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
Bulls take early lead over Hawks – Chicago Sun-Times | Sports Latest News Wall
May 12th, 2011
9:29 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
NagoyaHawk
May 12th, 2011
9:30 pm
No matter if they win the Hawks know deep down they won’t win in Chicago. The Arlanta Hawks are an historically bad team. Keeping guys on the bench, overpaying second-rate talent, throwing away draft picks and hiring cost-cutter coaching can’t lift up an historically bad franchise. I’m upset they’re gonna lose, but it’s a heck of a lot better than getting swept.
Stuart
May 12th, 2011
9:31 pm
The Braves have come back after being down. Can the Hawks?
mike
May 12th, 2011
9:31 pm
Somebody close out on Boozer
Bulls take early lead over Hawks – Chicago Sun-Times » The One World Focus
May 12th, 2011
9:31 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
Peter
May 12th, 2011
9:32 pm
Hubie just said it, Horford is getting killed by Boozer. No idea why he is playing so far off of him. Horford is being exposed in this series.
Mark Bradley
May 12th, 2011
9:34 pm
Fifteen again
rob
May 12th, 2011
9:34 pm
Hawks are moving around but bulls defense is on point
rob
May 12th, 2011
9:34 pm
Well Hawks fans its been a good run.
Mark Bradley
May 12th, 2011
9:34 pm
Mr. Hullinger was here this evening.
Jimmy Crack
May 12th, 2011
9:35 pm
Gotta hand it to you Mark. You have been in this town a long time and have seen what alot of us have seen as far as sporting disappointments and horrific losses. You’re a pretty calm guy in the face of all this. You remind me of Hullinger. Just kidding.
Mark Bradley
May 12th, 2011
9:36 pm
Hawks with two in the period.
DF
May 12th, 2011
9:36 pm
I don’t know which I can stand less, the announcers or our performance.
Kelvin Frazier
May 12th, 2011
9:36 pm
Embarrassing!
Coach Dooley
May 12th, 2011
9:37 pm
Hawks can get back in this one- but they have to do it by playing better defense and then running with the rebound
Tech Man
May 12th, 2011
9:37 pm
Hawks are shell shocked. Joe isn’t a big game scorer and the Bulls are concentrating on Crawford. No one is getting a good open shot within their personal range.
Hawks beginning to look like they are going through the motions and don’t want to go back to Chicago.
ben marko
May 12th, 2011
9:38 pm
They should pull a tiger woods and quit now
DC Hawks
May 12th, 2011
9:38 pm
Any chance we can get rid of No Show Joe Johnson? He went from one of the most underrated players to the most overrated players in the NBA in one season. He is really useless. He’s not a 1st option much less a 2nd option. He cant get his own shots off b/c he is just too slow and not big enough.
BK
May 12th, 2011
9:38 pm
Wow Did you see LD chewing out Teague on that last break.
Trint
May 12th, 2011
9:38 pm
Did Larry Drew just get in Teague’s face when he was the only one to run down the court after the turnover. Joe “NO HEART” Johnson is a joke. Has Horford been taken over by Marvin’s body
Mark Bradley
May 12th, 2011
9:39 pm
Jason Coillins. Big bucket.
Cousin Vicker
May 12th, 2011
9:39 pm
Bulls are the team playing as though their backs are against the wall. But you could kind of tell in the 4th qtr of game 5 that the Hawks looked like a team that had given it their best shot but were spent.
Jay Dubu
May 12th, 2011
9:39 pm
If the Hawks could get a little run going, the crowd would erupt, and could put them over the top.
Kelvin Frazier
May 12th, 2011
9:39 pm
I’m not watching anymore. Someone will have to tell me the final score.
Please go away Joe
May 12th, 2011
9:39 pm
Mark,
Please risk irritation and ask Joe Johnson if
he has heart?
has an excuse?
feels he owes money back to ATL?
plays unselfishly?
knew WTF he was doing out there?
he threw the series?
Can someone really ask the man, I mean go down to the locker room right now to see him and his leadership at the end of game, tough questions?
Egads, he is way overpaid. Way way way overpaid. He had Crawford are weak.
Mark Bradley
May 12th, 2011
9:39 pm
Ran a nice play out of the timeout. Got Josh the ball low. He gets fouled, makes the pair.
Fitten
May 12th, 2011
9:39 pm
How much are we paying Joe Johnson? Al Horford?
How much does Jamal Crawford make?
Keep Teague & Josh Smith, Zaza off the bench.
And why is Marvin still on this team???
d.carter
May 12th, 2011
9:40 pm
MY POINT EXACTLY LD IS A BIYATCH…HE YELLED AT TEAGUE AS JOE THREW THE BALL AWAY AND JOGGED BACK….
Mark Bradley
May 12th, 2011
9:40 pm
Hawks in the penalty with 6:50 in the period.
DF
May 12th, 2011
9:41 pm
Nice hands Horford!
Tech Man
May 12th, 2011
9:41 pm
what play was that?
Bama 13
May 12th, 2011
9:42 pm
As badly as the Hawks have stunk, they can still get this game.
Tech Man
May 12th, 2011
9:42 pm
Hubie asks for the Hawks to move the ball and set some screens.
Hubie, they only do that in the first half.
Old School Hawk
May 12th, 2011
9:44 pm
In the immortal words of the great Dennis Green “They are who we thought they were!!”
Cousin Vicker
May 12th, 2011
9:44 pm
Just like Game 3. Hawks incapable of getting it below double digits
Cousin Vicker
May 12th, 2011
9:44 pm
Just like Game 3. Hawks incapable of getting it below double digits
rob
May 12th, 2011
9:44 pm
Hawks dug theirselves a hole. Now they are going to stay in it
Kelvin Frazier
May 12th, 2011
9:45 pm
6 years ago, the night before the draft, I had a sports argument with my buddy. He said we should draft Marvin Williams because he’s 6′ 9″. I said draft Chris Paul because we need a point guard. Till this day my buddy still won’t admit that he was wrong. Marvin Williams is a empty uniform. He gives you absolutely nothing.
Cousin Vicker
May 12th, 2011
9:45 pm
Blog eating a lot of comments tonight. ugh
Tech Man
May 12th, 2011
9:45 pm
When a team is struggling offensively, like the Hawks are now, they have to run sets to get open shots.
Cousin Vicker
May 12th, 2011
9:46 pm
I would be shocked if, after this series, we didn’t hear about some sort of injury for Horford. He’s been absolutely useless
Mark Bradley
May 12th, 2011
9:46 pm
Fourth foul on Joakim.
rob
May 12th, 2011
9:46 pm
Hawks lost game in 1st quarter
Old School Hawk
May 12th, 2011
9:47 pm
Choke Johnson
Joe “The Average Joe” Johnson
Hoe Johnson
So So Johnson
No Johnson
Blow Johnson
H-M- Johnson
And Lastly
No Mo Johnson!!!!!
Coach Dooley
May 12th, 2011
9:47 pm
They can still win this game if they play good defense
d.carter
May 12th, 2011
9:47 pm
IN AN ELIMINATION GAME AL HORFORD IS REACHING FOR HIS NOSE INSTEAD OF CLOSING OUT ON THE SHOOTER… PLEASE TRADE HIS OVERRATED AZZ
Ben
May 12th, 2011
9:48 pm
Derek Rose- a guy you give a long term, max contract to
Joe Johnson – Not that guy. Good thing we’ll be paying him 25 million when he’s 35 in 5 YEARS.
*shoots self*
Mike
May 12th, 2011
9:48 pm
Stern’s ugly hand taints another series.
Nice flop you soccer f word.
Coach Dooley
May 12th, 2011
9:48 pm
he is unconscious
rob
May 12th, 2011
9:48 pm
I am sick of Boozer