Celtics at Atlanta Hawks Game 5: Game thread
7:24 pm May 8, 2012, by Michael Cunningham
- 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.”
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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
1,176 comments Add your comment
Najeh Davenpoop
May 8th, 2012
10:25 pm
7-0 run for the C’s out of the timeout. Iso-Joe for the Hawks three straight possessions. I swear to God this team is stupid.
DawgNole
May 8th, 2012
10:25 pm
Harry Hawk
May 8th, 2012
10:21 pm
The Hawks are gonna win this.
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Wouldn’t count on it.
M
May 8th, 2012
10:26 pm
JESUS SHUTTLESWORTH!!!!!!!!
MistaGamer
May 8th, 2012
10:26 pm
There they go…. Running the offense through Joe… oh…. no….
Rod from College Park
May 8th, 2012
10:26 pm
Why change the offense, and go iso Joe?????????????????????
Mac-Town (478)™
May 8th, 2012
10:26 pm
Unreal
bigdave
May 8th, 2012
10:26 pm
Air taken out the ball.. air taken out the offense.
Atl teams = CHOKE
May 8th, 2012
10:26 pm
The Joe Johnson 3 would have been like the 2008 one
Najeh Davenpoop
May 8th, 2012
10:26 pm
Northcyde, you were right. The Hawks are going to go to iso-Joe in crunch time. That’s why they are losing. LESS TOUCHES FOR JOE MORE TOUCHES FOR JOSH
Hawkfan
May 8th, 2012
10:26 pm
Prosperity to Hawks. Krypton it’s to Superman
Slimjr
May 8th, 2012
10:26 pm
Josh, All trying to play [pt] forward and about to lose the game
Melvin
May 8th, 2012
10:26 pm
3 Joe iso’s = 7-0 run by the Celtics…
kwooden
May 8th, 2012
10:26 pm
LD gets out coached again. Run 3 straight plays for Joe, win Hordford has the mismatch down low. Terrible!
J.J.M.
May 8th, 2012
10:26 pm
iso joe yesssss
Walt Frazier
May 8th, 2012
10:27 pm
Selfish owners and selfish players. This team is about 3 minutes from implosion. Time to bust this party up.
Luke Cage
May 8th, 2012
10:27 pm
Too many long jumpers again. celts going for the kill shot, Hawks gotta step up like neva before!!
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
May 8th, 2012
10:27 pm
WTF
Slimjr
May 8th, 2012
10:27 pm
When Al and Josh initiate the offense you lose…
What's gone rondo?
May 8th, 2012
10:27 pm
We need to go through Joe to win this game. Ya know what I mean. Let’s go through Joe. More Joe. Sit Joe. Where’s Rondo? Sit Joe.
yodaddybrother
May 8th, 2012
10:27 pm
AS I said earlier…don’t get your hopes up. The Hawks don’t know how to win…the Celtics do. They make the correct plays that will win them the game inevitably.
drmaryb.(*_*).
May 8th, 2012
10:27 pm
“Me and Dr Mary B got a thang goin’ on ” -slimjr-
__________
YES we DO! (Mmmmwah)
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UH OH!!!! Tie Game
Mr.E
May 8th, 2012
10:27 pm
iso-JJ taking over lol
High-sider
May 8th, 2012
10:27 pm
Najeh,
And that 7 point lead has evaporated. smh
JSS
May 8th, 2012
10:27 pm
Just plain old ugh!!!
Elf
May 8th, 2012
10:28 pm
“Joe Johnson invites the Celtics back in the game with 2 garbage fade aways. $126 million certainly doesn’t buy what it used to…”
DAMN SURE DONT LOL
Najeh Davenpoop
May 8th, 2012
10:28 pm
TEAGUE PICK AND ROLL AND THE HAWKS GET A DUNK. IS THIS REALLY SO HARD? GET THE BALL OUT OF JOE’S HANDS AND LET YOUR PLAYMAKERS MAKE PLAYS
Astro Joe
May 8th, 2012
10:28 pm
Beautiful play.
This is Gonna Get Ugly
May 8th, 2012
10:28 pm
Ummmmm not so ugly but down to the wireeeeeeeee. Last sec shot who takes it Josh Joe. Al. No. I say my man Marvin !! The planets have lined up. Its his Destiny!
Rod from College Park
May 8th, 2012
10:28 pm
Keep the ball in Teagues hands.
Rev in Tampa
May 8th, 2012
10:28 pm
Good D on Garnett, Marvin
Luke Cage
May 8th, 2012
10:28 pm
BIG AL!!
Harry Hawk
May 8th, 2012
10:28 pm
Game over.
Slimjr
May 8th, 2012
10:29 pm
Tought shot Al! Wow!
5150 UOAD
May 8th, 2012
10:29 pm
10 year old boys in Philippiano brothels take less abuse than the Hawks and their fans.
bigdave
May 8th, 2012
10:29 pm
Big al! Inside dammit!
Melvin
May 8th, 2012
10:29 pm
It’s GREAT to have AL Horford back in the lineup….
Hawkfan
May 8th, 2012
10:29 pm
Al is a freaking beast!!
Big Lou
May 8th, 2012
10:29 pm
Take that Al Horford haters!!!
yodaddybrother
May 8th, 2012
10:29 pm
We will do what we normally do…..and that’s find a way to lose this game.
Slimjr
May 8th, 2012
10:29 pm
[tough]^^^^
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
May 8th, 2012
10:29 pm
AL!!!!
Never quits.
What's gone rondo?
May 8th, 2012
10:29 pm
More iso Joe. More iso Joe. More iso Joe. More iso Joe. More iso Joe. More iso Joe. More iso Joe. More iso Joe. More iso Joe. More iso Joe. More iso Joe. More iso Joe.More iso Joe.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 8th, 2012
10:29 pm
Al saving the Hawks. Finally Joe makes a quick pass after drawing the help. What a monster game for Al. 19-11-3-3-3 on 8/14 shooting. MVP of this game.
JSS
May 8th, 2012
10:29 pm
Come on, you can do this!!!
Sautee
May 8th, 2012
10:29 pm
LOL @ Reggie: “Pectorial”
kwooden
May 8th, 2012
10:29 pm
When
drmaryb.(*_*).
May 8th, 2012
10:30 pm
let MVT penetrate from here on in! bring us home JEFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Najeh Davenpoop
May 8th, 2012
10:30 pm
That is gross, 5150
bigdave
May 8th, 2012
10:30 pm
A big who can catch and finish at the rim will do jeff wonders
Astro Joe
May 8th, 2012
10:30 pm
Dang near 20/10 in his first start since the injury. And outstanding defense to boot. Middling player.