ESPN’s Hollinger: Larry Drew blew Game 2 for the Hawks
The Hawks have rattled the Magic. But they missed a chance in Game 2. (AP photo)
The Hawks had a chance to come home leading 2-0. They failed. According to John Hollinger, the ESPN Insider, they failed because Larry Drew failed.
To recap: Al Horford was called for two fouls in the game’s first 131 seconds. This prompted Drew to sit him for the rest of the first half. This is not a new Drew policy, nor is it peculiar to him. Other coaches have the same two-and-you’re-out rule. But there are times for rules to be bent, and a night when you’re seeking to take a 2-0 lead would seem to be such a time.
But no. With Horford playing not at all in the second quarter, the Hawks went from 10 points ahead to six behind. They would never again lead. An opportunity had gone a-wasting.
Writes Hollinger (link requires registration):
I’ve ripped coaches for extreme conservatism with foul trouble before, but what Larry Drew did Tuesday night in Orlando takes the cake. It may very well cost the Hawks the series …
There is no way to sugarcoat it: This is the most indefensible coaching decision I’ve seen this season. Horford played the entire second half and finished the game with — you guessed it — two fouls. This didn’t come as a surprise to anyone who watched the Hawks this season. Horford has one of the lowest foul rates in the league at his position — just 2.85 fouls per 40 minutes — so even if he had stayed in the game with the two fouls he was at virtually no risk of fouling out.
Overall, when a real center was on the court the Hawks won Game 2 by 10 points. Unfortunately, Drew’s personnel choices sabotaged them so badly in the second quarter that they missed a golden opportunity to grab this series by the throat.
This coaching choice must be categorized as utterly Hawk-like. Drew has found the method for beating Orlando, something predecessor Mike Woodson could not. (It hasn’t hurt that the Magic diluted its own strength via two December trades.) Drew’s way — make Dwight Howard score 40 points — worked in Game 1 and might have worked in Game 2, but his benching of Horford for those two fouls undid it.
To remove Horford after two-plus minutes was prudent. You can’t have him getting a third foul in the first quarter. But when the Magic began reducing the deficit in the second quarter, Horford needed to return. If he incurs No. 3 before halftime … well, you still get six. And it isn’t as if he has to bang against Howard: The Hawks are willing to put Hilton Armstrong on the court for that chore.
That said: The Hawks are still in position to win this series, which comes as a surprise to most but not necessarily to this correspondent. The Hawks are better than the Magic. But here’s the tricky part: They’ll need to win two games at home this weekend, and they lost 17 times at Philips Arena this season. Among teams that finished above .500, only the 42-40 Knicks lost more at home.
So I guess what I’m saying is: Even when they’re sitting pretty, these remain the Hawks. Even as we hope for the best, we have reason to expect something less.
By Mark Bradley
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134 comments Add your comment
J.J.M.
April 21st, 2011
12:14 pm
you aint ordinanry
J.J.M.
April 21st, 2011
12:17 pm
LD should have put Horford back in but I still remember Horford getting a foul call that was a little suspect. LD needs to realize that this is the playoffs and not the regular season you have to go all out. The 2 foul rule he used in the regular season needs to be tossed out the door.
51WTGW50
April 21st, 2011
12:18 pm
I don’t buy that it was the coaches fault. He didn’t have on sneakers and missed shots.
Mitchell
April 21st, 2011
12:19 pm
First! Couldn’t agree more
honest_abe
April 21st, 2011
12:20 pm
ld is awful. can’t forget to mention him inserting, “6th man of the year” nominee josh powell off the bench first
Brandon from Warner Robins
April 21st, 2011
12:20 pm
Had Larry Drew played Horford and he ended up picking up foul 3 or 4 in the first half and had to sit the beginning of the 2nd half, Hollinger would’ve complained.
Coaches can’t catch a break from the media (not a knock on you Mr. Bradley). I am confident in saying Mr. Drew knows a lot more about the game strategically than Hollinger.
51WTGW50
April 21st, 2011
12:20 pm
Referees have too much power over the outcome of MLB, NBA, and NFL games. Balls and Strikes can’t be reviewed bit other plays can be. Fouls in the NBA are way too subjective to the flow of the game.
J.J.M.
April 21st, 2011
12:22 pm
“kudos” for J.J.M.
Mark Bradley
April 21st, 2011
12:22 pm
Brandon, there’s no way Horford could have gotten four fouls in the first half. No coach would have let him play after the third.
And if he does get called for No. 3 late in the second quarter … well, so what?
Mark Bradley
April 21st, 2011
12:23 pm
Yes. Kudos for J.J.M.
michael m.
April 21st, 2011
12:25 pm
thank god hollinger is bluntly calling out drew. i know u ajc guys have to play it more delicately, but really, drew NEEDS TO BE SHAMED into admitting the error of his ways. if he stubbornly keeps doing it, then dont even wait until the end of the season. fire him before the series can even end. kidding. sorta. but in truth, drew’s failure to have a flexible mind is utterly dumb and indeed might cost the hawks this series.
Please Come Home, NED YOST.
April 21st, 2011
12:27 pm
If you think Larry Drew fumbled a great opportunity….
FIRE FREDI GONZALEZ !!!!
Brandon from Warner Robins
April 21st, 2011
12:27 pm
Al is less aggressive after he picks up foul 3. Coming into the 2nd half down 6 they need Al in attack mode. Nobody off the bench has proven that they can come in and be a consistent scorer (outside of Crawford). We’ve got big men assigned to stopping DHoward.
I see your point Mr. Bradley, but I understand and support Drew’s decision.
The Greatest Game Ever Played
April 21st, 2011
12:27 pm
45-42, November 2008, ’twas magical!
Mark Bradley
April 21st, 2011
12:28 pm
The sad part is that Drew had put the Hawks in such a good place. Up 1-0, leading in Game 2 … win that game and the Magic might crumble.
D in ATL
April 21st, 2011
12:28 pm
It is ‘indefensible.’ Given the situation in the game and the series you have to play Al in the 2nd quarter. When you are the lower seed and you have the other team reeling, play to win. The Hawks may not have won game 2 if Al had come back in the 1st half, but they surely cannot win this series without Al. When you are the lower seed and have the history of folding that this team has exhibited, then play as if every game is a game 7.
Mark Bradley
April 21st, 2011
12:29 pm
Might not have been down six at halftime had Al played in the second period.
Brandon from Warner Robins
April 21st, 2011
12:30 pm
That’s also a good point.
Brad
April 21st, 2011
12:31 pm
Mark, any idea on what ticket sales are looking like for Games 3 and 4?
Brandon from Warner Robins
April 21st, 2011
12:31 pm
A passionate debate about a relevant hawks playoff team sure beats managerial accounting.
Brad
April 21st, 2011
12:31 pm
Enter your comments here
Mark Bradley
April 21st, 2011
12:33 pm
And I know it’s a second guess. And Drew has since said that he would have put Horford back had the Hawks started to fall apart in the second quarter. (The Magic only pulled ahead at the end.) But any edge in a road playoff game is monumental. The Magic were struggling. Had the Hawks been up six at the half after winning Game 1 … well, who can say?
Truth
April 21st, 2011
12:33 pm
With Drew, you get what you pay for.
ASG needs to sell the Thrashers to the highest bidder so they could have, theoretically, more to spend on the Hawks.
Half of Thrasher’s attendance is transplants going to see (and pull for) their old team.
J.J.M.
April 21st, 2011
12:34 pm
is game 3 a must win for the hawk?
Truth
April 21st, 2011
12:35 pm
Course some nights that could be said about the Hawks as well.
Mark Bradley
April 21st, 2011
12:35 pm
I just went on Ticketmaster. There are tickets available for Game 3, though it doesn’t appear there are many left.
Mark Bradley
April 21st, 2011
12:36 pm
Game 3 is big for both teams, but bigger for the home side.
Truth
April 21st, 2011
12:37 pm
Hawks have to at least get a split in the next two.
If they want to avoid a game seven on the road, they need to win both.
TC
April 21st, 2011
12:38 pm
Does anyone want to give their opinion on if we see Bob Rathburn come out of the broadcast booth with a flying elbow if the refs make another bad call??
Benjamin
April 21st, 2011
12:40 pm
When you skimp on coaches, you “blow things up” by firing a guy and hiring his top assistant at an affordable cost [or Terry Stotts, Lon Kruger, et al, etc.] rather than going out and getting a real coach.
Larry Drew is probably a good man, but he’s shown me very little when it comes to coaching this team. Just like with the man before him, we’re winning games in spite of the man in a suit on the bench, not because of him.
honest_abe
April 21st, 2011
12:41 pm
the ownership settles to promote an assistant to 1st year head coach… for pennies.
doesn’t want to “overpay” to get shaq. instead the big offseason move was to get josh powell. he’s the guy that’s played and the only stat he’s piled up are fouls.
they sell kobe bryants jerseys inside the hawks store.
and yet……. they still might sell out phillips arena. now thats sad.
asg = almost as bad as the smith family
D in ATL
April 21st, 2011
12:44 pm
Hey Brandon:
Your earlier point concerning agression is well taken. However, I would ask which is better; an aggressive Josh Powell/Hilton Armstrong, or a passive Al Horford? I think we know the answer to that comparison.
51WTGW50
April 21st, 2011
12:44 pm
AL could have played in the 2nd and received another foul and had to sit most of the 3rd or 4th and the Hawks would have still lost. The Refs have the power to change a games TEMPO too much. Either a FOUL is a FOUL or it is not. I think that is what the NCAA’s Head of Officials said during the NCAA Basketball Tournament when there were some questionable calls at the end of games.
JROLL1
April 21st, 2011
12:45 pm
TOTALLY AGREE! YA GET WHAT YA PAY FOR…..WE GOT LD…NUFF SAID! ANY QUESTIONS?
sportsblogatlanta
April 21st, 2011
12:48 pm
How is the benching of Horford the reason the Hawks lost? The Hawks did not have a huge lead in the first quarter when Horford was benched. He was out virtually all of the first half. The Hawks built a lead and lost it without him.
Mark (another one)
April 21st, 2011
12:49 pm
The second guessing after a loss is only natural, and I hope Drew is doing it as well. He is a rookie NBA coach, and he needs to keep learning from his mistakes. Horford also has to take responsibility to not pick up two quick fouls to start the game. Bad call or not, no excuses. Hindsight is great, but the real question is would Drew really do the same thing again?
sportsblogatlanta
April 21st, 2011
12:50 pm
Larry Drew is a rookie coach. Guess what. Rookie coaches will make mistakes. Some of them will cost a team a game. I think it is presumptuous to decide the series is over because of this mistake. I did not feel the momentum swing away because of that decision.
Truth
April 21st, 2011
12:51 pm
How Larry Drew could deserve a raise or at least prove he was not the worst hire available: use some original coaching tactics to win.
Putting Horford back in would have been a good start.
Still has a chance to prove he deserved to get the job.
D in ATL
April 21st, 2011
12:52 pm
Good point Mark (another one).
Gwinnett Fred
April 21st, 2011
12:52 pm
Instead of the dramatic move of benching for 22 minutes, Drew should have at least made a switch on the defensive end to try to get as many minutes as he could from Horford the rest of the half.
That may be Drew’s biggest problem – adapting on the fly. He had a great game plan entering game 1 and the team executed it and they won. However, when in game adjustments are needed – forget it. Thrashers have the same problem – maybe it’s just the inhabitants of Philips Arena. Wonder how Ringling Brothers adapts to the unexpected when they are in town? We might could use their ringleader!
Paul Hewitt
April 21st, 2011
12:55 pm
Bravo LD you did a superb job coaching the Hawks in game two! But unlike sportswriters; only I, as a fellow superb coach, can see that.
Watch out now — once these ajc sportswriters start writing things about you that aren’t positive, then it’s all over.
newkid
April 21st, 2011
12:55 pm
The rest of the story:
LD’s decision is fair game for critism, but so is Al’s recklessness. How could Al, knowing full well LD’s 2-foul policy (he’s used it throughout the season), have allowed himself to pick up two early cheap fouls in what might have been a pivotal playoff game, and when LD had spared him the impossibly difficult and demanding task of being matched up against D12? It was careless on Al’s part, and demonstrated lack of concentration. Do you like apples?
Hanky
April 21st, 2011
12:56 pm
Truth as my blog name was a bit arrogant.
I going to use one of the two handles I got from sports.
The other was Rabbit.
(I’m small)
mountain_jim
April 21st, 2011
1:03 pm
mark – Thanks for highlighting Hollinger’s opinion here which I agree with. Also him keeping out Twin so much during 2nd when momentum and game were lost.
We replaced one stubborn fool coach with a different stubborn fool. For LD to still say he agreed with his own decision just shows how hopelessly overmatched a playoff coach he is unless he wakes up and gets a clue about getting maximun minutes out of his talent and best matchups.
blue
April 21st, 2011
1:04 pm
hmmm…so sit a guy for a quarter because…you’re afraid he’ll foul out and he might miss a quarter? BRILLIANT…
BobWeiss
April 21st, 2011
1:05 pm
Larry Drew absolutely blew it the way he handled Horford. After winning game one, he was basically playing with house money for game two. He should have sat Horford for the remaining of the 1st quarter and played him major minutes in the 2nd quarter. Heck, I would have even played him some in the 2nd quarter after the 3rd foul. Star players should be able to handle the pressure of foul trouble. When he fouls out, so be it. At least you played your best player as many minutes as possible. Even though the Hawks made it interesting in the 4th quarter, they simply didn’t get enough minutes out of Horford to make a difference in the game.
Quite frankly, if the Hawks are going to win the series, they need to get far more physical with Howard. Yes, they are fouling the heck out of him, but they aren’t punishing him. Howard has no problem throwing his elbows around and banging into players. I would hope the Hawks would start being more physical than just grabbing arms and jerseys. Unfortunately, Collins is the only player capable of such play. The rest of the centers play a pretty soft game.
O'Brien
April 21st, 2011
1:19 pm
Mark,
It is not a second guess. This season, we saw Collins playing Howard, so Horford didnt have to guard him as much. In 4 regular season games against Orlando, these were Horford’s fouls;
Gmae 1: 4 fouls in 28 mins
Game 2: 2 fouls in 42 minutes
Game 3: 1 foul in 38 minutes
Game 4: 1 foul in 45 minutes
So in 4 games against Orlando, Horford had 8 fouls total, in 153 minutes of play, and only once did he have 4.
So history and the numbers suggest that Horford does not typically get in foul trouble against Orlando. Let him play through it since he was mostly guarding Bass, who struggled.
Brandon from Warner Robins
April 21st, 2011
1:20 pm
D in ATL,
Good Point.
Believer
April 21st, 2011
1:21 pm
Guys we can’t start questioning the coach now. We have to keep believing so the hawks can be out team Disney.
Section 212
April 21st, 2011
1:25 pm
In my opinion, LD lost the game when the Hawks cut the lead to 4 with 8:30 left in the game. He should have taken Crawford out….put back in the starting line up. Then put Crawford back in the game at the 4:00 mark. Crawford was starting to run out of gas, which was showing on the defensive end. Additionally, with all the moving picks and other bad calls, LD should have purposely forced the refs to call a tech, instead, he allowed Josh to get the tech, which resulted in LD having to put JJ back in the game without rest. We needed JJ and Crawford fresh at the end of that game.
LD needs to starting talking about the blown calls by the refs, like when Smoove was blatently pushed by Anderson when he made a layup.
Reid Adair
April 21st, 2011
1:38 pm
Unfortunately, I would disagree that the Hawks are better than the Magic.
That being said, I wholeheartedly agree that Larry Drew made a disastrous decision with the extended bench time for Al Horford Tuesday night.
SWAT Native
April 21st, 2011
1:40 pm
We need to move past this. While I don’t agree with the Horford move, the Hawks were down 2 with 2 minutes left. It was anyone’s game at that point. The game was really lost in the final two minutes.
Stuart
April 21st, 2011
1:41 pm
Yeah, I agree it was a bad move. The 16 point swing at the end of the second quarter cost the Hawks the game, and probably the series unfortunately…
And, as some have mentioned, there have been some horrible calls / no-calls in the series so far, pretty much all of which have favored the Magic. Larry Drew doesn’t seem to be that upset about it. If the coach isn’t fired up, how can the team be?
mountain_jim
April 21st, 2011
1:49 pm
I agree that LD does not work the refs or let them know when Hawks are getting reamed. He just sits there and takes it with a smile.
no justice
April 21st, 2011
1:54 pm
Please! Expert on Espn and expert on this blog, you have got to be kidding me. First you say the hawks has no chance, we will be swept, we suck and a lot of other unkind things. Now we have home court advantage (1-1)going back to Atl. Pretty good for a team which you gave no chance!! You guys are still complaining. You notice I didn’t call you fans. Then you have the audacity to quote an analyst on espn. The network which work for the NBA doesn’t give the hawks any credit for being a good team. Yeah. that’s the analyst we should listen to. Horford knows the policy on fouls. Whether you believe it smart or not, LD is the coach and it his job that on the line, not yours. He was stupid before the playoff began, then genius after the 1st game and now stupid again. Why don’t you wait until full body of work is revealed to you.
SWAT Native
April 21st, 2011
1:54 pm
Now, I agree with Stuart and Mountain Jim taht Drew needs to work the refs more, SVG stays in their ear and Drew seems to take the calls as they come.
Joey
April 21st, 2011
2:06 pm
I’ll tell you who will the series – whoever the refs want to win the thing. It was sickening Tuesday night.
Groover Gaddis
April 21st, 2011
2:11 pm
Drew Blew. What a wonderful play on words Markie. Also sounds like a great brand name for a commode cleaner.
Brandon from Warner Robins
April 21st, 2011
2:12 pm
Uh, if I remember correctly Mr. Bradley picked these Hawks to beat the Magic.
DeepDiver
April 21st, 2011
2:15 pm
Totally agree Mark, but the way you’ve written this is a little disingenuous. You’ve led us to believe that the Hawks were up 10 when Horford went out and then crumbled afterward. This is not the case, as they built that spread when Horford was not in the game.
HOWEVER, removing Horford for the half was total tomfoolery, but who among us was surprised? We have seen this since the beginning of the Woodson regime. Horford has one of the lowest foul rates among centers in the league, was guarding Brandon Bass, and indeed finished the game with those same two fouls.
LD deserves every bit of heat he gets from this.
MrDan
April 21st, 2011
2:15 pm
Could care less about the NBA unless the Hawks are in it at the end. Good observation Mark regarding home record. The real game comes tomorrow night and can they do the job at home. It seems to me this has been the bane of all Atlanta teams. You think there’s a curse still lingering around from the ‘96 World Series? Hmmmm?
JeJe
April 21st, 2011
2:18 pm
Did Hollinger read my posts?
I was spamming on this damn site that HORFORD FINISHED WITH 2 FOULS. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED THIS YEAR. HE HAS HAD 2 FOULS IN A HALF BEFORE, SAT THE REST OF THE HALF, AND FINISHED WITH 2 FOULS
We could be up 2 F’ING GAMES RIGHT NOW
FIRE LD
Freshfromatl
April 21st, 2011
2:29 pm
All I’m going to say is…I hope Larry learns from this mistake and don’t repeat it.
GT
April 21st, 2011
2:32 pm
Drew looked like a funeral director, all dress up, but no real interest in the outcome of the game. We get too many people making a extravagant living now days being politically correct. It is not how they feel or what the situation calls for, but it is safe. You see it quiet often with guys that have been in the league or occupation a long time. They have survived not by being a genius like Steve Spurrier, making people mad all the time, but being too talented to fire. They have made it being a mouse in the corner that memorizes all the language of the game, but really are not smart enough to know what it all means. They try hard to get along with the players because they need someone to watch their backs. They are like drunk babysitters handing out candy to the kids ,for a promise not to tell. Not enough good coaches to go around, like there are really too many teams in the NBA, many cannot support their weight. It is a watered down product with lots of people over their skis.
dub366
April 21st, 2011
2:32 pm
what game were you all watching. the ref didn’t need no dinner or snack , because they swallow the whistler.
joey1
April 21st, 2011
2:33 pm
1
phil
April 21st, 2011
2:34 pm
Of course it was a terrible move. But Atlanta isn’t gonna win another game so what does it matter? They let Howard kill em down there, and you rest assured that he’ll do it up here, and then some, while the rest of the team starts hitting all of those WIDE OPEN THREE POINTERS they kept missing down there…
Magic by 25 in game 3…
w8102cATL-HAWKS
April 21st, 2011
2:36 pm
Does anybody think Teague can’t gaurd Nelson for 10 min?
DHD
April 21st, 2011
2:50 pm
No comment
Veteran Fan
April 21st, 2011
2:50 pm
Give it a rest! Joe Johnson couldn’t cover anyone in the final 3 minutes of the game and he kept passing to others in crunch time when he had Howard with 5 fouls and a total mismatch with his own man! JJ needs to step up and quit counting his MONEY and play ball period!!!!!
gcs
April 21st, 2011
3:06 pm
3 more games and the Hawks can fire Drew.
k-dub
April 21st, 2011
3:14 pm
the game change people when drew put in the nobody’s and did not put the starters back in till 6 minutes left in the half that was the dumm move.
bird
April 21st, 2011
3:29 pm
Well we can’t change it now.. Move on to game 3.. Go Hawks!
wareagle0904
April 21st, 2011
3:33 pm
Orlando looked terrible and they were at home. Hawks are very immature but they will win this series simply because the magic stink. Turkoglu, Bass and Nelson all looked bad. I am not a Hawks fan but they will take this series then get hammered in the next round.
O'Brien
April 21st, 2011
3:37 pm
During Game 2, I heard Bob (on Sports South) say game 3 is a white-out (or as he put it, Dwight-out). Can anyone confirm that?
LakeDawg
April 21st, 2011
3:38 pm
Doesn’t everyone know that Hollinger and all the other self important gurus at ESPN are geniuses. These guys should be coaching teams to world championships, not analyzing games.
Mark Bradley`s Booster
April 21st, 2011
4:01 pm
The majority of these post indicate most of you agree with Hollinger and Mark in their assessment that LD blew the game. I don`t agree or disagree because I did not watch the game.
However, I generally do not have much good to say about those media people who are not professionals who constantly write negative stories about coaches. I realize that some broadcast analysts have been coaches and their opinions are more valid. It just bugs me that
coaches get the unwarranted wrath of the media when they need a story that will catch their readers or viewers attention.
KD
April 21st, 2011
4:18 pm
I agree with Hollinger. I am not saying that benching Horford cost the Hawks the game, but I would not have taken him out of the game. This is the playoffs and we could have possibly taken a commanding 2-0 lead; therefore, I would have reminded him of his two fouls and informed him that we would not win this game or series without him (be smart). Personally, I think his basketball IQ is one of the highest on the team, if not the highest.
The Real Hawk
April 21st, 2011
4:25 pm
Drew is a joke!
SWAT Native
April 21st, 2011
4:50 pm
@ O’Brien – it is supposed to be a “White Out” game. I believe the Hawks will be giving out T-shirts for everyone to wear.
DK
April 21st, 2011
4:50 pm
The refs were ones responsible for this loss, not the Hawks and not Larry Drew. I doubt the Magic would have had a foul called on them if they’d defended the paint with baseball bats.
However, I do agree that Horford should been put back in the game earlier than the second half. I would have put him back in the game no later than the middle of the second quarter.
SWAT Native
April 21st, 2011
4:54 pm
@LakeDawg,
I can remember years ago Bill Walton criticized Dale Brown (who was LSU’s coach) for holding Shaq out of a game too long in the NCAA tournament. Dale Brown flew to New York at his own expense so that he could tell Walton to his face “that’s why your an analyst on TV and I’m a coach”.
JoeFann
April 21st, 2011
5:01 pm
I missed the first part of the game. Were the Hawks up 10 after only 131 seconds? That’s only two-plus minutes, and seems unlikely. If not, then the Hawks built a portion of that lead with Horford on the bench, too, so the argument doesn’t hold water. Saw much of the second quarter. When the Hawks quit making jumpers, the lead wilted. That, and nobody manned up against Howard. The Hawks biggest problem is the lack of a true big man. I know they’re rare, but you don’t win in the playoffs without one. (Or either a true superstar (see Kobe) or three “almost” big men in the game at the same time–see Boston and others.)
The Game Has Changed
April 21st, 2011
5:01 pm
Swatt made a valid point. We were down by 2 with 2 minutes to play. Yall talking like when Al went out we got down by 20 points. Give me a break. If Al would have stayed in the game we dont know what would have happened. Phil Jackson said this morning you cant win a game in the first half unless you are up by 40 and then thats questionable. So lay off Drew and lets just prepare for game 3 tomorrow. If Hinrich would have made a couple of shots and Josh not get that dumb tech then this wouldnt even be an issue
UGASlobberknocker
April 21st, 2011
5:07 pm
It is not news that Drew is a bad coach. he has sucked all year..in strategy, in player rotations, and in his inability to motivate the team to play hard every night. The only way he has a job is that the awful owners are too cheap to hire a real coach.
UGASlobberknocker
April 21st, 2011
5:07 pm
test..cant seem to get a comment to go thru
UGASlobberknocker
April 21st, 2011
5:09 pm
this blog has a major glitch..about half of the time the post wont register, but when you go back to re do it it says “looks like youve already said that”
well yeah!! so aggravating..and for me it is only on this blog but it happens all the time what is the story..have I been banned for my normally smart a$$ed but often witty comments?
I am probably blogging this to myself..but here goes….
The Game Has Changed
April 21st, 2011
5:11 pm
@The Real Hawk-You are gonna eat those words tomorrow night. Also most series are 2-0. What other coaches are yall trying to get rid of. Maybe Denvers coach, maybe the Knicks coach maybe portlands coach maybe 76ers coach, maybe indy coach. All the coaches have yet to win. So why are yall trying to kill Drew so fast even before he coaches his first home game
UGASlobberknocker
April 21st, 2011
5:11 pm
It is not news that Drew is a bad coach. He has proven it all year, with bad strategy, bad rotations, inability to motivate the team to give 100 pct every night. He is coach only because the Hawks are too cheap to hire a real coach.
UGASlobberknocker
April 21st, 2011
5:14 pm
ok thats 4 times my blog had not registered..what is the prob?. I give up.
just on the off chance that this goes thru here is the brief synopsis of my previously longer and more insigntful post…
DREW IS AWFUL…WHO DIDNT KNOW THAT?
Larvell Blanks
April 21st, 2011
5:17 pm
I’ve never really understood the “sit ‘em if they’ve got a couple of fouls” rationale. The reason for sitting them is fear that they’ll foul out and have to sit. So you sit them, thereby guaranteeing the result you’re trying to avoid — they’re just sitting down in the first half, rather than (maybe) at the end of the game. I suppose it’s arguable that 4th quarter minutes are more important than 2nd quarter minutes, but a point is a point, regardless of when it’s scored. And by sitting them, you’re eliminating the possibility that they might not foul at all if they kept playing. I can see sitting someone for a short period of time just to get them out of the “groove” of fouling. But sitting someone for any real length of time is counterproductive — you’re basically acting as if they’ve already fouled out for a portion of the game, when they might not foul out at all if you let them keep playing.
moorman
April 21st, 2011
5:20 pm
classic example of monday morning quarterbacking, or coaching, or whatever they call it, lol. drew played by the book, didnt work, but hey, like was said before, if he left horford in and horford picked up a another foul and got benched, people wouldve complained. the problem isnt horford or drews decision, its the suck big men the hawks have in general. how can your team have 4 or 5 bigs and they ALL get abused by howard like that??? thats the real problem, the hawks just suck in the middle………….
Just saying
April 21st, 2011
5:20 pm
No fire in the coach’s gut, no fire on the court!
Scott
April 21st, 2011
5:29 pm
That braves offense is so awesome! 1 run again! Wow. Impressive!
theight
April 21st, 2011
5:29 pm
The way these guys have played these past two game is the way i believe LD has been trying to get them to play all season. I still don’t want to put too much on LD because he is a rookie coach. Next year is a different story. My cousin and I was discussing the samething about drew leaving Horford on the bench in the first half and how he left Josh on the bench in the second half. I do want to see Wilkins play for his defense.
Flint Tropics Ball Boy
April 21st, 2011
5:30 pm
Ya can’t fix SUCK…
Flint Tropics Ball Boy
April 21st, 2011
5:36 pm
The ASG Spirit, sounds like a liquor/beverage distribution company, should get out of the sports franchise game focus on their other “Spirit” stuff and leave the running of Professional Teams to REAL Professionals, not Daddy’s Money Bought Me This Toy Boys…Where is that Miller High Life guy from the commercials, He needs to take the Hawks and their HighLife back, becasuse they definitely are not worthy of either..
Gamer
April 21st, 2011
5:45 pm
I AGREE, LD’S DECISION TO SIT HORFORD WAS A TERRIBLE ONE. CAN THE HAWKS RECOVER FROM LD’S AWFUL DECISION OR IS THIS THE SECOND CHANCE THE MAGIC’S NEEDED TO GET BACK INTO THE SERIES?????
IMAGINE, THE HAWKS UP 2-0 ON MAGIC’S….RETURNING TO HAWK-NEST….IT COULD HAVE BEEN THE HARD BLOW TO CRUSH THE ORLANDO MAGIC’S CONFIDENT.
OH WELL, LD HAD A WOODY MOMENT….HOPEFULLY, THAT HIS ONLY COACHING BLOOPER FOR 2011 POSTSEASON!!!!
The Game Has Changed
April 21st, 2011
6:05 pm
The last coach that didnt take his players out the game even with 3 fouls in the first half was KC Jones. And that was the mid 80,s. So why dont yall get off Drew for something that every coach does. I can see if we got down by 20 points but we had a chance to win this game. What about that dumb tech Josh got or the bad shooting night from Hinrich. Drew is 1-1 in his first playoff series. The same series yall said we would get blown out four straight games. Please find another coach to fire. How about starting with all the coaches that are down 0-2 in the first round.
LakeDawg
April 21st, 2011
6:14 pm
@ SWAT Native
I don’t remember that one. Good story.
TS
April 21st, 2011
7:17 pm
What do you expect from the father of Larry Drew II?
LakeDawg
April 21st, 2011
7:30 pm
No where else to say it, but the Braves suck right now.
BIGG E MAC TOWN
April 21st, 2011
7:37 pm
ZAZA AND MARVIN IS THASH THAT NEED TO BE DUMP OFF I LOVE THE HAWK BUT THESE GUYS HAS GOT TO GOOOOOO
tremaine
April 21st, 2011
7:46 pm
Thats what I like about the playoffs. Your team gets national attention and the media is not afraid to call out the coach. This isn’t the first time Larry Drew has cost this team a victory or made a bonehead decision that has made people wonder if he knows what he is doing. Thank you John Hollinger for doing something that AJC should have been doing all year.
BIGG E MAC TOWN
April 21st, 2011
7:53 pm
I DONT UNDERSTAND HOW CAN YOU PAY A GUY 64MILLION DOLLAR AND YOU CANT GET 10 POINT A NIGHT FROM THIS GUY MARVIN DEAD WEIGHT JUST PLAIN OLD DEAD WEIGHT PLEASE FIND J.J SOME HELP AND BRING JOSH OFF THE BENCH HE CRY MORE THAT MY 2YEAR OLD.
K-Dogg
April 21st, 2011
8:20 pm
Man what else is new!!!!!!!!!!!
LakeDawg
April 21st, 2011
8:22 pm
I reserve judgement on Drew. Hard to tell what kind of coach he is when the players refuse to be coached. If the Hawks give him real input on the roster, you might see a higher level of respect for Drew from the players. I would start by jettising Marvin and Josh. I don’t care if the Hawks get anything for them or not. Addition by subtraction.
Harpie
April 21st, 2011
8:54 pm
Larry Drew is a first class IDIOT, and anyone who’s been paying attention should be able to see that!
no mo
April 21st, 2011
10:37 pm
drew can’t coach a lick—he’s only got the job because he coaches cheap—the owners don’t want to pay a big time coach $6-$10 million per year so they hire the incompetent larry drew. No wonder the franchise sucks so much.
Dr. Warren
April 22nd, 2011
12:44 am
It made no logical sense. Plain and simple. Almost seems like Drew just forgot Al was still sitting there.
tom
April 22nd, 2011
4:34 am
this is what happens when you hire a NO NAME coach. Who is Drew? Anyone ever here of him or success anywhere else. I doubt it. Hawks Management is to blame for hiring this loser.
Double Zero Eight
April 22nd, 2011
6:49 am
Most of us bloggers did not need ESPN to tell us
what we already knew.
Double Zero Eight
April 22nd, 2011
6:52 am
Drew has no clue!
BlahBlahBlah
April 22nd, 2011
7:16 am
We need to win both home games. If it goes back to Orlando 2-2 the Hawks are toast.
Blow Flies R Swarming
April 22nd, 2011
8:31 am
Bottomline is LD sat his best player to allow a 10 point 2nd qtr. lead to turn into a 6 point deficit at the half. Dumb coaching period.
Blow Flies R Swarming
April 22nd, 2011
8:34 am
All Atlanta sports teams are just good enough to make the playoffs. They are never good enough to win championships. Well, since 1996 anyway…Just look back at Hawks,Falcons,and Braves history as exact proof.
joe white
April 22nd, 2011
8:43 am
Drew made some mistakes but holding al out was not, joe game didnt step up and marvin didnt either, and we still lost by 6 pts. Drew did what he could but we missed a few shots we hit in game one had they went down we up 2-0. Tonight we having a white out i cant wait to get there early and we will take this game tonight by a 10 pt margin.
Employee24
April 22nd, 2011
9:02 am
I am the BIGGEST dead weight on the Hawks. I was drafted second overall in the draft ahead of future hall-of-famers Deron Williams and Chris Paul. I am the worst NBA player to ever play in the association. My first name is Marvin, but my brother Deron was drafted after me and turned out to be probably the best point guard the game has ever seen. I am the most pathetic starter the Hawks have ever had. If you havent guessed my name yet I am the guy who doesnt NOTHING for the Hawks but gets a pay check in spite of it.
vicsta
April 22nd, 2011
9:08 am
No one would be talking about this is the Refs had done their job. Maybe, we will get some home cookin too for these home games! Howard shuffles more than a card dealer when he gets the ball in the paint – lets see if they call it.
Ray
April 22nd, 2011
9:27 am
My question is: Why do we have to get this type of critical analysis from an ESPN writer? Kudos to you, Mark, for seeing this and raising it, but where is the AJC Hawks beat writer when it comes to making this type of astute observation? Mark, you and Jeff are sometime pretty good about being critical of bad coaching, poor play and inept front office moves, but it sure would be nice to see more of that from the beat writer.
LukeMerriman
April 22nd, 2011
9:53 am
Larry Drew sat Al Horford because he knows his destiny is certain. Larry Drew is sitting exactly where Mike Woodsen was sitting last season. Woodsen knew that if the Hawks get CLOBBERED against the Magic, Woodsens fate would be sealed. Now history is about to repeat itself, I’m not talking about the Hawks losing to the Magic, I’m talking about the head coach getting fired. Larry Drew’s fate is sealed in that he will get fired if the Hawks lose to the Magic. But Drew should get fired in his inability to develop Teague. It is apparent that Teague has unbelievable skills in Teague’s recent breakout game where Teague scored 22 points. I realized that night that Teague could be scoring 20 points every night if Teague were the starting point guard and was given enough minutes to score the basketball. Even with Hinrich starting, Teague should still get plenty of points if he runs the Hawks offense at a fast pace (maybe 15 seconds into the 24 second shot clock) instead of the Hawks currently letting the shot clock wind down to a few seconds left and forcing up a shot or firing up a ill-advised brick. I know talent dictates a lot of this but the players are executing the coaches instructions. Teague is a lightning quick, gifted point guard who needs mentoring and coaching to develop into one of the leagues best (the calibre of Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo or Deron Williams). Teague has the speed and talent to be the leagues best point guard even better than Derrick Rose.
no justice
April 22nd, 2011
10:04 am
Ray, Is the ESPN analyst obsevation “astute” because he happens to agree with you and your pack of dogs.
KakNiqueTree
April 22nd, 2011
10:31 am
I hate these articles, people who probably don’t know the first thing about coaching second-guessing…
Kelvin
April 22nd, 2011
10:59 am
I totally agree with Hollinger, you don’t sit your best player for the entire second with your team is losing momentum. Larry Drew did not have a good night coaching. That game was there for the taking, but the Hawks under performed and so did the coach.
MitchC
April 22nd, 2011
2:00 pm
Mark, to be fair, I’ve only seen parts of the Hawks-Magic series. (I was too busy watching the Braves play like clowns in LA for most of the past four days) but.. as that’s not the subject of this blog.. let me get to what is..
Realistically.. we all know that it is tough to win on the road.. even for the elite teams. The Hawks went into and took Game 1. “Beatable” or not, we had to expect the Magic to likely take Game 2, giving us the 1-1 split that would have been realistic, and taking us home with a chance to win our remaining three home games, and take this series.
Granted, I’m not a complete buff on NBA history.. but.. the last time I remember watching a series where the road team swooped in, and took two games from the higher seed at home.. was the 1999 Hawks-Knicks Eastern Semis, where the Knicks came into the old Omni, swiped two games from the Hawks, and then proceeded to finish them off in a four game sweep. (Oh, I almost forgot, as it’s a different sport, but the Yankees did the same thing to the Braves later that year in the World Series, resulting in the second four game sweep of the year).
The Hawks are fine. They are where most realistic people expected them to be, probably, 1-1, with two games this weekend at home. They can still win this series, perhaps by sweeping two at home this weekend, and winning the remaining game in Atlanta next week.. or.. they can go the other route, and even if they drop one this weekend, can try to steal another one at Orlando.. and win the home game next week.
I’m not concerned.. yet. The Hawks just have to play well this weekend. Granted.. we know they can be very Jekyll Hyde, but.. I’m optimistic that they can still win this series. A series tied 1-1, just coming off two games on the road, is hardly reason for negativity.
Sir Slamalot
April 22nd, 2011
2:19 pm
They should have shot Mike Woodson (anywhere) the day he drafted Marvin Williams over Chris Paul & Deron Williams…
Sir Slamalot
April 22nd, 2011
2:20 pm
I wouldn’t take 15 Marvin Williams for one Deron Williams…
Sir Slamalot
April 22nd, 2011
2:22 pm
Just think, if D.Williams was distributing the ball to Crawford,JJ,Al,& Smoove what the offense would look like ? Hawks would be a lock for the finals. But they got ole Marvin instead…
SirLancelot
April 22nd, 2011
3:05 pm
I couldnt begin to imagine how great the hawks would be if they had Deron Williams distributing the ball to Jamal, JJ, Al and Smoove, that would be something special to watch. First of all, Smoove would finally develop into an all-star, Al would become as good as Wilt Chamberlain, JJ would becaome as lethal as Kobe Bryant (Joe almost already is as good as Kobe) and Jamal Crawford would become as lethal as Bernard King was for the Knicks. W-O-W. The Hawks would be a lock for the finals and would sweep any opponent in four games had they drafted D-WILL ahead of Marvin (the human trash compactor).
joey1
April 22nd, 2011
4:38 pm
3
Nique's Revenge
April 22nd, 2011
7:04 pm
“(Joe almost already is as good as Kobe)”
Are you high?
THE HAWK
April 22nd, 2011
7:13 pm
Another sports writer who thinks he’s a coach. There isn’t coach in the playoffs who would not have sat down their best player early in the second quarter (Horford) with two personal fouls attached to his stat line. Larry Drew did the right thing.. suppose Drew had left Horford in and he picked up his third foul… what would the sports writer coach then said
Jay Dubu
April 22nd, 2011
8:29 pm
What is Williams doing?
DoninAcworth
April 23rd, 2011
12:41 pm
I just love looking through the blog and learning so much from all’ya’all! Coach learned a lesson
and he probably will be learning a few more before its over.