Sweepless in Atlanta: The Hawks finally slam the Magic
After the jam: Josh Smith seems rather pleased. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
In the grand scheme, it might mean nothing. But when it happened, it sure felt like something. It felt as if the Hawks proved to themselves and the Magic that a Round 2 series between these teams might not be a mismatch, and they proved it with two exclamatory points a millisecond before the horn.
The game had started badly — the Magic led 15-2 — and was winding down the same way. Leading by 11 points with 5 1/2 minutes remaining, the Hawks saw Orlando tie on Vince Carter’s 26-footer with 9.9 seconds left. Having burned all their timeouts, the Hawks were left to their own creative devices, and what they managed was pretty sound basketball.
Joe Johnson drove and pulled up along the left baseline. Josh Smith flew along the right baseline and, with one majestic swipe of a mighty left hand, dunked home the miss.
Then everybody got really excited. Then they had to calm down to see if the hammer of Smoove had beaten the buzzer. Then the refs checked the monitor and ascertained that it had, just. Then everybody got really excited again.
“I knew it was close,” Smith said. “But I had to celebrate anyway. It had been a long time coming.”
Since Oct. 29, 2008, to be precise. Not since the opening game of last season had the Hawks beaten their Southeast Division cousins, and given that the two could well land in the same half of the Eastern Conference playoff bracket, this six-game losing streak — including three egregious losses this season by an aggregate 67 points — didn’t augur well for the local club.
But on this night the Hawks hit back. Said Al Horford, who had 12 points and 11 rebounds and who helped limit Dwight Howard to four baskets: “A lot of people were talking and questioning us against the great teams. It’s nice to go get a win.”
There’s no consensus on whether regular-season results matter once the postseason begins. “Not at all,” said Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, speaking before the game. “I don’t think so.” But his was the team that had owned the Hawks over the past 17 months, and his was the team going for a season sweep.
And imagine the drag on the Hawks’ spirit if they would have let this one slip after building that 11-point lead. “It would have been another heartbreak for us,” Smith said.
Instead it became another in a series of last-gasp victories: A Smith dunk at the horn against Houston; the Jamal Crawford trey against Phoenix; the Joe Johnson jumper against Charlotte last weekend; now this. Say what you will about these Hawks, but they do keep fighting until the last dog dies.
“This was a playoff game,” Mike Woodson said, exaggerating only slightly. And the Hawks did as they might well have to do in the playoffs: They made Howard make free throws for his points and kept the many Orlando shooters in check and shared the ball — Johnson had eight assists, six of them in the third quarter — and Mike Bibby and Mo Evans made big treys to override the awful start. In sum, it was a reminder that for all the talk about Cleveland and Orlando, these Hawks can play a little, too.
Said Jamal Crawford: “It would have been one thing if we’d split the season series coming in, but they’d beaten us every game. I believe this will do something for our psyche. It was a big win.”
In winning, the Hawks — after a false alarm last week — clinched a playoff berth and stayed even with Boston in the Eastern Conference standings, and they drew within 3 1/2 games of the Magic in the Southeast. With 11 games remaining, they surely won’t catch Orlando; still, it was nice to let the Magic know there’s a bit of competition here in the A-T-L.
“There’s still room for growth,” Crawford said. “We didn’t play a perfect game. They threw the first punch.”
But the Hawks threw the final one. Two months from now, we might forget all about Josh Smith’s winning slam. But there’s also a chance we’ll have cause to remember it.
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117 comments Add your comment
Southpaw
March 24th, 2010
11:24 pm
I believe J. Smith will be the reason they go far, he has grown to prove a lot of people wrong. He will help A.T.L move forward. Joe Johnson has his Scottie Pippen, not saying he’s Jordan. J Smoove do ya thing bruh, and bring that crunkness all the way to the Finals. Let’s show the world what the underated can do. Josh plays with heart, and Joe leads. Joe might can’t finish that great, but he handles his, and thats what J Smoove is there for. Go hawks!!!!!!!! Haters go home!!!!!!!!
Najeh Davenpoop
March 24th, 2010
11:29 pm
I just got back from the game. Holy f-cking sh-t. That was the best finish I have ever seen, in person or in TV. I sat in the lower level for the first time ever and I couldn’t have picked a better game to do so. That arena was going crazy.
I’d like to give props to someone who takes a lot of sh-t from all of us, including me. Mike Woodson coached an incredible game today. No two ways about it. When the Hawks’ offense bogged down, he put Bibby back in to settle it down and run the show. He made it a point to attack Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis in the post with Josh today, knowing that neither one could guard him.
And most importantly of all, he finally figured out how to defend the Magic. Dwight Howard dominated on the boards, but none of the Magic shooters ever got into a rhythm, because the Hawks made it a point of emphasis to deny them any easy looks. This is the key to beating them. Let Dwight get his — send him to the line if you have to — but shut down the shooters at all costs. It’s not even like the Hawks completely abandoned the double team; they doubled Howard quite often in this game, but they always made it a point to rotate to the shooters, even if it meant leaving Howard before he passed the ball.
The only complaint I have is that somehow our beloved fan base found a way to not sell out this game. There were a ton of empty seats in the upper level, and even the lower level wasn’t entirely full. That was really disappointing. It brings me back to the point I made on Schultz’s article the other day — move the 7 PM games to 7:30 or 8 and attendance will go up.
Great game. Woody for the first time looked like a coach who can win a championship.
Elmore Spencer
March 24th, 2010
11:29 pm
Wow. Im all fired up Southpaw.
Go thrash/Hawks
March 24th, 2010
11:38 pm
Mark
why do you and jeff treat the hawks ownership with such disrepect.. i find it strange and apalling..arty blank has’nt really won anything but you all treat him like he is the man….please explain your beef and inconsistency…dont give me the crap that you are not a marketing arm of the organization….tell the truth because you,….the ajc owners..and shultz have been unfair….explain
Go thrash/Hawks
March 24th, 2010
11:39 pm
oh one more thing..get your facts in order
JIMBO
March 24th, 2010
11:50 pm
Holy crap! What an UNREAL game! Love it. Can’t wait for the playoffs to begin, baby!
Chad
March 25th, 2010
12:05 am
And J Smoove actually made the 2 most important shots of the night – the other one being one of those dreaded Josh Smith jumpers that actually went in to put us up 3 late in the game.
Kirby
March 25th, 2010
12:14 am
Why do the articles like these never include the final score?
XJP
March 25th, 2010
12:37 am
If the Hawks and Boston end up tied the Hawks would get the 3rd seed.
Being a division winner only guarantees a top 4 seed. Not a top 3 seed.
bill
March 25th, 2010
12:38 am
I’ve been a Magic fan my entire life, and its really nice to see us beat down the hawks. It just boggles me how no one has mentioned how Joe Johnson took ahhh… about 19 STEPS! and clearly traveled before he shot. I would like to thank the referees for bailing out the Hawks. Please stay out of it in the playoffs and let Superman play. Thanks, yours sincerely,
Stuff the Magic Dragon
doc
March 25th, 2010
12:44 am
najeh thanks for your insight once again. sad to say as a sason ticket holder i didnt get there nor was i able to sell it or give it away. also very pleased about this win, get the lakers under our belts and we might be ready to do something later. how do you say it? RESPECT
lewis halp
March 25th, 2010
12:48 am
easy to believe but upsetting nonethless that it was not sold out. they showed a picture of 75/85 and it was gridlocked, as unfortunately expected at seven o clock in Atlanta. I wish Philips Arena had a big tv statistics display showing how many people were watching on local television, and how many people were watching on NBA league pass tv and online. As many transplants as Atlanta has rooting for their own teams, there are many people who are born in atlanta who travel for a living or are out of state for extended periods of time for various reasons. I’m an out of state college student and if I was in town i’d have surely been at this one, but instead i was stuck watching it online on NBA league pass. There are tons of people in my situation. It might encourage the Hawks to know that people are paying attentioin to them, whether it be cheering for or against, they are at least being talked abou and watched.. Anyone know where i can find numbers on tv viewership? Someone said push the games back a bit, I think this would definitely help.
Ree Roe
March 25th, 2010
1:19 am
@ XJP, you’re wrong. If the Hawks & Celtics finish with the same record, BOS would be the 3 seed b/c they won their division. We need to finish with a better record than them to get that 3 seed.
-cREEd of Roe!!!
MaxxFalcon
March 25th, 2010
1:50 am
Yo, that ending was RIDICULOUS!!! We still need a Center to be able to body up on DH, because he was tossing Al around like a ragdoll tonight. Great toughness, persistance, and intensity by these Hawks. It really seemed like we WANTED it tonight, and we GOT it. For all the Sportscenter highlights and haters who say JJ traveled, take a look at a couple of plays earlier, when Jamal was called for the foul against DH, Howard clearly traveled under the basket before the call. Great game, bad officiating in the 4th, but what a Win!
MaxxFalcon
March 25th, 2010
1:52 am
Great article BTW Mark. Can’t wait for your next one on the Falcons
Luke M
March 25th, 2010
2:31 am
Watched online as well, sure wish I could have been there. Glad Smoove pulled it out for us. I also found his swattage of JJ Redick to be exceedingly enjoyable.
Tweets that mention Sweepless in Atlanta: The Hawks finally beat the Magic | Mark Bradley -- Topsy.com
March 25th, 2010
2:56 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by ajc sports editor. ajc sports editor said: Drama at the Highlight Factory: Smoove's jam dumps Magic, clinches playoff spot for Hawks http://bit.ly/9I5O3v [...]
Tweets that mention Sweepless in Atlanta: The Hawks finally slam the Magic | Mark Bradley -- Topsy.com
March 25th, 2010
3:36 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mark Bradley, Kenton, JeFreda Brown, Atlanta Peach Movers, Wacko Jacko PR and others. Wacko Jacko PR said: Sweepless in Atlanta: The Hawks finally beat the Magic: Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) It's about playoff pos… http://bit.ly/9YO0ZD [...]
Conyers Tech Fan
March 25th, 2010
4:50 am
Enter your comments here
Conyers Hawks Fan
March 25th, 2010
4:55 am
A great win for the Hawks. However; I am concerned that they continue to fade in the 4th quarter.
Not sure but I believe the Hawks have blown big leads at least 6 times in the 4th quarter in the past two months alone. I hope they correct this problem before the playoffs start.
AG
March 25th, 2010
5:29 am
Great win. Although again much of a non factor on offense, Marvin did take 9 shots. Again, look at the Hawks record when he takes 10 shots or more, the Hawks win. In March they are 7-1! For those Hortford haters, he played his best game against Howard and finally the Hawks had a game plan, as they limited Howards dunks – instead fouling him – most of them looked pretty hard. Game ball certainly to ZaZa for making Howard earn points at the line. Hortford did well by extending the defense making a couple of jumpers. I hope Hawk fans can see now why we cannot get a center because Josh will have to hit jumpers if he is a SF.
GovClintonTyree
March 25th, 2010
5:54 am
Has Jay Bilas ever done a mea culpa about his draft night fileting of Smoove? He couldn’t have been any more wrong. His analysis was so nasty it was almost personal.
GovClintonTyree
March 25th, 2010
5:56 am
A tip of the cap to Billy Knight. He put a hell of a team together. Also to Rick Sund, who didn’t mess it up and added nice complementary parts, and Mike Woodson, who grew with them and kept his focus on defense through some pretty lean times.
Marcus
March 25th, 2010
6:21 am
Question: Why didn’t we throw Jason Collins in for his body/fouls?
I know we tried that in vain in an earlier game vs. ORL …. but when is he gonna get some burn? His fouls and experience are being wasted on the bench.
Patrick
March 25th, 2010
6:45 am
Jason Collins doesn’t play because Jason Collins is a mummy. His only valuable skill is summoning evil spirits to haunt the opposing team. He was signed for the vets minimum in case of emergency, but even calling him a “warm body” at this point is a stretch unless his tomb is especially well heated.
Joe clearly walked on the last play, but that’s the type of situation where the refs are almost never going to blow the wistle, especially Bavetta. I wouldn’t be surprised it this became enough of a stink that he loses some playoff games as a result. However, for those of you always claiming that Joe isn’t a star, that was a super-duper star no call.
Smokey
March 25th, 2010
7:12 am
Josh came flying in like Dominique use to do was awesome……. HIS MOMMA TAUGHT HIM THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol
B. Knight
March 25th, 2010
7:15 am
What the heck is Smoove? Is is some bastardization of smooth? If he’s smooth, call him Smooth. He’s a heck of a player, so he deserves to have a properly spelled nickname. Now, where’s a chair I can toss?
B. Knight
March 25th, 2010
7:16 am
What the heck is Smoove? Is is some b@st@rdiz@tion of smooth? If he’s smooth, call him Smooth. He’s a heck of a player, so he deserves to have a properly spelled nickname. Now, where’s a chair I can toss?
B. Knight
March 25th, 2010
7:18 am
What the heck is Smoove? Is is some intentionally misspelled variation of smooth? If he’s smooth, call him Smooth. He’s a heck of a player, so he deserves to have a properly spelled nickname. Now, where’s a chair I can toss?
XJP
March 25th, 2010
7:52 am
@ Ree Roe Here is the tie-breaker guidelines for the playoffs from NBA.com. Look at the standings tab.
Playoff Tie-Break Procedures
Teams 1 to 4 in each conference are the three division winners and the team with the next best regular-season record, with the seeding of these four teams determined by regular-season record. The playoffs seedings of Teams 5 to 8 are based upon regular-season record. Ties are broken pursuant to the rules set forth below.
Ties for playoff positions (INCLUDING division winners) will be broken utilizing the criteria set forth in subparagraph a. below (in the case of ties involving two teams) below.
a. Two Teams Tied b. More Than Two Teams Tied
(1) Better winning percentage in games against each other.
(2) Better winning percentage against teams in own division (only if tied teams are in same division).
(3) Better winning percentage against teams in own conference.
dap01
March 25th, 2010
7:55 am
Josh has heart and ability. The more we spread the offense, the better we are.
The NBA babys Dwight.
FunkyBobbyJ
March 25th, 2010
7:57 am
Great win, but Woodys “stop and stare” offense almost cost them another one. It is ridiculous that the game was that close in the end. I love this team and the players, but I am going to have a coronary watching the 4th quarters the rest of the way. Is it just me, or is the crowd urging Josh not to take jumpers? It sounded like in the 4th quarter they were yelling no when he squared up and then decided to drive. Josh scares me when he starts thinking he can shoot – he made one big jumper. Let’s hope it does not go to his head. I love this team, just think they are slight underachievers – hope they brew it up in the playoffs!!!
Mitch (the one in Rome)
March 25th, 2010
7:58 am
I remember 1987 or maybe 1986 (someone check my years I’m about to teach 11th graders), I believe it was, the Hawks swept the season series with the Milwaukee Bucks and made Jack Sikma look bad and then drew them in the playoffs and lost, if memory serves me right, in a sweep at the hands of the Bucks.
All that to say, the season series means NOTHING when it comes to the playoffs.
It would be nice to draw them, beat them down, and establish this team as the team to beat.
JASon
March 25th, 2010
8:16 am
I’ve been saying this all season: Josh Smith is the most underrated player in the NBA. If you are not a dominant scorer in this league, people look past you. Did anyone see the statistic they put up for # of rebounds and steals for the first six seasons?
Eric
March 25th, 2010
8:19 am
MB, you were right: Smoove will be best player on this team next year
Chuck
March 25th, 2010
8:21 am
Hey Kirby – the score’s not there because this is a column. There’s a story from the beat writer that will have the detail you are looking for.
It’s a harder distinction to make these days, but back in the days of the printed newspaper, this story would appear on the same page as the beat writer’s story. C’est la vie.
Eric
March 25th, 2010
8:28 am
Woody let ZaZa pick up like 4 fouls in 1 minute.
WHERE WAS COLLINS?
WHY DID WE SIGN HIM
Boneyard Randy
March 25th, 2010
8:29 am
Unreal. Best finish to a game I can imagine. Ball is in the net (along with half of Josh’s arm) when the red light goes off. Now You Know! I wanted to storm the court…but I’ll wait for a series clinching winner in Game 6 / Round 2 of the playoffs against Orlando to do that.
David
March 25th, 2010
8:40 am
what i would like to know is the numbers ESPN pulls in when they show the hawks play…they’ve been putting their games on more often for a reason…they are exciting to watch and i think many people around the country are catching on to that…sadly…ghetto ATL is not..
All I'm Saying Is...
March 25th, 2010
8:54 am
I don’t think it was any exaggeration and I agree with Woody that last night was a playoff game for the Hawks as we had to at least play well having not beaten the Magic and really needed a win (so stuff your little dig of Woody, Bradley, that you couldn’t resist typing—what would have been more insightful for you to comment on is whether Woody is using the bench more and properly cause I still think he needs to work on that).
I liked how Joe took charge and brought the ball down to attempt the last shot and glad to see J-Smoove practicing the fundamentals and crashing the boards.
David: Me thinks last night was a sellout crowd (and not the first one this season) at The Highlight Factory or were those aliens jumping up and down celebrating the Hawks victory last night? You need to focus on the facts (Hawks season ticket sales and home average attendance up each of the past four years as victory total has climbed) and celebrate the positive (we beat the stinkin’ Magic)!
And ESPN and TNT have shown/are showing the Hawks a lot this year due to not just squeaking into the playoffs last year but riding in as a #4 seed and winning a series and due to raised expectations (so far, so good) for this season.
LET’S GO HAWKS!
Mitch (the one in Armuchee)
March 25th, 2010
8:55 am
Josh Smith is the Hawks MVP. Best player on the team. Love to watch this guy play.
David
March 25th, 2010
8:56 am
I dont think it was a sellout…unless it was one of those MSG sellouts or Boston Bruins sellout…
David
March 25th, 2010
9:00 am
also ESPN doesn’t care about expectations rather than numbers…
Jason Collins
March 25th, 2010
9:06 am
I’ve been wondering that myself, Eric. I’ve got lots left in the tank.
interesting turn of phrase
March 25th, 2010
9:10 am
Bradley, that it was interesting you used the “until the last dog dies” line…. I could think of so many other ways to phrase that, especially in a city where a certain professional athlete fought until litteraly a dog died.
G-Money
March 25th, 2010
9:11 am
This was an excellent step in the right direction, however as a team they still have some work to do primarily on offense. I would recommend constant ball rotation against a team like Orlando because Howard appears to be the only one interested in playing defense for the entire possession. When the ball movement is rapid and precise better attempts are available for everyone.
OtownG
March 25th, 2010
9:27 am
I’m reading this article and these comments and I’m in disbelief. You guys actually think you played defense last night? We got every open shot that we always get…lucky for you, they didn’t drop. But that’s the NBA, it’s a make or miss league. But Hawks fans, please don’t fool yourselves into thinking you deserve to be on the same floor as us. You shot over 50% from 3, played out of your minds and we still should have won the game. There’s good reason why we’re 6-1 in the last 7 against you guys with a 16 point average margin of victory. See in round 2…you bring the dustpans, we’ll bring the brooms.
Barnacle Bill Bavasi
March 25th, 2010
9:31 am
Can you believe Hubie Brown is 76, Lenny Wilkens is 72 and Mike Fratello is 63? I still don’t know if Woody is any good, but I think any of those three would do more with this roster. Apropos of nothing, I know, but if I think it, I must write it. Good day.
David
March 25th, 2010
9:48 am
OtownG..you are a fool to think that the hawks didnt play D…how many points did superman get? How many shots did he make? If it wasn’t for the hawks inability to close out the 4th it would have easily been a 15pt lead..game set match..but it didnt turn out like that…nonetheless you have sour grapes and we have a W.
EW
March 25th, 2010
9:59 am
What a finish..wish i was at Philips for it