Hawks, Johnson saved their worst for rematch with Cavaliers
This is a significant moment for Joe Johnson: scoring with two minutes left after tossing up nothing but bricks since the first. (Jason Getz/AJC)
Seven months after they walked off this same court, losing to this same team, wondering if they could make moves to elevate themselves to higher ground, the Hawks met the Cleveland Cavaliers again Tuesday night.
Some went right. LeBron James looked ordinary, and Jamal Crawford again looked like the greatest offseason acquisition of the millennium.
Most went wrong. Joe Johnson hit his first four shots, then dropped into a black hole. Mike Bibby didn’t even have the first four shots to brag about. Collectively, Team New and Improved failed to score in the first nine minutes of the fourth quarter, which isn’t good when there’s only 12 minutes in a quarter.
You wanted a sign that there was something to look forward to in the playoffs. The Hawks instead gave you acid flashbacks to a 13-win team and Predrag Drobnjak. Bad things, man. They lost to a very average-looking Cleveland team 95-84 at sold-out Philips Arena.
So much buildup. So little to show for it.
If the Hawks don’t want everybody to quickly forget about their wonderful 21-8 start, they might want to come with a little better effort in the return match Wednesday night in Cleveland.
Theories, anybody?
“I think we put too much pressure on ourselves to go win a game instead of just playing the way we know how to play,” Josh Smith said. “We definitely thought about this game too hard.”
Let’s put it another way: The wrong guys didn’t show up. Jamal Crawford poured in 26 points. That’s great for him and a testament to the strength of the Hawks’ bench. But when the sixth man leads you in scoring — and outscores the Hawks’ starting backcourt 26-17 — there’s a problem.
Bibby was 1-for-7 from the floor and, for the most part, invisible. And Joe? Oh, Joe.
He’s looking for a new contract, the kind of contract that validates him as one of the game’s elite players. But he’s going to need the performance to validate that status first. This is the kind of game that hurts him. Great players play great against great teams — not the Bobcats.
The Hawks ran their offense through Johnson on Tuesday. He responded like a souffle when somebody slams the door too hard. Poooof. After six minutes, he had 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting. The Hawks led 18-10. He missed his next nine shots. He didn’t make another bucket until there were two minutes left in the game.
Let me repeat that: two minutes left in the game.
By then, his team had fallen behind hopelessly by 11 points, 89-78.
“I don’t know,” Johnson responded when asked what happened after his start. “Things just didn’t go my way after that I guess. It happens.”
That’s the problem.
The Hawks won 21 of their first 29 games this season. It was reason enough to believe that the improvements they made were legitimate. They were deep, versatile, talented. They played hard. They played defense. But Game No. 30 was different. They call these measuring stick games — the idea being to get measured, not get slapped by the stick.
In the playoffs last May, the Hawks eliminated Miami in the first round. They hoped to at least compete with Cleveland in the second round. Maybe even steal a game or two. But they never came close. The Cavs won the first two games at home by a combined 47 points, then returned to Atlanta and closed out a sweep with two wins.
This game was supposed to be different. It was. The Hawks were worse. The Cavs weren’t great — credit the Hawks’ defense somewhat for that — but they took over the game physically. Smith complained about some no-calls for “a couple of elbows, a couple of shots to the face.” But he wasn’t using that as an excuse.
“They’re a physical team and they brought it, and we didn’t respond,” he said. “Tomorrow night, we have to be the aggressors, we have to be physical.”
At least one thing will be different in Cleveland: the buildup.
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113 comments Add your comment
Frustrated, Inc.
December 30th, 2009
9:53 am
Joe Johnson is a choke artist. Dude comes up SO SMALL in the biggest games. I am so glad he declined the Hawks extension. I would rather the Hawks go after a clutch player with the money they would save letting that skirt wearing, pansy walk!
Hlecter
December 30th, 2009
9:54 am
You guys have a really nice team. I’m a Cavs guy but I can show respect when apropos. Some of you can’t. To say the Cavs looked beatable and average? C’mon Man! If they DID, then that speaks very lowly of your own team. When our superstar has an off night, we just move the scoring around. Did you notice the doubles and triples against #23 and you want to give M. Williams credit for that? LBJ is good enough and unselfish enough to find his teammates for easy shots. Your boys JJ and Josh can take a lesson from that. You don’t beat the Cavs by doubling LeBron, just doesn’t work. Been proven. So maybe you are right about your coach. Only consistent way to beat Cavs is outrebounding them and forcing turnovers. Come to play some D. That’s how the Celtics beat them. Boston is actually the only team that concerns me because they play like we do and have a talent edge at almost every spot.
Don’t be too hard on your guys for the 4th quarter thing. Cavs do that to everybody.
ATL fans, you sure were quiet for the whole game. Watched on TV and your announcer guy would prompt the crowd for cheers and get nothing in return! It was laughable. Listen to the crowd tonight at the Q and learn.
Good luck the rest of the way, knock off Boston and Orlando for us.
Oh and if you ever want to get rid of Zaza, he would fit perfectly with us. So would Horford but not at the 5 spot. You can have the rest of the guys.
CDWoods
December 30th, 2009
10:09 am
A lot of people seem to dislike the Cavs (and LeBron). I guess that goes part and parcel with being one of the best teams in the NBA. Having said that, Atlanta showed it’s collective lack of class by booing LeBron at every posession, not that it made any difference. If the Cavs had even played well (which they didn’t even need to) then they would have held the Hawks at 40 points while tripling that on their side of the fence.
The reason that I love Cleveland is that it’s a city with character and class, this is mirrored in the actions of the Cavs and the majority of their fans. Of course, Atlanta always has the opportunity to grow up, and hopefully they will, and maybe their team will be decent one of these years as well.
CavsFan
December 30th, 2009
10:10 am
If the Cavs are “very average-looking”, what does that make the Lakers, Suns, and your Hawks?
C-Town Fan
December 30th, 2009
10:26 am
During last year’s playoffs, we were fortunate the Hawks were hit with injuries. Although it was a sweep, it wasn’t a dominating series.
Both teams upgraded to a degree coming into this year. Crawford has been a thorn in Cleveland’s side for a while now. The core is there for Atlanta but they need one big man to influence Josh Smith. If someone could find out how to teach him to relax and let it go instead of getting worked up, he would replace JJ as the team leader.
I think Cleveland’s additions of Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker have had a much larger influence than people expected. They have brought athleticism and length to the outside defense and the opponents had not been used to seeing that from the Cavaliers in the past.
Cavalier
December 30th, 2009
10:29 am
We played just hard enough to win. The reason we didn’t look that good is because we didn’t have to play that hard to beat you. The game was never in doubt. We have plenty of energy left for tonight. You don’t. Game 2 is ours as well.
Ricky Shade
December 30th, 2009
11:02 am
Equivalent of the tampa bay bucs? Ha, yeah, that makes a lot sense moxie. Good one. I hate the Boston Celtics but I don’t compare them to the Oakland Raiders. Good Luck tonite, you guys will need it.
BirdDawg
December 30th, 2009
11:08 am
The Hawks could have put this clown team away in the second quarter if that had a coach with half a clue. Maybe the players just don’t listen to him, I don’t know, but why would you take out your hottest player for that long with the Cavs making a run. You have a team down, you hold them down period. How easy would it have been to use Joe as a decoy to penetrate the middle and kick out to Jamal for wide open jumpers? Did they do that…NO!!!! Because Woodson is an idiot. How many times do we have to watch this team try to go one on one whenever a good team makes a run on them? Will anyone ever learn from these guys making the same mistakes over and over? Joe doesn’t have to score to be effective, but he will put up bad shots in crunch time instead of kicking to open teammates. I like Bibby, but Jamal is a better playmaker and scorer, period. Put him and JJ in the game together more often, let them feed off of each other and it will make it easier for the rest of the team, period. This crap isn’t rocket science so why can’t the coaching staff seem to figure it out. This team is well above the second tier teams and on par or above elite teams in terms of talent and ability. No team in the league can match them top to bottom in terms of athleticism. But coaching and leadership continues to hold them back from being at least the second best team in the league behind the Lakers. Is there any wonder why Rick Sund hasn’t signed Woody to an extension. To his credit, Woody has the team playing good defense (most of the time), but in every other area he is holding this team back.
Dr. Warren
December 30th, 2009
11:09 am
If the Hawks win in Cleveland tonight, chances are good it will snow in Miami on New Year’s Eve.
zap
December 30th, 2009
11:10 am
I had to laugh, when the writer said the Cavs looked average. Tell that to Mo Williams and Delante West or Z, who could pretty much do what they wanted!! LBJ could have sat out the game and Cavs still would have won. They didn’t even play Gibson, 2nd leading 3 point shooter in the league behind parker. When the Cavs turn on the defense, they are almost unbeatable, hence 8 minutes and no points. You can blame the Hawks, or you can credit the Cavs.
If you think last nite was bad for the birds, wait till tonight, as LBJ never has 2 bad games in a row! and Mo and Delante will have their way tonite again. Cavs by 22 tonite!!
BirdDawg
December 30th, 2009
11:15 am
LBJ didn’t have a bad game on his own. To their credit, the Hawks played good defense on him for the most part. Credit the Cavs for great defense as well and Mike Woodson for sh*tty in game adjustments.
Geronimo Doom
December 30th, 2009
11:16 am
One loss and everybody is freaking out. Even though it was just a one-point game heading into the 4th quarter. Hawks just hit a ridiculous cold streak in the 4th and it fell apart. These things happen sometimes, and, again, it is only one game.
But for all this talk about how Joe is not a superstar, look at LeBron’s numbers (6-20 shooting). Does this mean LeBron is not a superstar or franchise player? Of course not. People have off nights. And the Hawks should be commended for their defense against the best player in the game. Similarly, the Cavs played excellent defense and made a concerted effort to stop Joe Johnson. They sought to take him out of the game and make somebody else beat them. Crawford stepped up, but no one else really did. I think we’ll see a much better effort tonight and hopefully split this home-at-home. And remember, it’s not even January yet people. Chill….
PaulC
December 30th, 2009
11:24 am
? You say the Hawks lost to a “very average looking” Cavs team?? This Cavs team is playing better than anyone in the league right now. The reason the Hawks didn’t score for 9 minutes in the 4th was not because of their own offensive ineptitude…rather, Cleveland trademark 4th quarter lock down. If you followed the NBA, you would realize this.
Granted, Lebron had a so-so night. But great teams win big road games even when their superstar is not hitting his jumper.
Gilley
December 30th, 2009
11:56 am
This loss is very disheartening to say the least. I hate to blame Woody but I will. He refuses to make proper in-game adjustments. The Cavs slowed down our pace, why not insert a fast lineup in led by Jeff Teague (Sad I heard NO ONE make a plea for him) and let him push the ball. But no, Woody shorten his bench and watches the team go on a 9 minute scoring drought. Joe Johnson went ghost on both ends of the floor letting Delonte West handle him. Say what you want about Josh Smith but he pretty much handled the 4th quarter alone and it worked since no one else would push the ball. Jamal Crawford was great but live by the jumper and die by the jumper. Our bigs were shown normal with Zydrunas jumping and getting rebounds and no one was boxing out. It was just a total all out effort disappointing loss. Thats exactly why we remain humble. Yes we are 21-9 and have a great record but what does it matter when we cant beat the teams or compete against the teams we are trying to get past. Stop being Stubborn WOODY and change it up. I would personally bench the starters the first few minutes of the game but if I was Woody I would bench myself!!!!
Hawks Hero Zero
December 30th, 2009
11:57 am
Another Atlanta/Georgia team loses in big moments..
Hawks Hero Zero
December 30th, 2009
12:03 pm
2003: The Hawks sought to draft “long, lean, inter-change-able athletic forwards and guards who can defend..
Hawks Hero Zero
December 30th, 2009
12:06 pm
Childress was the best “on-the-ball defender” on the team… The Hawks cannot defend anyone with the ball, and their forwards are too big to guard athletic forwards..
Keep it Real!
December 30th, 2009
12:14 pm
Relax Hawk fans it is only one game! Cleveland has a very physical team and if you cannot run on them you are not going to beat them in the half-court.
Now if we can get rid of Woodie for a coach that knows how to run at least 3 plays I would be very happy!
Has Woodie ever made any in-game adjustments?
Justin
December 30th, 2009
12:21 pm
Wow, it’s funny to read these comments from the Cavs fans. You cannot say that the Cavs looked good last night. For an elite team, they did look very average- especially in the 2nd half on offense, They had 18 turnovers and finished under 50% shooting even though they tore it up the first half. And yes, that means the Hawks looked very pedestrian as well. That doesn’t mean that the Cavs aren’t playing the best basketball right now. They are. But last night’s game was pretty ugly, even for the Cavs. For as bad as the Hawks looked in the 4th quarter, they were down 5 with a minute left, even though they gave up 3 points on technicals and their best free throw shooters missed 3 in a row.
Credit the Cavs’ defense, but the Hawks did have this same kind of melt down in the 3rd quarter against L.A. and in the 2nd half against Orlando. All were winnable games that the Hawks until the Hawks had a complete breakdown offensively. Not a good sign for the Hawks.
As for Marvin Williams’ defense on LBJ, it should be credited. Basically all objective assessments of the game report that. He ket LBJ from the basket, committed few fouls against him, and turned him into a jump shooter. The Hawks will take that every time. His 10 assists were more due to shooters knocking down shots rather than him getting easy baskets for people. Still, he did have an impact on the game on both ends, but Williams did a very good job on him defensively. That has happened in the past but did not happen in the playoffs as LBJ was playing incredibly well and Williams was playing injured. It will be interesting to see if Williams can duplicate that defensive performance tonight.
Justin
December 30th, 2009
12:33 pm
And regarding the “class”of the Cavs, their fans, and the whole city of Cleveland, that’s in the running for generalization of the year. You may or may not be aware that outside of Cleveland, LeBron James, the face of your franchise and in some ways your city (billboards, etc.), is widely regarded as a very talented but egocentric player- one who disrespects his opponents in blow outs with silly dances on the bench but is “too much of a winner” to congratulate his opponents after a tough loss. And that’s without touching dunkgate. I wonder if Cavs fans’ perceptions of LeBron’s classiness will change next year if he’s playing in a different city. Just a thought.
Falcons and now this...
December 30th, 2009
12:33 pm
Hawks with a chance to show they belong in the East top 4…they didn’t, and they don’t. ATL fans with a chance to show up big and affect the atmosphere of a big(ish) game…they didn’t. That was painful to see & hear…the PA announcer trying to rile the crowd with the “LETS GO HAWKS” chant, but you could hear it in his voice he knew he was going to be yelling mostly by himself. What a loser town we are.
Mike Hunt
December 30th, 2009
12:36 pm
Lebron won’t be a Cav next year. Count on it.
Good Grief
December 30th, 2009
12:53 pm
For the Cav fans that laugh at the whole “average” comment i laugh back at you. You honestly think that the Cavs looked great or good last night you’re out your mind. Neither one of those teams looked good or great last night – both of them had “off nights” since nobody seems to want to give credit to either one of the teams playing pretty good D. Marvin Williams on a consistent basis has always played pretty good D on Lebron, and every time he does we have to hear that Lebron had an off night. Why that is? I dont know.
As for the booing Lebron last night CDWoods. I was at the game and it wasn’t that we boo’d Lebron because we didn’t like him. I think I can say for most of the fans that boo’d him that we did it out of respect for the guys game. Do whatever it takes to knock him off his game – that’s what the fans are for right??? Shaq also got boo’d a lot last night too
Disingenious dawgs
December 30th, 2009
1:02 pm
Maybe you’re right that you own the state but don’t expect me to join you cheering for your loser pro teams.
If dawg fans are for Falcons, Hawks and Braves, you can have the losers.
There are no championships in any of the three’s future.
Enjoy wasting your money and the other team’s fans turning Atlanta into a neutral site.
CDWoods
December 30th, 2009
1:06 pm
Glad that you know LeBron so well, Justin. He went to my high school so I think I know him a little better than you do. By the way, there is nothing wrong with celebrating and having fun in a game. That should actually be the goal. I realize that Hawks fans must love Josh Smith’s grimace and foul temper, but that brings us right back to the issue of class. Cleveland has had it’s share of problems (unemployment at the forefront). However; we have a world class symphony orchestra, the Rock n’ Roll hall of fame, and several world class athletes. We also have terrible football and baseball teams. I have been to Atlanta, and I’m am not impressed, I’m also not impressed with fans who have to boo all the time (Washington Wizards are in that bag as well). So there you have it, Cleveland is a city that most people love to hate. But I’m satisfied in the knowledge that this emotion is generally baseless. There’s your generalization.
cdog
December 30th, 2009
1:38 pm
joe johnson is not a money player. remember last year with the playoffs in full swing everyone was up to the challenge except him. he was making excuses about being tired.that was a joke
cdog
December 30th, 2009
1:40 pm
it may not be a bad ideal to bring in tracy mcgrady as an insurance policy, johnson always tucks his tail in big games and the playoffs.
CDWoods
December 30th, 2009
1:51 pm
I hope that LeBron goes wherever is best for him. It’s been great having him in Cleveland, and he’ll be fun to watch wherever he is. It’s very rare to find such a talented person who isn’t an egomaniac. Hopefully, if he leaves, he’ll keep his basketball camp in Akron.
Mike Hunt
December 30th, 2009
2:00 pm
Tracy McGrady? That’s funny. $23 million and a head case. What a bargain.
slim
December 30th, 2009
2:13 pm
bottom line the team as a whole didn’t handle the pressure of a measuring stick type of game, but that’s what the regular season if for to make any changes that are needed, I do think the hawks will bounce back aggressively, as the hawks have been great in back to backs this season.
Hawker
December 30th, 2009
2:31 pm
another miserable big game performance by the hawks. mark it down–they will go out in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Justin
December 30th, 2009
2:40 pm
CDWoods, Since you addressed your post to me, let me give you a few thoughts in reponse.
1) I don’t know LeBron, and I never claimed to know him better than you. I don’t see how you would interpret that from my previous post. What I did say was that outside of Cleveland, he is not perceived as the classiest player for the reasons mentioned. I personally think that you can have fun and celebrate in a way that doesn’t show up opponents. But that is subjective. I didn’t think Josh Smith was showing up people with his through the legs dunk attempt last year, but others did. I think that Josh Smith and LeBron James are a bit on the immature side (yes, Josh even more than LeBron many times) for the amount of time that they’ve been in the league. They are professionals and there should be a certain amount of professionalism that is expected from them.
2) Regarding the city of Cleveland, it’s sounds like you have a lot of good entertainment there. I don’t have anything against the city and would like to visit it some day. I doubt that all the fans are classy there, just as I doubt they all are anywhere. Do fans not boo Kevin Garnett and Co. when they come to town? Or Dwight Howard? Even if they do, that would not make them bad fans in my mind. You pay for the ticket to give your team a home court advantage. The Hawks rarely have enough fans at the game for the other team to hear the boos. In fact, the biggest indictment on Hawks fans is that there are so few of them at the games.
3) The city of Atlanta may not be your cup of tea. Maybe you’ve had a bad experience. I ‘have never lived in Atlanta but I have gone there for Hawks, Braves, Georgia Tech, and Thrashers games, as well as the Olympics, the world-class Georgia Acquarium, concerts, and other events. The downtown area is not as pedestrian friendly as many other cities and the traffic is bad much of the time. The summers are scorching but the winters are mild. I don’t feel any need to defend the ATL against Cleveland as a good place to live. I cannot endorse Atlanta as a eutopia or anywhere else for that matter. My point is that you can be a fan and still have some sense of balance in your posts. Everything about my team/city is not great; everything about their team/city is not awful. That is lacking in most of the posts on this blog; however, your last post is one of the more balanced ones.
True Hawks Fan
December 30th, 2009
2:42 pm
Cry babies. Why are you fake fans so negative? Oh well, we had a melt down in the fourth. I was at the game. You know what…we will get them tonight. Marvin, you did your thing on Lebron.
Cavs Witness
December 30th, 2009
2:48 pm
You Hawks fans are a Joke! You guys will never have a good team with all of the negativity! That is why no big talent will ever sign with Atlanta! Come on over to Cleveland, Joe Johnson. We would love to have a character guy like you. After this season, you guys will realize that you were lucky Joe Johnson even wanted to go to Atlanta.
Hlecter
December 30th, 2009
2:48 pm
We will chat again tomm’w. If the Hawks beat the Cavs I will be the first one congratuling you.
For the cat that talked about Marvin Williams D on #23—————————-Did you watch the game? Do you have any hoops knowledge at all?? HE DID NOT PLAY HIM ONE ON ONE.
The Hawks failed strategy was to collapse the middle with two other guys and not let him get to the basket, then doubling him with the nearest guard on perimeter shots. With ALL of that, he still got off decent jumpers when he had to–was just cold–in and outers.
IF you choose this strategy to beat the Cavs you will lose. LBJ is the best in the game at knowing where the help is coming from and getting his unguarded teammates the ball.
Nobody has EVER stopped him one on one, and nobody may EVER do it till he hits age 38.
He is the best combination of size speed strength defense shooting drives and passing that has ever played the game. Ever. Closest one to him is Oscar, and he was dominating guards that were considerably smaller than his 6′ 5″. Next one up is Magic. It stops right about there.
To deny that is just jealousy and hating.
If you don’t like the Cavs celebrating and having joy for the game, do something that makes them stop.
Kobe doesn’t do much handshaking and hugging after a loss. Neither did MJ.
aphorism
December 30th, 2009
2:51 pm
IF YOU THINK THE CAVS ARE AVERAGE YOU CLEARLY ARE NOT QUALIFIED FOR YOUR JOB. THEY MAY HAVE PLAYED AN AVERAGE GAME FOR THEM WITH JAMES HAVING HIS WORST SHOOTING NIGHT IN YEARS, BUT TO THINK THEY ARE AN AVERAGE TEAM BETRAYS YOUR IGNORANCE
Justin
December 30th, 2009
2:51 pm
As for all of the doomsday comments about the Hawks, I don’t get it. Yes, they got outplayed by the Cavs, Magic, and Lakers. They did beat Boston in Boston. The Hawks are clearly the 4th best team in the East at worst, and probably capable of knocking the Celtics off if the ball bounces their way. They should still make the 2nd round. There is no reason to think they will beat the Magic or Cavs in a playoff series. But for whatever reason the Hawks match up pretty well with the Celtics. The Celtics would be favored but the Hawks have a decent chance (40% maybe?) of knocking off the Celtics in the 2nd round if they get the chance. That is not bad. Clearly the Hawks need more size if they are going to knock off Orlando or the Cavs. And Delonte West gives Joe fits. I think the key to the Cavs’ recent success has been Mo’s shooting and the resturn of West. If Joe can’t find a way to get loose against the Cavs, the Hawks are in trouble with their size deficit. Still a pretty good team though.
True Hawks Fan
December 30th, 2009
2:51 pm
Lebron went 6-20. 30% No one can stop Lebron, you can only hope to contain him. Once again, 6-20.
Cavs Witness
December 30th, 2009
3:08 pm
(True Hawks Fan)~Lebron is that good!!! “No one can stop Lebron, you can only hope to contain him”
Hawks Fans = worse fans in the NBA
jamillion
December 30th, 2009
3:11 pm
long tyme no hear. what went wrong is simply this.what i’ve been saying all along joe johnson is a good player,but should not be a focal point as your number one option.the hawks should have no number one option.by doing this joe johnson kobe bryant act it stagnates the players with greater potential to be better players ie josh(best athlete in the league), marvin( better shot quicker and better defense plus has anyone ever notice when marvin goes to the rack with confidence he always picks u the foul),al( i’ve said it since day one even playing out of position he is the second coming of tim duncan very fundamentally gifted plus can hit freethrows), and jeff teague(the perfect point guard for these hawks a facilitator who is super quick ,pushes the tempo to our strengths not walks it up the court bibby plays defense unlike bibby or jamal who are liabilities defensively gets steals for fast break opportunities. second mike woodson yes thhe hawks are not playing good because of woodson they are playing good because they have good players,but the right players are not in the game at the right time.case in point bibby always gets crushed by the elite ,quick guards and it won’t change tonight,plus n one polices joe when he has a bad game ie chicago in the last minutes and ot he couldn’t hit the ocean but instead of setting up his teammates he sinks them deeper,notice lebron was off and after halftime he facilitated other players.does anyone notice when the hawks are in a groove woody makes a substitution that breaks the momentum?that game and the orlando game were blown opportunities.woody let the chains off jeff teague,no mo iso joe superstar cause he is not one(good player yeah, superstar worth like 20 mill hell no)and let’s play good team ball.
Cavs Witness
December 30th, 2009
3:19 pm
Even jamillion thinks Joe Johnson should go to the CAVS.
Hawks fans = fair weather fans
jamillion
December 30th, 2009
3:43 pm
ps to all the atlanta haters out there why are you here?this is the hawks blog not the living section.i have been to cleveland.there is no life in cleveland it is so boring,cold, and slow.it is not a south beach, la,ny,chicago,or las vegas.and when it comes to the best teams in the league i rank the hawks tied for 5th with the nuggets.the hawks can knock off boston because they are’nt afraid of boston.they are scared of cleveland and orlando.the team let’s the media influence on how good they are,case in point they don’t think of themselves as an elite team.boston got knocked out in the second round but are talking about a championship,cleveland has only been to one championship like four years ago and talk championship,even the nuggets,mavericks and steve nash talk about championships.the hawks mentality as good as they are is set on making the playoffs and then making some noise.their attitude has destined them for losing in the second round or eastern conference finals.because thats their goal to play for the eastern conference finals not to win the championship.and it goes back to the coach
jamillion
December 30th, 2009
3:50 pm
i would take a healthy tmac over jj anyday of the weak,injuries have killed t macs career not being a star player or bad shooter,get it straight,matter of fact trade jj for t mac and a draft pick
grdmn
December 30th, 2009
3:57 pm
PUH-FREAKING-LEASE!!!!! Everything negative about this franchise (right now) rests on the shoulders of JOE JOHNSON!!!
He has proven he is not a big time player…..he got the money…..but he hasn’t shown he earned it. Joe Johnson sucks when it is time for a big-time franchise player to step to the plate.
Joe Johnson cried and crowed that he was an elite player….he isn’t. He is a bum…I’ll take Crawford as the #1 Hawks 2 guard over Joe Johnson anyday.
Hey Hawks…..get a new #2 guard to back up Crawford and get rid of Johnson.
Darrell
December 30th, 2009
4:22 pm
To those saying “it’s just one game”.. it will be 2 games after tonight after folding at home. I’d be suprized if they bounced back like the home loss vs NY and a road win at Dallas.
Mr Hawk
December 30th, 2009
4:45 pm
The Hawks need to pay Tmac whatever he wants, if they want to win anything big. They need a star scorer—Joe Johnson chokes in the big games. Get the money bags out and get Tmac to Atlanta.
BravesAreDone
December 30th, 2009
5:31 pm
Joe is always terrible in big games. He is not one of the elite players in the NBA…one of the elite players in the NBA is what the Hawks need to become legitimate title contenders.
Just Saying
December 30th, 2009
7:15 pm
Show some emotion Joe Johnson!!!
lenny
December 30th, 2009
10:31 pm
well, everybody, we now know what to expect of the hawks the rest of the season. they lost a game again on wednesday to trhe cavaliers. i think that they are inmature and have no HEART. i ALSO THINK THAT THE ENTIRE COACHING STAFF SUCKS. IF YOU DO NOT LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES, THEN HOW ARE YOU TO BECOME SUCCESSFUL AT WHAT YOU DO. MY OBSERVATION IS THAT THEY HAVE NOT LEARNED ANYTHING.(BLAME IT ON THE COACHING STAFF). THEY ARE a Number 4 TEAM, NONE BETTER. BY THE END OF JANUARY YOU WILL KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE MADE OF. THEY’LL MAKE THE PLAYOFFS, BUT THAT’S IT, UNLESS THE COACHING STAFF GET THEIR HEADS FROM UP THEIR A$$ES. (THEY HAVE TALENT, BUT, NO SMARTS AND NO GUTS). HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!! THE KNICKS WILL BEAT THEM AGAIN ON FRIDAY.
Hawker
December 31st, 2009
6:43 am
Another late game choke by the hawks! Woodson must go!!! These losses are getting old—bring in tmac and a new coach who can win big games!