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
SteveW
January 3rd, 2012
4:36 pm
AJ – Please look at the opposing PG’s stats – He was playing solid D and playing equal or nearly equal to Stephen Curry, Ty Lawson, and destroying Andre Miller. Every PG is going to have 5-7 games stretches with those numbers. Rose, Wall, all of them. The tear drop doesn’t fall everytime.
That’s my point, your criticizing regularly our most consistent player. Oh well, i know, i know, it’s only the Houston game 1st half. Nope – What don’t you like about him? Just come clean man. Ain’t no shame. Some folks just don’t like other folks for some reason
Nevermind
yoursporthouse dot com
January 3rd, 2012
4:40 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
Astro Joe
January 3rd, 2012
4:49 pm
Steve, other than the Houston game, when did I critcize him this season? Please, find it. And what did I criticize in the Houston game? That he took ZERO shots in the 1st half. Is that okay with you? Why is it a problem that I don’t want our PG taking ZERO shots in a half? I’d rather see Josh Smith take 10 3-pointers in a half rather than watch him not shoot at all. I don’t get why thatis a problem for you, that I want my PG shooting at least a single shot in a half of basketball. DAYUM. He took the direction of “get your teammates involved” to an extreme that deserved criticism. if Player X is told to “take you game inside the paint” and then refuses to hoist a game winning half-court shot with a second left, then that would likewise be taking instruction to a stupid extreme that hurts the team. And I would criticize such a boneheaded and immature interpretation of feedback.
Astro Joe
January 3rd, 2012
4:53 pm
Steve, you refuted my previous statement by offering up that west coast trip. If you identify a stretch of games where a player shoots poorly and claim that they are “balling”, then you should expect someone to disagree with you. Like you said, even a HOFer has a bad stretch, but does a fan label that bad stretch as “balling”? Trust me, I was criticizing your statement then, not Teague.
BigTimeTECHFan
January 3rd, 2012
4:56 pm
Sick of ESPN, don’t watch sportcenter or any other shows other then actual games
SteveW
January 3rd, 2012
4:57 pm
AJ – Ok, so you say you haven’t criticized Teague this season other than that 1 half of 1 game. I’ve got waaaaay better things to do with my life than search thru dozens of pages of blogs to find a couple of other snippets – so we’ll leave it.
For the record, about my philosophy – I wanna win. I don’t care if Teague does 1 backwards shot per game, if it helps us win. I’ll criticize the players/Coaches I feel are keeping us from winning. I try to play no favorites.
Same with trades. If the trade helps us win, trade JJ. Trade Josh, Trade Teague. I just wanna win. ATL needs a championship. Just thought I would add that. I like the team, the Hawks, better than the individual parts.
pikkiwoki
January 3rd, 2012
4:58 pm
T-Mac’s defense is mixed. His on ball defense is pretty decent. But his off the ball defense is pretty terrible, often getting burned on backdoor cuts as he loses sight of his man. His activity level and hustle is pathetic most of the time. He rarely boxes out, often stands around and watches when the ball is in the air, and will allow big offensive rebounds by the other team that could be game changing. All of this was true even in his prime, but no one noticed it since he was such a supreme talent on offense. Now it’s even more noticeable since it seems like he’s trying to avoid contact to protect his surgically repaired knee.
On offense, I see too much standing around. He doesn’t know how to move without the ball, since he really never had to in the past, as he’s always had the ball in his hands, rightfully so. Not to say he is a ballhog, because he is not. He has excellent court vision and is a great passer, great at reading defenses, especially when running pick and roll. But he needs the ball in his hands to do those things.
All that said I’m cheering hard for him. He’s still my favorite player. In his prime he was more offensively talented than Kobe. When healthy he is a joy to watch, like watching a master artist at work.
I’m a Hawks fan, at least for this year.
yoursporthouse dot com
January 3rd, 2012
4:59 pm
I’m saying it now. Teague is the best PG so far through 6 games that we have had since Mookie Blaylock. Name the last few PGs, Bibby? Bimbo Coles? A C Law? Anthony Johnson? Jason Terry (maybe, but he’s more of a 2)?
Slimjr
January 3rd, 2012
5:03 pm
Josh for Derrick Williams…We saw last night what a #3 can do to impact a game and lift his team,sorta like what Paul Pierce does on a nightly basis for Boston..
Rod from College Park
January 3rd, 2012
5:03 pm
“Why is it a problem that I don’t want our PG taking ZERO shots in a half?”
Good question. So why is it a problem for you, when I said Marvin was invisible in the first half, after attempting 1 shot, getting no boards, and playing no defense? Hmmmm.
“if Player X is told to “take you game inside the paint” and then refuses to hoist a game winning half-court shot with a second left, then that would likewise be taking instruction to a stupid extreme that hurts the team. And I would criticize such a boneheaded and immature interpretation of feedback.”
Talk about sentence structure. LOL
Been a Tmac Fan
January 3rd, 2012
5:04 pm
@ Vava74
Your just another Hater on Tmac list. If he forced more shot like “Kobe” does, he’ll adv. 20+ a game if he wanted to.
yoursporthouse dot com
January 3rd, 2012
5:07 pm
Slim jr,
“Josh for Derrick Williams…We saw last night what a #3 can do to impact a game and lift his team,sorta like what Paul Pierce does on a nightly basis for Boston..”
So who is going to patrol the paint, or will you be ok with people just coming through the lane dunking and laying up at will against us?
Slimjr
January 3rd, 2012
5:07 pm
JT will be an Allstar this year or next..
That windmill dunk from a 6′1″ dude was spectacular..BTW he took off 4 ft beyond the dotted circle to make sure LEQueen would not deny him on the trail as he so often does on espn top ten plays!
What a F’ing Warrior? Josh go sit down somewhere and say nothing to this guy.. He runs circles around you!
Rod from College Park
January 3rd, 2012
5:08 pm
pikkiwoki,
Having said all those things about TMac. He is better than option 2, even with his weaknesses.
yoursporthouse dot com,
I agree. Reminds me a little of Mookie defensively. Quick hands. Hopefully his jumper ends up being a lot better.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 3rd, 2012
5:09 pm
“You must not have read any of my posts this summer. Been preaching “Marvin return to pre-JC1 form” the whole offseason.”
“Pre-JC1″ form, on a per minute basis, was almost exactly the same as the last two seasons. He got to the line a little less with Jamal around, but that’s about it. His averages so far this year are significantly higher across the board than they have ever been. If he keeps this up it will be a career year for him, by far.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 3rd, 2012
5:11 pm
“The fact that Smith is taking 6 jumpers a game, while the best midrange shooter in the league last year ( Al Horford ) has only taken EIGHT jumpers TOTAL from that same range all year, is unacceptable.”
Agree, but with that said, Al’s mid range jumper has been pretty unimpressive so far this year, too. I hope he can find a way to get it going again.
doc
January 3rd, 2012
5:11 pm
honest dont forget point par excellance pape sy we drafted.
gdad, um we talked about cmr. man he took those guys right out of the game. hated the call to short side, then falling on the ball for a chip shot 43 yarder. talk about loading the pressure up on the kid. he must have felt murray was dome for he season. it was a bowl game cmr not the championship, maybe you wont do it again under the right circumstances ever. chip shot yes not beyond 40.
vava74
January 3rd, 2012
5:12 pm
Been,
You completely miss the point.
I am expressing a concern: the sample is too small to feel that confident about T-Mac’s ability to contribute.
I also said I wish I am wrong.
Grandmaster JeJe
January 3rd, 2012
5:14 pm
Grandad,
all is well. busy season begins soon
Welcome back
Slimjr
January 3rd, 2012
5:14 pm
“So who is going to patrol the paint, or will you be ok with people just coming through the lane dunking and laying up at will against us?”
Al, ZaZa, and Collins will have to hold it down until we pull off the blockbuster trade in franchise history!
Derrick, D12, and fill in the Blank…We’re going to a finals for the very 1st time!! Yeah!!!!!
vava74
January 3rd, 2012
5:16 pm
AJ in full “strawman deployment” mode…
Sautee
January 3rd, 2012
5:17 pm
Ken Strickland,
Re: “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?”
Yes, me.
I certainly think that CP3 and DWill are transcendent talents, and that Woody would have recognized it quickly. He certainly recognized that Horford was the best center on the team, rookie, or no.
Ken, you of all people know that I’m no Woody fan, but in this case, in my opinion, he would have seen just what he had, once they dominated in practice (as they surely would have done). So I DO believe that they would have been elite here. And that’s a shame.
Slimjr
January 3rd, 2012
5:20 pm
If Stevie Wonder was the HC, CP3 and DWill would still be elite! Yes Sir..
There must be a reason why Woodie aint a head coach and Billy Knight has not been rehired? HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM….
Sautee
January 3rd, 2012
5:21 pm
doc,
As far as CMR, he DID go for it in the first quarter, and failed. Had he kicked a field goal there, then maybe there’s no OT. He can’t win either way, but he deserves a mention for going for 4th and goal.
honest_abe
January 3rd, 2012
5:27 pm
when this become a dawgs blog. niiiice!
cmr did go for the 4th down after taking a time out. did he not go through the possibility of a 4th and 1 deep in spartan territory early in the game? and if so why take a time out to think about it and then run it straight up the middle. lack of preparation.
no excuse for the play calling in OT. struggling kicker and all you do is run once up the gut? ugh. god awful. i’m a richt supporter but he’s getting on my last nerves.
yoursporthouse dot com
January 3rd, 2012
5:27 pm
Slimjr,
I like your enthusiasm, but I don’t think D12 will come here with this incompetent ownership group. Horford, Zaza, and Collins are not shot blockers. Nobody is scared to drive the ball with them in the paint. The only flaw that everybody talks about with Josh is him shooting outside. I don’t like the jumpshots either, but it has improved. I just want him to shoot maybe 3 to 4 a game to keep the defense honest. Shoot them when it’s absolutely necessary (shot clock running out). It’s like Andruw Jones slightly, his defense outweighs the few jumpshots he takes and “MISSES”.
Slimjr
January 3rd, 2012
5:27 pm
Giants 45 Fal-cons 17
Giants O-line will destroy the Falcons D-line, game, set, and match…..
Slimjr
January 3rd, 2012
5:29 pm
Josh is a momentum killer.. With his lack of fundamentals and always trying to be the HERO or the ONE!!!!!!!!!!!
Slimjr
January 3rd, 2012
5:31 pm
Why cant the Dawgs be the best? Why cant the Falcons beat the best?
Maybe Larry Drew aint the worst HC in Georgia after all? LMAO!!!!
Slimjr
January 3rd, 2012
5:32 pm
Dawgs beat^^^
Start out fast
January 3rd, 2012
5:34 pm
start out fast and lose in 1st or 2nd round….ho hum….you know that’s what will happen.
honest_abe
January 3rd, 2012
5:35 pm
if josh hasn’t learned by now, i have little reason to think he ever will. everyone points to his marvelous d. i say please. a highlight block every night does not a great defender make. good defender and god awful in every other aspect of the game makes for a never ending headache. so stop shooting, stop standing around, stop sulking, stop yelling at teammates after you throw up a brick with 15 left on the shot clock, stop throwing retarded passes, stop being josh! whew i feel better.
Just play a few min. and be done with it....
January 3rd, 2012
5:37 pm
Do the first 45 minutes in a basketball game really matter?
doc
January 3rd, 2012
5:40 pm
sautee, didnt see the ga game in full only bits but it was hen it was toughest he put the kid out there already struggling. dont mention the bees where i saw maybe the last moments aw well. left you a new years greeting and my thoughts on that one back a few blogs. i will say this, braine got it right, that tech is a seven game avg school with the occasional good year. you know i have been closely watching the scores of tech now for over 55 yrs and they forget that was all dodd got after sapp broke the streak in 56. it is what it is. cpj now 14-12 last two years with his own recruits, 20-7 with someone elses. see a trend here, even my brothers have let doubt come into their minds.
yoursporthouse dot com
January 3rd, 2012
5:41 pm
honest_abe,
Ok you don’t know basketball. Do you know what that highlight block does to the other team? When you drive the lane and you know he’s in the game, it changes how you approach the basket. It changes how you go to the rim. You’re always looking around knowing he’s somewhere lurking. When a shot-blocker is out of the game, it changes how you drive the ball. I admit he turns the ball over and makes some bad decisions, but so does Joe, Teague, Horford. Everyone makes bad decisions. God awful at every other aspect of the game? So he’s not a good rebounder? Not a good finisher on the break?
Sucker born.....
January 3rd, 2012
5:43 pm
How much money does it cost to attend a game in a decent seat? Crazy, isn’t it.
I’ll spend mine elsewhere instead of supporting the jocks jacka$$ lifestyle.
doc
January 3rd, 2012
5:45 pm
you play, the same can be said for football as well. if the rest of the game is decent or not, the last five minutes are all that is relevant. if it has been a bad game you just dont watch the part that wont be meaningful. if it was decent, then it is much better at the end plus a few highlights.
yoursporthouse dot com
January 3rd, 2012
5:47 pm
No UGA football, there is a blog for that. In that case, how bout those South Carolina Gameco.ks!
honest_abe
January 3rd, 2012
5:51 pm
yoursporthouse: my basic point in that rant was that he should be better at this point in his career. but he seems insistent on doing things his own way which make just about everything else he does painful to watch.
is he a good finisher? absolutely but he insists on bringing the ball up the court on fast breaks.
is he a good rebounder? at times. when he wants to be.
we can argue the merits of josh till we’re blue in the face. but he’s still an immature guy who refuses to play to his strengths and continues to think he’s something he’s not, which is a shooter, passer or dribbler.
just rebound, play d, play with energy, move on offense, hard cuts, solid picks, crash the offensive boards, finish on the break and he’d be an all star. he used to be my favorite player.
hawkfan
January 3rd, 2012
5:58 pm
MC you must be working hard with all these hawks games coming up, even as a fan myself all these games are almost hard to keep up with, its almost like baseball schedule
yoursporthouse dot com
January 3rd, 2012
5:59 pm
His Dad was an awesome jumpshooter, so I think pride has taken over cause he thinks he should be able to shoot like his pops. His pops had range from the locker room. He should play more to his game but I don’t want people sitting here thinking because of 2 bad passes and 2 airballs, the Hawks lose everytime. He wins a lot of games for the Hawks as well. I’m telling you watch the game when he’s in and when he’s out. Watch how opponents drive the ball when he’s in and then watch how it changes once he is out. I agree with the negative points, but with the pieces we have, it can be tolerated a couple times a game.
SteveW
January 3rd, 2012
5:59 pm
So AJ let me get this straight – you like Jeff Teague overall as a player?
jhan
January 3rd, 2012
6:03 pm
I’ve seen enough of the JSmoove show by now to realize he will never be anything more than he is right now. He can’t shoot so he will be basically useless once his athletic ability wanes. I would be open to moving him fairly soon. I love the Josh – Pau idea.
doc
January 3rd, 2012
6:21 pm
what is the tv feed this game?
jhan are you in same seats, moved or gave up?
cybo
January 3rd, 2012
6:38 pm
Grand dad sorry about the loss of your family member.
Welcome back to the blog
Been a Tmac Fan
January 3rd, 2012
6:42 pm
Josh Smith is the X-FACTOR. Tmac is the Leader. Joe Johnson is the Silent Killer.
FreshFromATL
January 3rd, 2012
6:42 pm
Doc,
It’s the same as every game, LOL & SMH.
jhan
January 3rd, 2012
6:52 pm
doc – I’ve given them up. You still have the same two?
Grandmaster JeJe
January 3rd, 2012
6:56 pm
What is the best feed ppl use for games?
I’m talking about fast feed, good quality….wiziwig? Looks like channelsurfing sucks now
northcyde
January 3rd, 2012
6:59 pm
@ yoursporthouse dot com
No it can’t be tolerated. And it WOULDN’T be tolerated from a veteran coach. Doc Rivers sure in the hell wouldn’t tolerate it. Avery Johnson wouldn’t tolerate it.
And you’re right. Josh does win games . . . DEFENSIVELY.
That has always been Smith’s worth to this team . . his defense. On offense, he’s won games by following up missed shots. He’s hit maybe 3 or 4 jumpshots in his career in the final 2 minutes, that has preserved the game. But no one in their right mind is drawing up a play at the end of the game, freeing up Josh for a game winning jumper.
Fans don’t mind him trying to score. We just want him to score GOING TO THE RIM. Why won’t he attack the rim? Why is he trying to prove everybody wrong, by shooting all of these jumpers? If you know him personally, ask him that.
I’ve cited that he is 6 – 29 FG on shots 16 feet and beyond. Well if I were to expand that to ALL SHOTS that are not right at the rim, he’s shooting 7 – 35 FG
Seven for Thirty-Five
And you want to let him take shots that aren’t at the rim “every once in a while”?
He’s 12 – 17 FG when he does take shots at the rim, not including the field goal attempts that don’t count because he gets fouled on the play. That is the strength of his offensive game. Why won’t he play to his strengths?
Jeff Teague has a suspect jumpshot at times, yet, he drives the ball to the rim as much as he can. Why can’t Josh do the same?