Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 126, Pistons 119 2OT (updated)
Vivlamore reporting.
A 22-point fourth-quarter lead was not big enough.
The Hawks needed nine points in double overtime from Jeff Teague for a 126-119 victory over the Pistons Wednesday night at Philips Arena. The Hawks nearly gift-wrapped and gave away a game they dominated for three and a half quarters.
The Pistons erased the huge Hawks’ lead as the final comeback points coming on Austin Daye’s 3-pointer with four seconds remaining in regulation. Al Horford hit the first of two free throws to tie the score at 101-101 with 1.8 seconds left and force overtime.
The Pistons got five points from Will Bynum in the first overtime but the Hawks answered with a 3-pointer by Lou Williams and a basket by Horford.
“It wasn’t as much as what they were doing as what we were doing,” coach Larry Drew said. “We got a little complacent. We started playing the lead. We stopped executing. Defensively, as good as we were in the first half, we were just as bad in the second half. We had defensive breakdowns. We had too many lapses. We were leaving 3-point shooters. Our coverages weren’t as sharp as they were in the first half. Once (the lead got cut) to 10, I could see our guys looking at the scoreboard.”
Teague gave the Hawks the lead for good, 113-112, on a 3-pointer with 2:46 remaining in the second overtime. He added a steal and two free throws after a clear-path foul, a layup and two more free throws. The Hawks also got five points from Kyle Korver, including a big 3-pointer, and four points from Williams in the second overtime.
Teague said he was eager to make amends for a fourth-quarter defensive lapse on the Pistons’ Will Bynum.
“I was just trying to be aggressive,” Teague said. “I felt like I was the reason the lead was cut, that play when Bynum made that play at half-court, stole the ball and got the and-one layup (with 8:22 remaining that cut the Hawks’ lead to 89-74). That switched the momentum. I know we were up by 15 (points) but I thought that really got them going. When I got an opportunity to get back on the floor I just wanted to make the most of it.
The Hawks jumped to their commanding lead thanks to Josh Smith.
First-quarter score: Smith 14, Pistons 12.
The Hawks star forward outscored the entire Pistons team in the opening period. Add the rest of Smith’s teammates and the Hawks held a 15-point advantage after just 12 minutes. It was not enough.
Smith finished with 31 points, the most by a Hawks player this season and seven off his career-high (38 at Milwaukee, Nov. 17, 2007). It was Smith’s first 30-point game, and 18th of his career, since he scored 34 at Philadelphia on March 31. Smith added 10 rebounds, six assists and two blocks.
“I was being aggressive,” Smith said. “I was just trying to get the energy up of our players. I started off early with it.”
The Hawks (17-9) won their second straight and kept a firm hold on third place in the Eastern Conference. It was their third straight win over the Pistons and ninth straight at Philips Arena.
The Hawks also got double-figure scoring from Horford (22), Williams (18), Teague (17) and Anthony Morrow (16). Morrow scored seven of his points in the fourth quarter.
The Pistons (9-22) had a two-game win streak snapped and have won only three road games all season. The Pistons have losing streaks of eight (to start the season) and six games.
The Pistons were led by Bynum with 31 points. He was part of 85 bench-points from the Pistons. Bynum made 4-of-6 3-pointers after entering the game with three from long range all season.
The Hawks were nearly done in by their free-throw shooting. After making the first nine, the Hawks made just six of their next 14. They did ice the game by making all eight free throws in double overtime.
“It hasn’t caught up to us yet where we’ve lost the game but if we don’t start making our free throws, particularly in crunch-time situations, we can be in that situation very easily,” Drew said.
Smith finished with 21 first-half points, five rebounds, an assist and a block. Smith shot 9 for 12, including a making a 3-point attempt. The point total was the most in a half by a Hawk player this season.
The Hawks built the early lead with first-quarter runs of 9-1 and 13-0. During the later run, which increased the Hawks’ lead to 16 points at 26-10, the Pistons went a full five minutes without scoring. They missed eight straight shots during the ice-cold stretch.
The Pistons closed to within four points at halftime, 50-45, as they doubled their shooting percentage from 25 to 50 percent.
However, the Hawks pushed the lead back to 19 points, 81-62, at the end of the third quarter. The lead grew to as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter. The Pistons cut into the lead with six 3-pointers in the final quarter, setting up the late-game dramatics.
“I’m just glad we won,” Horford said. “I know it didn’t go the way we wanted but I’m just glad we got this win.”
- Chris Vivlamore
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145 comments Add your comment
High-sider
December 26th, 2012
10:34 pm
1st?
High-sider
December 26th, 2012
10:34 pm
2nd?
Rod from College Park
December 26th, 2012
10:35 pm
I guess a win is a win
High-sider
December 26th, 2012
10:36 pm
Dang, C-Viv, you “be on it” when it comes to “churning out” (writing) these articles. You “real time” like a “big dog.”
High-sider
December 26th, 2012
10:38 pm
LD should have played Morrow at the end of this game even though Korver made a “big shot” and two clutch free throws in (I think) double OT.
Dumb and Dumber
December 26th, 2012
10:39 pm
keith
December 26th, 2012
7:27 pm
This line-up possibly may be the most talented 5 Hawk players on the floor, minus Jeff Teague. Start Devin at the point and see what happens if he’s healthy……
keith
December 26th, 2012
7:44 pm
Teague has no confidence in his jump shot, PERIOD!!!
keith
December 26th, 2012
8:54 pm
Jeff “Scrub” Teague… Get him out of there!!!!!!
keith
December 26th, 2012
9:15 pm
New starting 5 going forward!!!!!!!!!
PG-LouWill
SG-A Morrow
SF-Korver
PF-Josh
C-Horford
J.J.M.
December 26th, 2012
9:33 pm
Hawks guards getting rapeddd
J.J.M.
December 26th, 2012
9:44 pm
And why y’all keep screaming for teague? Point guard drives and passes it up to josh for 3?
J.J.M.
December 26th, 2012
9:53 pm
Guard blows by teague again for they alley oop
keith
December 26th, 2012
10:10 pm
The Basketball Gods are helping these BIG DUMMIES 2-night!!!!!!!
keith
December 26th, 2012
10:12 pm
JOSH AND AL……………………………ENOUGH SAID….TAKE THEM OFF THE ALL-STAR BALLOT TONIGHT!!!
Big Daddy
December 26th, 2012
10:41 pm
Hawks were lucky to come out with a win. You can’t let a team you have down by over 20 points come back and make the game competitive. They got too jump shot happy.
High-sider
December 26th, 2012
10:47 pm
The Detroit Pistons coach (Lawrence Frank) might be starting the wrong five (players). Look at which players scored points for the Pistons tonight; check out the box score.
http://www.nba.com/games/20121226/DETATL/gameinfo.html?ls=iref:nbahpgt0021200414
doc
December 26th, 2012
10:49 pm
whew!
Slimjr
December 26th, 2012
10:49 pm
Hey Danny play through your guards and see how far that will take you…
Ask Sund, he already tried it…
Rev in Tampa
December 26th, 2012
10:49 pm
I am frustrated by the way the Hawks let go of the lead so easily, but I am happy for the fans at Philips tonight. And exciting brand of basketball for 3 quarters, high intensity at the end of regulation and loads of free basketball, and a Hawks win. They got their money’s worth.
I took my children to the 2 overtime win against the Wizards over Thanksgiving. I really enjoyed myself while you guys on the blog were moaning about the Hawks barely beating the winless Wiz.
Melvin
December 26th, 2012
10:53 pm
Some wins are harder than others… I will take it…
Slimjr
December 26th, 2012
10:53 pm
This is the kind of Game that Josh and Allstar Al should dominate from beginning to end! Period!
doc
December 26th, 2012
10:54 pm
cviv, it almost worked …. for three quarters.
najeh, just checked on your guy conley to compare lin to; 382 games he has played and scored greater than 25, 7 times, never more than 28. lin, 92 games, also with 7 games with at least 25 points and top game 38 the other night.
you know their stats are so similar they might have used conley as a template to offer 8 mil a year then threw poison in for the last year. hmmmm.
Melvin
December 26th, 2012
10:55 pm
We saw enough of keith post on the game blog. I don’t know why someone would copy and paste his post again on this blog…SMH
Melvin
December 26th, 2012
10:57 pm
Devin Harris/ Petro for Corey Maggette. The Pistons are not using him…
keith
December 26th, 2012
10:59 pm
Slimjr
December 26th, 2012
10:53 pm
This is the kind of Game that Josh and Allstar Al should dominate from beginning to end! Period!
DITTO!!!!!
keith
December 26th, 2012
11:01 pm
AL Horford–Jeff Teague…and …Kyle Korver to Utah for Al Jefferson and Derek Favors????? How does that taste?????
kwooden1
December 26th, 2012
11:03 pm
HAWKS have to learn to finish these kinds of games, but I also think Bynum was in a Zone in the 4th. We’re not a team that can get stops when they need to, so they will always lose leads. With that said they play a fun brand of basketball, and it looked like everyone at Phillips got their money’s worth. I like Lou as a starter because it brings his scoring to the table right at the start of the game. Jeff did a nice job of finishing this game at the line and with a nice assist to Korver. (even though Korver wasn’t shooting the ball great, Jeff passed it to him with confidence) I think Jeff’s pick and roll defense is getting better also.
Not a great win but I will take it.
GO HAWKS!!
keith
December 26th, 2012
11:04 pm
I have lost enough sleep tonight watching Josh Smith shoot “Air Balls”…Would rather trade Josh Smith, however, i do not believe his trade value is very high….
keith
December 26th, 2012
11:09 pm
Al Jefferson tonight—18 points—–10 rebounds 1—Blocked shot……
kwooden1
December 26th, 2012
11:09 pm
Slimjr, Detroit usually causes the HAWKS problems because of their size, but tonight they turned the ball over so much it really didn’t matter. They still killed us on the boards and Bynum had it stuck on automatic!
Najeh Davenpoop
December 26th, 2012
11:13 pm
“najeh, just checked on your guy conley to compare lin to; 382 games he has played and scored greater than 25, 7 times, never more than 28. lin, 92 games, also with 7 games with at least 25 points and top game 38 the other night.
you know their stats are so similar they might have used conley as a template to offer 8 mil a year then threw poison in for the last year. hmmmm.”
You really stretched my comments way beyond what I said. All I said is that being undrafted shouldn’t matter anymore since the market revalued him at $8 million per year. I never said he wasn’t living up to it, just that he needs to start more than a half a season’s worth of games before making that determination. I would have said the same thing if, for example, Teague got a shiny new contract after the 2nd round series against the Bulls when he held his own against Derrick Rose.
Conley is far from “my guy” but I wonder how many 20 point games Lin would have if his primary responsibility was to set up two premier post scorers as opposed to getting his own. I think it’s fair to ask that without being biased.
steve brown
December 26th, 2012
11:15 pm
Josh “AB” Smith was an All-star for around the first half of the game and a bum for the remainder. The leader of a team doesn’t continually cry to the refs and pout when things don’t go his way. Smith needs to look in the mirror and get mad at himself for his utter lack of smart, clutch basketball when it counts. He blames everyone but himself and it is utterly juvenile. Grow the hell up.
steve brown
December 26th, 2012
11:18 pm
Coach Drew needs to get the ball in the hands of foul shooters at the end – what the hell is he thinking.
High-sider
December 26th, 2012
11:28 pm
Slimjr,
J.R. Smith hits another game-winner for your Knicks!!!!!
High-sider
December 26th, 2012
11:30 pm
Nuggets chisel Lakers, 126 – 114. D’Antoni, what’s the problem?
High-sider
December 26th, 2012
11:31 pm
Kobe scored 40 (points) and the Lakers still lost (LOL).
http://www.nba.com/games/20121226/LALDEN/gameinfo.html?ls=iref:nbahpgt0021200419
Slimjr
December 26th, 2012
11:37 pm
High-sider, J.R. Smith would be a starter on many squads..
I just knew Al was going to miss the winning free throw.. He knew it too? lol!
fair weather fan
December 26th, 2012
11:37 pm
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaair-ball Josh…..
might be a spot on the globe trotters if he can get more diciplined
2 FOR JOHN DREW
December 26th, 2012
11:48 pm
@ Steve Brown ………. With Josh ” It is what it is ” …… I’ve never watched a player in all my years of being a sports enthusiast, that makes me so high w/ pride one minute & the next minute just drunk w/ fury. He plays so well, then w/ all them shooters …. He launches these God-awful low percentage shots ( air balled a couple) at critical times in the game. And makes it worse, when he hits the dang blame thing cause he gets full of himself & you know he’s gonna without fail ….. do it over & over again WOW …. But he’s my guy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
O'Brien
December 26th, 2012
11:58 pm
Happy for the win, although I didn’t like the way the game played out.
We saw the recipe for the Hawks losing. 33% from 3 (missed 22 of them), and -15 on the boards. Luckily we did enough things well to overcome it.
One thing that concerns me is once the Hawks train gets off the track, LD seems powerless to stop it. And how come there seemed to be no defensive adjustment on Bynum (although he made some tough shots)?
And in crunch time, I do not want Josh or Al taking FTs.
High-sider
December 27th, 2012
12:02 am
Warriors give Jazz the blues, 94 – 83.
Marvin Williams – 2pts, 1reb and 1ast in 18:40 (of game time)
http://www.nba.com/games/20121226/GSWUTA/gameinfo.html?ls=iref:nbahpgt0021200420
doc
December 27th, 2012
12:11 am
najeh, i simply asked you to tell me what an 8 mil a year guy looked like as that seemd to be your beef against the guy and you gave me conley. he became “your” comparison guy. for sure, lin wont be the main guy in houston with harden next to him but it is weak to suggest that already lin who has as many 25 point games as conley and has 290 games left in which to surpass him isnt in his company.
my point and you continue to pull away from it is you seem to have something against lin and his game that goes deeper than stats. me, i like underdogs and guys with perseverance against the odds. he has proven himself whether you are going to say, “maybe on second thought the guy is more relevant and better than i thought or was wiling to give him credit for.
meanwhile, i doubt teague has had many 20/10 games in his career much less on back to backs which lin just did. not bad for a 4 yr guy from harvard, left undrafted, to make his way into the nba and perform in the big apple. he has proven his worth, if it is the likes of conley who you chose, also making in the same range with similar numbers.
ag
December 27th, 2012
12:23 am
Rev, I took my boys to their first Hawk game. They are 4 and 9. Imagine, the first game of your life, your team wins in double OT! Funny, a lot of fans starting leaving in the 4th quarter. I am very happy they won.
kuhndog
December 27th, 2012
12:28 am
Exiting game , it shouldnt have been. Josh like another said here looked like an all star the first three quarters, then got cold. I think when it is not going for josh he needs to eat some paint, and Al has lost confidence from the line he missed 2 big ones against the Celts. last year in the playoffs and I thought he would inprove this year….not… Teauge well he plays with intenisity some times and others he like at a pick up game, he looses his focus. Teauge won it for us in the 2nd overtime, the rest of the team ran out of gas.At least we are winning the ones we are supposed to win for the most part as hard as we make it on ourselves. We will see on the next part of the schedule how we hold up,I will be more optimistic after the next 15 to 20 games if we win 60 to 65% of them.
High-sider
December 27th, 2012
12:40 am
@Duh
“Jamal is like the 7th or 8th option in LA once Hill and Billups come back.” – Duh @5:12pm, 12/26/2012
So, a guy (Jamal Crawford) who’s currently the second leading scorer (16.5ppg) on a (Clippers) team that currently has best record in the NBA (22 – 6; 0.786 winning percentage) will be the 7th or 8th (scoring) option once (Grant) Hill and (Chauncey) Billups return from injury? Isn’t a team’s second leading scorer also that (particular) team’s second (scoring) option? Now, I really understand why your name/handle is “Duh.” (smh)
http://www.nba.com/clippers/stats/2012
doc
December 27th, 2012
12:44 am
high sider hard to believe marvin in his third year avg 15/6 for the year. he was probably only 21 yrs of age. at the time i figured he was going to continue to improve. he instead peaked.
meanwhile jj paying forward was -13 with 13 its on 15 shots with 3 rebounds assigned t the sf position.
i think it is going to get guy in brooklyn before the year is done. d will may owe sloan a bit of his present paycheck.
Najeh Davenpoop
December 27th, 2012
1:01 am
“my point and you continue to pull away from it is you seem to have something against lin and his game that goes deeper than stats.”
Based on what? I could turn that around and say you seem to be biased towards him because he is undrafted, from Harvard, underdog story, etc. I haven’t said anything negative about him other than that he has to prove himself, which is true for any inexperienced player.
Rusty
December 27th, 2012
1:29 am
Every time that idiot LD took JT out & let LW play pg we couldn’t score.i swear LDwould rather lose a game than let JT succeed.playing LW at pg for almost the complete 4th qt was really stupid even for LD .we can get away with LD ’s poor coaching against bad teams but not against good teams. That Keith is so stupid it’s hard to read anything he says.
High-sider
December 27th, 2012
1:35 am
doc,
I think you might be right about it “getting ugly” in Brooklyn. I don’t think Joe will be able to adapt like Jamal. Jamal is/was used to “bouncing around” the Association but it has been a while since Joe has switched teams. (Joe came to ATL from PHO in 2005, if I’m not mistaken.) It may take Joe a little more time to adjust to his new surroundings (and that may be too long for him, Coach Avery Johnson and the Nets in “win now” league).
Owner (Mikhail) Prokhorov of the Nets is supposedly a “sharp, finance guy” who should know (a little something) about “Caveat emptor” and/or “Buyer’s remorse.” Oh well, I guess we all get “duped” from time to time even the most intelligent. I know one thing; he (Prokhorov) better “get it together” quickly because that (Brooklyn Nets’) team payroll is a “monster” – currently (about) $25.5mil, over the (salary) cap (ouch).
http://www.basketball-reference.com/contracts/BRK.html
Rusty
December 27th, 2012
1:45 am
LD is at fault with jpJT inconsistency,he takes JT out when the hawks are playing good.JT is the teams strength ,the offense flows when he is at pg & falls apart when LW & DH is playing pg. Stupid LD has to shorten his rotations & sub a hell of a lot better if we are going to beat the good teams.
High-sider
December 27th, 2012
1:46 am
^Correction: “So, a guy (Jamal Crawford) who’s currently the second leading scorer (16.5ppg) on a (Clippers) team that currently has [the] best record in the NBA (22 – 6; 0.786 winning percentage)…”
falCans
December 27th, 2012
2:35 am
Josh playing on the perimeter is not his fault…Coach is in a precarious situation…Josh is such a good facilitator and his jumper ha to at least be respected now so im sure its hard to just post him on the block on offense but errrr ummmm….stevie can see that when Smoove is fed down low he cant be stopped
Duh
December 27th, 2012
2:46 am
High-sider,
Yes and was not just referring to scoring when I made that statement. Or do you not know who Chauncey Billups is? Do you need to check his resume? Check his career 3pt makes. He drops 16 points in his sleep. He is LA’s starting SG when he returns. Hill and Billups both play better D than Jamal and they aren’t chuckers. I did not say that to demean Crawford (I love him and what he did for ATL), but If you are going to win a title with Jamal on your roster it aint gonna happen if he’s your 1st, 2nd, or 3rd option (in the pecking order). His place is appropriate (for them to make real noise/be succesful) on that team.
Duh
December 27th, 2012
2:51 am
“Jamal is like the 7th or 8th option in LA once Hill and Billups come back.”
Not necessarily “option” but more like rainking-as far as importance is concerned. Obviously Griffin, Jordan, and CP3 are your foundational pieces. Then it would be Chauncey, Caron, Hill…..THEN Jamal……Bledsoe etc.
Duh
December 27th, 2012
2:55 am
High-Sider,
FTPB,
Last year’s loss had more to do with the health of our big men than it had to do with Jamal Crawford…..and the fact that we GAVE AWAY game two of that series’. Lets be real……
northcyde
December 27th, 2012
3:05 am
Oh wow . . .
Just watched this game on Synergy. This blog would look like a wildfire had we lost that game tonight.
And as well as Josh played for almost 3 quarters, he completely melted down from the 4th quarter on. 8 consecutive misses. 3 air balls. 4 critical misses at the FT line toward the end of regulation.
He was arguably having the best game of his career before he went ice cold.
northcyde
December 27th, 2012
3:13 am
falCans
December 27th, 2012
2:35 am
Josh playing on the perimeter is not his fault…Coach is in a precarious situation…Josh is such a good facilitator and his jumper ha to at least be respected now so im sure its hard to just post him on the block on offense but errrr ummmm….stevie can see that when Smoove is fed down low he cant be stopped
***********
falCans, this lie about Josh needs to stop
No other big man on this team drifts to the outside more than Josh. Josh does this on purpose, so he can receive the ball when a guard gets doubled.
Duh
December 27th, 2012
3:14 am
For the record, With the game on the line, I would rather have the ball in Chauncey Billlups hands over Jamal ANY DAY OF THE WEEK…..i’m also willing to bet that the bulk of Jamal’s damage (scoring) gets done again the opponents second unit. Being so low in LA’s pecking order is benefiting Jamal like never before in his career. When you can be on the court with CP3, Caron Butler, Deandre Jordan, and Blake Griffin, stopping Jamal in not even close to being the opposing teams’ top priority.
That may change in the last FEW minutes of a close game, but certainly not throughout the curse of an entire game. Still in crunch time Jamal is valuable but his defensive disability hurts the team; BUT they have decent post player to cover for him. Still as a two-way player it’s Chauncey all day.
Dr. Warren
December 27th, 2012
5:09 am
That may have been true about Chauncey five years ago, but not anymore, Duh. Ask the Clipper players how valuable Jamal is to that team, and I think you’ll get some very positive answers.
W.R. Terrell
December 27th, 2012
6:09 am
The “Smoove”, started the game in the right way, playing from inside to outside. He was devastating and unstoppable the first half. The HAWKS were playing as a cohesive unit, timing and spacing was good. That was the upside but once the lead ballooned old habits by the “Smoove” took over, timing and spacing was lost, the Pistons capitalized on every missed shot and took advantage of the lost momentum. I hope this was a lesson well learned. When you have a team on the ropes you go inside, you live on the inside banging, the percentages are in your favor. That’s how a good team close out games. They fought back after giving up a 20 plus point lead and may have grown from that experience, lets hope so. LD really needs to get a better handle or should I say better control of some players in critical stages of the game. JT was a positive factor that paid off in crunch time. A very entertaining game but one that was not needed. I am happy for the win and hope some growth will come out of dumb play.
W.R. Terrell
December 27th, 2012
6:16 am
This was a win but a pitiful one. Giving away a 20 plus point led is indicative of dumb play. Good teams close out by scoring on the inside, banging for fouls. There is a reason the HAWKS do not have a SUPERSTAR, it is a matter of being smart and basketball IQ. HOORAYS for JT because someone had to come thru.
lanorris39
December 27th, 2012
6:32 am
People always complaining, but let the truth be known that LD needs to give the players more rest then he’s giving them, by learning to use his bench more. Players are human not machines, he’s playing guys as if this is a shorten season.
mgm
December 27th, 2012
8:04 am
It’s hard to really get into this team or any basketball team if your in city that you know won’t win in the playoffs. Every year the NBA has 4 maybe 5 legitimate contentders for the title (sometimes less) and the rest are just playing games. This Hawks team has no shot in the playoffs. When the playoffs start, game slows down, defense and smart play kick in, especially in the 4th qtr, and this team has no go to guy. Josh, cmon man, he is a in the flow of the game scorer and a huge liability at the ft line. Al, not a superstar at all. Good and effective but his scoring is not his best attribute. The point guard still alludes this team. The one position the’ve needed to solidify for years and still haven’t done it. Games are entertaining but who are we kiddiing. This team is no where near a contender. Just another regular season fun fest.
doc
December 27th, 2012
8:25 am
najeh, after about a 100 ganes lin matches up to the 8 mil yr guy you suggested i comoare him to as an ex in conley who haa played anout 400 games. 100 games is a pretty good sample size to say lin is goid enough and has proven hinself more than a flash in the pan. to which i say you cant admit you were wrong.
meanwhile, more importantly, it nay suggest what we will have to pay teague to keep him as he is in that same range of nimbers. it will be interesting to see how that one floats. this discussion also suggests what value lou has for this team at 5 mil for several seasons to come. thanks danny, he may have been a relative steal.
drmaryb.(""_*).
December 27th, 2012
8:29 am
Domestic Violence!
“drmary,
I was expecting an inside scoop on Andruw Jones arrest.” – Revin Tampa -
______________________
Ha Ha! Rev. you got me there. I almost posted the Andruw Jones article on the Hawks Blog but, I got side tracked with an incoming call. But, hey I was all over that tid-bit.
Hey Andruw! Lay off the sauce man and, help your wifey put that computer table together. Better yet, hire yourself a Butler! [smh] & keep your hands to yourself!
Mike is Back
December 27th, 2012
8:35 am
Hey, it wasn’t pretty…but a win is win. I’m glad the HAWKS kept battling through their defensive lapses…and mental breakdowns. They never quit and secured the victory…even though it took double OT…I thought it was an entertaining game…and a great win!!
\
KEEP BATTLING…GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DS
December 27th, 2012
8:52 am
I know a lot of you have already said this, but Korver has to be one of the smartest players in the league. Imagine if he was a little quicker and more athletic. The guy plays off the ball like nobody else, that 3 pointer from Teague was all thanks to Korver, he set a hard screen for 2 Pistons. Even defensively, the guy is extremely slow, but he makes it up with his smarts. Yes, sometimes he gets blown by quicker players, but he compensates it with excellent team d. I really hope we keep him after this season. Good win by the Hawks!
Just Joe
December 27th, 2012
8:54 am
You knew we were in for it when Bynum & Charlie V knocked down like 5 or 6 threes in a row in the 4th quarter.
Glad to have the win. 17 & 9, 3rd place in the East! Keep working Hawks, and Danny-boy, you keep working those phones too.
DS
December 27th, 2012
8:55 am
And stop complaining for crying out loud! We got to watch great basketball and we got the W! I swear some of you people only come to the blog to talk trash about our Hawks…
DS
December 27th, 2012
8:58 am
I didn’t really understad why LD didn’t ride Morrow’s hot hand in the 4th tough. On a sidenote, I really hope we can get Aminu, we should be able to get him cheap, he seems to be in the doghouse in NO and hasn’t played much in the past weeks (not injured). Maybe Petro and a 2nd will do it???
Rod from College Park
December 27th, 2012
9:00 am
Duh,
“For the record, With the game on the line, I would rather have the ball in Chauncey Billlups hands over Jamal ANY DAY OF THE WEEK…..i’m also willing to bet that the bulk of Jamal’s damage (scoring) gets done again the opponents second unit. Being so low in LA’s pecking order is benefiting Jamal like never before in his career. When you can be on the court with CP3, Caron Butler, Deandre Jordan, and Blake Griffin, stopping Jamal in not even close to being the opposing teams’ top priority.”
Another reason why I say go back to Peachtree Hoops with all the INTELLIGENT people. Jamal is the leading scorer in the 4th quarter in the NBA. I don’t know many teams that play their bench the entire 4th quarter. LOL. How much would you be willing to bet. There is a sucker born every minute, and you seem to be one of them.
Rod from College Park
December 27th, 2012
9:08 am
“Rod, I know its in an article somewhere, with that being said i’m 100% certain its mentioned on his twitter. No way am I trying to look back that far but Jamal was definitely looking to get more that 5 mill per year. He was literally responding to fans with this stuff, it’s there.”
Keep going on your twitter feeds and imaginary articles, I stick with my sources. I can pretty much guarantee you my sources are more credible than any article by any NBA writer or a twitter feed, concerning the Hawks. Stay on Peachtree Hoops. That’s where the INTELLIGENT people are.
hfc95
December 27th, 2012
9:28 am
Yet again Josh starts off hot and sits for half the second qtr before going back in, the famous”step on their throats” quote by LD is an unconcsious way LD is talking about himself, LD is realistically the main cause that this phenomenom continues to surface for the hawks. I actually like LD, i think he is an intelligent coach and as we all have witnessed he does diagram out of timeouts plays very well but I do not see any passion out of him, he has taken on the lacadaisicallness of Joe with the stubborness of Josh.
There was no reason that Korver should have been in late in the fourth last night and then those two overtime periods as he was cold(1-10? i believe, before OT) and Morrow was hitting shots and he should have been playing.
CVIV,
any news or timetable on when Devin Harris will be back in uniform? We cant start our only two PGs for to much longer, JT & LW need someone else to help share the load.
Not So Casual Observer
December 27th, 2012
9:31 am
Morrow – 16 pts in 18 minutes, then no minutes in late 4th or OT when the Hawks could not score.
Korver was 1 for 11 when he hit the 3 in OT, Morrow was 6 for 10 for the game. May not have been forced to OT if Morrow played in late 4th. Drew will not play young guys in crunch.
ATMAN
December 27th, 2012
9:36 am
Josh is 50% from FT line & more like a 25% FG shooter (take away is dunks). HE can’t shoot! His game depends on athletic ability and we depend on him having energy on both ends. Yes, he needs to be on the block more, left one in my opinion. LD needs to stop him from sliding out to get those kick our 3’s and being completely out of postion to rebound. This is why Zsa Zsa or Ivan need to be in the game more than they are, Al’s not a monster inside and Josh is floating around out there at the 3 point line like he is Dirk.
tc
December 27th, 2012
9:38 am
I get very tired of all the Smith bashing. Did anyone see his stats? He is the one player on the team that had he not played we would have totally lost the game. I agree his play in the 4th was bad, but I blame more of that on LD. LD needs to make better decisions with his rotations in the 4th quarter. Smith is a keeper, I think he will continue to improve (maybe slowly) but still improve as he gets older and hopefully more mature.
NORRIS CHUCK
December 27th, 2012
9:54 am
TC,
Thats why the Hawks will live and DIE by Josh Smith. They depended on No Show Joe for a few seasons and now with Josh the wanna-be All-star this year.
Andy
December 27th, 2012
10:05 am
Despite Josh’s start, he was the reason we should have lost that game… When will this team realize that he is not our finisher as much as we keep trying to push it on him… I’d rather see high/isolated pick and rolls for Teague (with Horford or Korver)… Kind of like how Pistons were dong with Bynum… Teague can use his quickness and has a good floater in the lane and can hit free throws if fouled… If he’s guarded then can kick to Korver/Horford on the pick and roll… Kind of like what we used to do with Johnson/Crawford…
It’s now getting to the point where team’s are implementing the hack-Shaq strategy against him… Last night they had 7seconds left on the shot clock with Josh out BEYOND the 3pt line and the Pistons STILL took the opportunity of putting Josh on the line as opposed to the Hawks gettting a bad shot off with time running off on the clock…
Nique: “And really was a silly foul”
Rathburn: “What the Pistons may be banking on is.. We’ll take our chances with Josh on the FT line…”
Nique: “Meh…It’s risky because you still had a chance to get a rebound and come down and get a two or three… Still wasn’t a smart foul…”
CLANK… CLANK…
Pistons coach, smiling…
Nique: “Very fortunate” WHAT?!?!? Fortunate that the Pistons have a smart coach?!?
Josh 0-7 FG and 1-4 FT down the stretch… And then Josh has the audacity to complain to the ref on a phantom foul because he throws up an air ball (4:37 left in 2OT)… Quit trying to blame someone else for your air ball and bust your butt back on defense… If I see Josh hold out his arms to the side in disgust ONE MORE TIME… I…. I… won’t be surprised…
Hilarious last night when Josh made a 3 pointer and then you see the Hawks bench in the background not celebrating one bit…
Can you not accept your role like Rodman and realize you have no role on the offensive end… You’re only in the game for defensive purposes? Will be glad when he walks next season…
Just Joe
December 27th, 2012
10:16 am
Playcalling & PG play make all the difference in the world when it comes to Josh.
Near the end of regulation…Teague, Korver, Smith, Horford, and Pachulia on the floor. The playcall is isolation for Teague at the top of the key??? Where does that put Josh? And whose man is the opposing coach going to send for help defense on Teague? And the result? Josh is open behind the 3-pt line. The playcall lead to the most-likely outcome.
Why not run high post pick & roll with Teague & Al, Josh & ZaZa on the baseline, and Korver behind the arc? Will the opposition overplay Teague & foul Horford? Is that a better outcome than a 3-pt attempt for Josh? Maybe not, but do you see how the decision effects Josh & the fans’ perspective that Josh is just chucking up long range shots? If you run the pick & roll and Horford misses one of the two free throws, the blame suddenly shifts from Josh the “chucker” to Al the “choker”.
ATMAN
December 27th, 2012
10:19 am
Josh is our most talented player but, is at times our worst liability. Wonder what DF is gonna do???
SteveW
December 27th, 2012
10:32 am
Enter your comments here
SteveW
December 27th, 2012
10:33 am
Stupid blogmonster…
Just Joe
December 27th, 2012
10:34 am
I’m not saying that playcalling is 100% responsible for Josh’s shot selection, but when you compound playcalling that puts Josh on the perimeter with Josh’s tendency to slide out to the perimeter when things break down, then you get a high % of long range shots. The playcalling variable can be easily fixed. Josh’s tendencies are much harder to change since they come more from his instincts & feel for the game.
Rod from College Park
December 27th, 2012
10:40 am
Just Joe,
You are correct. The play calling is mostly to blame, with Josh being responsible also. People also have to understand that the starters played from the start of the 4th quarter through 2 OT’s with alsmost no subs. LD will run these guys in the ground. It makes no sense because you really don’t lose much with Ivan or Morrow on the floor. If Horford hits his free throws the game would have been over. I don’t trust Josh or Horford at the line at the end of the game.
Duluth Joe
December 27th, 2012
10:43 am
Josh and Al both had great games last night, if not for missing free throws near the end and then running out of gas in overtime.
If they had a little help in scoring from Korver and Teague in regulation(even though Morrow had a good game), game would be easily over.
Teague had a great second overtime. He had a tough game before, missing defensive assignments. But he always is a wild card, with his risk taking on steals and speed, and can change the game flow quickly.
But reading C-Vivlamore summary, and seeing how Teague is hard on himself about his play, makes me proud of him. He knows when he is not bringing it, and that is the most important step for a player improvement/maturity.
Another tricky game with Cavs coming up, Hawks need to be ready.
Rod from College Park
December 27th, 2012
10:45 am
“Can you not accept your role like Rodman and realize you have no role on the offensive end… You’re only in the game for defensive purposes? Will be glad when he walks next season…”
I’m sure that he won’t accept that role because it obviously is not his role on this team. How does he not have a role on the offensive end, and he is our leading scorer, and our best post player, and our best playmaker. Are you sure you watch the Hawks?
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
10:59 am
People forget that pound for pound Teague is one of the strongest players on the team.. You saw last night, the Bigs were running on fumes in the 4th quarter and beyond. Teague took over [2nd ot] as he switched into beast mode. It then became game, set, and match! He is only 23 years of age which means there’s plenty of gas left in the tank.
For the record, Teague can out bench Big AL..Now that’s impressive…
This guy should play 35-45 mins a night!
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
11:05 am
Danny, why cant your Team win the rebounding edge?
-15 is unacceptable.. +15 and the Hawks win by 30..
Get on the Phone and get us a couple of decent athletic Bigs to clean the backboard..
Should of kept James and Benson!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
11:09 am
If these Bigs do not fix their puny Free-throw percentages, this team should be one and done come playoffs.. Playoffs?
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
11:14 am
Teague, will not be able to stop the #1 pick two years ago [Rod Strickland-from da Bronx] god-son in Kyrie Irving[#4].. This dude is special!
So Teague needs just keep attacking him on the offensive end Friday night!
2 FOR JOHN DREW
December 27th, 2012
11:16 am
Well said, ATMAN ,,,, Well said. Is that a commentary to LD’s schemes …. or Josh losing focus at times … or Josh’s determination to be our go-to-guy ….. You look at Josh & other comparable players & OMG as an over-all package he’s measures quite well I think. If he can eliminate those 2 or 3 habitual lil’ brain-freeze moments ….. The dude produces period …. C’MON JOSH this is your year man !!!
Duluth Joe
December 27th, 2012
11:23 am
“Never said I did. I only said his contract, not his undrafted status, should be used as a benchmark for evaluating him. He should be compared to Mike Conley, not to, say, Donald Sloan. If he plays the rest of the season like he has played the last few games, of course he’ll be living up to his contract.”
Najeh, reason I asked why you were/are having an issue with Lin’s contract, is because you are comparing him to Mike Conley, and imply through communication with Doc that he hasn’t proven his worth relative to the contract.
Lin played under tough circumstances (a team struggling, coach in trouble, toughest market) and his play had immediate clear impact on turning NY around for duration he was healthy. In that market, in NBA, under tough circumstances, he proved himself. For only half a year, but that is still in NBA and his impact was clear.
Comparing him to Conley, one could also say Conley had a free ride from his high school days in Indianapolis playing with Greg Oden, to Ohio State, again playing with Greg Oden. And then he got his new contract (after his rookie contract) when most experts thought it was generous at the time. Only this year, a much improved Conley is bringing value commensurate with his contract.
Also, Lin’s jersey was number 2 in sales in NBA. Does sale of merchandise and associated increase in revenue for that club justify higher pay? Do you think Conley’s jersey ever is number 2 in sales?
How about higher ticket revenue as result of new demographics being attracted to the game? The increase in sales of tickets, can justify a more lucrative contract for a team. Do you think Conley = increased ticket sales in Memphis or NBA?
How about TV exposure? Do you think Conley gets Memphis on TV on Christmas day? While Hardin is by far the star of that team, Lin’s story, is a critical sub-plot to their popularity on a national level.
To me it is a little like Tiger Woods. Tiger got all the appearance money at golf tournaments, and establishment golfers/community didn’t get it. Yes he was number 1, but what Tiger was getting far exceeded being number 1 before. It is the story of a player from a background that is not normally associated with being good in Golf(a different demographic), an underdog, that makes it so fascinating to golf and non-golf enthusiasts. That drives interest in fans and non-fans, and the appearance money(contract).
So it is not always about just stats – true, but his value relative to his contract is already there.
tony
December 27th, 2012
11:23 am
ATMAN
December 27th, 2012
10:19 am
Josh is our most talented player but, is at times our worst liability. Wonder what DF is gonna do???
__________________________________________________
I don’t know what DF will do but this is what I will do. I will eliminate our most sloppy inefficient players(JS/ZAZA) and replace them with level headed efficient players.
2013 projected lineup
pg – JT ————-Lorenzo Brown(r)
sg – Monta Ellis—–Lou Williams—John Jenkins
sf – Kevin Martin—-Kyle Korver —-Mike Scott
pf – Al Horford——Ivan Johnson
c – Al Jefferson—–Jeff Withey(r)
NORRIS CHUCK
December 27th, 2012
11:37 am
AND CAN SOMEBODY TELL WHATS UP WITH THE P.R. GUY IN PHILIPS ARENA?!! HE IS TERRIBLE! DUDE IS JAMING ON THAT ORGAN FROM PHANTOM OF THE OPERA SO HARD, THEY ARE IN TIMOUT AND HE’S PLAYING LIKE SCHROEDER FROM CHARLIE BROWN!
MAN, PHILIPS HAS TO BE THE WORSE PLACE IN THE NBA TO ATTEND A GAME!
Rod from College Park
December 27th, 2012
11:41 am
drmaryb,
“Hey Andruw! Lay off the sauce man and, help your wifey put that computer table together. Better yet, hire yourself a Butler! [smh] & keep your hands to yourself!”
Be willing to bet he caught her cheating on him. A guy just does not drag his wife down the stairs for no reason.
NORRIS CHUCK
December 27th, 2012
11:42 am
And in news we already know…
ESPN ARE HATERS OF ALL GEORGIA SPORTS.
Yall just go to there NBA page and look. NOTHING about the Hawks double overtime game.
They wrote about: The Toronto Raptors say rookie Jonas Valanciunas is expected to be out four to six weeks while he recovers from a broken ring finger on his right hand.
Who the heck is Jonas Valanciunas???
Harpie
December 27th, 2012
11:48 am
Larry Drew is a moron; get a COACH, Hawks!
Ardilla
December 27th, 2012
12:01 pm
Trade Smoove, now! Can’t stand his terrible shot selection. Almost lost the game for us last night.
KevinM
December 27th, 2012
12:02 pm
Take the win when it could have been a big loss….it just shows the weaknesses on this team.
You can’t always have a healthy roster, but Teague should be playing over Lou at this point. LD was thinking offense all the way in the 4th and it almost bit his arse. LD still making moves that have no answer.
Wanna take a chance on a new big man? Let’s go see what it will take for Cousins to come to Atlanta. The head case part needs to have some mentoring, a la Howard had with Ewing.
You think DF is gonna wait on D12 and his status to be resolved first before making any big moves?
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
12:02 pm
“Be willing to bet he caught her cheating on him. A guy just does not drag his wife down the stairs for no reason.”
Wonder how many times she caught him? hmmmmm
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
12:09 pm
“ESPN ARE HATERS OF ALL GEORGIA SPORTS.
Yall just go to there NBA page and look. NOTHING about the Hawks double overtime game.”
Beating a scrub team in 2 overtimes at home is no News..
northcyde
December 27th, 2012
12:11 pm
Breakdown of Josh’s scoring chances last night:
1ST QUARTER
- 9:31 . . . Josh gets a defensive rebound and goes coast to coast, drawing a foul . . he makes both of his FTs.
- 8:29 . . . After grabbing an offensive board off a Kyle Korver miss, Josh throws the ball to Teague at the top of the key. They run a pick and roll with Teague passing the ball to Josh at the top of the key. He immediately puts the ball on the floor, blows by his man, and goes in for the dunk.
- 7:46 . . . Lou steals the ball from Kyle Singler, passes it to Horford, who gets it to Teague. Hawks now have a 3 on 2 fast break with Korver at the 3 point line at the right wing, and Josh streaking down the left side. Teague delivers a nice bounce pass to Josh, who goes in for the dunk.
- 6:11 . . . After the Pistons knock the ball out of bounds with 8 seconds left on the shot clock, Josh receives an inbounds pass from Deshawn and knocks down a jumper right outside the FT line.
- 5:25 . . . Josh makes a great anticipatory move to steal a pass going to Greg Monroe at the FT line. He easily goes in for the transition dunk
- 4:51 . . . Deshawn passes it to Teague in the right corner. Josh comes to set a pick for Teague and they run a pick and roll. Teague passes it to Horford at the FT line, who then makes a quick pass to Josh in the short corner ( about 15 feet away ). Josh takes a jumper that was lightly contested, and misses
- 4:29 . . . Deshawn passes it to Josh on the right side, and they clear out the entire side for Josh to work ISO on Maxiell ( I think ). With 13 seconds still left on the shot clock, Josh takes about a 17 foot jumper without even trying to take his man off the dribble. He misses the shot.
- 3:41 . . . Hawks get a stop and modestly push the ball up the floor. Teague delivers a perfect pass to a streaking Josh in the paint, and Josh makes a contested lay up.
- 3:00 . . . Korver receives a pass at the left side of the FT line, and delivers a perfect pass to a cutting Josh, who is going toward the hole for a lay up or dunk. The shot is contested by 2 Pistons and he misses the shot. Refs could’ve easily called a foul on that play.
- 1:43 . . . After stopping a Pistons fast break, the Hawks go on a break of their own. Because he was trailing the play when the Pistons went on their break, Josh is now streaking ahead of all 5 Pistons when the Hawks go the other way. Teague throws a lob to Josh ( which is a little off ), but Josh catches it and lays it in.
*************
This caps an absolutely outstanding 1st quarter by Josh. And take notice of where all of his points are coming. He basically scored 10 of his 14 points in transition, when you include the play in which he got fouled on the fast break. And 12 of the 14 points come via plays going to the rim.
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
12:15 pm
^^^^^4th Qtr breakdown= 0-9 with Multiple air-balls…
Desperation it became..
Rod from College Park
December 27th, 2012
12:21 pm
“Wonder how many times she caught him? hmmmmm
I’m sure many. Bumped into him numerous times at the Gold Club back in the day. Best club ever in the city of Atlanta, if you had a little extra spending change. LOL
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
12:25 pm
Was Mike Bibby out there on the perimeter guarding the point of attack last night? hmmmm
Will B, looked like an AllStar, just shredding our defense.. Our perimeter defense was just abysmal in that 4th quarter..
Swingman912
December 27th, 2012
12:25 pm
Trade market is TRASH right now, so there is no need in trading now. Smoove might be the most valuable trade chip out there, and nobody is willing to give up much for him, so theres no need to give up our most talented player for players that wont help us get better.
FYI
AL JEFFERSON WILL NOT MAKE THIS TEAM BETTER!
tony,
there is absolutely no defense in that starting lineup(which exception of Teague, maybe). I know the league is a scorers league, but at least have 1 person that can defend the teams best perimeter player. Kev Martin is not a SF. Monta cant defend the 2, and Jefferson, though he’s a walking double double, is so inconsistant on D. Which is why he’s been a trade chip and not a perennial All Star….I dont kow how DF is gonna make this team a legit contender honestly. I guess we all shall see…
northcyde
December 27th, 2012
12:26 pm
2ND QUARTER
- 7:41 . . . Lou receives an inbounds pass and dribbles to the left side above the FT line. Josh, who was on the right side of the court by the FT line, drifts toward the 3 point line. Lou passes the ball to Josh, who sizes up Charlie V for about 2 seconds. He takes about a 20 foot jumper and nails it.
- 2:41 . . . After Ivan somehow gets his 16 foot jumper blocked by Brandon Knight, it falls right back in his hands, and he passes it to Josh, who is on the left side outside the 3 point line. With 5 seconds left on the clock, Josh doesn’t hesitate to put up the 3. He makes the shot to put the Hawks up 12.
- 0:30 . . . With the shot clock at 12 seconds, Teague and Josh run a pick and roll out by the 3 point line on the top let side. Teague drives into the paint, with Josh drifting toward the basket. Teague causes the man in front of him at the rim to react to his penetration, which enables Teague to dump the ball off to Josh for an easy layup.
***************
And thus ends an almost perfect half of offensive basketball by Josh Smith. He plays within himself the entire time. He saw just about all of his offense going toward the rim. And his teammates did a good job of finding him for those types of plays.
Grandad
December 27th, 2012
12:26 pm
NORRIS CHUCK
Jonas [ pronounced - yonas] Valanciunas;
is a 20 yr old, 7 ft Lithuanian, rookie,
has started every game this yr,
avg 8 pts & 5 rebs 1 blck, in 22 min per.
Was drafted in 2011 but didn`t come over `til this season.
I wish we had `im !
northcyde
December 27th, 2012
12:28 pm
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
12:15 pm
^^^^^4th Qtr breakdown= 0-9 with Multiple air-balls…
Desperation it became.
****************
Patience Jr Slim. Patience.
I’m getting to the 4th quarter in about 20 minutes.
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
12:34 pm
Yes Sir!^^^^^^^^
hahahahahaha
falCans
December 27th, 2012
12:37 pm
@ NoerthCyde… Now you KNOW LD sets put Smoove on the perimeter. Its clear when the play calls for Smoove in a post. We need more set plays called for Smoove on the post. Im not debating whether or not Smove likes to play on the perimeter Im sayin it ultimately falls o LD not putting Smoove in the best position to maximize production…… or is he??
ATMAN
December 27th, 2012
12:42 pm
Wish LD would put ZaZa in as a starter for now with DH injured. We are just so small from 5-2 with are starting line. Lack rebounding and defense. Ivan only got 10 mins last night…..C’mon Man!
Rusty
December 27th, 2012
12:42 pm
LW played 48 minutes,JT played 36 . In the 4th quarter LW played most of the quarter at pg. without the overtime JT would have only played 26 minutes. JT had a plus 16 for the game. Again it is LD’s decision to play LW at pg & leave JT on the bench.
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
12:47 pm
Teague should have played at least 45-50mins..
Would not have taken two OT’s….
Rusty
December 27th, 2012
12:49 pm
The hawks need JT to play big min,even when he is not shooting much,he team plays so much better with him as the PG but I guess LD doesn’t see that or he thinks that JT is old & his body will not stand up to it sort of how he played mcgrady ha ha.
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
12:49 pm
Ivan should have played at least 25-30 mins.
Would not have taken two OT’s.
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
12:52 pm
MEMO TO LARRY:
YOUR PT. GUARD AT 6′2″ IS ONE OF THE STRONGEST MEN ON YOUR TEAM AS WELL AS YOUNGEST. DON’T LET HIS SIZE FOOL YOU..
KNOW YOUR PERSONNEL!!!!!!!!
ATMAN
December 27th, 2012
12:53 pm
Josh needs to watch Melo’s interview leading up to Lakers game, and how he has turned it up a notch in all phases of his game. “Hustle” is contagious, Hawks need more hustle players……..hence why I like Big Ivan.
MsDee
December 27th, 2012
12:54 pm
U guys are a trip!! To be honest, I dont care how many OT’s we would have needed..im just happy that we were able to pull this win out! Just because we lost a pretty decent lead doesnt mean we are garbage for letting it happen. Heck, Miami gave up a pretty good lead to the lowly Bobcats as well, BUT they were STILL able to pull out the WIN!! Im so very proud of my Hawks for being in 3rd place NO MATTER WHAT OUR SCHEDULE LOOKS LIKES!! Vava74 is soooo very negative, it aint even funny!! I dont even feel like finding his comments about how the Hawks BASICALLY doesnt deserve the wins that we have….the lame excuses he has for OKC and MEM is just flat out silly!! Im confused that he would even say he would be more intrigued if we win against the Heat, Boston, NY, and Nets AFTER giving the excuses he gave for OKC, Clippers, MEM, and the Pacers..I mean really? So what, if we DO beat them, WHAT excuses are u gonna give Boston?? What, Rondo got ejected, thats the reason we won..or the reason we beat the Heat cause Wade twisted an ankle and left the game???? Or what if we beat New—YORK?? Is it cause it was toward the end of the season and they wanted to rest Melo???????????????????? For real???? WOW!! Vava74, u are definitely a trip!!
Rusty
December 27th, 2012
12:54 pm
Or maybe he don’t like JT,ha ha. He LD said for the first time in his life good things about JT after the last game & then treats him like a scrub in the next game,well I guess that is just being LD ha ha.,sort of like he treats Ivan ha ha.
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
12:55 pm
JOSH DOES NOT NEED TO WATCH MELO..IT WILL SCREW HIM UP EVEN WORSE..
COMPARISON= APPLES AND BOXCARS….
Swingman912
December 27th, 2012
12:58 pm
Lou is not a PG. at all. I know Devin isnt playing, but as soon as Teague comes out and Lou plays point, ball movement stops, and the D knows where the shots are coming from. Dont get me wrong, Lou is our Hired Gun and shooting is what he does, but i think LD has to stop taking Teague out so soon.
cp
December 27th, 2012
12:59 pm
Cousins is a knuckle head but I think the losing is really frustrating him. I think he would act a lot better if he was on a winning team. I would take a chance on hm but what would the Hawks have to give up?
northcyde
December 27th, 2012
12:59 pm
3RD QUARTER
- 10:26 . . . Josh receives a pass from Teague on the left side, and the Hawks clear it out for him to go ISO vs Maxiell. For some strange reason, Maxiell overplays Josh’s right side. Josh makes an aggressive attacking dribble with his left hand and goes in for the dunk. He froze Jason in his tracks.
- 9:10 . . . Teague does a probing dribble toward the FT line, but stops and hands the ball off to Josh. Josh immediately attacks Maxiell again, going aggressive to the rim and making a tough lay-up with Jason all over him. Josh has 25 points now, on what has to be his best offensive game of his career.
- 6:40 . . . Lou and Josh run a pick and roll at the top of the key. As Lou aggressively drives down the right side of the lane, Josh does a “pop” and goes to the right side of the FT line. Lou finds an open Josh from about 20 feet, but Josh misses the jumper. He shot it short.
- 5:43 . . . A long rebound off of a 3 point miss falls to Lou Williams. He, along with Josh, push the ball down the Pistons throats. Lou holds the ball to the very last minute, before delivering an easy pass to Josh for the dunk. Yet another transition type of score for Josh in this game.
- 5:07 . . . After dribbling down the left side and acting like he was going to the rim, Teague decides to pull the ball out back behind the 3 point line to set up a play. At that moment, he sees Josh drifting into the lane. Teague delivers a good bounce pass to Josh, who immediately shoots a lefty hook that goes in. 29 points for Josh now. Standing ovation for Josh for this performance so far in this game. But unfortunately, this will be the last FG that he makes in this game.
- 4:27 . . . On almost the same identical play, Teague finds a cutting Josh in the lane as Teague was pulling the ball out. This time, the Pistons foul him. Josh makes 1 of 2 at the line. 30 points for Mr. Smith
- 2:47 . . . Teague attempts to throw a lob to Josh, who made a good spin move to roll to the basket. Teague’s pass was a little off, and Josh couldn’t control it enough to make the lay-up.
*******************
Josh’s dream game ends now. And the nightmare begins. Too bad too, because this game could’ve gone down as one of his best performances ever.
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
1:01 pm
SCOTTIE SHIELDS UP AT MAXIMUM STRENGTH: WEAPONS FULLY ARMED!!!
AYE CAPTAIN!!!!!!!!!!
Irishmafia116
December 27th, 2012
1:02 pm
Last night a perfect example on why Smith will never be an ALL Star-knucklhead plays all night, awful shot selection, failure to deliver in the clutch, lack of hustle and defense. Coaches and fans look at this and wonder “what is he thinking”. therein lies the problem -lack of capacity to think at all! IQ =scoring avg
cp
December 27th, 2012
1:02 pm
@Swingman. Many of us have been complaining about that much of the year but I doubt LD stops playing Lou at the point. He is making the same mistake with Lou that he did with Jamal. Neither are pg’s but guys who can get you buckets. When you ask them to initiate the offense the ball movement stops and the offense looks terrible. It happened again last night with Lou in the 4th. I know he doesnt have many options since Devin is hurt but he was doing the same thing when Devin was healthy.
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
1:03 pm
” But unfortunately, this will be the last FG that he makes in this game. ”
DAY YUM
northcyde
December 27th, 2012
1:05 pm
I agree with MsDee’s post. You play whatever your schedule says you play. It’s been plenty of years in which I believed the league purposely gave us a very difficult schedule to start the season to take us out of the mix. So if they want to give us an easy schedule to start the year, fine by me.
Maybe the early season wins will give the Hawks confidence later on in the year to consistently beat the better teams.
MsDee
December 27th, 2012
1:07 pm
@mgm
“It’s hard to really get into this team or any basketball team if your in city that you know won’t win in the playoffs. Every year the NBA has 4 maybe 5 legitimate contenders for the title (sometimes less) and the rest are just playing games. This Hawks team has no shot in the playoffs. When the playoffs start, game slows down, defense and smart play kick in, especially in the 4th qtr, and this team has no go to guy. Josh, cmon man, he is a in the flow of the game scorer and a huge liability at the ft line. Al, not a superstar at all. Good and effective but his scoring is not his best attribute. The point guard still alludes this team. The one position they’ve needed to solidify for years and still haven’t done it. Games are entertaining but who are we kidding. This team is no where near a contender. Just another regular season fun fest.”
AND? No one said this team, THIS SEASON was built to be champions!! BUT for us to be 3rd place with basically a WHOLE NEW CREW, I give my props!! Also, we FINALLY have a GM who have put us in a great position next season to build a championship level team together. With Dwight getting more and more frustrated with the amount of touches he is getting with the Lakers, I wouldnt be surprise if he does bounce next season. Also, the Hawks are missing Devin, who was finally getting his groove back and Korver. Yep, Korver. I know he is a very proud father, but ever since he went out with back spasm and with the birth of his child, he hasnt been the same. So, with those 2 key guys missing, we are still able to pull these close games out. Could Drew do better with Ivan min? Morrow min? Of course, but there is just nothing us fans can do about that cause Drew still find ways to be in 3rd place so far this season!!
vava74
December 27th, 2012
1:09 pm
Avery Johnson got canned!!!
ATMAN
December 27th, 2012
1:09 pm
Slim, Josh needs to listen to Melo’s inward look at getting better. No Josh doesn’t need to try and duplicate Melo’s offense, but wanting to be a shut down defender, hustle and diving for loose balls, rebounding……….Josh does need to do and the team will respond as they see this. I don’t mean to be hard on Josh, but you just don’t want to see talent like his not reach its full potential.
Rusty
December 27th, 2012
1:10 pm
Hasn’t any one on the blog though that JUSTMAYBE JT inconsistent performances have something to do with what LD is telling him ,it seems sometimes he is not at all looking to score but to keep our so called great players happy & then seems very aggressive. We have seen him step up scoring points one game & then hardly shooting next game. Even when he plays real good one game ,the next game he will be the first one benched & often get inconsistent minutes,like DH or LW is playing great pg,oh I forget LD needs to rest him for something,HA HA.
KevinM
December 27th, 2012
1:12 pm
“cp
December 27th, 2012
12:59 pm
Cousins is a knuckle head but I think the losing is really frustrating him. I think he would act a lot better if he was on a winning team. I would take a chance on hm but what would the Hawks have to give up?”
You have to see what it would take for Sac to move him. They have him as their franchise guy, but it’s not working for them. He needs an Adelman or a McHale type of coach to get him to quit being a distraction.
It might take JT & Horford to get Cousins, but I would have to consider that option. Cousins is potential top talent. He needs a coach that guides him though. You think Smart is trying to bully him, a la Bobby Knight?
northcyde
December 27th, 2012
1:12 pm
BREAKING NEWS: Oh wow . . . the Nets just fired Avery Johnson. Deron must be happy now. So who do they bring in? PJ Carleismo is the intereim coach. Wow . . can’t believe he got fired this early
Damn JJ . . you got Avery fired with that performance last night.
vava74
December 27th, 2012
1:12 pm
By the way, it seems a pretty stupid move by the Nets…
MsDee
December 27th, 2012
1:13 pm
Oh and we are not JUST IN 3rd place behind the 2 best teams in the east, WE ARE ONLY 3 GAMES BEHIND!! GO HAWKS!!
doc
December 27th, 2012
1:14 pm
duluth good points
this goes back to when i said players were trashing lin unneedlessly and it struck of reasons other than lin’s basketball talents. i was surprised at two players in particular being so out spoken. i have never heard one speak down to anyone’s contract as they did lin’s. it struck of petty jealousy or racist overtones and said do. najeh begged to differ and said his point if he was to make 8 mil then he needs to perfom like it. i asked him what 8 mil looked like and he gave conley ’s name as a reference point. lin measures up extremely well to that standard but najeh still wants to add, well if he does this or this then ok. it us as if i said lbj isnt the king unless he wins it again and again to really prove he is a winner.
of course it doesnt work that way in sports as players are not paid based solely on performance. to the contrary it has nothing to do with it. again most guys say glad he got his. with lin it wasnt that at all though as i pointed out and you did as well without lin in the mix last year the knicks might not have gotten into the playoffs and they might never have hired woody and only elected to blow it up. that was also discussed as possible. they might owe lin a lot.
meanwhile houston continues to roll with him as part of the rotation. not bad for the guy.
MsDee
December 27th, 2012
1:14 pm
I knew Avery Johnson wasnt gonna last..his voice alone would cause u to lose a game!!
Swingman912
December 27th, 2012
1:16 pm
@MsDee,
I cant argue with 3rd place, especially when i chalked this up as a rebuilding year before the season. A lot of ppl are complaining on here, but a lot ppl see this team assembled actually can win games. But overall, i do have to say i’m pleasantly surprised with the way this team has learned to play together so quickly. SALUTE.
RaJaH
December 27th, 2012
1:17 pm
Guess I need to catch up on The Association on NBA TV.
MsDee
December 27th, 2012
1:20 pm
Gery Woelfel: I’m hearing Avery Johnson and Deron Williams aren’t seeing eye to eye. I’ll bet Jerry Sloan will be shocked to hear that. Twitter @GeryWoelfel
Rusty
December 27th, 2012
1:20 pm
Trade al & JT for Cousins, who then would play PG,Harris who seems to be like KH a little bit over the hill & always seems to be injured or maybe LW who some think is a PG.
ag
December 27th, 2012
1:21 pm
Irishmafia116 – Josh had a great game. Although he missed his last eight shots, I would say all were good shots. He even took a clutch 3 to ice the game – HE WAS WIDE OPEN!!!!. He shot the money ball and missed. He had the courage to shoot that shot. After he missed that shot, he may have missed only one more during the two overtime periods, and that was a post up that went in and out. He focused on rebounding and assist during the OT’s.
The real problem tonight was Korver. He was off, but LD kept him in the game. Morrow finished with 16 and was 6-10. Korver did finally hit a big shot.
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
1:21 pm
Cousins is more skilled offensively than any of the Hawks Bigs..Maybe he just needs a change of zip codes? hmmmmm
Lin is the real deal!! Enjoy watching him play basketball.. Fundamentally sound with an excellent jumper and passing skills too boot from Harvard University. Jealousy is the operating emotion surrounding him is my take too doc..Why? hmmmmmm
Rusty
December 27th, 2012
1:26 pm
Lin has a knack of easily getting to the hoop & a great ability to making his teammates better. He is really a baby in this league hasn’t really played a full season.his upside is yet to come.
northcyde
December 27th, 2012
1:30 pm
(( sigh )) 4TH QUARTER
- 6:18 . . . Deshawn passes the ball to Smith, who has his heels on the 3 point line. Instead of catching the ball and attacking Charlie V ( like he was doing Jason Maxiell ), he immediately takes a long 22 footer with about 9 seconds on the shot clock. Even though Horford grabs the offensive rebound, this would represent Josh’s first real bad shot of the game.
- 5:23 . . . The Hawks run a post up for Josh when Horford dumps the ball down to him. He tries to take Charlie V off the dribble and shoots a hook shot in the lane, but the shot doesn’t fall.
- 1:48 . . . After getting an offensive rebound off of a missed 3 by Korver, Josh goes up strong, misses the shot, but draws the foul. He goes 1 – 2 from the FT line, but the lead is now down to 8.
- 0:57 . . Teague and Horford run pick and roll at the top of the key. As Teague looked to possibly go down the right side of the lane, he has three options. 1) keep the ball and try to score himself . . 2) Pass the ball to Horford, who stayed at the FT line. 3) Pass the ball to Josh, who is behind the 3 point line. Teague chooses option 3 and passes to Josh with 6 seconds on the shot clock. Charlie V immediately fouls Josh who goes to the FT line. Clank 1 . . . Clank 2 . . . and the lead stays a 4.
- 0:23 . . With the Hawks only up by 2, the Hawks go 1 – 4, and clear everything out for Teague. Horford fakes the pick and drifts back into the lane. Teague takes his man off the dribble and goes toward the lane. Charlie V fronts Zaza, which leaves Josh wide open for a 3 in the corner.
Teague sees Josh open and throws him the ball with 5 seconds left on the shot clock. Josh shoots . . . airball.
*****************************
Teague has said in the past that he has confidence that Josh can make that shot in critical situations. So he DID make the correct play and got it to the open man. Now whether it was the best scoring play, that’s up for discussion. it’s just sad to see things unravel offensively for Josh in that quarter. And it would continue in the OT.
doc
December 27th, 2012
1:33 pm
well as i have said before it is about to get ugly in brooklyn.
all the smiles are now gone.
northcyde
December 27th, 2012
1:33 pm
Chris Broussard said that the Nets locker room was divided. Guys like JJ, Stackhouse, and Gerald Wallace ( arguably their best player so far this year ), had Avery’s back. Other guys didn’t ( probably guys like Marshon Brooks, Kris Humphries, and possibly Deron ).
I think the one change the Nets could do, is give Marshon more playing time. He can’t play defense worth a damn, but he does represent an offensive threat that could help them when things get stagnant for that team.
I don’t know if PJ is the answer at coach though. They better talk to Phil Jackson or somebody.
High-sider
December 27th, 2012
1:42 pm
northcyde is giving a play-by-play breakdown of Josh Smith’s plays/points from last night’s game vs. the Pistons and Hawk(s)Fan says I have a problem with “excess”? Wow!
I ain’t mad at cha, northcyde; go on wit’ cha bad self. [sic]
Duluth Joe
December 27th, 2012
1:43 pm
Rusty, I agree, it is not time to give up on Teague. Can’t include him in a trade. He is our only young point guard, still more to learn, only his second year really playing. He will make mistakes, but he still has room to grow.
I agree with CP and Steve W. Try a trade. Either Josh or Al for Cousins. I would offer Al, as I believe Josh is more dynamic on both ends, and he is the hometown star. That balances the team.
Cousins is a head case. But his issues are SO FAR limited to the basketball court. As long as he has no problem outside the team (with the law), he can be managed. His youth is getting best of him.
Is it risky? Absolutely. But in the same way that Denver took a risk on JaVale by trading a known solid player in Nene. This is a worthwhile risk. I also think Larry Drew is the right coach for him. While we can complain about coaches, Drew treats men like men, doesn’t talk about locker room issues in public, and has for most parts, had a good relationship with Josh who is not always the easiest one to deal with.
Swingman912
December 27th, 2012
1:44 pm
The divide with the Nets came when they made the trade for Joe. Two ball dominating players like Joe and Deron arent mixing well at all. Deron is used to running the show. Give him the ball and he initiates the offense, which has been centered around him during his time with the Nets…Enter Joe Johnson who (we ALL as Hawks fans know) stops ball movement once it touches his hands, and though he is a decent 1 on 1 offensive player, he kills shot clocks dribbling. Combine that with a system that gives players freedom on offense to run a few screens and just take the best shot, there is no chemistry. Deron isnt the Alpha Dog so he’s upset. Joe is just Joe. Brook Lopez maybe thier most consistent scorer, but his touches are limited by his other teamates. And then Marshon Brooks, who probably should be starter, but he dominates the ball as well, and plays little D…
Duluth Joe
December 27th, 2012
1:44 pm
Doc, Thank-you for this history. I agree with you about Lin.
I find Najeh insightful and precise, Disagree with him on this case