Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 94, Bobcats 91 (updated)
Vivlamore reporting.
The Hawks’ winning streak continues – now at six straight – but the Bobcats made them work for it.
Right down to the final five seconds.
Josh Smith scored 13 of his 17 points in the third quarter as the Hawks regained a lead they would barely hold in a 94-91 victory over the Bobcats Wednesday night at Philips Arena.
The winning streak, the best current run in the NBA, is the Hawks’ longest since they opened the 2010-11 season with six straight wins (Oct. 27-Nov. 5, 2010).
The Hawks (9-4) nearly lost an 11-point fourth-quarter lead. The Bobcats pulled to within one point, 92-91, on a deep 3-pointer by Ben Gordon with 29.1 seconds remaining. The basket, with two Hawk defenders on him, was part of Gordon’s 20-point fourth quarter.
On the ensuing possession, the Hawks then ran the shot clock down but Lou Williams missed his 3-point attempt and left the Bobcats with 5.2 seconds.
However on the sideline inbounds play, Ramon Sessions’ pass to Gordon was wide and went across the court and out of bounds. The officials reviewed the play because Smith lunged at the pass with an outstretched arm. After a lengthy look they ruled Smith did not touch the ball and awarded the ball back to the Hawks.
“No, I didn’t touch it,” Smith said. “I think if I would have touched the ball it would have went in a different direction. It didn’t. So it was a good call by the referees.”
Bobcats players, including Sessions, believe Smith did touch the ball. However, they conceded there was not conclusive evidence to overturn the original call.
Al Horford sank a pair of free throws to seal the victory.
Smith, Horford and Williams scored 17 points apiece. Smith added 13 rebounds, six assists and five blocks. Horford had 11 rebounds and six assists.
Gordon almost single-handedly snapped the Hawks winning streak with his fourth quarter.
“We did not defend Ben Gordon,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said of the Bobcats’ rally. “He got too many good looks. When you are playing against a guy like that, who can shoot the way he can, he got off to a good start and he made shots. We allowed too much separation when he was coming off screens. He just had too, too many good looks.”
Gordon finished with a game-high 26 points. Smith said he warned his teammates that the guard was capable of getting a hot hand.
“I was telling those guys, I got drafted with that guy,” Smith said. “He has done it to us before. I’m telling them that this man can really put numbers up so when he hit those couple of 3s he got comfortable. I knew if we didn’t get aggressive on him it was going to be a long fourth quarter.”
The Hawks expected a tough game from the Bobcats (7-7), who were coming off the worst loss in franchise history – a 45-point defeat at the Thunder Monday. The Hawks have been in close games throughout the six-game winning streak. Their average margin of victory is seven points.
“These games in the past one of them we would have dropped,” Horford said. “We wouldn’t have come out with enough energy, little things like that. This year we are doing a good job even though it was closer than we would have liked, we are getting the wins.”
The Bobcats led 45-43 at halftime after erasing a nine-point second-quarter deficit. Down 33-24 after Williams hit a 3-pointer for the Hawks, the Bobcats went on an 18-2 run and led by seven points. The Hawks answered with an 8-3 run of their own to only trail by a basket after the first two quarters.
“I told our team at halftime, I thought that team was playing harder than we were,” Drew said. “I thought that they were getting after us more than we were getting after them. … They were actually bringing the game to us. That is totally unacceptable in our building. We have to be more focused and we have to do things with much, much more urgency than we did in the first half.”
The Hawks used an 11-1 run early in the third quarter to retake the lead before holding on the Bobcats’ comeback.
The Hawks lost Kyle Korver in the third quarter with back spasms. Korver missed Tuesday’s practice with a stiff back but was in the starting lineup Wednesday. He grimaced and grabbed his back after a missed 3-pointer. He went to the locker room and did not return.
The Hawks will go for their seventh straight win on Friday, hosting the Cavaliers. The Hawks last won seven straight in Nov. 2009.
- Chris Vivlamore
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116 comments Add your comment
Smokey
November 28th, 2012
10:03 pm
So when a player has a good stat night you cant criticise any other area of their game? Strange rules..
Slimjr
November 28th, 2012
10:05 pm
two for Bob McAdoo
Rev in Tampa
November 28th, 2012
10:06 pm
Dang, C-Viv! The scoreboard ain’t even cooled down and you have the recap blog up. You, sir, are a power-blogger.
Slimjr
November 28th, 2012
10:06 pm
5×5 would have been spectacular against the Lakers or the Spurs or the Celtics or The Heat…
The Bobscrubs? ah not so much…
JaeEvolution
November 28th, 2012
10:07 pm
Meanwhile in Boston…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=EyhhrB9XLV0#!
Slimjr
November 28th, 2012
10:09 pm
Thank you Mr. Sessions with your two huge mistakes that kept your team from stealing a win out the jaws of a loss..
Mr Sessions is lost out there.Coach him up ASAP, Pronto!
Slimjr
November 28th, 2012
10:09 pm
Durant 33 points
Harden 14 points
Smokey
November 28th, 2012
10:10 pm
Good stat nights against scrubs when you still airball long J’s and brick clutch FF’s dont say much to me.
Slimjr
November 28th, 2012
10:10 pm
Harden 2-14 from the floor.His shot has been blocked 3 times!
Tough night? Ya thinks?
Durant with 35
High-sider
November 28th, 2012
10:13 pm
Rondo vs. Humphries
http://www.nba.com/video/games/celtics/2012/11/28/0021200211-bkn-bos-play4.nba
Slimjr
November 28th, 2012
10:14 pm
Durant with 37
Harden 3-16
Melvin
November 28th, 2012
10:17 pm
Hawks 28ast and 9 to. 3 to 1 TO rate. Nice…
doggoneit
November 28th, 2012
10:19 pm
Smokey: shove it! Atlanta was suppose to do Nothing this year!!!! Now they have the longest
current active win streak in the NBA! Go Hawks!!!!
Slimjr
November 28th, 2012
10:21 pm
Just win baby win!
Jamaaliver
November 28th, 2012
10:28 pm
Our bigs put in some serious work tonight. Good scoring totals, few turnovers.
We still need some size, but good win. Morrow will hopefully get some well earned PT in Korver’s absence.
Sameba
November 28th, 2012
10:33 pm
Now this becomes the rule: Hawks always play on the level of their opposition. Something is quite bad going on with the coaching…
The only good thing was that Horford got his jumper back.
Smokey
November 28th, 2012
10:34 pm
@ doggoneit im a blog vegetarian and a hawk supporter. I’m an ATL fan not a player dick rider. If see deficiencies I will point them out. This team has done well (with some luck) but if your happy with the current level of production from this group of players then that’s cool. I think they can do better against such scrubalicious teams.
paian
November 28th, 2012
10:41 pm
Wow, has anyone noticed jerry stackhouse shooting performance lately, that guy has been winning games for the nets honestly. He would’ve never got the playing time hes getting their here haha.
Slimjr
November 28th, 2012
10:43 pm
The Brooklyn Nets are 10-4…
Joe must be thrilled..
Smokey
November 28th, 2012
10:44 pm
Yeah our scrubs from last year are looking a lot better in other unis – coaching perhaps?
cdog
November 28th, 2012
10:58 pm
josh smith can:t stand prosperity.larry drew is afraid of him.one the coaches on the bench should keep reminding him he is not a three point shooter. he almost cost the hawks the game.drew should limit him to shooting around the basket.he would be deadly but drew is afraid to snatch him. atlanta fans need to be like oklahoma city fans.they are too quiet at home.they are very strange.the clock keeper don:t do the home team no justice but overall, great win hawks! lets go drill washington friday night
Jae Evolution
November 28th, 2012
11:04 pm
A concerning stat: In 64 games last year where Lou played 20+ minutes he didn’t get a trip to the FT line only 7 times, he had 8 games of no FT attempts total. This year he has already 5 games where he hasn’t attempted a FT, 3 of which he played more than 20 minutes.
soullrenaissance
November 28th, 2012
11:06 pm
Josh Smith had a great game and was effective in various ways. 17 points 13 rebounds 6 assists and 5 blocks along with 3 steals on a consistent basis would garner him his first all-star appearance.
Grandad
November 28th, 2012
11:06 pm
What`s a blog vegetarian ?
Grandad
November 28th, 2012
11:18 pm
I only had the opportunity to watch th 4th qtr.
* [sound off]
Was Korv inj ?
____________________________________________
LD criticism alert !
Why in Tarnation was Josh in the game [5.4] sec on the clock,
with Charlotte fouling intentionally & immediate !?!
JJenkins could have sat in a freezer for 47 and a half min …
and still had a better chance of hitting his free frows than Josh !
No way on earth should Josh have been on the floor.
Was Morrow inj ? … Heck Zaza had a better chance to make a FF.
beone
November 28th, 2012
11:18 pm
Smith actually played pretty smart bball during the 3rd qtr, then late in the 4th the old Josh brain just took over his body.
soullrenaissance
November 28th, 2012
11:19 pm
Lol at Grandad. I’m a blog vegan…Could Ferry make a play for Phil Jackson? The Hawks need a leader of men. Drew is still an observer. Horford had another superb display. No K Love but solid.
Grandad
November 28th, 2012
11:19 pm
* [TV on - sound off]
Joe
November 28th, 2012
11:20 pm
It’s a given that Josh is stat stuffer and a gifted athlete. However he still continues to make some of the dumbest plays I’ve ever witnessed from a supposed top tier player. Granted the Hawks would be a non playoff team without him but they will never be championship caliber team with him. I know, they’ve won six in a row, so we should be happy but I guarantee there’s not one blogger on here that thinks the Hawks have a chance to do much in the playoffs. Here’s hoping DF can make some decent moves that will improve the team.
From a frustrated season ticket holder
Slimjr
November 28th, 2012
11:30 pm
Grandad,
Korver has had back spasm for a few days now.. They came back to pain him..He hung up his shoes for the night and was escorted back to the lockers! Oh boy…
Larry Like Sessions appears to be lost at times…Larry and Josh almost cost the Hawks a win tonight.. Thank goodness the Bobcats played themselves out of a great opportunity to steal one after that crazy difficult 3-ball Gordon hit with the clock running down to close the gap to a 1 pt. deficit near the end of regulation..
Whew!!!!!
Slimjr
November 28th, 2012
11:32 pm
Grandad, I should have up you one and turned the channel…LOL!
What a brutal game to watch at times…
Slimjr
November 28th, 2012
11:36 pm
Good to see Chauncey Billups on the floor again…
This Clippers/ TimberWolfs game is a good one!
Clipps only up 2 at the half, 57-55
Grandad
November 28th, 2012
11:37 pm
Slimj
Mrs G`Dad gets to share the TV.
Hence, the 4th qtr only.
She`s worth it.
41 yrs & countin` !
Sameba
November 28th, 2012
11:42 pm
Grandad:
Why don’t you watch games on a computer?
Slimjr
November 28th, 2012
11:42 pm
Hahahahah! Yes she is Sir!
Slimjr
November 28th, 2012
11:45 pm
NBA TV just showed iso Joe go tricky dribble on Pierce and broke Paul’s ankles as Joe rises and hits an 19 footer…Nice
Rusty
November 28th, 2012
11:52 pm
Enter your comments here
Grandad
November 28th, 2012
11:54 pm
Sameba
I could;
I also could watch in another room.
But two old folks sharing time together is really special.
Bless her heart, she has watched 10,000 B-ball games;
between my games [coaching] our three son`s games,
our daughter`s games, our youngest son played collegiately [travel].
Now he`s in his 2nd yr coaching … it`s started all over again.
Like I said:
if she wishes for me to sit and watch one of her TV shows;
“you better believe I`m all in”.
But thanks for the concern !
My blog friend are my community now !
Najeh Davenpoop
November 28th, 2012
11:55 pm
“What`s a blog vegetarian ?”
Someone who doesn’t have blog beef.
Grandad
November 28th, 2012
11:56 pm
My blog friend[s] are my community now !
* friends … Plural *
Najeh Davenpoop
November 28th, 2012
11:57 pm
Nothing wrong with criticizing a player where criticism is due, but when people show up talking about how if the team loses it’s because of the guy who put up a near-5×5 and anchored the defense the entire game, all because he clanked a couple of free throws, they are missing the forest for the trees.
Sameba
November 28th, 2012
11:57 pm
Grandad
Understood.
Good to hear you have such a nice family
Grandad
November 29th, 2012
12:02 am
Sameba
I`m truly blessed, and thanks again.
Grandad
November 29th, 2012
12:04 am
Najeh
I don`t think you meant me.
I only wanted Josh out with [5.4] remaining;
so as not to be fouled intentionally.
Rusty
November 29th, 2012
12:05 am
This team wins games inspite of LD’s poor coaching.LD again takes JT out when we get a big lead ,then leaves him out way to long usually losing the lead & screws up JT’rhythem. Lou is not a pg & Harris is playing like KH of last year. Again we doesnt play Ivan. The defense looked like last year with Josh & Al chasing Gordan all over the floor.
Grandad
November 29th, 2012
12:13 am
Rusty
I have a theory.
I think they are playing DHarris as many min. as possible,
show-casing him for possible trades.
If he were languishing on the bench,
he would lose trade value.
____________________________________________
* Not a defense of LD, per se
Najeh Davenpoop
November 29th, 2012
12:33 am
Al Horford had a pretty interesting interview with Grantland today. Mostly just random sh-t but this caught my eye:
Have you noticed that Danny Ferry has brought more of a stat-based approach to your game plans?
I’m sure they’re probably doing all their numbers back there, but they’re not really showing them much to us. He’s just brought a totally new approach here, as far as work and attitude. We all have noticed it: Encouraging people to work. Getting in earlier. Staying in after. And when you’re working, you’re working hard. I think in the past we’ve kind of gotten away from things like that as a team. You need to have an edge, and I think he has brought that. And we’re buying into that.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 29th, 2012
12:34 am
No, Grandad, I was responding to the first comment, which was responding to something I said during the game thread.
Smokey
November 29th, 2012
1:00 am
@ Najeh i agree totally. Josh still doing josh stuff even when hes having a good game warrants criticism imo perhaps more of a coaching critique than anything else. I certainly wasn’t suggesting he would have cost us the game, i’ll leave that foolishness for the many other takers.
Buddy Grizzard
November 29th, 2012
1:31 am
“Energy” is to blame for the 18-2 run in the third quarter. Not the fact that Drew had three guards on the floor together when it started.
Buddy Grizzard
November 29th, 2012
1:33 am
Doh 2nd quarter my bad.
Hawks Blog Legend Worldwide Clyde
November 29th, 2012
2:07 am
FIRE LD
Hawks Blog Legend Worldwide Clyde
November 29th, 2012
2:08 am
Stackhouse had 17 points tonight. LD had him buried on the bench last year and but he could have helped us out.
kuhndog
November 29th, 2012
2:44 am
well take it. let them back in it if you want to split hairs. let Gordon get hot and gave them life. I did not see Ivan gotta get dude in there. JT did not look as Mr aggressive as before and breaking down the D. Too many 3s , Josh was playing at the rim pretty much thats a +. I like Lou but he is a back up and a good one kind of a free lancer player or creator on the fly guy. I dont see Lou put out the dimes as much.I like D Harris too, he can create but can he stay healthy? Gotta beat Cle. in Fri.win the winable ones.GO HAWKS
ag
November 29th, 2012
6:24 am
I agree with a lot of the bloggers. Drew does not appear to coach at the end of games, defense and offense. I would have taken out Josh and Horford. It didn’t make sense to keep them in since the Bobcats were pressing and fouling.
The three Josh took I was not that upset with – but a little since we came out of a timeout. Coach usually draws up some really good plays after a timeout.
ag
November 29th, 2012
6:46 am
Per LD, JT0 has two games with double digit assist and points, and he gets rewarded with 29 minutes. DH plays 24 minutes. Lou gets 29.
I will give Stevenson props in the 4th quarter when he checked Gordon, he did not allow him to get the ball.
rk
November 29th, 2012
6:49 am
Is it just me or does anyone else see a problem with our bigs (Hofford and Smith) dribbling the ball down the court? The early turnovers by these guys kept the lowly Bobcats in the game. You don’t see the elite power fowards and centers bringing the ball down the court. They are getting away with it now because there are so many bad teams in the NBA.
ignition
November 29th, 2012
6:59 am
What is LD doing ??
Devin Harris looks out of control most nights and he gives him starter minutes??
Play Teague and quit allowing the bigs Mainly Josh and sometimes Horford dribble the ball down court niether of them are great dribblers.
vava74
November 29th, 2012
7:15 am
Apart from ALL OTHER THINGS Josh did good, how can you simply say that Sessions missed the pass WHEN IT WAS JOSH’s HUSTLE that forced him to throw the pass wider?
Josh is slowing rounding up to form and sure he still makes some horrible plays, but they guy was a stat stuffer like no other last night:
http://www.popcornmachine.net/cgi-bin/gameflow.cgi?date=20121128&game=CHAATL
Help Value of 25 (rebounds+assists+blocks+steals-turnovers).
Horford also had a very good game with an HV of 19.
Guys putting up stats like that win games more often that guys simply making shots.
Al had a very good and steady game, mainly quarters 2,3 and 4, Josh had a monster 3rd quarter and in the 4th, although he did launch a missed 3 pointer and missed 2 FTs, he had 3 rebounds (2 offensive) 2 assists, 1 block and ZERO turnovers.
We won. It wasn’t pretty but we won because of two excellent performances by Horford and Josh and survived a really colossal effort by Gordon.
Every time you survive a 20 point 4th quarter by one guy on just 7 shots and FTs, you gotta feel happy with the win.
Big Ray
November 29th, 2012
7:31 am
Bad perimeter defense, but another Hawks win.
Josh and Al combine for 34 points, 24 rebounds, 12 assists, 8 blocks.
That’s what’s up…
NORRIS CHUCK
November 29th, 2012
7:33 am
JOSH NEEDS TO MAKE SOME FREE THROWS! THESE NBA PLAYERS WHINE AND COMPLAIN ABOUT NOT BEING IN THE ALL-STAR GAME, BUT CONSTANTLY SEEN ON TV CRYING ABOUT BAD CALLS, LAUNCHING BRICK THREE POINTERS AND CONSTANTLY MISSING FREE THROWS!!!
Section 303
November 29th, 2012
8:13 am
That game went just like I thought it would last night. Hawks win, but the Bobcats put up a major fight. You knew they would after getting railed so badly by OKC.
Josh got it going last night. I thought last night was his best game of the season. He still HAS to take bonehead shots, but he made a lot of nice passes (the behind the back one to Zaza!) and was great helping out on D.
Zaza is having his best season as a Hawk. I love the way he is playing. He does positive things every night.
terrell
November 29th, 2012
8:20 am
“Lack of energy” came from Joe’s demeanor imo. Dont hear that word around here that often anymore.
Section 303
November 29th, 2012
8:21 am
Also…good to see Al hitting his mid-range jumper. He’s been off on that shot most of this season. When he gets that shot going (and he usually does have that shot going throughout his career) he is an All Star.
Section 303
November 29th, 2012
8:23 am
Good job by Joe Johnson dogging out Paul Pierce last night! I loved it!
God….I hate the Boston Celtics. That team could not possibly lose enough to make me happy.
terrell
November 29th, 2012
8:27 am
Fire LD at 9-4? Not happening. Stackhouse? Please. Come on Clyde, I know you got something better than that.
terrell
November 29th, 2012
8:33 am
So Clyde, how many more games you think we woulda won last year, had LD played Stackhouse more minutes? LD is a liar, he holds grudges. he hates rookies, etc….. but COME ON MAN. lol
vava74
November 29th, 2012
8:51 am
Big Ray,
You forgot 4 steals…
Samurai Squirrel
November 29th, 2012
9:38 am
“I will give Stevenson props in the 4th quarter when he checked Gordon, he did not allow him to get the ball”
Totally agree with you, Ag. He ran around, thru, and over about 4 picks on one single possession! Sessions kept pounding the rock waiting for Gordon to get open, but Stevenson wasn’t gonna let that happen. The clock kept ticking down and that ended up locking the game up for us.
Mike is Back
November 29th, 2012
9:44 am
What’s up Big Ray, you are right…that’s what’s up. Josh and Al are back to scrapping and making plays IN THE PAINT…I have to say Teague has surprise me the most…But all three of these guys have taken their game to another level…thus far.
The Hawks with stood a barrage from Ben Gordon…and still pull out a victory…U GOTTA LOVE IT!
Man when BG gets that stroke going…it’s a thing of beauty…if you are not the opponent.lol
The way the Hawks have played of late…I just felt like they would keep fighting to the end…and pull out another win. The difference for me with this unit is…when a guy like BG goes off like that…these guys don’t shrug their shoulders and get down…they keep fighting…I thought it was a GREAT WIN…denying BG a chance to play spoiler…and securing six straight wins.
LD and staff have to be given some credit for the way the Hawks have performed thus far…it is…what it is.
GREAT WIN…GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
steve brown
November 29th, 2012
9:48 am
All you Josh lovers will need rehab once he is gone. Ferry will get something for him before the leverage shifts to Josh in free agency, I’d bet on it. All this hometown crap will be wiped out by the highest offer and you don’t pay top dollar to players that can’t finish (see the idiotic 3 point shot followed by the bricked 2 free throws in the clutch that could have cost the game). Stats are for losers and all you stat gurus are lost souls, who cares what he did during exhibition time in the third quarter. The NBA is all about entertainment until the last few minutes and I will grant that Josh is entertaining in both a good and bad way but he is not clutch, he is not a leader, and hows that All-star vote going for him. All you Josh lovers start saying your goodbyes.
hot.trid.87
November 29th, 2012
9:53 am
NBA Stat Stuffer of the Night: Hawks F Josh Smith. He had 17 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 5 blocks in a win vs. CHA… that last defensive turnover was because of Josh. WE’re are a great defensive team because of Josh…. Offense gets you highlights, defense wins you games. Teague and Stephenson does not play well together. Should never be in the backcourt together. Al hit 2 free throws but missed a lot of at the rim buckets. Lou made up with his off night and once again out performed Teague. Can Teague be consistent as a point guard to get us to the next level? We’ll see
hot.trod.87
November 29th, 2012
9:57 am
Steve, he’s staying. Who has Ferry already offered up? Not Josh, but Al & Teague so what are you talking about? His defense is the reason we got the possession so Al could shoot the free throws so again what in the hell are you talking about. Stats are great when it refers to defense, because you won’t win rings without it… Look at OKC last year. All offense and no defense. The reason we are in the top 3 is because of our defense which is in the top 5. Defense wins games when the offense isn’t working both Al & Josh shot 7-15 but everyone tends to focus on Josh’s numbers and not Al.. How many point blank at the rim shots did Al miss? why did the Bobcats make a run with Josh out of the game?
hot.trod.87
November 29th, 2012
10:00 am
Mike & Black you are correct
Ken Strickland
November 29th, 2012
10:12 am
I’ve complained about Josh launching long jumpers as much as anyone, but last night he earned the right to launch a few. He didn’t just stuff the stat sheet, he impacted the gm on both ends of the court, vintage JSmith. Teague got fewer mins because he got into early foul trouble, not because LDrew decided not to play him.
The Hawks are truly amazing. We’re talking about a lot of individual talent overcoming a number of issues to slowly become a talented team. What’s so amazing is how poorly the team has been constructed. Not many teams can accomplish what this team has accomplished without a true SF or SG, while overcoming a HC who’s hurt the team by imposing his own personal bias’.
If you think about it, we’ve progressed to the point where we’re now winning the close gms that we lost earlier in the season. Our DEF is now forcing teams to make the same mistakes down the stretch that we were making during our earlier losses. Teague has become a leader and steadying influence. It’s already been pointed out how our OFF and DEF improves when he’s in the gm.
Josh seems to have learned there are 2 halves to a basketball gm, and that he shouldn’t get discouraged if he has a poor 1st half. Earlier in the season, and in his career, if he had a poor 1st half, he’d get discouraged, and either hold his head down, become far less aggressive and/or lose focus by arguring with the officials.
The last 2 times he’s had a bad 1st half, he’s come out of halftime playing with a renewed purpose. Fortunately for the Hawks, Horford has maintained his usual level of consistency, and both players play so well together. It still seems like a dream to see a Hawks team that wasn’t expected to be a factor this season, win 6 consecutive gms and 7 of their last 8 with little depth at C and no defined SF or SG.
The thing that concerns me the most about what we’ve accomplished so far is how they will react after the streak ends, or after we lose consecutive gms. GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Astro Joe
November 29th, 2012
10:17 am
Didn’t OKC have the Defensive Player of the Year?
Not surprised to read the excerpt that Najeh posted from Grantland. It was pretty apparent (to me at least) that the Hawks have had a very poor work ethic for the past few years. (Which is one of the reasons I have not been a fan of adding players with known issues regarding effort). I think that was some of the edge that Horford lost most recently (with LD’s arrival). I’m glad to read that Ferry has begun to change some of that lazy culture.
Ken Strickland
November 29th, 2012
10:20 am
STEVE BROWN-Obviously you haven’t noticed, but there’s been very little Josh vs Al BS since this team started putting it together. We should all be Josh, Al, Teague, Zaza, Ivan, LWilliams lovers. If fact, we should all be HAWK LOVERS, rather than focusing our attention and loyality on just one or 2 players.We are winning solely as a team, and that’s the way fans should look at it.
JOSH SMITH FOR 3!
November 29th, 2012
10:25 am
WAY too close, but great game. This team is fun to watch! They relied WAY too much on the outside shot, and we vacate the paint before the ball even falls. Rebound, guys!
Astro Joe
November 29th, 2012
10:28 am
Watching a player 3 feet from the rim pass to a player 23 feet from the rim can be a little annoying, but it is working (for now).
hot.trod.87
November 29th, 2012
10:34 am
NBA Leaders Wed. Efficiency: Serge Ibaka (25.2), Josh Smith (24.6), Kevin Durant (23.0), Chris Paul (22.8)…. . Blocks: Serge Ibaka (6), Josh Smith (5), Tim Duncan (5), Bismack Biyombo (4) …. Rebs: J.J. Hickson (19), Josh Smith (13), Andray Blatche (13), Zach Randolph (13)…. Keep it up Josh, Boston, Lakers, and Knicks want you
Samurai Squirrel
November 29th, 2012
10:57 am
Now is the time to make an offer for Derrick Williams of the T-wolves. ESPN Trade Rumors said they will pretty much take anything for him at this point. Anthony Morrow for Derrick Williams sounds pretty fair to me. One of our extra shooters for one of their extra bigs. What do you guys think?
Rod from College Park
November 29th, 2012
11:04 am
“Apart from ALL OTHER THINGS Josh did good, how can you simply say that Sessions missed the pass WHEN IT WAS JOSH’s HUSTLE that forced him to throw the pass wider?”
Remember according to many on this blog, Josh never hustles. All he does is have a low basketball IQ, whine to the refs, and complain. LOL
I MUS WRITE
November 29th, 2012
11:11 am
Random Toughts: Who would have thought this team would be better off with Kyle Korver and A.Morrow over Joe Johnson.
Josh Smith runs this team – I dont care what his stat line was last his play was just hard to watch. Airballs turnovers etc….Sad to say but Josh wont make the All Star Team this year. he wont get voted in and the coaches league wide see the dumb shizz he does as well as the constant complaining and crying….
Kemba Walker is the truth..
I really hope we can resign Korver in the off season-his Jumper is money literally
I not sure we want to pay josh 16-8 mill this summer -so if theres going to be a trade:
Paul George/Psycho T/2nd or something along those lines.
Astro Joe
November 29th, 2012
11:17 am
The next step in Teague’s evolution is when he brings the same intensity in games against George Hill and Kemba Walker as he does when playing CP3 and Derrick Rose.
I MUS WRITE
November 29th, 2012
11:23 am
I agree Terrell -the lack of energy etc last yr was directly related to our leader? Joe Johnson -”We just didnt come to play tonight” ” Guys ned to play ntheir role” That man needs a frontal labotamy- he has the personality of a paper clip.
Clyde -Cmon man -Stackhouse? So you’re saying he was a better option that MGrady? Uhhhhh NO -it was one game man let it go- I mean he is a professional and a Vet so…… The 12th man on most teams could light it up if give a chance, not impressed
Let me be clear for a sec-I would trade Horford before I trade Josh -dumb shots and all…Josh is just the better player but If we are gonna lose Josh for nothing trade him asap…….
I MUS WRITE
November 29th, 2012
11:26 am
Typos i need coffee lol good day folks -RISE UP 11-1
Samurai Squirrel
November 29th, 2012
11:35 am
Korver has quickly become my favorite player on the team. The one thing that kills me about him is that he cannot dribble. He was passing the ball off to Stevenson to bring the ball up (at least twice he gave Horford the ball). I guess he does that so he can get down the court and get ready for a pass for a 3 pointer.
Flash
November 29th, 2012
11:54 am
Let’s not all start blanking each other’s blanks just yet. I am a SF Giants fan (live in bay area) and a Hawks fan (thank you TBS in the 80’s). The last few years whenever the Giants swept the floor with the likes of the Astros or some such bad team, all the fans would go nuts. Then they would get swept by the Nationals on the road and the fans would freak out. Generally for most of the year(s), the team was somewhere in between. Good enough to beat bad teams, but looked bad against top tier teams. People forget that the Giants have been an above average team for their world series years, but not always doninant. They have good pitching and put it together at the right time, the end of the season. I am not trying to equate the Hawks talent with the Giants, but I am trying to keep perspective on the Hawks winning streak. How many above .500 teams have they beat in these six? Let’s hope the Hawks continue to beat the teams they should beat, and hold their own against the rest – and maybe Ferry can add the final pieces at the trade deadline ala Brian Saebean and they can put it together at the end of the season…
The Truth
November 29th, 2012
12:02 pm
“Anthony Morrow for Derrick Williams sounds pretty fair to me. One of our extra shooters for one of their extra bigs. What do you guys think?”
Bad idea. What would be the point in trading Marvin and his 7.5M 2013 contract only to add yet another 6′-8″ tweener PF (Derrick Williams) and his 5M 2013 contract whose efficiency numbers are not as good as Marvin. Saving that 2.5M is one thing but failing to acquire a real SF upgrade is likely the bigger outcome.
alex
November 29th, 2012
12:03 pm
i m enjoining to read here all of coach Drew haters. in my opinion he doing max with this questionable structured roster giving him from Ferry and touching right bottoms at right time. are you forgot how he out coached “legendary st. v gandy” in playoff series with Howard at his best, or you prefer to come back to clown Stotts (check his current record in Portland) or most recent Woodson run when hawks became national laughing-stock with routine 40 points routs in playoffs and regular seasons.
The Truth
November 29th, 2012
12:10 pm
That 2.5M savings assumes the Hawks kept Marvin. By trading him for Devin’s expiring contract, the savings next yr is TBD
Section 303
November 29th, 2012
12:20 pm
I don’t understand the Larry Drew bashing. What’s he done wrong this year? And, if not him, who you want to coach this team?
Someone said that LD does not “coach in the 4th quarter”. What? I challenge anyone to support that take. It makes no sense.
Samurai Squirrel
November 29th, 2012
12:49 pm
Good points, The Truth.
I guess my counter argument is that we’d be going after his potential. Derrick Williams is 21 years old (won’t turn 22 until May) compared to Marvin’s 26 (almost 27). D-Williams has yet to have any consistent playing time whereas Marvin pretty much started from the time he was drafted. How do we know he won’t turn out to be a player? Apparently the association thought a lot of him since he was drafted #2 (with many people saying he should have gone #1). His contract is only for $4.6 million. After this year, we’re going to have big bucks available to spend. Morrow is only signed for this one year, why not try to swing him for a possible long-term asset?
Samurai Squirrel
November 29th, 2012
12:56 pm
As you can tell, I am not planning on the Hawks being able to sign Dwight Howard AND Chris Paul. Cap room will not (seemingly) be a problem for us in the upcoming seasons.
2 FOR JOHN DREW
November 29th, 2012
12:56 pm
Grandad
November 28th, 2012
11:54 pm
- Grandad ….. You are a cool dude period !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rusty
November 29th, 2012
1:00 pm
Larry Drew is a horrible coach,he continues to let al & josh lead the fast break either turning the ball over or passing to someone on the outside for a jump shot instead of giving the ball to a guard & getting it back for a layup. He still let’s Josh do what ever he wants on offense. He still will not give Ivan .minutes he still is screwing around JT,he pulls him out for 2 fouls & then keeps him out for over ten minues.he has a bad habit of leaving him out until we go from a big lead to losing the lead. He tends to play the second unit to long. Why isn’t Ivan getting min,did he threaten ld. This team is winning now just like we started last season,this team is heading for trouble if Ld continues to coach lke he is.
cp
November 29th, 2012
1:07 pm
Teague picked up those two fouls and didn’t seem as aggressive last night so I dont have a problem with his minutes. I dont think you can really fault LD for Teague’s minutes last night. As Astro said, he has to bring that intensity night and and night out.
Just Joe
November 29th, 2012
1:12 pm
I don’t think that Ferry is ready to sacrifice a portion of his prized “flexibility” for Derrick Williams. If anything, I think Ferry wants more flexibility (more draft picks & more cap space).
alex
November 29th, 2012
1:19 pm
as a big fan of hawks for last 23 years and watching him closely again compare with fratello, weis, wilkins, stotts, woodson, ld much better and he is human, sometimes made mistakes, who does’t only you Rusty.
The Truth
November 29th, 2012
1:34 pm
“I guess my counter argument is that we’d be going after his potential. Derrick Williams is 21 years old …” – Samurai
LOL, That’s exactly the kind of thinking that lead us to Marvin (his potential).
Nate ArchiBALL
November 29th, 2012
1:43 pm
Does Josh get a pass on the only three pointer he took in the game (4th quarter) – 3 seconds on the shot when he received the ball from Jeff?
The Truth
November 29th, 2012
1:49 pm
I will say though the crop of 2013 SF FA looks very unimpressive so some kind of gamble may have to be made. If LD happens to get a new contract, developing Derrick Williams (should we got him) is not likely. But to be fair with the idea, a gamble on Derrick would only set the Hawks back 1 yr and cost 5M+ with the team option to his contract in 2014.
ag
November 29th, 2012
2:08 pm
I would not do Derrick Williams for Morrow. He is to important for us. I would give them Petro and Stevenson – have to see what his salary is.
vava74
November 29th, 2012
2:13 pm
#2 picks, even when disappointing during their first couple of years are not traded for bottom of rotation talent.
Morrow for Williams? Wolves can get 200 better offers than that and I will not even discuss Petro and Stevenson.
Why the hell would they trade for Petro? To embalm him and use him as a carpet in Khan’s office? Because that is just about the only use I can see for him.
The Truth
November 29th, 2012
2:21 pm
“On the ensuing possession, the Hawks then ran the shot clock down but Lou Williams missed his 3-point attempt and left the Bobcats with 5.2 seconds.”
As I watched the Hawks game at Phillips, I witness the utmost “pot that called the kettle black” when during this critical moment in the game; Lou decides to launch a deep 3 early in the shot clock and missed. Bobcats got the rebound and called timeout. I saw Josh reading Lou the riot act on the sideline the led to them arguing.
Maybe Josh saw himself in the mirror and couldn’t handle “The Truth”.
Just Joe
November 29th, 2012
2:23 pm
I’d trade Morrow for Derrick Williams (I’m not Danny Ferry), but I don’t think Williams would come that cheap. I think the price would be Korver + a pick. Just a guess. Twolves have no cap issues, and would be looking for an upgrade in talent (veteran wing) plus something for the future (pick). If you’ve got Rubio & Korver moving in that offense, with AK47, Love & Pekovic up front, that’s a pretty good lineup.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 29th, 2012
2:25 pm
I don’t see what Minnesota’s incentive would be to trade Derrick Williams. They spent a #2 overall pick on him. At the very least, keep him around until his rookie contract expires and see if he develops into a good player. What’s the point in trading him for 10 cents on the dollar now when you could do that 2 years from now? I would bet these “trade rumors” are just motivational tactics.
Stevenson is more valuable to this team than many of you seem to think. He isn’t going to make any All-Defense teams, but on a team where every other SG/SF is horrible defensively, his ability to play average defense is a huge asset. Morrow looked completely lost chasing Ben Gordon around screens last night.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 29th, 2012
2:28 pm
“who cares what he did during exhibition time in the third quarter”
The third quarter is exhibition time? That explains why they always came out flat after halftime under Woody.
Just Joe
November 29th, 2012
2:36 pm
I’d love to have Mike Dunleavy on this team right now. I don’t see the Bucks moving him, but Dunleavy would be a good fit for LD’s system (lots of motion / sharing the ball / outside shooting / team defense).
Corey Brewer wouldn’t be a bad choice either, although his shooting is rough.
ag
November 29th, 2012
2:42 pm
Too many typo’s. Do you think Utah is happy with Marvin? I guess one mans trash is another mans treasure.
The Truth
November 29th, 2012
2:42 pm
“I don’t see what Minnesota’s incentive would be to trade Derrick Williams. They spent a #2 overall pick on him.”
Najeh
This is the source of the chatter:
“Derrick Williams on the Block?”
“While it seems Gasol won’t be on the move, last year’s No. 2 overall pick, Derrick Williams, isn’t a fit for the Minnesota Timberwolves and could be involved in a trade this season.”
” According to another report by HoopsWorld’s Kyler, the T’Wolves could be willing to trade him if the right deal comes along now that Kevin Love is back in the lineup and Minnesota’s stars are starting to heal from their devastating injuries.”
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1422422-nba-trade-rumors-latest-on-pau-gasol-derrick-williams-and-more-possible-deals
But likely nothing more than a rumor, We Shall See
Samurai Squirrel
November 29th, 2012
2:43 pm
I agree, Najeh. He has a broken jumper, but he plays pretty good D and can knock down a few shots.
I’m not saying the T-wolves would do it, but it is better than trotting out the usual “Petro for Williams” deal that you guys propose. They are lacking dependable shooting guards – why not move one of ours if we can? If he is available and it won’t hurt us anything to get him, why not? I won’t be surprised if someone else snags him for nothing.
ag
November 29th, 2012
2:44 pm
vava74, lol…. but you never know with Ferry. People said we would neverr trade Joe’s contract.
Nate ArchiBALL
November 29th, 2012
2:45 pm
The Truth – Were you speaking of the three Lou took at 5.9 seconds? It wasn’t early in the shot clock, According to the play by play the Hawks received the ball at 29.1 seconds.
Slimjr
November 29th, 2012
2:54 pm
I agree with the idea of trading for a talented player like Derrick Williams especially if we can acquire him on the cheap?
He’s a match up nightmare playing the 3 spot at 6′8″!
The Truth
November 29th, 2012
3:03 pm
“According to the play by play the Hawks received the ball at 29.1 seconds.”
ArchiBALL
That is correct. Thanks for keeping me honest. After further review though, it was even worse what Lou did. He hogged the ball and made no pass for 23.2 sec and then launched his deep 3 attempt. This got Josh irritated and also led to Lou being benched for Harris.