Atlanta Hawks: Warriors 92, Hawks 88
Vivlamore reporting from Oakland.
The Hawks, minus Al Horford, had little inside presence against the Warriors. It showed – on the scoreboard and in the stat sheet.
The Warriors handed the Hawks a 92-88 defeat Wednesday night at the Oracle Arena. Horford, the Hawks starting center, leading scorer and rebounder, was unable to play due to a stomach illness that has swept through the team on their West coast trip. Also unable to play was guard Devin Harris. Two days earlier, against the Trail Blazers, Josh Smith and Lou Williams played despite suffering from the ailment.
A look inside the numbers showed where Wednesday’s game went wrong for the Hawks. They were bettered in these key areas thanks, in large part, to the Warriors’ dribble penetration:
* Total rebounds: 44-29
* Defensive rebounds: 34-24
* Points in the paint: 46-20
* Second-chance points: 14-4
“We definitely could have used Al, without a doubt,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said. “He’s a big piece to what we do. We certainly could have used him tonight. As you know, this league is about guys not being able to play, whether its illness or injury, and you have to step up.”
The Hawks (3-4) are now 1-2 on the road trip which ends Friday against the Kings. Despite trailing by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter, after a miserable third quarter, the Hawks made the game interesting with a late run. Williams hit three straight 3-pointers, the last with 11.2 seconds remaining, to make it 90-88. However, Jarrett Jack sank a pair of free throws to seal the victory.
After the deficit reached 13 points, the Hawks went on an 11-4 run to close within four points. Ivan Johnson came off the bench to score 15 points, eight in the final quarter, in Horford’s absence. The Hawks could never make up the entire deficit.
“We’ve got to get this bug away from our team,” said Kyle Kover, who had 14 points, all in the first half. “It’s holding everybody down right now. I thought Ivan had a really great night. Obviously, his minutes have been up and down. He’s been working hard on his game. Tonight he got his opportunity and he took advantage of it.”
The Warriors (4-4) snapped a two-game losing streak. While Drew was concerned with Stephen Curry (12 points) and Klay Thomspon (seven), the Hawks got beat by another tandem. Harrison Barnes had 19 points and 13 rebounds and David Lee had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Barnes’ dunk of a missed shot in the third quarter, with three Hawks standing underneath the basket, typified the evening.
Williams led the Hawks with 18 points. Smith added 16 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks.
Despite the poor shooting in the decisive quarter, several Hawks players, notably Smith and Williams, were clearly frustrated with the issues on defense. The main problem was stopping the Warriors’ attack, according to Smith.
“Dribble penetration,” Smith said of the source of frustration. “We have to do a better job of playing on the perimeter. When people get into our paint, bigs are forced to help and contest shots. Normally when we take the challenge defensively on the perimeter and play with a chip on our shoulders I think that we are a good basketball team. We have to do that on a consistent basis.
“We have to focus more. We’ve been having some third-quarter letdowns. We wanted to do some policing and get guys focused on the task. We have a lot of guys who can score the ball offensively extremely well but we have to be able to sit down on the defensive end and take that challenge.”
The Warriors took a lead they wouldn’t relinquish with 1:21 remaining in the first quarter, 22-21. Their advantage ballooned in the third when the Hawks shot a miserable 31.6 percent (6 of 19), 71-60.
Zaza Pachulia, who started in place of Horford, missed time in the first half after receiving a laceration above his right eye that required five stitches.
“It was a combination of things,” Drew said of the frustrations. “They recognized the breakdown. I like the fact that they showed some concern about that. A breakdown from dribble penetration, where bigs have to help. The ball goes up on the glass now there is nobody to block their bigs out. Not getting into our stuff quick enough. Not setting screens. Not getting a body on rebounding. I like it when they can keep it among themselves and talk about it. Frustration is going to set in. It’s an emotional game. We came out of that (fourth-quarter) timeout and we got back to playing our brand of basketball.”
It was just a little too late.
- Chris Vivlamore
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220 comments Add your comment
just me
November 15th, 2012
9:40 am
Bad coach, bad team. Why is anyone watching? No play-offs for this group. I’m sure Ferry knows this; this is just a throwaway year. I’m sure he is hoping to get a lottery pick and start the process of building a team. Bet money that Josh Smith is traded during the year to unload that contract.
Ra'mon
November 15th, 2012
9:42 am
And I’m not just speaking of Teague for just last night. I’m just speaking of the kind of attitude I would want my point guard to have.
Luv Josh Smith
November 15th, 2012
10:01 am
Didn’t see the game. No Horford, no Bogut. Zaza + Petro = 29 min 2 rebs, 4 pts, 2 TO.
sam'l
November 15th, 2012
10:04 am
The impression I got was…..the game was winnable, but the Hawks wouldn’t be able to figure out how to do it. It was an attitude that became a reality and Horford’s absence gave the coach and the players the excuse they wanted. So problem one is: Lack of pride and all out drive to win and find solutions playing with what you have. As far as perimeter defense, I’ve read articles on the blog where everyone knows they will all have to help out because of poor individual matchups and now it’s like a new problem all of a sudden.
Josh Smith……I don’t think he’s cut out to be a leader on this team. Actually, I thought the coach was supposed to lead the team. If Josh is patrolling the squad and making adjustments, who is telling him to watch his shot selecion and below 50% free throw shooting and in general not very smart approach to the game? Josh still needs to be dealt with. Now, he actually is saying stuff that sounds right on the money, but there is a part of Josh that still hasn’t been dealt with. Does that sound weird? My take.
Every professional basketball player has to play defense, block out, rebound, run like the wind and give 100% all the time.
The last problem is…..the Hawks lost by four. We lost to Miami by 6. And people want to gut the whole team. Hey, if two or three more shots went down, we would have won this game. Maybe a more reasonable approach would be to learn to make decent adjustments to problems that arise, keep a winning attitude, have Josh police himself first of all, and if these problems keep cropping up, find a coach that won’t allow that to happen.
Lou can score 30, Josh can be an All-Star….he just plays like it after he’s not picked to be an All-Star. Teague can dribble and shoot. Ivan is showing his stuff. People seem to like Pachulia…..can he consistently get 15 bounds per night? Hold on to the ball? If not find somone who can.
Should have won that game.
Treeofwoe
November 15th, 2012
10:04 am
We lost because we haven’t fixed two of our biggest offensive problems. (A) Stupid shot selection by players. (B) No one under the basket to rebound…this may be a factor spawned from problem (A) above. When you take stupid shots before the rest of your offensive guys are down to setup the offense / help then you give the other team multiple opportunities to beat you. Stop being stupid shooters = more team wins.
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
November 15th, 2012
10:07 am
Even with a new GM we still ARE SHORT ON BIG DEPTH. WHY ARE WE ALWAYS SHORT ON BIGS? EVERY F1CK1NG SEASON. WE HAVE A MILLION TWO GUARDS YET NO BIGS
Astro Joe
November 15th, 2012
10:16 am
When choosing between sleep and watching this team on the west coast, well…
So Josh says that they gave up too much dribble penetration. Did we sign Bibby for the game last night?
Half of Josh’s shots were from long distance? Did Joe pound the ball relentlessly and wait until a second left to pass the ball to Josh? Did Al pass up shots in the paint and then asked Josh to bail him out?
A middling team. Not worth losing sleep over.
hot.trod.87
November 15th, 2012
10:18 am
Seems like Zaza and Al are out or injured at the same time.. That Zaza doesn’t play well with Horford out… Pretty sad, but he’s had some bad rebounding games. he’s lost a step in basketball since he started running his business in Atlanta……Then you have Petro who questions what his role is and let a small guard fly by him….
Astro Joe
November 15th, 2012
10:20 am
Oh and add Marvin’s name to the list of those players who refuse to shoot and put Josh in the unfortunate position of having to hoist a long distance shot at the ed of the shot clock. Maybe I shoud have taped the game to watch the return of Bibby, Joe & Marvin.
I wonder if we’ll have a RandMo sighting Friday night?
Harpie
November 15th, 2012
10:20 am
Larry Drew is a cancer, and he’s killing the Hawks!!!
hot.trod.87
November 15th, 2012
10:23 am
Astro Joe, you don’t make any sense… Rebounding is an issue.. Even with Al we have been very close if not behind in total rebounds. Perimeter defense is more of an issue than shooting. If you’re not scoring you can defend your lead when your shots fall flat, BUT we aren’t doing that
KCG
November 15th, 2012
10:26 am
Lol at Astro Joe comments.
hot.trod.87
November 15th, 2012
10:27 am
Larry Drew is the last of the Knight era here in Atlanta. Sad SUnd resigned him before even looking at other coaches or even get resigned. So glad they demoted him because we literally saw him trade Jordan Crawford & a 1st rd draft pick for Hinrich. Hinrich wasn’t even worth all of that, but Drew refused to play Jordan.. Yes Drew has gotten Atlanta out of the first rd, BUT he’s also responsible for so many blow outs and blown leads At Philips Arena that the crowd has literally stop showing up. Way more excitement with Woodson than Drew
Rim Rocker
November 15th, 2012
10:27 am
Jordan Rules meant Horford has no heart for the game like Jordan did. Did you ride the short bus in school?
hot.trod.87
November 15th, 2012
10:30 am
Jordan Rules is right.. Horford couldn’t play through the same flu Josh & Lou played through the game before. Or that he sat out a whole season when he could have been medically cleared to play earlier in the playoffs. That he looked horrible playing for his Dominican team this summer
hot.trod.87
November 15th, 2012
10:32 am
Props to Lou and Al for playing through the flu & Zaza for playing through a busted face & 5 stitches !!!!!
hot.trod.87
November 15th, 2012
10:33 am
Props to Lou and Josh for playing through the flu & Zaza for playing through a busted face & 5 stitches !!!!!
Simba
November 15th, 2012
10:33 am
Why do people keep citing big-depth as a problem? We have Josh, Al, Ivan, and Zaza as our big rotation. You then have Tolliver, Scott, and Petro as emergency guys. You only have 96 minutes per game to distribute to those two positions… under the right coach (*cough cough*) a team should be fine with that four-man rotation at the bigs.
Not only that, what exactly are people expecting from a 5th big? All of those guys y’all are clamoring for (Fesenko, Dampier, Curry) are all free agents because they are bad and no one wants them. If they would really make an impact on a team, they wouldn’t be FAs in a league where the rosters can go 15-deep.
Damion James should have been kept on the team. The team isn’t gunning for a title, so it shouldn’t really care about having an open spot on the roster.
Also, did Teague sleep with LD’s wife or something? He’s arguably been the team’s best player this season, and you sit him the entire fourth quarter? Are you trying to lose, LD?
DS
November 15th, 2012
10:36 am
There aren’t that many players with Jordan’s heart, if any. You just can’t compare Jordan to any player, let alone any player in this Hawks team.
Astro Joe
November 15th, 2012
10:47 am
I understand when we question a player’s toughness. but when it comes to a stomach virus, you can either keep things from coming out or you can’t. Personally, watching a player run around with the runs would have not been compelling TV. Keep that ish in the hotel. Literally.
doc
November 15th, 2012
10:58 am
josh and al are at their ceiling. really nice players, complimentary even. we know what we have.
one however, hasnt quite figured that out and continues to be what he isnt. josh is not in the category of blake who smoked the heat or other pf’s coming through, or even bosh who was shut down by clips. i for one was trapped in my mind for thinking josh might come through as a reliable 18/10 guy. j smash he refuses to be though al is called soft. go figure. cant be j smoove if you cant shoot foul shouts nor make beyond 10 feet.
josh has astounding stats and a huge impact but last nights stat line is becoming too much the norm as he takes on the man without a j, “osh” persona, too much again. just not sure where the superstar comes from next year to truly lead to the promised land. it is not from within.
O'Brien
November 15th, 2012
11:06 am
Ra’mon,
I just don’t see fight in Teague. He doesn’t seem to have that drive to really want to win at all costs..
Dude is averaging 14 pts, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 3 rebs per game (in only 29 minutes), but that’s not enough for you, is it? A young second year starter at PG, who is on a team with a dominant personality like Josh, and who played for stubborn coaches in Woody and LD…but it’s all Teague’s fault, and he has no fight in him?
16 pts, 5 assists against OKC on the road doesn’t show any fight (including a dunk on KD)?
20 pts, 11 assists against Miami on 11/9 doesn’t show any fight?
I think Teague’s biggest problems are inconsistencies, and not taking charge. But I don’t think its “not having a drive to win at all costs”.
Let me guess. in your opinion, only Josh Smith and Zaza have the will to win at all costs?
Dukester
November 15th, 2012
11:09 am
Havnt been on here in about 8 or 9 months and yes I will leave after this. For those who blamed Joe for not being a “superstar” we will find out that he was indeed a superstar. He didnt have the attitude that Kobe has to “look” at a coach and get him fired, but he was a superstar. Blame Hawks owners and their decisions on Gms, coaches and ultimately the players they chose. I knew it was over when they resigned Marvin,Bibby and Zaza. See fans complained about Joe’s 120 mil, but never about the 85 mil that those 3 players got. Want to talk about hamstringing a franchise.
Our core should have been Joe Josh Al and Teague. We should have hired a real coach with a strong personality since our core players seem not to have that. Kinda like how Miami has a weak coach for strong superstars. Well thats all for me good luck Hawks hope you have a good season. I will be watching from the background. Keep up the good work Northcyde wish I had the time to get on here and try to educate fans on the hawks problems. lol
Rod from College Park
November 15th, 2012
11:16 am
“heh heh @ faux rod.”
Glad you could tell. You know you are becoming a legend on this blog when people try to be you.
O'Brien
November 15th, 2012
11:21 am
Ra’mon,
Last year, Josh averaged 19 pts, 10 rebs, 4 assists, shooting 46% from the field, 26% from 3, 63% from the FT line (in 35 mpg)….With Joe, but no Al.
This year, he is averaging 15 pts, 8 rebs, 3 assists, shooting 39% from the field, 14% from 3, and 37% from the line (thanks to going 5-5 the last 2 games) (in 36 mpg)…with Al, but no Joe.
I know it’s early, but aren’t you surprised his numbers have not been better? I think LD deserves some of the blame for playing him at SF for 2 games, but I was expecting 18 and 10, and better percentages across the board.
harleyman
November 15th, 2012
11:23 am
Atlanta has a basketball team?
MattP
November 15th, 2012
11:25 am
Drew is killing this team with his rotations and matchups. Watch Ivan will get a DNP next game. He does not trust Teague, and he found his new ISO player in Williams to make it easier for him.
Rod from College Park
November 15th, 2012
11:29 am
The bottom line is that neither Josh nor Al are number one options. Neither guy should make over 10 mil per, and neither guy is all star material. they are both above average players, but they play the same position. If you keep Josh, you have to hire another coach with a strong personality to keep him in line. If you keep Horford, you don’t have to worry about the coach, but will will have to get another above average big who does not mind banging down low, and is an above average defender or the layup line will commence.
By the way coach Drew, in case you read this blog. Our starting lineup, if you insist Josh is going to play the 3 should be:
Teague
Korver/Morrow (ride the hot hand)
Josh
Ivan
Horford
Ivan can be used at PF or Center if Horford is scared to guard the center that night, and he is the only player on this roster who commands any kind of respect in the paint (besides Josh’s shot blocking ability). This lineup immediately helps your rebounding, makes you a tougher team, and Ivan can knock down that mid range jumper that you love you bigs to shoot all game. LOU WILLIAMS SHOULD NOT BE USED TO RUN THE POINT. ANTHONY TOLLIVER SHOULD NEVER BE THE FIRST GUY OFF YOUR BENCH. ANTHONY MORROW SHOULD NEVER GET A DNP. TEAGUE SHOULD NEVER BE ON THE BENCH THE WHOLE 4TH QUARTER. IVAN JOHNSON IS ALMOST AS GOOD AS AL AND JOSH, SO THERE IS NOT REASON THAT HE SHOULD NOT BE PLAYING HEAVY MINUTES.
Positive Thinker
November 15th, 2012
11:31 am
Here’s hoping for better things to come!
jlewis
November 15th, 2012
11:31 am
The scapegoat is gone….Josh is still a problem, the issue was always JJ made these players better, but because of depth and no other shooting or perimeter defense, they couldnt make him better. Had last years team not had all the injuries against Boston, they would have advanced, Ferry was brought in here to operate this team on the cheap. It will take years to get this team back to where it was last year.
Flash
November 15th, 2012
11:39 am
My first hand observations from last night (I live in CA):
1. Teague threw up like four or five air balls, I don’t blame LD for getting fed up and benching him
2. We all know Josh Smith chucked up too many long shots(even catching on the low block once and backing out for a long two?), but aside fom that, he kept catching on the right side of the paint and instead of going right, he went left across the paint RIGHT INTO THE HELP DEFENSE! WTF! Smith also acted like a baby the whole game. Lou even had to go over before Lou took some free throws one time and calm him down.
3. Korver looked good coming off of screens for rythm shots in the forst half. I think it was a combination of the defense adjusting and Korver tiring out, but he didn’t have the same success later. He was virtually the only one moving without the ball.
4. Some ref calls were home calls, including a foul on a hawk where he swiped at the warrior with the ball but actually missed entirely, a no foul-call on the mauling Zaza took that caused the cut, and an out of bounds that clearly went off of David Lee that the refs gave to the warriors.
5. Missed free throws account for the four point loss including a few by Josh and Ivan (kind of expected) and two by Lou (not expected).
6. This game was a clear indicator of why I wanted the Hawks to draft Ezali and not Jenkins. Ezali is playing good D (for a rookie) grabbing rebounds and is a big dude which the Hawks need. I haven’t even seen Jenkins play.
7. Don’t wait for another injury to play Ivan this many minutes.
8. I was beside myself when I saw Petro, Scott etc. on the floor together. I agree with others, don’t do that again
vava74
November 15th, 2012
11:42 am
Overreaction to a bad game where we were short handed.
This group is a work in progress but in order to know what to do going forward (what to keep, what to trade) we need a QUALITY HEAD COACH.
It’s that simple.
Rod from College Park
November 15th, 2012
11:44 am
The problem the years JJ/Josh/Marvin adn Al were here was not them. The problem was Marvin. Replace Marvin with Kyle Korver or Anthony Morrow and any NBA wing who could knock down wide open jumpers and we might have been in the finals.
prison mike
November 15th, 2012
12:02 pm
Let me preface this by saying I predicted a loss even at full strength and “put something”(hedge bet on LAC, good night) on GSW. I was pretty indifferent this game wanting GSW to win and wanting our guys to play well.
GSW has a nice bench. Jack and Landry are great bench players while D. Green is a good bench piece. RJ is over the hill but always a Hawk killer.
KK was outstanding the first half but went m.i.a. in 2nd half. Josh took some bad shots but his defense alone kept them in the game. He’s playing more under control instead of trying to do everything like the first few games.
Lastly, the Drew offense is flawed. The bigs are out on the perimeter looking for shooters. Shooters are running in circles like a merry go round and the big usually has to go through progressions on who to pass to.
They usually get stoned wall by the defender and end passing the ball back to Josh who has a choice to make with 5 or so seconds left. So you put the ball in the hands of a guy that’s already said he’s too enamored with the long range jump shot with time dwindling…
It’s the worst possible offense for a guy like Smoove. Al on the other hand can be successful because he can shoot. But if you ask him to post exclusively, he would get stoned walled.
Rim Rocker
November 15th, 2012
12:04 pm
Nobody is as good as Jordan but any player can play thru sickness and show toughness.
WeBurn
November 15th, 2012
12:16 pm
This loss goes on LD’s rotations.
We had too little offense on the court for most of the game. Stevenson is a black hole for offense. So when the lineup is Stevenson, Smoove, Zaza, Korver, Teague/Williams, only Smoove and Teague/Williams can create their own shot. So the offense was basically playing 2-5. LD needs to play Teague and Williams in the same lineup more often, and also look at using Morrow more.
hot.trod.87
November 15th, 2012
12:25 pm
Flash Josh did not miss any free throw
hot.trod.87
November 15th, 2012
12:25 pm
Josh SMith was 4-4 from free throws
Flash
November 15th, 2012
12:26 pm
Interestingly, Stevenson’s jumpshot was better last night than Morrow’s. I doubt that is always the case, but if Stevenson’s D is better than Morrow, and his shots happen to fall and Morrow’s aren’t…
Flash
November 15th, 2012
12:28 pm
Sorry my mistake, must have just been Lou and Ivan, still was four points worth
Rusty
November 15th, 2012
12:30 pm
Ramon your such an idiot blabbing on about JT when he is the only PG on this team who does play defense.
hot.trod.87
November 15th, 2012
12:30 pm
Thank you prison Mike…………
keith
November 15th, 2012
12:32 pm
Guess an upset stomach is enough to keep “Big tough NBA players sidelined.”
I MUS WRITE
November 15th, 2012
12:33 pm
@Prison Mike – At first I thought dude was funny but after 3 quarters I was feeling like Rathbun…”Man shut your mouth” Lol Cant be mad at dude though he paid good money for his seat so yell away ..
WTH was LD thinking in the 4th qtr…Teague super glued to the bench while Lou Williams just jacks up shot after shot. I didnt see him drive the ball once. Teague could have broke the Defense down and hit Morrow/Korver for open shots. I question LD’s decision making.
Why is Stevenson playing more than Morrow, Morrow is way more effective with the minutes he plays Stevenson is just a guy now at 32 he cant keep guys from scoring like he used to.
IVAN THE TERRIBLE………Ivan>>>Marvin
Harrison Barnes is what Marvin should have been……..
Im si glad we didnt sign Beindris -he sux
Is it me or is Korver and the under used Morrow giving us more production than the 20 million dollar man from last year……
cdog
November 15th, 2012
12:38 pm
losing to lowly golden state.reason:larry drew. josh smith and rest of the team shot all perimeter jump shots while golden state shot layups.drew allowed smith to keep jacking up three pointers and did nothing.za za pachulia allowed warrior inside people to dominate inside.the hawks kept shooting 3s.finally lou williams started hitting but if you add up the number of shots they missed shooting 3s that was the difference in the game. still sitting soft spoken, players not respecting him, he did nothing so the hawks lost. thanks larry drew
cp
November 15th, 2012
12:39 pm
The flip flopping by some on here is hilarious. A few weeks ago its we should trade Teague and let Devin Harris start. Then when it became clear Teague is better than Harris its oh well we should trade Harris. Now its where is Royal Ivey? Lmao are you kidding me? Where are all these lock down defenders at the pg position? Teague had a rough shooting night but he aint even close to the reason they lost. How about the lack of rebounding, the bad shots, the terrible rotations. Lou was terrible all night until he hit those 3’s at the end. The offense was terrible with him running the point. We need a legit sf because Barnes was working Stevenson last night. Before last night Barnes had looked average as hell but he had a career night last night. Letting go of James was a mistake. Dude has no offense but he did two things well that we desperately need, rebound and defend..
Its time to move on from LD. Its painfully clear he hasn’t learned anything from his past two years. He is still trying to make a gunner into a pg and it aint working. His rotations suck and im sick of the minute distribution. And where the hell is the accountability for some of the players? Some guys are allowed to do as they please on the court with no repercussions. And what is our offensive identity other than take a jumper? Get this dude all the way out of here.
vava74
November 15th, 2012
12:43 pm
cp,
violently co-signing!
I MUS WRITE
November 15th, 2012
12:49 pm
Tyger- I have to agree w/h you I would much rather have Mcgrady over Stevenson. Mcgrady would be a better fit for what this team lacks. Peitrus/Mcgrady and Fresenko over that stiff Johan Petro….My god hes awful….d like to hear Danny boy xplain to us how petro is a better fit than Benson.
Ramon….Teague vs Bradley/Schumpert Seeing as how both of those guys are hurtI got with Teague but if they were all healthy I go….Bradley Teague and Schumpert .Bradley is a good player he gave us the bussiness last yr that yung man got game.
cdog
November 15th, 2012
12:50 pm
finally, what about the fire woody? told you all you would miss mike woodson.woodson made the hawks play defense and rebound plus he kept josh smith in check.josh would be at another level now. but everyone wanted drew so you get what you ask for while woodson and the knicks are flying high.
hot.trod.87
November 15th, 2012
12:55 pm
Everything starts with the head of the snake. Teague is the head of the snake and his head got cut off from that point. 9 points, 4 assists, & 4 rebounds is not elite stat lines, but I’m sure with a better scheme they would be