Atlanta Hawks at Pacers: Game thread
Indianapolis–At shootaround Tracy McGrady said he was feeling good. Not so much tonight: He’s a late scratch with back spasms. It wasn’t announced until after the locker room was closed to media types so don’t have details.
- Danny Granger (ill) and George Hill (back) are active for the Pacers after missing Monday’s 96-86 loss at Philly.
- Yes, Larry Drew showed the players clips of Charles Barkley’s criticisms of the Hawks during the loss to Miami. I’ve never liked reacting to what Barkley says because smack talking is his schtick and I don’t think it makes much of a difference. Plus, while the loss to the Heat was a bad one it wasn’t enough to draw a conclusion about this team. Don’t get me wrong: I love Barkley. He’s fun and entertaining. His act is good for fans and talk radio (and Web hits, apparently) but has no real bearing on basketball so I tend to just laugh it off.
- And, sure enough, word is Hawks players aren’t going around talking or thinking about sticking it to Barkley. Nevertheless, Drew thought it might do some good for players to hear Barkley’s barbs, so he replayed some of them before the Hawks played at Charlotte Friday. “I wanted them to know, wanted them to hear what the perception is. Most guys take it for what it’s worth and say that’s what he gets paid to say. Those that want to change the perception, they will step up.”
- However, L.D. extended the lesson beyond Sir Charles’ smack talk into areas I think are relevant: “With the officials, if you whine a lot then people will start to say you are a soft team. If you don’t play through adversity, then you will get the label of a soft team. I want guys to play through adversity, when things aren’t going good. I’ve always said it’s easy when things are going good.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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540 comments Add your comment
Grandmaster JeJe
January 11th, 2012
8:52 pm
Ivan may not be the most talented player on this team, but he by far has the most heart.
hawks_4_life
January 11th, 2012
8:52 pm
WE WILL KEEP LOSING UNTIL WE STOP TAKING DUMB@$$ JUMPSHOT…
drmaryb.[*_*].
January 11th, 2012
8:52 pm
Ivan has huge hands. Did yawl see him palm that ball @ the line?
yodaddybrother
January 11th, 2012
8:53 pm
just turned on the game seee us getting our a$$ kicked. What happened to Horford?
northcyde
January 11th, 2012
8:53 pm
O’Brien . . . unless Joe or Josh put up a huge number, we needed Teague and Vlad to play their normal games. They didn’t.
Throw this game in the trash and live to play another game.
O'Brien
January 11th, 2012
8:53 pm
Did Nique just say ZaZa is having a good game?
northcyde
January 11th, 2012
8:53 pm
lol Drew . .. WTF? Coming back with Teague and JJ?
bigdave
January 11th, 2012
8:54 pm
all day!! thats what helps your team
OH BOY
January 11th, 2012
8:54 pm
Seeing people on here giving a pass to this clown Josh Smith.
Ole Hawks's Fan
January 11th, 2012
8:54 pm
I missed most of the third quarter but JJ is running Woddy’s ole ISO offense tonight. Too much dribbling……………must be a Flash Back To Woddy’s Days. This team like everyone is saying………….No Energy Tonight. Didn’t Woody Lite say Ivan would be getting playing time after
the showing against The Heat but Woddy Lite didn’t mean that. JJ is coasting and doin nothing on defense. Come On Man!
Big Lou
January 11th, 2012
8:54 pm
Look at LD reprimanding Ivan like an idiot. Fire LD!
EmirS.
January 11th, 2012
8:55 pm
See this is the thing with all of you. We have 3 of our “key” guys injured and all of a sudden you guys are biting each others heads off. Josh, Joe, or AL CANNOT carry a team by themselves. We are a unit. As a unit we are “legit” but with three of our components missing, how are you guys finding ways to bash on this TEAM.
I’m not even worried about this loss. We don’t have a Dirk or a Kobe that can take over a game. We have three legit stars that grind it out for us when together.
northcyde
January 11th, 2012
8:55 pm
First team to 93 wins this game.
drmaryb.[*_*].
January 11th, 2012
8:55 pm
Every Hawks move should be a drive to the hoop, draw fouls, slow down the game and stop the clock. These pacers are fouling like hella. No calls?
O'Brien
January 11th, 2012
8:55 pm
northcyde,
Turnovers are killing us too. Josh, JJ, ZaZa and Teague all have 3 each.
If the hawks dont go on a run, i think LD should put the bench in, and let the starters get rest for tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Teague short arms a layup. He should have passed it to the guy who was closer to the basket.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 11th, 2012
8:56 pm
LMAO @ this
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201201110465
Look at the shooting percentages.
Big Lou
January 11th, 2012
8:56 pm
This Hawks team needs an owner like A. Blank. You not performing? You’re fired!
Grandmaster JeJe
January 11th, 2012
8:56 pm
This team is a pathetic mess.
OMGOMGOMG INJURIES! THAT’S THE REASON WE ARE GOING TO LOSE
NO. STFU. WE LOST AT HOME TO A TEAM WITHOUT 2 STARTERS ON THE 2ND OF A B2B
Sautee
January 11th, 2012
8:56 pm
northcyde,
Way to go out on a limb.
northcyde
January 11th, 2012
8:56 pm
Wow JJ and Jeff.
JJ is playing around too much. Just shoot the fadeaway turnaround jumper. Matter of fact, just shoot the damn ball as soon as you catch it. Get your damn shots up. Can’t score if you don’t get a shot off.
And Teague . . you got a left hand man . . . use it.
The Spook who sat by the door
January 11th, 2012
8:57 pm
Sautee,
My bad; I don’t want to start anything. I guess I’m real sensitive [about grammar, spelling mistakes, etc.] [no homo] lol.
Grandmaster JeJe
January 11th, 2012
8:57 pm
FIRE ASG
FIRE LD
FIRE SUND
FIRE COACHING STAFF
FIRE ROSTER
FIRE FALCONS ROSTER
FIRE BRAVES ROSTER
ARTHUR BLANK:
BUY THE BRAVES AND HAWKS AND GO FROM THERE.
ENOUGH OF THIS BS
northcyde
January 11th, 2012
8:58 pm
LOL Sautee
I’m just saying. If the Hawks DO make a comeback, they can’t let the Pacers get past 93 points before they do. The max the Hawks can score from this point on, is like 35 points.
So the defense has to clamp up tremendously, along with some shotmaking.
Grandmaster JeJe
January 11th, 2012
8:58 pm
SO WE SHOULDN’T PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT BARKLEY SAYS BECAUSE HE JUST WANTS ATTENTION?
WTF DOES THAT EVEN MEAN
EVERYTHING BARKLEY SAID WAS 100% TRUE
Wabe
January 11th, 2012
8:59 pm
not even bummed about this game…
it is what it is…
undermanned and most of the roster is having an off night.
EmirS.
January 11th, 2012
8:59 pm
In better news….
My fantasy team is doing quite well this week.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 11th, 2012
9:00 pm
Not that it’s the reason for the Hawks losing, but they have gotten unlucky on a lot of point blank shots in this game.
Melvin
January 11th, 2012
9:00 pm
Just take the starters out. Save their legs for tomorrow night…SMH at LD…
Najeh Davenpoop
January 11th, 2012
9:00 pm
Jerry Stackhouse, the symbolic towel being thrown in.
MattP
January 11th, 2012
9:00 pm
Pargo but no Sloan… WTH
Grandmaster JeJe
January 11th, 2012
9:00 pm
Tenacious defense by Pacers
NO THAT’S NOT THE REASON WE LOST THIS GAME. WE LOST CUZ OF INJURIES!!!!
The Spook who sat by the door
January 11th, 2012
9:01 pm
With all the injuries, the Hawks needed their three “J”’s [Joe, Josh and Jeff] to step up big tonight to get this win.
northcyde
January 11th, 2012
9:01 pm
Jeff Teague 2 – 10 FG . . . ( 1 – 7 at the rim )
Najeh Davenpoop
January 11th, 2012
9:02 pm
Zaza has like 3 inches on Hansbrough and longer arms and he still can’t block his shot.
Grandmaster JeJe
January 11th, 2012
9:02 pm
THIS TEAM IS A JOKE
O'Brien
January 11th, 2012
9:03 pm
EmirS,
Who carried Miami when they beat us with Wade and LeBron out? And if the hawks are without the same 3 players tomorrow, would that make a 20+ point loss ok?
I agree that it would be tough tonight, but it was only a 3 point game at halftime. That being said, the starters should put it behind them and hopefully play better tomorrow.
drmaryb.[*_*].
January 11th, 2012
9:03 pm
Finished!
Rathbun said Thumb it In … Hawks said Mail it In.
_______
Teague is rushing his lay ups. He really needs to concentrate and FOCUS on finishing the plays.
G-nite cohorts … Imma’ make like a baby and head on out.
KevinM
January 11th, 2012
9:03 pm
TTJAJ, you forgot to put Al on your list there.
Can I not turn over and watch lil Teague for a few minutes without big Teague’s team laying an egg?
And the best part of the night? Undercard battle between Ivan and Hansbrough?
And the reason Ivan looks like he wants it more than anyone is because he is HONGRY, and our captains have adjusted to life as a professional basketball player.
Big Lou
January 11th, 2012
9:03 pm
Woah. Matt Ryan isn’t choke! His offensive line is.
OH BOY
January 11th, 2012
9:03 pm
Exposed Josh for being nothing but a role player. But his fans will continue to make excuses and point the finger at others. Same for Joke Johnson.
Sautee
January 11th, 2012
9:05 pm
“This team is a pathetic mess.”
“WE LOST AT HOME TO A TEAM WITHOUT 2 STARTERS ON THE 2ND OF A B2B”
Indeed we did. Lost poorly to Houston, at home to MIA, and again tonight.
We ALSO gave the Heat their only home loss, and dominated the Bulls for 7 quarters. And beat up on the little sisters of the poor, the way we should.
We are a decent team, with the potential to be a very good, but probably NOT elite team. But with this ownership, the best we can do is count the good WITH the bad.
Jeje, you act like it’s ALL been bad.
northcyde
January 11th, 2012
9:05 pm
drmaryb . . . . Teague doesn’t use his left hand AT ALL. Everything is with his right hand when he goes to the hole, even if he driving from the left side.
OH BOY
January 11th, 2012
9:06 pm
Let Ivan go in so he can punch Huckleberry Hansbrough in the face. That would make my night.
bigdave
January 11th, 2012
9:06 pm
nice move and touch by Ivan.. just was a little strong..
tb hawk fan i think
January 11th, 2012
9:06 pm
my grandpa can shoot beter
northcyde
January 11th, 2012
9:06 pm
Bob is right . . . “No time to celebrate. No time to cry.”
This shortened season pretty much makes every game an 18 hour evaluation, then you must forget about it and move onto the next game.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 11th, 2012
9:06 pm
“Exposed Josh for being nothing but a role player. But his fans will continue to make excuses and point the finger at others. Same for Joke Johnson.”
Everyone on this team is a role player. I don’t see anyone claiming otherwise.
yodaddybrother
January 11th, 2012
9:07 pm
yall need to relax a little bit.
You already know the Hawks can put up some serious clunkers
OH BOY
January 11th, 2012
9:10 pm
Trash.
Rev in Tampa
January 11th, 2012
9:11 pm
I checked the score for the first time just before I walked into a prayer meeting and it was halftime. The Hawks were trailing by three. I checked the score again after the prayer meeting and the Hawks were down by 21 going into the fourth quarter.
Are there any lessons to learn? I hope not.