Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 107, Pistons 101 (OT)
11:49 pm January 27, 2012, by Michael Cunningham
Auburn Hills, Mich. –This was similar to the Milwaukee game: Awful start, great finish. “I wish it could be a little earlier,” Josh Smith said. “I would rather have the lead than try to claw back into it and do it the way we did it. But a win is a win. I’ll take it.”
The Hawks did it behind Joe Johnson’s 28 points after halftime. There are times when Johnson doesn’t have it and focuses on drawing doubles and swinging the ball. This time, he just kept doing his thing until he found his rhythm.
“The second half I just wanted to be aggressive,” he said. “It was do or die. We had to put up or shut up. Guys came out and made big plays and gave ourselves a chance in overtime. I just wanted to validate that and be aggressive and make plays not only for myself but my teammates.”
For the second time in three games Larry Drew didn’t take Joe out after halftime (Josh didn’t get a break, either). “You have got to understand where he’s coming from when you’ve got a guy who is getting into a rhythm, rolling, getting other guys involved, knocking down shots,” Joe said. “You do want to ride him, regardless of who it is. Tonight I was that guy. I told the guys to be ready.”
Joe’s steal and tying 3-pointer were just two of several big plays for the Hawks down the stretch. Marvin Williams, Kirk Hinrich, and Josh Smith all made important 3-pointers as Detroit stumbled.
Marvin’s 3 late in regulation came after a sweet sequence in which Joe attracted a double and swung the ball to Hinrich (who was frantically waving his hands) who then whipped it to Marvin in the corner. Even thought he had it rolling, Joe became a playmaker when the Hawks needed it.
“It was kind of a carbon copy of the Milwaukee game,” Drew said. “He struggled the first half but I elected to ride him in the second half to see if he could play his way out of it. He had some bounce in his step.”
It hardly mattered that Josh was missing Js since he also earned eight free throws (making six) and had 11 rebounds, eight assists (against one turnover) and three blocked shots. Like everyone else save for Tracy McGrady, he was much better after halftime than before.
It’s been a while since Jeff Teague was this passive. He didn’t seem interested in attacking the basket and, like at Milwaukee, sometimes dribbled wildly into traffic. Teague didn’t provide much defensive energy, either.
Drew didn’t have an update on Teague’s sprained left ankle and I didn’t see Teague in the locker room. “I thought he was going to be able to go back in,” Drew said.
Hinrich replaced Teague with 3:48 left in the third and didn’t come back out. “I was just gassed,” he said. “I just didn’t have any legs. Offensively, I think I’ve got a little ways to go obviously.”
Hinrich couldn’t find his shot but he had nine assists, including five over the final quarter and OT. Five of his assists resulted in scores within six feet of the basket and two others led to 3s.
Hinrich also took some pressure off Joe defensively. “He played with a lot of intensity, a lot of energy,” Drew said. “He got on the floor for some loose balls. He gave us a big lift.”
Not a strong game for Drew as far as feeling out who needs minutes when (riding Joe notwithstanding). T-Mac was one of the few guys to have going early but Drew sat him for Marvin (he’s still not playing them together). McGrady appeared to be laboring late but Drew waited a while before putting Marvin back in. And Drew was back to using Jason Collins in a major role (16 minutes).
It seems like Drew is getting quicker with pulling out Ivan Johnson when he misses jump shots.
Marvin came off the bench and made the big 3-pointer but Drew sent him in for defense. “I wanted to get more active defensively and they were scoring with posting [Greg] Monroe,” Drew said. “We were going to double team him and getting into rotations, and I wanted someone a little more mobile out there.”
Marvin played 35 minutes and delivered with his best game in a while: season-high 22 points on nine shots and eight rebounds.
Zaza Pachulia was jumper happy early (just two free-throw attempts) but started cutting to the basket late. Defensively he’s rarely out of position. He’s not athletic enough to get to all those shots he challenges but he’s by far Atlanta’s best healthy center.
More evidence of Atlanta’s lack of depth in the front court: Monroe, Jason Maxiell and even Austin Daye gave the Hawks problems in the paint. There were times the Hawks cross-matched Josh on Monroe and Twin on Maxiell. That’s just not a good situation.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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161 comments Add your comment
northcyde
January 28th, 2012
10:13 am
Buddy Grizzard
January 28th, 2012
9:47 am
Agree… BUT… if you look at the numbers northcyde is bringing, what he is saying is that if Josh would just take two more shots per game at the rim, and therefore two fewer shots from 16-and-out, he’d be getting compared to Blake Griffin.
******************
Great comment. They would be comparing him to Griffin and Shawn Kemp, if he just laid off of the jumper when he is cold, and start attacking the rim or staying in the paint.
For the “stats are for losers” crowd, here’s another one about Josh. Josh draws an “and-1″ on 4.8% of his shots. That is a fairly high number, ranking him 12th in the league amongst all players who play 25+ minutes a game. ( by the way, Al Horford was the league leader before he got hurt, at 7.8% )
But 2 years ago, when Woody had all but purged the jumpshot out of Josh, he drew an “and-1″ on 6.6% of his shots, ranking him 4th in the league in 09 – 10. This is his best shooting year of his career, when he shot over 50% FG and should’ve made the All-Star team that year.
I think people are so critical of Josh because all of us KNOW he has the talent to be an All-Star, and maybe even a top 15 player in the league. His flaws though, are GLARING and correctable flaws . . . much like how JJ’s inability ( or unwillingness ) to absorb contact going to the basket and get to the FT line, is a GLARING flaw in his game.
It’s the element that keeps JJ at All-Star level, and not at superstar level. And the same goes for Smith, keeping him at borderline All-Star level, instead of sure fire All-Star level.
doc
January 28th, 2012
10:16 am
melo is worse that osh
Big Lou
January 28th, 2012
10:18 am
“…much like how JJ’s inability ( or unwillingness ) to absorb contact going to the basket and get to the FT line, is a GLARING flaw in his game.”
Cosign. The dude is a mismatch for most teams, and refuses to drive into the basket. I believe it was because of his injury he suffered earlier in his career, which lead him to be cut. I think he’s caring about his body/future more than being physical in the paint. That’s how I see it, anyways. He has the ability to drive to the basket and finish.
CDOG
January 28th, 2012
10:33 am
why didn’t janero pargo play? he’s much better than kirk hinrich. larry drew doesn’t have a clue as to what he’s doing. this game shouldn’t have been close the hawks should have ran away with the lowly pistons but thanks to drew and his stupidity, they didn’t.. way to go rick sund.this is the type of team you want, low budget and will get ousted in the first round without a quality center.
northcyde
January 28th, 2012
10:44 am
If Horford were healthy, yeah . . you’d almost have to trade Melo for Josh. Melo instantly sends Marvin to the bench, and would become the best low post scorer on the team. With the talent we have on the team, you’d hope that Melo would lay off of some of the quick jumpshots, and just start killing people in the post. No need for Melo to take 20 shots a game, seeing that we’d have talent all over the place.
Could we survive defensively, would be the question. There would be no more shot blocking, so the Hawks would have to depend on solid man to man defense and defensive rebounding to stop teams. And Melo would have to have a renewed commitment to defend perimeter SFs and some stretch PFs.
One thing about Melo though . . at the end of games, he’s probably hit more game tying or game winning shots than anyone in the league.
Melo is also a box office draw that Atlanta b-ball fans would flock to.
Teague
JJ
Melo
Horford
Zaza
Bench
Hinrich
T-Mac
Marvin
Vlad
Ivan
___________
Hell of a squad right there.
northcyde
January 28th, 2012
10:47 am
LOL . . we’d ironically still need another big though.
Give the guy a break
January 28th, 2012
10:59 am
Yes, it would be great if Josh took 2 fewer 20 ft jumpers a game, but let’s stop harping on it over an over. It’s only 2 shots over the course of an entire game. No wonder Dwight Howard doesn’t want to come home to play. He’d put up 25 and 18 every night and the bloggers would constantly complain about his 50% FT shooting. This is a good and exciting team that is playing hard and getting a better sense of how to run LD’s offense. No one thought we’d be in this position with Al’s injury. Let’s just enjoy the ride and recognize that guys are stepping it up all over the place. Go Hawks!
Astro Joe
January 28th, 2012
11:09 am
northcyde, did you see my email or see the Commish Note on Fantasy B’ball?
KevinM
January 28th, 2012
11:10 am
If Kaman is so easy to acquire, then Sund needs to make that move while Marvin looks like he has some value.
Marvin is not enough to help us against better teams…he’s fine against Detroit. I would do Marvin/Zaza for Kaman in a minute. If Kaman doesn’t work out, I’ve just opened up 12M for next year, and I have Kirk’s 8M…we have finally gained some cap relief.
If Zaza is as good as Kaman, and Kaman’s numbers show the opposite, I’m on this quick if Demps/Stern will approve this move.
We won’t miss either Marvin or Zaza and we can start moving towards contending. Kaman will hold it down until Al returns because we know Al’s getting the minutes when he returns.
All Sund has to do is get it done now.
Give the guy a break
January 28th, 2012
11:11 am
Not a big stat guy, but even if Josh took 2-3 fewer long 2’s per game, it really wouldn’t change much (other than perhaps certain people’s perceptions). The difference in his shooting % on long two’s vs shots around the rim is about 30-40%, so we’re really talking about 1 more made basket per game. Is that really worth making the focus of virtually every post-game blog? More minutes for Z and less for Twin would more than offset those 2 points. Go Hawks!
doc
January 28th, 2012
11:11 am
i’ll take george karl at his word … say no to melo if you want a basketball team. with osh’s bball iq he has terrible timing on when to use it. bricks are not welcome when you are battling back.
maloy
January 28th, 2012
11:14 am
If the coaching staff thinks Josh shouldn’t be hanging near the perimeter and throwing bricks, then why not design plays that call for him to come off screens then go to the hole strong, or set him for pick n rolls with either JJ or Teague?
Just askin’. Go Hawks!!
Give the guy a break
January 28th, 2012
11:16 am
Marvin is playing very well and is another guy not getting enough love right now. Even LD is messing with him by playing Old Man T Mac so many minutes. We don’t win that game without him last night and T Mac is an injury waiting to happen. Who plays SF if we trade Marvin? We need his rebounding, too.
Rufus1
January 28th, 2012
11:17 am
Josh has to take some of those jumpers…
They are not rotating to him. We need him on the floor for defense, rebounding, and play making….Josh makes winning plays, so I will accept the GOOD with the BAD.
Josh does more to help this team win than any other player and they force him to take those jumpers….But if LD’s offense had more backside movement, I think that would reduce his opportunities.
1) I think he needs to develop a floater and aim for the backboard on his jumpers.
2) Josh jumpers are wide open…is the rate of a contested jumper higher than 39%, by our other players…if not, then let him keep taking them, because NO ONE IS ROTATING TO HIM!
Astro Joe
January 28th, 2012
11:18 am
doc, was Karl suggesting that some players are uncoachable? Aren’t all players capable of learning and achieving great things?
O'Brien
January 28th, 2012
11:21 am
northcyde,
That’s what make JJ and Josh so frustrating. I give Marvin a hard time, but (imo), he just doesn’t have the talent we want him to (or that he is getting paid for).
But Josh and JJ have the talent. There biggest issue is mental. JJ never learned/refuses to learn how to draw contact and get to the line, especially when his hsot isn’t falling. Meanwhile, Josh refuses to play to his strengths, because he wants to show that he has no weaknesses, and can do it all.
If we was playing for an established vet coach like Doc or Pop, maybe he would learn more. But Woody and LD have not been able to convince him to stick to what works.
KevinM
January 28th, 2012
11:24 am
George Karl won’t see the NBA Finals without stars like he had in Seattle.
He doesnt have a Shawn Kemp Or Gary Payton on his current team.
I’m for having at least one elite player and you really need 2 superstars to make a serious run.
O'Brien
January 28th, 2012
11:24 am
AJ,
It sounds (to me), like Karl was saying Melo wasn’t as coachable as he would like, which implies Melo was going off script more often than Karl wanted.
doc
January 28th, 2012
11:30 am
astro are you holding back, just like i am holding back? osh says it all, josh without a j. which he showed last night and had to be saved by marvin, jj and really zaza playing his best game in a month. hinrich played with a lot of heart. josh made some make ups too for his alter ego …. osh.
sorry, melo’s overall game has never impressed me. josh doesnt have his skill in one area but a much better motor and really over all desire to win if osh doesnt get in the way. the guy still needs a sports psychologist lke smoltz did about this same stage in his career.
i think karl would be good for both osh and josh.
Astro Joe
January 28th, 2012
11:49 am
Marvin could average a consistent 14 if he received a consistent 32 minutes.
Grandmaster JeJe
January 28th, 2012
11:50 am
LOL @ people on here wanting Carmelo? Are you serious?
The guy who hogs the ball and then says “maybe” I need to shoot less and used “maybe” to describe every other situation where he may be at fault.
Offer HINRICH + ZAZA for Kaman ******IF****** Teague is healthy
Grandmaster JeJe
January 28th, 2012
11:51 am
Marvin could average a consistent 14 if he actually made jumpshots consistently and knew how to finish.
His FGA wouldn’t even need to go up
Grandmaster JeJe
January 28th, 2012
11:55 am
Northcyde
“No need for Melo to take 20 shots a game, seeing that we’d have talent all over the place.”
LOL. He is next to another maximum contract player (Amar’e) who can’t even get the ball in the post because Melo hogs it so damn much.
Amar’e had like 1 FGA after the 2 minute mark of the 3rd quarter in the overtime loss to Denver a week ago. Melo was 10-30 in that game.
Also, Melo makes a ton more that Josh Smith.
Later.
northcyde
January 28th, 2012
11:57 am
JeJe asked about Jordan Crawford. Jordan is fine, and looks as if he’ll make the final cut on the Northcyde United fantasy squad ( seeing I can only make one more move ).
35 pts – 4 rebs – 9 asst – 44% FG – 70% FT for Jordan this week.
I don’t need him to be spectacular, just solid.
Grandmaster JeJe
January 28th, 2012
11:57 am
Again, NO to Kenyon Martin
HE IS A POWER FORWARD. WE DON’T NEED ANOTHER POWER FORWARD.
Grandmaster JeJe
January 28th, 2012
12:00 pm
Leon Powe would be cheaper and more suitable than Kenyon, even if he’s a PF.
northcyde
January 28th, 2012
12:13 pm
JeJe . . if we made that deal, you’d still need a big.
And people would quickly see that Kaman is a guy who doesn’t covert well close to the basket, and likes to take a bunch of 12 – 18 foot jumpshots. He’d quickly fall out of favor with the fans, if we traded Zaza for him.
Gwinnett Fred
January 28th, 2012
12:17 pm
And a double dose of great news out of New Orleans last night.
They beat the Magic, which helps in the standings and also should act as a wake up call to the Hawks that even at 4-15, they better not take the Hornets too lightly Sunday night!
KevinM
January 28th, 2012
12:24 pm
JeJe second that on bringing ANOTHER PF! We are already stocked with guys who want to face the basket.
Is our buddy Leon even getting any minutes?
The Real Hawk
January 28th, 2012
12:24 pm
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7511134/sources-miami-heat-los-angeles-clippers-teams-pursuing-kenyon-martin
No way we make this deal. Too bad.
Jcard120
January 28th, 2012
12:29 pm
I find it pretty sad that we all just watched one of the most entertaining basketball games in recent seasons, and 75% of the posts on this blog are related to Josh Smith being a weak link. It would be a lot more enjoyable in my opinion for us as fans to be talking about the great play of our players and not our weaknesses. When was the last time you saw Zaza have multiple dunks and take it hard to the basket in a game? When was the last time you saw Marvin shooting the ball lights out from behind the arc..in turn having a career best. The hawks better not make any trades this season with the team showing the fight late in games I have seen thus far. I was at the Trailblazers game earlier this month and the attendance was very respectable and the fans were great. Keep up the good work Hawks.
KevinM
January 28th, 2012
12:30 pm
Will ORL be a total disaster before the all-star game gets there?
They remind me of last year’s Hawks.
tyger
January 28th, 2012
12:30 pm
Not so fast…in re. Kaman
$14M off the cap would do wonders in ATL…
It would only cost $7M at the half way point…
It doesnt mean losing ZaZa at all…
Kaman is HUGE and not far off his All-star year…
Cant read anything into Kaman’s time there…
NO probably putting Okafor on display…
Last thing they need is Kaman getting injured now…
Sundays game will be like a blue light special at Kmart…
GERRAD
January 28th, 2012
12:32 pm
Marvin had his once a blue moon good game. expect the next few to be normal Marvin cratacular games.
STRETCH
January 28th, 2012
12:34 pm
Jcard,
Come back and post your thoughts after the Hawks start facing the Western Conf teams and others with formidable front courts on the back to back to back nights and let us know what you think.
KevinM
January 28th, 2012
12:58 pm
Sounds like Kaman price is too high……they think they still have CP3.
Spurs, Jazz & Rockets showing interest.
Ken Strickland
January 28th, 2012
1:27 pm
While I feel we could definitely use an additional Big, I don’t think it’s as much of a make or break situation at this point as some seem to think. Certainly not enough to trade away Hinrich, Marvin, Josh, Zaza, or Horford. The Orlando Magic have THE NBAs MOST DOMINANT BIG MAN, and they’ve lost 4 of their last 6, and 3 of those losses have been by 31, 26 and 8pts respectively.
In the 8pt loss they led by as many as 27pts. I believe that’s proof that having a Big, even the NBAs most dominant, isn’t the cure all for every team. The Suns have 2 so called 7′ true centers. Would you say they are a better team than we are, and how much of an improvement have they seen?
Grandad
January 28th, 2012
1:32 pm
Scoop @ 2:25 am with an excellent breakdown on Josh.
I would add;Josh does not move w/o the ball in LD’s
`’motion`’ offense.
Plus, Josh does not screen thus does not run the Pick & Roll.
Why, I wonder ?
Rarely take jumpers coming off screens, [catch & shoot]
rather spotting up for set shots.
brigadierjerry
January 28th, 2012
1:34 pm
This Hawks team so far minus a few missteps have been enjoyable to watch this season. I could easily see them bringing in Benson later this season and cutting Pargo and keeping Hinrich. Unless the Hawks are going to get Robin Lopez or Okafur for cheap I dont see a major trade for a big man especially if the Hawks think Horford will be back for playoffs. Even if he is back at 70% that will be better than a trade for a big man where they have to give up too much.
This abbreviated season is different in a lot of ways. Nothing is the norm. Let me ask northclyde, drmaryb, grandad and other Hawks fans the following question.
Can you win a championship with one bonifide superstar and a bunch of second and third tier players similar to what Dallas did or the Olajuwon team in 94 against the Knicks or can you win a championship with the type of players the Hawks currently have in a second tier star in Johnson and Smith and/or Horfrod and a bunch of role players?I look at the Hawks team very similar to Memphis team.
Thoughts?
Grandad
January 28th, 2012
1:39 pm
Two can be traded for Kamen
but he cannot be packaged with another plyr.
brigadierjerry
January 28th, 2012
1:42 pm
The only reason why I ask this question because for me it is about getting to the Finals, not the ECF although that would be nice progress. I forgot to mention also this Hawks team reminds me of the Denver team. They both will have good regular seasons. The real test will be what happens in the playoffs
Astro Joe
January 28th, 2012
1:43 pm
It seems like the issue isn’t as much Zaza (since Horford’s injury) as it is there isn’t anyone competent behind him (with shot-blocking skills especially).
http://espn.go.com/nba/player/_/id/2016/zaza-pachulia
Big Lou
January 28th, 2012
1:45 pm
Ken
While I feel we could definitely use an additional Big, I don’t think it’s as much of a make or break situation at this point as some seem to think. Certainly not enough to trade away Hinrich, Marvin, Josh, Zaza, or Horford. The Orlando Magic have THE NBAs MOST DOMINANT BIG MAN, and they’ve lost 4 of their last 6, and 3 of those losses have been by 31, 26 and 8pts respectively.
In the 8pt loss they led by as many as 27pts. I believe that’s proof that having a Big, even the NBAs most dominant, isn’t the cure all for every team. The Suns have 2 so called 7′ true centers. Would you say they are a better team than we are, and how much of an improvement have they seen?
Agreed.
People will not acknowledge the fact that the Hawks offensive scheme is the real blame towards their losses. They do not create plays that utilize their players strengths. Dribble Iso and chucking up shots in the last second is not offense. Teague is either too green or too timid to force the plays. Why are we giving the ball to Josh on the outside to shoot bricks? Why is it that everyone stands outside, so it’s impossible to get a rebound? Why is it that we have to constantly see this crap every year from the Hawks team? Crappy coaching. That’s why.
The only reason why they are doing better this year is because of the improved defense, which breaks down due to loss of concentration from the bad offense.
Fix the offense, and we won’t need a big man as much as we think. Period.
Dukester
January 28th, 2012
1:46 pm
find it pretty sad that we all just watched one of the most entertaining basketball games in recent seasons, and 75% of the posts on this blog are related to Josh Smith being a weak link.
I agree with this statement. Hey look Ive always said it, if Josh would remove the jump shooting part of his game and concentrate on driving to the basketball he would be an All-star every year. Bottom line is every player in this league has a weakness shot selection is his. But he do so many other good things that we cant just throw the baby out with the bath water. If we could get a center Josh wouldnt have to defend the paint and try to rebound at the same time. its amazing this board spend more time hating Josh, Joe and Horford! Like Zaza, Marvin, and Collins are not the real weak links of this team!
Astro Joe
January 28th, 2012
1:50 pm
Sheridan seems to agree that an expiring $14M contract AND a good big man is worthy of a pretty decent trade package.
http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2012/01/28/sheridan-three-prospective-chris-kaman-trades/
Grandad
January 28th, 2012
1:53 pm
This works: [per trade machine]
* N.O. sends Kamen to Golden State
* ATL sends Marvin to N.O.
* Golden State sends Charles Jenkens to N.O.
* Golden State sends Andris Biedrins to ATL
____________________________________________
Golden State needs a big – possibly re-signs Kamen
N.O. moves Kamen gets 25 yr old Marv / & rookie Jenkins
Atl gets Legit Big / shot blkr + rebounder;;;
salary offset by trading Marv
*as noted yesterday:
just under $16,000,000 traded for $18,000,000 total contract
**this way we keep Kirk & Zaza !
Win / Win / Win ! ! !
Grandad
January 28th, 2012
1:55 pm
* just under $16,000,000 total contract
* traded for $18,000,000 total contract
Big Lou
January 28th, 2012
1:56 pm
find it pretty sad that we all just watched one of the most entertaining basketball games in recent seasons, and 75% of the posts on this blog are related to Josh Smith being a weak link.
Yeah, against a crappy Detroit team that we should have blown out the water.
Dukester
I agree with this statement. Hey look Ive always said it, if Josh would remove the jump shooting part of his game and concentrate on driving to the basketball he would be an All-star every year. Bottom line is every player in this league has a weakness shot selection is his. But he do so many other good things that we cant just throw the baby out with the bath water. If we could get a center Josh wouldnt have to defend the paint and try to rebound at the same time. its amazing this board spend more time hating Josh, Joe and Horford! Like Zaza, Marvin, and Collins are not the real weak links of this team!
The problem is not Josh’s defensive rebounds. The problem is the possible offensive rebounds/tips he could be getting if he was in the paint during offense, instead of being outside on the perimeter.
Also, Zaza, Marvin, and Collins are nowhere near the skill level as Josh and Joe, so their ceiling isn’t as high. So, people criticize them because we know they could be doing extremely well if they played to their strengths. Yet, I feel that is a red herring(Just like the center issue), for the real issue is the coaching and the offensive schemes created, WHICH ARE NONE.
Willw
January 28th, 2012
2:05 pm
Just wanted to say to all who are complaining so much. If I recall correctly ATL is 14-6. Not bad for first 20 games. If same trend continues they would finish around 44-18. Would this make the playoffs?
I think so. YUUUUUP it would help to make a move for a biggie but sometimes the team has to do best it can with what it has and so far it hasn’t been all bad record wise. Speak up but support the team!C
Grandad
January 28th, 2012
2:11 pm
This is mostly for * northcyde*
But everyone else as well !
Joe is quietly having his best yr.
Joe is not explosive – he is graceful.
Which is one of the main reasons he does not get to the line.
His best offense is to get into the lane
and shoot soft floaters and short jumpers ‘`not`’
go hard to the rim for strong finishes;
ergo, not many calls.
Joe is not ever going to be flashy.
At the all-star game; who wants to see:
floaters, soft jumpers, finesse, grace, etc.
On the other hand;
Joe has stepped up his game this season.
One way he has stepped up is by letting others
play around him rather than himself being the central figure.
Before, with Joe dominating the ball, others stood.
Now others move the ball while he moves amongst them
and all are involved. It’s beautiful to watch.
Yes, I -can- say nice things about Joe !