Horford leads way, as Hawks survive for another day
Al Horford, in his first start in four months, was Hawks' best player early and late against Boston. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)
With his dual-personality basketball team facing playoff elimination Tuesday night, Hawks coach Larry Drew started a center (Al Horford) who was coming off his first game in nearly four months and a forward (Marvin Williams) who had played his way on to the bench for much of this season.
“We wanted to give a different look and see if it jump-starts us,” Drew said.
This is where the average Hawks fan inserted the just-rearranging-the-chairs-on-the-Titanic joke. Because, well, what is an Atlanta sports fan if not someone with a sense of impending doom?
But something weird happened. Actually, more like something Hawks happened. Philips Arena was Sybil Central again.
They trailed by 10 early. They led by 12 late. They blew the lead (of course). They got it back (of course).
They led 87-83 with a minute left, but left Paul Pierce wide open for a 3-pointer (seriously?). Then they led by one point and had the ball with 10 seconds left, but Josh Smith threw away an inbounds pass to Rajon Rondo (Smith later on Rondo: “He’s got long fingers.”), only to knock away a pass at the other end as time expired.
Sorry. Did you lose your stomach about seven turns back?
But hey, the Hawks won 87-86. They live to play another game. That’s probably more than most saw coming after self-immolation two days earlier in Boston.
The Celtics still lead the best-of-seven series 3-2. They certainly will be favored to close this out Thursday night. But speculate at your own risk.
As for Drew’s lineup decisions, try this: Horford, back from a torn pectoral, finished with a team-high 19 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots. Williams made three of six three-point attempts — the rest of the team was 4-for-10. On a night when Smith and Joe Johnson started dreadfully but finished strong, Horford was the difference.
Horford was expected to play 15 to 20 minutes. He ended up playing over 41.
“I didn’t want to bring him back that early in the fourth, but it was a close game and you could feel the momentum shifting,” Drew said. “He was a superman for us down the stretch.”
So was this: After making only 4 of 16 shots to open the game and shooting 35.7 percent in the first half, the Hawks shots 61.3 percent in the second half.
The Hawks were a resilient team during the season. So, yes, even given the backdrop of so many franchise failures in past seasons, it was stunning to see this bunch in Game 4 on Sunday morph back into the decipherable blob that lost four consecutive second-round playoff games to Orlando by a cumulative 101 points in 2010.
How does a team, knowing what’s on the line, find itself trailing by 24 points midway through the second quarter of a playoff game?
The hangover seemed to carry into Tuesday. Johnson, taking his usual public flogging for postseason failures, said following the morning shootaround, “We haven’t had a game like Game 4 in quite some time. It was mind-boggling, honestly. I’m still puzzled by that.”
He should try the view from the stands.
It wasn’t much better at the start of this one. Smith missed his first eight shots, too many of the what-are-you-doing variety. The Hawks started the game shooting 4-for-16. They trailed early by 10 points, 28-18.
Mocking shouts from the stands could be heard after Johnson misses (although it was difficult to tell if they were coming from Celtics fans or Hawks fans). He had complained he needed “more touches” after the last game, and the Hawks bent over backwards to appease him. At one point in the half, Jeff Teague passed up a wide open 3-point attempt to feed Johnson, who also was open. He missed.
But the Hawks found a spark late in the half. They went on a 14-3 run after consecutive three-pointers by Williams (two), Johnson and Teague, taking their first lead at 40-37 since 3-2.
Did the skies just open up?
Like so many things Hawks-related, it was an agonizing tease. They built a 12-point lead in the third quarter, only to implode. Four turnovers enabled the Celtics to close the quarter on a 10-0 run and the lead to 66-64. They did that with Rondo leading the way and Pierce on the bench resting his sore knee.
But the Hawks made another run. Teague fed Horford inside to break an 83-all tie. The next time down the court, Horford made a 6-foot floater to make the score 87-83, setting up the final frantic seconds.
Drew wanted to believe the Hawks could come back from 3-1.
“Like I’ve told our players,” he said, “I think we’ve had a great season despite [Game 3], and that game is no reflection on the rest of our season. We watched film, we talked about it and learned from it and now it’s time to move on.”
They did that. No telling what happens next.
By Jeff Schultz
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106 comments Add your comment
CamiloAtlanta
May 9th, 2012
1:18 am
Just setting us up for more heartbreak. Six times out of six the Hawks have left us at the playoff altar against the clover-heads. Call me doom-and-gloom, but it’s being a realist first. As much as I love this team, they are always overmatched, and it is coaching’s fault. So give them credit this game, then blame them the next. There will be no game 7.
TROLL PATROLL
May 9th, 2012
1:36 am
5150 ought to know about TROLLAMATRIX!
JASon
May 9th, 2012
1:39 am
Rajon Rondo. I’m glad the hawks won but what a dynamic and intersting player this guy is. What a story, just his makeup and the way he plays. Its just too bad he has to represent such a piece of crap organization, speaking of which how awesome is it that the lakers lost.
Preston
May 9th, 2012
1:51 am
i’m seriously tired and i’ve had it with the josh smith hatred. No, the guy isn’t a world beater, but he went 18ppg an 10 reb per game this year, he stretches the floor, and brings a crap ton of energy. he is better than at least 25 other guys that start at his position in the league. As much as I like the guy, If he can’t be appreciated in this city, then maybe he should go somewhere else. He deserves to be appreciated. He gives it his all every game (and he’s played practically every game over the last 4-5 ears).
JG
May 9th, 2012
2:40 am
Blog – Atlanta Hawks: Yearly Pretender: http://bit.ly/atlhawks
Truck Robinson
May 9th, 2012
3:01 am
Braves were up 3-2 on the Twins–anything can happen — well Minnesota cheated but none the less– Go Hawks– shock the world
Doc Rivers
May 9th, 2012
3:36 am
Josh Smithis a loser!Hewas to be a point guard…he dribble up court after he grabs a lose ball. He jacks up three” and any other jumpspot more than 12 feet. He cant inbound the ball. He pouts about everything. Lets the Bobcats have him and pray you can find another Al. I really dislike J Smoove maybe he will hold out for a trade. LOSER Smith playing for a loser organization.
hawks d
May 9th, 2012
4:12 am
@ Jeff Schultz
I liked your message at the end “No telling what happens next.”
After all the speculation on this series, I am honestly baffled. Which team will we see on Thursday night??
I think if we concentrate on two things we have a chance :
1. KNOCK OUT DEFENSE – I mean flies on sh..t defense
2. POINTS IN THE PAINT
hawks d
May 9th, 2012
4:15 am
I think if we concentrate on two things we have a chance :
1. KNOCK OUT DEFENSE – I mean flies on sh..t defense
2. POINTS IN THE PAINT
clay
May 9th, 2012
4:20 am
If you are a true hawks fan then you know you have to take the good with the bad with Josh. If it wasn’t for him we wouldn’t even be in the playoffs. It’s just something you have to take with him. Glad we pulled out the win, but I do think all they did was prolong the inevitable. If somehow they pull out Game 6. Oh man the highlight factory is going to go insane for game 7
Eric C.
May 9th, 2012
4:24 am
JSS,
Brook Jacoby, Bruce Sutter (the million dollar bench warmer), Komminsk, etc…the1980s Braves blew it whether they were departing or arriving. Players like Mahler, Oberkfell, Treadway, and Moreno inspired me though.
Go Hawks!
ryan
May 9th, 2012
4:40 am
Nice win by the hawks but to call the Celtics a piece of crap organization is ignorant
Atlanta sports fans would love to have an NBA championship, let alone seventeen
RA
May 9th, 2012
6:51 am
Let’s be clear. The Celtics and the Lakers will ALWAYS be the two grand old organizations of the NBA. If an organization like the Hawks is going to get any level of respect, they’re going to have to earn it, and there will never be a better time than now.
heartofdarkness
May 9th, 2012
7:03 am
We rope-a-doped them. Or is that vice-versa?
Larry
May 9th, 2012
7:07 am
One game. Just one, single game is the difference between 3-2 and 2-3. They just totally blew it in game two and that one game will gnaw at them all summer…as it should.
This is not a championship fabric team; this is a team of individuals coached by a cadaver whose best advice is “I’m going to be a little birdie on their shoulders” and whisper great motivations in their ears. This team of individuals has needed a more intelligent and urgent coach for years but we keep hiring cupcakes or a “little birdie.”
(Temporary pause to puke).
Like I said from the beginning, Celtics in 6, followed by another offseason “we couldn’t overcome our injuries.” Well, little birdie, the Celtics showed you how to overcome injuries and suspensions by wiping your lazy, inept azzes all over your home court in game two.
Sal Manchino
May 9th, 2012
7:14 am
Sloppy 4th qtr. for Hawks. Nobody was guarding Rondo & Allen. Up by 10 plus points you know Allen will be shooting 3’s. Just keep a man on him.
Sal Manchino
May 9th, 2012
7:16 am
I predict a 20 point Celtics win next game. Will Joe Johnson show up to play ?
Larry
May 9th, 2012
7:19 am
Sal Manchino
May 9th, 2012
7:14 am
“Sloppy 4th qtr. for Hawks. Nobody was guarding Rondo & Allen. Up by 10 plus points you know Allen will be shooting 3’s. Just keep a man on him.”
Sal, that’s on the Little Birdie!
Sal Manchino
May 9th, 2012
7:21 am
Drive to the hoop and kick to open man for short jumpshot. Its really that easy.
Sal Manchino
May 9th, 2012
7:22 am
Picknroll with Teague & HORFORD.
GwinnettDad
May 9th, 2012
7:34 am
What difference did last night make? The Hawks will play one more game before their season ends. Big deal. A big yawn for a mediocre team that folds every year come playoff time.
GwinnettDad
May 9th, 2012
7:41 am
Incidentally, the problem with blogs such as this one is that ignorant fools, such as JASon, show up here. The Celtics under Russell won 11 out of 13 championships, unparalleled in sports. That was before the days of Bird, McHale and Parrish with at least 3 NBA rings. The Celtics have an incredible legacy, one that the Hawks could only match if they won 14 NBA championships in the next 20 years or so. But stupid fools just simply shoot off their stupid mouths, and prove just how stupid some Atlanta Hawk fans are. An embarassment for the entire city from a jerk who probably can’t find his fanny with both hands.
Nico100
May 9th, 2012
8:33 am
Hawks played good team ball last night!! The fans showed up big too and mentally Horford is ready for the battle!!!
For you Joe Johnson haters…. We had to sign Joe and he has won alot of games and made alot of big shots for the Hawks!! Sometimes he is hot and sometimes he isnt… That’s what you get with Joe but you can never count him out and he draws defenders and double teams which allows marvin to hit some 3’s or event Josh to hit that jump shot he has been hitting all season..
If Teague keeps penatrating and breaking down the D we will be straight. it took the Hawks a long time to get back to this point and ASG needs to keep this team together.
When the Hawks are on they can compete and beat any team in the league.. Glad to have Horford back!!!
CP3
May 9th, 2012
8:36 am
Keep Al, Teague, & Josh. Everyone else is available, what we have here is the results of the great Billy Knight era, wasting picks on Marvin, Josh Childress, & Sheldon Williams, if even 1 of the Williams picks panned out we would be in alot better situation, too bad we didnt take Deron Williams instead of Knights idea of stockpiling forwards!
SWAT Native
May 9th, 2012
8:39 am
Very exciting night in the Highlight Factory. What was interesting to me was that they gave out Hawks playoff flags as fans were LEAVING the game. Thinking about it later, I realized that they probably planned to give these out for Game 7, but decided to give them out last night because they don’t expect Game 7 to happen. That’s messed up.
Double Zero Eight
May 9th, 2012
8:59 am
I have no complaints. They won and that is all that matters!
Horford did a lot to silence his critics in the win. I wish Marvin
could play like that every game. The team actually listened to
LD for a change. Too much drama at the end for me.
South ga boy in the atl
May 9th, 2012
9:02 am
“he has long fingers.”. Lmao. Jeff can’t make that stuff up. Lol. Don’t all you Smoove apologists see. He missed his first jacks…I mean shots and Rondo has long fingers. It’s JUDGEMENT or the lack there of that kills this team every time and NOBODY BUT NOBODY represents that better than Smooooove. TRADE HIM THIS OFFSEASON AND IT WILL BE ADDITION BY SUBTRACTION…AND BY ADDITION TOO
Bobby Cox
May 9th, 2012
9:17 am
Hey 5150 UOAD:
Brett Butler as a 24 year old played 3 seasons in ATL, the third the only time he was a full time starter, and he batted that year .281 with 39 stolen bases as a 26 year old. Get your facts straight!
yeahsure
May 9th, 2012
9:21 am
ASG needs to somehow unload Joe and his contract at all costs this offseason. This team can’t move forward with him. Imagine a real star with pieces like Horford and Josh.
Curly
May 9th, 2012
9:32 am
Yeah, you want to trade Josh? Don’t want his playoff-leading 14.8 rebounds (Millsap is second with 11.0)? Don’t want his playoff-leading 4 double-doubles? Don’t want his 16.5 points of playoff scoring? Think that will be easy to replace? Addition by subtraction?
Lugnut
May 9th, 2012
9:44 am
@JSS- you are demented.
biz
May 9th, 2012
9:51 am
In true hawks fashion they will likely win game 6 in Boston (getting folks excited) and lose game 7 at home in a blowout. Go Hawks!
Blue
May 9th, 2012
10:00 am
Why does Josh Smith insist on bringing the ball up the court after a defensive rebound? Why do the Hawks half court offense consist of ONE guy dribbling down the clock before taking an errant long range jumper or passing to some other guy with two seconds left on the shot clock? Why does Josh dribble the ball off his foot, then turns to ref and start screaming?
The Hawks really remind me of the guys playing pick-up ball at the parks. No passing, no half-court sets … just a lot of one-on-one. You always have a couple of ball hogs who never pass the ball and take every shot. So when the other guys get a rebound, what do they do? They take it coast-to-coast, refuse to pass it, and usually jack up a bad shot, because they feel like they will never get the ball back … Josh Smith anyone?
Trojan
May 9th, 2012
10:01 am
Hortford was a true leader last night. He was impressive.
JJ can not be allowed to bring the ball up the court to bog down the offense. He simply is not capable. (Larry, this falls on you).
Teague can get anywhere at any time. Give him the ball and everyone else gets better.
Larry: Don;t be so predictable on the inbound passes. They guarded JJ and you still tried to force the pass to him.
Alvin still has fire that the team can use. Don’t forget to use him.
PMC
May 9th, 2012
10:03 am
I thought Joe played a pretty good game. He didn’t score a lot, but they moved the ball well in this one played agressive defense and I thought Joe made the right play more often than not. The Celtics left Al alone and swamped Joe all night.
PMC
May 9th, 2012
10:06 am
Josh Smith is hurt, and he still had a double double and made clutch buckets down the stretch.
Why are people getting on him?
Trojan
May 9th, 2012
10:11 am
Anyone; Is ZaZa’s health improving? When can we expect him?
Lugnut
May 9th, 2012
10:11 am
It would do both Hawks and Josh well to part ways. I predict Hawks won’t miss him one bit and Josh will disappear into the sunset with his next team as Andruw Jones did when leaving the Braves. Josh is undisciplined and his playing style is awkward. He lacks consistency in both shooting and ball handling. Sorry JSS and other Josh sniffers here, NBA got it right again- Josh is not an All Star talent.
South ga boy in the atl
May 9th, 2012
10:14 am
Yes Curly, I don’t want his untimely and ridiculous 20-25 ft jump shots. I don’t want his CONTINUED bringing the ball up the court on fast breaks only to turn the ball over even though he’s been told a thousand times not to do it. I don’t want his crying to the ref that he got fouled while his man run down the court for an easy jam. I wouldn’t miss his crazy “try to the thread the needle” and throw the ball away. Yea I won’t miss that
Time
May 9th, 2012
10:29 am
Typical Hawks. The ultimate carrot dangling on the end of a string team. And while everyone is loving on AL. He did have a great game, looked like he hasn’t been hurt. And that’s the problem. If he can look that good in his first full game back…then where has he been for the last 2 weeks when they needed him with Zaza hurt and starting Twin. If he was that good yesterday, he could have been better than what we were starting for the entire series.
CONservative Johnson
May 9th, 2012
10:52 am
PMC, because it is easy. They conveniently overlook that. They even fail to give him any credit with playing D after the turnover; Al didn’t do it by himself.
By the way, on a lot of turnovers, the guards fail to do their jobs. There are many times where they either fail to go towards the ball, pay no attention to someone trying to steal an inbound after makes, or just plain fail to get open (nobody got open on that inbound).
Therut
May 9th, 2012
10:53 am
Has Ivan Johnson been suspended?
PMC
May 9th, 2012
11:03 am
That’s true, If the Hawks would move better without the basketball more consistently I think they would make things a lot easier on themselves. Odd to see guys flat footed on an inbound play.
Eisendawg
May 9th, 2012
11:13 am
Rondo looks like GTBob when he spots a UGA blog. lol
Heisenberg
May 9th, 2012
11:51 am
JSS
May 8th, 2012
11:34 pm
“I have never seen a player with so much talent be such a total loser. ”
You live in a town where Nick Esasky, Aundray Bruce, and Isiah Rider applied their trade, are you serious?
One of these things is not like the others. Nick Esasky came down with a well documented case of Vertigo. He was a talented and hard-working good guy that in no way should be lumped in with the other 2.
Marco Pillow
May 9th, 2012
11:55 am
Hawks need a miracle to happen if they expect JJ to play hard…
Marco Pillow
May 9th, 2012
11:57 am
Why were Stackhouse & McGrady in street clothes?
JSS
May 9th, 2012
11:57 am
And your user name is L-u-g- NUT!!! Nobody is sniffing anyone’s jock (what kind of freak are you)! Get a life, live with his assets and his limitations… That is what adults do…
Eldrick
May 9th, 2012
12:02 pm
I bet Joe Johnson is looking forward to the off season. Some big house on a lake or at the beach.
JSS
May 9th, 2012
12:10 pm
Heisenberg, you missed the point about Esasky (not surprised), the Braves did not ask for an exam before signing him even though his vertigo had shown signs at the end of the 1989 season in Boston. Nick never revealed his symptoms when asked about it… He exacerbated the problem of his inner ear infection, by the time he got a proper diagnosis, the damage (with 1990 technology) was untreatable…