We’re LIVE from Hawks-Magic: Can they make it a series?
Mike Woodson's Hawks have been inconsistent in the playoffs.
There’s a saying in sports that a playoff series doesn’t really begin until a team loses a home game.
It’s understandable if you’re not feeling that way after seeing the Hawks dismembered in Game 1 and fizzle in Game 2 against Orlando, losing two games of this playoff series by a combined 57 points. But back now in Philips Arena, where all is usually well, this is the Hawks’ last chance to show a pulse — and maintain it for 48 minutes.
It has been stated enough times in this corner but here we go again: The Hawks are at the point in their evolution where they shouldn’t be defined by the regular season (53-29) but by the postseason (4-3 over undermanned Milwaukee; 0-2 against Orlando).
Granted, only the most optimistic of folks projected them to beat Orlando in this series. The Magic reached the finals last year. They may win the championship this year. They’re superior at basketball’s two key positions: center and point guard.
But what you wanted to see from the Hawks this series is passion, intelligence and consistency under fire, and too often that hasn’t been the case.
Can they win tonight? Absolutely. In a 2-0 series, the trailing home team tends to play its best game, knowing at 3-0 the series probably is over. (For what it’s worth, Las Vegas has this as a close game: The Magic are favored by 2 to 2 1/2 points.)
The Hawks’ objectives shouldn’t change: pound Dwight Howard inside as much as possible with rotating hackers (Zaza Pachulia, Joe Smith, Jason Collins). Play pressure defense to try and force turnovers. Hope Orlando doesn’t get hot from trey-range. See where you’re at in the fourth quarter.
The Hawks are 37-8 at home this year (34-7 in the regular season; 3-1 in the playoffs). However, Philips Arena is not a cure all. We saw Milwaukee win Game 5 here to push the Hawks to the brink of elimination in the first round.
In fact, since winning four straight home playoff games in 2008 (3-0 vs. Boston) and 2009 (first game vs. Miami), the Hawks have gone only 5-4 at Philips. The breakdown: 2-1 in the rest of the Miami series, 0-2 vs. Cleveland, 3-1 vs. Milwaukee.
So what do you think. Can the Hawks make a series of this? We’ll be here blogging live during the game, but let’s hear your predictions now.
♦
Follow me on Twitter @JeffSchultzAJC and on Facebook.com/JeffSchultzAJC
♦
Earlier posts
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
484 comments Add your comment
buick59
May 8th, 2010
7:28 pm
anyone putting their hopes on the Falcons…you have my condolences.
Brian
May 8th, 2010
7:29 pm
Cheshire, the Falcons are our only hope to win a championship in the next years. If they don’t win a Super BOwl in that time span, God help us.
Vick Supporter
May 8th, 2010
7:29 pm
brody
May 8th, 2010
7:26 pm
Vick supporter yea he was a superstar but the man never got us a title. Then he went off and murdered animals. He didn’t care about the city so why should you
——————————–
Having a GM like Dimitroff would have helped. We all know Vick was wrong. Let it go. I’m not trying to talk about Vick on a Hawks blog
brody
May 8th, 2010
7:30 pm
And Vick supporter average? Last time I checked we have a very good offense and have upgraded the defense. Don’t be one of those guys still upset because number 7 turned his back on the city and GOT HIMSELF released from the roster. Hell, we don’t even speak of his name in the city anymore.
Brian
May 8th, 2010
7:30 pm
Harpie, I’d say that having a superstar is more important in the NBA than any other major sport.
Will
May 8th, 2010
7:30 pm
Harpie- Wrong. You do have to have a superstar. Look at Cleveland (LeBron) LA(Kobe) Magic(Howard)….those will be 3 teams out of the final 4.
Vick Supporter
May 8th, 2010
7:30 pm
Harpie
May 8th, 2010
7:28 pm
You don’t have to have a superstar to have a great team; and, having a superstar doesn’t automatically make your team good…
—————–
It damn sure helps. Plus, Atl fans don’t treat their superstars well anyways
Brian
May 8th, 2010
7:30 pm
When is the last time the Hawks had a true superstar ?
John
May 8th, 2010
7:31 pm
The Hawks are not going to bring in Bosh or Wade if Joe leaves. They can’t afford it. We can afford to get Joe because he is already under contract with us.
da yooper
May 8th, 2010
7:32 pm
hawks were dragged to 7 games by a box of spare parts without its best player…everyone should have seen this coming forget wade-his body is starting to break down…hawks need to develop their own star/leader not buy somebody elses overpriced problem
brody
May 8th, 2010
7:33 pm
Until we get a superstar, this town will never win. We don’t have a superstar in football, basketball, or baseball. We did have one 3 years ago though
I think you were with that statement buddy.
.
May 8th, 2010
7:33 pm
JJ WON’T EVEN SHOW UP TO THE PRESS CONFERENCE ON NBA.COM
Brian
May 8th, 2010
7:33 pm
John, if the Hawks can’t afford to get a top caliber player how are we ever going to win a championship ?
Mystikal
May 8th, 2010
7:33 pm
Harpie, true but it helps! A LOT!!!
Navigator
May 8th, 2010
7:34 pm
After the season is over (soon), evaluate every player and coach on this team and determine if they can go higher in the playoffs with them. If the answer is no to some, look for trades and draft picks, but most important find a big defensive center that can shut down the middle against Cleveland, Boston and Orlando.
soldierman
May 8th, 2010
7:34 pm
Brian, I have to disagree with you bro. Hell even the braves in all their madness were able to stay in the race for the wildcard last year. The falcons, despite all of the injuries just posted their first back to back winning seasons ever and have a legitimate shot at snatching the division from the saints this year, The hawks no matter how horrid they play have now made the playoffs 3 years in a row and hell even the thrashers were in the playoffs last year or the year before. not too sure which on that last one.
Vick Supporter
May 8th, 2010
7:34 pm
brody
The falcons are average. Be honest with yourself.
@Will
You’re right, in the NBA, you almost have to have a superstar to be in the elite…the exception was the 2004 Pistons championship team
harry the hawk
May 8th, 2010
7:34 pm
Jeff—I can’t wait to see how you try to put this loss—or situation—into words
buick59
May 8th, 2010
7:34 pm
Brian, you may be right about the Cavs IF they can keep Lebron. I say the Magic will win the East at least this year. BTW, to everyone what have the Falcons done in offseason to consider themselves elite? Still don’t have a big receiver, pass rusher, etc.
Navigator
May 8th, 2010
7:35 pm
One last thing, Atlanta draft Paul Gasol and shipped him off to Memphis in a trade. Chew on that one for awhile
cheshire
May 8th, 2010
7:36 pm
yeah, you absolutely do have to have a superstar to compete in the NBA… that’s why the NBA sucks so much. it’s not about team basketball or building a good team using wisdom and intellect… it’s about getting lucky in the lottery. that’s it.
now, having a superstar doesn’t guarantee you anything… but if you have a superstar and a semi-competent GM, you are in great shape.
that’s why i have a lot of sympathy for Rick Sund… i think he’s a good GM in an impossible situation. he can’t get anyone in the lottery, and no player is gonna want to come to a city that has a 45+ year tradition of losing and a jaded (understandably jaded) fanbase.
Brian
May 8th, 2010
7:36 pm
Soldier, how sad is it that it took the Falcons 40+ years to have back to back winning seasons ? That says it all right there. And the Braves ? They are a joke and have been for 40+ years. 1 Championship from 1991 to 2005 says it all. Braves should have won at least 3 World Series.
A Woods Friend
May 8th, 2010
7:37 pm
The Hawks can’t compete with the top notch teams in this league with the current team they have…Mike Woodson days are numbered
Vick Supporter
May 8th, 2010
7:37 pm
Navigator
May 8th, 2010
7:35 pm
One last thing, Atlanta draft Paul Gasol and shipped him off to Memphis in a trade. Chew on that one for awhile
————————-
LOL….and there are NUMEROUS other players in which they did not know what they had. Every player that left the Hawks have flourished
todd grantham
May 8th, 2010
7:37 pm
Jeffrey, the proverbial towel has been tossed by the Hawks.
ltdbrave
May 8th, 2010
7:37 pm
Enter your comments here
Brian
May 8th, 2010
7:38 pm
I just looked it up and Boston has a total of 32 championships out of the 4 major sports. Atlanta has 1. What a joke.
Harpie
May 8th, 2010
7:38 pm
Having a game plan, playing well, and playing as a TEAM, are what wins. If all the players are good, you don’t have to have a superstar. And, if you do have a superstar, and the other guys don’t play well, you probably will not win a championship. You guys’ priorities are a little off.
John
May 8th, 2010
7:38 pm
Brian, good question. All the teams with top, elite players drafted them for the most part. It is easier to keep players you draft because you can offer them more money. Look at Kobe, Lebron, Duncan, Dwight, Wade, Nowitzki, and so on. All of the top, elite players have pretty much played for one team. It is very hard to sign a superstar in the prime of their career. Bosh, not matter what people say, is not a superstar. He has a decent supporting cast around him, but he cannot even get the Raptors into the playoffs.
buick59
May 8th, 2010
7:39 pm
preach it Brian
Brian
May 8th, 2010
7:39 pm
buick, the Falcons are not elite and never will be. They are probably a 9-7 team in 2010.
Vick Supporter
May 8th, 2010
7:39 pm
cheshire
I totally agree. I personally believe that D.Stern has ruined the NBA in my opinion. NBA was great in the 90s…early 2000s
Seems like they played harder…had alot more rivalries
da yooper
May 8th, 2010
7:39 pm
a couple of coal miners could really help the hawks
Mystikal
May 8th, 2010
7:41 pm
Hate to pile on, but Dwight Howard is still getting better. So I say we make a trade or move up in the draft to take a center or 2 to develop cause Dwight isn’t going anywhere for a while. We may have our point already in Teague (maybe we’d know if he actually got to play) but we need that presense at the 5 spot.
Sav Fan
May 8th, 2010
7:41 pm
Mike has not had the help from the front office to produce a championship team. Sund should be fired because he had time to get a center to take this team tothe next level. Mike can only work with what he is given. Sund does not negotiate contracts once the season starts but other teams do. Sund please show where your reasoning has had success. You don’t have a clue what this team needs.
buick59
May 8th, 2010
7:41 pm
LMAO da yooper
Vick Supporter
May 8th, 2010
7:42 pm
I would almost prefer for us to be in the lottery a couple of years. Sucks to win 53 games and get swept by elite teams 2 years in a row. Luck has to be on our side for once.
We haven’t had a superstar since Vick
Mystikal
May 8th, 2010
7:43 pm
Cheshire, i agree. Not only is it difficult to get a star, but to put a team together period. Unless you have an owner who is willing to overpay for ppl, it’s darn near impossible!
cheshire
May 8th, 2010
7:43 pm
Harpie, in all seriousness, i WISH what you were saying were true… i really do. I think the NBA would be way more fascinating if it were about team basketball and not superstars. But that’s just not the reality of it.
Brian, i agree, the # of championships we have won (or haven’t won) keeps me up at night. I truly believe this town has a sports curse on it unlike anywhere else (except maybe Cleveland or Seattle). It’s all about ownership – we’ve had 2 good owners in our history. Ted Turner and Arthur Blank. One gave us the Braves of the early 90’s, the other is giving us a very exciting Falcons team.
You guys who keep saying the Falcons suck or are average obviously don’t watch them very much or follow what they’re doing in that organization. Things are absolutely headed in the right direction in Mr. Blank’s neighborhood.
Harpie
May 8th, 2010
7:43 pm
Sympathy for Sund? If he hadn’t kapt that incompetent coach, the Hawks could have been really good this year. Josh plays great sometimes and like an idiot the rest of the time because he has no coach to teach him the right way and to hold him accountable; Joe is a ball hog because Woodson told him to be one; Teague has not been developed the way he should have been this season because Blowfish Woodson hasn’t let him play. This team would have been much, much, better with a real NBA coach…
ltdbrave
May 8th, 2010
7:44 pm
And we call the Hawks a playoff team? What an abomination! Again, Bibby, Williams and Johnson did not do a thing. How can a team spend millions of dollars on a team and this occur? I think Johnson is trying his darnest not to get resigned with the Hawks because he has stunk thru this process. Williams and Bibby have stunk all year. Why they ever resigned them is way over my head.
They have Smith and Crawford and Horford. They need a new coach to control and make Josh grow up and be able to fire up a team. What a damn ugly sight this team is. If I were playing on the Hawks, I would hang my head very low. They really suck bad.
Vick Supporter
May 8th, 2010
7:44 pm
@Sav Fan
Take a center? WHO?!? There’s not even 5 ELITE centers in the whole league? Actually, there’s been a big man shortage for the last 10 years or more
Brian
May 8th, 2010
7:44 pm
Cheshire, the Falcons are definitely the most exciting team in Atlanta right now. Too bad it’s not September and we have to wait 4 more months.
todd grantham
May 8th, 2010
7:45 pm
30 points is slightly less embarrasing than 43.
soldierman
May 8th, 2010
7:46 pm
Brian as ugly as it is there are cities who have gone through worse droughts than what we are experiencing. Cleveland, Seattle, Buffalo, and San Diego off the top of my head are in worse droughts than we are. Are we at the very top certainly not, however, we aren’t as horrific as you portray either. That’s my 2 Lincoln’s about the topic anyways. yall have a good evening.
Greg
May 8th, 2010
7:46 pm
Four more months, you are counting Georgia Tech as the winner in Losersville? The Falcons will be good this year and they’ve had two winning seasons in a row coming into this year. They are building something and will be a playoff team this year.
Georgia Tech…not so much. Even most of you want to get rid of your hoops coach who is 30 games under .500 for his career in the ACC and has a losing record vs UGA. Your powerhouse football program has lost 8 of 9 to UGA. If anybody in Atlanta cared about Tech, wouldn’t you be able to fill up the Joke at Coke more often? You’d be the equivalent of South Carolina or Kentucky if your football team played in the SEC.
Vick Supporter
May 8th, 2010
7:47 pm
And we can’t always “blame the coach” I think its good that we’ve had a coach in place for a few years. In the past, we were switching coaches every 2 years
Brian
May 8th, 2010
7:48 pm
Soldier, don’t compare Atlanta to cities like Cleveland, Seattle, Buffalo, and SD. Atlanta is a much larger city in terms of metro population than all of those cities. Let’s compare Atlanta to other cities of similar size, such as Dallas, Miami, and Boston.
Armond Hill
May 8th, 2010
7:48 pm
John Drew could take Joe Johnson to the cleaners any day of the week!
Vick Supporter
May 8th, 2010
7:48 pm
@Brian
The Falcons are exciting? Why isn’t the dome sold out every Sunday?