Atlanta Hawks: Josh Smith doubtful for Game 3 with knee injury
A person with knowledge of the prognosis for Josh Smith said the Hawks forward is doubtful to play in Game 3 against the Celtics Friday after he suffered a left knee injury in Game 2 Tuesday.
The person said Smith has patellar tendonitis with inflammation in the injured area but an MRI revealed no structural damage. If Smith misses Game 3 he likely would return for Game 4 Sunday in Boston, according to the person.
The person did not want to be identified because the Hawks have not released details of Smith’s injury. The Hawks released a statement that said Smith is day-to-day with a “strained left tendon.”
Smith suffered the injury during the fourth quarter of Atlanta’s 87-80 defeat to Boston. He appeared to pull up limping after a layup attempt and later aggravated it while jostling for rebounding position with Boston’s Kevin Garnett.
Smith played through nagging injuries during the regular season. Smith and Jeff Teague were the only starters to play in all 66 games.
“I know Josh is a guy if it’s just hurting him, he’s going to play,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said before Smith’s MRI results were known. “He has that kind of toughness. But if it’s a situation where he positively, absolutely can’t play, then he won’t be out there.
“I’m always worried in these situations. He’ s just been so good for us and certainly he’s a key component in order for us to have success. With both of your centers out and looking at your power forward being injured, I’m hoping for the best. ”
The Hawks also are without Al Horford (pectoral) and Zaza Pachulia (foot). Horford has ruled himself out for the entire series but there is a chance Pachulia can return if the series is extended.
Drew said Smith’s injury has no bearing on the timetable for Horford and Pachulia.
“I ask every day how they are doing, but me asking and wanting them back is not going to speed up the process whether they are ready or not,” Drew said. “If they are ready and they can play I am sure they would play. If Josh is not ready to go, and if Zaza and Al are not ready, I will just have to be without all three guys and we will march on. As bad as I want those guys back, if those guys aren’t ready to play I can’t push it or pressure them into playing.”
If the Hawks have to play without Smith, they’d be left with no effective low-post scorers or help defenders in the frontcourt. Ivan Johnson would be about it as far as big men who can rebound.
Drew’s options for the lineup would include starting Johnson at power forward alongside Jason Collins or going small with Marvin Williams, Vladimir Radmanovic or Tracy McGrady at power forward.
None of those options is likely to do much to help Atlanta’s anemic offense. Smith’s ability to score in the post and ignite the fast break after rebounds have been the most reliable options for the Hawks in this series.
“We have to make a decision who to insert into the starting lineup,” Drew said. “It changes the matchups. Defensively, we would have to make adjustments. Offensively we are certainly going to have to do some things differently. As far as posting up, he’s the guy I’ve really been going through a lot. We would have to tweak things quite a bit.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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272 comments Add your comment
terrell
May 2nd, 2012
3:31 pm
BIG DOG, Bulls coach didnt look so good without Rose last night. Looked like LD out there trying to adjust to Philly. lol
northcyde
May 2nd, 2012
3:31 pm
If Josh is a little gimpy, no way should he be out on the court for Game 3. Knee injuries are nothing to play around with. Let that knee rest until Sunday, then decide what to do.
In the meantime, Drew should use Game 3 to “experiment”.
His normal reaction to this, would be to start Marvin at the 4 . . . but there is no doubt that Ivan is the one who should get the start now.
Teague – Hinrich – JJ – Ivan – Collins . . . will probably be his lineup.
I would personally like to see this starting lineup:
Teague
JJ
McGrady
Ivan
Collins
Teague and JJ should play 40+ minutes. Everybody else should play according to how productive they are. Guys like Dampier and Vlad may have to be used if foul trouble occurs or if people simply aren’t getting it done.
Fortunately for us, Boston is a jumpshooting team. A very good one at times, but still a jumpshooting team. So it’s not like Boston is going to pound it inside or attack the paint. They’ll still do what they do . . shoot a lot of midrange jumpers, sprinkled in with some 3s.
Drew almost HAS to play T-Mac now, like it or not. Josh is a major facilitator on this team, so we’ll need to replace that at the minimum.
Something tells me though, that Marvin will get the start, driving the fan base into madness. If he does, this may be Marvin’s last stand in ATL. With Smith out, he HAS to perform . . . period.
The ASG isn’t using the amnesty on JJ, unless they completely want to start from scratch, so the most likely target of an amnesty, is Marvin.
dstdeelite
May 2nd, 2012
3:37 pm
Game over
Najeh Davenpoop
May 2nd, 2012
3:38 pm
I might be the only one who thinks this way, but I wonder if the Hawks shouldn’t just rest all their starters for Game 3 and come back at full strength in Game 4. They have no chance of winning at Boston, in Rondo’s first game back, without Josh. None. Boston is already going to have the psychological edge with Rondo returning, and without Josh it will just be a layup line for them. Give Joe and Teague a breather, see if one of the bench players (Marvin?) can get going, and then come back for Game 4 at full strength.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 2nd, 2012
3:39 pm
Also, RIP Junior Seau
terrell
May 2nd, 2012
3:39 pm
Here comes Marv. lol
doc
May 2nd, 2012
3:42 pm
doc
May 2nd, 2012
3:39 pm
so sad
great warrior jr seau commited suicide
LinkReport this comment
Rod from College Park
May 2nd, 2012
3:43 pm
northcyde,
“It’s still about the defense O’Brien.
So in 3 of the 4 games, the Boston offense got going due to the Hawks not being able to stop them on the other end in transition, or in the half court.”
As for Jamal Crawford . . last I checked, the Boston defense is much more similar to the 2011 Bulls defense, than it is to the 2011 Orlando defense. And we all know what Jamal did against the 2011 Bulls defense, after they decided that they were going to take him out of the series.”
We are holding Boston to 80.5 ppg this series when they averaged 91.8ppg during the regular season. We are not going to be able to play better defensively than we already have. Even if you add Zaza, you can bet the the Cetics free throw attemps will go up because Zaza is known for fouling.
In case you did not know, guys like KG, Allen, and Pierce will be first ballot hall of famers for a reason. When you see them becoming unstoppable in the 4th quarter or continuing to get to the line in the 3rd and 4th quarter, its because they are superstars, and no one player can stop them. You would not understand that being that your two favorite players are Marvin Williams and Joe Johnson, who fold like foling chairs in the 3rd and 4th quarter against quality teams,
No need to hypothesize about what Jamal could do against the Cetics, the stats are there. Go take a look at them. LOL
Section 303
May 2nd, 2012
3:44 pm
Najeh, I agree. Your thinking is great. The Hawks have no shot on Friday. Zero. I’m not even going to watch (going to Counting Crows at the Tabernacle).
Have the bench players play the entire game. Get beat by about 50 pts. On we go to Sunday night with a rested group and Josh back (though Josh was various levels of awful at the start of last night’s game). Probably the best shot we have at this point.
I think last night’s game is the hardest I have ever taken a Hawks loss. I am just p#ssed. I would have fired Larry Drew when the clock struck zero in the 4th quarter. He shares 90% of the blame. The other 10% goes to Marvin Williams. A complete piece of sh#t that needs to be out of the NBA. At this point, I would play Stackhouse over Marvin.
Larry Drew is a f#cking idiot to say that this is going to be a long series. Is 5 games a long series these days? This thing ended last night.
Sautee
May 2nd, 2012
3:47 pm
WHOA!
Yes, LD makes stupid rotations at times. HOWEVER…
I keep seeing posts about LD having all the second teamers on the court at the same time. News Flash folks. THAT NEVER HAPPENED.
Check the play – by – play. Here’s the link:
http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/playbyplay?gameId=320501001&period=0
The part of the game that everyone is falsely accusing LD of is from the time of our 11 point lead until the Celtics caught up. Here’s how it actually went down:
At 2:51 of the 3rd qtr, Ivan had just fouled Pierce, and LD called a timeout, with the Hawks up 11. On the floor at that time was Ivan (and I’m assuming most of the blog is fine with Ivan over Twin) Josh, Joe, Jeff, and Marvin. That lineup remained until 0:46 when Willie replaced Joe. During that time Boston cut 5 points from the lead. That’s with Joe, Jeff, and Josh ALL on the floor other than the last 0:46 when the only change was Pierce hitting 1 of 2 FT. 66-61 hawks at end of 3rd.
4th qtr begins with Kirk, Josh, Ivan, Marvin and Willie. That’s two starters, y’all, and Ivan who is better than Twin (IMO). At 11:12, T-Mac replaces Josh. Still 66-61. At 10:42 Pierce makes a two, cutting the lead to 3. Next dead ball, at 10:22, Twin replaces Ivan. Still two starters, Kirk and Twin.
This lineup played until LDs next timeout at 9:23, when he put Josh, Jeff, and Joe back in. BTW, we STILL had the lead when the starters came back. Had we executed our offense down the stretch, and stepped up on D (Joe Johnson) we had a decent chance of winning. But we failed to do that.
So how is that “putting the entire second unit at once”?
I realize that folks are upset, but at least keep it honest. LD DID NOT play his bench all at one time.
Once again, perception is not reality.
Rod from College Park
May 2nd, 2012
3:48 pm
We might not be able to get to 70 points for the game Friday without Josh. LOL
Scoop
May 2nd, 2012
3:52 pm
@Rod fcp
I’ll argue we get more points next than any other with Josh!!!! Without his turnovers, poor shot selection, and lack of an offensive post up game, I bet our offense will be more efficient. I am worried, however, about our defense. We need to get physical.
The Bizarro Hawks blew Game 2, so they're in ... good shape? | Mark Bradley
May 2nd, 2012
3:52 pm
[...] have blown the series with it, they really haven’t. Josh Smith, hurt at the end of Game 2, figures to miss Game 3 but no more, and it would be just like the Hawks to win in Boston on a night when their best player [...]
High-sider
May 2nd, 2012
3:55 pm
“No need to hypothesize about what Jamal could do against the Celtics, the stats are there. Go take a look at them. LOL” – Rod from College Park
LOL & LMAO
doc
May 2nd, 2012
3:56 pm
i am not sure why pundits are ripping the hawks. boston is goid, disciplined and well coached. anytime kg and pp are on the court and their players are grinding playing good d and stayingclose tgey can and will win no matter the competition except the heat who have better stars and cangrind just as well.
patellar injuries hard t evaluate from here. little info except my seeing josh limp off come back and saw him tapping his knee before resumng play. i hoped he and kg had bumped knees. that was wishful thinking when i didnt see jish on the court.
my thoughts? patellar ie knee cap lig injuries hurt like hell and cant be reinforced because it is fundamental to the only action the knee should do that is bend. so dvery bend or stop or fall from a jump hurts like hell. medial or lateral collateral lig sprain would be better. sorry it doesnt sound good and i can only hope it isnt much deeper an injury than they see but what they see is nit a true expression of the total injury.
Melvin
May 2nd, 2012
3:57 pm
Najeh,
I’m slighty in agreement with you and Northcyde. I would much prefer the Hawks to win game 3 and not have the pressure of winning 2 games in a row. However, i think the odds are stack against them in game 3. Rondo first game back and Josh injury doesn’t make this a favorable game to win for the Hawks. But, the pressure is on Boston to win this game so the Hawks should feel loose coming into game 3. If the Hawks lose, I hope they dont get blown out and allow the Celtics to rest their starters.
northcyde
May 2nd, 2012
4:00 pm
LMAO @ the give up mentality on this board right now. Wow.
Josh being out for one game MAY be what this team needs, to wake a few of these players up. It just may FORCE a few people to step up their games. I hope the team isn’t feeling sorry for themselves like the fans are.
And what have we always said about Larry Drew? He coaches better when he has fewer options.
Ivan, in a starting role, is capable of getting a modest double-double ( 13 pts – 10 rebounds ), and he isn’t scared of the moment.
If Josh is out though, “ATL’s Most Hated” must step up to the challenge. He deserves everything the fans are throwing at him right now. So with Josh out, there will be ample opportunity for him to perform.
And once again, Drew must play T-Mac extended minutes. Set aside anything personal, and understand that T-Mac might just save YOUR DAMN JOB.
northcyde
May 2nd, 2012
4:01 pm
@ Sautee . . . the main thing is that he never should’ve taken out JJ in the 3rd. That was his major mistake. Gotta leave him in if Pierce and Garnett are still in.
doc
May 2nd, 2012
4:01 pm
sautee there was a time i think when josh teague kirk and jj were off the court at the same time. eva was wondering why 2 and 5 werent playing. they should have been in there with kg and pp there. not sure but i think it might have been pargo, green, marvin, ivan and twin. sorry twin is not a star
starter.
Nique
May 2nd, 2012
4:02 pm
This is exactly why you can’t choke & loss a game at home to Boston without Rondo & Allen, if we won game 2, we could afford to miss Josh in 3 & potentially take the L, but now if we drop game 3 as well, all the pressure in the world is on us in game 4 to not go down 3-1! So disappointed in last nights game, it just proves that we’re still not there
northcyde
May 2nd, 2012
4:03 pm
Tickets are bought. Will be at Game 5 in ATL on Tuesday.
Series will at least be tied 2 – 2 by then.
tyger
May 2nd, 2012
4:04 pm
Nothing wrong with JSmoove other than…
That as whipping 40 yr old KG put on him…
He realized he blew the game…
Missed long jumper after missed long jumper…
Stupid circus dunk, when we just needed 2…
He’s probably more embarrassed than anything…
That was “Bad Josh” on National TV…
Everything the critics said about him…
He showed…
They said, best thing is for him to hit a couple…
Then he plays for the other team…
Game 1 he couldnt miss – I knew he had fallen in love…
Game 2 he couldnt buy one – and he wouldnt stop…
That’s the problem…a smart player would recognize…adjust
But Josh can be an A-hole, instead he’ll get an attitude…
You cant say issh to me, I’m going to shoot no matter what…
If you dont like it, take me out, trade me, I dont give a issh…
Blah, blah, blah…that’s why he didnt make the All-star team…
Thats why we are 1-1, instead of 2-0…
Yes, Joe stinks too…but Smoove took the reigns long ago…
If only he had played smarter, led by performance…
Driven to the basket, forced the issue in the paint, got to the FT line…
And JJ is no help, that fast break layup sums him up…
The fans didnt do it, the pundits didnt do it, nor the coaches…
He’s timid, he doesnt have “it”, superstars rise…
He beotched out…that one play says “tons” about him…
That 4Q “no show” just emphasized what we know…
Now, as a coach, when you see your two best play like that…
What do you do? Its a pickle, catch 22…but you gotta to coach…
A coach reigns stupidity in, adjusts, plays the mental game…
If you cant do it right, I’ll put somebody else in who will…
Granted choices are limited, but I doubt Stackhouse or TMac…
Miss layups or try circus dunks in “do or die” home playoff games…
Do I sit my “stars” and risk alienating them or do I coach to win?
Well, the answer is easy…
If I dont win, I’m gone, whether you like me or not…
If we just had that attitude…we’d be 2-0 right now…
Instead of looking at 1-3 by Monday
MsDee
May 2nd, 2012
4:04 pm
Hey, this MAY be a blessing in disguise..remember how Teague got his shine when Kirk got hurt last playoffs..well, TMAC, now is your time to dust off that ‘old’ man mentally and bring back that 2001 swagger! We need it like never b4. Dont have to worry about getting pulled since Josh is out!! Game 3, here we come!!
Slimjr
May 2nd, 2012
4:07 pm
Marvin should have never been on that court in the 4th till 3 minutes left in the game..
Do it again Larry up in Boston and watch a blowout occur…..
13-22 against the winners does not look promising at all….
Sautee
May 2nd, 2012
4:08 pm
A comment on my 3:47 post:
While LD didn’t actually play the second team at once, IMO, he did something worse, which was to begin the 4th with Kirk at PG. Thankfully, that only lasted 2:23 until the timeout. And in that time, the Celtics only cut into the lead by 3 points. But IMO, use Pargo there, and let Kirk play the 2. Or better still, keep Jeff out there with his young legs.
LD is certainly fair game for criticism, but after a frustrating loss, it seems that some here lose perspective and see things that never happened. Roger Clemens would say they “misremembered”, lol.
ejh
May 2nd, 2012
4:08 pm
I say this, it is important that Josh and ZsaZsa are healthy for game five. Even if the hawks loose both games in Boston, they still only need to come home and win and go back to boston and win a game 6 which would be highly unlikely but possible. I still believe the Hawks are going to win one of the next two. I think the bench realize they have let the team down and are going to want to come out and prove that they can be a difference maker. Look for green, pargo, McGrady, and Vlad, and Ivan Johnson to finally show up for one of those games I got a feeling it is going to be in game 3, because I think Boston comes in over cofindent in thinking they now have this series won. remember the hawks won game one with rondo. The one thing that rondo does is keep the ball away from Paul Pierece. Pierece will not have 36 points friday. He will more likely have 15 to 20 because rondo will control the ball not pierece. To me this gives the hawks a better chance to win.
Slimjr
May 2nd, 2012
4:09 pm
Larry appears to have personal issues with T-Mac to the point of throwing his team under the Bus?
Is that the kind of coach that will coach a team to an ECF? I say heck no!
CrαZy
May 2nd, 2012
4:10 pm
Before yesterday I really thought we had a good chance to make the conference finals…. Now I think we’ll lose to the Celtics in 6. I think we missed Jamal Crawford’s ability to create shots last night. We just don’t have anyone that can create for themselves against the Celtics when they get motivated on D.
Melvin
May 2nd, 2012
4:10 pm
What game was Tyger watching? Did he not see what happen to the Hawks when Josh was not on the court.
Slimjr
May 2nd, 2012
4:14 pm
If Marvin and several of those guards coming off the bench could hit wide open jumpers like Ray Allen does, I’d say we have a shot..
But do not hold your breath..I sense a major beatdown coming Friday…
Oh the Humanity!
Sautee
May 2nd, 2012
4:20 pm
doc,
Sorry man, but perception is not reality. Kirk, having rested for the last 4:18 of the 3rd, played the entire 4th qtr. Unless the play-by-play got it wrong. But I don’t think so. BTW, Pargo only played for 4 minutes in the 2nd qtr. And that was his entire night.
O'brien
May 2nd, 2012
4:22 pm
Since 2008, the Hawks are 6-16 on the road in the playoffs. And Boston is 30-9 at home. Also, LD is 2-4 on the road.
No matter what the numbers say, I think the Hawks have a chance to get game 4 (when Josh comes back), because we will be playing desperate.
Anyways, with Josh, Al and Zaza out, it will be up to our $20 mil man JJ to step up and lead by example. Can he? Will he? How will be respond when Boston puts Pietrus (the iso-JJ stopper) in, and we are in trouble.
CrαZy
May 2nd, 2012
4:24 pm
with Josh, Al and Zaza out
We lose by 20!!!
Sautee
May 2nd, 2012
4:26 pm
“@ Sautee . . . the main thing is that he never should’ve taken out JJ in the 3rd. That was his major mistake. Gotta leave him in if Pierce and Garnett are still in.” – northcyde
I agree with this. Totally.
Like I said, LD has screwy rotations. But he did NOT play the second team all at once, as several here have accused him.
That said, 5 points of the 11 point lead were when Joe, Jeff, and Josh were all in late in the 3rd. So even if LD had never subbed for them, the Celtics could have done the same.
Much of the blog acts like the Celtics could only score against the second team. Yeah, right.
kuhndog
May 2nd, 2012
4:31 pm
UH OH….this is not the end of the series but the hawks need to handle good defensive pressure better and the whole team has to gel quickly.LD needs to bear some of game 2 loss but so doesn’t the players.You know the Cs are gonna be all over the loss of smoove,just like we should have been with rondo,playoff basketball you gotta love it
doc
May 2nd, 2012
4:32 pm
Enter your comments hereok sub kirk for pargo against kg pierce marquis bradley dooling is a mismatch.
Rod from College Park
May 2nd, 2012
4:32 pm
“Before yesterday I really thought we had a good chance to make the conference finals…. Now I think we’ll lose to the Celtics in 6. I think we missed Jamal Crawford’s ability to create shots last night. We just don’t have anyone that can create for themselves against the Celtics when they get motivated on D.”
Ding!!!!!!
hawksfan2012
May 2nd, 2012
4:37 pm
josh smith needs to play. boston is prone to losing game 3s in their home building.
Sautee
May 2nd, 2012
4:41 pm
doc,
I never said it was a good move on LDs part. But let’s not falsely accuse him of something he didn’t do.
As I said the worst part was having Kirk play PG with that group. And even then LD realized it and called timeout after 2:23, and got Jeff back in. All of this criticism of LD for being slow to react, but in that case, I though he reacted properly.
And, once again, when he got the starters back WE STILL HAD THE LEAD.
Rusty
May 2nd, 2012
4:41 pm
Nortcyde it’s almost comical as you talk about JJ as he really is a star.He is a choker not a star.he is a major obstacle to our offense running smoothly.
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
May 2nd, 2012
4:41 pm
ROTFLMAOLOL @ Northcyde calling me a “Fan” of his when this dude spent half an hour the other day typing up an 8 Mile rap featuring thoughts I allegedly was running through my head. Get real, dude.
“Dear JeJe, I wrote you but you still ain’t calling. I left my cell, my pager and my home phone at the bottom. I sent 2 letters back in Autumn, you must not’ve got’em”
LOL @ Grandad suggesting we trade Joe for Amar’e, then backtracking as soon after he saw all the backlash.
I am 10021360247602360236% for signing Jerry Sloan this offseason. Offer Smoove for Millsap/Harris and GET A REAL HEAD COACH HERE (Smoove will NOT resign here unless we give him the max). GET AN @ZZHOLE COACH WHO HOLDS PLAYERS ACCOUNTABLE AND DOESN’T PICK FAVORITES. I would presently sacrifice any of our 3 best players (Joe/Josh/Al) and LD for A REAL HEAD COACH..
CrαZy
May 2nd, 2012
4:42 pm
josh smith needs to play
If he could I’m sure he would. If he doesn’t play it’s because he absolutely can’t help the team by being out there.
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
May 2nd, 2012
4:42 pm
STOP COACHING LIKE IT’S FREAKING CHARLOTTE. WE CAN’T AFFORD TO USE 9 OR 10 PLAYERS, ESPECIALLY IF 3 OF THEM HAVE BEEN STRAIGHT UP GARBAGE. LD, YOU HAVE DONE A MEDIOCRE JOB IN GAME 1 AND A TERRIBLE JOB IN GAME 2. YOU CAN SAVE THE SERIES. STOP USING OUR WHOLE DAMN BENCH
If Smoove is out for game 3, Marvin better be ready for the game of his life (I assume he’d start). But I am not expecting much [or anything] for that matter.
LOL @ people claiming we should just tank game 3. Um, HELLO?!?!!?!?!?! We just lost at home to a team without 2 Hall Of Famers, one (Rondo) of which is better than anyone on our team. If we can get ANYTHING out of Marvin, T-Mac, and the bench (which has been AWOL for 95% of the series), we will be fine. Also, Teague just needs to stay aggressive. Got people like Najeh, who I actually think is one of the smarter people on this blog, saying that. SMH
Rod from College Park
May 2nd, 2012
4:43 pm
Sautee,
You are correct, but the problem also is LD had a lineup of COLLINS, MARVIN, Hinrich, TMac, and Ivan. Marvin and Collins can never be on the floor at the same time. You are correct that the lead was only cut to 2 points, but the whole flow and momentum of the game changed. Once Boston gets going, the Hawks freeze up, and that is exactly what happened in the 4th quarter.
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
May 2nd, 2012
4:44 pm
Huge props go to Rod who has been spot-on about us missing Jamal so far. The only feasible way to compensate for his absence, as Rod stated, IS TO GIVE T-MAC ALL OF MARVIN’S MINUTES. Marvin SHOULD NOT be playing AT ALL in this series. Play Willie OR Pargo (NOT together) sparingly. We should have a 7 player rotation – maybe 8. /
tyger
May 2nd, 2012
4:44 pm
Horribly coached 2nd half…
No bigger LD fan than me, but I lay this one in his lap…
Up 13 in the 3Q, he ran the starters ragged…
They were literally walking up the court…
Yet, his creativity only extended to Marvin and Green…
And neither clearly had it…TMac is right to be upset…
I’m upset…Hawk Nation is upset..
.
We couldnt score a bucket, couldnt do anything right…
And he sits TMac???? That was just dumb…
And if he lets whatever’s going on between him and TMac…
Cost us this series, then he’s just ignorant and needs to go…
He’s acting like he’s JSmoove and JJs beotch…
They start the game off like they were in Summer league…
Smoove shouldve gotten a quick hook early…
JJ missed a layup like he was scared…
Yet, LD so far up their collective as that he does nada…
Smoove jacks up long jumper after long jumper 8-21….
Think LD had balls to say a word to him…
JJ too timid to lead, yet LD forcing his BS down our throat…
Marvin has nothing, yet TMac and Pargo sit…
TMac and Pargo have been saving our as all year…
Now, in the biggest game of the year, neither see light of day…
While the starters drag as up/down the floor…
TMac had them on their heels and gets pulled…thats BS!!!
Why did you sign Tmac if you’re not going to use him?
This issh is old and stupid…this was a horribly coached game…
You really think Ivan, Marvin and Willie Green going to beat Celtics?
Get the F outta here!!! C’mon man!!!
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
May 2nd, 2012
4:47 pm
Took me 15 minutes to type all I want to say.
Has taken about 10 minutes to post [most of] it.
Maybe if someone at AJC cared, they could HELP COMBAT THE BLOG MONSTER, but I know they’re all *so* busy on this offday. MC is probably retweeting some NBA writer as we speak
Sautee
May 2nd, 2012
4:49 pm
Rod,
You are right on the money. I was not defending LDs strategy except for the false accusation of using all second teamers together. Yes, indeed that group lost SOME of the momentum (as I said, 5 points of the lead were already lost late in the 3rd with JT/JS/JJ all there). But mostly, that group gave Boston defensive confidence because they were so inept offensively. To me, mostly because Kirk floundered at PG. It was at that point that Boston’s defense became smothering.
tyger
May 2nd, 2012
4:49 pm
Downside to LD philosophy/hiring…
LD lobbied that he could get more from team…
Believes being positive works better…
Woody too quick to berate…
To a great degree he’s right, but regular season over…
Stop trying to be their friend…
We need you to be a Coach now…
Stick a cattle prod up their as or they wont respond…
This team is not composed that way…
They dont have natural born leaders…
They are quiet, passive, gentlemen…
The Coach has to lead them…
Sautee
May 2nd, 2012
4:52 pm
“This team is not composed that way…”
“They dont have natural born leaders…”
“They are quiet, passive, gentlemen…”
Much like their coach, lol.