Archive for February, 2012

• If you didn’t just click on the headline with the score, would you be able to tell which game Larry Drew was talking about when he said this about his offense: “We settled, especially in the first half. I thought we shot way too many jumpers. We cant’ be seduced into taking jump shots. We fell prey. We’ve got to be smarter and understand the flow of the game. It’s one thing if you are making jump shots but, if you are not, then you can’t settle.”
• I’ve been covering this team for 2 1/2 seasons now and Drew (and Mike Woodson before him) could say the same thing about the vast majority of the games the Hawks play. The difference between winning and losing often is the difference between making or missing those jump shots–with the occasional twist, like tonight’s 16 of 26 shooting from the free-throw line.
• A night after the Warriors were blown out by Indiana, they beat the Hawks not with a high-possession, high-efficiency game–which would still be bad but at least somewhat …

Continue reading Atlanta Hawks: Warriors 85, Hawks 82 »

• Joe Johnson (knee) is in the starting lineup. Larry Drew said he will monitor how Joe feels to determine how much he will play. “I know with tendinitis the best thing for it is rest,” Drew said. “Hopefully these days off will benefit him.”
• Drew said he doesn’t ever plan to make Joe a healthy scratch for the sake of giving him days off: “At this stage of the season, I don’t think it will be a case of giving him days to rest. If we do anything, we will cut his minutes down. Since the season is still in full bloom, we just have to grind it out with the way the season is. What we are cutting back on is the practice. Those are the recovery days now.”
• Vladimir Radmanovic (ill) is out. “He’s had some problems with his stomach,” Drew said. “He missed shootaround, came to the arena to warm up and it started bothering him again. So we went ahead and just sent him home.”
• Zaza Pachulia (calf) is active.
• Erick Dampier’s second 10-day contract expired so the Hawks have to sign him for …

Continue reading Warriors at Atlanta Hawks: Game thread »

The Hawks got back to work today and their moods seemed noticeably improved from last week. They had a spirited scrimmage session near the end of practice (Kirk Hinrich, Joe Johnson, Tracy McGrady and Erick Dampier were among those who looked to have more pep).

“I can see our guys needed [the break] not just from a physical standpoint but from a mental standpoint,” Larry Drew said. “It’s good to get away from everybody. I’m sure they were glad to get away from me, and now we will look to finish up the second half of the season.”

Notes

–Joe practiced with soft braces on both knees and said he “feels great” after a “much-needed” physical and mental break. But he stopped short of declaring himself ready to play tomorrow after sitting out two games last week and failing to finish the Bulls game: “I think so. I don’t want to get everybody’s hopes up.” Drew: “Game-time decision. He was moving pretty well.”

–Zaza Pachulia watched the end of practice with a wrap around his left calf. …

Continue reading Atlanta Hawks: Practice report: Joe Johnson on mend »

Orlando–I talked Hawks with CineSport’s Noah Coslov here at All-Star weekend.

Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat

Continue reading Atlanta Hawks: Video: Hawks at the break »

Orlando–Joe Johnson isn’t playing in the All-Star game tomorrow because of his balky left knee. That doesn’t mean he gets to skip the assorted weekend appearances and obligations that come along with being an All-Star. I caught up with Joe today before the Eastern Conference practice.

Q. They’ve got you doing all this hoopla even though you aren’t playing?

A. Aw, man.

Q. You are just trying to rest, right?

A. That’s it. Just trying to get this knee right.

Q. How is it feeling?

A. It feels great. I don’t have no pain in it right now, actually. I’ve been getting a lot of stim [electrical stimulation] and ice. Just trying to get ready for this second half.

Q. Do you think the rest will help the knee?

A. Definitely. It’s the first time all season I will get a chance to have, what, four or five days off? Can’t beat that. [Note: He actually will get at least eight days off without a game.]

Q. Do you think the schedule caught up to you?

A. Yeah, for me, it has. This tendinitis …

Continue reading Atlanta Hawks: All-Star weekend: Joe Johnson says ‘no pain’ in knee »

Here is my updated game story from the Hawks’ 83-78 victory over the Magic Thursday.

This time the Hawks responded.

After watching a 17-point lead disappear, the Hawks bounced back in the fourth quarter for an 83-78 victory over the Magic on Thursday night at Philips Arena.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak and was only the Hawks’ fourth win in the past 12 games. They head to the All-Star break with a much-needed victory — coming off a 1-4 road trip and playing their second game without leading scorer Joe Johnson.

“It’s a great way to end that [bad] streak,” coach Larry Drew said. “Coming into this game, again a little short-handed, I didn’t know what I was going to get from the team. … That 10-day road trip was a concern of mine.  But I thought our guys came out at the start of the game and displayed energy.”

Holding a one-point lead, Willie Green scored seven points in the final 3:06 — including a 3-pointer and a floating layup as the shot clock expired — for the …

Continue reading Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 83, Magic 78 »

Vivlamore back from NYC. Here is your quick game thread for tonight’s game against the Magic.

The news today is that Kirk Hinrich will start in the backcourt with Jeff Teague with Joe Johnson out.

Here is coach Larry Drew’s thoughts on the move:

“From a matchup standpoint, we like the matchups,” Drew said. “We play a little faster. Just to tweak it. See how both Jeff and Kirk play with one another. We’ve been wanting to experiment with that anyway. They’ve been out on the floor before so we will put them out there as starters and see if they can generate anything.”

The move allows Drew to use Willie Green off the bench, where he has provided a spark this season. Green started for Marvin Williams Monday in Chicago and for Johnson in New York Wednesday.

“Willie has been doing a really good job the last couple of weeks,” Drew said. “He’s done a really good job coming off the bench with his ability to score. Moving him back to the bench gives us that punch again.”

I’m a little …

Continue reading Atlanta Hawks vs. Magic: Game Thread »

Here is my updated game story from the Hawks lost to the Knicks Wednesday.

NEW YORK — How would the Hawks respond without Joe Johnson?

They stayed with the Knicks for 7 minutes, 16 seconds — and then they melted. The Knicks used a 16-0 run to end the first quarter and went on to a 99-82 victory over the Hawks on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

Forget Lin-sanity. The Hawks are caught up in adversity.

With Johnson back in Atlanta nursing tendinitis in his left knee, he became the second All-Star the Hawks have been without this season. Al Horford is out with a torn pectoral muscle. While Johnson should not be out for an extended period of time, his loss compounded what has been a troublesome stint.

The Hawks (19-14) lost their third consecutive game on a just-completed 1-4 road trip. It was their eighth loss in the past 11 games. In those 11 games the Hawks have trailed by 30 points three times — including Wednesday — and by 20 points four other times.

“I want to see …

Continue reading Atlanta Hawks: Knicks 99, Hawks 82 »

NEW YORK — Much of the news of the day was reported earlier with the news that Joe Johnson is out of the All-Star Game because of his ailing left knee and Marvin Williams response to a report he wants out.

As the game thread, here is coach Larry Drew’s take on the adversity affecting the Hawks as the limp home from another 10-day, five-game road trip and the loss, at least temporarily, of their second all-star.

* “I want to see us respond to the fact that we have two all-stars who won’t be here. … I want to see our guys respond in a positive way and that means playing consistently from start to finish, four solid quarters.”

* “I just personally feel that this is a true test to see what our team is made of, where we are at this point. We said all along in bringing in help off the bench, veteran guys, can come in and help us in these types of situations. You lose key guys and it opens up opportunities for other guys to play. It’s a matter of us responding to the challenge.”

* …

Continue reading Atlanta Hawks at Knicks: Game Thread »

NEW YORK — Joe Johnson will not participate in the All-Star Game due to the tendinitis in his left knee. An MRI exam performed Tuesday in Atlanta showed no structural damage. The condition will cause Johnson to miss tonight’s game against the Knicks and Thursday’s home game against the Magic. According to the team, the six-time All-Star will be evaluated prior to the Hawks’ first game back from the five-day break, Feb. 29th vs. the Warriors.

The NBA announced that Celtics guard Rajon Rondo will replace Johnson.

“It is just tendinitis,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said. “From that standpoint, it’s just going to be on feel, how he feels with treatment and therapy. … For us, it’s important that he gets well to where it settles down from a pain standpoint.”

Johnson’s knee has been bothering him of late and he left Monday’s game against the Bulls in the third quarter before returning to Atlanta for the test.

Drew said the time off should help ease the condition.

“Particularly with …

Continue reading Johnson out of All-Star Game with knee injury »