As Hawks start playoffs, what’s acceptable to you?
Josh Smith and the Hawks had some big wins down the stretch. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
Two years ago, we were happy just that the Hawks made the playoffs.
Last year, we were happy that they just won a playoff series.
What now?
Loading ...The consensus expectations for the Hawks this postseason is that they will have an easy time against Milwaukee in the first round and lose to Orlando in the second. Looking at the standings and the rosters — the Hawks don’t have an answer for Dwight Howard — that’s understandable.
But two things from my perspective:
♦ 1) The Hawks were a strong team down the stretch. They proved something to themselves when they beat the Magic at Philips Arena three weeks ago, as well as the Lakers a week later. Prior to the win over Orlando, they had been 0-5 against the two Eastern Conference powers, the Cavaliers (0-2) and Magic (0-3).
♦ 2) While I believe the Hawks would have a shot against Orlando in the second round, I don’t think they need to win that series to validate their season. They just need to compete — and not get smoked in four games, like the Cleveland series last year.
The big key, I believe, is the play of Joe Johnson. In any sport, your team’s best players must come through at the biggest time. Johnson was strong down the stretch for the Hawks. Needless to say, this is an important postseason for him in terms of a potential ripple effect for contract negotiations. I’ll be posting something on Johnson later today.
For now, I want to know what you think. I’ve received emails all over the board, from, “This team will be lucky to win a round,” to, “They need to get to the finals.”
Here’s the question: What is acceptable to you? I’m not asking for a prediction. I’m asking what you believe the Hawks should accomplish in the playoffs, based on what you think of the team. I’ve put up a poll but, as always, I want to see your comments. I’ll check back shortly.
♦
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105 comments Add your comment
Mr. Turnip-Green Jeans
April 15th, 2010
2:07 pm
Hawks have a split personality at times.
They have the borderline-dominant team, and the sleepwalking team.
They could roll through the Bucks with ease, or make a blundering early exit.
Depends on which Hawks team shows-up.
Jo Bling
April 15th, 2010
2:14 pm
What’s with the talk from El Bravo above about blowing up the team if they don’t win two rounds? Are you kidding? This team just won 53 games. Dismantle a team it’s taken five years to build into a winner? Really?
doc
April 15th, 2010
2:25 pm
compete in or win round 2.
Dawglasville
April 15th, 2010
2:31 pm
Take Orlando deep in round two.
MARIO SCANDRETT
April 15th, 2010
2:35 pm
HELL YEAH…The Hawks will shock the world………
P.S the OKC may upset the Lakers int eh 1st round… Hawks Nuggets FINALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Najeh Davenpoop
April 15th, 2010
2:36 pm
If they make the Eastern Conference finals, they would have exceeded expectations. Thy are the third best team in the East — the way they can show progress from last year is by playing a competitive second round series and proving that they are no pushovers for Orlando and Cleveland. I don’t think they can beat Orlando without home court, but they are definitely good enough to take it to 7 games.
northcyde
April 15th, 2010
2:38 pm
I can’t vote in that poll. Acceptable to me would be to see the Hawks win Round 1 pretty easy ( 5 games ), and then get into an ALL OUT WAR with Orlando in the 2nd round. No blowouts in any game that we lose . . and force them to close us out in Orlando in a Game 7.
If the Hawks gave it everything they had against Orlando . . . but lost . . . there’s no way I could be disappointed in the Hawks playoff run.
But if something crazy happened, and we faced Charlotte in Round 2, nothing short of winning that series would be acceptable ( although that would be an all out war as well ).
Clay
April 15th, 2010
2:47 pm
Prior to the win over Orlando, they had been 0-5 against the two Eastern Conference powers, the Cavaliers (0-2) and Magic (0-3).
I think you mean “Prior to the win over Cleveland…”
Mark
April 15th, 2010
2:48 pm
This is the playoffs, enough said, they have played well, and talked this is where we want to be, lets back it up…Crawford is the ‘X” factor comapred to last year….just no peaks and valleys, play consistent, might be interesting what happens
Let's Go Bravos!
April 15th, 2010
2:49 pm
Win the whole thing!! This is what they play for. They play to win championships. They are as good a team as anyone in the playoffs. They just don’t have a Lebron or Kobe or Dwight, but if you play good defense and don’t let those guys score 40 on you, then you have a chance to win!
Matt the Brave
April 15th, 2010
2:51 pm
Correct me if I’m wrong, but the Hawks have not advanced to the Eastern Conference finals since they won the championship in 1958 in St. Louis. In other words, they haven’t gotten out of the 2nd round of the playoffs since they got to Atlanta.
fayncdawg
April 15th, 2010
2:58 pm
Hope they will not look past the Bucks and take care of biz in five games. The key to a second round match with the Magic (prayerfully a Magic team taken to task by the Bobs) will be defensive backcourt play. Our guards MUST MUST MUST disrupt and rattle their guards to the point where 1)they get bad looks at shots 2) the guards cant’t get the ball to Howard and/or their three-point bombers eg Rashad Lewis). ONLY WAY THE HAWKS CAN BEAT THE MAGIC! POSSIBLE? YES! LIKELY? …..
Mr. Phil
April 15th, 2010
2:58 pm
To atone for all the Marvin Williams bashing I tend to do at every given chance, allow to me to give a list of small forwards he has out performed this season Shane Battier, Ron Artest, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Carlos Delfino.
SWAT Native
April 15th, 2010
3:00 pm
It’s funny to me that now that the Hawks swept the Celtics in the regular season, the Celtics no longer count as one of the “eastern conference powers”. If you include the Celtics and the win last night, Hawks were actually a .500 team against what used to be called the “big three”.
I think that Milwaukee will give the Hawks more of a challenge than people think, but the Hawks will win the series within 6 games. I also think the Hawks will do better in the second round than people might think. Take the Magic to 7 and I’m satisfied, but I wouldn’t be shocked by the Hawks making it to the finals.
Mr. Phil
April 15th, 2010
3:00 pm
If the Hawks can get Marvin to pick it up in the third and score consistently in the Fourth, a championship will be easy as pie.
Mr. Phil
April 15th, 2010
3:02 pm
this team only has one REAL weakness. Nearly every loss this year has come down to missing shots in the 4th. Make open shots and we win it all.
fayncdawg
April 15th, 2010
3:04 pm
OW-WOWWW!!! Matt, whose side are you on? No need to rub in! Like, duh! No ATLANTA HAWK team has come any where close to a conference final. I gives less than a care about a STL/DET Hawk team in the ’50s!
Scoots
April 15th, 2010
3:06 pm
They’ve got to get to the Eastern Finals.
Otherwise, it’s basically just what was expected of the season – 3 elite teams in Cleveland, Orlando, Boston – with Atlanta at the 2nd tier. The only thing different is there are 2 elite teams (Cleveland-Orlando) and two 2nd-tiers (Atlanta-Boston), unless we prove otherwise by beating Boston.
That said – it can be done. Like Mark Bradley said, if we can dispose quickly of Milwaukee and Charlotte takes Orlando deep, we’ll be well rested for the series.
Go Hawks!
O'Brien
April 15th, 2010
3:08 pm
I would like to see the Hawks win round 1 in 6 games or less.
In round 2, they should win at least 2 games (assuming they play Orlando), and be competitive in the others.
If Charlotte beats Orlando in round 1, then Hawks should beat Charlotte and advance to the ECF. If that happens, they would need to win at least 2 games against Cleveland, and be competitive in the others.
mike
April 15th, 2010
3:09 pm
need to make nba finals.. that validation
Zach
April 15th, 2010
3:14 pm
If it only took me 4 tries for me to get the hawks as champions on the espn playoff predictor is that a good or bad thing?
JASon
April 15th, 2010
3:15 pm
Lets not get carried away here, Charlotte is not going to beat Orlando. The Magic are on par with the Cavs. As for the Hawks, I think that taking the Orlando series to 6 or 7 games is probably what you can expect. Any thing less is unacceptable.
Kyle
April 15th, 2010
3:16 pm
hopefully this season ends with 4 quick losses so the Hawks can put us out of our misery.
Kenji
April 15th, 2010
3:17 pm
The Hawks have a chance against Orlando. Their chances depend on their defense. In the 3 terrible losses against the Magic, the Hawks allowed unlikely heroes to beat them. In the first three game the Hawks were thrashed by the Magic Bench; however, they held Orlando’s bench to 11 points in the 4th game. That is the key to making the Magic show come to an early end this post season. The Hawks cant let guys like Anthony Johnson, Jason Williams or Ryan Anderson beat them.
Zach
April 15th, 2010
3:19 pm
Everyone I want to apologize for Kyle. He is a bitter Maryland college basketball fan, and he cares nothing about the hawks. Thanks
Kyle
April 15th, 2010
3:20 pm
i’m a big boy and can apologize on my own behalf. my only regret is wasting 3 minutes of my time on a Hawks blog. that is all
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater
April 15th, 2010
3:26 pm
i hate how the playoffs are setup- by the time they’re done–football will start. that being said, i think Hawks have a chance to make it to the finals, but a lot has to happen in our favor and having luck is always a good thing.
fayncdawg
April 15th, 2010
3:35 pm
Hawk Bloggers (the ones who cheer for the Hawks), riddle me this. Say the playoff run ends as expected in the 2nd round; in the years to come (STARTING THE 2010-11 SEASON) will this team make a championship run? Or do changes have to be made? I actually think a backcourt of DWade and a D-minded PG (uh Rondo, Lou Williams) would help the Hawks better than Bibby and JJ. On offense I like Bibby and JJ! On defense, I detest them! Bibby can’t play D! JJ, while not as bad as Bibby, doesn’t inspire the Hawks to play all-out D! That’s where a change to DWade and a fierce defender may come into play for next season (provided JJ and Bibby don’t make a liar out of me)!
bali
April 15th, 2010
3:37 pm
hope they beat the bucks… will lose to the magic… after that maybe they will blow up the teamand start over… then they can sell the teams and have tractor pulls at phillips… sounds great to me
JSS
April 15th, 2010
3:47 pm
Once again, stop worrying about next year!
Jason Collins
April 15th, 2010
3:56 pm
Au contraire, mon amie, I believe we do have an answer to Dwight Howard and he is me.
Delbert D.
April 15th, 2010
3:58 pm
What’s acceptable is not the thing. The Hawks have a chance to win it all, that’s the thing.
F-105 Thunderchief
April 15th, 2010
3:59 pm
I’d like them to make the conference finals. But, I think Josh and JJ both have to play out of their minds for it to happen.
Sam
April 15th, 2010
4:11 pm
They need to make the Eastern Conference finals…case closed.
Anything else is unacceptable…case closed.
BPJ
April 15th, 2010
4:12 pm
I think they’ll beat the Bucks in 5, and have an almost-even shot at beating Orlando. (If they had added Ilgauskas to the roster a month ago, I’d say the Hawks were favored to beat Orlando.) If the Hawks best 8 or 9 players all play well, they can hang with anyone. Tough team defense, disciplined shot selection are key.
They could beat Cleveland, but I’d accept a 6 or 7 game series. No Hawks team has gotten to a conference final since they expanded the format decades ago.
"Chef" Tim Dix
April 15th, 2010
4:16 pm
Win it all. Artificial goals are for losers and soccer moms.
Boneyard Randy
April 15th, 2010
4:22 pm
Acceptable? That’s a terrible word to use to pose the question I think you’re trying to ask – expectations. We have to accept whatever they give us – our only recourse is to punish them by attendance/not spend money on merch. I’ll accept what they give me, as long as I see a fight. I want to see them work hard on the defensive side of the ball and pull down every rebound. Make smart passes/plays. Don’t take a play off. If they lose 0-4 to the Bucks playing that way, then I’ll be disappointed, but I’ll accept it.
An obvious answer – look at the standings and the season series against the magic and the cavs or look at the odds an objective observer (Vegas) has on the hawks chances. We should win round 1 and assuming we play cleveland or orlando in round 2, we should probably lose. If we don’t win at least 2 games in round 2, I will be pissed. Let’s fight and see what happens.
Terrible choice of words though – “Acceptable”. Jeff, you’re a writer, and as such, I’d say using “acceptable” is unacceptable. How about, what are your expectations for the Hawks in the postseason? Anyway, just constructive criticism. Keep up the good work otherwise. See yall at The Factory.
P.S. – I’m glad I don’t have to see all the fair weather D-Wade fans in the stands this year.
Joe Johnson says playoffs need to be his time to shine | Jeff Schultz
April 15th, 2010
4:25 pm
[...] Previous post: As Hawks open playoffs, what’s acceptable to you? [...]
Jeff Schultz
April 15th, 2010
4:39 pm
Niremetal — Only $5? By the way, I also probably write more college football stories and Falcons stories than Hawks stories but that’s just called serving the bulk of your readership. Let me know if you need me to send you the page view spread sheets.
LouFan
April 15th, 2010
4:39 pm
As I said in the previous blog…. I am still baffled on how people state that we have no chance versus ANY elite team. We play very well versus the Cavs, where we lost two games because we gave it to them… Not because they out played us. We have taken the Lakers, Mavericks(should have been 2-0), Spurs and Suns, 1-1 as well. The only team that has demolished us is Orlando. Which I feel we can win against if we throw our big guys (Jason, Randolf, Zaza, Joe…) at Howard and guard the three. I feel the only real opponent to the Hawks is themselves. We have the man power and bench to go to the finals. All the Hawks have to do is play, stay focused, and show a little heart and they would be a huge upset to any team.
Have more faith in your team you so called fans. Show support and hope that they mature these playoffs (Including Mike Woodson)… Where ANYTHING can happen.
Expect big games from Jamal Crawford(First time in playoffs), Joe Johnson(Wanting that cash next year), Josh Smith(Something to prove from last years immaturity), Al Horford(Spreading the offense with his jump shots), and Zaza(Always brings the heart into the playoffs).
All that being said. I will be happy with Eastern Finals and taking them to game seven. Anything less than Eastern finals is unacceptable. I would not be surprised if they go to the NBA finals.
Jeff Schultz
April 15th, 2010
4:39 pm
Thanks Dave
Jeff Schultz
April 15th, 2010
4:40 pm
Freshmaker — Thanks for the defense. I’m used to the occasional unprovoked attack.
Jeff Schultz
April 15th, 2010
4:41 pm
Michael — we’re in agreement.
Jeff Schultz
April 15th, 2010
4:42 pm
JSS — I think you’d be interested by Joe’s comments. Just posted the column.
Jeff Schultz
April 15th, 2010
4:44 pm
Boneyard — The word “acceptable” had its feeling hurt when you called it “terrible.” … Seriously, at the end of the playoffs, some fans say, “We lost? That’s unacceptable.” Hence, the choice of words for the poll. No reason to over-dissect it.
C from Marietta
April 15th, 2010
5:24 pm
Jeff,
Unprovoked attack? LOL. Now that’s funny. All you do is rip the home teams with your one sided opinions. Your too funny.
Ain't Got No Heart
April 15th, 2010
5:30 pm
This team has no heart and will get bounced early. The only men that play with passion are Crawford and ZaZa, the bench players. If the superstars weren’t half stoned and zoned out the Hawks would be in the championship series against the Lakers.
JSS
April 15th, 2010
6:46 pm
Jeff Schultz, I replied on the Joe Johnson column…
Mr. Schultz, some of the best columns I’ve read were about things that most would consider obscure. Write well, be interesting, people will come… Play to the masses and you get BugKiller and Matt “Choke” Ryan spending the day peeing on each other! No insult intended “Choke.”
All I'm Saying...
April 15th, 2010
7:00 pm
Jeff:
I will be satisfied if the Hawks:
1) Beat the Bucks in fewer than seven games and
2) Win at least one game in the second round matchup, assuming its the Magic
I will be happy if the Hawks:
1) Sweep the Bucks and
2) Win two or more games against the Magic in the second round
I will be joyous if the Hawks
1) Sweep the Bucks
2) Win the second round match-up against the Magic
3) Make it to the Eastern Conference Finals
I will be ecstatic if the Hawks
1) Sweep the Bucks
2) Win the second round match-up against the Magic
3) Win the Eastern Conference Finals
4) Play in the NBA Finals
I will be speechless and in a semi-comatose state if the Hawks win it all!
LET’S GO HAWKS!
derrick
April 16th, 2010
8:03 am
It is time,the big players we have show up. the hawks,have played together long enough win it. they just need to relax and play with passion. joe,needs to display that killer instinct,josh needs to crash the boards,marvin needs to play like a #2 pick. woodson needs to let the hawks run,and run,and be more demanding,instead of just folding his arms,when they play lazy! if the hawks give it thier all,they will shock,the bandwagon fans he have here. go hawks!