Round 2, Game 1: A big night for LBJ, another no-go for Joe
CLEVELAND — They were here — well, not “here” geographically — last spring. The Hawks arrived in Boston at a time when Sports Illustrated was bannering the prospect of a Celtics-Lakers final on its cover, and they nearly gummed up the works. Now they’re on the shore of Lake Erie for what’s being billed as LeBron’s Coronation. So they know how difficult it is.
“It’s tough to steal a series,” Mike Woodson said before tipoff Tuesday. “I’ve seen it done in my 27 years in the NBA, but it’s very tough.”
The Hawks gave Boston all it could handle — in Atlanta. The games in TD Banknorth Garden were rather different and never close. The Celtics won by 23, 19, 25 and 34. And this Game 1, sad to say, tracked that regrettable path. The Hawks lost by 27 and didn’t lead after the first eight minutes.
True, they hung around for 2 1/2 quarters, whereupon the MVP left the visitors in his considerable wake. Credit the Hawks for making LeBron James work, but credit the man himself for working in a way no other player in the world can.
On the night David Stern handed James a big trophy, LBJ the MVP scored 34 points in the game’s first 36 minutes and made the Hawks realize — if they hadn’t already — that they’re in against bigger and better now. Dwyane Wade is a great player, but he’s not LeBron. Miami is a decent team, but it’s not LeBron’s team.
Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.And once again Joe Johnson’s team went off and left Joe Johnson. Or, more precisely, he let it leave without him. He’d scored 27 points in the final three quarters of Game 7 against the Heat, but he took four first-half shots (none the second quarter) and scored four first-half points. “I wasn’t trying to force it,” he said afterward. “I wanted to let the game come to me. And they did a good job with their defense and double-teams.”
Johnson tried to make something happen in the third period, but that’s exactly how it seemed: He was trying to do too much after having done too little. He finished with 11 points, 10 shots, six assists, five turnovers.
Josh Smith and Mike Bibby were again very good, but with Al Horford still limping — his right ankle stiffened in the third quarter — the Hawks cannot hope to beat Cleveland even once without Joe doing his Joe thing. It will take maximum production to make this a series and, with the exception of Game 7 against Miami, Johnson has spent this postseason doing the minimum.
Is he weary? He worked more regular-season minutes than any NBA player. “I’m tired,” Johnson said afterward, “but I’d never use that as an excuse. You play the whole season to get to the playoffs, and now that we’re in the second round, we need to act like we want to be here.”
We can understand if the Hawks feel they’ve met their goal by reaching Round 2, but they need to compete in this series for the good will flowing from Round 1 to linger into the summer. Game 1 was competitive for a little while, but in the end it wasn’t. They’ll need to do better in Game 2, or there might not be a Game 5.
“We have to play with a sense of pride,” Johnson said. “The second half, we kind of gave up.”
Promotional insert: I’ll be chatting live from my not-so-spacious hotel room — somehow Sekou has himself a suite three floors below me — from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday. I’ll answer any questions. Except the hard ones. Those I’ll duck. Come talk about the Hawks, the Falcons, the Braves or Manchester United. I’ll be obliged it you do.
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139 comments Add your comment
uga_b
May 5th, 2009
11:43 pm
Ordinary name. Ordinary play. He’s got a stroke, good size, and decent handles. just not sure the intensity is there. Josh Smith is the intense one and if grows up could be a leader. Oh well, let Lebron be Lebron I guess
James from Suwanee
May 5th, 2009
11:45 pm
Great Players always show up in the big games. Joe Johnson is just a good player. Nothing more.
calico
May 5th, 2009
11:53 pm
WTF Joe you need to pick it up i blame you for the loss 2night you were terrible 2night and if you came 2 play 2night we possibly could have won this game step your game up and please stop the turnovers you have been worse than Josh Smith in the turnover department and how can we let Josh score 17 1st half points and really not get the ball in the 2nd half thats bullsh*t…
Lets GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!
Mark Bradley
May 5th, 2009
11:55 pm
Headed back to the hotel. Will check in again — with you all; I’ve already checked into the hotel — once there. But I think it was significant that Joe admitted he’s tired.
jeremy
May 5th, 2009
11:56 pm
The biggest problem was the turnovers and lack of rebounding. Atlanta needs its bigs to get in there and rebound. I watched the game and you would see four Cavs jumping up for board and the Hawks just watching the game. They need to rebound and if they do that then the offense will come to JJ.
jstrick
May 6th, 2009
12:02 am
I just don’t understand how they can’t be prepared for the double team of Joe. It’s actually ok to me at least that Joe is not trying to force shots early. The question I have is why isn’t the offense ready with people in the right places to capitalize when teams are double teaming Joe 35 feet away from the rim. That makes no sense, it has be 8 straight games now, how long does it take to adjust?
patrick
May 6th, 2009
12:05 am
come on hawks you did not let the one man team called the heat take a series ……dont let the one man Cavs do it. No worries tho, Atlanta got blown out in three games against the heat and where is the Heat now?
patrick
May 6th, 2009
12:07 am
also Hawks, start driving for the hole more. If you do you will be a monster.
gator
May 6th, 2009
12:12 am
This I’m tired statement only proves that JOE is a second tier player, the look in eyes tell the story. Hope will clear cap space for 2010…..
Nick
May 6th, 2009
12:17 am
Look, Joe Johnson has all-star level talent. Is he in the LeBron, Kobe, and Wade tier? No, but then again, only three players in the league are. But he’s certainly the best player on a playoff team. He’s more than just a “good player.”
Why isn’t Joe “showing up?” It’s because Coach Woodson can’t get him going. The dude faces more traps and double teams than I’ve ever seen a wing player get. Can anyone tell me how many times we tried to trap LeBron tonight? Or Wade for that matter? No, we let them go one-on-one vs. Evans, Flip, Marvin, Joe, etc. Well, duh, they are going to get their points. But neither the Heat nor the Cavs are letting Joe go one-on-one.
And guess what? Joe doesn’t have the legs this late in the season (YES, he is tired … again, thanks Coach) to beat TWO PEOPLE off the curl. The only reason he “showed up” in game 7 against the Heat is because he decided to launch two 25 – 30 ft. bombs when he only had one player on him. Sadly, he would have had to do the same thing tonight in order to get his points.
If you’re going to run the ISO Joe play, for the love of God, Coach Woodson get your other players out of the lane. How often does Joe throw up a floater in the lane? Is it because he can’t get to the basket, or is it because the lane is too clogged for him to do anything else?
You want Joe to “show up?” Run him off some screens a la Rip Hamilton. The dude can make that shot. Hit him cutting to the basket. Get a point guard in the game that can drive and kick and create rather than just be a spot up shooter (albeit a good one). Run a high low with Josh Smith. Put him in the freaking post and allow him to shoot over the smaller West / Williams. Do SOMETHING other than making Joe run around a trap on the wing and then ISOing him near the top of the key. It almost cost us the Miami series and it will most certainly cost us this one.
Did you see LeBron getting screens from West? Did you see LeBron running a backdoor to the basket? Do we EVER EVER EVER do something like that for Joe? Man, oh man.
Joe is an all-star. It’s Coach’s fault he isn’t playing like one.
dino
May 6th, 2009
12:20 am
Hawks fans are so trifling. I’m trying to figure out why every one is blaming Joe. I will admit he could have been more agressive, but I wouldn’t say the rest of the team has played all that great either. Bibby made alot of bad decisions, Flip held the ball too much when he should have passed, and Josh took way too many ill-advised jumpers. I hope the Hawks do trade Joe. He deserves better than this bullsh@t. And you people wonder why nobody wants to play for this city. You act like star players are rushing to come here because of your championship pedigree. Last time I checked, Dominique never got past the 2nd round of the playoffs. What a joke.
lawton
May 6th, 2009
12:24 am
nick summed it all up. the hawks win on talent on, not coaching.
cornbread earl
May 6th, 2009
12:28 am
Even after the Miami series I still thought Woody should go..Still comes down to coaching..How do u keep losing in double digits in every playoff game away from home?..He can’t even motivate them to compete
patrick
May 6th, 2009
12:34 am
definitely coaching is the problem
patrick
May 6th, 2009
12:35 am
no one has a woody for woody
Mark Bradley
May 6th, 2009
12:35 am
Coaching didn’t have much to do with this one, I’m afraid.
Let’s look at this postseason objectively: Woodson has gotten next to nothing offensively from four of his top eight — Johnson, Williams, Horford and Evans — and still the Hawks are in Round 2.
Mark Bradley
May 6th, 2009
12:37 am
And Sekou and I were talking about it on the way back to the hotel: Both Woodson and Johnson mentioned Cleveland’s double-teams, but we didn’t recall seeing many of those. Most of the time — or so it appeared to us — Delonte West was taking Joe one-on-one. Like on the final shot of the first quarter.
scottbravesfan
May 6th, 2009
12:39 am
What pissed me off is how they kept just turning the ball over. Bibby at the end of the second quarter just gave it up twice. Johnson would drive and then lose the ball during his dribble. He has got to do something in game 2. He wants to be the man now is the time to step up and be the man.
arealvet
May 6th, 2009
12:46 am
With so much advice about Joe, I guess all you clods will be on the court next game showing what you can do.
doug
May 6th, 2009
12:48 am
I am done with the starters. It’s looking pretty bad when your bench can’t score at all. I knew it would come back to bite us in the playoffs with flip being the backup point. He’s done a great job all season but has been stellar coming off the ball. Mike has got his team in a pinch by not living/dying with acie law during the season. I don’t mind some of the iso’s this team runs just when they decide to run them. Gotta be the only team that calls the iso after a deadball or timeout. With no legit big man in the playoffs they have got to run more motion and get into the pick and roll early not late!! Hint…The key to beating the double is the weakside!!! I am going to pay special attention to how Woodson gets opportunities for flip, back up pg to/assist ratio, who is cleveland sending on the double, weakside aggresiveness and who is crashing the boards.
Mark Bradley
May 6th, 2009
12:49 am
If I had to guess — and I don’t, but I will — I think the minutes have caught up with Joe. Rick Sund talks about San Antonio a lot, and he always mentions how they pace their guys — Duncan, Parker and Ginobli — during the regular season.
Mark Bradley
May 6th, 2009
12:51 am
Flip was bad tonight, too. Scored five points, missed seven of nine shots, had three turnovers. But the Cavs’ guards get after it. Give them credit, too.
bonitis
May 6th, 2009
12:52 am
hate to say it, but bradley is right.
im as big a woody detractor as there is, but this is not to be pinned on coach. horford is hobbled, marvin is close to worthless, but joe…joe has no excuse. josh single-handedly kept us in the game in the first half (again, i have a hard time praising the chucker that is josh smith), but we need more from the rest. and that includes joe johnson.
Mark Bradley
May 6th, 2009
12:53 am
Hawks bench was outscored 20-10 and had as many turnovers (seven) as the Cavs’ entire team.
bonitis
May 6th, 2009
12:56 am
the spurs have the luxury of pacing their guys. whether its pop or the great cast he has (when healthy), they had the chance. we didnt.
that 4th spot took awfully long to lock up. not to mention pacing is a lot more important with the spurs’ aging crew. bibby and joe aint spring chickens, but they havent seen duncan’s miles or ginobli’s trials.
bonitis
May 6th, 2009
12:58 am
“Hawks bench was outscored 20-10 and had as many turnovers (seven) as the Cavs’ entire team.”
ah…so we can revisit all the talk months ago about how our bench (minus j-chill) is cattle feed?
mdysart
May 6th, 2009
1:01 am
Joe is clearly tired – he looks like he’s lost a step since early in the season, and who can blame him – he averaged 39.5 mpg this season, more than any other Hawk, more than Kobe, more than Lebron … the Hawks don’t have the luxury of depth to rest him more, and it’s showing up now. Not JJ’s fault.
Mark Bradley
May 6th, 2009
1:01 am
Flip and Zaza were terrific against Miami. Not so terrific tonight, however.
Anthony
May 6th, 2009
1:02 am
I sum it up like this. Too many turnovers. Missed free throws. No defensive intensity. They have got to be physical also. They settled for jumpers because they were fatigued and you could tell because of all the air balls and shots hitting the front of the rim. Woodson needs to pace his starters and let 1 or 2 other guys get in there and bang Cleveland around. It may be me but the Cavs look soft. What you think?
Rollins Tree
May 6th, 2009
1:02 am
So Does Woodson come back if we lose this series?
bonitis
May 6th, 2009
1:08 am
save from one game, flip was NOT terrific against miami…unless you consider 15 points on 15 shots “terrific”. if thats true, he had two good games (and the rest were horrible). granted, his one good game was game 7, so that has to count for something.
as for zaza, im a big fan, and that 18 reb game was great. but he was certainly not “terrific” in the series.
Mark Bradley
May 6th, 2009
1:09 am
Yes, he does. No question.
bonitis
May 6th, 2009
1:10 am
rollins tree, after what happened in the past, i think woody would have to kill some people to get fired
Mark Bradley
May 6th, 2009
1:10 am
I don’t think the Cavs are soft at all. LeBron, Ben Wallace, Varejao, West — those are some tough guys.
no id
May 6th, 2009
1:16 am
The question now is..Are the Hawks gonna show up in game 2 or get blown out again?
bonitis
May 6th, 2009
1:21 am
i find it tough to categorize teams or players or whoever as soft (hell, theyre a lot “harder” than i am).
nevertheless…tonight, i saw some vulnerabilities we need to exploit in that department. namely, if we can make them want to take jumpers (lebron especially—after his 5/5 opening run, he was happy to shoot from downtown) and take it to the rim on offense (as josh did early), then were in good shape. and by good shape, i mean “better” shape.
to summarize: make them shoot jumpers, box out, and attack the rim on offense (big Z is too slow and varejao loves to foul–i asked him).
Mark Bradley
May 6th, 2009
1:21 am
Their pride took a blow in that second half. I think they’ll give a better effort Thursday. They still might lose, but I don’t think it’ll be by 27 points.
Going to bed now. Thanks to everybody who patronized this and the live blog. I’m greatly appreciative.
bonitis
May 6th, 2009
1:22 am
thanks to you, MB. im very much looking forward to thursday. go hawks!
Hal
May 6th, 2009
1:37 am
the only teams that can match up well with cleveland and could beat them are the nuggets, rockets or lakers not none of the teams in the eastern conference.
the hawks are done the cavs are much better than them and it’s their year this year to make it to the finals. the hawks are not gonna go far without having a legitimate center and consistent players.
Hal
May 6th, 2009
1:41 am
the hawjs should go after rasheed wallace during the off season we need another big man to help al horford.
Atlrayzd
May 6th, 2009
2:02 am
Joe Johnson says he’s tired(logged alot of minutes this year) but he doesn’t want to make any excuses (sounds like one to me). Hate to say it but wrap it up the series is over. I really and truly respect the amount of minutes he logged this year but at this point being the face of the team, the highest paid, and in the second round of the playoffs to come and out and say your tired is nothing but an excuse. Since he is out of gas lets bring him off the bench. Joe you’ll have plenty of time to rest very soon.
Harmony372
May 6th, 2009
2:15 am
Geez, folks…cut the Hawks some slack already! Its just Game 1! WE KNEW this series would be difficult. WE KNEW the Cavs would be well rested, while our team would be tired (I never buy into that “might be rusty” BS, these are professional athletes…the Cavs didn’t just go fishing while waiting on us to finish up with the Heat). WE KNEW the Cavs have a better supporting cast around LeBron than Wade could ever hope for (didn’t it seem like the mighty King sat out most of the 2nd quarter watching his subjects do his bidding….it did to me). WE KNEW our Hawks have a tendency to struggle on the road (y’all act like we didn’t JUST win our first ROAD playoff game in YEARS last week). And if the Miami series taught you nothing you SHOULD KNOW that the Hawks can and will adjust in this series.
Good grief, Atlanta…show a little more support for YOUR TEAM. I’m not a long-time Hawks fan…I’ll even admit I bought my season tix this year for the first time mostly to see the other teams come play…but these guys have grown on me BIGTIME every since the Celtics series last year. And now I yell, scream, defend & support them as if I lived here all my life.
Look, Joe deserves to be tired (if you don’t think so, YOU go play high intensity basketball against the best in the world for 3,239 minutes in 6 months, then tell us how it feels). Josh needs time and PROPER guidance to mature into his game (even Kobe & LeBron didn’t win championships immediately and solely ON THEIR OWN WISDOM) Bibby needs better devised schemes to run (NUFF SAID). Al needs to be playing the RIGHT position – Forward. My hat’s off to Flip and especially Zsa Zsa for that necessary SPARK they bring (so what if they had an off game tonight) But what do all of the deficiencies have in common? Crappy coaching! I’ve only been watching a year and I can’t STAND Woodson! Throw the bum out and get a REAL coach who can strategize, mentor, teach & motivate (if it means lighting a FIRE under every player). Why do the Hawks miss so many free throws? Why is there so little ball movement…better yet, why DON’T we have a half court game? And my biggest pet peeve, WHY don’t we consistently CRASH the freakin’ BOARDS, man!?! WHY…because Woodson is out of his LEAGUE! He should be embarrassed to share the floor with COY Mike Brown. He keeps talking about his 27 years, but what does that translate into? The Hawks have gotten this far on RAW TALENT. Who knows what could happen if we had a Phil Jackson, Greg Popovich, or Larry Brown. Heck….somebody please call Avery Johnson up! I hear he’s free!
I’ll get off the soapbox now…returing to my original point. Atlanta! Support your team! Stop being a bunch of fickle ingrates! Its bad enough the national media gives our guys NO respect…do they really need to know the fans back home are dogging them out in the AJC? How about you address your concerns in a letter to Rick Sund, rather than griping on this blog. It will likely have a greater impact.
Meanwhile, GO HAWKS!!! Keep your heads up & go get ‘em in Game 2! And even if not, then the REAL Hawks fans will certainly RAISE THE ROOF off Phillips on Saturday night!
BravesAreDone
May 6th, 2009
2:19 am
Hawks need a true superstar to ever really be contenders. Joe Johnson is not a superstar…not even close.
Patrick
May 6th, 2009
2:22 am
Flip was not “terrific” against Miami. Nor was he terrific all season long. He is what he is–a fine defender and an inefficient scorer who doesn’t pass the ball. People who take a cursory glance at a box score and say, “Wow, Flip had 18 tonight off the bench” think he’s been excellent. People who actually watch the games and understand basketball know this is the exact same Flip Murray that was struggling to stay in the league last summer.
Joe has to find a way to abuse Delonte and Mo, because the Cavs defensive interior is too tough. That means Woodson is going to have to come up with offensive sets to free up Joe or at least allow him to act 1-on-1 with the ball for a few seconds. Which means we’re screwed.
Atlrayzd
May 6th, 2009
2:35 am
Patrick… Joe had enough 1 on 1’s with Delonte but he did not convert. No reason for Woody to draw up a play when it’s already a mismatch. Joe must capitalize bottom line.
tbhawksfan
May 6th, 2009
5:03 am
“Yes, he does. No question.”
Worst news you could have given.
Hear BK tried to fire Woodson (numerous times) and had promised to bring Andersen over. Seems like a much better senario than Sund’s; I’m going to take a year to learn the team approach. The first time I heard that, I thought; Wow, he’s a NBA GM and he makes no moves and takes a year to learn the team.
Like I said, while Sund has been getting to know our franchise, we could have had a new coach, Andersen and probably would have kept Chill.
Might have made a real run this year. This playoff stint looks exactly like last year’s. Only difference is that we met a very weak MIA instead of BOS. Everything else is the same.
Woodson said last two ofseason’s; I should have listened to my assistants and lengthened the rotation. He still didn’t. He really is a joke of a head coach.
ltdbrave
May 6th, 2009
6:11 am
Problem with the Hawks is they are not the same team as last year, no intensity and no stars. To keep losing on the road by 25+ points is not a sign of a championship team. You also cannot win a game shooting 50% from the charity line. Joe is suppose to be the scorer on this team, so he needs to show up every night and if he doesn’t, the others better be ready to do the scoring.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 6th, 2009
7:04 am
You can say what you want about Joe — yes, he has been disappointing in this year’s playoffs, but yes, it’s completely believable that he could be tired (at least 20 different people on Sekou’s blog predicted this happening as the season went along thanks to Woody’s refusal to give him more rest during games).
But none of that is going to matter unless the Hawks are able to sustain their defensive effort for an entire game. The biggest difference between the first half and the second half was that in the second half, Cleveland was able to get open looks on their pick and rolls and pick and pops, and they were also able to get open looks on the perimeter when people drove and kicked it out. In the first half, the Hawks closed out on these shooters and clogged the lane, the way they planned to do all along and the way they did against Miami in their four wins.
Yeah, they could use more contributions from the bench (which has been great in the 2nd half of the season but was nonexistent in this game). Yeah, they need more out of Joe. But the defense is their bread and butter. That’s what feeds the fast break opportunities, and ultimately that’s what gets the momentum going in their favor. If they can’t play D for an entire game you can kiss this series goodbye.
McGarrett
May 6th, 2009
7:05 am
Hawks do too much standing around. This is fundamentals folks. Go to the boards. They have given up already. There is no intensity nor fire in the team at all.
dawgfan1911
May 6th, 2009
7:10 am
The Hawks are what they are and thats just an OK team. they are playing a super team in Cleveland with the best player on the court.The flaws for this team are obvious, COACHING! Woodson makes little if any adjustments during the game and it shows. They still dont knwo what to do when JJohnson gets double teamed, they still dont know how to run plays as oppossed to isolations, the bench is well nuthing without Pachulla and Flip. The other guys are there just to well, get a pay check and watch the game from the sidelines. I think Avery Johnson can come in here and get Josh to play near the rim as oppossed to taking jump shots. I think he can get them to play better defense on pick and rolls and at least look klike they have a clue. The problem with the Atlanta teams is that ownership is terrible with the exception of the Falcons and thats debatable. The Hawks have no vision, they are cheap, and they really dont care what happens to the team. It’s sad but true.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 6th, 2009
7:10 am
And it’s really convenient how the national media attributes the close first half to Cleveland’s so-called “rust”. Give me a break. LeBron exceeded his season scoring, rebounding, and steals averages. Mo Williams made four 3’s. Ilgauskas was really the only player who seemed like the layoff affected him. The first half showed that if the Hawks can play defense up to their capability they can make this a close series. They weren’t even down by that much with 2 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter. If they had made shots and the Cavs had missed shots in those last two minutes, instead of the other way around, this would have been a competitive contest the whole way. Like Bradley said, this wasn’t really about coaching. They may not win, but if they can just maintain their focus for a whole game they will keep these games close.
DMack
May 6th, 2009
7:23 am
I have had questions about Woody all year. I was thinking he had to go. But just like the Boston series its a learning experience. The have to learn to play differently. They showed improvement in the regular season but they won a lot of games on talent.
What are they learning? 1) During the regular season you can’t play Joe 40 min a game. 2) You have to put an offensive system in place that involves the whole team. That you run all season not just in the playoffs. 3) Joe is learning how to play against a double team every play the whole game. He has never face anything like this on a regular. Welcome to being notice as a big time player Joe. 4) The bigs must improve.
Last thing Woody should stay he has earned it. This can’t be an option. He needs a top assistant like Tex Winters to be in charge of the offence.
J
May 6th, 2009
7:33 am
Very true, this was just one game … let it go already … people are acting like the Hawks were supposed to go out and all of a sudden win on the road and beat one of the best at home this year … Joe has every right to say he’s tired, and it’s not like we have a full and healthy line-up … let’s be proud of this team and support them. Harmony is right, you go out there and play all the minutes he played … it’s not easy and this is coming from a guy who ran cross-country/track … these guys are running hard for 35+ minutes every other night. Geez, lay off!
Eric B.
May 6th, 2009
7:39 am
Joe Johnson, I hope you are reading. You Suck! I pay you 70 million for this? Are you kidding me. You supposed to be the Man! Stepping it up! Why are you passing up your shots. I don’t see no fire in your eyes! Go play for the Knicks or somebody else cause we can’t use you no more. It’s clear, you an’t the one to take us to the next level. I disappointed in you. You Suck!
J
May 6th, 2009
7:39 am
I like how all these Braves and Dawgs fan come on here acting as if they know exactly what is wrong with the team when they probably just started watching the Hawks as they got better … you guys seriously don’t have a clue and are probably catching up on past bad writing to even try to come up with a horrible biased opinion of your own. One of those idiots above said this team has less stars than it did last year … are you serious? I mean, how can somebody take you seriously after making a comment like that?
Name (required)
May 6th, 2009
7:41 am
Isn’t there some other city we could sell the Hawks too? Maybe make up a bit of our budget shortfalls thanks to ShirlFrank?
spudly
May 6th, 2009
7:43 am
Three factors separate the Cavs from the Hawks and are the reason the Cavs will win: Top tier defense, deep playoff experience, and a superstar. These are factors that help teams win championships. Cavs in 5.
J
May 6th, 2009
7:45 am
Exhibit A – BravesrDone’s comment
Exhibit B – Dawgsfan1911’s comment
Exhibit C -LTDbraves’s comment
Wow, maybe we should make an exhibit of dumb, uneducated comments
Mac
May 6th, 2009
7:48 am
I hear Jackson, Miss. is shopping for an NBA team. “If Oklahoma City can get a team, so can we,” Jackson said.
AJB
May 6th, 2009
7:49 am
patrick
May 6th, 2009
12:05 am
come on hawks you did not let the one man team called the heat take a series ……dont let the one man Cavs do it. No worries tho, Atlanta got blown out in three games against the heat and where is the Heat now
Patrick
What game where you watching? Cavs are far from a one man team.
LEBRON'
May 6th, 2009
7:56 am
STAT ‘O DA DAY: WINNER OF GAME 1 WINS THE SERIES 80% OF THE TIME….IT’S BEEN REAL, NOW YOU KNOW!
Timbo
May 6th, 2009
7:58 am
Wow, some jackass is still blaming Josh Smith? He was the only guy out there busting his ass. If the rest of the players played half as good, we would have at least held it close.
Zack
May 6th, 2009
8:00 am
I hate to say it but the ONLY way to win in cleveland was to shoot 62% like we did in the early going of the first quarter. Now at home it will (hopefully) be a different story but for now we gotta hope that on Thursday Josh,Bibby,and Joe have big shooting nights… it probably would be nice to hold lebron under 30 or 35
Go Hawks!!!
ken j
May 6th, 2009
8:03 am
Joe Johnson is not a all star. He is just regular Joe. Joe Johnson is should be the type of player to give you between 25 and 30 points and a few assist. If Joe would contribute numbers like that other players would feed off him. Maybe it’s time we part ways with a trade for a good draft pick or a top veteran player. Joe Johnson is just a role player. You Hawk believers don’t want to admit it. He is just a regular Joe.
smartguy
May 6th, 2009
8:07 am
MIKE WOODSON is absolutely the worst. Reading his quotes at the top of the story, its like he doesn’t even think they have a chance. NOTE to Woody, you don’t have to “steal” the series, you just have to win 4 of the 7 games.
Trade NO SHOW JOE. pitiful
Jam1987
May 6th, 2009
8:08 am
How can players be paid such incredible amounts of money and play so mediocre?
Absurd, isn’t it?
dstdeelite
May 6th, 2009
8:37 am
Ahhhhh…..Nothing like the smell of hometown writers turning on ya first thing in the morning. It’s a shame that I don’t have to turn on TNT or ESPN for the “Hawks Suck” rants. I have the luxury of turning to my local newspaper. We call ourselves “fans”! Whatever!! Joe is OUR superstar. I would much rather have 5 guys who are good than 1 guy who is great. God forbid, LeBron or Kobe falls and breaks a leg. Where would they be?? I’m guessing not in the position they’re in now. Joe has amazing talent. Mark, if you’re such a damn superstar, why don’t you get out there and make some shots when you’re double and triple teamed. Better yet…try it one on one. Think you can get the job done?? I doubt it. Don’t even get me started on the no-calls. How many times have I witnessed Joe getting fouled with no calls being made? Countless times. Does he sulk and plead his case to the refs… no? Just like Game 7 when he was fouled on his 30 footer. Did he get a 4 point play? Nope…Did he complain….Nope…..I like Joe. I like him because he’s not flashy and doesn’t require a lot of attention like some of the other “Superstars” in the league. I blame the offensive schemes they run for him or lack thereof. He has to constantly create his own shots and the lack of bench development has increased his playing minutes. Why the hell wouldn’t he be tired? Despite what this “article” states, I’m behind Joe and the Hawks 200%. Unlike some of the rest you so called “fans”. I’m sure this “article” will give them all the encouragement they need to get it done in Game 2. *sarcasm*
TB
May 6th, 2009
8:38 am
With the level of effort we get from Joe I think the Hawks are done.Joe is a good player don’t get me wrong, BUT he lacks the killer instinct. He reminds me of Andrew Jones with his attitude.
Westurd
May 6th, 2009
8:42 am
Who’s our leader out there? J Smoove? Smoove and Bibby and the only ones showing heart. We will not win a game with only two players showing up to play……please Joe will you come out to play already!
Snewo DAWG
May 6th, 2009
8:44 am
Dear Hawks fans,
Please stop hating on your team. The Hawks need to come out focused on Thursday and try to rebound better and not turn the ball over so much. Lebron’s going to score his points regardless, the Hawks just need to worry about what they do with their chances and possessions so we can stay in the game and win one in Cleveland. I’m not saying to give up on defending Lebron, but he can score no matter how many bodies you put on him…he’s a freak (physically speaking that is; no one can touch Delonte West on how freaky LOOKING that guy is-that dude gives me nightmares, he looks like one of those scary clowns you see in cheap Horror movies).
Go HAWKS!!
Keep It Real from Cleveland
May 6th, 2009
8:51 am
Good Folks!
Let’s keep this in prospective The Baby Hawks are going up against an experience hungry team ( Cavaliers).
1. First if the Hawks do not hit their contested outside shots they have not chance!
2. The Hawks cannot be casual with their passing!
3. Thee Hawks must space the floor because Cleveland Defensive rotation is very good!
4. Woodie needs to put Josh on the block and let him work over any player the Cavaliers have!
5. Joe Johnson is a tremendous player but take him off the block he will get doubleteam a.s.a.p.
6. The Hawks bench is going to have to play very good!
7. The Hawks will need to shoot over 50 percent to win games, the Cavaliers ar a good shooting team!
Mark Bradley
May 6th, 2009
9:00 am
How can a player make millions and underperform in a given game? Because he’s human. Contrary to popular belief, these games are not fixed.
yoyo
May 6th, 2009
9:03 am
I’m admittedly no basketball scholar…but can someone explain to me why about 60% of time I see us settle for a long shot….and there are ZERO!!!! Hawks anywhere near the goal? As one of the worst shooting teams…shouldn’t we just go ahead & assume that we are going to miss & fight for the Board? Please someone explain this to me!!!!??
Peter
May 6th, 2009
9:07 am
Poor tired Joe……I guess he really doesn’t want a title ! Kobe on the other hand was sick and showed up !
Joe is an excellent player, and on any given night he can feel it and burn you………. BUT a super star like MJ or Kobe show’s up when they are sick, and show up when it matters.
Joe is excellent BUT NOT a Super Star….in fact he might not even be a TRUE leader. A leader dies on the court and makes it happen when all is on the line.
Keep It Real from Cleveland
May 6th, 2009
9:08 am
How does a CEO of a large company make millions and guide the company into bankruptcy? What are you thinking?
The Hawks maybe able to win at least one game. Let’s face it The Cavaliers are well coach and they have the best player in the league!
Coach Woodie has nothing to do with the Bab Hawks demeanor on the road this team needs to step up their intensity and basketball I.Q. to compete with Cavaliers.
The Hawks are going to have to score points in this series to win a Game!
Corliss
May 6th, 2009
9:10 am
The Hawks need to prove to themselves that they belong and quit acting so star-crossed w/the league’s premier players. Instead, they get down by 5+points & mentally fold up like an accordian. Yes, we know Horford & Marvin are hurt. Guess what: unless you’ve had about a week to rest, EVERYBODY’S GOT HURT PLAYERS!! Tape it up, suck it up and PLAY!!! With the talent on this team, as well as what’s@stake, no one’s got time to be emotionally fragile as the Hawks are right now. Yes, the Cavs are good; but the Hawks aren’t this bad. We as fans know but I hope the Hawks know and that’s where it all starts. If they don’t believe in themselves, then why should we or anyone else?
Peter
May 6th, 2009
9:12 am
Hey Mark contrary to popular Belief, regular folks are struggling in this economy….and I would say they show more determination and fire on a daily basis to survive, then Joe does in the big games.
Joe has his Huge Payday, and is set for life………Thus the lack of interest in Professional Sports, and interest from lots of folks.
Joe is over paid PERIOD ! If he wasn’t……….. the HAWKS would NOT Be running a business in the RED Financially !
Mark Bradley
May 6th, 2009
9:15 am
If not for Joe Johnson, the Hawks wouldn’t be in the playoffs. Period.
BRAVESHATER
May 6th, 2009
9:15 am
Lets be honest people, Joe Johnson is a amplified role player. He’s just an average Joe. If we plan on him leading us in any playoff series, we’re finished before it started. He can’t do it. He doesn’t have the game or the mental make-up to be great. If D-Wade had an ounce of help, we wouldnt even be in Cleveland. This series is over in 4, its to hand the reigns to someone with heart and not so SOFT. Everybody’s tired, but he’e the only one who looks like it.
BRAVESHATER
May 6th, 2009
9:16 am
Please Mark, Flip would be just as good if he got the minutes Joe Johnson had.
Bigeasy830
May 6th, 2009
9:22 am
Nick’s 12:17, post is right on point, we have to run plays to free Joe up. Mark you stated that you didn’t see many traps and doubles agauiinst Joe but we saw enough of them to take Joe out of the game. But the game was lost because I believe the Hawks were tired. I think the missed free throws and the turn-overs, esprcially the 2 by Bibby just before the hald was due to mental and physical fatigue. It does not matter id we lost by 27 or 2 a lost is a lost and it is best out of 4 series. We will get them in game 2. Hawks in 7. I believe in these Hawks. GET’EM HAWKS, GET’EM
Mark Bradley
May 6th, 2009
9:27 am
FYI, Miami lost Game 1 to the Hawks by 26 points. That wound up a seven-game series. Not saying this one will. Just saying …
Kyle
May 6th, 2009
9:42 am
For as much as I loved JJ when he first came to the Hawks, I knew that he was just a starting point and not a centerpiece. At best, the Hawks become a 50 win team for a few years straight. We’re no better than 10 years ago with a lineup of Mookie, Steve Smith, Ty Corbin & company. Yes, the team probably is more entertaining but it is definitely not championship caliber material. No team fears us. The team would make for a GREAT supporting cast if there was a true superstar on the roster. I don’t see us getting lucky in the draft anytime soon, so I think that our only way to the next level is to pull of some blockbuster trade. JJ not showing up in the playoffs shouldn’t be a huge surprise to anyone. He’s got the talent, just not the killer instinct.
Paul From Milton
May 6th, 2009
9:48 am
It is indisputable that the Hawks have more quality players than the Cavs – LeBron not withstanding. Yet this team time and time again underperforms to the sum of their talent and may well be the most undisciplined team in the NBA. That game was right there for the taking and the Hawks couldn’t do it. Instead we had players standing around and settling for jump shots. Little to no effort being made to free up Joe Johnson for shots and half-hearted attempts at double-teams on defense. The Hawks should have blown through the Heat in 5 and the Cavs should be worried about them. Instead, the Hawks will get swept. We can only hope that this will finally get Woodson fired and that someone will be brought in to bring discipline and order to this team. Right now this team is just a tragic collection of wasted talent and a total joke.
otisfirefly
May 6th, 2009
9:51 am
All the second half adjustments were made in the Cavs locker room. That was obvious because how Cleveland’s D made the difference of the game in the 3rd quarter. Hawks shoot somewhere around 55% 1st half. Then 31% 2nd half? Woodson has to keep feeding Josh in the post. Sideshow Bob couldn’t answer for what Smoove was putting on him last night around the basket. Keep feeding J Smoove and it will eventually open up Joe. Go Hawks
Mark Bradley
May 6th, 2009
9:53 am
I’m pretty sure the Miami Heat fears the Hawks.
Reid Adair
May 6th, 2009
9:54 am
After all of his talk prior to the Miami series, I really expected Joe Johnson to step up in the playoffs. With the exception of one game in the Miami series, Johnson has been no factor at all.
The Hawks have little chance of advancing past the second round. Without some significant contributions from Johnson, that “little chance” is basically none.
mark
May 6th, 2009
9:54 am
coaching is the problem,atl beat miami because they had more better players. and it still went seven games. the bulls back in the day changed coaches even tho the were pretty good, when phil took over the rest is history. i give mw credit for a near impossible task, pretty much coaching an expasion team. the players that he coached no one gottten better due to coaching. the offense stink, no imagination, very inconsistent, up one nite down the next. defense up one nite down the next. never make adjustment in game especially. personell still need some upgrading also, coaching need upgrading too1 give me doug collins, i betcha the hawks would compete every nite. mw you did the best you could with what you had and what you know, it aint good enough.
DeeMack
May 6th, 2009
9:55 am
Yeah, JJ is tired. They just finished a “battle” with the Heat even though some of you Hawks fans will not admit it. This Cavalier team reminds me of the Heat when they were beaten the previous year on their home court and D-Wade VOWED that it would not happen again. Guess what, the Heat won the championship the following year. LBJ and the Cavs are on a mission and they are going to give EVERYTHING THEY GOT until that mission is accomplished. Your beloved Hawks will not be able to stop them, not now! It’s called Destiny.
Shawn
May 6th, 2009
9:57 am
Anytime the other team’s 3rd option has a better game than my “FRANCHISE” player, then there’s a problem .. Delonte West had 13 points + 9 assists .. Joe had 11 points + 6 assists + 5 turnovers + NO FREE THROWS .. He’s not aggressive .. Joe is extremely talented but not a NUMBER 1 ..
COACHING is AWFUL .. my NUMBER 1 continues to get double teamed (8 games now) .. so why is he bringing the ball up .. why do we give him the ball at the top of the key .. WOODSON is not making adjustments .. They both go hand in hand
Mark Bradley
May 6th, 2009
9:58 am
“A tragic collection of wasted talent and a total joke” — gee, imagine what people would be saying if had, like, lost Round 1.
hawksfan
May 6th, 2009
10:03 am
Mark Bradley: I figured you may get a kick out of this I’am a High School student and we just finished going over a think about managemnet and it was about none other than Bobby Cox you were mentioned in the workbook pages and your quote was “…the managing that transpires during the games…is only a small part of the job. Bigger by far is the ability to choose a roster, to oversee a clubhouse, to keep functioning.” Do you remember being asked about this? I think its cool how you are in a High School business workbook giving a quote
Miami Heat Fan
May 6th, 2009
10:07 am
face facts the hawks SUCK they should not even be here right now and they are not going past four games they are going to be SWEPT, the KING is here to stay. GO CAVS!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
dhunt
May 6th, 2009
10:09 am
I’m trying to follow the logic that says Woodson gets to keep his job because the team record has improved each year. That’s like the AIG execs getting bonuses for not losing any more money than they did. The Hawks young players have gotten better, they picked up a couple of pieces that contributed, so the team record got better. But I for one am hard pressed to see how Woodson played much part in that improvement. It appears to be just natural growth, no real increase in technical expertise in any aspect of the game for any of these young guys.
But what clinched it for me was the recent report of the exchange between Bibby and Woodson in one of those last games against Miami. Bibby called Woodson out for lack of coaching. Called him out loudly, in public, and I believe the Hawks may have been winning at the time. I guess the AJC party line now is pro-Woody, so the report actually tried to make it seem like this outburst was part of some Machiavellian scheme by Woody to bring out some leadership and fire from Bibby. He turned away and smiled slyly indeed. He was hoping nobody important heard his hole card being pulled.
And there was nothing Woodson could say because Bibby was absolutely right. Woodson simply does not coach his players into the right positions on offense. He never has. I won’t bother to repeat what Nick put so eloquently above.
It will shock me if the Hawks don’t win all three home games, no blowouts, but hard scratched out wins. They know they can play with the Cavs, and they will ride the home court high like they did last year. One day they may realize that they are no better at home than they are away. The difference appears to be motivation. A lot of young guys with inconsistent motivation.
Guess you could blame it on the players; or maybe there is someone else whose job description should say something about getting the team mentally ready to compete?
Foracel
May 6th, 2009
10:09 am
Josh Smith & Lebron James.Mano Y Mano.Enough said.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bravofan
May 6th, 2009
10:10 am
miamiheatfan they absolutely deserve to be in the playoffs they played better than the heat and had a better record so they got home advantage. go cry with d wade about yall losing out in the first round
Keep It Real from Cleveland
May 6th, 2009
10:12 am
Hawk fans I see know very little about playing basketball! After all is said and done it still is a team sport!
The Hawks players are not better then the Cavaliers players!
Is Mike Bibby better then Moe Williams? Not
Plus the team that plays team ball and plays to their strengths will win all the time!
The Cavaliers play better as a team and they have the best player in basketball! Series over Hawk FANS!
Gumbo
May 6th, 2009
10:13 am
Stop me if you’ve heard this B4. The WORST half-court offense in the history of the NBA playoffs. A bunch of high-flying prima donnas who couldn’t spell “team” if you spotted them the “t” and the “e”.
Thank god we have a coach who believes in Team Basketball. We get to see his “coaching signature” every time this putrid bunch takes the floor.
They need to make the playoffs one, long slam dunk challenge. We would have to be the favorites.
Sorry, Mr. Naismith………
All I'm Saying Is...
May 6th, 2009
10:16 am
The only thing that happened last night is that everyone apparently needed to be reminded that Cleveland is the best team in the NBA. You do not win 66 games by accident. You do not go 39 and 2 at home by mistake. You do not win 27 road games versus 14 losses due to a fluke. So everybody needs to keep their heads and not go off the deep end due to Cleveland winning the first game of the series. Hello? Does anyone remember Hawks vs. Celtics last year? I would suggest that the Celtics talent level last year is comparable to the Cavaliers talent level this year. Celtics had their five starters (KG, Pierce, Ray Allen, Rondo, Perkins) but they also were bringing former starters off the bench: PJ Brown, Sam Cassell, and James Posey to name three (and Eddie House could start for many teams). You have the same situation with the Cavs in 2009. They have their five and then they are deep with Gibson, Ben Wallace, Wally, etc. coming off the bench.
Hawks are still in this one folks. NBA Playoffs involve making adjustments from game to game so now it is our turn. Will Cleveland play better in Game Two? Sure they will but we will too and the bottom line is that Cleveland HAS to win these first two games to keep the home court advantage earned over the 82 game season. Woodson et. al. simply need to remind our guys of the fact that we have only lost one game so now let’s focus on game two. DeeMack is right: LeBron is on a mission this year—to get back to the finals after being swept and embarassed by the Spurs (and he would love nothing more than meeting and beating the Lakers while there after having the chance to observe Kobe up close during the Olympics–but let’s not skip ahead to something that actually is not inevitable).
So it’s not going to be easy at all to win this series but we can compete and we will after we make some adjustments. We need Marvin Williams to step up, JSmooth to show consistency from game one to games two, three, and four, and the rest of our guys to realize there is a big difference between the first round and the conference semi-final round and, obviously, between the Heat and the Cavs and we are going to have to really hustle and work to win. Forget the fact that we’re tired cuz its game on now and we can take this thing. LET’S GO HAWKS!
Mark Bradley
May 6th, 2009
10:16 am
No, HawksFan, I didn’t know a thing about it. But if something I wrote is in your educational material, I’d consider transferring to another school.
Mark Bradley
May 6th, 2009
10:19 am
I’m about to head over to Hawks’ practice, but I’ll be back for the live chat from 1 to 3 p.m. I’d be mighty obliged if you join me then.
D.Carter
May 6th, 2009
10:20 am
We dont have a legitmate post player so therefore we should be more of a ball-screen motion offense type team…. When teams set screens on the ball it creates penetration and open shots and driving lanes for the wing players…. keep josh and al as your screeners which will pull the opposing bigs away from the basket and force a defensive rotation to take place…. big Z is doubling joe in the post or at least everytime he gets within 15 feet of the basket… Instead of cutting to the basket to the vacated spot of the court the hawks are standing around settling for jump shots…
The cavs are out of control on there closeouts to the shooters!!!! Somebody needs to teach Mo evans a move called the pump fake… he had at least 4 to 6 times where he forced a jumper when he easily could have ball faked and drove around the closeout defender… or at least ball fake and jump into the guy and draw the fouls….
Woody i hope you guys are in a morning film session right now and you are ripping Joe a new one about his blatant lack of hustle!!! The prime example of that was when delonte west lost the ball on a shot fake and couldnt touch the ball… Joe stood by and watched and delonte held off flip and allowed someone else to come and get the ball…. would someone other than ZA ZA and Josh smith get a rebound… hell i think mike bibby had more rebounds than joe….
Defensively we need to play zone and hope that they go cold… we are allowing them into the teeth of the defense way to much and they are getting the best of both worlds… I think that we rebound better out of our 3-2 and also i have noticed that we get out in transition way more when we play zone… If we do these things we have a 60/40 chance of only losing by 20….lol
hawksfan
May 6th, 2009
10:22 am
MB: maybe they didn’t tell you what it was going to before. I enjoyed seeing your quote in there I aspire to be a writer for a major paper like the AJC like you are one day I enjoy reading your stuff!
Kellie
May 6th, 2009
10:22 am
LEAVE JOE ALONE!! JOE IS NOT THE PROBLEM!! If it wasn’t for Joe we wouldn’t be in the playoffs. Thank God Joe wanted to come here and play and help turn this team around!! Joe has worked and played hard all year every year so leave him alone! I know Woodson has also been a big part of turning the team around, but at some point we have to start looking at him! He can’t but the ball in the hoop, but he is responsible for making sure our guys are prepared and ready, which I don’t think they were. I also don’t think they have coached them well enough on handling the double teams and defensive schemes of other teams. Joe is my favorite player on our team and I am so glad he’s here. I know we can play the Cavs better than what we did even with the injuries and fatigue. We have to take it one game at a time. Keep working and fighting for it HAWKS!!! Love Ya’ll!!
Mark Bradley
May 6th, 2009
10:23 am
Thanks, HawksFan. Good luck to you.
D.Carter
May 6th, 2009
10:25 am
I ALMOST FORGOT!!!! THEY TRIED TO KILL JOSH SMITH WHEN HE WENT TO THE BASKET AT THE END… DAMMIT WOODY TALK TO RANDOLPH MORRIS , SOLO AND ZA ZA HELL PUT IN OTHELLO HUNTER AND FOUL SOME DAMN BODY…. THEY HAVE NO FEAR OF DRIVING THE LANE
smartguy
May 6th, 2009
10:26 am
Compare the effort NO SHOW JOE has when playing for the national team or in the all-star game with the effort he shows with the Hawks, even in a playoff game–its like two different players. When JJ wants to play like a superstar, his hustle and activity level are so high, but most of the time with the Hawks, we get a lackadaisical wannabe. Like I’ve said before, I would trouble playing hard for Woody every night too.
Brock D
May 6th, 2009
10:31 am
Regardless if the Hawks get swept, I still consider this a great season. They improved once again and I can only expect more next year. They were obviously tired last night based on the way they played the 1rst vs the 2nd half.
Mark from Ohio
May 6th, 2009
10:40 am
The people calling the Cavs a one-man team are just not watching or just being blind – this year’s Cavs have a very good supporting cast around a player that arguably is the best all-around player in the league. Joe Smith – want to get rid of him, Cleveland would like to offer Sasha Pavlovic, J.J. Hickson and this year’s first round draft choice. Also, Joe did not see THAT many double teams – Delonte West is just a very, very tough relentless defender that fights his way through picks and can tell you what flavor of gum Joe was chewing last night. Look at the scoring averages of the players he guards when they play the Cavs – Rip Hamilton, Ray Allen, etc. Plus, on top of how good a defender he is, the Cav’s have been coached to think defense first and ALL of the players have bought into the system. Have you been watching the defensive rotations of this team? Your Hawks are a good, but young team that can play good defense – they just don’t do it every night, yet. The Cavs at the moment are just a better team, but we had to be where you are now – waiting to get all of the right pieces, and to mature. We are just fortunate to have a Lebron James – full of physical talent, high basketball IQ and a leader through his work ethic. In spite of all of this, it doesn’t guarantee us anything – I’ll be happy to get by your Hawks.
Stephen
May 6th, 2009
10:43 am
I am hoping that the Hawks will win this series, but if they don’t, hopefully they can acquire a couple of big burly players (especially a tall center) that can clog of the lane and at least block some shots in the paint. That, to me, is severely lacking with the team’s defense. Hopefully there might be some players available in this year’s NBA draft or via free agent acquisition that can help get the team to the next level.
Joseph
May 6th, 2009
10:45 am
I know the Hawks sucked last night but you know what? Cleveland showed a LOT of weakness and they were SLOPPY as hell. If the Hawks show up and play agressive, the Hawks CAN take this series to 7. However it will take a LOT of heart and determination. I understand fully what the Hawks need (bigger center, bette coaching etc etc) but Cleveland canNOT keep up with ATL conisitently if they are on their game. They have great athletes.
Marcus
May 6th, 2009
10:48 am
Good sentiments Mark from OH. It is only Game 1, but us long-suffering Hawks fans have to remember that this is a building process. Looking at the last 20 years you see it, where the ‘86 Pistons had to fight through the Celtics to get on top, the Jordan era Bulls had to fight through the Bad Boys Pistons in the early 90s, then a 2-year respit where Houston won back-to-back, even then, the Knicks had to battle the Bulls regularly in the playoffs to forge their playoff steele. More recently, CLE had to fight through resurgent DET teams and even for a year or 2 NJ Nets were the team to beat in early 2000s and caused issues.
this is our guantlet, and we will have to contend with BOS and CLE the next few seasons to get where we want to.
Its only Game 1. Make adjustments and lets go.
D.Carter
May 6th, 2009
10:52 am
THE HAWKS NEED A LESSON IN THE ART OF HELPSIDE DEFENSE
RickNole
May 6th, 2009
10:53 am
We need a legitimate center and a head coach. Then we talk about NBA title!
Woody has not played the bench all season long. There is not way Joe and the starters can continue to play at extremely high levels when other teams have backups to rely on.
Kyle
May 6th, 2009
10:56 am
Kellie – LEAVE JOE ALONE!! JOE IS NOT THE PROBLEM!!
You’re right, JJ is not the problem, but he’s also not the solution.
Mr. Bradley – I disagree with your statement of the Heat fearing the Hawks. The Hawks feared Wade, just not the rest of that team. The Heat on the other hand has nobody on their roster that makes the opposing team timid. Every championship caliber team has that one player that nobody really want’s to mess with, either b/c they’re so dominant or b/c they can be an enforcer for their teammates. The only championship team(s) that I can remember in recent history who didn’t have that player was the Spurs. They on the other hand, did have the Big Fundamental and two guards who were much better than any 3 man combo the Hawks can put on the floor.
dawgrific
May 6th, 2009
11:00 am
Is it just me, or is Cleveland’s “non-LeBron” roster just not that impressive. I guess MJ had a lot of stiffs/roll-players on his teams too, but at least he had Pippen and Grant. I don’t know, but it just seems to me that the Hawks should be able to hang in this series. Careless turnovers, missed free-throws and getting out-hustled will NEVER equal a road win against a very good team though. I just hope that we show some heart in game 2, even if it ends up being another loss (by less than 10 points hopefully). These blowouts are getting old, but I’ll take the wins of that variety any day, lol. Later, and GO HAWKS!
Marcus
May 6th, 2009
11:02 am
Stephen, someone else in one of the other blog entries (either MB or Sekou) mentioned getting a ‘BIG’ to put Horford back at the 4 spot. I had issue with that line of thinking because of the following. Not 100% sure how it is gonna get solved, but just my thoughts:
1. If (big IF) we get a ‘5′, most likely he has to fit the style and personnel of the currently constructed team, he has to be an athletic one, like UConn’s Tabeet, not a plodding clog-the-lane kinda guy. Thabeet won’t be around when we draft this year, and there are probably few like him that would merit chainging our currently-constituted starting lineup.
2. Josh Smith just got a big contract extension, Horford and Marvin Williams are still riding rookie contracts but may be coming up soon for . If Horford becomes the 4 what do you do with Josh Smith and the money you just signed him to? Ecomically, it would be hard justifying having with a $58 million dollar player (Josh) coming off the bench, if he is considered the best one to move out of the starting line-up.
3. Neither Josh and Horford shoot the mid-range jumper well enough to make either one a ‘3′ to accommodate a new player to play Center adn one of them to become teh ‘4′ even if we did have to shuffle positions… and then what becomes of Marvin Williams?
dawgrific
May 6th, 2009
11:04 am
I will say that Mark from Ohio provided some EXCELLENT and fair analysis in his post. And, Yes, they do play tough D and each player seems to know and buy into their role on that team.
ant banks
May 6th, 2009
11:39 am
we should really consider trading jj and with bibby’s expirin’ contract that would free up 30 mil. get jarret jack, rasheed, horford, smoove, and marvin
MsDee
May 6th, 2009
11:41 am
If the Hawks can get Camby from the Clippers and bring back Chills, we can and will be ready for an NBA title..Camby can be that big body that can blocks shots and give u a few points here and there and Chills can be that slasher player that can create from his own shot around the basket..keep Flip but remove Mo Evans!!
MsDee
May 6th, 2009
11:43 am
Oh no..dont trade Joe yet..He has only 1 more year on his contact with us..trust me, every player on their last year plays ALL-OUT BALLIN!! If we can get Camby, Chills, and have Joe playing like a Kobe/LeBron,,than we will definely be able to get that TITLE!!
ROBERT TAKACS
May 6th, 2009
11:46 am
History is a great teacher. Does anybody remember the Cavs previous playoffs. This is team that has an uncanny ability to flick a switch and play at a higher level than their talent alone would suggest. This is a team that was previously undermanned and outgunned with the exception of Lebron and yet managed to go deep into the playoffs against vastly superior talent. They gave the Pistons fits and gave Boston their stiffest challenge last year. Now they have added depth and good shooters to surround Lebron. Playoff experience, superstar, great bench, great defense, good coaching and a desire to leave it all on the floor are what separates the cavs from the rest. Yes there are better teams talent wise but the total package of the cavs makes them in my opinion the most dangerous team in the league and the most likely to win it all.
tarheels3
May 6th, 2009
11:46 am
If you are scared Joe… say you are scared, but no one says they are tired. You are a professional athlete. No one sets a goal and acheives the goal and once you arrive to the goal makes a statement like that. If you are scared, say you are scared…
The Truth
May 6th, 2009
11:58 am
My related comment in Sekou blog:
Man, let’s frame the story this way: last year Mike Bibby came to the Hawks to play starting pg with limited knowledge of the offense with a left thumb injury and a bad foot injury. While not being 100%, he played his azz off, didn’t complain, made no excuses when he played poorly at times and was a major factor in getting us into the first round with the Celtic where we pushed them to 7 games. Now, after 10 years we have advanced to the second round with an opportunity to do something special against the highly covered MVP Lebron James and company. We have accomplished this because of the acquisition of key support players such Flip Murray, Mo Evans and also a more seasoned Josh Smith. Given this scenario, our 70M dollar star player Joe Johnson (who is not injured) responds by saying “MAN I’M TIRED” but I’m not making excuses.
Mark from Ohio
May 6th, 2009
12:00 pm
Robert Takacs – exactly correct. Up to this year – take a look at the players that surrounded Lebron. The supposed shooters were mostly brick-layers – Eric Snow, Damon Jones (self-proclaimed “World’s Best Shooter), Larry Hughes, Jeff McInnes. Only decent offensive guys were Drew Gooden (a matador on defense – O’le), Carlos Boozer and Z (but when he is the only shooter you have to guard, makes it a lot easier to do so). Cleveland has good management (an owner willing and able to do what is necessary to get the right players). a GM (Danny Ferry) that cut his teeth in a great organization (San Antonio), made some great trades (dumped Hughes to get Ben Wallace and Joe Smith and Gooden to get Szcerbiak and West, and got Mo Williams for virtualy Damon Jones -Joe Smith was also part of the deal, but got him back for nothing), some decent late & 2nd round draft picks (Daniel Gibson, J.J.Hickson, Darnel Jackson) and an excellent coaching staff. The chemistry of this team is rare.
Hey, speaking of Boozer – isn’t there a chance he may be available this year?
David Smith
May 6th, 2009
12:07 pm
Joe needs to realize that great players never make excuses but, find a way to overcome. Anyone would be tired if they had a coach playinng them 40+ minutes a night and, refuses to rotate his bench (with the exception of zaza, flip, and mo) to give him a some much needed rest during games. Joe needs to stop avoiding his duty as a leader and start taking control of games early before opposing defenses get a chance to set up. Michael Jordan played one of the gutsiest games i ever saw in the 1998 Nba finals as he led his team to victory scoring 33 points suffering from flu-like symptoms. I don’t know if joe has that type of determination inside him but, his team needs him to be the extraordinary joe that took over game 4 last year against boston (22 4th quarter points) instead of the ordinary joe we all saw last night.
Will
May 6th, 2009
12:14 pm
I think its obvious Joe Johnson is not a big time player. He struggled every game except game seven against the Heat, and his shooting woes continue against Cleveland. Atlanta needs a leader on the team, and Joe is not vocal enough to lead the team.
I also love Josh Smith, but someone needs to tell him not to take long jump shots. Every time he get the ball outside the paint I get nervous. STOP SHOOTING 3′S JOSH!
Mark Bradley
May 6th, 2009
12:29 pm
The Cavs have done a great job fleshing out their roster to complement LeBron. It’s an ordinary team without him, but that’s not the point: The point is that these guys — Mo Williams, Ilgauskas, Varejao, West, Ben Wallace, Gibson, Joe Smith, even Szczerbiak — do what it takes to let LeBron be LeBron.
Back in the hotel now. Talked to the Hawks before practice. There’s some news there. We’ll discuss it on the live chat.
james
May 6th, 2009
12:31 pm
The Hawks will not have a chance of winning unless someone else beside Josh drive to the basket and really challenge the Cavaliers. With an honest assessment Joe Johnson is not the leader of this team. he does not play aggressive enough. He tends to be a second point guard on the floor. He relies on the jumper instead of driving to the basket, when he enter in the lane he does not finish plays aggressively. The Hawks really need a floor leader with the ability to create when they penetrate when faced with one -on – one defense. In space Atlanta is great. But jump shots will not win championships. Defensive the Hawks are sound, but they cannot let the game get away from them when they only take jumpers and three pointers.
dstdeelite
May 6th, 2009
12:51 pm
Ant Banks—–I’ll pass on the Rasheed notion. Not only is he ailing, but he’s not that great of a defender. He’s effective behind the arc, but much more so as a post up player. Like Josh Smith, he tends to drift towards the arc to chuck up 3’s more often than not. They have several similar attributes that I don’t like. They both seem aloof at times and Rasheed is always one technical away from a one game suspension.
WyleECoyote
May 6th, 2009
12:56 pm
The Hawks can win the series with the Cavs, obviously, and I believe they are going to beat the Cavs. Most people say it wont happen but in my opinion the Hawks are every bit as good as the Cavs, but must play perfect in order to beat the Cavs. Can they do it, of course, if the Hawks can extend the Celtics to 7 games last season with a much weaker team (only 37 wins last year) then I say the Hawks can beat the Cavs since the Hawks have a considerably stronger team this year (47 wins (a 10 game improvement over last season)). The Hawks are much better, the bench is much stronger, but one of the keys to the game is that Joe Johnson needs to play like the 3-time all-star that he is. If Joe does that and the other players follow along, I see the Hawks proving to be too much for the Cavs as they were too much for the Heat. You see, Joe Johnson needs to, he CAN and WILL match LaBrons numbers and then the supporting cast of the Hawks will outplay the supporting cast of the Cavs. Watch for there to be a Hawks-Lakers finale.
Mark Bradley
May 6th, 2009
12:57 pm
OK, we’re now chatting online. Join us here. I’ll be glad you did.
Joe Johnson
May 6th, 2009
4:14 pm
I’m tired, but a long summer vacation will cure that.
That, and the millions of dollars I just “earned.”
Suckers.
GoldenRichards
May 6th, 2009
4:48 pm
THE HAWKS CAN BEAT THE CAVIILIERS IF THEY SIMPLY DOUBLE AND TRIPLE LBJ. You will have to do that in this series if you want to win it. It worked with D-Wade and it will work with LaBron. Just do that, find a way to win and the Hawks will be in the finals. Forget about the next round because the Hawks are vastly superior to Boston (shorthanded in the playoffs and easier to beat this year without Poe and Garnett) and Orlando (who the Hawks manhandled in the opener this year). The Hawks will wipe out the next opponent if they can just get past LaBron and the Cavs. Again, as I have said numerous times before, the Hawks will be in the finals this year because they have grown up and will accept all challenges prior to coming home for the summer. In other words, when the Hawks are through for the summer and are comming home to end the season, THEY WILL ROCK THE WORLD AND BE WORLD CHAMPS AND NOT WORLD CHUMPS!
Mike Woodson
May 6th, 2009
4:53 pm
Atlanta, I regret to inform you that Joe Johnson is tired.
come on now
May 6th, 2009
5:43 pm
Come on guys, I can’t beleive I’m reading comments like Coach Woodson should be fired because his team is not showing any fire and motivation. Are You Kidding Me? If it takes the coach to motivate you to play in the PLAYOFFS then your gonna lose everytime. Its not Coach Woodson out there not showing any fire its the players. Its not Coach Woodson not playing inspired its the players and its the players responsibility to get ready not the coach. Do you guys think Phil or Pop have to motivate their teams?
leandro
May 6th, 2009
9:59 pm
this is the playoff!!! you cant be tired!!! you play or you dont!!!
this time of the year is when you know who has heart and who dosnt!!
josh smith this boy has heart!!!! Zaza too!!
joe and marvin dont
robert
May 7th, 2009
12:36 pm
Joe is no LBJ. Not even close. LBJ is the premiere player in the league right now. He is a linebacker with point guard speed and can carry three hawks to the rim and still make the shot. Lbj can score like Kobe but he also rebounds, plays great defense and is one of the best passers in the game making everyone around him better. He also has Jordans intense desire to win. Joe does not have the fire inside to compete like LBJ. Ill take LBJ over two Joes anyday. The only way the hawks win is if LBJ gets hurt and doesnt play. LBJ wont allow the cavs to lose.
Peter
May 7th, 2009
5:43 pm
Mark, you write if Joe wasn’t on the team we wouldn’t be in the playoffs period ! Great !
Is that what we pay guys 14 million Plus a year to maybe show up ? We don’t strive for the Championship ?
We shouldn’t expect him to lay it all on the line every time he steps on the court ?
You were asking if Joe was a “Super Star”…… not a star…….he may be an All-star, but where is he in the BIG GAMES this year…..AND…..will he show up tonight ?
Flip a coin…there will be the answer….?
Kobe scored 30, then 40 in consecutive games…….MJ wouldn’t show up twice in a 7 game series…….he carried his team…….EVERY NIGHT…….All the GREAT ones do Mark……what has Joe done so far this playoff season ?
Joe is a nice piece to the puzzle, but he is NOT a Super Star, not a team leader, but a really fine OVER PAID Player………..Period as you would say !
I hope him the best, and the Hawks the best……..the city deserves it…….after all he makes the big bucks……..let’s see him earn it !