Atlanta Hawks: Nuggets 118, Hawks 117 (OT)
Denver–There were series of gaffes, miscalculations and questionable strategy by the Hawks and an incredible 3-pointer from Danilo Gallinari, and yet the Hawks still had a chance to win with a play that was executed perfectly . . . right up until the point where Zaza Pachulia’s layup attempt bounced harmlessly off the rim.
- “Just missed it,” Zaza said. “It was a great opportunity for me.”
- He can get in line with Joe Johnson’s turnovers and forced iso Js, Jannero Pargo’s fumble, Kirk Hinrich’s missed free throws and shot-clock violation, Vladimir Radmanovic’s 0-for-4 on 3s. . . . and don’t forget those 11 dunks and layups the Hawks allowed in the first half.
- Larry Drew said the final play was designed to free Zaza near the basket: “The execution was perfect. We executed. That was probably the best play we executed all night. ‘Z’ just missed a point-blank layup. But I told the guys it didn’t come down to that. That game was lost in the first half when we didn’t make a stand defensively and they basically had their way with us.”
- Joe took the heat off Zaza and Kirk and put it on himself: “We don’t put this game on Zaza missing a layup or Kirk not making a free throw. I look at the stat sheet and I had five turnovers and probably three of those were at crucial times.”
- Kirk: “It’s tough. I had a chance to win it. I made the hard one, the first one, and I missed the second. I’m very disappointed.”
- Zaza: “We had so many opportunities, you know. I don’t think we were lucky today. Of course it’s not an excuse. I have to finish that. But if you think about it, the turnover we had over there off Pargo’s leg, Gallinari’s three, Kirk’s free throw and my layup. That’s four big things. We just weren’t lucky today. Again, that’s not an excuse and personally, me, I have to finish when I have that kind of opportunity. I take that blame on my shoulders.”
- On the 3, Gallinari wasn’t even squared up when he received the pass. Joe and Josh Smith were all over him when he let it go. “I don’t know how he made it,” Joe said. “It was definitely a tough shot. He caught it kind of fading. But before that we couldn’t get big stops. They were either scoring or we were fouling.”
- Drew: “He hit a tough shot. You couldn’t have defended it any better than that.”
- Kirk: From my vantage point, I was boxing out under the basket. When he let it go, I thought, ‘There’s no way he will make that.’ And then the ball fell through the net into my hands.”
- Another beastly line for Josh: 33 points on 23 shots, 13 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and just one turnover. His tendency to try to set ballhandlers up for blocks when they drove contributed to some of those 11 dunks and layups but the perimeter D was atrocious.
- Josh put the Hawks ahead with a sweet spin move after Drew went away from Iso-Joe. The Hawks missed him once he fouled out 2:46 into OT because he was setting up Joe and Kirk for open Js.
- Joe put the Hawks ahead 117-1112 with a crafty move, keeping his dribble alive to thwart a double team and making a fadeaway J. But he missed on a forced iso J that led to two free throws for Nene and got bailed out on a forced drive when, after a long review, the refs decided the replay was inconclusive and the Hawks kept the ball.
- Drew: “When we lost Josh, and then I couldn’t bring Marvin [Williams] back because he took the bang on the hip, I was going to ride Joe. I just tried to put him in a position where he could operate and we just surrounded him with shooters.”
- The last play wasn’t Iso-Joe, though. “Going down the stretch we had opportunities that we just kind of let slip away,” Drew said.
- Both Joe (34 points on 26 shots, 6/10 3FG) and Kirk (22 points on eight shots, 3/4 3FG, 5/6 FT) had great games that were marred by bad moments.
- Marvin once again was aggressive early coming off the bench. It’s a role that seems to suit him.
- Marvin came back in the game briefly late in the fourth quarter after he suffered the hip injury. It was his pass that Pargo bobbled off his knee. “He couldn’t move,” Drew said of Marvin. “I only used him at the end there just to be a passer on the out of bounds. I wanted to put him back in down the stretch and overtime but he couldn’t go. I had to use what I had.”
- The Hawks said both Marvin and Willie Green (back, hamstring) will miss the game tomorrow at the Clippers. Tracy McGrady is expected to play after being held out on the first night of a back-to-back, to the Hawks will have 10 healthy bodies available.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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362 comments Add your comment
Slimjr
March 14th, 2012
12:29 pm
Indy will kick themselves in the azz for passing up on RG3!!
RG3> Melt and hasn’t even played a down yet….You’ll see after he has his first couple of snaps from scrimmage….
O'Brien
March 14th, 2012
12:31 pm
Melvin,
I think Teague only got his chance because Hinrich got hurt. But I think AJ’s counter will be that LD is not going to come out and say Teague wasnt good enough until this year. So it will be a standoff.
Slimjr
March 14th, 2012
12:34 pm
“Slimjr, your over-reacting to last night. Zaza has no vertical and Marvin can only jump off two feet. They are both athletic and coordinated enough, but clearly not really athletic”-Kwooden-
I’m over-reacting? Naw your just used to losing for 40 plus years..Your Franchise has set the bar so low some of you guys will eat the BullChit coming from perennial losers like Sund…
Nice try though…. BTW, those two you mentioned are coordinated enough for High School sports….lol
Big Lou
March 14th, 2012
12:47 pm
“If, I were Indy? I would take RG3 @ #1. Don’t know if I would bank on Luck, just a woman’s intuition from the gut.” -drmaryb
Well, don’t let Redskins hear that. They traded the farm just to get the high pick to grab that guy. Yet, I do agree that RG3 looks like he will be a great QB.
Big Lou
March 14th, 2012
12:49 pm
“RG3> Melt and hasn’t even played a down yet….You’ll see after he has his first couple of snaps from scrimmage….” Slimjr
Do you always have to find some way to hate on Matt Ryan? I know you don’t like the guy, but geez. Get a life, man.
I’m starting to think you have a closet infatuation of the guy. You’re like the kid on the airplane commercial who takes clips of his hair for your secret love shrine.
Sautee
March 14th, 2012
12:50 pm
High-sider,
about this: “How many Duke players [coached by Coach K] have been major or significant contributors on NBA Championship teams or NBA teams that have made deep playoff runs? Hyped Duke Men’s Basketball players = NBA busts.”
Two things here. First, you haven’t said anything about calling Grant Hill “mediocre”, when he clearly was NOT until he was injured.
Instead you want to call out the Duke program for not having HOF players. Doesn’t that say just that much more about Coach K’s coaching ability? To win that consistently WITHOUT players who go on to be great pros says a LOT more than if he had studs everywhere. The second thing it says is that Duke rarely recruits players who are not team oriented, therefore eschewing some of the “studs” who will later thrive in the NBA.
I guess that’s a failing in your eyes. It’s not in mine. No doubt Duke players are overhyped, but that’s because of Coach K’s success. But that’s not relative to whether or not Grant’s career was “mediocre”.
flash
March 14th, 2012
12:52 pm
No Carmelo for Joe. Nuggets were better after the trade to NY. NY was better when melo was hurt. Joe for Carmelo = trading iso joe with defense for iso melo with a bad attitude and no defense. Bad idea
Sautee
March 14th, 2012
12:53 pm
slimjr,
You seem to not like Georgia. Why are you here?
Why do you stay if it’s so onerous to you?
Big Lou
March 14th, 2012
12:54 pm
D12 Purple Pills rings in my mind as the trade deadline comes closer. It’s just a big TRIP.
Grandad
March 14th, 2012
12:54 pm
I have been reading Yawl`s round & round; plus yore back & forth,
concerning Zaza;
I must say – 13 Rebounds – on a team with a dearth of Rebounders;
it is outre` in my opinion to chide Zaza for failing in a situtaion
in which he is *unaccustomed. The next time Zaza is in that *situation;
if he ever gets another chance I`m quite certain he will react differently.
*[having experience] *closing a game.
Zaza – being vertically challenged – has developed a finesse game at the rim.
We all know this.
Enough said on the topic:
Final Remark;
13 Rebounds; double figure rebs, 9 of last 11, 13 double doubles;
[since he assumed the starting *'`Center`'* pos] ** stats ** within range
CrαZy
March 14th, 2012
12:55 pm
Johnson and Williams
For
Melo and Chandler
or
Smith, Williams, Hinrick and Zaza
for
Melo, Chandler and Davis
Big Lou
March 14th, 2012
12:58 pm
Sautee
I think he is just here to spit hot fire.
Yoga Flame!!!!!!! Yoga Fire!!!!!!
flash
March 14th, 2012
12:58 pm
Zaza is one of my favorite hawks. He does all the dirty work. Don’t forget he is the one who will get in Garnett’s (or anyone else’s) grill and stand up for his team. One of the only tough guys (which you need) on a team Charles Barkley called soft on a national broadcast
Slimjr
March 14th, 2012
1:16 pm
Big Lou: missed his calling as a stand up comedian… Hehe….
Slimjr
March 14th, 2012
1:18 pm
T minus 1 day, 1 hr, 42 mins Houston!
drmaryb.[*_*].
March 14th, 2012
1:22 pm
Wild Wild West!
Bottom line is, we played their game of High Octane offence. Out of control fast breaks not converted well and NO defense!
Drew was out coached by Karl!
Slimjr
March 14th, 2012
1:22 pm
Sautee, lets keep the focus on these sports franchise? Deep breath….
Slimjr
March 14th, 2012
1:23 pm
Flacco 5
Melt 0
Playoff wins……..
drmaryb.[*_*].
March 14th, 2012
1:25 pm
2 Live Stews are ROF & KTC about D12’s latest asinine statement. Trade his azz NOW to The Hornets for picks.
drmaryb.[*_*].
March 14th, 2012
1:35 pm
* offense
DNo
March 14th, 2012
1:36 pm
I wish Mr. N. Davenpoop was our Owner/GM.
drmaryb.[*_*].
March 14th, 2012
1:40 pm
That NAME Luck, alone, scares me off. This is the NFL man! This ain’t college. Although, I’m sure he is a fine player. I would pick him @ #2 though.
No facts, just an eerie feeling in my guts.
Big Lou
March 14th, 2012
1:43 pm
Slimjr
You remind me of a small child that I cannot help but smile, while patting your head.
Flacco came to a team that had an established defense, offensive line, and organization.
Matt Ryan came to a team with a new coach, mediocre defense, and an organization in shambles after the unjust Vick fiasco.
The Falcons weren’t even expected to be in the playoffs for at least 3-4 years, yet they have made it the past three out of four. Flacco would have been destroyed here. Every year, Matt Ryan has put up better numbers than Flacco. They just haven’t been lucky in the playoffs. All I can say, is time will tell. You do need some help, though. May I recommend you stop drinking hateraid? I think it’s effecting your judgement.
Okay, I am done. Thanks for playing.
joeygt1
March 14th, 2012
1:52 pm
who cares about the falcons or the nfl..this is a hawk blog..lets talk about the hawks…what do yall think the hawks can do..which is realistic at the trade deadline that will improve the team???
Melvin
March 14th, 2012
1:54 pm
O’Brien,
I didn’t catch the sarcasm in your first reply but I’m on the same page as you now. I agree, Astro will probably find a way to put his spin on it…. LOL
Astro Joe
March 14th, 2012
2:12 pm
No spin needed. Some believe that MJ’s high school coach was stupid for cutting him when he first tried out for the team while others believe that MJ needed to get better to earn a spot on his HS team. I\ll let you guess which camp I fall in.
meanwhile, an immortal is being treated like a common employee:
SportsCenter SportsCenter
“Dwight’s dreaming if he thinks Orlando won’t trade him without a commitment.” — source tells @Chris_Broussard » http://es.pn/xvfUSQ
2 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply
joeygt1
March 14th, 2012
2:15 pm
would a kirk hinrich/2nd round pick for chris kaman trade work????
TMACfan
March 14th, 2012
2:18 pm
@joeygt1
It works, the problem is Sund won’t do it because he is an idiot and a bum
Astro Joe
March 14th, 2012
2:23 pm
It does NOT work because it would force Hawks to pay luxury tax and owners don’t want to pay the tax for low revenue team.
I expect a trade tomorrow, one that sheds at least $500k from current salary structure.
tyger
March 14th, 2012
2:24 pm
About last night…
A loss is a loss, but if there ever was a …
Game you should consider a win despite a loss…
Hawks specializing in 1 pt. losses.. statistically speaking…
It leads to the assumption that they cant close…
Or that they are not coached well down the stretch…
Last night, belies both theories…moreso, it says…
That’s why some players are not starters…
ZaZa cant play better than he has this season…
Ditto for Pargo and Hinrich finally starting to show up…
Even JJ earned his check…
Last night speaks more to the precision it takes every night…
To win with backups…hats off to LD for holding this thing together…
Zaza missed gimme, Hinrich missed F/T, Pargo fumbles ball….
All true, but they never shouldve been in the game in the 1st place…
They hit their ceiling last night…
How many 10 pt. 4th Qtr’s does Pargo have in him?
How many 10+ rebound nights does Zaza have?
How many 20pt nights does Hinrich have?
Not many…and Galinari wont hit that shot again this season…
Just unfortunate
Melvin
March 14th, 2012
2:24 pm
OB,
And there you have it. Astro with another spin cycle. Nevermind the Coach himself said it was increase PLAYING TIME that contribute to Teague’s improve play…. and the standoff continues. I wonder if we could get a quote from Van Exel, then again, it wouldnt matter..LOL
Melvin
March 14th, 2012
2:27 pm
I asked last night. When was the last time the Hawks had 2 players to score 30pts and 3 players to score 20pts in a game? Was it done in the Steve/Mookie era or was in it as far back as Nique/Rivers era?
Melvin
March 14th, 2012
2:28 pm
The funniest quote I read in reference to Howard so far:
“Dwight plays for the Magic but works for the Nets”……
jlewis
March 14th, 2012
2:29 pm
As usual, I am at a loss. JJ plays 53 minutes last night, 34 on 26 shots, played hard and many of you kill him. You want to trade a 6 time all-star for people he routinely kills and plays no “D”. I watched the game last night like many of you, he held the ball to long again, to many iso’s, the coach calls them. Also, one important thing MC failed to mention in his recap, Al Harrington abused Josh on offense last night. I think MC leads the charge against Joe on this site, i really do. We missed Josh, but we also missed a winning free throw, ball off leg, 7 footer missing a lay-up, and it’s JJ’s fault.
One other thing if you saw the game, why didnt the officials review JJ’s perceived air-ball when Hinrich rebounded and passed it, that ball look like it touched the bottom of the rim.
Astro Joe
March 14th, 2012
2:31 pm
Melvin, so we didn’t believe LD when he said Teague wasn’t ready (as demonstrated by his limited playing time) but we believe him now? How convenient (as the Church Lady used to say).
MattP
March 14th, 2012
2:33 pm
Haha! Woodson is now the Knicks coach.
Astro Joe
March 14th, 2012
2:33 pm
sheridanhoops Chris Sheridan
Big news: Mike D’Antoni has been fired by the #Knicks. Mike Woodson taking over. First reported by @WojYahooNBA.
3 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply
TMACfan
March 14th, 2012
2:34 pm
I’m telling y’all, Woodson will coach the by next week
TMACfan
March 14th, 2012
2:36 pm
Never mind, HE IS THE COACH.
Totally called this like 6 hours ago
Najeh Davenpoop
March 14th, 2012
2:36 pm
D’Antoni resigned. You know what that means…
http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/278329/x2_9287b2.jpg
Melvin
March 14th, 2012
2:37 pm
Jlewis,
I said the same thing about Joe shot. I thought it hit the rim. I didnt see any of the Hawks arguing the shot clock call. I thought Hinrich would have because he was the one that got the rebound and seem to have thought the shot clock was reset.
Also, Al scored most of his points in the 1st half. The Hawks came with a better defensive effort in the second half. I can’t call out Josh with the monster night he had. Remember it was his basket that put us in the lead in the 4th and the Hawks had the lead when he fouled out.
Big Ray
March 14th, 2012
2:43 pm
1) Bruce Levenson is a liar. Josh Smith does want out of the ATL. But he might stay if the Hawks continue to run the offense through him instead of Joe, for starters….
2) Joe had a good game. He might have more if his expensive butt can stay healthy and feed off of the Hawks running the game through Smith, who…as always…should do most of his work inside.
3) I see our old buddy Mike Woodson gets a shot at another HC job (for the moment, anyway) because “no defense” D’Antoni has decided to quit, since the players don’t respect him anymore.
4) Trade deadline will come and go. Hinrich might get sold down the river, but then maybe not – we seem to play better when he starts and Marvin comes off the bench. Besides, Willie Green is hurt, which shortens up the number of guys who can play SG for us.
Melvin
March 14th, 2012
2:46 pm
Astro,
It’s not the fact that we believe him, it’s his actions. When he could play someone in front of Teague he did (Bibby, Kirk) but when he had no other choice but to play, Teague he did. So by him saying it was playing time that made the improvement was the same thing many of us bloggers already knew. Sadly, it took an injury to prove our point and as OB (and some others) said, it cost us two 1st rd picks.
Ra'mon
March 14th, 2012
2:47 pm
O’B, there are only three NBA players who I wouldn’t trade no matter what in the NBA. And neither of them play for the Hawks (Lebron, Durant, and Rose). Anyone else (including Kobe and Dwight) I would trade for the right price tomorrow. Its healthy to listen to offers for ALL of your players. Especially if majority of your players have reached their prime years.
Big Ray
March 14th, 2012
2:49 pm
I could give a hair on a gnat’s balls about LD vs. Teague.
What I do know is that when Hinrich got injured and Teague played in the 2nd round of the playoffs, he was lights out. I find it odd that a guy who needed to get better in order to have a starting job, let alone consistent minutes, was suddenly that damn good in the playoffs….
That said, the true issue is that LD doesn’t have the ears of his players, and they still don’t believe in each other enough. Josh wants out, we’re still running ISO Joe (the minute he comes back!) too often, etc.
Section 303
March 14th, 2012
2:50 pm
Woody is back in the saddle again!! Good luck to him.
Astro Joe
March 14th, 2012
2:53 pm
4-4 since All-Star break. 4-4 in last 8 home games. 2-3 on current road trip. 4-3 in March. Never seen this much enthusiasm for a .500 squad since the Hawks were winning 26 games.
jlewis
March 14th, 2012
2:56 pm
You are correct Melvin. I didnt call out Josh, I was just saying everyone is quick to highlight JJ’s mistakes, Al was killing. Why is everyone concerned about how much money the guy makes, all of them are overpaid, and Rashard Lewis makes more I believe.
This ISO stuff drives me crazy, does anyone actually watch nba basketball, its an isolation league, always has been. Josh is on a roll, run the offense through him, its better to ride a player, but if anyone thinks this is going to continue all season, especially when the game slows down in the playoffs, you are delusional.
EmirS.
March 14th, 2012
2:57 pm
Woody goes from Iso Joe to…Iso Melo?
jlewis
March 14th, 2012
2:59 pm
Also, where are all these people that wanted Melo for JJ? Embrace the guy for what he is, a 6′8 smooth shooting guard, he’s not going to give you dunks or thump his chest. But there is one thing I love about this Hawks team and management, they have made mistakes, lol. There are no thugs or troublemakers on the team, they represent the City well in their behavior and its a team socially the City can be proud of.