Live from Game 6: The Hawks look to book a Chicago return
Nobody figured it would be this tough for the top-seeded Bulls. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
It’s win or go home, except that the Hawks are already home. But you get the picture.
The series in quick review: Hawks shot great, played hard and won Game 1; Hawks did neither and lost Game 2; Hawks appeared ready to succumb in Game 3; they refuted such a notion in winning Game 4 and in clambering from 15 points down to take a brief lead in Game 5.
Larry Drew on his Hawks, speaking a few minutes ago: “I think people saw us as a team that would make the playoffs and wouldn’t do well … [What his men have done] is truly a testament to their commitment.”
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau on his by-now-familiar opponent: “This is a quality team. They have quality depth. They have a lot of guys who can put it on the floor.”
This was reminiscent of what Dwyane Wade said after the Hawks beat his Heat in a Game 7 in 2009: “They’ve got five guys they can throw it to and have them make a play.”
Along the way, we’d lost sight of that. The epic Round 2 collapse against Orlando last spring skewed our view of these Hawks, and this middling regular season did nothing to make us remember. But these playoffs have made us recall why it was we got excited about these Hawks in that giddy Boston series of 2008, and the giddiest of those nights came in Game 6.
The Hawks fell behind by 15 points early and you figured, “That’s that, done and dusted.” Then Josh Childress — remember Josh Childress made a tip-in that hung on the rim forever and cut the lead to one after the third-quarter horn — and the rest was astonishing.
Spanning the third and fourth quarters, the Hawks scored on 17 consecutive possessions. They did it against the Celtics, who would become NBA champs. “They thought they had us,” Josh Smith said, speaking of that star-spangled night.
But they didn’t, at least not in Game 6. And Chicago, like those Celtics a No. 1 seed, haven’t yet gotten a real handle on this bunch. The Bulls have won three games in the series, but their biggest lead in any game has been 15 points. If we return to the regular season, the Bulls led the Hawks by at least 19 in all three games.
Yeah, these are the playoffs, and they’re different. But the Hawks are also different. They’ve gotten good again. They can take this back to Chicago. They really can.
And with that, I turn it over to you. Another tight deadline looms tonight, so I’ll be flitting forth and back, but I welcome you company as we hurtle into Game 6. And if the Hawks score on 17 consecutive trips this evening, just recall who put a little bug in y’all’s ear.
By Mark Bradley
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505 comments Add your comment
mr mojo
May 12th, 2011
8:46 pm
not a good sign they maintaing an 8-10 pt lead with all their starters on the bench.
El Bravo
May 12th, 2011
8:47 pm
I can not believe we are down by 8, all things considered…
Fitten
May 12th, 2011
8:47 pm
This is just ugly.
What has happened to Crawford? He was feeling it in the first game, but he’s putting up bricks since
Hot err
May 12th, 2011
8:47 pm
Looking at the way the Hawks play you’d never think there’s a max contract player on the team.
Coach D
May 12th, 2011
8:47 pm
Duck already has a rebound or two. Step up your quack!
Octavius
May 12th, 2011
8:47 pm
No point watching the Braves—they continue to embarrass themselves against the Nats.
Duck
May 12th, 2011
8:48 pm
Hopefully the hawks are just trying to lul the bulls to sleep.
Fitten
May 12th, 2011
8:49 pm
HOW MUCH MONEY ARE WE PAYING JOE JOHNSON!?!?
WHY DID WE RESIGN THIS STIFF??
IT WASN’T FOR HIS P.R. SKILLS
MAD-DONNA
May 12th, 2011
8:49 pm
Teague’s wrist is broken! I hope he can come back strong next season!
bamaboy1
May 12th, 2011
8:50 pm
WOW
El Bravo
May 12th, 2011
8:50 pm
Wow. I’m speechless at that series. Al and Jamal keep killing us…
G
May 12th, 2011
8:51 pm
Horford is horrible. If they lose this series he and Crawford are a big reason why.
Hot err
May 12th, 2011
8:51 pm
This is embarrassing.
Jay Dubu
May 12th, 2011
8:51 pm
Marvin, get your hands up on defense.
aswingruber
May 12th, 2011
8:52 pm
Fantastic. Our crowing achievement was when we were a sub .500 club and lost in the first round of the playoffs, albeit in 7 games to the eventual champs. This was three years ago and we still have the same core group of players and all the progress we’ve made since then is to become an interesting underdog story that will likely be bounced in the second round for the third straight year… God it’s painful being an Atlanta sports fan.
MAD-DONNA
May 12th, 2011
8:52 pm
23 points in almost 20 minutes! This one is ova!
Fitten
May 12th, 2011
8:52 pm
Joe Johnson. How much are we paying him?
Mike
May 12th, 2011
8:52 pm
Typical atlanta teams. Braves get swept and hawks gonna get blown out in a crucial game
bamaboy1
May 12th, 2011
8:53 pm
@aswingruber Try being a Cubs fan! We go for the beer
Cousin Vicker
May 12th, 2011
8:53 pm
If Boozer is making that shot. Forget this.
Jay Dubu
May 12th, 2011
8:53 pm
I know the Hawks proclaimed it a while ago, but they really are a jump shooting team.
Shawn
May 12th, 2011
8:53 pm
Awesome defense losers
El Bravo
May 12th, 2011
8:54 pm
Al has played every minute and done nothing…
Mark Bradley
May 12th, 2011
8:54 pm
Home team looks shocked. Down 39-25. Has eight points in the quarter.
Joe for 3
May 12th, 2011
8:54 pm
Yawn… Thank goodness we won’t get a chance to be humiliated by the Heat.
Haha
May 12th, 2011
8:54 pm
That stupid idiot matt chernoff said they would win this one. I laughed when I heard that as I knew this team would revert back to its norm. Final
Bulls 98
Losers 77
G
May 12th, 2011
8:55 pm
Where s the offensive game plan?
mike
May 12th, 2011
8:55 pm
Well at least I can go on with my life with no Atlanta teams playing. I hope Lebron knocks Rose on his ass every time he drives to the hole
Cousin Vicker
May 12th, 2011
8:55 pm
Good effort tonight Hawks.They have learned nothing. This is very, very embarassing, but not at all suprising. Horford is completely outmatched as a center, and Marvin Williams is a waste of a roster spot. We gave them a good series, but tonight this is a joke.
Peter
May 12th, 2011
8:55 pm
Horford is such a puss. If you’re going to foul, foul HARD. I can’t count the times he’s given up and 1’s on 2 hands. Joe Johnson continues to suck. Marvin is overweight and useless. Crawford is hit or miss.
Teague seems to be the only hope.
Jay Dubu
May 12th, 2011
8:55 pm
Too bad ther won’t be any basketball next season. Maybe when they come back, the Hawks will have enough flexibility to add some size down low.
Good thing they didn’t sign Shaq, that would have been a diaster.
ben marko
May 12th, 2011
8:55 pm
Thank god i didnt go to this game, embarassing! they dont deserve to be on the same floor with this team
Mark Bradley
May 12th, 2011
8:55 pm
No word on press row about Teague’s boo-boo
Coach Dooley
May 12th, 2011
8:56 pm
The Hawks live or die by the jump shot- have all year. Without Teague only Crawford occasionally drives to the basket.
I mean really?
May 12th, 2011
8:56 pm
Is anyone really surprised by this? If you are, then you’re a dumbass
Bean Counter
May 12th, 2011
8:56 pm
Just finished watching the first quarter of game six. Josh Smith has been inept at best. When on offence he walks from foul line to foul line and does not move. My grand mother could guard him. He does not try to get any rebounds. On defense he skips from foul line to foul line and does not guard his man. Loul Deng has eaten him alive. We might as well be playing 5 on 4!! Trade this prima donna in the off season and get someone who wants to play and hustle.
UGAKev
May 12th, 2011
8:56 pm
the only satisfaction left in the NBA season is seeing the Miami Heat Spanking the bulls in the conference semifinals
Matthew
May 12th, 2011
8:56 pm
Is it possible to talk the Bulls into taking Joe Johnson and his contract on the flight back with them?
El Bravo
May 12th, 2011
8:57 pm
How much longer can LD go with these 5 players? Nothing is changing!!!
Those awesome ATL sports teams
May 12th, 2011
8:57 pm
Nats 5
Braves 1
Bulls 40
Chokers 25
Duck
May 12th, 2011
8:57 pm
Blow it up. Trade Al, Marvin, Zaza and Crawford for Dwight Howard.
Soldierman
May 12th, 2011
8:57 pm
It’s over ladies and gentlemen it was a good ride though looking forward to after the lockout next year
Fitten
May 12th, 2011
8:58 pm
ESPN Mike Turico “Welcome back to Chicago…”
Not a shock
When certain gullible columnists believe in Hawks, they get killed. When they doubt Hawks, the team plays well.
Turn out the lights.
Jay Dubu
May 12th, 2011
8:58 pm
Tigue is going to do a Willis Reed!!
G
May 12th, 2011
8:58 pm
This hilarious. You can’t write this stuff. Fans get excited and once again the Hawks come out uninspired and throwing up air balls.
El Bravo
May 12th, 2011
8:58 pm
Sit Al now!!!!
Mark Bradley
May 12th, 2011
8:59 pm
Jeff Teague returns to the fray.
bamaboy1
May 12th, 2011
8:59 pm
@Duck I bet Chicago gets Dwight
Jimmy Crack
May 12th, 2011
8:59 pm
Just another “hide in shame moment” in Atlanta sports. No worries, we’re used to ‘em. Thankfully we are an “event” town (right Kincaid?) and don’t have time for sports or we would all collectively hang ourselves with our shoelaces after watching these embarrassing displays of manhood.
Hey, the Braves are on the other channel! hahahahahahaha
Jay Dubu
May 12th, 2011
8:59 pm
The jump shooters need glasses!!!