The Hawks lose Game 1 by 43 points, and it seemed worse
The Hawks tried to stop Dwight Howard. Fail. (Photo by Gary W. Green, Orlando Sentinel)
Orlando – The Hawks really believed they had a chance to steal Game 1, but the only crime committed here was fraud. The East’s No. 3 seed performed as if it were back in its glory days of Billy Knight burning lottery picks on guys named Williams.
The Hawks were tied after 14 minutes. Ten minutes later they trailed by 20 points. And it would — oh yes, it would — get doubly worse.
It’s no easy feat to trail a Round 2 playoff game by 41 points having played only 36 minutes, but the proud conquerors of Milwaukee managed it. They were down 85-44 after three quarters. And I say it again: This is why so few folks outside Atlanta, and many folks in Atlanta, don’t take seriously a team that won 53 games this season and has survived a Game 7 in each of the two springs.
The Hawks tried really hard those first 14 minutes. Then the home team got going, and the visitors decided trying to play sound basketball really wasn’t worth the effort. So they ceased and desisted.
Joe Johnson kept losing the ball. (He had four turnovers against five points the first half.) Jamal Crawford looked scared. (His first half: Two points, two points.) And Mike Woodson’s grand scheme to control Dwight Howard worked for a little while, but the sheer weirdness of it — deploying the forgotten Jason Collins before the NBA’s sixth man of the year and the ancient Joe Smith in the first quarter — undid the team it was supposed to bolster.
The Hawks were so consumed by trying to bump and bedevil Howard they stopped running any semblance of an offense. (Collins made a basket and seemed shocked.) They scored 23 points in the first quarter; they managed 21 in the next two. They tried to go Iso-Joe and that didn’t work, so everyone decided to hoist jumpers. And the lead grew — it would peak at 112-66 — and the humiliation deepened, and the East’s No. 3 seed became something a No. 3 seed should never be: pitiable.
Joe Johnson wasn’t the only Hawk lacking this night — the line forms on the left and stretches to Daytona Beach — but he’s supposed to be the go-to guy, and he wasn’t. Not for lack of trying, though. He looked off an open Al Horford on the baseline in the second quarter to take a fadeaway jumper, which missed. In the third, the game long gone, Johnson started to pass to Jeff Teague and then, for the heck of it, shot another. Missed again.
To reiterate: This is the No. 3 seed, not the No. 8. Even if the Magic are superior — certainly a prima facie case can be made to that effect — they shouldn’t be 43 points better. But the Hawks keep going on the road in postseason and laying these dinosaur eggs and then wondering why we don’t give them credit for being a big-time team.
“This was uncharacteristic of us,” Johnson said afterward, but it was perfectly in character. This is a team that has played 13 road games the past three postseasons and has lost 11 of them, 10 by at least 19 points. Even if this was the most egregious, it was simply the continuation of a regrettable pattern.
Just when you think the Hawks have a chance to do something really good, they offer up a loss that makes you wonder if they’re any good at all. Yeah, yeah – it’s only one game and it still could be a long series, but the more the Hawks keep doing this the harder it is to write off one bad loss. Because there have been so many.
“It was frustrating,” Horford said. “Guys were trying, but we got a little distracted. We should be past that. We’re a good team. They’re not 40 points better than us.”
No team should be, the but Magic were in Game 1. Numerically, it was the worst playoff loss the Hawks have absorbed since moving to Atlanta. The only surprise was that it wasn’t the worst loss in the history of basketball. Because that’s how it smelled.
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219 comments Add your comment
Gordon
May 5th, 2010
8:16 am
Paul Hewitt would have this mess cleaned up in no time. As a Tech fan, I would hate to lose him, but somehow we would have to get by. I would just be so happy for the Hawks and their fans if this came to be. We all know that Paul is committed to the city of Atlanta, so when the Hawks started winning championships the Hawks wouldn’t have to worry about losing him.
Mike Woodson Agent
May 5th, 2010
8:17 am
Like the Hawks, I quit!
Shug
May 5th, 2010
8:20 am
Big deal what the score was, a playoff loss is a playoff loss. Anyone remember the Memorial Day Massacre between Bird’s Celtics and Abdul-Jabbar’s Lakers? The loser of that creamfest went on to win the series. There’s almost always a blowout or two in every series. Hawks-Magic will go 6 (or 7) games, and nobody will remember or care about the Game 1 embarrassment.
Greg
May 5th, 2010
8:21 am
Like the Bucks game, it took ATL to get their butts kicked. I promise a game 7 win by Atlanta. Mike Woodson should not be gone. He has increased their wins and have taken them to back to back championships. What Atlanta ownership needs to do is employ a power center. Like an article I saw before, we need a Zoe. You can not blame Mike Woodson. Get him a Center. Horford is not a center. Take teams that are in the playoffs now..all have true centers. I do not care for Charles Barkley much, but he was right about one thing..Coach Woodson and team need to get more fire in their step. Go Hawks!!!!
Roto Rooter
May 5th, 2010
8:21 am
MB, when you speak to Woody, please ask him why no one else besides Zsa Zsa Gabor came to the press conference. So unprofessional. Take it like a man.
MagicRocks
May 5th, 2010
8:22 am
You Hawk fans know your team can’t beat Orlando this season. You guys won that one game during the regular season because a dumb move by Rashard Lewis for not blocking out after a missed shot which then led to a buzzer beater dunk by one of your players. Other than that, you guys have nothing against us. I am surprised, though, you guys lost by so much. The lead just came growing and growing and growing, even when our THIRD units went in, the lead kept growing for a little bit lol. Hey look at the bright side, your star players got PLENTY of rest after the second quarter so they should be good for game 2.
Greg
May 5th, 2010
8:23 am
I meant back to back playoffs.
Craig
May 5th, 2010
8:24 am
After this series, the following people need to clean out and clear out. Woodson, Johnson, Bibby, and if J. Smith can’t grow up then bye-bye to you to.
bulldogmaniac
May 5th, 2010
8:26 am
The Hawks should be totally humiliated.
This has to be one of the worst playoff games ever!
Can someone tell me why the hawks always get away from what they are? The have sucess when they pound the ball inside or make 3 to 4 passes on the parimeter and hit a jumper. Last night they were content to driible down the floor and make 1 pass and shoot. They sucked!
dap01
May 5th, 2010
8:27 am
Does the top playoff teams beat every team by 43? Well then why should a number 3 teams lose by 43?
Woody is being exposed by every team we play. He has nothing to offer.
What a joke. let’s face it, he is still here only because he is the cheapest option out there.
What a joke!
pluckthehawks
May 5th, 2010
8:29 am
What happened to “stealing” last nights game in Orlando….that was a very popular plan yesterday here.
Greg
May 5th, 2010
8:29 am
Also, stop settling for jump shots. Take it to the basket. Howard is a guy that is known for getting in foul trouble. He can’t get in foul trouble by you shooting jumpers. I like what Horford did when he drove to the basket and tried to dunk, but he quit. Keep it going to the basket, get him in foul trouble.. Now you tell me which D should be ran..On offense run..do not walk to the ball around, extra passes creates open shots.
Know that playing a zone defense requires players to play with an even greater commitment than a man-to-man defense does. In the 1-2-2 defense, put your two best interior defenses along the lane about 3 or 4 feet from the basket. These two are responsible for any player who tries to establish position down low in the blocks where the best scoring opportunities usually come from. Two more defenders are at the far points of the free-throw line and the final defender is at the top of the key. The two outside defenders must keep the ball from getting inside and also have to contest any shots within 5 feet of where they are stationed. The defender at the top of the key must keep the ball from getting inside and must defend the three-point shot.
Step 2Use the 2-3 zone. It uses two men at the outside portions of the free-throw line and three men along the base line. This is especially effective against a team with three effective big men. The 1-3-1 zone puts one man on the outside to guard against the three-point shot, three across the foul line and one big man under the hoop. This is a good defense against an opponent that has an excellent mid-range game but is not especially powerful down low.
Step 3Run the box-and-1 zone defense against an opponent with a superstar or great shooter and four solid players. The players forming the box are at the extended portions of the free-throw line on both sides and along the blocks at the lower portion of the lane. The other defender defies the zone and plays man-to-man against the other team’s most effective offensive player.
Step 4Play the most effective defense by having the players in the zone double-team the player with the ball. For example, if an offensive player catches the ball in the low left block, the defender at the extended foul line on the same side drops down to harass the man with the ball. A turnover or a very poor shot is the desired
MagicRocks
May 5th, 2010
8:30 am
To Shug:
There are plenty of people here in Orlando that will remember what the score was in game 1. Plus this is the worst loss in Atlanta Hawk history since moving the team there. I’m sure your main office will keep it in the record books.
Also this won’t go 6 or 7 games. I’ll say 5 games (at most) assuming Hawks don’t suck more than they did in game 1. For their sakes, I hope they don’t.
pluckthehawks
May 5th, 2010
8:30 am
Zsa Zsa slapped a police officer at halftime….
Greg
May 5th, 2010
8:31 am
Game 7 is a promise
pluckthehawks
May 5th, 2010
8:31 am
Very true….it is still only one game and good teams can and will come back after a beating like that. I did say good teams right?
Glitchy
May 5th, 2010
8:32 am
If ever a team was a reflection of its City, its this one. All Hat and No Cattle. I say this with much embarrassment as I am a native.
Roto Rooter
May 5th, 2010
8:35 am
@ Shug – “There’s almost always a blowout or two in every series”
Yeah, but they are by 10 – 20 points, not 43. They quit in the game, made excuses in the locker room, and didn’t show up to the press conference. That shows me that this team is not mentally ready to compete at the next level .
pluckthehawks
May 5th, 2010
8:36 am
The game 7 promise….I promise that there will not be one!
Game 1 Fluke
May 5th, 2010
8:38 am
This blowout was a fluke! The hawks showed up flat and overconfident, but will get it together in game 2 and win games 3 and 4 easily in ATL!!!! Mark this down—this series is going to 7 games!!! Joe Johnson will step it up in game 2–bank on it!!!
Perry West
May 5th, 2010
8:42 am
Byron scott would be an excellent choice to coach the Hawks. He would bring heart, accountabiity, and discipline the traits of a champion.
IlliniDawg
May 5th, 2010
8:42 am
Chris Sheridan of ESPN calls this game “and anhilation” and “a joke”
Wow, ouch!
Can it get any lower than this?
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2010/columns/story?columnist=sheridan_chris&page=howardgame1-100504
Dan the Nerd
May 5th, 2010
8:44 am
I thought marvin played well.
pluckthehawks
May 5th, 2010
8:44 am
Were the 3 losses by 22 per game a fluke also?
do y’all just not get it?
Tell It Like It Is
May 5th, 2010
8:45 am
Getting beat consistently by 30 or more points definitely indicates that the Hawks are no match for Orlando. What bothers me is that this team lays down when things go bad. Obviously Woody cannot motivate them as they are not a good team.I am sure that he will be gone if the team does not turn themselves around. They are good individually but bad teamwise. It’s a shame that they are being embarrassed so badly. Hopefully they can at least be compeititive over the next three games as that is all that is left of the season.
jeff
May 5th, 2010
8:46 am
Joe isn’t worth the money!!! Here are his career playoff stats.
Games- 41, Games started 35
Minutes- 1,539
FGM- 258, FGA 612
3PM- 56, FGA 145
Assists- 148
To- 90
2009-10 Playoff Ranks-
Scoring #12 20.9
Assists #11 5.7
FGP #43 .423
FGM #3 60
FGA #1 142
3PFGM #40 6
3PFGA #26 24
Assists #6 40
Points #7 146
Assists per Turnover #15 2.67
Steals Per Turnover #37 .47
Field Goals per 48 Minutes #16 10.04
AND MORE- go here..
http://www.nba.com/playerfile/joe_johnson/
Barnacle Bill Bavasi
May 5th, 2010
8:46 am
Where does Woody hide his fire?
pluckthehawks
May 5th, 2010
8:47 am
deer in the headlights….scared, nervous, trapped and unsure of what to do
Write it like it's not 1937
May 5th, 2010
8:48 am
Put “because,” in place of your archaic “as,” and your writing improves dramatically.
SC Smith
May 5th, 2010
8:48 am
This was no fluke, I like JJ but he is a number 2 player not a 1 the Hawks do, not have a number 1. No go to guy, every great team in the history of the NBA has one West, Kareem, Magic, Bird, Jordan, Bryant ect… Pay for Wade or Bosh. If they want to go to the next level. And Woody needs to coach to win, play what got you here, regular rotations, where the hell did Collins come from?
News and Notes from the Hawks Game One loss in Orlando | Soaring Down South | An Atlanta Hawks blog
May 5th, 2010
8:50 am
[...] Mark Bradley of the AJC pretty much sums up the Hawks as a whole: Just when you think the Hawks have a chance to do something really good, they offer up a loss that makes you wonder if they’re any good at all. Yeah, yeah – it’s only one game and it still could be a long series, but the more the Hawks keep doing this the harder it is to write off one bad loss. Because there have been so many. [...]
Gen Neyland
May 5th, 2010
8:53 am
I’m not gonna waste time blasting the Hawks. Enough here are already doing so. What I will say is that the Hawks appear not to grasp what they got themselves into by making the playoffs. This is step up time and the fire is missing. Now, one game does not make a series but if the Hawks are serious about the playoffs, they need to put a shot into Orlando’s bow, not across it. Can they find the energy from last years playoff surprises..?
Peter
May 5th, 2010
8:54 am
Joe Johnson wants to look at the tapes he says………. I guess he needs to check out his One on one moves !
jeff
May 5th, 2010
8:55 am
Can someone call Delta and ask them where they dropped the Hawks off? I can’t take watching the scrubs play again… lol
Tell It Like It Is
May 5th, 2010
8:58 am
Write it like it’s not 1937,
Your writing skills advice is under consideration. Thanks.
fanfan
May 5th, 2010
8:58 am
Uncovered weaknesses as before. No real improvement since last year. Magic in four. ASG to look for a real solution? Nah, not in our life time. Welcome to the south!!
Mutley
May 5th, 2010
8:58 am
Now thats what you call an a$$ whooping.
Hawks73
May 5th, 2010
9:01 am
Not surprised at all by the Hawks performance last night. It’s exactly why no one really takes this team seriously. They do just enough to get by with the talent they have, but have not maximized their potential. NO PLAYOFF TEAM SHOULD LOSE BY 43 POINTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It’s utterly embarrassing to watch each player just mail it in when they are facing an opponent that pushes them. If they are content with beating the mighty Bucks (in seven games), then I say it’s time for a head coaching change. I would hope that they at least start playing with some fire and passion and make the Magic work to end this series.
Peter
May 5th, 2010
9:01 am
Woody said he wish he knew what happened………Really…….ow about No passing, standing around on offense, Joe Johnson One on Five ? Come on Woody, there is zero offensive flow.
Perhaps he needs to watch the game tapes from TV…..the announcers can then tell him what happened.
Mike Bibby said they “embarrassed US”……..How about you played soooooooo poorly as a TEAM…..you embarrassed yourselves ?
governor404
May 5th, 2010
9:02 am
1pt or 43pts a loss is still a loss, never forget the Boston massacre, true test comes over the entirety of the series, only people who are bagging on JJ, Woody, have been doing it for years and their opinions will not change no matter what. Its time to man up (again!. We are poorly constituted to be a championship, i.e. Josh and Marvin are the same player one or the other needs to be the 3man, Josh lacks fundamentals, Marvin lacks everything else, make one or the other a 3, trade for the odd man out in the New Orleans’ pt guard mess and lets move on. We are still 2 yrs and a player and a half from being true championship material.ASG do not panic and do a total blowup, tinker gently as with a timebomb.
BBgenie
May 5th, 2010
9:09 am
Well Hawks hater’s you do have a reason to be upset! But please remember the Lakers lost to Boston By 48pts in the NBA Finals gm #1 in the 80’s. They went on to win the series!!! Can History repeat it self???? Yes. Maybe the Magic will be over confindent?? The Series doesn’t start until we lose @ Home. Hawks in 7!!!!!!
BBgenie
May 5th, 2010
9:12 am
Enter your comments here
the hawk lose here
May 5th, 2010
9:19 am
hey tonight are tomorrow game will inprove will lose by 20 points friday be down 2-0 come home to a half empty phillps arena sorta like watchin thrashers hockey. after the 38pt game three lost at home woodson say’s We did inprove on screwin up better Joe Johnson died on us Josh Smith is lookin for a hooker.Other wise game 4 we be better then so come n watch us Lose in for.As Woodson gets a free ride on Marta to airport look for a Job!
Akron Atlantan
May 5th, 2010
9:22 am
LOL! I like the comments. “Fire Everyone…get D. Wade…get Lebron…get Bosh” Very intelligent guys.
Dick
May 5th, 2010
9:26 am
How can a team be “distracted” in the 2nd round of the playoffs? Against a team that’s owned them? It’s the same immature crap all the time…middle school level excuses. They may be good guys, but collectively they’re a pathetically immature and unprofessional group. Mark’s right; how can they be taken seriously? The Tin Man team; no heart and all excuses. Have a nice summer, Hawks. Hope the team is somehow reconstituted next year (if they can get out from under those contracts).
KB
May 5th, 2010
9:28 am
If the Hawks wants to beat the Magic in this series, then the following things must happen:
1. Start J. Collins, then bring in R. Morris, then bring in Z. Pachulia, and let A. Horford play in the end of the game. This is why R. Sund will get fired as a GM. He knew he need a big man at the beginning of the season. He coould given M. Williams to the Trailblazers for J. Prizbella long time ago. Horford has been out of position for so long and now he got to guard a real center. He can’t do it.
2. Have a heart to heart talk with J. Johnson. If he jump shot isn’t working, then he needs to go to the hoop. If he is too scared to go hoop, then GET HIM OFF THE TEAM!!!
3. Tell M. Williams to reappear. It makes no sense for him to scored 22 points in the last game and then a turn around and score only 8 in this one.
4.Tell M. Woodson and his coaches to get their act together. You coach a loose way in the regular season. You coach totally different in the playoffs. Check out how P Jackson of the Lakes, G. Pop of the San Antonio Spurs, and G. Sloan of the Utah Jazz how they coach in the playoffs. The playoffs are a total different animal.
I am not worried about J. Crawford for the rest of the series. He can have a mulligan. I am not worried about M. Bibby in this series. He may not can’t gaurd J. Nelson, but he will score more than two points in the next game.
5. Lastly, tell the team that DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS!. If the men can’t work together as one playing defense, then they shoud not be playing at all…
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater
May 5th, 2010
9:32 am
Between the Hawks & Braves…Folks- it’s going to be a looooonnggg Summer. Bring on Football PLEASE!!!
DP
May 5th, 2010
9:34 am
Was just listening to a Bill Simmons podcast with Ric Bucher of ESPN. Simmons asked Bucher for some observations based on being near huddles while covering the NBA playoffs this year. Bucher’s first observation was about the Hawks. He said that late in a game during the Bucks series when the Hawks were under duress (likely during the game 5 meltdown), Woodson got on Joe Johnson and Josh Smith in the huddle and they told him in so many words to shut up. Bucher said there is obviously a complete lack of respect for Woodson from the players and he sees no progress in the Hawks from last year. He said they should have easily finished off Miami last year and Milwaukee this year.
Kelvin
May 5th, 2010
9:35 am
I hate to say this, but a few days ago I said on this blog that Orlando would win by forty (40) points. No one listens to me. The Hawks are at best an 8 seed if they were in the West and of the 16 teams that started the playoffs I would rank the Hawks at number 12. I am saying this and I am a Hawks fan, but I am also objective and a realist. That’s why I can say that the Hawks have no shot in this series.
N.B.
May 5th, 2010
9:40 am
“PLAYOFFS???? PLAYOFFS??? DON’T TALK TO ME ABOUT PLAY–PLAYOFFS?? THEY ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE AND WE LET EM’ OFF THE HOOK!!……
PLAYOFFS??? PLAYOFFS???”