Live from Game 5: Do the Hawks have an answer for Bango?
Seeking to one-up a deer, Joe Johnson shoots from the bench. (Photo by M. Bradley)
Big game. Lots of pressure. If the Hawks lose tonight, they probably lose the series. But enough gloom and doom. Let’s talk about Bango.
Bango is the Milwaukee Bucks’ mascot. He — and I believe he’s a he — wears a deer costume. He’s not what you’d call intimidating. (When last did you see a scary deer?) But Bango did become the biggest Internet sensation of the NBA playoffs with a feat performed in Game 4 on Monday.
During a timeout, Bango climbed up a 20-foot ladder and, with his back to the basket, jumped off and dunked the ball. The Bradley Center crowd went Bango-ballistic, and even the Hawks took note. “That,” Joe Smith pronounced before tonight’s Game 5, “was sweet.”
And here’s my challenge to the Hawks: Last year Philips Arena produced a playoff star in Spirit the Hawk, who flew rampant before Game 2 of Round 1 against Miami and became so famous that he — the bird himself informed me in a Tweet that he was a he — had his own Twitter postings. But Spirit has been strangely quiet this time.
I say, on the behalf of Hawks fans everywhere, it’s time to unleash the fury. Un-tether Spirit and let him dunk the ball from the rafters. This is the postseason. Gotta bring your mascot’s A-game.
Oh, about Game 5 itself: You all know what’s at stake. So do the Hawks. They seem ready, and they’d better be. Lose tonight and Bango could easily sky-slam them into the floorboards Friday in Milwaukee.
And with that, we’ll open the floor for questions, comments and your favorite anecdotes about dunkin’ deer. I’ll be here until the Hawks have taken a 3-2 lead in the series — yes, I think they’ll win, but I’ve been wrong rather recently — and I’d love to have you alongside.
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736 comments Add your comment
Mark Bradley
April 28th, 2010
8:56 pm
Smith scores on a fast break. Hawks by three. Mbah a Moute has just missed a layup.
Mark Bradley
April 28th, 2010
8:56 pm
Smith’s first points.
Mark Bradley
April 28th, 2010
8:57 pm
Unlucky. Smith blocks a shot. But Jennings grabs the loose ball and hits with the shot clock at 2.
Black Lab
April 28th, 2010
8:59 pm
Crawford needs to get selfish….and shoot all night…stop passing it..
Mark Bradley
April 28th, 2010
8:59 pm
Mbah a Moute misses a pair of FTs. Would have put his team in front.
Mark Bradley
April 28th, 2010
9:00 pm
Third foul on Kurt Thomas.
MaryM
April 28th, 2010
9:00 pm
Fire everyone even the tiniest bit associated with the Hawks. They all suck.
Mark Bradley
April 28th, 2010
9:01 pm
Can the Hawks possibly not win on a night Marvin has 11?
Mark Bradley
April 28th, 2010
9:01 pm
Hawks are 16 of 40 from the floor. Bucks are 14 of 35.
MaryM
April 28th, 2010
9:02 pm
No excuse for this lazy, uninspired playing.
lewis
April 28th, 2010
9:02 pm
Everytime Bibby gets put in they start getting easy look 3’s.
Mark Bradley
April 28th, 2010
9:04 pm
The Hawks aren’t playing lazy basketball. This is playoff basketball. It’s supposed to be difficult to score.
Smitty
April 28th, 2010
9:06 pm
I think Joe n Chipper and not a few fans share the knowledge that you can have a few stars and some decent coaching and be competitive but not ever win championships with the money saving likes of Pachulia or Glaus, much less the failure to be really good(inconsistency) of players like Marvin or Josh Smith or Bibby or Escobar or Lowe or Kawakami(sic) who are getting paid good money. Is it really an ownership problem / a general mgmnt. problem / team philosophy problem or am I mistaken about the “coaching”? Do Woodson and Cox share the same flaws?
Mark Bradley
April 28th, 2010
9:06 pm
Mbah a Moute puts Milwaukee back in front.
ryc30078
April 28th, 2010
9:07 pm
What is wrong with this hawk team? This team should have a double-digit lead by now!
Mark Bradley
April 28th, 2010
9:08 pm
Horford ties it at the line. Fifty seconds until halftime.
Mark Bradley
April 28th, 2010
9:08 pm
Crawford great bank on Jennings off a crossover. Gets fouled. Hawks up two.
Black Lab
April 28th, 2010
9:09 pm
keep shooting Jamal!!!
Smitty
April 28th, 2010
9:09 pm
By that “flaws” I mean stubborness and lack of creativity>
Black Lab
April 28th, 2010
9:10 pm
way to go Al!
Mark Bradley
April 28th, 2010
9:10 pm
Horford hits from the baseline to make it 46-43 at the half. Great long pass by Josh Smith after Ridnour had scored with 5 seconds left.
Smitty
April 28th, 2010
9:11 pm
cause its just a shame to waste the heart and courage of players like Horford and McCann
truthspitter
April 28th, 2010
9:11 pm
Hawks suck really bad. Seems as Woody is trying to find a scapegoat by sitting Joe down
Mark Bradley
April 28th, 2010
9:12 pm
Not an artistic half for the Hawks, but encouraging. Joe Johnson has five points, Smith three. But the team leads because it defended, finally.
Adam
April 28th, 2010
9:12 pm
Go Bucks!! Gotta win tonight!
Mark Bradley
April 28th, 2010
9:14 pm
Horford has 12, Marvin 11.
Jennings has 14.
J-Smoove
April 28th, 2010
9:15 pm
Hawks have the momentum going to the half… both teams looked a little off. If the Hawks can stop Jennings, then they will be just fine. No one else on the Bucks can do anything. Bravos have zero runs and two errors… looks like the streak will continue to 8
Greg
April 28th, 2010
9:16 pm
So who do you think is making the better halftime adjustments, Mike Woodson or Scott Skiles? Laughing as I type that question….
BONE
April 28th, 2010
9:16 pm
THIS GAME IS BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORING!!!!!!!!!!!!
Greg
April 28th, 2010
9:17 pm
Barkley: “The Hawks are just a soft team.” He just tells it like it is, doesn’t he?
JeJe
April 28th, 2010
9:17 pm
82-79
BONE
April 28th, 2010
9:18 pm
BARKLEY AS IGNORANT AS HE IS SOMETIMES, SPEAKS THE TRUTH THIS TIME…..AND KENNY IS RIGHT AS ALWAYS, EITHER U HARD OR U NOT, CNT FAKE PHYSICALITY
Time
April 28th, 2010
9:18 pm
I’ve been as big of a supporter of Woody as anyone. But, if we lose this series, as I now think we will….it’s all on him. He’s made no adjustments and a series is all about adjustments. The Bucks made there’s and now since Woody won’t we’re be beaten by a rook that shot 37 percent on the year. Enough with the switches. Play some straight up man, stick Teague in there on him who can match his quickness. Hell, play some zone. Something, anything to change it up. Because all they’re doing is coming down and picking till they get a switch they like with Jennings or Salmons 1 on 1 vs one of our bigs.
Adam
April 28th, 2010
9:19 pm
The Brewers suck too.. but go braves vs the cards.
Mark Bradley
April 28th, 2010
9:19 pm
If they hadn’t had the two hard fouls, the guys on TNT would be saying, “Where are the hard fouls?”
Mark Bradley
April 28th, 2010
9:21 pm
I like Charles a lot — I’ve known him for 29 years — but sometimes he says stuff just to say stuff. Horford isn’t a tough player? Joe isn’t a tough player? Zaza isn’t a tough player?
Mark Bradley
April 28th, 2010
9:22 pm
Bucks had 18 in the first six minutes. They have 25 in the 18 minutes since.
Justin
April 28th, 2010
9:22 pm
Thank you, Mark. I’d rather listen to someone scratch a chalkboard with their fingernails than listen to the TNT half-time analysis. It’s that painful. Jennings had like 80 straight points and somebody had to give him make him think twice about coming in the lane. Same with Joe’s foul. Those were smart plays, nothing dirty or cheap about them.
Adam
April 28th, 2010
9:23 pm
“Same with Joe’s foul. Those were smart plays, nothing dirty or cheap about them.”
Hahahahha.. yeah sure whatever you say.
Justin
April 28th, 2010
9:24 pm
And it seems like no matter what the Hawks do, they get raked over the coals by the TNT commentators and Jon Barry.
Mark Bradley
April 28th, 2010
9:24 pm
I say again: I really like Charles. But blunt isn’t always accurate.
Mark Bradley
April 28th, 2010
9:25 pm
Meanwhile … there’s a massive upset at work in hockey. Montreal is leading the Capitals in Game 7.
JL Burke
April 28th, 2010
9:25 pm
It’s only one half, but Joe doesn’t look like a max contract guy so far tonight.
Justin
April 28th, 2010
9:26 pm
Adam, were they dirty or cheap? In the playoffs, those barely even qualify for hard fouls. I’m a little surprised that Zaza’s was a flagrant. IMO, cheap is what Najera did to Ginobili the other night.
BONE
April 28th, 2010
9:26 pm
SO KENNY WASNT TELLING THE TRUTH WHEN HE SAID THE HAWKS DNT GET INTO THE OFFENSE OF THE BUCKS? THE HAWKS DONT HAVE THE EMOTION . ANYONE SEE JENNINGS TRASH TALKING OUR BIGS? ARE YOU SERIOUS? BOSTON WLDVE HAD HIM ON HIS ASS. AND ANOTHER THING KENNY WAS RIGHT ABOUT THE HAWKS NOT BODYING UP, DENYING THE BALL, HANDS FLYING, WHEN SMOOTH POSTS UP ILLYOSOVA, HE POKES THE BALL AWAY, FIGHTS HIM BEFORE HE CAN GET THERE, YOU JUST DNT SE ETHAT WITH OUR TEAM MAN
Justin
April 28th, 2010
9:27 pm
Why don’t the Hawks keep going back to Marvin? He comes out agressively on offense and scores 9, then can’t even get his hands on the ball for practically an entire quarter.
Meanwhile...No way Mark
April 28th, 2010
9:28 pm
Alexander Ovec-I can’t spell his last name, probably misspelled his first-kin, is going to get bounced out in the first round?
Mark Bradley
April 28th, 2010
9:29 pm
Yes he is. Montreal leads 2-nil with 3 1/2 minutes to go.
Adam
April 28th, 2010
9:29 pm
“ANYONE SEE JENNINGS TRASH TALKING OUR BIGS? ARE YOU SERIOUS? BOSTON WLDVE HAD HIM ON HIS ASS”
Boston would have also won the series already.. so…
Mark Bradley
April 28th, 2010
9:30 pm
Uh, the Hawks did put Jennings on his rear.