Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 97, Bucks 92
Milwaukee–The Hawks really didn’t solve their issues with holding second-half leads. They still had too many bad possessions, still gave up too many rebounds, and still had too many turnovers at key times.
- But they also had Joe Johnson, who took over after a rough opening half. In this league, sometimes when a lot of things aren’t going right a team just needs its best player to make plays. Joe did it tonight in spite of Stephen Jackson and Co.’s best efforts to slow him.
- “I just tried to alter my focus a little bit coming into tonight,” Joe said, “understanding that these five road games are very important and without Al [Horford] we all have to step up and do just a little more.”
- Joe said he got it going on a play call in the third quarter that got him into the lane. From there, he showed off his ball-handling skills and all-court game. “That’s why I gave him the ball every time down,” Jeff Teague said. “He was just making plays like an All-Star should. He’s almost unguardable. He can dribble, he can shoot midrange, he can get to the cup. Just get the ball in his hands and he goes.”
- “You’ve got to milk the cow until there is no milk left,” Josh Smith said. “They was beating on him all night and he showed so much resilience. He didn’t stop playing, played hard and kept adding physicality on his end. It’s just good to see when your leader is able to lead like that.”
- Joe (and Teague and Josh) played all 24 minutes after halftime. “The one thing I wanted to do in the second half was get him into a rhythm,” Larry Drew said. “I had my mind made up I was going to ride him in the second half.”
- Josh had another All-Star line: 19 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, three blocked shots, no turnovers. And, of course, that dagger 3 from the corner with four seconds on the shot clock.
- Josh said he didn’t know it was going to swing around to him: “I was ready for it, though. I just cherish moments when guys give me the opportunity and put the trust in me. I feel obligated not to let them down. ”
- Teague probably could have shot or made a play off the dribble but instead passed to Josh when Ersan Ilyasova came off of him. “I’ve got confidence in Smoove,” Teague said.
- That sequence was set up when Johnson drew a double team and passed to Teague on the weak side. “We broke down a little but but Joe puts pressure on you,” Scott Skiles said. “He’s a legitimate 6-8, he collapses the defense and he can see people. He made a nice pass out, Teague made a nice play and Josh knocked it down.”
- That play, Joe’s six free throws in the final 16.7 seconds and Marvin Williams’ deflection of Mike Dunleavy’s pass) salvaged what had been another lackluster offensive fourth quarter for the Hawks. “We had some bad stretches in the fourth quarter, but we kept fighting,” Drew said. “When they took the lead in the fourth quarter, it was a chance for us to see what we are made of. Our guys persevered and Josh came up with the three and Joe was absolutely phenomenal.”
- Atlanta defended Milwaukee well in the fourth quarter but gave up five offensive rebounds.
- The Hawks got a nice road W in a rough-and-tumble game. The Bucks tried to muck it up and Josh and Zaza Pachulia (14 rebounds, five personal fouls) were up to the task. It was pretty physical around the basket, similar to the game at Indy, and the Hawks responded better this time.
- Teague was excellent in the first half (11 points on five shots, four rebounds). He struggled after halftime: Brandon Jennings rubbed him off screens too easily and kept picking his pocket.
- Marvin never really got into the flow offensively, so he played 22 minutes to Tracy McGrady’s 26.
- T-Mac missed some clean looks but it’s kind of fun to watch him when he’s in playmaker mode (five assists, no turnovers). Sometimes it looks like he’s dribbling aimlessly into trouble but then suddenly he’s passing to a teammate for a good look. His athleticism has declined but he has plus court vision and instincts and also always seems to come up with a couple key rebounds.
- Vladimir Radmanovic reversed recent trends by making shots (2 of 3 3-pointers) and not adding much else in the box score in his eight minutes. Give Jannero Pargo credit for his ability to get his shot off when the offense is bogged down.
- Ivan Johnson got second-half burn but was quickly pulled when he took a quick J in the fourth quarter.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
279 comments Add your comment
O'Brien
January 24th, 2012
4:46 pm
If the Hawks got Ray Allen, I would start him at SG, and let JJ play SF.
But the Hawks just dont have any good trade chips. Ray Allen is in the last year of his deal, so trading him for Hinrich does not do Boston any good.
As for Marvin, dude can be a solid role player. But after this season, he still has 2 years, $16 mil left on his deal (assuming he picks up his last year option). The only way a team will take Marvin is if we are getting a bad contract in return (imo).
KevinM
January 24th, 2012
4:48 pm
SteveW, my comment about Oberto is strictly for thinking about this year. Again, I don’t think Asik is playing bad at all…could it be to try and move Noah? That would free up a lot of cash for them and Noah isn’t exactly lighting it up on either end….I see that more of the scenario, because they need points from Boozer.
Agree with OB….Pierce would be the last of the 3 to leave. Ray isn’t going anywhere unless they get a non protected draft pick + a young player. Ainge might keep Pierce around for the rebuild with Rondo to give him a jump start…its Garnett that is the weak link of the 3. But I think Boston gives it one last run this year with the current team intact.
Any future deal involving Al won’t make sense unless they get an all-star in return….Sund will tell you that. McGee would be fine here and I would be willing to see if he would be ready to join a team as their interior defender. But his last 3 games: 2/2, 13/3 and 13/7…those are bad numbers for a guy who is a main piece for that team. I think he would better defensively than Al, but man, that FT% is awful. A cheaper Dalembert for the defensive end?
And you couldn’t give me Bogut who plays swiss cheese defense. That team is a collection of bad pieces, and I thought they be a good team this year.
The Truth
January 24th, 2012
4:49 pm
Really, when you think about it, acquiring Allen is redundant with Willie Green and Vlad on the team
O'Brien
January 24th, 2012
4:51 pm
Detroit does not win a title w/o Rasheed, Lakers do not win a title w/o Artest (who stepped up in game 7). So once a knuckle head does not mean you will always be a knuckle head.
Corey Dillon was a malcontent in Cincinnati, but he went to the Patriots and helped them win a SB. Randy Moss has his issues, but he helped the Patriots go 18-1, almost winning the SB. Culture has a lot to do with it. And lets not forget these guys were playing with Agent 0, and we all know what he did 2 years ago.
The key with these guys is to not overpay, and know when to get rid of them.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 24th, 2012
5:34 pm
“Dwight Gooden hit a three, there’s a lil luck in every game.”
Good thing the game wasn’t played in ATL, what with the World of Coke and all.
Joe Mama
January 24th, 2012
5:35 pm
steven a
January 23rd, 2012
8:00 pm
Andrew Bogut will DOMINATE Zsa Zsa. Game will most likely be won or lost in the paint 2-night.
Really?
Where do all you prophets come from?
Najeh Davenpoop
January 24th, 2012
5:36 pm
“tell williams to add wifi and i will game channel my own info instead of the stuff they throw up there now. aj send at&t to the rescue.
Hell yeah. Especially since I get absolutely no AT&T signal inside the arena.
By the way doc, your iphone posts are harder to understand than the guy who posts in Spanish. Too bad Google Translate doesn’t work on them…
Najeh Davenpoop
January 24th, 2012
5:37 pm
“Not sure if you saw this on Jeff Schultz blog; Why the score boards are the way they are.”
Yeah I saw, and that explanation sounds like BS to me. You’re telling me the Hawks can’t install their new HD scoreboards during this road trip? I wouldn’t be surprised if they are just too broke to fix it now and are waiting for their rebate from the league for avoiding the luxury tax.
Astro Joe
January 24th, 2012
5:41 pm
At the risk of defending the ASG, Philips is a GREAT arena and if I were Philips, I would NOT allow any electrical problems in an arena that they title sponsor. The casual fan is more likely to think that Philpis products don’t work than they are to think that the ASG is a bad landlord.
I love how some of y’all are convinced that every player can become something special. It is one thing to think that there is good in everyone, it is another to think that there is a consistent double-double in everyone.
doc
January 24th, 2012
5:49 pm
yeah najeh, sorry. sometimes i am typing during a walk to add to the misery.
you know you used to be able to text love messages there. winder what happened to the system. i hate it when they make such lame excuses like fans are ignorant and dumb. something hss happened more than that in their it dept.
you know i try to keep up with the game but sometimes get distracted watching individuals. but without the info it is frustrating. one year sautee and i were at a game and both looked up to see jj was quietly on the verge of a triple double and commented on it. it is kind of important to know this stuff if you are more than the casual fan. also programs are not consistently available at all gates.
guess i need to blame it on at&t.
northcyde
January 24th, 2012
6:21 pm
People talk as if Javale was properly coached.
Flip Saunders is an average to below average coach. The problem with the Wiz simply comes down to them not having a true “go-to guy” on the team. You have complimentary players like McGee, Blatche, Young ( even Wall and Jordan Crawford ), who all have the green light to shoot like they’re the #1 option in the offense.
Taking Flip serious when it comes to coaching defense, is like taking Mike D’Antoni serious when he talks about defense. They both try to preach defense, despite putting offense first type talent on the floor.
Chris Broussard said it all on ESPN.
When the Wiz held a players only meeting a few weeks ago, one of the things the younger players wanted, was for Flip to hold them more accountable. They even told the vets to tell Flip that ( according to Broussard ).
Imagine that? Younger players WANTING to be held more accountable and having more responsibility placed on them, and not wanting to be let off the hook.
The Wiz are like a teenage kid that acts out negatively to get attention . . because the parents don’t pay them enough attention.
McGee is FAR from the problem in Washington. He’s one of the bright spots.
The REAL ISSUE may be that John Wall isn’t nowhere near as good as he ( and others ) think he is, and needs to be more of a pass-first PG, than a PG that tries to pass and score.
When you shoot 22% on long 2 point shots ( but take almost 5 shots from that range a game ) . . and you can’t make a 3 pointer . . maybe you shouldn’t be the guy taking the most shots on the team.
And maybe the coach should be the one telling you that. But he didn’t. And that’s why he got fired.
northcyde
January 24th, 2012
6:36 pm
Najeh Davenpoop
January 24th, 2012
5:37 pm
“Not sure if you saw this on Jeff Schultz blog; Why the score boards are the way they are.”
Yeah I saw, and that explanation sounds like BS to me. You’re telling me the Hawks can’t install their new HD scoreboards during this road trip? I wouldn’t be surprised if they are just too broke to fix it now and are waiting for their rebate from the league for avoiding the luxury tax.
**************************
I agree with Najeh here.
That explanation makes it seems as if they need 2 months to install those scoreboards or something. Heck . . just fix the current problem and bring the original scoreboards back up. The problem is THAT COMPLICATED, that some scoreboards can’t be fixed? Or is the problem is that they simply don’t have the money to fix this at this time? Or the scoreboard really isn’t a priority, seeing that their money is being spent on 2 million dollar restaurant.
And the lack of a cell or wi-fi signal at the arena is irritating as hell. Maybe like Doc said, AT&T is to blame for this. But it would be nice to have a wi-fi option in place of that. When I went to the Toronto game on MLK Day, I think I got a signal 3 times throughout the entire game . . for about 20 seconds at a time.
You mean I can’t get a signal to a fairly high end Samsung Infuse 4G phone, but could damn near type novels on a 3G Samsung Blackjack 3 years ago at the same arena? Heck, even my old Motorola Razr phone could be relied upon to at least give me stats on the game when I surfed the web on my phone at the arena.
This is part of the reason why people rag on the ASG so much. They don’t pay attention to detail. And if the problem IS AT&T, why don’t they tell them this and see if they will rectify this problem?
northcyde
January 24th, 2012
6:45 pm
So Marvin finished with 8 points – 4 rebounds – 2 steals in 22 minutes ( 13 points – 6 rebs – 3 steals if he played 36 minutes ) . . and JJ finished with 26 points, not 28 points.
Grandad
January 24th, 2012
6:48 pm
Rod from C P
I never said that i would not want McGee under certain circumstances.
Moving Marv to get him being one.
I would never, ever trade Al or Josh for McGee.
*[for one reason - our Hawks could do much better for Al or Josh]
A player like McGee proves a point on which I will elaborate later this eve.
* [ '`Player`' PER vs '`team stat`' (+/-) ]
I will attempt to compare players who are ‘`stat`’ first guys
and contrast against team oriented competitors.
_____________________________________________
I ‘`’would`’` take McGee.
Although LD has his hands full with Josh;
T-Mac & Stack would be great Lockerroom influences on JMc.
Grandad
January 24th, 2012
6:56 pm
Tom Izzo
“You can win a game with distractions, but you can’t win a championship”
doc
January 24th, 2012
6:59 pm
also hasnt gearon made his fortune in it towers and there isnt a cell signal in his building? really sad or funny.
Grandad
January 24th, 2012
7:00 pm
Tom Izzo
‘`You can win a game with distractions, but you can’t win a championship”
Grandad
January 24th, 2012
7:03 pm
Sorry for the repeat, computer malfunction.
-or-
blog malfunction, one or the other.
Grandmaster JeJe
January 24th, 2012
7:05 pm
Northcyde,
Which Schultz blog says that?
Wiz need to overpay for a vet big to teach Blatche and McGee how to take that next step.
Javale is a legit seven footer
doc
January 24th, 2012
7:05 pm
northcyde i was being sarcastic about the att thing but there was a signal last year and yhey usd the scoreboard for private texting. something as usual being covered up
Grandmaster JeJe
January 24th, 2012
7:06 pm
Nvm I see it.
I am not sold on John Wall either. give me Kemba over him. And watch Diaw own the Knicks tonight. he is MIA in most gma not VS NYK
Grandmaster JeJe
January 24th, 2012
7:08 pm
FIRE GEARON
Najeh Davenpoop
January 24th, 2012
7:20 pm
To be fair, I barely get a signal in Turner Field too, but that still doesn’t mean DASG can’t offer Wi-Fi.
northcyde
January 24th, 2012
7:26 pm
If Diaw owns the Knicks tonight, D’Antoni should be fired immediately. Diaw is straight garbage this year. Dude looks like Escalade on the old And1 Tour.
northcyde
January 24th, 2012
7:28 pm
Two quick fouls on Dwight. Pacers capitalizing on him being out the game big time. Up 10 already.
Astro Joe
January 24th, 2012
7:30 pm
I remember talking to my Nephew on my cell phone during the “KG vs. Zaza” playoff game. He couldn’t believe that I was in the house when that went down. Sounds like Najeh may have one fo those old brick cell phones with the rotary dial.
Joe Mama
January 24th, 2012
8:30 pm
I dont quite understand what kind of seeds Grandad is trying to plant but Josh and Drew get along very well, in fact they get along very very well as do All the hawks. This team has very good chemistry, especially that Al is out of the way there no fighting in the locker room.
Hate on Grandad. This is Josh’s team. Al is the trouble maker.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 24th, 2012
8:36 pm
Haha I have an iphone 4… I can use it for phone calls inside Philips, but if I try to post on this blog, no luck.
Ra'mon
January 24th, 2012
8:52 pm
I think I would pass on McGee. But I will admit, I see the Heat making a run for McGee with Mike Miller and two draft picks or something. Only way I would trade for McGee is, if its going to be Marvin for McGee.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 24th, 2012
8:52 pm
4 years, $62 million for Kevin Love. One would assume that when Josh Smith has to be extended next year, he’s probably going to be in line for slightly less than what Love gets.
brigadierjerry
January 24th, 2012
8:55 pm
Dont get me wrong if I have a choice between getting a Diaw or Mcgee I will take Mcgee any day. I think you need a strong leader to be able to have him focus. Doesnt seem like a bad kid just seems a bit immature to me.
Ray
January 24th, 2012
8:58 pm
I see you guys making the rounds with some trade suggestions I actually like the idea of having Mcgee here.
In fact I’d take either Mcgee or Cousins(not as bad as people make him out to be).
When you look at both the Kings and Wizards look at what’s going on with both teams you got one that had an alpha dog(Kings), but it seems that said alpha dog has lost his way. Then you got a team like the Wizards who doesn’t have one it’s a position that’s up for grabs.
Basically in both systems very good players often times end up being singled out when they do things like Cousins and Mcgee have done, but the reality is their not bad players.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 24th, 2012
8:58 pm
The only reservation I have about McGee is that his mom is hanging around enabling him. I agree that a team with solid veteran leadership — which the Hawks have some of now — can acquire a knucklehead and straighten him out, but if mom is whispering in the player’s ear, straightening him out can become a little tougher.
I still don’t think the Wizards will trade him within the division for spare parts, though.
drmaryb.[*_*].
January 24th, 2012
8:59 pm
Oxy-Moron!
If Joe is Mama, does that mean he is a she or, is she a he? I was just wondering.
_________
Northcyde stole my thunder when he surmised the investment of a 2M restaurant named: RED, versus the feasibilty of not providing the fans with a minimal game day experience of accessing live game stats from a scoreboard.
IDK about you, but this fan doesn’t go to Phillips to eat overpriced steaks and buy Kobe jerseys.
Joe Mama
January 24th, 2012
9:25 pm
Yes Mary, your statement is moronic, but why am I not surprised.
drmaryb.[*_*].
January 24th, 2012
9:46 pm
OBAMA!
State of The Union!
Rufus1
January 24th, 2012
9:59 pm
A positive article about the Hawks…..one of the few
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/britt_robson/01/24/power.rankings/index.html?sct=nba_t12_a1
Ken Strickland
January 24th, 2012
10:23 pm
If Horford can return ahead of schedule, like Hinrich has done, we will be a very strong team in the playoffs.
doc
January 24th, 2012
10:44 pm
najeh ditto on mom of mcghee a champion bbalker herself at ucla i think. her response was vrry sad after the slam off the board. she is likely a difficult part of what it will take for him to get serious about his game.
Joe Mama
January 24th, 2012
11:02 pm
Got to give credit where credit is due, here’s teague showing his stuff
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLipFJrpkrM&feature=endscreen&NR=1
If “ifs” and “ands” were Pots and pans the world would be a kitchen, Ken Strickland. Like You Im hoping for a speedy recovery for mr. trade bait. We can use him to get a very strong interior defender.
Wishing a speedy recovery.
SteveW
January 24th, 2012
11:02 pm
KevinM – What you say makes sense. If the Bulls think Asik can be as good or better than Noah, and they can get Asik cheaper as a RFA, they may be trying to dump Noah. Isn’t Asik averaging like 6.9 rebounds per game in under 17 mpg? That’s almost Rodmanisque rebounding numbers (but not). Ok, more like almost Howard or Love numbers, but you get the drift.
Noah’s due to make like 13 and 14 mill per year four and 5 years from now. If he’s becoming garbage (relatively speaking), that’s going to be a bad contract.
SteveW
January 24th, 2012
11:07 pm
Now mind you, I’d still take Noah on this team – but the guys got a contract that get’s fatter the longer it goes.
Najeh – Yep on Josh – Love is averaging 15.5 m per year, I had said offer Josh 15 mill per year and be done with it. He’s going to make 13.2 mill. next season. If we can get him for less than 15 mill per, all the better.
Grandmaster JeJe
January 24th, 2012
11:27 pm
Was wrong on Diaw wow.
How do Magic get owned by depleted Celts then destroy Indy on road?
Eric
January 24th, 2012
11:27 pm
Noah is noway. If I have to choose between Noah and Al I choose Al. They are Almost Identical and neither one is an offensive threat. But Why bring in Noah if hes no improvement over Al ?
Eric
January 24th, 2012
11:38 pm
“harder to understand than the guy who posts in Spanish.”
Oh, you mean sautee when he uses yahoo translator
Grandad
January 24th, 2012
11:44 pm
Joe Mama
What are you talkin’ about ?
I never said anything about lockerroom dissension ‘tween Al & Josh.
drmaryb.[*_*].
January 24th, 2012
11:49 pm
“If “ifs” and “ands” were Pots and pans the world would be a kitchen,” -joe mama-
__________
LMAO
tyger
January 25th, 2012
12:12 am
The Wiz Bullets are not giving Javale McGhee away for nothing…
You can have him alongwith Aundrae Blatche or Rashad Lewis…
Wiz Bullets are a mess, starting with John Wall…
Best player is rookie Vescsey
SteveW
January 25th, 2012
12:13 am
Eric – I’m saying that if ASG would eat the payroll, or if Chicago is desperate for a 2 and a 3 (now that Deng is out for awhile), and if they’re wanting to dump Noah, I’d give them Marvin and Hinrich for him, or just Marvin or Hinrich.
Then you could move Josh to 3, have Al at 4, and Noah at 5. I wasn’t saying Noah over Al. Noah has had a tough season to this point. Don’t know why.
And the best thing about Hinrich coming back, is resting Teague and JJ. If he can just give both those guys an extra 5 minutes per nite off, that will be great, and save them for the playoffs.
And if .500 will get you into the playoffs, the Hawks just have to go 20-28 the rest of the way to get in.
Getting back to Noah – I don’t like his contract.
But I’ve got a feeling about these Hawks I haven’t felt since the 80’s – We are 1 piece away from a championship. That’s the feeling I’ve got. We vastly overpayed for Hinrich last year, at least it seemed it at the time. 2 1st’s and Mo’ Evans? But we had to do it in order to improve – and we beat Orlando with Hinrich in there.
We may have to overpay for our next move also, like to get a healthy Brad Miller – He did play 60 games at good quality for Houston last season before getting hurt, and played 82 games for Chicago the year before – to compete for a Championship. Give us 1 more semi – legit Big, and we can make a run this season. I feel it. If Horford comes back, all the better.
If Horford gets back, we may can make a Championship push keeping Hinrich. We’ll see. Next few months should be interesting.
SteveW
January 25th, 2012
12:17 am
Wall has surprised me how bad he is – bad in a relative term in what I was expecting. I was expecting a bigger DRose. He is still young, and may turn out great.
And K Irving is better than I thought he would be. He didn’t play enough in college, and I thought he may be another Marvin. But he’s the real deal – good player, and only going to get better probably.