Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 103, Cavaliers 87
Vivlamore reporting from Cleveland. Here is my game story from the Hawks win over the Cavs Sunday so you may comment.
CLEVELAND – All the Hawks needed was one good quarter out of Joe Johnson.
They got that – and more.
Despite being thinned by injury, coach Larry Drew was cognizant of putting too much stress on Johnson’s troublesome left knee. However, the All-Star scored 13 of his game-high 28 points in the first quarter en route to a 103-87 victory over the Cavaliers Sunday at Quicken Loans Arena.
By the end of the first 12 minutes, in which Johnson played every one, the Hawks had built a 12-point lead. Johnson was 4 of 5 from the field, including hitting all three 3-pointers, and had four assists. He scored the Hawks’ first seven points after the Cavaliers scored the first four points of the game. It would be their only lead.
The lead grew to as much as 17 points in the second quarter with Johnson on the bench for a good portion resting the knee that recently cost him six games with tendinitis. The Hawks would lead by as many as 19 points, before withstanding a third-quarter 18-5 Cavaliers run that saw their advantage trimmed to six points. Johnson answered with two straight baskets as the Hawks went on an 8-0 run and pushed the lead back to double-digits.
“I just try to take what the defense gives me,” said Johnson, who ended up playing 35 minutes. “It wasn’t anything special I was out there doing.”
The Hawks (26-19, 13-13 on the road) have won two straight as they go into Monday’s key Eastern Conference matchup with the Celtics at Philips Arena.
Although injuries forced his hand to a degree, Drew has switched to a starting lineup that features Johnson at small forward, with Kirk Hinrich at shooting guard and Jeff Teague at point guard. It’s paying dividends. Johnson is averaging 25.7 points in the past six games since returning from the knee injury. Teague finished with 18 points Sunday. Hinrich, who is averaging 9.5 points over the past nine games, finished with 14 points.
“We are doing what we have to do with all the guys injured,” Hinrich said. “It seems like, depending on what day it is, someone is hurt, someone is back. We are just trying to hang in there.”
Drew said he challenged Teague to be more aggressive in the second half and take on the challenge of facing Cavaliers star rookie point guard Kyrie Irving. Teague scored 13 of his points after intermission, including several drives to the basket.
For his part, Teague likes the three-guard approach.
“I like playing with Kirk,” Teague said. “He is going to help you out on defense. He’s going to knock down shots. He raises the level of intensity on the floor. It makes me pick up my energy because I see him playing so hard.”
The Hawks improved to 15-2 when Johnson scores 20 or more points.
It appears the three-guard approach may be around for awhile.
“It gives us another guard who can really defend,” Drew said. “It takes [Johnson] off the ball a little bit but we are still able to run things through him. With both Jeff and Kirk in the backcourt it gives us some versatility at the guard spot.
“With Kirk in the lineup, especially at the very beginning, he really gets after it. It just makes us much more aggressive and gives us another guy with the ability to break you down off the dribble. It gives us another guy who can catch and shoot. So far it has worked out.”
Josh Smith struggled offensively, finishing with just seven points on 3 of 15 shooting. Smith had more assists (season-high tying nine) and rebounds (eight) than points.
The Cavaliers (16-26), who lost for the third straight time, were led by Alonzo Gee with 20 points. Irving added 19 points and Antwan Jamison had 17. The Hawks had six double-digit scorers in a 27-point win over the Cavaliers at Philips Arena on Jan. 21.
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130 comments Add your comment
Big Lou
March 18th, 2012
10:17 pm
She’s going to put T dog to shame. Lol
doc
March 18th, 2012
10:26 pm
yeah sautee, i thought of you and our conversations as i read about it. seeme like a pretty good and full life.
hbcuclassics
March 18th, 2012
10:30 pm
HBCU Classic Sports
2012 Draft Preview
CB, Justin Ferrell, NC A&T
http://www.hbcuclassics.com/hbcu_showcase
drmaryb.[*_*].
March 18th, 2012
10:31 pm
Biggie Lou!
Andrea will survive … She ran across the woods and they drove around the circle. Pi is 3.14869 … Half the radius in a circle equals 1/4 the distance they drove. She can do it in about 3-5 miles to their driving 15 – 17 miles.
Big Lou
March 18th, 2012
10:35 pm
drmaryb, tender one, she won’t have to since Michonne (person in the hood with the katanas)saved her life. You remember how we were talking about how the brothas and sistas got shafted in this show? Not with her. She’s a bad chick. Now I have a new hottie to look at, sorry Maggy. haha
Hawks Blog Legend Worldwide Clyde
March 18th, 2012
10:42 pm
FIRE SUND
RIO ON TUESDAY
JaeEvolution
March 18th, 2012
11:22 pm
I really hoped the Suns would deal Steve Nash at the deadline because he single-handedly makes that team relevant and the pick from them would’ve been a lot earlier in the second round. Now they are only .5 games out of the 8th seed in the West.
northcyde
March 18th, 2012
11:34 pm
SMH @ Westbrook. Having a great game, but missing a ton of FTs. Gotta help me out at the FT line dude. I don’t want to lose 11 – 0
Grandad
March 19th, 2012
2:16 am
I must say that I have missed two Hawks games in a row.
I did not watch our Hawks today / tonite whenever ?
Once again, I understand they won.
*[not good for our draft positioning]
_____________________________________________
Myself – I just finished watching all or parts of 48 B-ball games;
within four days.
Furthermore; I packed 48 games, (46 hours of watching) …
into an 82 hour span of time.
Needless to say;
my youngest son and I have developed basketball watcher`s fatigue.
The tournament this year was devoid for the most part
of very few’`stinkers`’.
The games were competitive, well played, coached and officiated.
I cannot remember a tournament with as much balance. [parity]
I saw some players who were fun to watch who probably
will -never- play in the NBA:
*Knutson, *Conklin, *Hornung, *O`Quinn, *Pressey, *Wolters
*Daniel & Aska [Murray St], *DJ Cooper, *Gordon, *Primm
amongst many many others ! ! ! ! !
The really good NBA prospects I`ll apprise later.
Sad news; Kendall Marshall breaking his wrist.
Teams I was pullin` for;
Murray St. / Fla St / Vandy / ‘`the Jackrabbits`’ / Belmont;
Norfolk St / Lehigh / Saint Louis … All Gone !
On the other hand:
Georgia is & was well represented in the tourney:
*[unfortunately all these Georgians did not play for a state team]
*Jae Crowder – Marquette; *Bernard James – Fla St;
*Richard Howell & Lorenzo Brown – NC St; *Chris Allen – Iowa St
*Cashmere Wright – Cincinnati; *Jeremy Lamb – UConn;
*Wesley Witherspoon – Memphis
*Norfolk St = 2 plyrs / *Wichita St = 2 plyrs / *S.Fla = 1
*Belmont = 2 plyrs / *UNC Asheville = 1 / *Ohio St = 1
*Bama = 1 / *U of Tn = 4 plyrs / *Western Ky = 1
The Sweet 16 is yet to come:
One Regional is in the ATL – I hope to attend !
I do love March Madnesss.
Hawks Blog Legend Worldwide Clyde
March 19th, 2012
3:05 am
I need to take my Fire Woody t-shirts up to NY when the Knicks start losing.
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
March 19th, 2012
4:41 am
Hawks Blog Legend Worldwide Clyde
March 19th, 2012
3:05 am
I need to take my Fire Woody t-shirts up to NY when the Knicks start losing.
****
keep them down here for the March 30th game.
FIRE LD
FIRE SUND
FIRE JOE
AMNESTY GEARON
Big Daddy
March 19th, 2012
6:43 am
Good win for the guys. Balanced attack and Joe and Zaza have been great the last few games. JT is coming into his own and the 3 guard offense is working. GO HAWKS!!!!
rk
March 19th, 2012
6:45 am
As if Clevelands team were not bhad enough, they pick up Luke Walton.
drmaryb.[*_*].
March 19th, 2012
6:52 am
T-Dog!
Biggie Lou! hot cakes … T-Dog? I mean really? This brother has no dog in him … Stereotype in his name? LOL
drmaryb.[*_*].
March 19th, 2012
7:18 am
Michonne!
Biggie Lou, desperate heart … I didn’t know this movie, (The Walking Dead) was based on a comic book? Is Michonne a sista’? This Fall, 3rd season is gonna’ be great. Did you see the landscape in the background?
A prison or a Wal-Mart? LOL! I thought it was “the farm” and, the crew was gonna’ return to the scene of the crime. Looks like it’s gonna’ be a Prison for the next main scenes.
That should be fun. Looks like Michonne will save Andrea. Might as well pipe down now and wait for September 2012. Oh well … back to my Hawks and the upcoming draft.
Do you think Fab Melo will fall to the Hawks? Someone posted Rand-Mo’s D-League stats line of 27 pts and 14 rebs with 5 blocks yesterday with The Ducks.
I say, that was an abberation against other like scrubs. Leave him there. Rand-Mo had ample time here and was a buster. Go get Kito Benson back, he has upside just no muscles. Better eat his Wheaties!!!
Get Well Soon – Pargo! doc have a 4 – 6 weeks prognosis (sooner if no infections). What a blow! Who will step up next? Marvin, Vlad, Green, Collins? … Queries abound!
drmaryb(*(*)
March 19th, 2012
7:20 am
State of The Art!
The Suns are freezing their players off the court so that they will move more freely on the court. Cryotherapy has entered the NBA vernacular, and the Suns are one of four teams to have a cryosauna in their facility for a chilling training approach. With the franchise’s $50,000 investment in the equipment, Suns players are stepping into a nitrogen gas cylindrical chamber that accelerates and intensifies a process previously left to 12 minutes in an ice bath. The Suns still use ice baths but now have a mechanism that requires only three minutes of a dry freeze. Marcin Gortat compares it to walking outside in Poland in the winter. Arizona Republic
Phoenix Suns, Marcin Gortat | share
Players, while standing, rotate every 30 seconds. Bursts of gas blow from the interior sides of the unit to surround the player’s body, starting out at minus-166 degrees and quickly cooling to between minus-256 and minus-274. The machine is capable of dipping to minus-320. Arizona Republic
Phoenix Suns | share
The hyper-cold temperature shocks the body, sending it into “survival mode,” Suns head athletic trainer Aaron Nelson said. The immune system prompts blood to rush away from the extremities to protect the vital organs in the player’s core, where the blood is oxygen- and nutrient-enriched. Once the three minutes in the chamber ends, the body relaxes from the stress and sends the enriched blood to areas it is needed, such as fatigued muscles. “We use it for muscle recovery to pump the blood through the body,” Nelson said. “We’re trying to re-energize or reboot the body. It gives you a feeling of being cold and jump-starts your metabolism to feel refreshed the rest of the day.” Arizona Republic
Phoenix Suns
___________
Why can’t we do this?
vava74
March 19th, 2012
7:23 am
This is not a 3 guard offense.
This is JJ playing in the right position for this stage of his career.
He a tad slower than earlier in his career and that was starting to show against SG.
But at the SF slot, he is faster (in particular with the rock) than most opposing SFs so he will have an easier time beating off the dribble taller, heavier and less agile players than the ones that play SG.
This is not rocket science.
Also: with Hinrich on the floor instead of Marvin we have 4 guys who can handle the rock and make a pass.
Marvin can’t dribble, is seldom aggressive and does not command any degree of attention from the defenses when he starts so we play 4 on 5 in many nights.
JJ may not be a very apt rebounder but Hinrich is bombing from 3 point land from the SG slot and bringing a pretty well rounded game which makes JJ’s presence at the SF globally much more effective for us.
doc
March 19th, 2012
7:26 am
dmb, that is a type of sauna that is used a lot in the euro countries as a public health aide. man, it would be great to have that and an infar red sauna at home to use daily. i might live longer than ted williams. heh heh
drmaryb(*(*)
March 19th, 2012
7:31 am
vava >>> nice stuff. you have been on point for several weeks now. kudos and keep up the great work. what is your solution for new rotations with all the new injuries? what’s wrong with vlad’s health? will marvin ever start again in a Hawks uni?
doc
March 19th, 2012
7:34 am
yup to that vava. you know how long i have been a proponent of dropping the pretense and putting jj at that position. it is probably political in nature because of things like labels for all star voting and other recognition because as we know joe dont bound; it is a missing link to his game at sf. the teams stats have usually gone up in the configuration with jj at sf by 82 games. as an aside would like to have marvin gunning more at backup pf but that is a discussion for a different day.
jj could be as vital as pierce and it would prolong his career to move in that direction. the guy cant keep up now at sg. he doesnt appear to like to go through and create off screens and never has been one to do that in the traditional sense. it is probably why he liked having the ball in his hands so he didnt have to. it wasted a lot of other players on the floor.
in unison, how many have whined play inside out instead of jj hold ball? many and maybe it will finally be answered.
drmaryb(*(*)
March 19th, 2012
7:36 am
yes doc, that Suns medical staff is outa’ sight! see Grant (over the) Hill? Steve (no drop off)Nash? No wonder these guys don’t want to play anywhere else … the owners even with money issues, don’t seem to hold back on health care expenses. too bad we don’t share that approach here, investing in human resources an assets management.
good stuff!
drmaryb(*(*)
March 19th, 2012
7:43 am
MIA!
Grand-Daddy, first love … do you think Fab Melo missing his time on the Big Stage will make him slip to us, or, do you think he’ll be looked at as a high schooler loaded with talent and taken high in the draft?
I’ve never seen him play and don’t know his position nor, upsides. is he a big man at the 5? is he a nut job or just dumb academically? how do you not take care of the academics at this stage in college? sollege is not that hard, all you got to do is go to class, show interest, effort. study and make C’s. how hard is that? not very.
vava74
March 19th, 2012
7:44 am
yes doc, no question about it.
on the all-star selection, in a year where Deng was selected, I don’t think there is any question that JJ would still be selected at the SF slot.
Apart from ‘Melo (due to voting) and Lebron (due to both voting and quality of play) I don’t think there is another SF that can beat JJ out of being selected to the All-star.
Pierce is a perfectly example since I think he played a bit of SG as well in the past but now sticks to what he can still do which is to use superior handle and craftiness to get his mid range game going against guys who are longer but not quick and adhesive enough to close him out.
JJ can do that as well and from the SF slot I think he will have a lot more opportunities to get into the lane for his floaters.
Yesterday he even had a beautiful banker in the 3rd quarter (or early 4th?) when he was backing down Gee, who although not too long is very strong and JJ managed to do easily do it.
terrell
March 19th, 2012
7:45 am
KEEP MARVIN ON THE BENCH!
THE END.
vava74
March 19th, 2012
7:52 am
drmaryb,
With Pargo down for weeks I think LD will have no option but to:
a) Use Teague more minutes (which for me is a plus – he can handle 40 minutes per EASILY);
b) Use T-Mac at the SG slot more minutes and run the offense through him;
c) Hope that Green can come back to assist at the PG slot;
d) And give Stack some minutes. He seems to have his legs back and is able to play for short spurts.
Tonight is a difficult game for us IMO, but I am hopeful that Josh will have a bounce back game benefiting from the rest LD gave him in the 4th.
drmaryb(*(*)
March 19th, 2012
8:32 am
Through the Wall!
vava, i like that: play Teague more minutes – he ready! TMac will prove to be invaluable, he can play three positions, defend two and rebound, make plays with his smarts and passing ability.
Question is? will he hold up heatlh wise. He bantied for more PT, but is that realistic or ego talk? Ivan should see more PT time too, esp with Vlad down, Ivan can’t stretch the defense with jumpers, but he can go inside and barrell his way to and 1’s, charges and great postiional defense. I believe Ivan’s body can handle more minutes even though he is 27 … he is a HUNGRY MAN!
I see Drew is getting a lot of love from the national media for the step up play of the bench. we all know his hand is being forced due to injuries … and that translates into a contract extension. I don’t mind that, as long as Drew is learning from his mistakes and poor tendencies. The players seem to like playing for Drew, but are they running through brick walls with enthusiasm? Is that even necessary?
I think so, come play off time!
doc
March 19th, 2012
8:43 am
vava, i wish more of these guys used the glass instead of floaters. i think percentage wise once to the side they go up. dont know what has happened to the bank shot.
yes, to the pierce thing as i have used that as the prototype for jj and to try to poorly justify and rationalize his long term contract by thinking he could play that position later in his career like umm, now.
deng was selected but i see him more of the tweener and a two as much a three. maybe that is wrong but i have also seen him put the clamps on jj for years now it seems. i think pierce, melo and labron sort of stand in the way on the all star vote at three, whereas, only dwade does at two for sure. yup labron can and is more a four but he calls himself a three for now with bosh at four and he may be better than pierce except pierce is such a gamer he cant be excluded. you still got three real superstars at three so politically or for the image, it is best to stay at two.
i say no to tmac at two and to leave tmac at three. play jj at three with slides to two as hinrich and teague round it out. that would be how to manage it with four guys for three slots. unless teague is sucking it then ride the young legs. really could go with ivan, zaza and josh for a seven man rotation against the best teams and fill some blows with the likes of damp, stack and whoever is still standing to really contribute.
Shaq M. Bradley
March 19th, 2012
8:55 am
Good 2 C JJ earning dat money. We uh see if dey can ball agint the Celtics soon. Rondo,Ray,and KG don’t play.
Shaq M. Bradley
March 19th, 2012
9:01 am
T-Mac,Damp,and Stack are expensible. Dat word mean dey boff expensive & expendable.
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
March 19th, 2012
9:03 am
GREG ODEN IS OUT FOR THE SEASON PEOPLE. HE MAY NEVER PLAY AGAIN. WE ARE NOT GETTING GREG FREAKING ODEN
GREG ODEN IS OUT FOR THE SEASON PEOPLE. HE MAY NEVER PLAY AGAIN. WE ARE NOT GETTING GREG FREAKING ODEN
GREG ODEN IS OUT FOR THE SEASON PEOPLE. HE MAY NEVER PLAY AGAIN. WE ARE NOT GETTING GREG FREAKING ODEN
GREG ODEN IS OUT FOR THE SEASON PEOPLE. HE MAY NEVER PLAY AGAIN. WE ARE NOT GETTING GREG FREAKING ODEN
Slimjr
March 19th, 2012
9:05 am
Angles, Angles, Angles?
The bank shot has evaporated probably due to fact that athelete verticals have increased across the board over these past 15 years so guys are worried about getting their ish thrown out of bounds..I say don’t worry about it..Just keep shooting….
Woody for PRESIDENT!!!!!!!!
HIRE WOODY!!!!
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
March 19th, 2012
9:05 am
I thought Pargo was just out a few games?
And is Willie Green ever returning? Good God.
Slimjr
March 19th, 2012
9:08 am
Pargo gone for weeks? Its a Trap alright…
doc
March 19th, 2012
9:26 am
pargo’s recovery from his surgery depends on what they found once inside and the incision to get there. best possible scenario, two weeks. the conservative approach is 4 to 6 weeks to let incisions heal completely before stressing them. folks this was real surgery due to a rotting sick appendix with anesthesia and everything that goes along with it.
to think “a few games out” went out the window when it was determined it wasnt due to a stomach “virus”. like when oden got micro-fracture surgery on one or both knees meant he wasnt going to be quite ready for a test ride before the playoffs. it is going to take a while unless they did a lap appy under the best of circumstances.
vava74
March 19th, 2012
10:17 am
with luck Pargo will come back on time to play the last 4 games of the regular season and tune up for the playoffs.
Big Lou
March 19th, 2012
10:34 am
If Green stops being ‘injured’, then the loss of Pargo isn’t as bad. Let’s see if he can stop having spasms. Yet, with the loss of both, I expect more minutes for JJ, Kirk, and Teague. Hopefully, that idiot LD doesn’t give JJ too many minutes during that time period.
Geemack
March 19th, 2012
10:41 am
When is Al expected to return?
Any chance he return during the regular season?
drmaryb.[*_*].
March 19th, 2012
10:51 am
Fundamentally Sound!
“vava, i wish more of these guys used the glass instead of floaters. i think percentage wise once to the side they go up. dont know what has happened to the bank shot. ” -doc-
____________
Post of The Year on Mr. Joseph Johnson going on up there, from doc. Copyright That!
Re: bank shots doc, the problem is that none of the post Jordan Era – All Stars know how to create a bank shot fundamentally. They don’t show those type shots on the ESPN highlight reels. Period. Instead of working on their bank shot techniques, they’re practicing a glass shattering windmill dunk. Period. Shame on both the media and the player himself. Neither can they play a mid-range offensive game. What happened to the George Gervins? They can’t pass, dribble, box out nor rebound either. It’s either a Blake Griffin dunk or a damned three point shot – that’s what they care about on twitter tweeps now a days. It’s all about the fantasy league now.
Slimjr
March 19th, 2012
11:00 am
Most good looking car for 2012: Fisker Karma Hybrid, saw one up close in Florida 3 weeks ago..Pictures don’t do justice Sir!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABlWqBB6zPE&feature=related
Knicks by 20!
Slimjr
March 19th, 2012
11:09 am
Lebron James needs a midrange game:
He would have beaten Dallas in that Championship series if he had it?
Monday And-1 links: LeBron, Thibodeau setting records | ProBasketballTalk
March 19th, 2012
11:39 am
[...] Kirk Hinrich may stick as the starter in Atlanta. [...]
Buddy Grizzard
March 19th, 2012
1:36 pm
Some notes about how the remaining schedule favors the Hawks:
http://www.hoopinionblog.com/2012/03/remaining-schedule-favors-hawks.html
SteveW
March 19th, 2012
1:45 pm
26-19 with a depleted roster, embarrassing losses to a minimum, I’m happy. I think we can beat any team in the East in a playoff series, and make the ECF. Or we could lose in the 1st round. Top 8 teams pretty evenly matched.
I am concerned about this stretch of 10 games in 14 days we’re currently on. That is just brutal. If I was LD, I’d have a game in the middle of it where I sat Zaza, Teague, JJ, and Josh. Just let them rest.
April is looking much more favorable for us, at least as far as scheduling.
As far as Hollinger is concerned his stats show we’ve played a very tough schedule to this point. We deserve a patsy week like this week.
Teague has played about the way I thought he would. I predicted an 11 and 5 season from him, so he’s about on track. I didn’t expect his low turnover rate which is a plus.
And I didn’t expect him to average more blocks per game than Zaza, or to be Top 10 in steals like he has been most of the year.
Overall, tough to complain. If LD will watch his rotations, keep us fresh for the playoffs, I like our chances.
I hope the Heat don’t sign Turiaf or Fisher…
honest_abe
March 19th, 2012
1:48 pm
really like the new lineup. as vava already pointed out it’s the right move for jj at this point in his career. give those tired legs a rest from chasing shooters off screens all night. and of course the addition by subtraction of taking marvin out of the lineup is sweet!
honest_abe
March 19th, 2012
1:51 pm
doc – i recently ruptured my achilles and chose to go with a hard boot rather than have surgery. i should be ok, right?
Buddy Grizzard
March 19th, 2012
1:54 pm
*[not good for our draft positioning] – G-Dad
Haha, my link above also is not good for our draft positioning.
Buddy Grizzard
March 19th, 2012
2:04 pm
LD II could have helped North Carolina go farther in the NCAA Tournament last year. I hope he’s happy to be sitting on his ass in Encino when he could be auditioning for NBA scouts.
Slimjr
March 19th, 2012
2:11 pm
“Atlanta, which has faced the 3rd-hardest schedule, will face the 2nd-easiest schedule the rest of the way.”- hoopinion
Home court is key to advance..
Sautee
March 19th, 2012
2:15 pm
Buddy, I don’t think LD II is anywhere CLOSE to an NBA prospect. A camp invitee at best. I think LD knows that his son can’t cut it. As far as helping UNC, well, let’s just say that a shaky point guard is quickly shown in the Tournament. Ask FSU.
TMACfan
March 19th, 2012
2:22 pm
SlimJr
I like that^