Atlanta Hawks: Clippers 96, Hawks 82
Los Angeles--At the end of a long road trip and with a roster depleted by injuries, the Hawks gave a pretty-good-if-sloppy effort against the Clippers but couldn’t make plays at winning times and finished the trip 2-4.
- “We clearly just ran out of steam,” Larry Drew said.
- Whether you see that as an excuse or a legitimate explanation probably depends on your mood. My guess is it’s not charitable because of the sting of close Ls at Miami, Detroit and, especially, Denver.
- “We can’t hang our heads, but you have got to be a little disappointed,” Josh Smith said. “We had an opportunity to win in Miami. We definitely had an opportunity to win in Detroit. And the game last night was definitely our game and we gave it away. This is our last long away trip. We’ve got to take care of the home games and worry about these Eastern Conference teams and try to climb up.”
- “We have just got to fine tune these last 20-something odd games,” Joe Johnson said. “The trip is definitely not as successful as we wanted. Nowhere near. We have just go to get back home and try to string some wins together and move up the ladder board.”
- The Hawks already were down Al Horford and Ivan Johnson in the frontcourt and another option, Marvin Williams, was out too. Then Vladimir Radmanovic (back) was a late scratch and Josh was in early foul trouble.
- “I’ve got to take my hat off to my guys,” Drew said. “We knew coming in this would be a physical game and, big-man wise, we were limited. Then we got word right before the game Vladimir couldn’t go because of his back. That left us with one big guy coming off the bench, [Erick] Dampier. So basically we were left with figuring out how to stay in the game and manage the game.”
- It turned out the Clips guards Mo Williams and Eric Bledsoe hurt the Hawks more than their bigs. But a good deal of that could be contributed to Atlanta playing zone and the guards sagging to help with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Also, Reggie Evans bulled his way 10 rebounds, four of them on offense.
- “We paid so much attention to their inside presence and Chris Paul running the pick-and-roll that [Mo Williams] basically went out there shooting darts,” Joe said.
- “It looked like they were moving a lot faster than we were,” Drew said of Mo Williams and Bledsoe.
- You can see the Hawks’ offense slowly start to evolve to the point where it needs Josh on the court to function effectively. As soon as he entered the game in the second quarter after sitting with two fouls, he scored four straight baskets. As soon as he left after picking up his third, scoring became a struggle again.
- “We didn’t have anybody to go to in the post to go to to pressure their guys,” Joe said. “We basically shot a lot of jump shots and we kind of lost rhythm.”
- The Hawks managed to stay in striking position. Josh scored five points on one trip when he made two free throws after a clear path foul and then sank a 3-pointer. But that’s when it looked like the Hawks lost their legs at the same time Mo and Bledsoe were hitting everything.
- Here’s how their next eight possessions went: Josh missed on a drive, Jerry Stackhouse had his layup blocked on the break, Jannero Pargo turned it over, Tracy McGrady turned it over, McGrady made a 3, McGrady turned it over again, Kirk Hinrich shot an airball, and Joe turned it over.
- Joe: “No excuses. Everyone’s schedule has been pretty tough. We wanted to give ourselves a chance to win but we just kept turning the ball over and couldn’t really close the gap.”
- Ivan Johnson is expected to return to play Friday against the Wizards. Marvin, Vladimir and Willie Green are up in the air. The Hawks just can’t ever seem to get their full complement of players dressed.
- Drew: “It feels a little bit like ’snakebit.’ But it is something we are going to have to work through and push through and face. We can’t make any excuses because a lot of teams go through injuries. We will lick our wounds on this trip and we will go home and be OK.”
- Joe: “We keep mixing and matching lineups. You don’t know who is going to play or not play. It’s a little tough and mind-boggling but, at the same time, the way the schedule is, we have just got to deal with it.”
- Josh: “We are not worried about it. We have just got to stay positive and not worry about anybody catching up to us and just put a strong of games together and not worry about the pressure of dropping a seed.”
The Hawks have to get it together because Boston is creeping up from behind in the East.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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271 comments Add your comment
Ray
March 15th, 2012
2:48 pm
WE HAVE 13 MINS TILL TRADE DEADLINE!
MAKE IT NOT HAPPEN SUND BWAHAHAHAH!!!!
JJ
March 15th, 2012
2:48 pm
Hawks with NO CHANCE to win anything so why not either trade to make us better now OR trade to position us for the future?? Standing pat when you don’t have a legitimate chance to win is just wasting time.
Pathetic owners.
drmaryb.[*_*].
March 15th, 2012
2:50 pm
Does the AJC have a limit on how many article a Hawks beat writer can put up? Or, does TPB have to reach a targeted # of comments before a new article can go up?
ThIs is the NBA trade deadline man! Don’t complain about the uninformed fans ever again. How will they support something that doesn’t appear to exist in this town:
A NBA Basketball Team without a Press.
TMACfan
March 15th, 2012
2:50 pm
dang I have Louisville going to the Final Four, that might have been more dumb than Sund
STRETCH
March 15th, 2012
2:50 pm
Seriously? I gotta find a new city to support.
Ray
March 15th, 2012
2:50 pm
10 MINS WHAT YOU GONNA DO WHEN SUND RUNS WILD ON YOU?
JJ
March 15th, 2012
2:51 pm
@ Ray –
I’m with you. Would serve the asg right to miss the playoffs while they sit on their arses doing nothing.
Melvin
March 15th, 2012
2:51 pm
Get Josh Smith some damn help in here….. Make a trade.
TMACfan
March 15th, 2012
2:52 pm
KIRK IS STAYING IN ATLANTA WTFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
vava74
March 15th, 2012
2:53 pm
2:51
WojYahooNBA: Guard Kirk Hinrich will be staying with the Atlanta Hawks, league source tells Y! Sports. [via Twitter]
Ray
March 15th, 2012
2:53 pm
8 minutes cause you know doomsday is coming early this year!
Oh make that 7 LOL!
joeygt1
March 15th, 2012
2:54 pm
123
Wabe
March 15th, 2012
2:54 pm
If you put Joe, Al, Teague, Kirk on the block…
You’re telling me there wouldn’t be suitors?
I mean c’mon man. There’s little satisfaction following a team year after year when you know they have absolutely no chance to make any noise in the playoffs.
TMACfan
March 15th, 2012
2:55 pm
When does next season start?
CrαZy
March 15th, 2012
2:56 pm
It’s easy to be a bandwagon fan!!
Melvin
March 15th, 2012
2:56 pm
I’m ok with Kirk staying, get Marvin outta here at least.
TMACfan
March 15th, 2012
2:57 pm
3 minutes left…
Ray
March 15th, 2012
2:57 pm
Well it’s over ladies and gentlemen best find the next team cause I don’t plan to support the Atlanta Hawks any longer.
Oh we still have time on the clock got 3 mins as I post this.
KevinM
March 15th, 2012
2:58 pm
Haha, Camby to the Rockets, and Wallace to the Nets.
Sund simply is stealing money.
tyger
March 15th, 2012
2:58 pm
Ramon Sessions, Michael Beasley to Lakers…
Gerald Wallace to NJ
Barbosa to Pacers…
Camby to Rockets…
Thabeet/Flynn to Blazers…
“Hawks just need to get healthy…”
When will that occur? This summer, next year…
Smoove is right, they arent trying to win, why stay?
Dwight has set it up perfectly, they both expire next year…
Jamal Crawford is heading their way any minute…
DHoward, Smoove, Crawford closes ATL window…
Wabe
March 15th, 2012
2:59 pm
******************************!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ray
March 15th, 2012
2:59 pm
Well I’ve always had 99 problems but a ***** ain’t 1.
STRETCH
March 15th, 2012
3:00 pm
Wow! What a joke of a GM Sund is. While most teams in the East have made moves or tried to make moves, Sund contends that all his team needs to do is get healthy.
Looking at the team as constructed, they are the oldest team in the NBA and it shows. From the begining of the season, the rotation has resembled a Walgreens merry-go-round!!!
What an idiot. It all starts from the top people.
Ray
March 15th, 2012
3:01 pm
FFFFFFFFFFUUUUUC*****************************************************************************************************************!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Big Lou
March 15th, 2012
3:01 pm
And… BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE!
ryan
March 15th, 2012
3:01 pm
Sund Sucks i mean geeeeeeez don’t even try attempt make a trade and clear cap space we really have saddest sports town in America .
Ray
March 15th, 2012
3:02 pm
Well how is everyone doing today it’s 3 P.M. in ATL Georgia on a very nice Thursday!
joeygt1
March 15th, 2012
3:02 pm
im a huge hawks fan.. but them doing nothing to try to imporvoe the team pisses me off
TMACfan
March 15th, 2012
3:03 pm
HAHAHAHAHA Lakers FINALLY dumped Derick Fisher. Why can’t we do stuff like that?
Ray
March 15th, 2012
3:03 pm
@ Wabe me and you thinking the same thing Bud!
ARGHGHGHGHGHGHHGHGHGHGH!!!!!!!!!!!
*******************************!!!!!!!!!
Goes and jump off a cliff because I live in ATL
STRETCH
March 15th, 2012
3:03 pm
Michael Cunningham,
I know that management does not care what we the fans say, but do you know if they even know what we are saying?
CrαZy
March 15th, 2012
3:03 pm
Good luck finding another team to pull for!!! Damn Bandwagon fans!! Easy to be a Yankee fan, Heat fan and Packers fan not as easy to explain why your fans of those teams and why your favorite teams change every few years.
cp
March 15th, 2012
3:04 pm
Pathetic. The Hawks will limp into the playoffs, win a few games and the ASG will use injuries as an excuse to bring the core back along with Sund and LD. Its hard supporting this franchise.
Rick Sund
March 15th, 2012
3:04 pm
This team has a great deal of UPSIDE and we didn’t feel making a move would be in the BEST INTEREST of the team. Once we are HEALTHY we will be alright. We were CLOSE to making some deals but we LIKE OUR TEAM. Hope to see you all against the Wizards in a few days.
JaeEvolution
March 15th, 2012
3:05 pm
Why couldn’t we at least get a pick for Hinrich? Nothing? Our depth is T-Mac, Stackhouse, and Dampier…amazing.
JJ
March 15th, 2012
3:07 pm
And where the heck has MC been anyway? I figured he’d at least be online chattin with us??
joeygt1
March 15th, 2012
3:07 pm
hawks are a good team but need the right peice to be championship conteneder..and our gm and ownership does nothing to improve the team…its so frustrating…being a hawks…fire rick sund and the asg…
Rick Sund
March 15th, 2012
3:07 pm
Maybe many of you fans EXPECT TOO MUCH. We have an older team, but our core pretty young. Why can’t you all be like the blogger “CraZy”. He is SATISFIED with the fact that we will make the SECOND ROUND. Our goal for this hawks team each year is IMPROVEMENT. Championships aren’t won over night. You have to continue to BUILD.
TMACfan
March 15th, 2012
3:07 pm
@ Rick Sund
FUUUUUCKKKK YOOOOUUUUUU!!!!!!!!
CrαZy
March 15th, 2012
3:07 pm
I know that management does not care what we the fans say, but do you know if they even know what we are saying?
And thank GOD that they don’t care or listen!! If they did we would be trading players after every game.
Astro Joe
March 15th, 2012
3:07 pm
Lakers get Jordan Hill for Fisher.
BTW, where are Rasheed Wallace and Fesenko?
SteveW
March 15th, 2012
3:09 pm
Jordan Hill for D Fish. As Sekou says, LA’s in it to win it. And they just might.
TMACfan
March 15th, 2012
3:09 pm
Hawks, who have a toe into tax territory, unable to pull off deal to get under, league sources say. May move a pick for cash to pay bill. – Ken Berger
WOWOWOWOWOW
WTF WTF WTF WTF
FIRE SUND!!!! FIRED ASG!!!!!!!!
Rick Sund
March 15th, 2012
3:09 pm
Hinrich is a SOLID point guard and moving at this point wouldn’t be in the BEST INTEREST of this team. He is TEACHING Teague how to play the point guard position. Hinrich is Teagues MENTOR. We thought about moving Marvin, but we felt that he has so many INTANGIBLES that he brings to the team that with PATIENCE he will DEVELOP INTO A SUPERSTAR like Josh.
STRETCH
March 15th, 2012
3:09 pm
Rick Sund,
CraZy is writing us from Sunds bedroom at this moment!
Big Lou
March 15th, 2012
3:10 pm
Talking Dead!
drmaryb, glowing radiance, Yes. That is why I thought it must be an airborne virus that everyone is already infected with. They only change when they’re killed–without their brain being spewed out.
Could be. Yet, I think it would make a better ending if they were alive. It will give an opportunity to introduce new characters since many of current ones are going to get their flesh ripped apart.
I agree that something will occur in the basement, but I do not believe they will trap them in the barn. Things will happen to fast for them to come up with a plan, and when everything seems hopeless, the other camp comes to save them.
Those meat sacks were moving pretty fast though from the forest. Maybe they have been working out? Also, why is there a Hawks game on Sunday? Now I have to wait till 11 again, sh!t!
Can’t wait!
JaeEvolution
March 15th, 2012
3:10 pm
“Hawks, who have a toe into tax territory, unable to pull off deal to get under, league sources say. May move a pick for cash to pay bill.”
This team is so sad and have no will to win.
O'Brien
March 15th, 2012
3:10 pm
Rockets already have Scola, Dalembert, Patrick Patterson, and Jordan Hill. And they Still trade for Camby?
CrαZy
March 15th, 2012
3:10 pm
F off Ricky…. I said you need to make a move to get better or make a move to build for the future. You dam# A@#Clown!!! I’ll always be a Hawks fan, but I just won’t buy tickets untill they get new owners!!!
TMACfan
March 15th, 2012
3:11 pm
Hawks trade 2nd round pick to Warriors for cash
WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!