good job making counter-adjustments when the other team catches on. Of course, his frequently idiotic substitution patterns and inability to get his players to go hard all the time negate a lot of the good he does in that area, but after six years of having a coach who didn’t believe in adjustments of any kind, it is refreshing to see.

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So…I was watching the NBA Gametime coverage of the Heat/Celtics game. Kevin McHale was one of the studio hosts. He was asked who matched up better with the Heat? The Hawks or the Bulls? McHale totally dismissed the Hawks. He would not even discuss the possibility that the Hawks might win the series.

I have never seen a team so dismissed by the talking heads as the Hawks. Not sure how there could be anyone who has been watching this series that would so easily count out the Hawks. Yet, that’s all I hear. McHale is not the only one. Also, Bill Simmons and several others just give the Hawks zero chance of advancing.

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KenS – Welcome Back!!!

I wish the Hawks would win a championship just for you! You deserve it.

Glad your better

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Hawks next season if we don’t re-sign Jamal:

G’s
Teague
Hinrich
JJ
Sy

SF’s
Marvin
Wilkens (I hope – he’s played well when given a chance)

PF
Josh

C/Bigs
Al
ZaZa
Collins (Again, I think he deserves another year)

We’ve got 8 of those 10 under contract.

We need another PG – I say Berea guy from the Mavs – he would fit great with our team.

One mock draft has us drafting that little G from Washington – he looked good

Another mock draft has us drafting some softy from Germany – 6-10 205, averages like 2 boards a game and can’t guard anybody. The scouting report said he was like a young Dirk with small shoulders.

PF – I say we sign Chucky Hayes if we can.

2 more bigs – I say we go after Chris Wilcox and Kwame Brown and call it a summer.

Unless we can pull of some trade involving Marvin for ?

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Assimilate!

I just had an epiphany from listening to Steve and Gregg on NBA TV.
Bosh has had to sacrifice his game moreso than DeWayne and LeBron to make this heat team work. Ir has not been easy for Bosh, going from the first option, who can do it all.

At 6′11 he cane take his man off the dribble, run isos, post up, fade away, dunk and drain jumpers. Well, this heat team has two of the best players in the league that can and will do all those things equally well.

Bosh has had to figure out where he fits into that pecking order and as a third option he has had to occupy space and find other things to do that are not as noticeable nor noteworthy. Like:

Rebound
Defend the paint and rim
Be ready to hit the open jumper (whenever it comes?)

That’s the thing, there is no rhythm to the madness, so he never knows when Wade or James will come off the ball and dump it on his head.
No wonder he cried!
__________________

Here’s my point: the Hawks have 5 players who can all do similar things, some better than others and some who think they can do some things that either they clearly can NOT do, (but think they can) or, they can, but that is not what the team need from them … (ahem … Josh).

In other words, the hawks have not clearly defined team roles or the players we have? Have not completely bought into their team roles.
Forget about one’s ability. That is not the question, the question is:

What does your team need from you and when do they need it.
Individual play does not constitute togetherness. IDK if the hawks are there yet, wrong … I know they are not there yet.

We are still and yet disjointed on the intangibles. Proof? The up and down performances.

We see flashes of UNIT play, but we don’t see it game in and game out.

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SteveW- I would gladly welcome chuck hayes -he is a load in the middle at only 6′6- he could probably show Al how to score in the post. Kwame maybe but wilcox is a bum and overpaid as well. Dont think we’ll have the cap space but Chandler is who i want -dont think cuban will let him get away though. dam it come on grizzlies

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So are the cheap Hawk owners going to pass out those white shirts for free or charge? Looking at the Thunder fans, I find it hard to believe they charged fans with as many white tees in the stands.

On a side note… Mike Bibby is a joke. He is pass boy on the Heat and only time you see him is when he jumps in the air (off the bench) against Wade or James. Loser!

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If any of you Hawks fans are in Chicago during Game 6, we’re all gathering at Kelsey’s on Lincoln Ave. Kelsey’s is the only Falcons bar in Chicago (probably the Midwest) and it’s a fun group to watch a game with. Plus, it’s better than watching solo in a bar full of Bulls fans.

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I’ve said more than once that I think Marvin will be improved next year with JC1 gone. I even went so far as to say by the playoffs next year you will all be saying he is worth his contract. But after watching him play this postseason, I’m ready to say he’s the biggest bust in the history of the NBA. Keep in mind, I was the guy on 640 GST saying the Hawks should draft Deron Williams when the entire AJC staff, including Sekou Smith, was 100% on board with the Marvin Williams pick. I just thought Marvin would develop into a competent mid-level NBA player and give the Hawks SOMETHING. I was wrong.

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“I have never seen a team so dismissed by the talking heads as the Hawks. Not sure how there could be anyone who has been watching this series that would so easily count out the Hawks. Yet, that’s all I hear.”

As lackluster as the Hawks’ regular season was, it’s not too surprising.

I hope the Hawks do get a shot at the Heat though. I think the Hawks match up a lot better with the Heat than most people think. I would start the big lineup and switch every screen that didn’t involve the center. The Hawks have the swingmen to give LeBron and Wade plenty of different looks as well as the physical big men to give Bosh serious problems scoring, not to mention there is nobody on the Heat who can guard Teague.

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Boston – I think Ainge over thought his hand, and lost a championship because of it.

I think Ainge thought:

No way Kendrick comes back. Don’t need him anyhow, cause we got Shaq and O’Neal for the next two seasons for championship runs. He was wrong about Perkins and Shaq, and it cost him a championship.

Nate Robinson may have even helped the C’s against the Heat. Could you see Bibby guarding Nate?

And I think Ainge saw a way to begin building for the future with Green, while still competing for a Championship.

He missed on that.

But the Celtics are staying together for one more year.

And I tell you, if Shaq were 20 mpg healthy, and Rondo wasn’t playing with a broken arm or whatever, I’m not sure the Celtics don’t beat the Heat this season.

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The NBA – where biased officiating happens.
Cheaters always prosper here because CHEATING is big business – too much money to be made to be impartial and equitable. Is the NBA far away from any semblance of genuine parity?
Teague is the pg of the future – it is what it is Sund needs to look no further.

Welcome back Ken Strickland! May you have a speedy recovery.

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If we get to the Heat, remember LD wouldn’t allow Teague to see the court against Bibby that game after the trade.

Teague had been beastin’ it, and many were saying Teague has earned his stripes. Then LD sits him, to not be embarrassed I’m quite sure by watching the guy he wouldn’t start over Bibby dismantle him.

LD was a massive loser during the regular season..

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No way Jerry Sloan goes from the frying pan to the fire and replaces Derron with Josh Smith! He’s (Sloan) been there, done that and walked away. It’s likely Smoove is a much tougher nut to crack than Derron was. Sloan don’t have the patience for that sh!t at this point in his life.

I seriously doubt any name-brand coach will come here as long as Josh Smith is here.

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“They have seen DRose get every bump for an AND-1 and our end is not producing the same results.” – KevinM

Unintended consequence of hiring the cheapest coach available… do you think Las Vegas Larry wants to shell $35 grand out of his own pocket to call the refs out?

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Seriously, this is part of the gamesmanship of the NBA… Phil Jackson constantly complained to the media about the refs and never gave a damn how much they fined him. But you better believe the public scrutiny he thus created had an effect on the calls in the ensuing games. The calls in this series will continue to disproportionately favor the Bulls because Las Vegas Larry isn’t complaining about it. The refs are getting away with it and they know it.

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Najeh!

Great view points!

The darned heat act like they just won something.
That Celtics team, much like the Magic – panicked when the Heat made that 13 game blitz run after struggling the first 25 games, and foolishly gutted their rosters in anticipation.

I was telling sleepy after game one in this Bulls series. A wunner should never launch a preemptive strike on defensive schemes after a convincing win. In other words, Boston and Orlando should have stood pat and stay the course for one more good run.

Back to the heat’s triumph. The celtics long teeth are the equivalent of a 20 year old saber tooth tiger. I won’t even mention Rondo’s elbow, because he was suited and booted – no excuses! But, the heat’s win really is not that impressive to me, they just matched up well for whatever reasons and that celtics team is not the same team they fell to in the recent past, not even close.

(Perkins, Tony Allen, Nate Rob., leon Powe, who was that quiet guy that was a load in the post for them that first year they came together? Uggh!)

I mean, really LeBron/Wade? Are you looking past:
OKC, Memphis, Hawks, Bulls, Dallas? I hope they do.

Anyway, Najeh, great comments up there.

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One other thing I will say about LD: I think the team has bought into his system a lot more in these playoffs than they ever did in the regular season. You can tell from some of their comments that the players’ confidence in LD seems to be higher. I don’t think LD did a very good job selling his system to his players before the season, and the ups and downs of the regular season were a result of players reverting to Woody ball (which is all many of them knew) and only half-heartedly executing what LD had in mind. They still haven’t fully bought in yet to the point where they execute consistently, and a lot of that is LD’s own doing with the way he rides Joe and Jamal and allows his players to play iso ball when the chips are down. But I think these playoffs have gone a long way towards increasing LD’s standing with the players on this current roster, even if we the fans still have legitimate questions about his ability to coach this team.

Just as the Hawks got rid of Bibby to save LD from himself, though, they may have to do the same thing with Jamal this offseason. And it’s too bad, really, because if Jamal was used properly he could be a real asset to this team without being the liability that he is when his shots are not falling.

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“At what point in the 4th quarter did Las Vegas Larry call a time out and take JC1 and JJ to task for going ISO and bricking 26-footers? Didn’t happen. He’d still be starting Bibby if he was given the option. His rotations are based on who he feels is entitled to minutes, not who is producing.” – Buddy Grizzard

Exactly. Joe Johnson needs to get the same lesson that Marvin Williams got. He should have received it long ago. I always felt that drafting Jordan Crawford made it unnecessary to re-sign Joe Johnson, and I was livid when they traded him to the Wizards. Jordan is going to be another great player that we let go in order to keep a lackluster player.

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Steve W, Buddy Grizzard and Najeh – I concur. That Miami game-Teague benching was shameless and utterly selfish. He put his rep over the chance to win and that’s the sign of a coward. The Hawks will be hard pressed not to take on the characteristics of LD in the future.

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Royal Ivey sighting in this Grizzlies-Thunder game.

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Thanks everyone for your well wishes, they are all well received. We need to create an OFF problem for the Bulls the way DRose has created for us. Teague has been very successful beating his man off the dribble and getting into the lane without the aid of any picks.

Just think how much of a problem he’d cause if we ran constant pick and rolls with him, like the Bulls do with Rose. With Teague as our OFF focus in pick and rolls, the Bulls will certainly have to stop dropping off Teague to double team JJ or Jamal.

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“But I think these playoffs have gone a long way towards increasing LD’s standing with the players on this current roster.” – Najeh

Agree with your comments. I think LD is an excellent X’s and O’s coach, I just think he’s a poor leader. But like I said before the series started, going up against Thibs was going to be the ultimate test of how far he has come. Right now I don’t see him putting his own money on the line to call out the refs and negate some of CHI’s obvious advantage there. And I don’t see him getting the team to run his offense in the 4th quarter of a close game when it really matters.

I hope we don’t re-sign JC1 and trade JJ in the offseason. Build this team around ASA, Smoove and Teague. LD can stay or go at that point, don’t care.

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Hawks Fan In New Orleans

May 11th, 2011
11:53 pm

Co-sign.

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No. 5 on the Hawks can now pump out his chest and strut around (as he did after Game 3) in his neighborhood for awhile. No one else really thinks he is that great and merited any kind of celebration such as that. Maybe he has never won anything before . . . oh wait, he still hasn’t.

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