Atlanta Hawks vs. Bulls: Game thread
Vivlamore reporting from Philips Arena.
The Bulls will be without Derrick Rose tonight against the Hawks, the eighth straight game he has missed with a groin injury.
For the Hawks, Vladimir Radmanovic is a game-time decision with a back injury. The forward has missed five of the past six games with “tightness” in his back. UPDATE: Radmanovic will not play.
Without Rose, Hawks coach Larry Drew said his team will not change the way they approach playing the Eastern Conference leader. Rebounding and controlling the paint will be the key.
“Still a very, very capable ball club of winning without Rose,” Drew said. “We will attack them the way we have in the past. We have to control the boards. We have to control the paint. They really play an aggressive style in the paint area. We are going to have to bring a playoff intensity against this team because they are not going to hand it to us. They are not going to roll over because Rose is not in the lineup.”
Turnovers will be another issue facing the Hawks. They committed 22 turnovers in Tuesday loss at the Bucks, tying their third most this season. Ten of those turnovers came in the first quarter when the Hawks fell into a deficit they spent much of the game trying to erase.
“That is totally against the way we want to play, particularly on the road,” Drew said. “We talk about controlling the tempo, limiting our turnovers and how important it is to win the board game. At the end of the first quarter we had 10 turnovers. We were at a pace that wasn’t very good for us. Here we are 15 games until the end of the regular season and we are still talking about the same things we were talking about the first week of the season. It is something we will continue to harp on. As a coach, you hope at this point of the season, we are past that point where we are turning the ball over that many times. It’s the way we are turning the ball over. A lot of those errors are unforced, where we are trying to force the issue. Hopefully, we’ll just get better at.”
Jeff Teague had seven of the turnovers, but Drew’s message to his young point guard was simple.
“The only thing he needs to learn is how to bounce back,” Drew said. “… At this stage the last thing I want Jeff to do is play cautious.”
Finally, Drew expects to go deeper into his bench tonight against the Bulls, the fifth game in six nights. He had wanted to play more reserves against the Bucks but didn’t want to stop the momentum the starters had in erasing a 17-point deficit. Tracy McGrady played just 6:50, Willie Green played just 6:23 and Jerry Stackhouse did not play.
“I thought we had exerted a lot of energy to tie it and take the lead and I really wanted to ride the warm guys,” Drew said. “I was hoping I could rest both Josh [Smith] and Joe [Johnson] momentarily, which they did the start of the fourth, but I thought it was important to hang on to the momentum that we did have.
“Tonight, may be a little different story. I might have to go deeper into my bench.”
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413 comments Add your comment
Free_Tracy_#1
March 28th, 2012
8:36 pm
Tracy should’ve just signed with the Bulls because Rip Hamilton has spent more time on the bench than in a uniform. Its sad because the Bulls would’ve given him a lot more minutes and they would know exactly how to use him as a ” point forward ” on the Bulls and SG.
Rod from College Park
March 28th, 2012
8:38 pm
“Does LD even have an offensive playbook ? Must everything thing be Isolation for Joe & Josh…Its not really hard to scout the Hawks If you are the opposing team.”
We will be one of the easiest teams in the playoffs to match up with.
Turnover Teague
March 28th, 2012
8:38 pm
What’s up with Teague playing hard for 2 minutes then going back to doing nothing ?
Najeh Davenpoop
March 28th, 2012
8:39 pm
This is still a winnable game. Hawks are playing well on the glass and taking care of the ball. I honestly didn’t even think their D was as bad as the numbers showed. The Bulls hit some suolucidir shots. The Hawks just have to run their offense and get better shots.
Big Lou
March 28th, 2012
8:39 pm
“LOL. Remember our collective bench is so great this year.”
Pargo is out. LD refuses to play Tmac. He puts in Collins.
It’s not the bench. It’s the stupid @ss coach.
Turnover Teague
March 28th, 2012
8:39 pm
I think Noah’s really a chick.
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
March 28th, 2012
8:40 pm
Josh Smith is 5-14 at halftime (14 FGA IN ONE HALF).
I’m sure in his mind, he’s doing nothing right
Slimjr
March 28th, 2012
8:40 pm
Knicks up 23….
Slimjr
March 28th, 2012
8:41 pm
27
Big Lou
March 28th, 2012
8:41 pm
“The Hawks just have to run their offense and get better shots.”
So riddle me this, Najeh. What happens when they close the lead in the third and LD puts out the Collins and Kirk duo again? Do you expect different results?
O'Brien
March 28th, 2012
8:42 pm
Najeh,
The Hawks just have to run their offense and get better shots..
What is the Hawks offense?
O'Brien
March 28th, 2012
8:43 pm
Hawks will need a herculean effort from Josh and JJ in the second half
Slimjr
March 28th, 2012
8:44 pm
ISO JOE is the offense when all else fails and it does against the Winners..
High-sider
March 28th, 2012
8:44 pm
Knicks are blowing out the Magic; the current score is 76-49. If the Hawks had been taking care of business, it/they could be closing the gap between itself/themselves and the Magic.
Rod from College Park
March 28th, 2012
8:46 pm
Really there is no reason the Hawks should lose to the Bulls without D. Rose at home if this team is a good as some of you think. We should be up 12, not down 12. This team is not built for the playoffs.
Hawkfan
March 28th, 2012
8:46 pm
Ditto Big Lou. Hawks success this year in spite of LD. How can a real coach watch this Collins debacle for more than a whole minute? Get a real coach and Josh wants to stay and maybe a real star wants to team with Josh and Joe to make a real run. Naj says Bucks fans want Skiles out. Trade LD and Collins for Skiles. He beat us last night withou a big man.
Real Truth
March 28th, 2012
8:46 pm
“Woody= Wins
Drew= Losses”
You are what your record says you are – Bill Parcells
Woodson: 213-287 – .426% Playoffs: 11-18 – .379%
Drew: 74-59 – .556% Playoffs: 6-6 – .500%
Free_Tracy_#1
March 28th, 2012
8:46 pm
The way LD plays Tracy McGrady and talks about ” preserving his health ” and ” keeping him fresh ” he talks as If he plans to play Tracy 30 minutes per game in the post season when we all know that its a bunch of crap. LD doesn’t play Tracy because at the ” point forward ” position because it would expose LD’s lack of player development with Jeff Teague…I like JT but he is no better than what he was last yr. I haven’t seen any growth with him as a PG in this league and I blame the coach because he’s suppose to coach him up instead of dumbing him down.
DREABABY
March 28th, 2012
8:46 pm
Why is Larry Dufus not going to his bench.Why is T Mac,only playing 5 minutes a game.Twin sucks,if you want to match up with Asik,use Damp.Stack has proved he can give you a couple of productive 6 minute stretches.The Bulls are making everything they put up.The Hawks defense has not been that bad,they are making contested shots.The Hawks are cursed.Why,i don’t know.J Smoove needs to stay in the paint.Joe needs to make those open threes,hell Brewer is making his jump shots.Where is captain Kirk tonight.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 28th, 2012
8:46 pm
“So riddle me this, Najeh. What happens when they close the lead in the third and LD puts out the Collins and Kirk duo again? Do you expect different results?”
I don’t think he will put Collins back in over Ivan unless Ivan gets into foul trouble. Maybe that’s a little wishful thinking, but I don’t think Collins would have gotten so many first half minutes if not for Ivan’s 2 fouls.
I don’t like Kirk at point guard, and that will surely happen at some point in the 3rd and 4th quarters, but the Hawks can get by if they stick to posting up Josh during that time. The problem really only arises when Kirk has to create offense, which is what happens when LD takes out all the starters toward the late 1st-early 2nd quarters of every game.
“What is the Hawks offense?”
Haha… it should be post ups and pick and rolls every possession (mostly post ups since the Bulls have done a good job defending pick and rolls).
Slimjr
March 28th, 2012
8:47 pm
31
Walt Frazier
March 28th, 2012
8:48 pm
Knicks 72, Magic 49
The Hawks need to play with that kind of intensity and belief. When it come down to it; that’s really what it’s all about. Most times, the Hawks coaches (LD, specifically), don’t really believe that he himself can coach. Then you have the Hawks players looking for leadership from who? Then they start to belive less of themselves as the game rolls on-esp. against good teams. They are down by 12 @ halftime. They will try to mount a comeback run, but Tom Theb will dose that flame out quickly and won’t give LD a snowballs chance in hell. The Hawks are just content to keep that sixth playoff spot & nothing else. Just like the Falcons, they shine against bad teams at home, but when put in the national spotlight, they can’t take the heat (no pun intended) and so-they get tossed out the kitchen.
Big Lou
March 28th, 2012
8:48 pm
“If the Hawks had been taking care of business, it/they could be closing the gap between itself/themselves and the Magic.”
What’s funny is that they were at first, yet LD killed the momentum by putting in the WHOLE bench at the same time, even though Deng was still on the floor.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 28th, 2012
8:49 pm
Really, the Bulls from 3 in that first half reminded me a lot of Joe’s first quarter against the Jazz. When you are hitting contested shots from 20+ feet away with regularity, there’s not much the D can do to stop it other than wait for you to cool off. The trick is to take advantage when the other team cools off and put your own run together.
Slimjr
March 28th, 2012
8:49 pm
Rod from College Park
March 28th, 2012
8:46 pm
“Really there is no reason the Hawks should lose to the Bulls without D. Rose at home if this team is a good as some of you think. We should be up 12, not down 12. This team is not built for the playoffs.” -cosign-
This team is built for a quick exit…
Slimjr
March 28th, 2012
8:49 pm
33
Slimjr
March 28th, 2012
8:50 pm
37
bigdave
March 28th, 2012
8:50 pm
classic case of everyone trying to single handily get us back in the game. ball movement is only in last resort..
Turnover Teague
March 28th, 2012
8:50 pm
Knicks have 2 legit scorers (Stoudamire,Melo). Hawks have up and down J.Smith & J.Johnson. There ya go…
Slimjr
March 28th, 2012
8:50 pm
Knicks up 37, warmup?
Slimjr
March 28th, 2012
8:51 pm
Lin and Amar’e out tonight!
Slimjr
March 28th, 2012
8:52 pm
Amare’^^^^
High-sider
March 28th, 2012
8:52 pm
I don’t give a damn what nobody say [sic]; Woody got these fools [Knicks' players] ballin’ outta control [sic].
Real Truth
March 28th, 2012
8:52 pm
Go to the Knicks blog with that BS. We could care less.
Free_Tracy_#1
March 28th, 2012
8:52 pm
The Hawks have a pretty good bench If you’re talking about Tracy, WIllie, Pargo, Ivan…everybody else is just taking up space to fill out the end.
LD is the problem. He talks about match ups but he is clueless when it comes to playing to his teams strengths. Every freaking thing is an Isolation for Joe or Josh, or a broken play.
Tracy McGrady is a 6′9 G/F and he has regulated him to being a mannequin because he doesn’t run the offense thru him and doesn’t give him any shots or minutes for that matter.
Its a freaking embarrassment. Tracy is a lot better than what we’ve seen this yr but LD won’t let him play his game.
Turnover Teague
March 28th, 2012
8:53 pm
Why Nique not talking bout Noah’s nap hair ?:
Slimjr
March 28th, 2012
8:53 pm
39
Luke Cage
March 28th, 2012
8:53 pm
Bulls are 12-5 without Rose, so its just not the Hawks.
bigdave
March 28th, 2012
8:54 pm
way to get pissed and take a jump shot josh.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 28th, 2012
8:54 pm
Hawks are shooting themselves in the foot with every possession where they don’t post up Josh.
Turnover Teague
March 28th, 2012
8:54 pm
Ivan ? He came into game and had 2 quick fouls on players bringing the ball up court in less than a minute. Ivan blows.
Luke Cage
March 28th, 2012
8:55 pm
Wow a great start to a 3rd qtr
Najeh Davenpoop
March 28th, 2012
8:55 pm
Bulls have missed 3 point blank shots to start this quarter. Law of averages.
bigdave
March 28th, 2012
8:55 pm
Hawks made that look easy.. glad they decided to push tempo..
Slimjr
March 28th, 2012
8:55 pm
We Hawk fans have become very good at backing up Gearon Jr and Sund with excuses…
Big Lou
March 28th, 2012
8:56 pm
God, Slimjr.
You are officially worse than the 76ers troll.
Go on the Knicks board.
DawgNole
March 28th, 2012
8:56 pm
O’Brien
March 28th, 2012
8:26 pm
Dawgnole,
Looking mighty shaky against a Bulls team on the road w/o their best player.
The Bulls also beat Miami in a game where Rose didn’t play (although it was in Chicago).
_________________________
Yeah, and the Hawks lost to that same Heat team–without LeBron and Wade.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 28th, 2012
8:57 pm
Hawks didn’t even play particularly well during this 10-2 run. Gave up 3 open looks, an offensive board, and didn’t look great in the half court, and still shaved 8 points off that lead.
When the other team is hitting impossible shots to build up their lead, you can usually count on them cooling off, unless it’s Kobe or LeBron hitting them.
Doesn’t mean the Hawks will win this game, but it’s not going to be a blowout game just because the other team is hitting suolucidir shots from 3.
Big Lou
March 28th, 2012
8:57 pm
As predicted, the Hawks close in the lead. Now will LD screw it up again?
Najeh Davenpoop
March 28th, 2012
8:58 pm
The Magic have had several terrible blowout losses this year. Not as many as the Hawks last year, but enough to be a major cause for concern for them.