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
Cousin Vicker
May 12th, 2011
10:20 pm
I think the Hawks were simply spent after the Bulls put them away in the fourth qtr in game 5. Bulls doing what a number one seed should. It won’t come as currently constructed, but maybe the Hawks will be that team one day down the road. Need a real center and another scorer though. This team , however, is closer to being a lottery team than a true championship contender. I’ve seen this Hawks team before, back in the late 90’s with Steve Smith and mookie. Good enough for the playoffs, but no more. Hawks had to blow that up. Gonna have to do that with this bunch too.
Columbus
May 12th, 2011
10:20 pm
Why is Josh constantly standing around the 3 point line? If I was coach he better NEVER be CLOSE to it! Too much standing around.
NO plan to attack their defense! Standing around. Where is the movement? Coaching is incompetent. Fire Drew and hire someone proven!
flea
May 12th, 2011
10:20 pm
Time to blow it up and start the bring Dwight home campaign. Everyone goes except Teague
bamaboy1
May 12th, 2011
10:21 pm
Daryl Hawks – This win is for you
Eric
May 12th, 2011
10:21 pm
Marvin, Al, Jamal, Joe were a no show in games 5 & 6! Our frontline looks soft.
tyler
May 12th, 2011
10:21 pm
This definitely takes the zing of this unexpected playoff run….Embarrassing performance for the home team.
omar
May 12th, 2011
10:22 pm
sy
juenal
May 12th, 2011
10:22 pm
gave up on the hawks post paul-GT enuf of a lost cause(like Richarrd in Dundee]…….Mark, if we quit that easy………
Jay Dubu
May 12th, 2011
10:22 pm
Marvin Williams has completely vanished.
Ben
May 12th, 2011
10:23 pm
Bama 13, it doesn’t matter. The Hawks CAN’T blow it up. The most troubling pieces are Josh and Joe and they’re here for a while. LOCKED in.
Maybe there will be another franchise like New York was in the early part of last decade who will take these HUGE contracts of mediocre players but I doubt it.
BTW, Horford’s contract comes up next year (or is it this year?).
Bottom line: Another 2nd round exit to an OKAY team. The Bulls will lose to the Heat in 5.
Phil
May 12th, 2011
10:23 pm
Mark – how long have you been in Atl? 27 years? You thought we would win after losing game 5? Come on…you’re smarter than that, right? The Hawks have been losers for 41 years plus….
Jackets 2011
May 12th, 2011
10:23 pm
The Braves were down 5-1 and didn’t quit.
BTW Mark what if the Hawks failed to score on 17 straight trips?
That would have been the better bet.
DHD
May 12th, 2011
10:24 pm
No heart. The ownership of this team doesn’t give a rat’s behind. Please sell the team to somebody who cares.
flea
May 12th, 2011
10:24 pm
The Heat are going to abuse the Bulls
G
May 12th, 2011
10:24 pm
Steve Belkin looks real smart on the Joe Johnson situation.
Duck
May 12th, 2011
10:24 pm
Seriously- we need to go get Dwight Howard.
aswingruber
May 12th, 2011
10:24 pm
Media gets their preferred Eastern Conference matchup. Garbage time’ll let them bask in that a bit.
chas
May 12th, 2011
10:25 pm
Nice series Marvin…what zero points tonight? Dude needs to go bye bye.
Phil
May 12th, 2011
10:25 pm
Jay Dubu – marvin vanished 3 yrs ago….
bamaboy1
May 12th, 2011
10:25 pm
@flea you are just jealous
Coach Dooley
May 12th, 2011
10:25 pm
Media just picked the obvious better team pal
Eric
May 12th, 2011
10:25 pm
Marvin Williams has no pride!
groundfog
May 12th, 2011
10:26 pm
This team may not make the playoffs next year. They are clearly bored in the regular season but not good enough in the playoffs either
Angie O'Plasty
May 12th, 2011
10:26 pm
The Hawks pissed the bed…..
NO HEART
May 12th, 2011
10:26 pm
Blow it up. Biggest game of the year. Bad ball movement the whole game. 120 mil iso joe suckin it up.
flea
May 12th, 2011
10:26 pm
Well cheer up Hawks fans the Braves won.. And Lets bring Dwight home to the ATL
Duck
May 12th, 2011
10:26 pm
The Ref’s would not have let us win even if we kept it close, per David Stern
marc
May 12th, 2011
10:26 pm
if the heat are going to abuse the bulls, it would have been useless for the hawks to have even shown up had they won this series
Phil
May 12th, 2011
10:27 pm
As long as JJ and Smith are on this team, it’s doomed….don’t listen…keep ignoring the obvious….i’ve saying it since january…
Coach Dooley
May 12th, 2011
10:27 pm
atta boy Duck jump in anytime
A-Ville Ranger
May 12th, 2011
10:28 pm
Josh Smith has the only pair of balls on this team. Joe Johnson and his max contract will limit the team to what we saw tonight for many years to come.
POP SY MVP
May 12th, 2011
10:28 pm
WAHOO
Columbus
May 12th, 2011
10:28 pm
They are not locked. Maybe Joe but Josh can definately be traded. Need a coach FIRST!
Phil
May 12th, 2011
10:29 pm
If we did get dwight howard, he’d just get seriously injured….look, this league is all about prime time teams and we ain’t one of em….
tyler
May 12th, 2011
10:29 pm
Seriously- I wouldn’t mind seeing Williams, Horford and/or Crawford all get traded…..JJ wouldn’t bother me either but noone’s gonna want him at that price.
Atl teams = Playoff chokers
May 12th, 2011
10:29 pm
Pape Sy > Joe Johnson
Jackets 2011
May 12th, 2011
10:29 pm
Anyone wonder too if McDavid would have brought us a champion by now.
Thanks Ted for selling to the local clowns instead.
PMC
May 12th, 2011
10:29 pm
Well…. so much for the Hawks. We owe Joe from here until the world blows up. The guy is just not worthy of his contract in the least.
They’ve reached the ceiling for what they are. They are going to be a team that makes it to the second round every year with virtually no stars. Nothing really entertaining or interesting to watch.
I don’t see how they are going to continue to get people to spend 75 bucks a pop on tickets when they don’t really play entertaining basketball on a nightly basis.
They are the NBA version of vanilla ice cream. Pretty good all the time, but incredibly boring.
I don’t think they even care. Keep em, blow it up. So what. They’re done again.
It will be 23 more years before we have another relevant game in Atlanta.
Joe is the new Allen Henderson
GT Falcon
May 12th, 2011
10:29 pm
Joe Johnson is the most overpaid player in all of sports in the world hands down…..
Dan
May 12th, 2011
10:29 pm
Can’t even score 80 pts. Sad!
Duck
May 12th, 2011
10:30 pm
I want see a team with Teague, Joe Johnson Dwight Howard and Josh Smith. That would be nasty.
Phil
May 12th, 2011
10:30 pm
And sadly, the humiliations are usually delivered on our courts and fields as the opposing fans out yell us….lord it gets old being such losers…
PMC
May 12th, 2011
10:30 pm
Maybe they can move BACK to St Louis.
Eric
May 12th, 2011
10:30 pm
Dude, you were the number #2 pick! A la Michael Jordan! Your last two box scores you got the same amount of points that I did!
JaMarcus Russell
May 12th, 2011
10:30 pm
Hawks,
You guys make my performances look better,
Columbus
May 12th, 2011
10:30 pm
Ted did not sell, Time Warner sold I believe
G
May 12th, 2011
10:30 pm
I am not sure any coach can the max out of this team but I do know Larry Drew can’t.
Trint
May 12th, 2011
10:31 pm
These cats have no pride. Kobe didnt shake hands with the Mavs after they were blown up. Joe Johnson is sooooo lame. Not even going to get on Marvin………..
El Bravo
May 12th, 2011
10:31 pm
The Hawks did what they do best; they quit and got blown out on the last game…
ramblinman
May 12th, 2011
10:32 pm
Any thoughts on possibly going out and getting a guy like Anthony Morrow? A shooter is certainly not a huge need, but with Crawford perhaps leaving maybe the Hawks could put a little trade together for a reliable shooter in Morrow, a starter in the league, albeit for the Nets. Obviously he was a fantastic shooter down the street at GT, and has established himself as deadly from downtown in the NBA. I just think he could be a cheap trade for pretty solid value…