Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 100, Heat 92
Miami–After a bad start, the Hawks settled down behind a zone defense and better shot selection. Tracy McGrady delivered the finishing blows.
- “It feels good,” McGrady said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had that feeling. My legs feel fresh. Everything just feels good. It feels right. That’s a good sign. I haven’t felt this good in a long time, probably since the beginning of my knee injury.”
- We’ll see how McGrady holds up physically but so far he’s looking like the kind of low-cost value the the Hawks needed if they were going to improve the team without paying the tax. He scores, rebounds, passes and defends. And he still loves the big moments. “I’m a competitor, especially competing against the best, LeBron and D-Wade,” he said. “I’m always up for the challenge. Those guys, it brings the best out of you. It felt pretty good.”
- Not sure if the Hawks were lethargic early or if they just couldn’t handle the Heat’s speed and ball movement. “Early in the game we were too soft,” Larry Drew said. “We just allowed them to drive the ball to thee basket [and] not contesting shots. You give credit where credit is due, and certainly Miami is a heck of a ballclub. But you can’t come into this building and just allow them to drive it down your throat every possession and not put up any resistance.”
- The bench guys got the Hawks back in it. “We got off to a slow start but our bench really lifted us up,” Joe Johnson said. “That’s how it’s going to have to be sometimes.”
- Atlanta’s zone defense changed the pace of the game. By playing zone, the Hawks took a page from the books of Boston and Dallas in last season’s playoffs and also their W here last January. The Heat looked befuddled by the alignment. Suddenly they were stagnant instead of dynamic, settling for contested jumpers instead of attacking the basket at will.
- “They went to the zone and we got out of our rhythm and what was disappointing was it affected our concentration from then on,” Erik Spoelstra said.
- “I didn’t know how good the zone would be,” Drew said. “I just wanted to try to keep the game at a pace that would allow us to play at a speed that would slow them down. They missed some shots so it worked to our advantage tonight. Some nights it doesn’t work to your advantage.”
- “The Celtics had success [with the zone],” McGrady said. “Dallas had the most success. Teams are just taking a little bit of what they did to them. You can’t play them one-on-one, I’m sorry. LeBron and D-Wade, I don’t give a damn how good your defense is, you can’t play them one-on-one so you have got to come up with something different.”
- At the same time the zone slowed down the Heat, the Hawks stopped settling for Js.
- Josh Smith mostly stayed away from them after jacking a few early. Marvin Williams was effective cutting off the ball. Al Horford scored through high activity around the basket and also had some nice cuts. And Johnson got his in spite of Miami’s swarming defense.
- Johnson also helped harass Wade into an off night. He used his length to keep Wade off balance, scraping at the ball and forcing him into help. “You have to be ready to play him,” Drew said of Wade. “He is so good and so elusive off the dribble. I thought Joe Johnson did a phenomenal job against him. Joe to me is one of the better defensive players at that spot. He does not get enough credit for it.”
- Johnson played with a brace on his right thumb. It’s the same injury that bothered him at times last season. “As you can see it’s always swollen,” he said. “When I get hit on it it is sore for a few possessions and then it kind of goes out. For the most part I will be all right. It will linger around for the whole season but there is nothing I can do about it.”
- Atlanta hawked the ball and turned 16 Miami turnovers into 19 points. It could have been a lot more if not for Atlanta’s turnovers on the break (a big problem last season) and a few blown layups. “We did get in the open court but I don’t think we finished very well,” Drew said. “A few times it looked like we had clear paths to basket but just didn’t finish. But we did a good job in recognizing when to run and when not to.”
- Jeff Teague got to the basket and didn’t finish a few times, but he kept attacking. He lost the ball a couple times on the break but set up key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter from McGrady and Johnson. Tonight he found the right balance of attacking to score and attacking to make plays for others.
- Jannero Pargo also made a big 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. Willie Green (0 for 5) was quick on the trigger again and didn’t make many other positive contributions. Vladimir Radmanovic is now 0 for 10 in his last two games but he grabbed four rebounds and had three assists. Zaza Pachulia fouled a lot and tangled with Udonis Haslem.
- It’s early in the season but this was a strong, spirited effort by the Hawks against the best team in the East.
- “We came down in a hostile environment and we came to play,” Josh said. “Even though we started off struggling, we just kept fighting and playing hard.”
- “I think everybody in this locker room is confident,” Teague said. “I think we know we are a good team that can play with anybody . But I don’t think it proved anything. It’s still early in the season. It’s another game but it’s a good stepping team for us as a team.”
- “If you look at this game and the game at Houston, you see two different ballclubs,” Drew said. “We have to become a more consistent ballclub. When we reach that stage, yeah, we can start talking about statements. Right now we are just trying to find ourselves as a club and get better.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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266 comments Add your comment
hawks_4_life
January 3rd, 2012
2:03 pm
When do the power rankings come out? Curious to see how much respect our birds will get.
Astro Joe
January 3rd, 2012
2:08 pm
Steve, I’m not a beat writer, I have no obligation to evaluate all 15 players on the roster.
Grandad
January 3rd, 2012
2:11 pm
Comments I’ve been wanting to make:
(a) my “panties were not in a wad” as I do not wear panties;
*[ concerning my recent truncated retirement from the blog ]
nor do I wear underdrawers of any kind.
*[ I would't wear britches at all if Mrs G-dad didn't make me ]
(b) Josh + one for Pau Gasol
(c) T-Mac brings warranted authority within the team;
likewise celebrity and standing amongst NBA circles,
including media polyphemes [though blinded by Lebronysseus]
such as espn and others.
(d) my son texted me Last eve:
“Teague might be an all -star this year”
(e) Josh;
” He’s dumber than a bag of door-knobs ” (B-ball IQ)
*[automatic qualifier / I like josh]
I liken Josh to Aaron Murray (UGA), he makes plays,
but he will get you beat & sometimes flat out lose the game for you.
-Repeat … Josh for Gasol-
note:
-more to come-
____________________________________________
Najeh
BJ Mullens was simply the staw / (feather) that broke the camal’s back.
Charlotte acquired a legit 7 ftr with potential for next to nothing.
I cannot imagine, [with us holding two 2nd round picks],
that we will come close to drafting his [Mullens] potential.
*That was my straw.
_____________________________________________
vava74
January 3rd, 2012
2:12 pm
guys, guys, guys… lay off… AJ is the author and copyright holder of the following brilliant theory:
“Teague only played well in the playoffs against CHI because he was learning on the bench and in practice all year long and he would have never ever would have had that production earlier in the year if he had been given the opportunity to play consistent minutes.”
Wabe
January 3rd, 2012
2:18 pm
Teague’s always brought more to the table than Mike Bibby…
Astro Joe
January 3rd, 2012
2:19 pm
Vava, that’s right. Y’all act like a player comes out of college ready to ball and doesn’t learn anything in NBA practices. I will ALWAYS reject that theory.
Teague even said himself that he played more basketball during this past off-season than ever before. Horford talked about him needing to “stay focused” (or something like that). Teague talked about NVE telling him to stay aggressive (or something like that). Why is it so inconceivable that something “clicked” that may not have “clicked” back in November, 2011? Why is it hard to believe that a young player could mature and see the light? Isn’t that what many hope happens for other players on the roster? If Al becomes a banger tonight, could it be that he resolved himself to bang in a way that he did not before? If Josh suddenly stops shooting from more than 18 feet, should we not assume that there was a specific point in time when he “got it” that was NOT related to playing time but was related to his own self-awareness?
Yep, I’ll stand by my theory that sometimes, the light bulb comes on outside of real basketball games.
KevinM
January 3rd, 2012
2:20 pm
Either Cousins or Westphal is lying…..he either asked for a trade, twice, or he didn’t.
This is going to remain dysfunctional until one of the 2 get moved out.
And several teams calling Sac to inquire about Cousins’ availability? MC, would Sund admit to any interest in the young big man? We let the Celtics get him, and that is as bad as not attempting to improve your roster.
doc
January 3rd, 2012
2:21 pm
hello gdad. yes, if sund had grabbed him up it would have made a very complete off season for sund under duress. he could have answered many issues with that especially how well we do with draft picks. guess it had something to do with money, ya think?
drmaryb.[*_*].
January 3rd, 2012
2:25 pm
The bench guys got the Hawks back in it. “We got off to a slow start but our bench really lifted us up,” Joe Johnson said. “That’s how it’s going to have to be sometimes.”
_______________
The quote of the year! Mr. Johnson does not say much, but when he does, it’s usually short and sweet. I’ve never heard this said about a Hawks bench in almost two decades. These owners have NO interest in spending money on their bench, we got lucky this year.
If the starters salaries bumps into the cap limit. You almost have to go into the luxury tax to build a useful bench. At least a little luxury tax shouldn’t be off limits.
Fantastic win, team ball goes to TMAC and the bench.
honest_abe
January 3rd, 2012
2:28 pm
please no cousins. i can imagine him and j. smith on the court together. scary. not in a good way. i’d liken it to going into the twighlight zone and somewhat similar to my recurring nightmare i have of jr. “isaiah” rider. yak.
McGrady: no me he sentido tan bien en mucho tiempo « Postebajo
January 3rd, 2012
2:29 pm
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vava74
January 3rd, 2012
2:35 pm
AJ,
Teague’s playoff performance was identical to his performance against CLE to close the 09/10 season.
His game is based on him having the trust of his coaches and his peers.
He is the type of character that needs to receive a vote of trust and will respond positively to that.
I know that you only believe in “one right way of doing things” but I know that you are wrong:
different people react differently to the same treatment, so to get the same result, sometimes you need to tailor the treatment to the subject.
some people need a degree of “pampering”, some don’t. some people react well to adversity and criticism, others don’t.
Teague needs some pampering and when he gets it he transforms into a fearless beast but when you undermine him and reign him in, he sulks.
no one is perfect and coaches need to read the character and act accordingly.
Teague’s confidence – which was booming during his first pre-season – was completely annihilated by Woody and LD has been on the same path.
singling out Teague after the HOU game was CRIMINAL and an act of COWARDICE by LD.
F@cking unbelievable if you want to know what I think and if I were the Hawks GM, LD would have been fired on the spot since that was a clear cut evidence that LD has no place being an HC.
Dept. Of Unintended Irony
January 3rd, 2012
2:46 pm
“T-Mac’s resurgence is a bit inflated because EVERYONE thought he is completely washed up when in fact is still has a LITTLE in the tank (but not as much as everyone thinks).”
OK, lemme get this straight. “Everyone” means all, or so I thought. So who are the “not everyones” who think he has more than the tank than you do?
Clear as mud there, vava. And completely contradictory.
vava74
January 3rd, 2012
2:51 pm
Department:
Yes. No clarity.
What I meant with the second “everyone” was the “new believers in the blog”.
I am taking a prudent approach on what I believe T-Mac will be able to bring to the table when teams start to zero in on him.
DB
January 3rd, 2012
2:52 pm
“T-Mac’s resurgence is a bit inflated because EVERYONE thought he is completely washed up when in fact is still has a LITTLE in the tank (but not as much as everyone thinks).” This same individual stated that teams have been feeling sorry for T-MAC…..um could it be that he is just that good. I mean he is a fregging two time scoring champion! Im not saying he is going to be the hawks savior its just now teams have to approch us with a different demeanor. It use to be that if you got into our bench that was the game….clearly not the case this year. And can we stop the josh smith trade talk. …..for his deficiencies he makes it up with hustle and heart….
vava74
January 3rd, 2012
3:00 pm
The best comparison I can give in relation to T-Mac is Horford last season:
Scouting was behind in relation to his spot shooting and teams gave him space and time to shoot.
During the playoffs, that stopped completely.
I think people were/are looking at T-Mac as washed up and are giving too much space since they don’t feel he is a threat.
Once they do, his production will drop.
And, everyone around here that NOW believes that T-Mac will be averaging 16ppg until the end of the season and in the playoffs will probably not get what they wish.
Clearer now?
vava74
January 3rd, 2012
3:02 pm
I do hope that I am wrong though!
Astro Joe
January 3rd, 2012
3:04 pm
Vava, I agree with you. Some folk do need to be pampered. But IMO, you first try to manage them without pampering, as pampering is not an ideal way to manage an employee. You may ultimately have to “go there” but that should only come after every other management technique has been tried and failed (including incentives based on demonstrated behavior). This team needs another pampered player like they need RandMo on a long-term contract. My guess is that Teague will require less pampering as he matures.
Astro Joe
January 3rd, 2012
3:06 pm
And you can’t try every management technique in the span of a single NBA season, not when you have a dozen other “challenging” employees to manage. (Which is likely why one of LD’s first moves as the head-man was to hire a personal coach for Teague and JC2).
vava74
January 3rd, 2012
3:08 pm
AJ,
The relationship between HEAD-COACH and PLAYER is not EMPLOYER-EMPLOYEE…
Man, you do mix up apples and oranges.
The relationship between HC-Player is between LEADER and FOLLOWER.
A good LEADER understands the FOLLOWERS needs and quirks and tries to adapt his leadership to that without undermining discipline.
Phil Jackson is the living proof of that type of approach.
honest_abe
January 3rd, 2012
3:14 pm
i just don’t know if comparing horfords wide open looks with the attention tmac has been receiving is close to being accurate. tmac for what it’s worth had been creating his own mid range shot this year. last night was the first time i saw him extend beyond the 3 point line. when defenses took away horford’s looks it’s not like he had the ability to get by them and create something. tmac arguably might have the best vision on the team along with the ability to get past his defender off the dribble.
tmac isn’t going to avg 16 ppg but i think he’s vital to this team being able to advance past the 2nd round of the playoffs.
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Rusty
January 3rd, 2012
3:24 pm
Astro Joe when you draft a player with great potential you develop him by playing him ,not by sitting him on the bench. Like MB or JC1 was really getting the job done. Jeff is way better than KH who is probably on the way down.
DB
January 3rd, 2012
3:26 pm
The hawks are getting no respect nationally….yes its only the sixth or seventh game of the season but no love right now from ESPN who is biased
Rod from College Park
January 3rd, 2012
3:34 pm
“Man, you do mix up apples and oranges.”
I think it comes from that bus he rode back in the day. I think it was called the special bus. No comprehension.
On the TMac thing. What you fail to understand is that anybody in that 3 slot for the Hawks, that has any ability will be able to make a great contribution if they have any scoring prowess. the reason I really bash Marvin so hard is because he might get more wide open looks than any other player in the league, besides Josh when he shoots jumpers. When you have Joe, Josh, Al, and now Teague (Bibby) on the floor, smart defensive teams are always going to double Joe, and make someone else beat them. All you really have to do is be able to knock down a rhythm jump shot. It’s not about a specific ppg average for TMac, it about him making good decisions and being a proven threat. If he does not score, but finds Josh or Al for layups, that’s just as good. If teams adjust and play us man to man, and don’t double, then hopefully Joe should be able to get his shot much easier. Teague also helps because he can break his man down (like Jamal), but he chooses to go to the rim, instead of shooting jump shots. The only waek link on the floor if TMac is in there with the starters is Josh, when he shoots jump shots, and I am pretty positive that TMac won’t keep passing the ball to Josh for jumpshots, like another player on our team would. Hint hint.
Grandad
January 3rd, 2012
3:34 pm
LD has improved.
He knows X’s and O’s.
He needs to grow a pair
of legit Bigs with a rebounders mentality !
Thought I was talkin’ about something else – huh ?
I was, LD needs to develop a strong will.
Rod from College Park
January 3rd, 2012
3:35 pm
“tmac isn’t going to avg 16 ppg but i think he’s vital to this team being able to advance past the 2nd round of the playoffs.”
Exactly. Totally agree.
Astro Joe
January 3rd, 2012
3:36 pm
Vava, I doubt that Phil Jackson ever pampered a rookie before first trying a more traditional style of management for a year or two. That doesn’t even make walking around sense. Pampering may be the end result but it isn’t ideal and does very little to foster teamwork. Pampering can too easily be misconstrued as playing favorites, one guy has to run sprints because he forgets where to set the screen on a given play while the other guy gets a gentle and reassuring “just keep trying, you will get it down soon enough”. Sorry, not buying it.
Grandad
January 3rd, 2012
3:42 pm
Off the subject:
Mark Richt needs to learn to:
“try to win the game”
-rather than-
“try not to lose the game”.
Astro Joe
January 3rd, 2012
3:46 pm
OK, I’m done rehashing last year’s drama with Teague. A head coach who used Teague during the interview, was his position coach during his rookie season, and likely landed the job in part because he convinced the owners that he would give Teague every shot to earn more playing time is the evidence I offer that LD was ready to turn the keys over to Jeff and he blew it. The next time we see him, he is balling against Chicago. Some say that he could have done what he did in June back in November. I say that between November and June, he learned in practice. If you allow any college player to practice with professional players, they should get better. Film study, scrimmages, one-on-one drills with coaches employed by the best basketball league in the world, watching players who perform in the best basketball league in the world… all of that creates a unique opportunity to learn your craft.
I have no more desire to discuss Teague’s treatment last year than I do the ‘Nique for Manning trade. But right now, this season, I hope that Teague stays aggressive and never volunteers not to shoot the ball in a half of basketball.
Melvin
January 3rd, 2012
3:49 pm
Check the archives, I told yall Teague was a player since draft night. Not playing Teague cost Woody his job and him playing may have saved LD his job. If LD continue to play these Jedi mind games with Teague playing time like he did in the Houston game then he will be looking for another job this offseason.
Ken Strickland
January 3rd, 2012
3:50 pm
Over the course of the season, TMac just might prove to be more valuable to the Hawks than Jamal ever was. TMac’s superior passing, rebounding, DEF, versatility, and ability to score without taking a volume of shots, gives him the edge overall over Jamal. He doesn’t have to score big to be an asset, while Jamal definitely had to score big to be of any value.
Before this yr, we were totally dependent on Jamal to provide 3pt shooting and virtually any meaningful scoring off the bench. In TMac, Pargo, Green, Radmanovic and Stackhouse, we have 5 capable 3pt shooters and potential scorers. Right now, Pargo, Green and Radmanovic are off their gm as far as shooting and scoring are concerned, and we’re still doing quite well because of their solid DEF. Once they settle in, and we get Hinrich back, look out.
I must admit, Radmanovic is a whole lot more athletic and active than I ever imagined. I looked at him more as a bigger version of Bibby, but I really like the way he plays. Even though he’s known as a 3pt shooter, he doesn’t hesitate to attack the lane and take it to the hoop with authority. Last night, we took it to a Miami team known primarily for their OFF, even though they are a very good DEF team. Tonight, we go against a Chicago team known primarily for its DEF, even though there has been some OFF improvement.
Don’t be surprised to see the Hawks do to them what they did to the Heat. Our DEF was strong enough to hold the NBA’s top scoring OFF 17pts below its average, so they should be able to have an impact of the Bulls OFF. Remember, the Bulls lack of outside scoring makes them just as vulnerable to a good zone DEF as the Heat. A good zone DEF can also limit DRose’s ability to penetrate, and turn both he and Deng into jumpshooters, which isn’t their strong suit.
Grandad
January 3rd, 2012
3:50 pm
” Treat all players the same differently ”
- John Wooden -
[referring to how he handled his players]
* players have different personalities;
the coach must understand this and use this knowledge
* certain players do not get preferential treatment
KevinM
January 3rd, 2012
3:51 pm
680thefan has very little respect for the Hawks. They give them little to no time….good thing we can hear them on that station.
Oh sorry, a Hawks update with Hometown is coming this hour…..should I get all the detail in short form?
KZ
January 3rd, 2012
3:58 pm
“The best comparison I can give in relation to T-Mac is Horford last season:
Scouting was behind in relation to his spot shooting and teams gave him space and time to shoot.
During the playoffs, that stopped completely.
I think people were/are looking at T-Mac as washed up and are giving too much space since they don’t feel he is a threat.
Once they do, his production will drop.
And, everyone around here that NOW believes that T-Mac will be averaging 16ppg until the end of the season and in the playoffs will probably not get what they wish.”
************
Not all of T-Mac’s points are wide-open jumpshots
KevinM
January 3rd, 2012
3:59 pm
Teague:”There’s no night’s off in this league…..”
If there is anyone that can’t take a night off, its Teague.
SteveW
January 3rd, 2012
4:02 pm
AJ – Sorry, you said, “The next time we see him, he is balling against Chicago. ” Nope. He’s ballin’ on a West Coast trip waiting for Hinrich to get well. He balled all kinds of times before Chicago. Larry was just to whatever to take advantage of it.
I have no idea why Larry was so incompetent, not just in that situation, but in many last season, leading to record setting regular season losses and a lottery performance the last 38 games or so last season.
But Ld has done some things right. And I give him credit for the zone against Miami. And the new defensive try. Anyhow, lets get back to rooting for the Hawks!
SteveW
January 3rd, 2012
4:03 pm
KevinM – But everybody has off nites in the League. Some take large parts of almost every nite off. But not JT.
Ken Strickland
January 3rd, 2012
4:05 pm
Is there anyone out there who thinks CP3 or DWill would be the elite PGs they are today if we had drafted them instead of Marvin? Woody didn’t give a doggone how much potential they might have had, they were rookies who weren’t known for their outside shooting. He proved over and over again that he’d rather have a slow, none athletic, one dimension, DEF liability running his OFF(TLue, AJohnson, MBibby), as long as he was a vet, over any rookie, no matter how much talent and/or potential they might have.
In the end, Teague will have the last laugh. He’s now our starting PG, our most consistent player to date, and will be for some time to come. Woodson will likely never get another HC job, but I’m glad he landed on his feet as the Knicks DC. Isn’t it ironic that after ignoring DEF in favor of OFF as the Hawks HC, he’s now responsible for trying to get his beloved Bibby to play DEF, along with Amare and Camelo?
SteveW
January 3rd, 2012
4:06 pm
And I’m hoping LD becomes the next Phil Jackson. Cuz’ I wanna see the Hawks win a Championship. And we’re as close as we’ve been since Mookie, Dikembe, Steve Smith, maybe as close as Wilkins, Doc and the crew.
If TMac keeps ballin’, and some other things fall into place, maybe closer than that – like since St. Louis Hawks close.
SteveW
January 3rd, 2012
4:09 pm
Anybody else glad to see JJ poundin’ the ball less, especially in the 4th quarter?
SteveW
January 3rd, 2012
4:10 pm
KenS – I was thinking the other day that if ATL would have just made 2 moves differently the last 10 years we would have CP3 working with Pau Gasol.
That’s why we got Billy Knight in the first place. Got the guy who stole Gasol from us.
Astro Joe
January 3rd, 2012
4:11 pm
Steve he was shooting less than 40% (as I recall) during that West Coast trip and was shooting less than 50% from within 3 feet (as I recall from the old HoopData website). Thatain’t ballin’, that is brickin’.
Kevin, the hosts on 680 once told me in email that they can’t keep listeners when they talk about the Hawks. I fired back that their boss had purchased the rights to broadcast Hawks games so he clearly thought that he could make money selling ad time on those games, yet for some reason, his employees couldn’t maintain a listening audience for a 30 minute discussion about the team? Makes no sense to me whatsoever. The team is very, very poorly supported by local radio media which is one of the reasons they struggle to engage casual fans. There should be a “Larry Drew Show” or at least one of his assistants should call in every week to discuss the team. We get 5 minutes of propaganda in the morning but very little in terms of interviews. I wasn’t a big Jamal as a player fan, but he was GREAT with the media. I don’t think they have found another player who is as personable and as willing to do interviews. No doubt, this is a very, very poorly marketed team (which is why I don’t get upset with the national media. If they can’t get love in Atlanta, why expect them to get love in Bristol). Of course, the ASG fired their Marketing guru a few years ago… so again, I can’t expect much from an ownership that doesn’t even hire a true Marketing guy.
honest_abe
January 3rd, 2012
4:12 pm
cp3 and dwill would be elite with any coach.
ken s: what super talented pg’s are you referring to? acie law, boris diaw or salim stoudamire? sorry i’m lost. maybe he played those guys because they were better than the alternative. is acie even still in the league? heh
Astro Joe
January 3rd, 2012
4:18 pm
Strickland, look at Acie’s rookie season, he played extensively (when he was healthy) before his extensive playing time proved that he wasn’t worthy of leading a team with playoff-aspirations. Acie has been so good since he left Woody, that he was recently cut by some overseas team after journeying around the NBA as a 3rd string PG. And please don’t mention Salim, he likewise has done nothing to prove that he is an NBA talent since spending 3 years with Woody. Royal Ivey? Puh-lease. I guess LD is bad because he couldn’t turn Pape Sy into Rajon Rondo, huh? All players are capable of being an NBA contributor, they just need time (and maybe some pampering). Ain’t buying that either.
FreshFromATL
January 3rd, 2012
4:24 pm
Hawks ranked 5th in SI’s Power Rankings:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/?eref=sinav&sct=hp_nv_a
FreshFromATL
January 3rd, 2012
4:26 pm
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/britt_robson/01/03/power.rankings/index.html?sct=nba_t11_a1
5
Atlanta Hawks (4-1)
After beating up on patsies New Jersey (twice) and Washington to start the season, the Hawks demonstrated how they might be able to finally rise out of the second tier this year as they won at Miami on Monday. Third-year point guard Jeff Teague had another strong game with 7-of-11 shooting (including 4-of-7 penetrating to the rim) and four steals. Former scoring champ Tracy McGrady continued to brighten the twilight of his career and mitigate the loss of former sixth man Jamal Crawford by erupting for 13 points in the fourth quarter. And Atlanta’s much-improved defense combined its athleticism with discipline to control the pace, limiting Miami to just 10 fast-break points, less than half of the Heat’s NBA-best average. Next up are the host Bulls on Tuesday and a rematch with Miami on Thursday.
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January 3rd, 2012
4:30 pm
[...] Tracy McGrady on how he felt last night: It’s been a long time since I’ve had that feeling. My legs feel fresh. Everything just feels good. It feels right. That’s a good sign. I haven’t felt this good in a long time, probably since the beginning of my knee injury. [...]
KevinM
January 3rd, 2012
4:33 pm
FreshFromATL
January 3rd, 2012
4:24 pm
Hawks ranked 5th in SI’s Power Rankings”
Does that mean we are still 2nd round worthy? Why does this feel like we are Utah of the 90s?
And yes, the more LD does right with this team, the less that Sund even looks at changes to be made. It doesn’t leave me feeling any better than prior to these first 5 games….yet.
yoursporthouse dot com
January 3rd, 2012
4:35 pm
Hawks are better with a good 3 and PG breaking down the defense. Now if we can just trade this Horford guy or ask him to go to the Olajuwon school of post play. This dude has no moves and misses more layups. Everybody was talking this trade Josh. Josh is more versatile than Horford. Marvin has moved down my hit list. I’m on Horford now. Marvin is actually hitting open jumpers and getting to the glass on the offensive end. This Horford guy just wants to spot up and fake and shoot that jumper. He has no game on the block. Also, dude, you’re not a 4 if you can’t be versatile. Stoudamire, KG, Alridge, Dirk, Gasol, Love, Scola, Bosh…etc, these are 4’s that have back to the basket and spot up games. So Horford’s only choice is to play 5 because no 5 will come out and contest that little set shot. He’s not quick enough to go by a 4. He needs to improve his handles and his post game or get the hell on.