Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 103, Cavs 102
- The Hawks played hard after a lackluster start (especially Josh Smith) and Joe Johnson made some big shots. Jerry Stackhouse (!) balled like it’s 2001. The Hawks won, which can never be taken for granted in this league.
- But, honestly, that’s about all the praise I can muster for them after this one.
- The Hawks just made fewer blunders than the Cavs at winning time and escaped with a hard-fought-but-fortunate W. “I thought we were dead in the water down six with two minutes to go,” Larry Drew said. “I guess the basketball gods were with us. We made plays to finish.”
- I guess that’s one way to think about it, but one of the basketball gods had a strong resemblance to Byron Scott. He decided not to foul before Joe tied it with a clean look from 25 feet in regulation. “We figured we would just play solid defense instead of taking the foul,” Scott said.
- Neither did the Cavs pressure, blitz, deny, trap or do anything to disrupt Joe on that shot, the 3 he made just before that or the short J he made near the end of overtime. Compare that to the way the Celtics absolutely would not let Joe have a chance to beat them late in the game Monday.
- I just can’t believe the Cavs didn’t do something, anything to prevent Joe from getting clean looks with the game on the line and neither could Joe: “I really was surprised that I caught it and turned and I was that wide open. All I could think about was getting it up.”
- Joe needed one screen to get in position for the game winner. Antawn Jamison appeared to consider helping when Joe got closer to the basket but then decided it was best to let him take an uncontested 12-footer. “We gave them the game,” Scott said, and at least he included himself.
- Before all of that Drew had tried to one-up (one-down?) Scott by choosing not to to foul with the Cavs up 89-88 and about a three-second differential between the game and shot clocks. Kyrie Irving blew by Kirk Hinrich for a layup to score with 5.4 seconds to go and actually could have ran off even more time and left the Hawks with maybe a second or so.
- “I thought about [fouling],” Drew said. “But I made the decision to go ahead and defend. I didn’t think they take a shot at the expiration of the shot clock. I thought we would get another opportunity.”
- Zaza Pachulia blew another important layup and this time he was even more wide open than he was at Denver. Zaza had a good game otherwise and is having a career season but finishing at the rim remains the big hole in his game. Sometimes he looks like he’d rather be fouled.
- Drew: “I told him, ‘Big fella, I’m going to continue to come to you and I have all the confidence in the world in you. You’ve blundered a couple but it doesn’t change the way I feel about you.”
- Bad: Joe needed 19 shots for 22 points. Good: He made big shots, made five of six free-throw attempts and had six rebounds, five assists against zero turnovers and two (!) blocked shots.
- Josh settled for Js late but I’m inclined to cut him slack. He had little help on the boards (13 of Atlanta’s 26 defensive rebounds, four of its 11 offensive), was alone as usual defending the rim and nobody else was really making shots until Joe did so late in the game.
- Josh and some people around him think he takes too much flak from hometown fans. I don’t think that’s always true but it would be in this case if the focus is on his missed Js after had had nearly half his team’s rebounds, more than half of its free throws and played 51 minutes. “I’m tired as a mother[bleeper],” he offered before hitting the showers.
- Once again the Hawks faced a bad team and, instead of smothering them with defense, went ahead and tried to trade baskets. At least the Nuggets are a good offensive team. There’s little excuse for the way the Cavs came out scoring so easily. “We didn’t come to play in the first quarter and it gave them confidence,” Drew said. “We offered no defensive resistance. They scored at will.”
- The Hawks picked it up in the second quarter by getting steals and running. Josh started it off with eight straight points on drives or free throws and then Stackhouse (!) kept it going with a flurry of steals, passes, and 3-pointers.
- The Hawks had a game by then, though. A (rare) good start to the third quarter wasn’t enough to shake the Cavs, and Irving had a lot to do with that.
- Irving’s talent + Jeff Teague’s typically blase pick-and-roll D + Kirk Hinrich’s declining footspeed=problems for the Hawks.
- At least Teague had 12 points (6 of 9 FG), seven assists, four steals and just one turnover. Hinrich was 4 of 13 from the field with a couple short misses.
- Willie Green returned after missing 10 games with back and hamstring injuries. He played 15 minutes. “It felt OK, not great,” he said. “It’s just about continuing to monitor it and hope it continues to get better. I want to continue to get in rhythm.”
- Drew said Ivan Johnson will return to play against the Nets Friday and Marvin Williams could return: “We hope to get some bodies back.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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392 comments Add your comment
STRETCH THIS YO
March 22nd, 2012
9:08 am
My lineup would be Joe at PG,Hinrich at SG,W.Green at SF,Josh at PF, and Pachulia at C.
STRETCH THIS YO
March 22nd, 2012
9:09 am
•Drew said Ivan Johnson will return to play against the Nets Friday and Marvin Williams could return: “We hope to get some bodies back.”
Yeah, bodies only not PLAYERS.
STRETCH THIS YO
March 22nd, 2012
9:12 am
Drew said : “We offered no defensive resistance. They scored at will.”
The synopsis of the whole season, especially against the 76ers,Heat,Lakers,Blazers,Thunder,and Bulls.
AG
March 22nd, 2012
9:19 am
I really don’t see why Damp or Collins are on the roster. If they were released today nobody would pick them up. I bet very few teams would want TMac either
Slimjr
March 22nd, 2012
9:23 am
“Drew said : “We offered no defensive resistance. They scored at will.”
Yea and if you believe when ALL NBA returns that his “all pro” defensive presence will change the way this team has been defending especailly up the soft middle then your in what doctors call a state of delirium…hahaha
snap out of it my dear watson!
Hire Woody! Pronto!
Slimjr
March 22nd, 2012
9:29 am
Hey Al good luck in those Domincan pickup games this summer.. Work on:
an invisible left hand
foot speed
dribble drive
stop and pop
using glass
drop step
pick and pop
pick and roll to the rim
cross over
help defense(pratically nill at this time)
et al
david
March 22nd, 2012
9:31 am
Tmac has lost his confidence. He looked alot more confident earlier in the season. once he reinjured his knee, he hasnt looked the same. Drews continues bad managing of tmac hasnt helped either. Tmac has alot more to offer but the guy has no confidence and looks like he cant wait till the season over so he can bolt.
He will play alot better next season on a team that will give him a chance
STRETCH
March 22nd, 2012
9:35 am
I was wathing the highlights when Irving missed that last shot. I rewinded it and noticed T-Mac was the only one on the bench with no emotions at all.
Not trying to speculate into too much, but the guy seems to NOT be into it right now.
Still Laughing at Mike Bianchi
March 22nd, 2012
9:38 am
btw can Harry Hawk get credited with a steal.
Still Laughing at Mike Bianchi
March 22nd, 2012
9:41 am
hey MC any word on Al’s recovery status
KevinM
March 22nd, 2012
9:42 am
I can agree that TMac may not be in the games from the bench, but there are times on the court he looks out of touch as well.
I like TMac overall, but I would expect to see more out of him. You could almost say that Stack is going to get his minutes going forward.
LD and TMac and LD and JT are oil and water. He has his whipping boys and its obvious.
Anybody else notice that it doesn’t really look like Marvin is struggling from the bench? He actually seems to be enjoying his front row seat.
Slimjr
March 22nd, 2012
9:44 am
Tmac knows the deal..He made mistake coming to the Hawks.. I wont blame him for getting the heck out here..
TMac could out coach Larry blind folded…
Astro Joe
March 22nd, 2012
9:45 am
Good to see Joe make several clutch shots. That should silence his critics for about 10 minutes.
One of my takeaways from this game is that Jamison is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Now, it is hards to nit-pick at an undersized old man who can still go out and produce 20/10 nights against better defensive teams, but he made more than a few boneheaded plays that caught my attention.
Kyrie Irving may not make the Cavs fans forget about LeBron, but he sure will wipe away their tears. Cavs should use the Bulls as a model when building their roster around the incredibly talented PG.
I wonder if Josh believes folk criticize him for missing long jumpers or for taking long jumpers?
Slimjr
March 22nd, 2012
9:47 am
Irving is a beast!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wish we had him! Yup!
Najeh Davenpoop
March 22nd, 2012
9:48 am
“does this mean that Joe Johnson will get his jersey retired in atl”
You could make the case that if he were traded today he deserves to get his jersey retired. He’s a 5 time All Star on nearly every top-10 franchise list and has taken this team to 6 games in the 2nd round, where Nique took it to 7 games in the 2nd round.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 22nd, 2012
9:48 am
“Funny how no one has mentioned that it was an ISO play that produced the game winner.”
You know that saying about blind squirrels finding nuts. Kinda like Josh Smith hitting a 3 to ice the game against the Thunder.
Still Laughing at Mike Bianchi
March 22nd, 2012
9:50 am
@Astro Joe
he knows its for taking long shots but he is overly confident in his ability to make them so he says to himself “I don’t care if they boo I KNOW I can make this shot”
Still Laughing at Mike Bianchi
March 22nd, 2012
9:51 am
@Najeh
I wouldn’t call Joe on an Iso play a blind squirrel
he is an aging squirrel slowly losing his vision
Najeh Davenpoop
March 22nd, 2012
9:54 am
“Also, that last shot by Irving met strong opposition by Teague forcing him to try a very high banking angle that did not drop.”
It wasn’t even just that one. He hit a couple of shots in the first quarter, when he scored 7 points, that Teague defended really well. There was one shot in particular that he banked in from a nearly impossible angle where Teague was right up in his grill. I didn’t think Teague’s D was that bad at all.
Also, completely agree that Irving > Wall. Wall is more athletic but Irving is a much better basketball player.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 22nd, 2012
9:57 am
Another thing about that end of game Joe iso: a) it was not strictly an iso since he got a pick from Josh, and b) in contrast to what he usually does coming off the 1-2 pick, he actually drove toward the basket, in part because Cleveland did a horrible job defending him coming off the pick. If he got that much wide open space every time they gave him the ball on the perimeter, I’d probably be much more willing to run more iso plays for him.
Still Laughing at Mike Bianchi
March 22nd, 2012
9:58 am
that completes the sweep of the Cavs
now chances to sweep the Nets and Wiz
Still Laughing at Mike Bianchi
March 22nd, 2012
10:01 am
I LOVE this schedule at the end here
NJ, DC, 2 with Charlotte, 2 with Detroit, 2 with Toronto with some scattered games against tough opposition: Chicago, Orlando (btw we can sweep them to), 2 with Boston, Dallas, LAC
Slimjr
March 22nd, 2012
10:02 am
“Well next week, will put them squarely behind the 8ball…
UTA, MIL, NYK, PHI, CHI – Bobkittins twice…
DET, BOS, ORL, LAC, BOS, TOR, DAL – unless significant change…
it could get real ugly real quick…go 4-8…
…while NYK, MIL roll off 7-8 in a row…”
Agreed! And this team looks beat. It may get real ugly real fast! .. I belived the hype about an easier schedule too untill I looked closer at it starting next week..
4-8 would be a disaster in this next stretch of 12 games…
The Knicks surge is not fluke as some have surmized…They really are a talented group of basketball players! The Hawks want no part of em as they will see next Friday night at Home!
Najeh Davenpoop
March 22nd, 2012
10:05 am
The Hawks are 7-5 so far this month. They need to go 3-4 or better to finish the month with a winning record. I picked them to go 9-10 this month, but they play enough sh-tty teams over the next week and a half to where 3-4 is really the minimum they should be able to do. Washington is a much better team now with Nene instead of McGee, but they are still beatable.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 22nd, 2012
10:06 am
The Hawks jumped 2 spots in Hollinger’s power rankings from #11 to #9 when they lost to Boston, and drop from #9 to #10 after beating Cleveland. Hmm.
Still Laughing at Mike Bianchi
March 22nd, 2012
10:06 am
@Slimjr
we have 8 creampuffs, 6 strong teams, and 7 middle-of-the-road teams (mostly from the East)
I think 8-4 is probably more likely, maybe even 9-3 considering we have the mental voodoo over Orlando right now for some reason
Still Laughing at Mike Bianchi
March 22nd, 2012
10:09 am
42-24 is a real possibility unfortunatley so is 33-33
The Truth
March 22nd, 2012
10:21 am
“Irving’s talent + Jeff Teague’s typically blasé pick-and-roll D + Kirk Hinrich’s declining footspeed=problems for the Hawks” MC
MC from a “big picture” playoff prospective, that’s it in a nutshell. As much as I enjoyed the Hawks thrilling victory, this game exposed them to the vulnerabilities you sited.
I would like to believe Teague’s inability to fight through a screen is a result of his inexperience and not an inherent limitation. But I’m noticing this troubling pattern with his defense that the Cavs repeatedly exploited with Irving’s ISO plays. Since the young Teague can’t use “old legs” or “declining foot-speed” as an excuse like Kirk Hinrich can; the problem must be something else. Other good PGs such as Ty Lawson have abused him as well. It begs a question to LD regarding Teague’s training and preparation in this area. Do they ever watch film and point this stuff out to him?
Pargo is a much better pick-and-roll defender and shooter than Teague. But Teague has qualities that are better than Pargo such court vision, quickness and ball penetration; so really, they compliment each other.
The usage and timing of them on the court will be critical if the Hawks has any chance of success in the playoff.
drmaryb.[*_*].
March 22nd, 2012
10:25 am
Irving’s Magic!
Yeah cohorts, Kyrie Irving is quite special. Congrat’s to Dan Gilbert for taking Kyrie @#1 over Kemba Walker. Kyrie, definitely has my vote for ROY. Hats off to Byron Scott too for teaching a kid who never really played in college, but has tremendous upside.
MsDee
March 22nd, 2012
10:28 am
About this TMAC situation, I truly believe the reason TMAC is playing so lackadaisical is because this is nothing new to him. Ya know, the regular season and all. Being an ex-college ball player in my young days (1995-1999 Rookie of the year, avg 18pts/5rb) I can truly say, you like a new/different challenge in your career. TMAC has did it and done this his career at being the ‘main guy’ in his earlier days, and now just a ’smart vet’ player who passes/ defends & rebounds well. Well the one thing he hasnt done yet in his 12+ years is ADVANCE IN TO THE 2ND ROUND. Im waiting til THAT moment to see the TMAC of old. When you are THAT good, or at least WAS, you dig deep deep inside to get that motor running to put the team on your back and just BALL! With Josh scoring and playing smarter lately since the ALLSTAR game, and Joe playing like a SUPERSTAR as of late, and get this, ALL WHILE HAVING MULTI INJURIES ON THE TEAM, we should be just fine coming into the playoffs this season. So dont get all caught up in TMAC and how he is playing now…wait, just wait and be patient cause WE HAVENT SEEN NOTHING YET!!!!!!
Rod from College Park
March 22nd, 2012
10:31 am
“Funny how no one has mentioned that it was an ISO play that produced the game winner.”
As Najeh stated, the difference with this iso was that Joe actually drove the ball and took advantage of a smaller defender as opposed to what he normally does, tricky dribble jump shot.
doc
March 22nd, 2012
10:35 am
still laughing:
you are such a regular here, heh heh …. not.
anyway, from the last blog at the top to answer your question already answered by MC in the last 24 hours:
Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks: Game thread
5:50 pm March 21, 2012, by Michael Cunningham
UPDATE: Larry Drew says Al Horford, out since Jan. 17 surgery to repair a torn left pectoral, got some shots up yesterday. “That’s very encouraging to hear,” Drew said. “I don’t know how far he was able to raise his arm.”
But Drew said he’s still assuming Horford won’t return this season: “From Day 1 when he had the surgery I was told he would be out for the regular season and there’s a remote possibility we can get him back for the playoffs. My mindset has been to count him out for the year. I don’t want to get my hopes up and the team’s hopes up that he can come back and then he doesn’t and then a mentally there’s a letdown.”
and 42 wins? kidding? riiigghht, sure thing.
keep up bro.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 22nd, 2012
10:40 am
I watched the replay and I got it wrong — Teague set the screen for Joe on the game winner, not Josh. Either way, Joe had a ton of space coming off the screen (much more than usual) because the Cavs defended it poorly (they didn’t switch the screen like every other team does), and Joe did the right thing and drove it toward the basket. That rarely if ever happens on those 1-2 screens at the end of games.
Rod from College Park
March 22nd, 2012
10:40 am
“The Knicks surge is not fluke as some have surmized…They really are a talented group of basketball players! The Hawks want no part of em as they will see next Friday night at Home!”
The Knicks are 10 times better than the Hawks, and I can promise you Chicago, or Miami don’t want that problem in the first round. The Knicks would destroy Orlando in a playoff series also, because as we all know, Woody might not have to double Dwight because he actually has a center (Chandler), who can guard him straight up. The Knicks team suits Woody perfectly, two great iso players, a gunner of the bench, and a couple of point guards who can knock down open jumpers. He will improve the defense, as they were already a pretty good offensive team. Would not surprise me to see them in the ECF.
doc
March 22nd, 2012
10:42 am
slimj, i count 14 games from your list not 12. 5-9 or 4-10 which is the disaster?
yeah but you dont have to ask al to work on putting the ball softly on glass to make a lay-up do you?dude we could use al for certain but continue on in delerium.
Slimjr
March 22nd, 2012
10:48 am
Not sold on “we’ll be fine come playoff’’s”..We’ve seen this B4….
Joe kills those scrub teams. Not so much against playoff bound ones. Playin like a SuperStar? Hehehe….
Iso is an Allstar, playing like an Allstar should be..I sure hope he can keep it up going into the playoffs, if not it will be a quickie for sure..
Don’t expect Josh to put up 30 an 17 in the playoffs, but stranger things have happened…
supa
March 22nd, 2012
10:49 am
@ASG PLEASE SALE THIS TEAM…U SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT UR NOT DOING WHATS BEST FOR THE TEAM OR PLAYERS….WHAT SITUATION HAS TO HAPPEN FOR THE LEAGUE TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE HAWKS…..THIS NIGHTMARE HAS TO END…SALE SALE SALE…MY FRIEND SAYS HE HASS $100.39 CENTS…..PLEASE ACCEPT PAYMENT ASAP
Rod from College Park
March 22nd, 2012
10:51 am
“People complain about Josh shooting long jumpers and three pointers. I noticed on at least three occassions where Heinrich and Teague passed up good shots and rotated the ball to Josh for long jumpers. Our guards need to be smarter with the ball and take the shot, especially Teague. He looks timid too many times. I now see why Drew is constantly on his tail.”
This is a great point. As glsd as I have been to see Marvin out of the starting rotation, Hinrich is not much better either. He continues to pass up wide open shots behind the 3 point line, to either swing to Josh for a jump shot, or step inside the 3 point line to take a more difficult shot. Never liked his game much anyway, and this high basketball IQ thing is laughable. He might make more dumb basketball plays than anyone on the team. I have stayed off of Teague, because I actually like his game, but if he is not aggressive on the offensive end, he is a liability. The Scouting report has basically causght up with him. He has a lot of work to do in the offseason, if he plans on being a quality point guard in this league.
doc
March 22nd, 2012
10:52 am
agree najeh, said it that they are a perfect team for woody. no pattern offense needed and a great defensive center in the middle that loves to do just that. he doesnt require many touches as a center and is a team first guy. that may be the dallas sleeper to win it all but doubt melo or amare can deliver over that long a period and keep it together to make the full run.
Dawg
March 22nd, 2012
10:53 am
I love an offense that has 4 people camped out at the 3 pt line waiting. Thing of beauty.
Slimjr
March 22nd, 2012
10:53 am
starting next week: UTA, MIL, NYK, PHI, CHI –
DET, BOS, ORL, LAC, BOS, TOR, DAL=12
The conversation was a quote about next week
didnt count the two this week on purpose…Cool doc..
doc
March 22nd, 2012
10:56 am
durn slim j when you put that out there like that, we could do an ofer.
Slimjr
March 22nd, 2012
11:03 am
“The Knicks are 10 times better than the Hawks, and I can promise you Chicago, or Miami don’t want that problem in the first round. The Knicks would destroy Orlando in a playoff series also, because as we all know, Woody might not have to double Dwight because he actually has a center (Chandler), who can guard him straight up. The Knicks team suits Woody perfectly, two great iso players, a gunner of the bench, and a couple of point guards who can knock down open jumpers. He will improve the defense, as they were already a pretty good offensive team. Would not surprise me to see them in the ECF.”
SAY IT ROD!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PREACH IT ROD FROM COLLEGE PARK!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ECF?????? hehehehehehehe
doc
March 22nd, 2012
11:13 am
agree with rod as well. knicks are going to be a load unless woody falters big time and i dont anticipate it.
yoursporthouse dot com
March 22nd, 2012
11:31 am
Knicks have too many weapons and I don’t want to be no where near Phillips arena for that nonsense with all those “I’m from NY” Knicks fans. If you love NY so much, why are you in ATL? Yo broke arse couldn’t afford NY.
drmaryb.[*_*].
March 22nd, 2012
11:33 am
Woody’s Revenge!
Coming to Phillips Arena soon! So get your tickets and bring your “Melo – Jersey” money. Half the seats are reserved for Spike Lee and his crew … So HURRY Hawks fans and get your tickets now, they’re going fast.
Astro Joe
March 22nd, 2012
11:41 am
I heard LD on a radio interview this morning. One of the hosts asked about the Knicks interim head coach. LD talked about the team but never mentioned Woody by name. That will be a fun dynamic to watch, their interaction (or non-interaction). Good road win for the Knicks last night in Philly. I’m glad that the articles about Lin’s future have given way to articles about the team’s success.
Big Lou
March 22nd, 2012
11:56 am
“Woody’s Revenge!” drmaryb
Sounds like a porno…
Fireld!
March 22nd, 2012
11:58 am
No one person plays pick and roll d, a team does and the Hawks scheme sucks.
SteveW
March 22nd, 2012
12:01 pm
Najeh – Your comparison of Jeff Teague to Mike Conley is certainly a valid one. Mike’s 3rd year and Jeff’s 3rd year are extremely close in almost every area – Shooting %, Rebounds, Assists, Scoring, Steals etc.
If Jeff Teague becomes Mike Conley, or is even very close, you have a #19 pick playing close to the level of a #4 pick.
Anybody who see’s the games knows JT is not our problem. High expectations of JT are maybe. JT is a good value pick, a #19 guy who actually looks like he can be an above average starter in this League if he keeps working. He’s #8 in Steals per game. Josh is #16 in that category. No wonder our defensive stats are so good.
I think it’s funny Teague averages more blocks per game than ZaZa.
Comparing JT to Kyrie is just not a good comparison. You have an overall #1 pick compared to the 8th PG taken in a draft – that is not a good comparison. The wonder is that JT is even in the conversation with Kyrie – in a certain sense. But Irving is going to be All Star good – All NBA 1st, 2nd or 3rd Team good in the future. JT is going to be what he is, a value pick in the NBA. Anytime you get an NBA starter at #19, especially somebody who is going to turn out maybe above average, that’s a good pick.
The Hawks are tired. I’m not sure if Sunday, if Marvin, Willie, Vlad and Ivan are back, if I don’t play:
C – Damp and Collins
PF – Ivan and Vlad
SF – TMac and Stack
G’s – Pargo, Willie, and Kirk (about 32 minutes each).
You may lose the game, but win the war if you know what I mean.
Overall 27-20, playing a tough schedule, without Al, and w/o JJ, Vlad, Willie, TMac, Marvin, and Ivan for stretches, it has actually exceeded my expectations.
I don’t like that Turiaf signing by the Heat. That just makes them that much tougher to deal with. Turiaf is not that good, but Miami doesn’t need much – just a semi-athletic Big that can contribute 10-15 mpg might be just enough to push them over the top.
LD – Rest your guys! Lose a battle to win the war man!