Celtics at Atlanta Hawks Game 5: Game thread
- Hawks starters: Jeff Teague, Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, Josh Smith and Al Horford. Zaza Pachulia (foot) is out. All Celtics players are available.
- Larry Drew on why he’s using this lineup: “One, just to give it a different look and see if it will kind of jump start us a little bit. It gives us an opportunity to move Joe back to some two. It makes us bigger so we can do a few more things defensively in making some adjustments in Game 5. And I just think its’ time. After you play four games in the playoffs, obviously it’s a game of adjustment, and you try to do things to benefit your team. It’s time to give us a different look and see if it will jump start us with Al back in the starting lineup, Marvin in the staring lineup, bringing Kirk [Hinrich] off the bench.”
- Drew on Horford’s condition: “Physically he feels fine. I wouldn’t say he’s in tip-top shape but he’s in playing shape. He didn’t experience any discomfort with the pec the other day [Game 4]. There was a play early he went for the ball and it was pulled back. I thought that would be kind of the test with him. He said after the play he was fine and he wasn’t sore after that. That was kind of the test. I know coming back he was waiting for that moment to see if he could withstand a collision or pull-back with the injury.”
- Drew on how he’ll use Horford: “He’ll only play a certain amount of minutes. I could have brought him off the bench but instead of letting his shoulder and chest stiffen up while he’s on the bench elected to throw him out there while he’s warm. We want to get off to a fast start and he certainly brings an energy.”
- Drew on the benefits of the lineup for Joe: “He’s had to defend Paul [Pierce] all four games. I kind of want to give it a different look and see if that can generate more offense out of him. He’s been chasing Paul around for four games and that can put a little wear and tear on you. We’ve decided to give it a look.”
- Drew on pushing the pace with this lineup: “When we are at our best is when [Al] and Josh rebound the ball and bring it out on the dribble. We’ve been missing that with him out of the lineup. It makes us a much better running team when we have all five guys involved in the break.”
- Drew on switching defensively: “Whether we start the game with our switching remains to be seen but it does give us a flexibility. The sets we defend we are in more switchable situations. A lot of the things they do run we can play it a little differently now going a little bit bigger at the two spot.”
- Drew on matchups: “They will have to make a decision who they match up with against Joe and Marvin. If they stay with Pierce on Joe, there’s a size advantage with Marvin on [Avery] Bradley.”
- Drew said Josh (knee) won’t be on limited minutes: “This is a do-or-die situation. Al we will definitely keep an eye on, but those other guys probably will play extended minutes given the situation.”
- Josh on his knee: “It’s pretty good. I’m in it to win it. I’m here to play so I can’t worry about my knee.”
- Joe on if the new lineup will help: “I don’t know. Hopefully it works out for the best for us. At this point we really don’t know. I guess it’s just a gut feeling.”
- Joe on if moving to shooting guard will result in more touches: “I don’t know. We’ll see.”
- Josh on Boston’s D: “With the defense they play they tend to over-help at times and we haven’t made them pay yet. We’ve got to be able to take our time and knock down the open shot.”
- Joe on Game 4: “We haven’t had a game like Game 4 in quite some time. It was mind-boggling, honestly. I couldn’t get why we came out and played so poorly after we were so close in Game 3. I’m still puzzled from that. Hopefully Game 5 will be different.”
- Joe on if he thinks Game 5 will be different: “Honestly I’m not sure. I just have to wait until we get between the lines. It’s easy to talk it but it’s different when you get on the court. Hopefully we will take a sense of pride and a sense of desperation and try to make it back to Boston.”
- Josh on Game 4: “To me, to be honest, we played pretty good defense. We was with them on every shot, every catch, and they shot the ball extremely well, especially Paul Pierce in that third quarter when we were trying to make a push. We have got to to try to meet them right before they past halfcourt i guess to give ourselves a chance.”
- Drew on Game 4: “When you lose a game like that, it’s deflating. But like I told our players I think we’ve had a great season in spite of that one game. That game is no reflection on the rest of our season. It happened. We’ve watched film, we’ve learned form it and now it’s time to move on. Yesterday I was still sensing guys were a little down. After our meeting we had yesterday it seemed to kind of rejuvenate them again. And then coming into shootaround today they were back to themselves.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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1,176 comments Add your comment
JSS
May 8th, 2012
9:14 pm
30 minutes for your basketball lives! Play like it!!!
Najeh Davenpoop
May 8th, 2012
9:15 pm
“I really can’t believe Rondo just hit their second straight buzzer beater. It’ll be damn hard to overcome that kind of BS luck.”
The real BS luck was the Celtics missing about 8 easy shots in the early 2nd quarter that would have blown the game wide open, including a couple of open 3s for Pierce and a dunk for Bass.
The Hawks are really, really lucky right now. I hope they realize this in the locker room.
JSS
May 8th, 2012
9:16 pm
Oops … Too much football blogging
DawgNole
May 8th, 2012
9:16 pm
Mr.E
May 8th, 2012
9:11 pm
Anyone notice how quiet the TNT commentators? SMDH
___________________
Just wait’ll halftime, and get out your pepto-bismal.
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
May 8th, 2012
9:16 pm
Michael
May 8th, 2012
9:14 pm
honestly guys who would have thought that rondo would have made that shot…
LinkReport this comment
***
many of us. He has shot well this series from the outside compared to how he usually does
What's gone rondo?
May 8th, 2012
9:16 pm
Good. I hope he takes more shots like that. If Marvin could play up to his potential, then wonderful things will happen. I think that Barkley had it right. The Hawks are a bunch of nice guys. We need some one to take the ball and SCORE!
Hawkfan
May 8th, 2012
9:16 pm
Amazing that we are tied. Let’s GATA in the 2nd half. Wish we could play D like the Celtics. Those guys all get after it. Docs a good coach.
Melvin
May 8th, 2012
9:16 pm
Why would Willie backup and give Rondo that shot… SMH
TMACfan
May 8th, 2012
9:16 pm
PAUL PEIRCE HAS A MESSED UP KNEE!!
WE NEED TO CAPITALIZE AND WIN THIS SERIES.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 8th, 2012
9:17 pm
Josh is on pace to hit his series average of 14 rebounds, and made some good passes out of double teams (2 dimes, zero turnovers), but the D was lacking and the scoring was terrible. If the knee is bothering him, Ivan should get some of his minutes, particularly if Al is in the game at the same time.
DirtyBoy
May 8th, 2012
9:17 pm
I agree with Charles Barkley. Our boys have nowhere near enough fight in them. We have too many nice guys. I’m not saying we need to play dirty, but I noticed that almost all the techs our players get come from running our mouths, not bumping somebody or getting physical. Zaza is the only one who will knock somebody down and smile in their face. Every team who competes for a title has one or two “a-hole” players that play major minutes and who all the fans of other teams hate (Lakers-Bynum and World Peace…Mavs last yr had Chandler and Dirk…Clippers have Griffin and Evans…Celtics have Rondo and Garnett…OKC has Perkins and Westbrook….Bulls have Noah and Gibson).
Elf
May 8th, 2012
9:17 pm
JUST LAY DOWN. WE DONT NEED AN EXCUSE TO GIVE DREW A CONTRACT EXTENSION DAMN IT!
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
May 8th, 2012
9:17 pm
Good. I hope he takes more shots like that. If Marvin could play up to his potential, then wonderf
****
been waiting 7 years for that
Astro Joe
May 8th, 2012
9:18 pm
Hawks can’t expect to keep hitting 3s in the next half. If Josh is too banged up to provide a low post presence, then LD needs to pull some pentangle plays out of his notebook.
steven a smith
May 8th, 2012
9:18 pm
Play Willie Green at the 2, Joe at the 3, and t-Mac or Ivan at 4, and Josh at the 5 rest of this game LD!!!
Najeh Davenpoop
May 8th, 2012
9:18 pm
Josh and Zaza do show emotion, but other than them, the Inside crew is right. Everyone is too happy on this team.
Tremaine
May 8th, 2012
9:19 pm
Barkley killing us.
DawgNole
May 8th, 2012
9:19 pm
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
May 8th, 2012
9:13 pm
Green and Pargo suck.
Hell, play MARVIN over both of he, the 2nd half
_____________________
Play MARVIN? You sure you feelin’ OK, GM?
This is Gonna Get Ugly
May 8th, 2012
9:19 pm
The Stan Van Gundy era in Orlando is over in 1 min 58 sec……
steven a smith
May 8th, 2012
9:19 pm
Great Idea Elf……………………….
Elf
May 8th, 2012
9:17 pm
JUST LAY DOWN. WE DONT NEED AN EXCUSE TO GIVE DREW A CONTRACT EXTENSION DAMN IT!
Kingd92
May 8th, 2012
9:19 pm
Damn TNT calling it how it is
Atl teams = CHOKE
May 8th, 2012
9:20 pm
Even if the Hawks win this game, they will lose Game 6
steven a smith
May 8th, 2012
9:21 pm
This guy must have taken the “short bus to school”
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
May 8th, 2012
9:17 pm
Good. I hope he takes more shots like that. If Marvin could play up to his potential, then wonderf
****
LMAO
Kingd92
May 8th, 2012
9:21 pm
Can someone tell Tmac to be aggressive when he is in the game today. If he plays like he did in the first half of game 3 this is a wrap.
DawgNole
May 8th, 2012
9:21 pm
Najeh Davenpoop
May 8th, 2012
9:15 pm
The real BS luck was the Celtics missing about 8 easy shots in the early 2nd quarter that would have blown the game wide open, including a couple of open 3s for Pierce and a dunk for Bass.
_____________________
Hell, the Hawks do that crap every game. Bout time the Celts returned the favor.
smh
May 8th, 2012
9:21 pm
Those tnt guys killed us again an dyou know what they are right the haks are to soft to nice only killer we have is ivan but drunk larry keeos him on the bench
Tremaine
May 8th, 2012
9:22 pm
Larry Drew era over in 2 quarters?
Slimjr
May 8th, 2012
9:22 pm
Peta can rotate with the best of them!
Kingd92
May 8th, 2012
9:22 pm
Marvin has reached his potential with those two 3s. That’s enough minutes for him.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 8th, 2012
9:22 pm
You know something, though? ATL organizations have ALWAYS favored so-called “nice guys”. Or, maybe more accurately, they have ALWAYS shipped out players who showed too much emotion, or really who acted anything other than businesslike for any reason. David Justice? Gone. Deion Sanders? Gone. Yunel Escobar? Gone. Kenny Lofton? Gone. Michael Vick? Gone, obviously for other reasons, but there was a lot of talk even before the dogfighting thing of letting him go anyway. This is what ATL teams have always done. Meanwhile, the corporate, businesslike, emotionless Joe Johnsons and Matt Ryans of the world get on billboards and get lavish contracts here. That strategy hasn’t paid off with championships, though.
steven a smith
May 8th, 2012
9:22 pm
Haven’t heard anything form “Precious” Lately.
Elf
May 8th, 2012
9:22 pm
Great Idea Elf……………………….
YOU KNOW GEARON IS PROBABLY SIGNING AND XEROXING COPIES RIGHT NOW!
DON’T DO IT HAWKS! YOUR CITY NEEDS YOU…… TO QUIT LOL
JSS
May 8th, 2012
9:23 pm
@ Astro Joe…
Yeah 55% is unsustainable but at least they got even and gave them self a punchers chance!
O'brien
May 8th, 2012
9:23 pm
LD was asked if his Hawks players communicate on the court during the game. His response. No.
Joe "Highway Robbery" Johnson
May 8th, 2012
9:23 pm
Yooo, I’m in the locker room right now. Coach is yapping about something but none of us are listening. Any of y’all ladies trying to come chill tonight? If so, this series should be wrapped up in about an hour or so. Hit me up. I’ve got dough to spend. It ain’t tricking if ya got it!
Astro Joe
May 8th, 2012
9:23 pm
TNT crew, let’s see, Kenny Smith wanted a head coaching gig and Hawks wouldn’t interview him. Shaq wanted a fat contract and the Hawks wouldn’t pay him.
Sure, the Hawks have issues but those guys aren’t exactly virtues of journalistic integrity.
Elf
May 8th, 2012
9:23 pm
“Larry Drew era over in 2 quarters?”
LORD WILLIN’ LIKE THE CLIPSE
Buddy Grizzard
May 8th, 2012
9:24 pm
Chuck talking about how “it’s never a good thing when your most fierce player doesn’t get in the game,” referring to Ivan. When Collins fouled out in Game 2, if LD had sent Ivan in to check Garnett instead of moving Josh to C, Josh wouldn’t have been hurt. Ivan had already shut down Bass and Garnett on consecutive iso post ups.
northcyde
May 8th, 2012
9:24 pm
In other news :
There are a lot of fine women with fake body parts at this arena.
I guess the booty shots are the rage in ATL, while others stay with the fake boobs
O'brien
May 8th, 2012
9:24 pm
Najeh,
Asante Samuel might bring some emotion with him.
What's gone rondo?
May 8th, 2012
9:24 pm
Barkley is being real. The Hawks are too cool to care. Cool makes for good musicians; it doesn’t work in baseball. Kinda reminds me of the Braves in the late 90’s early 00’s, cool but could never win the big game. Yeah. I agree. Everyone’s been waiting on duck butt.
steven a smith
May 8th, 2012
9:24 pm
Now this guy sounds like “GM” material. Heard there will be an opening in Orlando soon..Please apply.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 8th, 2012
9:25 pm
The history of nice, emotionless guys in this city goes back pretty far. Joe, Matty Lukewarm, Shareef, Andruw Jones, etc. Atlanta is like the covenant-enforced suburban neighborhood of sports cities.
steven a smith
May 8th, 2012
9:25 pm
Najeh Davenpoop
May 8th, 2012
9:22 pm
Sounds like “GM” Material…
DirtyBoy
May 8th, 2012
9:26 pm
@Najeh. Interesting perspective. Never though of it that way but you’re right. As a city, we do tend to ship all the players away who play with chips on their shoulders.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 8th, 2012
9:27 pm
“I guess the booty shots are the rage in ATL, while others stay with the fake boobs”
You used the pitiful AT&T 3G connection in the arena to post this? How much battery life did this message take you?
Yeah, the man/woman who got arrested for injecting concrete and sh-t into people’s asses was from ATL if I’m not mistaken.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 8th, 2012
9:27 pm
“Asante Samuel might bring some emotion with him.”
Hopefully, yeah.
JSS
May 8th, 2012
9:27 pm
Celtics only had 3 fouls in the first half… Geez!!!
Elf
May 8th, 2012
9:27 pm
“Meanwhile, the corporate, businesslike, emotionless Joe Johnsons and Matt Ryans of the world get on billboards and get lavish contracts here. That strategy hasn’t paid off with championships, though.”
THEY NEED MORE @$$HOLES LOL CHIPPER IS ONE AND THEY’RE GONNA BUILD A STATUE FOR HIM IN FRONT OF TURNER FIELD ONE DAY LOL
Rob
May 8th, 2012
9:28 pm
If this is the Hawks last game or even Ivan’s, I wouldnt mind him knocking KG out since he said he is a dirty player…