Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 104, Thunder 95
Vivlamore reporting from Oklahoma City.
The Lou Williams signing looks pretty darn good right about now.
The Hawks did what few thought was possible on Sunday. They entered one hostile environment and stared down the defending Western Conference champion Thunder. Oh, and did we mention they did so without star Josh Smith.
Williams had a run of 10 straight points late in the fourth quarter as the Hawks defeated the Thunder 104-95 silencing a once raucous sellout crowd of 18,203 at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Williams scored 14 of the Hawks’ final 23 points. DeShawn Stevenson hit a 3-pointer with 1:28 remaining that put the Hawks up 100-91. Williams then hit four free throws in the final seconds to ice the victory and end a Thunder mini-run.
“Over the past four or five years of my career, the fourth quarter has probably been my best,” said Williams, who finished with 19 points. “I’ve always gotten off to slow starts for whatever reason. I just pick it up in the fourth quarter. It’s something I’ve done in the past and something I want to bring to this team.”
Williams also had a team-high 22 points in the season-opening loss to the Rockets.
The Hawks also got a strong effort from Al Horford. The center finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Horford scored eight of the Hawks’ first 13 points. After a scoreless second quarter, Horford scored nine of the Hawks’ first 19 points of the third quarter.
“Coach went to me early in the third,” Horford said. “He wanted to get me back involved. I missed some shots that I usually make. I just stayed positive and kept playing. Whatever the defense gave me, I just played off that.”
The Hawks (1-1) got contributions from nearly the entire team. All 10 players who entered the game scored at least four points. Jeff Teague had 16 points, including eight in the first quarter. Ivan Johnson added 10 points.
The Hawks’ rebounding, which was such a sore spot in their season-opening loss to the Rockets, was impressive. The Hawks held a 38-37 advantage on the boards.
Although the victory came in the second game of the young season, coach Larry Drew and his team did not want to underestimate the scope of the win.
“If you look at it before the game probably a lot of people didn’t give us any kind of chance,” Horford said. “It just shows character of this team. … This was a team effort we are pretty proud about.”
The Thunder (1-2) were led by Kevin Martin with a game-high 28 points, including 22 in the first half. Kevin Durant added 22 points and 12 rebounds.
With the game on the line in the fourth quarter, Drew elected to stay with a veteran lineup of Zaza Pachulia, Devin Harris, Horford, Stevenson and Williams.
“Lou got into a rhythm and we were going to ride it,” Drew said. “I had to make a decision whether to bring Jeff and Kyle (Korver) back but the group that was in there had a good rhythm going and I didn’t want to do anything to disrupt that. We decided to ride Lou’s hot hand. He made some really good baskets.”
The Hawks led by as many as 10 points in the first half. Jeff Teague and Al Horford each had eight first-quarter points to lead the early offense. Horford scored six of the Hawks’ first eight points of the game. Ivan Johnson provided energy off the bench with six points and two rebounds in the half.
The Thunder stormed back and closed the second quarter on a 22-9 run to take a 51-47 lead into intermission.
The Hawks rallied in the third quarter, tied the game on four occasions and took two leads. Anthony Morrow drained a 3-pointer for a late three-point lead. The Hawks took a 75-74 advantage into the decisive final quarter.
It was the Hawks’ second straight win over the Thunder. They won their only meeting last season, 97-90, playing without Joe Johnson in Atlanta.
So, that Williams signing looks pretty good now.
“I would hope,” Williams said with a smile. “We will see. It’s early.”
- Chris Vivlamore
LATEST NEWS
* Tolliver to start for Smith vs. OKC
* Smith not on trip to OKC with sprained ankle
* Smith on verge of statistical milestone
* Smith, Horford are interim captains
* Five things we learned from the preseason
* Teague, Pachulia return to full-contact practice, ready for opener
* Failure not an option for Tolliver
Follow me on Twitter at ajchawks
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
162 comments Add your comment
Jason S
November 4th, 2012
11:24 pm
1st … Good win!
GO HAWKS!
Joe
November 4th, 2012
11:31 pm
Trade josh………..now!
Najeh Davenpoop
November 4th, 2012
11:31 pm
Great win. With that said, FTPB…
“This game made Josh look expendable…..”
And the last time the Hawks beat the Thunder, Joe and Al looked pretty expendable.
One game doesn’t determine that one way or another.
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
November 4th, 2012
11:31 pm
We got murdered on boards vs Asik but outrebounded Ibaka Perkins Collison
Buddy G
November 4th, 2012
11:33 pm
Wow
Joe
November 4th, 2012
11:33 pm
And yes a great win. Can’t wait for Friday.
i_am_soulstar
November 4th, 2012
11:34 pm
Very nice win. Lou was money in the 4th. And Teague really impressed with energizing plays.
#1 PRHawksfan
November 4th, 2012
11:34 pm
For all you Horford’s haters shhhhhhhh…great game Al, jeep it going. GO HAWKS!!!
Rusty
November 4th, 2012
11:34 pm
After a great first half the idiot LARRY DREW benchesJT in the 4th quarter & don’t play him much in the 3rd was JTshooting to much & the idiot didn’t like that. If I was JT I would be gone next year.
Rusty
November 4th, 2012
11:36 pm
Tyger want to keep putting JT down ,sure makes you look real stupid
i_am_soulstar
November 4th, 2012
11:37 pm
NBA LeaguePass having the Hawks only regular season games during the trial period in audio only isn’t very convincing for a Hawks fan like myself to acquire said service.
Q
November 4th, 2012
11:38 pm
IM WITH YOU JOE. . . . HE’S GOT TO GO!!!!
Rusty
November 4th, 2012
11:42 pm
Great game Al maybe some of these jerks here will get all your back. I can’t believe Ivan only got 12 min.
i_am_soulstar
November 4th, 2012
11:42 pm
If u guys think this team is better off without Josh after one game, then we have nothing more to talk about.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 4th, 2012
11:45 pm
Ivan had 10 points, 4 boards and a steal in 12 minutes of game time. There is simply no excuse for him not to play.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 4th, 2012
11:46 pm
For comparison’s sake, Tolliver (who started at PF) had 6 points and 3 boards in 22 minutes of playing time.
#1 PRHawksfan
November 4th, 2012
11:47 pm
Rusty & i_am_soulstar I agree with you both!!! A lot of ignorant comments. Al & Josh both all stars this year!!!
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
November 4th, 2012
11:47 pm
Teague prob didn’t play 4th because Lou is good in the 4th and Harris is a vet. Just sayin…
drmaryb.(""_*).
November 4th, 2012
11:49 pm
PLAY Ivan _ MF-er!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rusty
November 4th, 2012
11:53 pm
No JT didn’t play in the 4th quarter because LD hates him & is a aZz hole. He just wants to keep him in his place,big man who kisses other people’s azz.
Rusty
November 4th, 2012
11:54 pm
Je Je don’t tell me you don’t know that by now.
Grandad
November 4th, 2012
11:56 pm
I`m with Rusty and Najeh;
Ivan, with only 12+ min, unacceptable.
Rusty
November 4th, 2012
11:57 pm
Play Ivan & JT MF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
November 4th, 2012
11:57 pm
It’d be kinda cool to see Josh return to Philips on another team and brick jumpshots all day, but maybe another HC could get through to him. He hasn’t really had a real head coach yet in his career
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
November 4th, 2012
11:58 pm
Rusty,
No. Others don’t realize that
Grandad
November 4th, 2012
11:59 pm
I`m completely underwhelmed with Devin Harris at this point.
Just Joe
November 4th, 2012
11:59 pm
Why take out Lou or Devin in the 4th? They were winning the game for us. Teague will be fine.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 5th, 2012
12:00 am
And the worst part is that the one thing Tolliver supposedly does better than Ivan — shooting jumpers — isn’t even a really big difference from mid range, where you want your PF taking jumpers. Sure, Tolliver can shoot 3s, but I think Hawks Nation would be pretty happy if they never saw their PF taking 3s again.
MsDee
November 5th, 2012
12:01 am
Yea, we know its only one game w/o Josh but u guys have to admit it, the team looked really really w/o Josh on the court. Yeah, we beat OKC last year w/o Joe or Horford, but this win looked great with ALL KEY PLAYERS (minus Korver) CONTRIBUTING TO THEIR STRENGTHS UNLIKE THE OTHER WIN. Honestly, I can live w/o Josh on the team. If a great offer comes, I say trade him!! I would rather keep Horford, a very smart b-ball IQ PF/C than Josh
Grandad
November 5th, 2012
12:03 am
Zaza has proven he`s a starter at this point, on this team.
Rusty
November 5th, 2012
12:08 am
Harris was2-5,Williams 5-14, is this why JT shouldn’t play in the 4th quarter.
JeJE, your pretty stupid.as I always knew.
atlwalt404
November 5th, 2012
12:09 am
Ivan showed up big time, teague was explosive if we can get josh to stop taking long jumpers , we got a nice team
paian
November 5th, 2012
12:10 am
wow to think he was about to put korver back in the gamein crunch time,this guy larry drew is hilarious
Rusty
November 5th, 2012
12:11 am
Larry,your full of sht
Rusty
November 5th, 2012
12:14 am
The hawk commentators have no balls,kissazzes
Najeh Davenpoop
November 5th, 2012
12:16 am
“Yeah, we beat OKC last year w/o Joe or Horford, but this win looked great with ALL KEY PLAYERS (minus Korver) CONTRIBUTING TO THEIR STRENGTHS UNLIKE THE OTHER WIN. ”
Haha. What does this even mean? Four Hawks scored in double figures in that March win and Zaza had a double-double.
Y’all see what you want to see. There is an entire season’s worth of evidence to show that the Hawks don’t need Al to make the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean he is expendable. Likewise, one game certainly isn’t evidence of Josh being expendable. This team is worse if either one has to miss time.
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
November 5th, 2012
12:17 am
Teague didn’t play in 4th because we held a lead and if it ain’t broke don’t fix it
F’ing moron. Stfu
Rusty
November 5th, 2012
12:18 am
If LD would give JT mins he would become a star & Ivan could become a very good starter.
Grandad
November 5th, 2012
12:20 am
LD with zero initiative or originality;
Lou came here as a 6th man,
and a 6th man he shall be.
Absolutely no chance to rise above being type-cast.
As for our rooks:
What if a really good rookie came here ?
Say:
Durant; DWade; KLove; Rondo; Kawhi Leonard;
would we ever know ?
LD is not gonna play the kids;
so we will never find out.
Rusty
November 5th, 2012
12:21 am
JeJe your still a moron & putting a grandmaster behind your name shows your a F’axzh.
Rusty
November 5th, 2012
12:24 am
Any coach who don’t play his rooks but plays overdone vets shouldn’t be coaching in the NBA.
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
November 5th, 2012
12:29 am
“Your” still a moron. Great English
If we played our rookies we would’ve gotten slaughtered. Aren’t you that herb who fights with Grandad? Gtfoh
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
November 5th, 2012
12:32 am
HORFORD WAS ON FIRE. WHY DIDNT HE JUST PLAY ALL 48 MINUTES? LD IS A MORON
Rusty
November 5th, 2012
12:32 am
Your just a stupid man who speaks out your azz
Melvin
November 5th, 2012
12:34 am
Good win by the Hawks
tommy
November 5th, 2012
12:35 am
you guys just want something to fuss about. The coaching seemed to be pretty good. This isnt little league you dont have to give everybody even minutes. The guys that were in there in the end obviously got the job done so if you are a Hawks fan celebrate the big victory. If you are not a Hawks fan go somewhere else. Lou looks impressive, jury is still out on Harris, Teague has been playing good and Zaza is looking like a starter. He is bringing the hustle and working hard on the boards. Horford stepped it up early tonight and Lou is the new closer. Ivan probably earned some minutes tonight. Good job by everybody including the coaching staff.
Dasher
November 5th, 2012
12:38 am
Apparently, there’s a blog out there that has replaced Hoopinion. Or at least, this guy is doing Hoopinion-style recaps and is doing stuff for ESPN: http://hawkshoop.com/recap-hawks-104-thunder-95/
Ken Strickland
November 5th, 2012
1:08 am
Exactly what has KKorver done during the last 2 gm to cause Drew to consider bringing him back in during crunch time? I can understand bringing Teague back in, but definitely not Korver. What is Drew’s obsession with Korver and Tolliver? After watching Morrow and Ivan’s contributions, is there anyone who thinks we could have won our 1st gm if Drew had played them?
Grandad
November 5th, 2012
1:09 am
Look – I`m glad our Hawks won.
I defended LD all last season when he received unjust criticism.
However, this is a new season, with a new outlook,
with a new vision, and Danny Ferry running the show.
Having said;
LD is not gonna be our Hawks coach long term.
Therefore,
all that he [LD] does grates on my nerves,
understanding what I think Mr Ferry wishes to build with our team.
All that I speak of is about “Winning Culture”
and has little to do with individual players.
My feeling is:
Every day LD is here is one day we`re behind in building said “Culture”.
High-sider
November 5th, 2012
1:09 am
@i_am_soulstar
i_am_soulstar
November 4th, 2012
11:37 pm
NBA LeaguePass having the Hawks only regular season games during the trial period in audio only isn’t very convincing for a Hawks fan like myself to acquire said service.
————————————————————————————-
NBA League Pass doesn’t televise nationally broadcast[ed] NBA games or NBA games within your region/locale. NBA League Pass TV gives you access [or a "pass"] to watch NBA games outside of your region that are not nationally televised.
Ra'mon
November 5th, 2012
1:10 am
This was a win on the record books. However, any one who thinks this game was more about the Hawks than it was about the Thunder are mistaken. OKC are missing a true point guard. And they recorded a very high number of UNFORCED turnovers. From what I seen, it was so good to see that Horford actually BATTLED some tonight. That’s all I ever asked. But don’t get carried away with thinking that this means the team is ready. Right now, EACH of the top 3/4 teams in the East have a pg who plays smart and doesn’t turn the ball over as much as Westbrook at PG. (Yes, I know I have lobbied to acquire Westbrook, but I have always said to do it to play him at SG not Point).
Also, anyone saying that ONE game is evidence that the Hawks are better without Josh, seriously need to look at the number of playoff teams the Hawks beat with Josh as their best player on the court. Though Al had a decent game, this game says more about Zaza’s ability to play the center position (as he proved last season, and I’ve repeated many times). And to me that would make Horford even more expendable, not Josh. Because Horford is the 2nd best power forward on the team. And he is barely the best center on the team.
Ra'mon
November 5th, 2012
1:13 am
G’D, am I the only one who notice that the Hawks didn’t win with anything ‘new’ or different from last season in terms of style of play? The difference is Harris seems to be better than Kirk. But Stevenson and Morrow played the same role that Pargo and Green played last season.
Also, if LD doesn’t see that Ivan out performs Tolliver in live play, than something’s wrong.
kwooden1
November 5th, 2012
1:14 am
Great win! Excellent game by Al, really was active on the boards and played with a lot of energy. Jeff was great when he was in the game and Lou is playing the way he should. OKC didn’t do a good job of getting Durant the ball, which really helped and its clear that they miss Harden. LD did a much better job of substituting this game because its obvious that Ivan and Morrow are contributors. LD should have tried Morrow on Harden the previous game. Hopefully when Josh comes back Horford can still play like this.
GO HAWKS!!
tyger
November 5th, 2012
1:18 am
Whether he’s Ferry’s guy are not…
LD will wind up having a pretty good looking resume…
At this point, he’s defied all odds, made playoffs twice…
He’s going to will this misfit group to the dance again…
He may not be Ferry’s guy, but he’ll wind up in a good place…
He’s proven himself to be a winner and role model…
Just win baby!
Grandad
November 5th, 2012
1:19 am
I know yawl think I`m nuts.
-But-
Korver gets it.
He is not shooting well right now.
But he is *[most] always in position defensively.
* I say most due to *[I missed] some of the middle portion of the game.
However,
I have studied KKorv and watch his def rotations.
He knows where to be and gets there.
He will knock down shots.
He makes alot of hustle plays.
He is very smart and does not make silly turnovers
-or-
silly mistakes.
Is he a great player = no.
Is he a good teammate = yes.
Is he a valuable player within the team concept = absolutely.
____________________________________________
Please never compare Korver to Toliver ! ……. It`s insulting !
High-sider
November 5th, 2012
1:21 am
Rusty,
I understand your frustration concerning Teague’s [lack of] playing time. Teague is getting “the short end of the stick” even though he played [right at] 26 minutes tonight which was slightly more than Devin Harris and slightly less than Lou Williams.
http://www.nba.com/games/20121104/ATLOKC/gameinfo.html?ls=iref:nbahpgt0021200040
cp
November 5th, 2012
1:22 am
Good win ..I loved the effort from the guys. The Hawks still dont get the respect from the refs. Saw a lot of bad calls tonight. Ivan and Morrow deserve more minutes. I dont know whats going on with Korver but he is even missing free throws. All his 3 pointers seem to be short. I hope he gets it going
Mike
November 5th, 2012
1:31 am
Damn… so Horford balled out and the Falcons won. Slimjr is gonna enter witness protection program LMAO…
Grandad
November 5th, 2012
1:33 am
Ra’mon
Offensively we are running more pick and rolls.
Alot more back cuts.
Players such as Lou, DHarris, DeSteve, etc move the ball faster
and swing / reverse from side to side more often …….
and with ease as it seems more natural to those who have not been
subjected to Iso-J for yrs upon end.
Defensively we are playing more zone.
We never have boxed out much and still don`t.
Back to offense:
1st game Josh played the same.
Al is scoring inside more on cuts and flashes
rather than posting for an eternity.
His mid-range is still 1st rate.
The new players move w/o the ball very well.
Joe obviously Bogged Down the offense last yr
and in yrs past.
Zaza is a very intelligent [B-ball IQ] player.
He really does alot with very little talent.
Zaza has almost “no” natural ability,
yet he is a very good player.
note:
DHarris does not seem to be working and playing well with others.
I hope I`m wrong.
Smokey
November 5th, 2012
1:51 am
If he wants to bring Teague back in why does Korver have to come too?
I am guessing with josh and Al both fit LD wont be able to find any pt for Ivan..
Tolliver is a gimp
Harpie
November 5th, 2012
2:01 am
Larry Drew turns my stomach. Until he’s gone, the Hawks are going nowhere.
Jae Evolution
November 5th, 2012
2:18 am
Is there a limit on pickups that can be claimed via waived by the amnesty clause?
Could we pickup both Boozer and Perkins (assuming they are waived) for cheap if the Thunder and Bulls decide to move a new direction?
Boozer was never really a second option like the Bulls thought, though he is a very good player. Imagine if he were coming off the bench behind J-Smoove along with Lou and whoever else we sign. Also Perkins not a guy that should start on most nights but if he were moved to the bench to play limited minutes setting mean picks and tough defense that would be awesome.
I’m just brainstorming, but could anyone answer if there IS a limit on pickups via amnesty?
hawksordie
November 5th, 2012
2:49 am
Go to previous blog and see my comment at 5:43 pm page 2 now …listen to the new GM (me) lol I predicted we win by 8 ….we won by 9 THANKS (bows)
Rusty
November 5th, 2012
3:45 am
I think that Ivan is just the type of player the hawks desperately need but don’t think LD will give him much opportunity for what ever reason
Hawks Blog Legend Worldwide Clyde
November 5th, 2012
3:56 am
BIG IVAN FOR PRESIDENT
Tolliver is the new Marvin. For some reason LD will always put a scrub in ahead of Ivan.
Just Joe
November 5th, 2012
6:38 am
Jae….I don’t think there are limits on the number of pickups, but you do need cap space to bid (Phoenix, Dallas, and Charlotte won bids this year??? Scola, Brand, Haywood).
Hawks_4_Life
November 5th, 2012
6:53 am
I would pass on both Boozer and Perkins. We already know what their game is about and frankly they would not benefit the hawks outside of this season. Not to mention the flexibility we would have gain by dumping JJ would be for nothing.
ag
November 5th, 2012
7:20 am
I was upset that JT0 did not enter the game after the timeout at the 8 minute mark. Yet, the Hawks did win. I thought JT0 did a lot of good things. If he would have played more minutes, he would have lead the Hawks in scoring.
Morrow played really good defense. I also liked Stephenson on the defensive end. This point of his career he may match up better against SF’s were he is a little quicker than them. He does not match well against SG’s.
Ivan played extremely well – but who is surprised? I still say cut Tolliver and if we need any more backup minutes at PF – Scott will do fine.
If your one trick pony stops doing tricks, why still play him? Give JJII that burn we are giving Korver. He looks really bad.
vava74
November 5th, 2012
7:29 am
Major differences last night were:
LD’s line up – notwithstanding Tolliver – was more consistent defensively than the one against HOU, just by having Stephenson starting (he had a couple of horrific forced shots in the same possession but even so he was very active and had a very good second half).
Horford brought his A game, hustled and tried to establish himself inside and on the glass early on.
It’s not rocket science: Teague / Harris is not a good backcourt and we can’t win when Horford wears his accountant’s suit instead of his overalls.
His midrange was working but more importantly, he was always moving and always active using his speed to get Perkins out of position.
Morrow surprised me positively. His hands on defence are much better than what I thought.
Permiter defence and in particular close outs were still deficient.
Fortunately, Brooks only had Durant posting Stephenson ONCE (an easy bucket) and let him try to be Lebron breaking people off dribble and Westbrook had one of those “bad Westbrook nights” (OKC clearly underestimated us).
ag
November 5th, 2012
7:48 am
Goodmorning vava74… looks like we are the only two again at work this early.
I was very impressed with the quick hands of Morrow. As far as Stephenson is concerned, when you have a player as talented as Durant, you have to deny him the ball – which he did on several occassions.
I thought JT0 played good defense of Westbrook also.
rk
November 5th, 2012
7:49 am
When I heard that Josh would not play I knew the Hawks would win, because JT would be able to bring the ball down the court and Al would get more touches. The first game Al got one shot the first quarter. I think Josh hurts the team by trying to play to many positions. He has the ability to be one of the best power fowards.
Bill M.
November 5th, 2012
7:52 am
Great game. I know its just one game but they play more as a team without Josh. Josh is not going to sign with Hawks after this season so trade him while they can get something.
vava74
November 5th, 2012
8:00 am
ag,
For me it’s not early morning since I am in Portugal, +5 hours away
Teague had a few bad defensive lapses, in particular in the third quarter when he was baited into collapsing into the lane and left Westbrook open to swish 2 three pointers.
I would have preferred to see Teague play the rest of the way since I don’t think Harris has the athletic ability of the past, but I thought that since the line up was working LD made the right decision not to change it.
vava74
November 5th, 2012
8:05 am
Actually only +4 hours right now but soon it will be +5 when the hour changes.
ATLHAWKSFAN
November 5th, 2012
8:44 am
Im I the only one who wants to know why is Korver starting???? Anthony Morrow played good D and can create his own shot. Morrow should be starting and not Korver.
ATLHAWKSFAN
November 5th, 2012
8:44 am
Am*
myrak43
November 5th, 2012
8:50 am
the time as already changed
myrak43
November 5th, 2012
8:52 am
Al played well last night. but I would still trade him in a Dwight Howard trade. now in saying that I would be happy if we kept both Josh and Horford and just signed Howard and/or Chris Paul in the summer.
myrak43
November 5th, 2012
8:54 am
and for all who complaining about how much playing time Teague got. STFU. we won!!! be happy.
ag
November 5th, 2012
8:55 am
I think all of us want to know why Korver is starting. In my other blogs, I mentioned Korver has 10 starts since 05-06. He has two with the Hawks. He has not even started on opening season since 04-05. Only LD. I was very impressed with Morrow.
Yes, vava 74, those were two big lapsess by Teague. I think he was trying to help on Durant drives. Westbrook had not hit the side of the barn before those two plays.
I can, but can’t fault LD for not playing JT0 in the 4th quarter because they won. They did run a play for Harris (an alley oop) which clearly is the play in the playbook for JT0.
It is going to be really interesting if LD will make some adjustments… no more Tolliver, more Ivan, less Korver, more Morrow. With the dept on the team, he can afford to play 10 deep.
ag
November 5th, 2012
8:57 am
myrak43 a Dwight trade?????? Maybe you need to turn your calander back to August. It already happened.
Dwight
November 5th, 2012
9:04 am
Tommy thank goodness for you. you are the only 0ne who knows what he is talking about. all these other people seem as dumb as a little pile of sh$$.
jlewis
November 5th, 2012
9:28 am
Kudos to LD for sitting teague, and it’s like me and many others have said, Josh and Teague are the problem. Josh and Al play the same position and it’s josh that bogs down the offense, it wasnt JJ. However, this team will not make the playoffs, if it looks like it will, Danny will find a way to muck it up. If the team makes the playoffs the Hawks cant get into the lottery where the difference makers are and we’re still the same Hawks for the next 10 years.
terrell
November 5th, 2012
9:30 am
Trade Korver please.
vava74
November 5th, 2012
9:35 am
ag,
Korver was at least disciplined playing the sets and trying not to be a liability on D.
That compensated a bit for his incredibly horrible shooting. He looked Mario West out there.
terrell
November 5th, 2012
9:37 am
Ramon, Maynor is a true pg. No?
terrell
November 5th, 2012
9:41 am
Everyone keeps saying OKC chose Westbrook over Harden. Actually they chose Ibaka over Harden.
Big Daddy
November 5th, 2012
9:44 am
Didn’t see game. Watching Falcons beat Cowboys. Many times a coach will go with a lineup that seems to be doing well or with a backup that is having a good game. I would not read too much into it unless it becomes a habit. Good game. GO HAWKS!!!!!
terrell
November 5th, 2012
9:48 am
Tolliver hits a few 3’s in PRACTICE and LD falls in love with him. smmfgdh. No way this dude should get more min than Ivan or Morrow. Just sad.
vava74
November 5th, 2012
9:50 am
myrak43,
strange since I thought that last year, with the exception of two periods in which the summer and winter hours are changed with a few days difference between the USA and Europe, the time difference was 5 hours virtually the whole year.
Huh?
November 5th, 2012
10:03 am
“It’s not rocket science: Teague / Harris is not a good backcourt”
What kind of stupid idiotic moronic comment is this? They looked good on opening night until LD came in with the silly subs. You sir are a hater, that back-court is lethal.
Teague/Harris/Morrow should start for us.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 5th, 2012
10:12 am
“I’m just brainstorming, but could anyone answer if there IS a limit on pickups via amnesty?”
I don’t think there is. As far as I know, amnesty pickups are no different than any other type of waiver claim.
Heat Check: Falcons and Bulldogs and Hawks, oh my!!! | Mark Bradley
November 5th, 2012
10:12 am
[...] Lost their opener despite limiting the Rockets’ starting guards to 66 points. Won two nights later at Oklahoma City, which played for the NBA title only five months ago. Barometer reading: Not to say I told you so, [...]
HoosierHawk
November 5th, 2012
10:21 am
Highlight of the game….. Ivan trucks Eric Maynor 4 feet into Durant (who had the ball), and they call a shooting foul on Ivan and give KD the shots. lol. Glad we finally have some grit
Ken Strickland
November 5th, 2012
10:30 am
What in the hell is behind this obvious love affair LDrew seems to be having with Korver and Tolliver? What has either player done over the 1st 2gms to warrant such devotion when he has far more viable OFF, DEF and rebounding options on the bench in Morrow and Ivan? We’re seeing him pull the old MBIBBY BS all over again.
One thing I’m definitely going to watch when Josh returns is his reaction to Horford becoming more assertive on OFF. Horford is a far more effective and efficient scorer than Josh, but he hasn’t been as aggressive when it comes to taking shots. Will Josh take the competing approach he took with JJ by continuing to jack up even more shots, or will he concede to Horford being the more efficient and effective scorer and allow the OFF to run through him?
How he reacts to this adjustment could determine if he remains a Hawk at the trade deadline. How many of you recall all of the post gm BS about Durant going for 40pts, or us losing by 30pts, or us not having a possible chance of winning? Many of you are still stuck on stupid with that narrow minded, one dimensional approach to how basketball is played.
You are so focused on what we have to do to stop this team or that player, that you can’t seem to grasp the idea that that team or player has to stop us. Did you notice how often LWilliams and JTeague defended Durant on the perimeter? You can do that with a player that’s primarily a jumpshooter with no postup gm.
lanorris39
November 5th, 2012
10:40 am
Stop hating on Josh. With Josh the hawks beat a team with the man on it (Harden) who destroyed us the first game, not a team who is trying to find chemistry with new pieces. Stop acting like this is the same team as last season. LD needs to stop play both Josh and Al at the same time and bring one of them off the bench.
phil
November 5th, 2012
10:41 am
Fire LD now before this gets worse!!
lanorris39
November 5th, 2012
10:42 am
playing
phil
November 5th, 2012
10:44 am
Hating on Josh? The guy is awful, awful, awful….he drags us down, year after year. Can’t wait til he’s long gone, and the sooner, the better!
Wabe
November 5th, 2012
10:47 am
This game doesn’t make Josh look expendable.
It’s one game. Do you honestly see this team being a better team over an 82 game stretch minus Josh?
O'Brien
November 5th, 2012
10:47 am
Ken S,
One thing I’m definitely going to watch when Josh returns is his reaction to Horford becoming more assertive on OFF..
I will be surprised if Josh has any issues with Al. If any issues were to develop, it will be with Teague (imo). Teague is more of a scoring PG, and needs the ball to be effective, and needs to lead the break. When Josh comes back, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Teague’s effectiveness decrease.
How he reacts to this adjustment could determine if he remains a Hawk at the trade deadline..
Imo, Josh will not be traded at the deadline no matter what he does, because despite his issues at times, he is still the most talented player on the Hawks, and I think a better coach (when LD is let go) will help him get better. Plus a team would only trade for Josh at the deadline if they are convinced they can sign him to an extension after the season.
O'Brien
November 5th, 2012
10:50 am
phil,
Hating on Josh? The guy is awful, awful, awful….he drags us down, year after year. Can’t wait til he’s long gone, and the sooner, the better!.
Who was the best player on the Hawks last year? imo, it was Josh Smith. And if it wasn’t for him stepping up his game when Al got hurt, we would not have been the 4th/5th seed.
Heat Check: Falcons and Bulldogs and Hawks, oh my!!! | Egypt
November 5th, 2012
10:55 am
[...] Lost their opener despite limiting the Rockets’ starting guards to 66 points. Won two nights later at Oklahoma City, which played for the NBA title only five months ago. Barometer reading: Not to say I told you so, [...]
O'Brien
November 5th, 2012
10:57 am
For the season, Tolliver is averaging 3 pts, 2.5 rebs, 29% from 3, 22% from the field in 20 mpg. Meanwhile, Korver is 1-7 from 3 on the season. And that is supposed to be the one thing he does well.
I hope they can turn it around, because LD will continue to play them no matter what SMH.
We should have kept James, play Ivan and Morrow more, and Tolliver less.
Slimjr
November 5th, 2012
11:10 am
Sweet Lou! Our new PG!!!!!
Romnesia runs rampant around these parts… lol
Slimjr
November 5th, 2012
11:12 am
Tolliver must me dating his niece? Wow…
Korver could not throw it in Lake Lanier…Wow
Slimjr
November 5th, 2012
11:15 am
His jumper is a [thang] of beauty coming off those screens.. [bang]!
Slimjr
November 5th, 2012
11:19 am
Imagine if we had our best player on the floor last night. May have beaten OKC by 20? Hmmmmm
Woody is dismantling his opponents….heheheh
cp
November 5th, 2012
11:21 am
Teague is the problem? The same Teague that was putting in work? Lmao jlewis arent you the sa
e cat who was talking about how John Wall dominated us last year although the numbers proved he didnt? You and tyger have to be related. You two consistenly say the dumbest things on here.
cp
November 5th, 2012
11:23 am
This touch screen smh. That should have said arent you the same cat.
Astro Joe
November 5th, 2012
11:27 am
My guess is that the presence of Korver creates room for plays that would not exist if Korver were not on the floor. He is a diversion, even if he isn’t making his shot. Do you think the opposing head coach is advising guys to leave Korver open to provide help defense on the ball handler? That is why he is on the floor. Yeah, I hope he starts making shots but you can’t simply look at the boxscore to determine a player’s value. The presence of shooters on the floor forces the defense to do things differently. And Korver is unquestionably one of the most respected shooters in the league.
Tolliver? As I called him before the season started, a guy who has struggled to prove himself worthy of consistent rotational minutes throughout his career. I could see how (in theory) he could provide a little of various skills to provide decent contribution, but he isn’t quite there. And under no circumstances should he take minutes from Ivan.
The other wild card, of course when discussing minute distribution, is which player executes the play the right way. And the vast majority of us have no idea how to make that evaluation. We typically pay attention to who makes/misses the shot but in an offense that requires movement, i.e. screens, back door cuts, hand-offs, etc., it is hard to know if player A made it to the spot 2 feet from the elbow as designed or if player B took a second to move into the right position and the defense blew-up the play because the player wasn’t there in time. It would take the coaching staff to make such an evaluation (because we look at the guy with the ball and not all of the moving parts happening off the ball that may influence the success of the play). And of course, most if us assume we know more than the coaching staff.
Mike is Back
November 5th, 2012
11:35 am
CV, Good stuff…I agree…the acquisition of Sweet Lou…is looking pretty darn sweeeeeeeet!
I have to give LD and staff credit for the way the Hawks performed against OKC…I’m baffle as anyone with LD rotations and personnel selection…But that was one hack of an effort by the entire team…LD had his guys focused and playing with a lot of energy
I think nobody benefited more from this win then Josh…watching his guys battle OKC on their court in his absence…should be a reminder…not to try to do too much…play within scheme of game…ala Al.
Speaking of Al…heck enough has already been said…soft hmmmmmmmm…crow anyone.lol
Two encouraging signs from this game versus the last one…seeing IVAN on the court…and LD putting the ball back in his true point guards hands…DHarris is not a 2…and Sweet Lou is not a 1.
Teague is easily your most explosive PG on the team…I thought it was a good move to go with DHarris at the end of the game…But don’t forget OKC had no answer for Teague quickness…I hope LD don’t fall into a pattern of always going with DHarris in that situation…give some opportunities to Teague too.
IVAN was a Monster…he’s a Reggie Evans type with good offensive skills…CATS like that are hard to come by…Danny gotta lock Ivan up!
GREAT WIN…GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ATLHAWKSFAN
November 5th, 2012
11:53 am
I will cut Toliver and go get Damion James back AND Kieth Benson…Toliver is not showing me anything. Teague has to get better on D if he wants to be in the game during clutch situations. Korver will be a shooter off the bench like he has been his whole career. LD subs is the worst.
STRETCH
November 5th, 2012
12:00 pm
The NBA season is nearly a week old, and Kenyon Martin doesn’t know why he still can’t find a job in the league. He helped the Los Angeles Clippers during their playoff run last season. His knee issues of the past no longer seem to trouble him. And he’s even willing to take a contract for the league minimum. Yahoo! Sports
darrell starks
November 5th, 2012
12:03 pm
I told you guys the Hawks have a good team.
LD has to be the dumbest coach in the NBA, how in the world is Tolliver on the dam team and playing before Ivan ?
Please let LD walk at the end of the season.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
November 5th, 2012
12:06 pm
I hope Danny have not threw the towel for a lottery pick, this Hawks team is a good team.
Zaza should be starting point blank period, Danny need get of his but and find a back up center behind Zaza, why not bring in Kenyon Martin for backup for Zaza.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!
Sam
November 5th, 2012
12:12 pm
Ivan didn’t play on opening night and we lose. Ivan plays last night and we win. Correlation there?
darrell starks
November 5th, 2012
12:16 pm
Memo for Hawks organization go get Kenyon Martin.
STARTER TEAGUE, LOU, JOSH, HORFORD, ZAZA
BENCH DEVIN, JENKINS, MORROW, IVAN, KENYON
RESERVE KORVER, SCOTT, STEVENSON
CUT TOLLIVER, PETRO
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jason S
November 5th, 2012
12:18 pm
Astro Joe 11:27AM: I don’t think I could agree more.
… but I think the question you will get in response is: Why not Morrow over Korver? Morrow will keep defenses just as honest as Korver, and if Morrow is actually hitting the shots, all the better for the Hawks.
But perhaps you have already answered this question when you talk about “the other wild card.” It is possible that Korver knows the offense, defense, and his role better than Morrow. This is a point that I think grandad expressed previously. (Well, I am not sure if grandad said Korver knows the offense, defense, and his role better than Morrow, but grandad did comment on how well Korver did know these things …)
Ryder
November 5th, 2012
12:20 pm
Interesting that after Horford complained about not getting the ball enough he turns around and dominates this game. In the long run he is the guy this team is going to have to revolve around if they want to compete for titles. One big change is the fact that Lou Williams has an irrational confidence that we aren’t used to seeing around these parts. The coaching staff has a challenge in getting all of these guys to play together and it will be interesting to see how it comes together.
Astro Joe
November 5th, 2012
12:31 pm
Jason S, my guess is the difference between Korver and Morrow is a combination of size (Korver is slightly bigger) and maybe some of the intangibles I mentioned earlier. Korver also (reportedly) was a vocal leader during some pre-camp activities, so maybe he will get the benefit of the doubt (2 games into an 82 game season… hardly time to panic on a jump-shooter of Korver’s pedigree).
Ryder, I think both Flip & Jamal had similar “irrational confidence”… and so does Josh Smith.
vava74
November 5th, 2012
12:36 pm
AJ,
Actually, I don’t think Smoove has that irrational confidence. He forces himself to shoot.
O'Brien
November 5th, 2012
12:54 pm
AJ,
Agreed on Korver. And as G’Dad points out, he is a smart b’ball player who is probably where he should be on the court. Unfortunately, he is missing his shots. So I dont mind him getting the PT as much. But Tolliver? He should only get sporadic minutes imo. I don’t think he is good enough to be in the rotation consistently, but its early, so maybe he will go off in the next game or 2.
What did you think of Teague’s first half performance?
hawksordie
November 5th, 2012
12:59 pm
Bottom line HORFORD AND TEAGUE SET THE TONE IN THE FIRST 12 minutes,that set the table for the hawks win …and every player contributed . Its non stat makin plays and positioning on floor that helps male it a win . Korver will alwaus be a major 3 pt. Threat so teams HAVE TO COVER him hence open up paint a little. Great win hawks !
hawksordie
November 5th, 2012
12:59 pm
Bottom line HORFORD AND TEAGUE SET THE TONE IN THE FIRST 12 minutes,that set the table for the hawks win …and every player contributed . Its non stat makin plays and positioning on floor that helps male it a win . Korver will alwaus be a major 3 pt. Threat so teams HAVE TO COVER him hence open up paint a little. Great win hawks !
Astro Joe
November 5th, 2012
1:08 pm
OB, I missed the first quarter but it looked like he was playing very well when I finally turned the game on. I saw the super dunk, also. He slept walked through the first half of the Rockets game but I think he has been pretty good since then.
tony
November 5th, 2012
1:14 pm
The difference between this year’s team and last year’s team is that this year’s team has smarter scorers(LW, DH, JT and AL). However, whenever JS returns he will disrupt their scoring efficiency. Sad but true which is why I hope Mr.Ferry try to trade him to the bobcats for their 2013 and 2014 1st round draft picks – putting us in position to land Cody Zeller-C and Andrew Wiggins-SF.
Rod from College Park
November 5th, 2012
1:29 pm
“One thing I’m definitely going to watch when Josh returns is his reaction to Horford becoming more assertive on OFF. Horford is a far more effective and efficient scorer than Josh, but he hasn’t been as aggressive when it comes to taking shots. Will Josh take the competing approach he took with JJ by continuing to jack up even more shots, or will he concede to Horford being the more efficient and effective scorer and allow the OFF to run through him?”
LOL. What is there to see. Josh smith has nothing to do with Horford battling on the glass like he should every game. Josh Smith has nothing to do with Horford getting the ball and taking 15 seconds to decide what he wants to do with the ball. Bottom line, stop blaming Josh for Horford not playing the way he should. Horford should not defer to anyone on this team, he is the two time all star. If he plays like he played last night when Josh gets back, then the team will be better. He needs to assert himself more on the offensive end of the floor, and stop passing up shots. That is on him, not Josh. By the way, Horford is not a more effective scorer than Josh, he is more efficient. Two totally different things. He is more efficient because he does not take shots out of his comfort zone, and on this particular team, that is not a good thing. We would much rather see Horford taking a open set shot, or taking a shot out of the post, but when he passes on those shots, and swings the ball it ends up in Josh Smith hands, usually for jump shots. Al’s issues are on Al, not Josh. Trust me, you don’t want your offense running through Al Horford (LOL). Al does not even command double teams. It was one game, stop going overboard. If Al plays like he played yesterday, it helps the Hawks, if he plays like he played in game one, (which had nothing to do with Josh Smith), then the team is worse. Lets not forget, he is the two time All Star. What All star do you know lets another player, who has never been an all star affect his game that much?
Rod from College Park
November 5th, 2012
1:33 pm
“Actually, I don’t think Smoove has that irrational confidence. He forces himself to shoot.”
Another rare time we actually agree. He forces shots when guys like Teague, and Horford pass up good looks. LD even said as much in the press conference after game one. They asked him about that 3 that Josh took at the end of the game, and he said that Teague had an open look, and passed to Josh with time running out on the clock.
Slimjr
November 5th, 2012
1:42 pm
THE VOICE OF REASON, Rod from College Park with the step back 3! [Bang]!
Slimjr
November 5th, 2012
1:46 pm
Teague does not trust his jumpshot and why should he. It’s flawed..
SWEET LOU!
Slimjr
November 5th, 2012
1:48 pm
Horford’s fan club need a stage act…… LOL!
doc
November 5th, 2012
1:50 pm
amen to o’b at 10:57
Jimbo The Job Fischer
November 5th, 2012
1:51 pm
It seems like Louis Williams needs to be a starter ?
phil
November 5th, 2012
1:57 pm
Get real, people…
We won last night because that bunch mailed it in. Remember handling the Celtics last year in the regular season? Then what happened when it really mattered? Got our asses handed to us….AGAIN!
You guys are so gullible. This team is going where all others before it have gone. Nowhere.
vava74
November 5th, 2012
1:59 pm
Rod from College Park
November 5th, 2012
1:29 pm
Co-sign. Horford has to bring it every single game.
Josh brings it every single game. It’s never a matter of lack of effort from Josh, only misguided effort and frustration taking the better of him.
Good Bad and Ugly
November 5th, 2012
2:24 pm
Good – Jeff Teague looked like the PG out there we all want and need. Played smart and with emotion. Bad – Only 26 minutes? Devin’s +/- was a team best +14 but you couldn’t see why by looking at the box score. Baffling JT0 wasn’t in there at the end.
Good- Al Horford – played with authority and justified giving him more shots w/ 58% shooting on 19 shots. I like the fact he got 6 Offensive Rebounds and 3 assists. Bad- Played with emotion and energy I didn’t see in the first game.
Good- Lou in the 4th quarter, the Bench scoring 47/104 pts and dishing out 11/20 assist (6 by Zaza!?). Can’t remember a deeper bench. Bad – Lou in the first 3 qtrs. Wondering why Devin and Ivan wasn’t starting over Tolliver/Korver? Didn’t make sense and then Tollover/Korver went on to validate the concern during the game.
Good- Got to see Ivan and Morrow play. Ivan is one bad M#%#$F%^! How do you not play Ivan more? There has got to be a reason that we don’t know. Would love explanation from LD. Both need more minutes.
Good – we beat the team that went to Eastern Conference Finallast year without our best/most athletic player. We played with controlled emotion and never let up. 20 turnovers w/12 steals and shot 49% as a team for the game. Bad – OC shot almost 47% from the floor and had 9 blocks. We won in spite of some questionable LD decision on starters/rotation.
The Ugly? Ugly Korver and Tolliver.Enough Said.
In the end we won and that’s all that matters. Good to see the team rebound from such a lack luster performance against Houston. LD seems to be making irrational “gut” decisions which in long term could drastically affect his ability to lead this team (Ivan, Teague, Morrow, Harris). I trust Ferry will recognize and step in when the time is needed.
Hawks Blog Legend Worldwide Clyde
November 5th, 2012
2:26 pm
Big Ivan need 10-15 minutes a game.
MsDee
November 5th, 2012
2:32 pm
Rod from College Park,
“Al’s issues are on Al, not Josh.”
Al’s “issues” can be corrected, case-in-point, his performance last night, u now why? Cause he HAS a huge b-ball IQ. What’s Josh excuse?? Retardation maybe?? He has been in the league TOO VERY LONG to STILL be making the most STUPIDEST DECISIONS AT THE WRONG TIME!! I dont care how many points u or Najeh can make about how Josh performed in the win last year when Joe and Horford was out, cause I can tell u this, I bet if the coaches of this league had to choose BASED ON THE ONE GAME THAT JOSH PLAYED LAST YEAR VS HORFORD’S PLAY LAST NIGHT AGAINST THE SAME TEAM, they would STILL choose Horford’s play, u know why? Cause Horford’s OVERALL PERFORMANCE (including his decision-making, lask of TO’s, no crying/barking at ref’s weither on court or while resting the bench, and his overall b-ball IQ) will FOREVER out weigh Josh’s ERRATIC performance!! YES, Josh stuff the stat sheet, BUT how many times he STILL took contested shots? Complained to the ref’s EVERY 5 MIN? Got a rebound and bought the ball up INSTEAD of handing off to the PG? Making unnecessary TO’s?? I mean, I could go on….BUT Y??
I could EVEN go back to last year’s playoff game again Boston. That ONLY 1 game that Josh was out, OUR TEAM LOOKED GREAT!!!!! Wonderful ball movement and excellent play by Horford..so technically, it HAS been more than 1 game where our ball club looked GREAT W/O JOSH
Trust me, you don’t want your offense running through Al Horford (LOL). Al does not even command double teams. It was one game, stop going overboard. If Al plays like he played yesterday, it helps the Hawks, if he plays like he played in game one, (which had nothing to do with Josh Smith), then the team is worse. Lets not forget, he is the two time All Star. What All star do you know lets another player, who has never been an all star affect his game that much?
ag
November 5th, 2012
2:40 pm
AJ – great comments, but if your best player is the person not running the plays – do you think they sit him… at any level?
Astro Joe
November 5th, 2012
2:41 pm
How many FGAs did Josh take in Game 1? And because Teague passed him the ball at the end of the game, Josh is most often taking long jumpers because his teaamates are afraid to shoot? Guys, you can’t watch Josh have the most FGAs on the team for the bulk of last year, watch him take more long 2s than Durant and then claim that his teammates are the sole source for the bad shots. The math don’t work.
Also, vava, Josh’s irrational confidence is not solely about shot attempts, it also extends into leading the fast break, chasing guys down on fast breaks, blocking a bunch of Dirk’s shots in his rookie year and various high-risk passes. It isn’t always a bad thing (as noted), his audaciousness (or irrational confidence) is what makes him the player that he is.
ATLHawks
November 5th, 2012
2:44 pm
We should sign K Mart…..we need the toughness……..stevenson helps with that but we need more players with attitude and toughness.
Astro Joe
November 5th, 2012
2:45 pm
ag, usually, you run plays for the team’s very best player and if that means you have to “dummy down” those plays, so be it. I wasn’t talking about the team’s best player.. I was talking about maybe why one rotational player may get more time than the next rotational player.
darrell starks
November 5th, 2012
2:46 pm
Josh at the three bring and advantage for the Hawks, he must play low in the box at SF, why is it so hard for Caoch LD and Josh to see that, give him the ball in the post against guys much smaller than him and watch Josh perform at a higher level, but coach must stress that at all time Josh keep your a$$ down low and score at will.
Like i said before there is no SF in the league can stop Josh in the post, but LD must stress that 2 Josh.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
O'Brien
November 5th, 2012
2:47 pm
The Knicks are #1 in the league, for fewet points allowed so far. Without Amare.
The Knicks are 16-5 w/o Amare the last 2 seasons.
What’s the deal slimjr? Should they bring Amare off the bench when he comes back?
vava74
November 5th, 2012
2:56 pm
AJ,
My opinion is that Josh does not have the irrational confidence that guys like Lou have.
When Lou takes a shot he believes that the ball will go in.
When Josh takes his long jumpers he wishes that the ball goes in, but he still forces it because he wants sooooo much to be “the man”.
That is why I thought it would be a good idea – you may remember this from last year – to make Josh the #1 guy because that COULD have one of two possible beneficial effects:
a) He would continue to miss those shots and would learn from his mistakes and change his ways;
b) He would “relax” with the #1 status and maybe stop forcing it after a while, and take those shots with REAL confidence and with a little bit more criteria (from sweet spots rather from anywhere).
doc
November 5th, 2012
3:00 pm
it is probable that too many more times where teague gives up the ball at critical times in the game because he doesnt have the confidence or courage to take the shot will get him sitting at critical points in the game. teague will also begin to resemble our friend marvin in that regard and need to sit at the close of games because when he should be shooting he is passing the ball to the likes of josh. he has more confidence in josh’s shot than his own is what we can derive if he continues to “distribute” to inferior shooters like josh at critical times. it doesnt add up if he says he has confidence in josh’s shot in that situation. if so teague needs to come up and watch more games as a spectator that cares.
if this is happening within teague, then i applaud LD for his coaching style to get teague off the court. that is more appropriate, rather than to berate LD because teague is sitting in a game we should not be winning and he is coaching to make sure people are put in that will play smart to win. that is about teague not LD if i am reading correctly the criticisms from last night.
anyone else see the irony of the hawks being 1-1 at this point? the are winning a game they shouldnt have and losing a game they should have. that is the hardin effect first and foremost is my guess.the wins would have flipped if not for the trade and a whole lot of effort last night in okc.
darrell starks
November 5th, 2012
3:00 pm
Hawks have no legit score in the paint, Josh can change that at SF.
Horford is not and inside score he more of a stop and pop shooter.
Zaza make the Hawks a better team on the glass, give them more opportunity with second chance point.
Lou give the Hawks a legit score also taking up the slack of Joe points.
Teague is a beast only if he stay aggressive.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Astro Joe
November 5th, 2012
3:06 pm
vava, the orginal statement was Lou having irrational confidence. I think you decided the blogger was speaking about his shooting.
However, regarding his shot, he has said that he (and his teammates) are confident in his ability to make those shots. I can’t tell from my old TV that he is shooting them with a look of “hope” in his eye as opposed to “confidence”. I’m “hoping” for a better TV in December, although I admittedly don’t have much confidence it will happen.
cp
November 5th, 2012
3:09 pm
I think LD kept Teague on the bench because the lineup that was on the floor was doing well. I dont think it had anything to do with Teague’s confidence or lack of confidence in his shot. Dude was aggressive the whole time he was on the court.
And the Josh excuses are comical. Dude is what he is at this point. Stop holding out hope that the light finally comes on for him because it aint. If it hasn’t in damn near 10 years in the league then why would it come on now? And Josh is not a number one option. I like Josh but sometimes you have to see things for what they are and not what you want them to be or wish them to be.
cp
November 5th, 2012
3:10 pm
Lmao@ Astro. I still owe you that honey bun due to the draft.
Astro Joe
November 5th, 2012
3:11 pm
doc, yep. And in the OKC game, Teague played quite well in the second half but didn’t have the confidence in his own shot to take it himself. He deferred. So even when he is playing well in a game, he may not get a chance to finish because his finishing skills have not been great. And, there is reason to believe that Lou and maybe Devin are better finishers of a tight/late game.
In a transition year, I’d have no problem giving him a until the All-Star break to figure out how to handle those late/close game situations. But the Hawks have opted to go with a lame duck head coach so that is a risk he won’t likely take.
O'Brien
November 5th, 2012
3:15 pm
Rod,
They asked him about that 3 that Josh took at the end of the game, and he said that Teague had an open look, and passed to Josh with time running out on the clock..
Did LD say Teague passed up an open shot. I thought he said he said Teague passed up his shot and made the extra pass to Josh who was wide open.
Ms Dee,
I’m a fan of Horford too, but I don’t think Josh’s inconsistencies have anything to do with B’Ball IQ. I think his problem is overconfidence (and some stubbornness too). But I think Josh’s B’Ball IQ is fine.
Put Josh Smith on the Spurs or the Celtics and see how his game improves with a coach like Doc Rivers or Greg Popovich. The talent is there. It’s his mindset that needs improvement (not B’Ball IQ imo).
Astro Joe
November 5th, 2012
3:22 pm
cp, I thought I was working with a honey bun deficit. i appreciate you ‘fessing up. Sullinger has moved into the starting line-up in Boston. Funny how when we’re considering a guy like that, we would read comments about an “undersized PF who no athleticism”. But when we play guys like that, some admire their toughness, smarts and ability to make winning plays.
Oh well.
At least PJ3 didn’t go for a triple double against us last night.
Slimjr
November 5th, 2012
3:25 pm
Yes, the Knicks are 16-5 w/o Armare.Kinda hard to gel when your Allstar has not been healthy and missing quiet a few game the past 2 years..This aint tennis..
But know this when Amare fully heals he is still better than any Hawk player on their roster..Hmmmmm
What a quandary for Woody to figure out. How to integrate his multiple Allstar power forward into his system once he heals up and continue pulverizing opponents….
Guess that why the Knicks pay Woody the BIG BUCKS! hehehehe
Woody is 20-6 [regular] season record.. Sublime!
cpsman_atlanta
November 5th, 2012
3:26 pm
Another article from Mr. Yes Man, Chris Vivlamore. BOYCOTT THE ATLANTA HAWKS AND PHILIPS ARENA UNTIL ATLANTA SPIRIT GROUP IS OUT OF TOWN!!! BRING BACK THE THRASHERS!!!
doc
November 5th, 2012
3:35 pm
i would love to see a competent big on this team as a back up to zaza so we could go to the line up with zaza, josh and al in there to start games and play extended minutes together. if DF could pull that off and get a back up with some basic skills and a specific talent this team could compete for top three easily.
unfortunately they will be overwhelmed at times, or they cant counter with a strength osf size to overcome someone playing their game better than them like might occur with the knicks and a healthy tyson. it is like what happened with asik and other teams that are big and be unable to compete. just like al said.
no one on okc has bulk and certainly zaza does not fear perkins. al is not overwhelmed by their size or ibaka either. throw a real big out there and have zaza playing back up is recipe to disaster for the hawks.
hate the decision to get rid of, james was it?, and keep ivan off the floor in the first game. just stupid.
Slimjr
November 5th, 2012
3:37 pm
Did not see that win last night coming before the tip off, but be honest neither did you..
One thing it confirms, Larry is in over his head..
There’s an old saying: “know your personnel”. It appears from his rotation atrocities that he has not really figure out his personnel.. I believe that’s been his Achilles heel all along…Poor guy….
ag
November 5th, 2012
3:39 pm
A lot of passion Ms Dee. I do agree Josh has to change his game for this team. He needs to understand if Al is on the elbow, he should be posting down low and grabbing offensive rebounds. His complaining to the ref’s is getting old and tired. I do believe when he is on the outside, that is the way our offense is designed (i.e Tolliver and Ivan were both outside).
I do disagree. Josh is our leader and the plays should go through Josh, INSIDE .. OUTSIDE.
Kirk Hinrich averaging 4.7 ppg with the Bulls
Peter
November 5th, 2012
3:40 pm
Maybe Josh Smith is a problem and not a solution ?
doc
November 5th, 2012
3:42 pm
o’b where teague ends up at the end of games speaks for LD. if LD didnt “exactly” say it like that, that he passed up an open shot, if teague starts sitting at those moments then indirectly we can assume that is exactly what LD meant, saw himself and wasnt pleased about it and i am all for it.
that said a nice durant poster by teague last night. the guy has to believe in himself more in uncomfortable situations is my thing. i wont trash him if he misses but i reserve the right to if he doesnt take that shot.
Hawks: Lesson to be learned in technical fouls |
November 8th, 2012
1:10 pm
[...] * Hawks 104, Thunder 95 [...]