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
Spud Webb
May 12th, 2011
10:03 pm
The Hawks have one more run in them. I can feel it. 17-0 to start the fourth.
BravesFan79
May 12th, 2011
10:04 pm
At least the Braves came back in their game. Thats why there Atlantas favorite team.. they have HEART!
omar
May 12th, 2011
10:04 pm
this putrid
Ben
May 12th, 2011
10:04 pm
HERE WE GO MAVS!!!!
Would love to see Stern hand the trophy to Cuban.
Tech Man
May 12th, 2011
10:05 pm
Hubie Brown is the best analyst in the business! He isn’t the problem with the Hawks tonight. His partner isn’t the best.
I really miss Dick Stockton and Hubie as a team on TNT!
Spud Webb
May 12th, 2011
10:06 pm
Never mind.
Coach Dooley
May 12th, 2011
10:07 pm
oh brother
Worm
May 12th, 2011
10:07 pm
Too bad the NBA season doesn’t end tonight…We have to hear about these thugs until mid-June..RIP-Jesse Outlar
Spud Webb
May 12th, 2011
10:08 pm
Maybe next year. Or maybe never.
VOL
May 12th, 2011
10:08 pm
I think it’s time to break this team up. They do not have the team makeup to become a NBA championship team. The problem is they are pretty and stuck in NBA draft purgatory. Where are they going to get the personnel to put them over the top if they don’t trade current players for different ones? Bradley, can the Hawks be a player for Dwight Howard? Perhaps build a package around Josh Smith? Anybody got a list of upcoming NBA free agents?
Tech Man
May 12th, 2011
10:08 pm
Braves up in the bottom of the 10th
Coach Dooley
May 12th, 2011
10:08 pm
Mark thanks for the blogs for all the Hawks games- it’s been fun
Jackets 2011
May 12th, 2011
10:08 pm
Poor Jalen Rose.
He drew the short straw so he had to pick the Hawks.
Hairy DAWG
May 12th, 2011
10:09 pm
Sad thing is will prolly either #1. Have the same lineup next year or #2. Let jamal go away during free agency and be even worse!! SAD SAD SAD!
chas
May 12th, 2011
10:09 pm
Never have we gotten past this round…why should we now. In fairness, Chicago is a good team..they are tough.
BK
May 12th, 2011
10:09 pm
They have really stop trying, Sorry for the people there who paid good money for this s*it.
chas
May 12th, 2011
10:11 pm
This feels like the Falcons loss to Green Bay. So close, yet so far away. We need to move some players in the off season.
rob
May 12th, 2011
10:11 pm
ill take maybe never
Worm
May 12th, 2011
10:11 pm
R.I.P-Jesse Outlar-This is the semis and it’s a laughable product…David stern making 7 million a year..
Japan and Germany will be in the finals!
BravesFan79
May 12th, 2011
10:11 pm
WTF is Joe Johnson doing! No intensity on defense, little awareness on offense, the fact that THIS guy makes 20 million a year makes me embarrassed to be a fan and actually support them.
d.carter
May 12th, 2011
10:11 pm
WHATS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MARVIN AND PAPE SY?
Jackets 2011
May 12th, 2011
10:12 pm
If you want to see an Atlanta team man up, better take in a Dream game.
d.carter
May 12th, 2011
10:12 pm
RIGHT NOTHING!!!!GET IT?
Spud Webb
May 12th, 2011
10:12 pm
I thought the Bulls and Hawks were fairly evenly matched all series. Very clear tonight that Chicago is just a lot better team. I think Miami will beat them like a drum though.
JR1967
May 12th, 2011
10:12 pm
I imagine that by now, the only fans left in the stands are the 10,000 or so Bulls fans that showed up for the game.
Ben
May 12th, 2011
10:13 pm
Tech man, McOUT openly just missed being safe for not hustling to first. Catcher missed the ball.
As it is, 2 on, 1 out. Should be 2 on with Chipper up.
Freaking McOUT.
Mark Bradley
May 12th, 2011
10:13 pm
Taj Gibson has been big the past two tilts.
Tech Man
May 12th, 2011
10:14 pm
Braves win
Ben
May 12th, 2011
10:14 pm
BRAVES WIN!! BRAVES WIN!!
Mark Bradley
May 12th, 2011
10:14 pm
Crowd is exiting.
Bama 13
May 12th, 2011
10:14 pm
Blowing this team up wont be easy. The other teams have seen us play.
Our problem has been our inability to choose the right pieces when we had the chance, like Chris Paul. I’ll even go back as far as picking Koncak over Karl Malone (and no, I don’t hate Koncak, he was who he was).
Marie
May 12th, 2011
10:15 pm
In the words of Magic Johnson “it’s time to blow up this team”. I don’t care who they get as long as they ship these SORRY JOKERS out of here. The ony player I would keep would be Jeff Teague but all others need to GOOOOOOOOO!!!. I don’t care if we end up with the worst record in the NBA next year it would be better so we have a chance to get a bona fide superstar in the draft. I have had it up to height of heaven with Atlanta teams embarrassing us by stinking up the arena or field at home after the fans have paid their hard earned money to come out and cheer for them. And with this bunch of Hawks players they just don’t have any passion, fire, or any real desire to win. Enough is enough — get rid of these clowns.
Duck
May 12th, 2011
10:15 pm
http://youtu.be/W4xswSxRtGY
Hairy DAWG!
May 12th, 2011
10:15 pm
What’s frustrating is the hawks roster will be either #1. The same or #2. Minus jamal crawford.
Jackets 2011
May 12th, 2011
10:15 pm
At least the Braves won (6-5) in ten innings.
rob
May 12th, 2011
10:15 pm
well i hope they at least break 70 this is pathetic
Columbus
May 12th, 2011
10:16 pm
No COACHING answer for the Bulls D.
Oh well….Let go Braves!
omar
May 12th, 2011
10:16 pm
this is hot garbage!
Mike
May 12th, 2011
10:16 pm
57 points? Joe Johnson score a basket.
Same as it ever was.
Mark Bradley
May 12th, 2011
10:16 pm
This is not what I thought would happen. Don’t know why I didn’t.
Tech Man
May 12th, 2011
10:16 pm
Yes, Mark and fellow bloggers thank you for the entertainment this year! Much appreciated!
Luke
May 12th, 2011
10:16 pm
Birdbrains, useless Hawks, they need to get new players with human brains.
Dear Tech fans
May 12th, 2011
10:17 pm
Go work on a math problem/bother someone else… signed-SEC Fan
BravesFan79
May 12th, 2011
10:17 pm
Joe Johnson.. FINALLY takes the shot himself instead of passing to Josh Smith for the jumpshot. And you would of thunk that we would of been covering Boozer harder by the 2nd quarter.. but nope!
Jackets 2011
May 12th, 2011
10:18 pm
@Marie.
I’m all for you replacing Sund as GM.
You’re spot on, babe.
Coach Dooley
May 12th, 2011
10:19 pm
I don’t think this ownership will ever get the job done- I think until new ownership takes over and has the green to spend to get a big man and a bench it will not happen. An ownership that knows what it is doing. Remember what the Smith years were like for the Falcons?
Rob
May 12th, 2011
10:19 pm
I hate to go out so weakly again after some good effort through most of the series. Bulls tough on D and Hawks (mainly Johnson and Crawford) not doing enough to create shots. Josh Smith and Teague were the best players for the Hawks in this series.
Aaron
May 12th, 2011
10:19 pm
How can anyone be surprised? This result is just as likely as a win. We don’t know how to lose close. Win close or get blown out.
Hairy DAWG!
May 12th, 2011
10:19 pm
BRAVES Win! BRAVES WIN! BRAVES WIN! Hawks SUCK! Hawks SUCK! Hawks SUCK!
Jackets 2011
May 12th, 2011
10:20 pm
Funny Hairy.
We can agree on something.