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
yodaddybrother
January 11th, 2012
9:11 pm
yall act so surprised every time the Hawks lose. They won’t win every game
Grandmaster JeJe
January 11th, 2012
9:11 pm
FIRE LD.
Slimjr
January 11th, 2012
9:11 pm
Just started watching the game! What did I miss? HOLY TOLEDO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Great Scotts, We’re down 20????????????????????????????????
Grandmaster JeJe
January 11th, 2012
9:12 pm
CAN someone please tell me ONE thing Jason Collins does well on the basketball court?
Najeh Davenpoop
January 11th, 2012
9:12 pm
“They won’t win every game”
True, but it’s still reasonable to expect that they won’t get blown out.
yodaddybrother
January 11th, 2012
9:13 pm
Teams take on the personality of the coach. So maybe LD needs to get a tech or get thrown out the game…throw a clipboard or something
Trent
January 11th, 2012
9:14 pm
How many of you really expected we would win this game once Horford went out with his injury? With no horford, no marvin, no T-Mac, and poor depth at C/PF, what did you really think would happen?
I don’t know why people are acting surprised, it’s not like Indiana is a garbage team. I thought we would probably win before Horford went down tonight, but I know how bad this team is at dealing with adversity, and I know how poor our interior depth is, so once Horford went down and Josh got into foul trouble, I assumed this would be a loss. We just don’t have enough quality pieces or enough chemistry with our second unit to defeat Indiana with so many key pieces missing.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 11th, 2012
9:15 pm
Sloan got some hops…
bigdave
January 11th, 2012
9:15 pm
young euro step.. nice..
The Spook who sat by the door
January 11th, 2012
9:15 pm
Rev in Tampa,
I think it’s too late to pray for miracle; please start Tebow-ing before the game.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 11th, 2012
9:15 pm
Good job Twin. Don’t let them disrespect you.
real talk
January 11th, 2012
9:16 pm
Danny Granger boo booed on the hawks like a pigeon……lol!
bigdave
January 11th, 2012
9:16 pm
we owe these guys 1..
yodaddybrother
January 11th, 2012
9:16 pm
“True, but it’s still reasonable to expect that they won’t get blown out.”
Yeah but we know the Hawks and we know they won’t bring it every single night and will often lose (sometimes badly) to teams they have no business losing to. That’s their M.O.
Spyro
January 11th, 2012
9:16 pm
I wish Twin would have smacked the ponytail off of Amundson there.
Sautee
January 11th, 2012
9:16 pm
“We are a decent team, with the potential to be a very good, but probably NOT elite team.”
“Translation: 2nd Round Ceiling”
Well, who do YOU know that had us going to ECF? No one I know said that.
That said, if, and it’s a HUGE if, this team played for a series the way they played the second Bulls game, they could do some damage.
Just Joe
January 11th, 2012
9:16 pm
That’s why Jason Collins is on this team. Hard fouls. Solid screens.
Slimjr
January 11th, 2012
9:17 pm
He fouls WELL! LUV Collins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bigdave
January 11th, 2012
9:17 pm
amundson looking like someone come break us up..
steven A.
January 11th, 2012
9:17 pm
Sign Joe Przbilla As Soon As Possible. Trade Twin AND Zsa Zsa for a box of Doughnuts!
Melvin
January 11th, 2012
9:17 pm
About Collins show some signs of life…
O'Brien
January 11th, 2012
9:17 pm
I like that foul by Collins. Send the message that you wont get an easy 2 points with the game just about over.
Bad call by the refs though. Flagrant 2 with an ejection?
Rev in Tampa
January 11th, 2012
9:18 pm
Yea. I love that Collins is showing the pride.
Rev in Tampa
January 11th, 2012
9:19 pm
That was an ugly free-throw. Embarrassing.
northcyde
January 11th, 2012
9:19 pm
Exactly Bob . . . if no Horford tomorrow, we’re down to Zaza at center ONLY. But with Diaw basically being Charlotte’s center, we may can get away with a smallish frontline.
yodaddybrother
January 11th, 2012
9:20 pm
box score doesn’t look that bad and that’s all that matters at the end of the season. No one will use this loss against them as evidence they aren’t a contender.
Bench made it “respectable”
Just Joe
January 11th, 2012
9:20 pm
I’m just pizzed about the defensive effort, and the fact that ball never moved on offense. More of the same one on one basketball. 12 assists for the whole game.
Reggie
January 11th, 2012
9:20 pm
Sloan should get nod over Pargo…great foul by twin also
The Spook who sat by the door
January 11th, 2012
9:20 pm
Grandmaster JeJe,
From the looks of that foul on Amundson, apparently Collins is good for being the second goon on the team behind Zaza.
Spyro
January 11th, 2012
9:21 pm
Wait, the Hawks lost a game? Here come the trolls saying that we need to trade everyone and the kitchen sink! Where is the Jon Leuer guy at?
yodaddybrother
January 11th, 2012
9:22 pm
The Hawks only get up for the playoffs (sometimes not even then) and big opponents.
Pacers on a Wednesday night wasn’t too appealing to them.
Grandmaster JeJe
January 11th, 2012
9:23 pm
All you people will blame this loss on injuries, but will not mention the fact we lost to Miami at home on the 2nd of their b2b WITHOUT LBJ and Wade.
tb hawk fan i think
January 11th, 2012
9:23 pm
where was ld when all that was guing on
Spyro
January 11th, 2012
9:23 pm
People do realize that we were without Marvin, TMac, and Horford for nearly all of the, right?
Slimjr
January 11th, 2012
9:23 pm
Ryan, needs to start Tebowing! His game is obsolete….
MattP
January 11th, 2012
9:24 pm
Sloan should play over Pargo but we all know that will never happen with LD. What was the point in cutting Benson? Now Zaza will be the #1 and only center tomorrow more then likely. If no Horford will we be seeing Ivan or Smith at center.
Spyro
January 11th, 2012
9:24 pm
*all of the game
Harry Hawk
January 11th, 2012
9:25 pm
The Hawks are due to start losing some games. It’s in the Bible.
Slimjr
January 11th, 2012
9:25 pm
ISO Joe got MVP vote tonight! LOL!
Wheres Benson RICK?
Slimjr
January 11th, 2012
9:27 pm
Hey coach, injuries are part of the game!
No excuses Grasshopper!
yodaddybrother
January 11th, 2012
9:27 pm
looks like a bad 3rd quarter did them in….SHTUFF happens in the NBA.
Sautee
January 11th, 2012
9:28 pm
Jeje,
“All you people will blame this loss on injuries, but will not mention the fact we lost to Miami at home on the 2nd of their b2b WITHOUT LBJ and Wade.”
See my 9:05 post, Jeje.
Hawks Blog Legend Worldwide Clyde
January 11th, 2012
9:28 pm
*yawn*
The Hawks are the Hawks and nothing else.
Slimjr
January 11th, 2012
9:28 pm
Hawks got out scored by this legit Indiana team 27 ta 9 in the 3rd! OUCH!!!
Just Joe
January 11th, 2012
9:29 pm
I think the loss falls squarely on……………Joe Johnson & Jeff Teague.
Johnson has to step up when we’re shorthanded on the road. He’s our veteran leader, and we can’t have the turnovers and lazy defense (once we got behind).
Jeff Teague gets blamed because he’s the PG. I don’t care how few games he’s started, when you’re a PG in this league, you have to take the blame when the offense doesn’t run. You have the ball in your hands. You can decide who gets the ball, when they get the ball, and where they get it on the floor.
Teague will learn. Joe??? Cleveland please call. All I want is expiring contracts.
Hawks Blog Legend Worldwide Clyde
January 11th, 2012
9:29 pm
FIRE LD
yodaddybrother
January 11th, 2012
9:29 pm
Joe Johnson only took 12 shots.
Look man….I’m paying you 120 million dollars….I need like 18-20 shot attempts per game forget the BS
Slimjr
January 11th, 2012
9:30 pm
No Horford tomorrow? Maybe trouble again if somebody else does not step up….
The Spook who sat by the door
January 11th, 2012
9:30 pm
The Hawks score only 9 points in the 3rd qtr?!
Harry Hawk
January 11th, 2012
9:30 pm
Teague is up and down. In other words, he’s trying to be like the rest of his teammates.