Atlanta Hawks: Warriors 85, Hawks 82
- 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 expected–but with defense, rebounding and David Lee and Monta Ellis doing what they do down the stretch.
- The Hawks saw Dominic McGuire, replacing Stephen Curry in the backcourt, collect 15 rebounds while successfully harassing Joe Johnson (who was sore-kneed, but still). The Hawks couldn’t score or rebound against a bad defensive and rebounding team.
- “I’m not surprised,” Drew said. “They are pretty relentless on the glass. You have to get bodies on guys. Lee is a good rebounder. [Ekpe] Udoh is a good rebounder. McGuire, that’s what he does.”
- It’s true that Lee and McGuire are good on the glass. But Udoh is not a good rebounder and collected 8 in 31 minutes against the Hawks. Brandon Rush had eight in 29 minutes, Klay Thompson had six in 29 as Golden State got 18 rebounds in 91 minutes from its bench vs. three in 49 minutes for the Hawks.
- Speaking of the reserves . . . Thompson worked over Willie Green, who still played 21 minutes in small lineups even though he wasn’t scoring. Tracy McGrady, who can rebound and create shots for others (even if he’s still struggling to finish or get calls), didn’t play after a six-minute stint in the first quarter.
- Remember when the Hawks blew all those layups against the Lakers? The Warriors are not the Lakers but they recorded nine blocked shots and the Hawks couldn’t finish against them, either. “I thought we just missed a lot of point blank shots with nobody us,” Johnson said. “It happens. It’s tough but I’m sure we will bounce back and get the next one. This is definitely a tough loss for us because we definitely felt like we should have got the win.”
- Monta Ellis sure likes to shoot a lot of Js. But he supplemented that with lots of post-ups against Jeff Teague, who struggled to hold his ground and challenge once Ellis fired away. Teague had a solid offensive game that could have been better if his teammates made more of the good looks he created.
- McGuire is the latest rangy wing to make it tough on Joe to score. After a 1 for 8 start, Joe made 5 of his next 9 shots. He looked stiff-legged at times. “It got a little stiff, especially in the fourth quarter,” he said. “Other than that, I was pretty good. I wouldn’t say I’m 100 percent but I was decent.”
- “A few times he looked like he was dragging it a little bit,” Drew said. I know the Hawks need to keep winning games but if eight days off doesn’t get Joe to 100 percent then perhaps they should think about sitting him, especially considering his history of poorly managing his injuries. You can’t question Joe’s toughness so he doesn’t need to prove it at the expense of never getting the knee right.
- Drew said Green sprained his back when Lee crashed into him. He didn’t have any details on his status.
- Josh Smith missed 15 of 20 shots while taking too many Js, was sluggish on defense, and could have had more than eight defensive rebounds with better focus. The Warriors encouraged him to face up when he looked like he wanted to post up.
- Marvin Williams missed some open looks. He usually attacks the basket when that happens but tonight he stopped doing that after he struggled to finish when he got there. At least he had five defensive rebounds.
- Zaza Pachulia struggled to finish, too, which is his weakness. But he played to his strengths, too, doing good work on the boards and offering some resistance when the Warriors ventured inside.
- Kirk Hinrich has been iso-happy lately.
- Drew and Johnson each were offered the rust excuse.
- Drew: “It could have been [rust]. One thing is with a few days off, you don’t want guys laying around the whole break. But I’m not blaming it on that. We didn’t play the way we were capable of playing and we didn’t play with energy.”
- Johnson: “Granted, the layoff, but, no excuse, man. They beat us to a lot of hustle plays. They got a lot of easy baskets. We shot a lot of jump shots and we weren’t making them, so it was tough.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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456 comments Add your comment
Big Daddy
March 1st, 2012
10:34 am
You should never hear a coach say, he as setup plays and his team does not follow them. He should never be quoted as saying the guys started settling for jump shots and the other team took advantage. You are the coach and are ultimately the person held responsible. I fear the guys have stopped listen to him and I question whether he can get them back.
We have a group of guys with a lot of talent but I am not sure if the chemistry is there to make a good team. Jeff has to stop passing the ball as soon as he comes across mid-court He should setup the play and run it. Smoove stands out there and won’t go inside. Part of it is I think he believes he won’t get touches if he doesn’t come out. Al had started to hang around the free throw line before he got hurt. Both seem to think the ball won’t get passed inside and all they will do is fight for rebounds. Zaza has amazing heart but can’t finish and someone should have been sending him to Big Man school every off-season since he has been here where he could work on the fundamentals and post-up moves. Marvin did have one year where he really worked on his outside shot in the off season and start well a couple of years ago. Joe, shoud be able to take over a game at any time and he is not doing it. I could go on but you get the point.
There is no need to hash over all of the observations that have been made here. Coaching plays such a vital part in this and LD does have a staff. What are they doing? What are the practices like and why don’t we do more pick and rolls? In the end, LD is going to lose his job. He seems to have already lost the team.
honest_abe
March 1st, 2012
10:41 am
can we please put a package together to get rondo?
Hawks Fan Down Under
March 1st, 2012
10:44 am
I wonder what it’ll take to sack LD mid-season? 10 losses in a row? Player revolt? It must be getting close. This team is floundering big time. We’ve seen what they can do with wins over the Heat and Bulls earlier in the season but right now they are horrible.
Slimjr
March 1st, 2012
10:48 am
HEY LARRY YOUR A SMART GUY?
NEWS FLASH: YOU’VE LOST THIS TEAM.CANT SAY I BLAME THEM…..
northcyde
March 1st, 2012
10:50 am
Danger time for the Hawks.
Home games vs Milwaukee and OKC . . . then 7 of the next 8 are on the road. That’s 10 games. The Hawks could easily go 2 – 8 during that stretch. If they do, that will put us below .500 this late in the season for the first time since 2008.
What will Gearon and the boys do then? Continue to sit on their hands?
How I wish there was a way to pry Pau Gasol from the Lakers for Josh Smith . . . or convince Jersey that Deron Williams will not stay in Brooklyn, and they’d be better off rolling with Joe Johnson.
Wishful thinking though.
Walt Frazier
March 1st, 2012
10:52 am
So there you have it; the majority of these posts come from people who know that LD’s got to go. Maybe Hawks management is waiting on the numskull owner to sell this sorry excuse of a team. But look on the bright side: at least they didn’t get blown out by 30pts. When I started looking at this game after halftime, they were only down by 10. I said to myself, well, I’ll watch and see if they could come back-if they’re not blown out. Well, they got down by 15 or so, then I said to myself, I think they’ll be blown out. All of a sudden, they were on a run, and it kept me watching (I was about to change channels)-and then they tied the game up. That’s what they came up short at the end. This is my observation: The Hawks have been playing lazy ball-and by sheer talent, they should never be trailing and shooting such a low percentage. It tells me this: most of the Hawks didn’t use the All-Star break to make any personal improvement. ie. such as going to a gym during the 5 day break to, if nothing else-practice your “sorry” ft shooting percentage-that is something that you can control. Work on drills to make you quicker, study film, practice with your fellow teamates. When have the Hawks ever had a “players only meeting?”, probably never-why? because there is no leader on this team. Is Joe a leader? No Josh? Hell to the No!!!, Teague? Yea right. Point is: all followers, no players who can lead. Physically, the talent is there; mentally, no not one. It starts from the top. Why didn’t the Hawks take on Shaq? Because it would have been-Shaq’a team. Does management really want a “leadership” type of guy, who walks the talk-to come into their oganization? No, plain and simple. Look at T-Mac. Case closed. Keep this in mind when trades are made and see who they bring in. They want someone with some talent, who’s not going to question management-and needs a contract-they would be willing to spend what they could cheaply afford-like T-Mac, but without the mouth of discord.
northcyde
March 1st, 2012
10:55 am
Hawks are 38 – 39 in their last 77 regular season games.
Wow.
Other than the 1st round upset vs Orlando, this has been a .500 team for over a year now.
Slimjr
March 1st, 2012
10:56 am
1-9 POSSIBLY OVER NEXT 10 IF ISO KNEE DOES NOT HEAL QUICKLY AND GREEN OUT WITH BACK TROUBLE….JUST BRUTAL………….
northcyde
March 1st, 2012
10:59 am
Walt . . . in fairness to the Hawks, most guys in the NBA simply needed the rest during the All-Star break. With this brutal schedule in which you’re playing 4 or 5 games in a span of 7 days, a little extra shooting at the gym on their days off isn’t going to help guys who perennially shoot bad.
Layups B 4 Us
March 1st, 2012
11:01 am
Hmmm… The Warriors weren’t rusty…
Layups B 4 Us
March 1st, 2012
11:02 am
How do Josh Smith not play hard after being off a week ? Lazy man, just lazy.
Layups B 4 Us
March 1st, 2012
11:03 am
Don’t the coach tell players to stop taking jump shots and go to the basket instead ? Or are the players coaching themselves ?
steve brown
March 1st, 2012
11:03 am
Eric-thank you for your post on Smith it made my day. The only hope for the future we as fans have is the team being sold. Is current group so delusional that they believe the crap they are feeding us?
Layups B 4 Us
March 1st, 2012
11:04 am
Marvin run his mouth about playing time then do nothing when he do get to play.
Sautee
March 1st, 2012
11:04 am
Ramon,
FTPB,
I think you have a point about players better than Josh also having bad shooting nights. But here’s my point about last night: He settled over and over with PLENTY of clock. He’s not a good enough outside shooter to be settling for that instead of taking it inside where his % is so much higher.
I don’t care that he missed 15 shots NEARLY as much as I care that he made the same bad choice repeatedly to the detriment of the TEAM.
Ryan
March 1st, 2012
11:07 am
The one thing that tells the tale of what is wrong with this team is….
Marvin Williams continues to start. Why?
Layups B 4 Us
March 1st, 2012
11:07 am
Hawks need Mike Fratello back and Nique as his assistant. Drew gots ta go.
Sautee
March 1st, 2012
11:07 am
“Hawks are 38 – 39 in their last 77 regular season games.”
Wow.”
“Other than the 1st round upset vs Orlando, this has been a .500 team for over a year now.”
Seems exactly right to these eyes. I wish I were surprised.
Sautee
March 1st, 2012
11:09 am
I’m more than ready for “Ka-Boom” but I fear I’ll be disappointed.
TMACfan
March 1st, 2012
11:12 am
“Hawks need Mike Fratello back and Nique as his assistant. Drew gots ta go.”
YES! But it won’t happen with CRAPPY ASG
northcyde
March 1st, 2012
11:13 am
From Walt:
Does management really want a “leadership” type of guy, who walks the talk-to come into their oganization? No, plain and simple. Look at T-Mac. Case closed. Keep this in mind when trades are made and see who they bring in. They want someone with some talent, who’s not going to question management-and needs a contract-they would be willing to spend what they could cheaply afford-like T-Mac, but without the mouth of discord.
*******************
Great observation. And I think that was the main reason why they didn’t bring in a proven coach like Avery Johnson. Avery wanted more control than to just be the basketball coach. He wanted to control basketball operations, which meant that the Hawks would be molded in the way Avery wanted.
The ASG want a bunch of “yes men”, from the coaches to the players. And it’s not only who they brought in as free agents, it’s who they’ve let go. Jordan Crawford is recently starting to play some really good ball lately, but they let him go without blinking an eye, for Kirk Hinrich.
Jordan was a loose cannon type player that simply needed to be taught the game. Drew didn’t have the patience to work with Jordan, so he was expendable in the eyes of the Hawks organization. Flip Saunders was basically letting that guy do anything he wanted, as well as the other Wizards. His shot selection was absolutely horrible. Under Randy Wittman, he’s playing much better basketball and even attacking the rim and drawing fouls. The Wiz have major chemistry issues though, so it hasn’t translated into wins.
As for Shaq . . . lol . . . he would’ve been too strong of a personality for the Hawks to handle. But maybe that’s who they needed to get them out of their comfort zone. Shaq wasn’t a leader . . ever . . but he would’ve shaken things up a little, as long as he stayed healthy.
TMACfan
March 1st, 2012
11:14 am
Nothing pisses me off more than seeing LD’s face on TV smfh
hawks D
March 1st, 2012
11:14 am
I AM SOOOOOOOO SICK OF THIS TEAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ESPECIALLY QUOTES FROM DREW THAT START ” WE DIDNT MATCH THE ENERGY” OR SOME LAME EXCUSE FROM JOE…
THIS TEAM IS SO DRAINING, ID LOVE TO SEE THEM PROGRESS, BUT PEOPLE WE HAVE TO BE REALISTIC, THERE ARE UNFORTUNATELY SOME FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEMS AT HAND HERE: COACH – JOSHS JUMPERS – JOES LACK OF LEADERSHIP AND EMOTION.
GENERAL COMMENT: IF THE TEAMS COLLECTIVE INTELLEGENCE WERENT SO SHALLOW WE WOULD BE A BIG STEP FURTHER. WE NEED A BRAIN ON THE TEAM, WHETHER ITS A COACH OR PLAYER
northcyde
March 1st, 2012
11:14 am
Ryan . . . not Marvin’s fault last night. He couldn’t make a shot in the 2nd half, but he got 11 points and 12 rebounds. Lay off of Marvin for once, and focus on the people who REALLY lost that game last night.
Hollywould
March 1st, 2012
11:25 am
Hate Smith taking those shots but sometimes he has too as dribble king will finally make a move with 5 seconds left and then pass it with 2. Only one or two of the players even care. We have been seeing it for years. Dumb basketball IQ.
Rusty
March 1st, 2012
11:38 am
I just hate for this idiot LD to still be here.any moron can see he shouldn’t be a coach,but he sure pulled the wool over our eyes with his bs.I can’t believe they continue to let this man be a coach.
Hawks Blog Legend Worldwide Clyde
March 1st, 2012
11:45 am
Excuses Excuses
LD gotta go
Just Joe
March 1st, 2012
11:46 am
Orlando is desperate. Trying to get Nash & Ellis, but don’t have the trade assets to pull it off. However, they do have enough to trade for Joe Johnson.
Turkoglu, Reddick & a 2013 unprotected 1st rd pick.
Flip Reddick to Minnesota, or somewhere, for an expiring contract.
Turk can stick around for a couple of years, shoot 3’s better than Joe, and at half the cost over 2 less years.
Then focus on moving Marvin…..for anything.
And yes, I like Turk better than Marvin. At least Turk can make a lay up. Turk shoots 46% from 2. Marvin shoots under 40%. Somethings wrong when you shoot better from 3 than 2.
prison mike
March 1st, 2012
11:51 am
Just happy to split wins against Orl and GS. Figured Feb. would be worse and they would be hovering slightly above 500.
10-9, 9-10 seems about right for March. 35 win is enough for a playoff spot for the Hawks. Assuming they finis with 10 wins that gets them 30 wins by April.
Would rather have Fasenko the rest of the year instead of Damp. It’s scary how similar Damp and “in shape” Twin really are.
Rod from College Park
March 1st, 2012
12:06 pm
“Ryan . . . not Marvin’s fault last night. He couldn’t make a shot in the 2nd half, but he got 11 points and 12 rebounds. Lay off of Marvin for once, and focus on the people who REALLY lost that game last night.”
Whoop de freeking do. Marvin stunk last night, just like Joe and Josh stunk last night also. So he had 11 points and 12 rebounds. So what. He actually decided to try and do his job for once. He is actually taller and longer than Josh. He should be rebounding like that every night. He still shot 33% from the field, 0-3 from 3point range, could not finish at the rim numerous times, disappeared in the second half, and missed a key free throw down the stretch. You are a prime example of a typical Atlanta fan. Always settling for mediocrity. Leave Marvin alone. LOL. Marvin is just as responsible for the loss, as Joe Johnnson, and Josh Smith. They both still had better numbers than Marvin, and Marvin had (as you say) a good game, and they can be critisized, what makes Marvin Williams any different.
Rod from College Park
March 1st, 2012
12:08 pm
“And yes, I like Turk better than Marvin. At least Turk can make a lay up. Turk shoots 46% from 2. Marvin shoots under 40%. Somethings wrong when you shoot better from 3 than 2.”
That explains everything.
Slim
March 1st, 2012
12:12 pm
Bottom line it’s bad coaching, to many good players to lose GS.
prison mike
March 1st, 2012
12:21 pm
About Marvin, being a former 2 pick and being shopped without any offers tells you all that’s needed to how much of a failure he’s been here.
This mofo scored 2 points in 49 minutes against Ny and Orl. Not quite as bad a stretch as Biedrins who scored 2 points during a 97 minute span. Some of these clowns (you know who you are) wanted to trade Josh Smith for him some time ago.
Teague
Joe
Marv
Horf
Biedrins
This is what some of these so called “knowledgeable” fans were pushing for just a couple of years ago.
Hawkville
March 1st, 2012
12:27 pm
“It’s not Marvin’s fault” the Hawks as a team are missing alot of shots. But unlike Josh, Marvin should be knocking down his open shot coupled with his inability to create his own shot kills this team. Marvin’s play produced Josh play (force to be the second option). A reliable shooter in the starting lineup would be a great start until Al returns.
Mr Mojo
March 1st, 2012
12:31 pm
Hawks need to make a trade. This GM and Ownership are pathetic. They do nothing to improve this team while they continue to struggle. Any other team would of made a trade when Horfordwent down and got a legit center.. I bet you most teams would of had Kaman by now. This franchise makes me sick. I dont blame the players it is all on ownership and our horrible GM.
Hawkster
March 1st, 2012
12:33 pm
Trade Josh and Marvin for C.Maggette,Tyrus Thomas,and R.Williams(Bobcats)
at least we will have a veteran,youth,and intellegence.(maybe)
Mr Mojo
March 1st, 2012
12:33 pm
Worst thing that ever happened was ASG not selling last offseason when it appeared it was a done deal. They wonder why the arena is half empty with no energy on most nights. What a pathetic franchise.
Mr Mojo
March 1st, 2012
12:37 pm
Let me add LD must go too. He makes no adjustments during a game. How many times does we have to see them come out of a timeout and either get a bad shot or turnover. This team has no leadership they need an experienced coach.
prison mike
March 1st, 2012
12:40 pm
Marvin has to go. Everyone has maintained their play at a high level to some degree these past couple of years.
Small forward is the easiest position to upgrade. The four other starters bring something to the table that is hard to upgrade from. You realistically can’t say this with Marvin, he’s the clear weak link.
There is no player we can get at the 4 or 5 that will make Marvin better. There are many players at the 3 that compliments Josh and Al. It is this simple.
Dawg
March 1st, 2012
12:45 pm
Sund is horrible and ASG is worse.
Slimjr
March 1st, 2012
12:54 pm
Marvina a #2 Lottery bust starting @ the super Critical 3 spot= failure to launch
Houston we got a problem……
Slimjr
March 1st, 2012
12:56 pm
The ASG are 8 SMUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
northcyde
March 1st, 2012
12:58 pm
Rod . . my point is that Marvin is going to get criticized for anything, as you just did right here.
He got a double-double, but I guess rebounding is all of a sudden not important anymore on this team. We all know who lost that game last night ( on both ends of the court ). Cry about Marvin when he’s playing like garbage. Don’t cry about him when he actually contributes.
It doesn’t matter with him though. When he WAS playing well, you didn’t give him props then either. So it is what it is.
Slimjr
March 1st, 2012
12:58 pm
Marvin is D-league material! Only about 2500 fans would sit there and cheer for this Bust!!!!!
Slimjr
March 1st, 2012
1:02 pm
What City of Fans would give an Organization PROPS that has never been to an Eastern Conference Final in 46 straight years???????????…We wont even mention NBA Finals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not this City of real fans, who enjoy basketball….
ASG are a bunch of SMUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
northcyde
March 1st, 2012
1:03 pm
Josh goes 2 – 11 FG in the 4th quarter. . . and gets lit up by Lee down the stretch, but all people can focus on is Marvin? GTFOH
Clown that dude when deserves to be clowned. But place proper blame on that loss last night.
Slimjr
March 1st, 2012
1:06 pm
Georgia and Professional Sports= Crash and burn……………………..
There is something super naturally wrong about this Sports TOWN??????????????
Bring in a Priest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Slimjr
March 1st, 2012
1:07 pm
Shop Josh and Marvin..
northcyde
March 1st, 2012
1:07 pm
When JJ warmed up in that 3rd quarter, he should’ve come out aggressive as hell when he came back in the game in the 4th. But he let the Warrior double team force him to give the ball up to the open man way too often. Sometimes, he simply needs to catch it and fire that thing up. Especially when he has it going.
We need Josh’s “no conscious” brain in JJ’s body.
tidog
March 1st, 2012
1:08 pm
It’s basketball for @%&&& sakes and players and coaches are making the games hard. Coach ain’t coaching since he can’t define a role for his guys. A clear and distinct role for every player would make his limited head coach experience go smoother. If the coach has a vision for how the style of ball he’d like to play and can’t get his players onboard he’s walking toward the unemployment line.
The players have be doing this game the majority of their lives. They know how to compete on the court even when the coaching sucks. Everyone has to shoulder some blame for a team has talented has the Hawks.