Atlanta Hawks at Celtics Game 3: Game thread
Boston–Josh Smith (knee) is out and Marvin Williams starts at power forward. Ray Allen (ankle) will play for the first time since April 10. Rajon Rondo is back from suspension.
- Josh said he’s aiming to play in Game 4 Sunday: “I just have to rest and see how it feels. I want to get good enough to play but you never know. I don’t want to risk a domino effect and it being something more than what it is.”
- Josh tested the knee at shootaround this morning: “It felt pretty good until I started doing a lot of exploding up the basket. That’s where the pain really starts to generate when I become explosive with it. But as far as running and cutting and everything else it feels OK.”
- Yesterday Josh said he suffered the injury when Kevin Garnett banged into it while jostling for rebounding position. But he said the patellar tendonitis in his knee is a contributing factor. “I guess it caught up to me,” he said.
- The Hawks are now down their top three bigs. “Certainly it’s an uphill battle and a challenge for our team but I have all the confidence in the world these guys will step up to the challenge,” Larry Drew said.
- Josh: “We have to jell together, move the ball from side to side, and not get stagnant because this is a great defensive team. And we have to be able to match their physicality.”
- Joe Johnson: “We have just got to try to outwill them. We’ve got to find a way. We can’t dwell on or worry about what we don’t have. We have got to go for what we know. Is it going to be tough? Yeah, but it’s possible.”
- Drew said Joe still will check Paul Pierce. “Obviously with the matchup and Marvin starting at the four spot will have to do things a little differently as opposed to when Josh is in the lineup,” Drew said.
- Doc Rivers on Brandon Bass defending Marvin: “That’s hard. We worked on that all day. We thought Josh would play but we worked on the small lineup because when you look at them most of the year their best lineup has been their best lineup when they go small.”
- Joe saw heavy defensive pressure with Josh on the court. It only figures to get worse with Josh on the bench and a lack of offensive punch from among the remaining Hawks. “I’ve got to go quick or give the ball up quick and trust my teammates to make plays,” Joe said. “That’s pretty much the two things I’ve come up with. We’ll see when we get to the fourth quarter.”
- Rivers on Allen, who last played April 10: “There are no restrictions. He hasn’t played and gone up and down since he’s been injured. We’ve done some halfcourt but this is the first time he will do fullcourt since he’s been injured.”
- Suddenly Rivers is the coach warning his players not take a wounded opponent lightly: “The guys have to go out and play and at the end of the day hope they understand these are playoff games and you can’t give any away.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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1,096 comments Add your comment
Najeh Davenpoop
May 4th, 2012
9:51 pm
If Teague makes this FT, Hawks will be down by 6. First team to 80 has won both games this series. Hawks have to get stops. Can’t do that with Vlad at C and Willie Green at SG.
High-sider
May 4th, 2012
9:52 pm
Teague is ballin’. Can y’all imagine if Josh had been playing [well] in this game? The Hawks could’ve had a 3-0 [series] lead on these Celtics; this Celtics team is not all that good, in my opinion. That doesn’t say very much for the Hawks, however.
Hawkfan
May 4th, 2012
9:52 pm
Marvin shooting free throw. Looked like he just chucked it up care free. Damn he sucks. The organization needs to shed itself of his loser. Get a hungry player in next year that we want to watch.
Big Lou
May 4th, 2012
9:52 pm
LD gets props by ‘fans’ and the media. Hilarious.
phil
May 4th, 2012
9:52 pm
Release the commie!
Najeh Davenpoop
May 4th, 2012
9:53 pm
Need stops now. Vlad and Green, better play the best D you have ever played in your life.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 4th, 2012
9:53 pm
Need stops now. Vlad and Green, better play the best D you have ever played in your life.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 4th, 2012
9:53 pm
Need stops now. Vlad and Green, better play the best D you have ever played in your life.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 4th, 2012
9:53 pm
Need stops now. Vlad and Green, better play the best D you have ever played in your life.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 4th, 2012
9:53 pm
Need stops now. Vlad and Green, better play the best D you have ever played in your life.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 4th, 2012
9:53 pm
Need stops now. Vlad and Green, better play the best D you have ever played in your life.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 4th, 2012
9:53 pm
Need stops now. Vlad and Green, better play the best D you have ever played in your life.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 4th, 2012
9:53 pm
Need stops now. Vlad and Green, better play the best D you have ever played in your life.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 4th, 2012
9:53 pm
Need stops now. Vlad and Green, better play the best D you have ever played in your life.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 4th, 2012
9:53 pm
Need stops now. Vlad and Green, better play the best D you have ever played in your life.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 4th, 2012
9:53 pm
Need stops now. Vlad and Green, better play the best D you have ever played in your life.
phil
May 4th, 2012
9:54 pm
It is our DESTINY!!
bigdave
May 4th, 2012
9:54 pm
going away from jeff to take tough jumpers
Najeh Davenpoop
May 4th, 2012
9:54 pm
Need stops now. Vlad and Green, better play the best D you have ever played in your life.
Joe got the call that T-Mac didn’t get earlier in the game when he twisted his ankle.
Kingd92
May 4th, 2012
9:54 pm
need to get ivan in on garnett, tmac is good at d but hes not a power forward
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
May 4th, 2012
9:54 pm
The only positive from this game is LD realizes Duck sucks and isn’t using him
phil
May 4th, 2012
9:54 pm
Najeh is insane….
Bama14
May 4th, 2012
9:54 pm
Boston crowd seems annoyed that EVERY call hasn’t gone their way…
Big Ray
May 4th, 2012
9:55 pm
Things to do in the offseason:
1) Ship Joe and his massively awful contract elsewhere.
2) Get rid of Larry Drew and get a real NBA coach.
3) Figure out how to get Al back to full health and whether or not to keep him as part of the core.
4) Figure out the same thing with Marvin, only skip the health part. BTW, he belongs on the bench if he stays.
5) Get a real GM, not a retiree who is hanging on because he’s afraid he won’t have social security if he hangs his dingy suit up.
6) Sell the team to a single/majority owner. Don’t offer buy here/pay here financing.
7) Try not to sue anybody.
None of these things will happen, of course.
bigdave
May 4th, 2012
9:55 pm
Lol.. push shot.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 4th, 2012
9:55 pm
Joe you F-CKING SUCK ARE YOU KIDDING ME
High-sider
May 4th, 2012
9:55 pm
O’Brien
May 4th, 2012
9:51 pm
Marvin and JJ have the worst +/ of any Hawks player in this game
————————————————-
Pargo’s +/- is -11.
Kingd92
May 4th, 2012
9:55 pm
have to finish that
Billy Knight didn't pick Chris Paul
May 4th, 2012
9:55 pm
ISO Joe coming up big again this year. 12 Million….hahahaahahaah
phil
May 4th, 2012
9:55 pm
Such pathetic, bad basketball…
If you invited the hawks to the finals, they would decline.
Melvin
May 4th, 2012
9:55 pm
Damn you Joe. That was some crap you threw up on the fast break…
Big Ray
May 4th, 2012
9:55 pm
$125 million dollar man can’t hit from 3 feet out.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 4th, 2012
9:56 pm
Wow, I didn’t mean to send that post a million times. Browser screwed up.
KG is dominating this small lineup. LD is a clown.
bigdave
May 4th, 2012
9:56 pm
Weak shid. Atlanta needs a dude that’s gonna come down and dunk on a mf’er man.. that soft floater bs is getting old
Sid
May 4th, 2012
9:56 pm
pathetic team can’t run a fast break.
Big Ray
May 4th, 2012
9:56 pm
Jason Collins better not be on the roster next season.
Section 212
May 4th, 2012
9:56 pm
wTF
Najeh Davenpoop
May 4th, 2012
9:57 pm
Damn, bad play by Teague at the worst possible time.
Melvin
May 4th, 2012
9:57 pm
Careless turnover by Teague
Vick Supporter
May 4th, 2012
9:57 pm
When Joe ISO’s..why does everybody just stand around!!?!?!??! The whole defense is watching Joe and nobidy cuts!!!
phil
May 4th, 2012
9:57 pm
Nice play, Teague.
Why do they even bother showing up?
welikebaseball2
May 4th, 2012
9:57 pm
The Larry Drew Offense: Iso-Joe and spot-up jumpers for whoever wants them. Sickening.
yodaddybrother
May 4th, 2012
9:57 pm
Joek Johnson misses a layup….6 point swing
Mr. Phil
May 4th, 2012
9:57 pm
where is Hinrich?
Najeh Davenpoop
May 4th, 2012
9:57 pm
Teague shoots a 3 over Pierce instead of driving. This game is just about over.
Billy Knight didn't pick Chris Paul
May 4th, 2012
9:57 pm
Hawks haven’t run a set in the last 5 trips. Uncoachables.
Sid
May 4th, 2012
9:58 pm
simple solution…..sell this garbage to someone who will move them.
Billy Knight didn't pick Chris Paul
May 4th, 2012
9:58 pm
Boston really isn’t any good.
Mac-Town (478)™
May 4th, 2012
9:58 pm
Rondo got the board over Joe smh
Najeh Davenpoop
May 4th, 2012
9:58 pm
LMAO @ Joe in perfect box out position still managing to give up an offensive board to Rondo.