The Hawks had a great chance. Being the Hawks, they blew it
Yet again, the Hawks' reach exceeded their collective grasp. More's the pity. (AP photo)
For all the lip service that will be paid to the Hawks’ perseverance through injury and their rousing efforts in Games 5 and 6, let’s call this what it was: a massive missed opportunity. These NBA playoffs weren’t 34 hours old when the team that has never reached the Eastern Conference finals had been graced with two strokes of fortune: Derrick Rose hurt his knee and Rajon Rondo misplaced his marbles.
With Rondo suspended for Game 2, the Atlanta Hawks were staring at the likelihood of a 2-0 lead with the reality of either a weakened No. 1 seed or, better still, an unimpressive No. 8 awaiting in Round 2. Being the Hawks, they tossed their gifts in the trash can. They lost Game 2 here after leading by 11 points with 15 minutes left. They were outscored 18-15 the rest of the way by the 34-year-old Paul Pierce.
This series was lost in Game 2. In NBA history, teams taking a 2-0 lead have won the series more than 94 percent of the time — odds even the schizo Hawks would have been hard-pressed to defy. And, even though we didn’t know it at the time, the Hawks were about to become an oddity in these debilitating playoffs: They would get key guys back. Josh Smith reappeared in Game 4 after missing Game 3, and Al Horford, out since Jan. 11, was alongside. (Had the Hawks advanced to Round 2, Zaza Pachulia might also have been available.)
Add it up: Home-court advantage in the series; Rondo suspended for Game 2; the All-Star Horford making an unbilled return. And what happened? They were eliminated in Round 1 for the first time since 2008, beaten for the first time this century in a series in which they held the home-court edge.
Given their injuries, the temptation is to give the Hawks a pass and say, “Better luck next time.” But every team lost players in this overstuffed regular season — Rose worked only 39 games; Dwight Howard was done by Easter; the Celtics spent the last couple of weeks resting their Big Four — and the Hawks hit the playoffs in a strong position that should have grown only stronger. As Smith said after Game 6: “The road was paved for us, probably as good as it’s ever going to get.”
But they lost in Round 1 because, for all the advances made these past five years, this team hasn’t become anything more than a talented tease. The Core Four — Smith, Horford, Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams — has been in place since 2007, and what we’ve seen the past two seasons suggests that the days of diminishing returns are at hand.
The Hawks’ winning percentage in their final two seasons under Mike Woodson was .610. Their winning percentage in two seasons under Larry Drew, the Woodson assistant promoted to tap untapped resources, is .568. Johnson hasn’t been the same player under Drew, and the Hawks haven’t found a workable mesh to replace the Iso-Joes.
On the key possession of Game 6, the Hawks found themselves with nobody but Smith inside the 3-point arc with seven seconds on the shot clock. The play had been designed for Johnson, but he wasn’t open and nobody else knew what to do. “We didn’t execute the play,” Drew said Friday. “Guys did not go to the right spots.”
Smith hoisted a 20-footer that had no chance. Watch the tape and you’ll see Horford raise his arms after the Celtics rebounded as if to say: “What was that?” It remains a question asked far too often of these Hawks.
“I was upset,” Horford said, speaking Friday morning. “I thought it was a really tough shot.”
He wasn’t blaming Smith — “We’ve seen Josh make tough shots” — so much as he was the breakdown. But that, alas, is what the Hawks have come to do: They draw within sight of a summit, and then they break down.
Too much scar tissue has formed among the Core Four. Drew isn’t a terrible coach, but he hasn’t been able to break this team of its bad habits: When in doubt, look to Joe; when Joe’s not open, hoist a jumper. (And Johnson isn’t even the Hawks’ best player anymore. Smith is.)
I wish I could tell you I see better days ahead, but I see a coach who hasn’t been able to do all he proposed to do. I see a Core Four already already past its collective prime. I see addled ownership and a caretaker general manager, and I see no reason to believe this management won’t be content to keep banking on a team that has already written a lengthy legacy of disappointment, this latest installment being the most galling.
“We thought it was a great opportunity for us,” Smith said Friday, and it was. The Hawks could have been preparing Friday for a Game 7 or, better still, a Game 1 against the eighth-seeded Sixers. Instead they stuffed some sneakers and basketballs in plastic bags and went home for the summer.
By Mark Bradley
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231 comments Add your comment
Brandon
May 11th, 2012
2:35 pm
Mark, overall this was your best column in a lng time. You’re right, the Hawks blew this series with the Game 2 loss, when the ENTIRE Celtics backcourt was out and the Hawks were at home. LAst night, Smith did what he always seems to do in the clutch–hoist a deep outside shot with little chance of going in. The problem with your column is that it is akin to Game 2 for the Hawks–when Joe Johnson’s deal was up, your column then said that the Hawks had to pay him the outrageous deal on the table–the deal was ill advised at the time, and has and will hamstring the Hawks going forward. The Hawks could have signed him for less or not signed him at all. Thus, while this column was good, your past recipe/column was where you blew it. See the parallel?
Reggie
May 11th, 2012
2:42 pm
Last move …Josh Smith 12 million for Pau Gasol 18 millon and a first round pick…now the money doesnt match but with Kirk coming off the books they can make it work…the 1st round pick is key because Pau is older and the draft is super deep this year…the Hawks will be staring Fab Melo right in the eye at some point in the first round and would be foolish to pass.
bali
May 11th, 2012
2:45 pm
terrible series to me…hawks played like chumps celtics played like champs…hawks talk the talk about wanting to win but i think most of the players and probably the coaches are glad the season is over…i used to really enjoy the playoffs because players were willing to give and take the hard foul and were willing to give up their bodies by taking the charge…did not see that at all in this series…how many times did josh smith go hard to the basket and finish or get fouled and how many times did he and the other hawks kick the ball back out for the 15 to 20 foot jumper..how many times did larry drew get in a players face/marvin williams is a good example and piss the player off to play better …zero..the city of atlant is really getting shortchanged concernint the hawks..maybe one day there will be nba basketball in georgia but not today
georgedawg
May 11th, 2012
2:47 pm
The AJC is blowing it keeping you and Schultz. Your negativety and second guessing is pathetic. Thats why subscriptions are tanking. It’s just old and boring!! Wise up AJC we need fresh opinions.
DawggoneFalcons
May 11th, 2012
2:50 pm
Mark,
Lebron took less money to go to the Heat for a Championship run, so why, if it’s possible, that the Hawks can’t get Joe Johnson to restructure his contract to bring in another big name player?
BulldogBen
May 11th, 2012
2:53 pm
I’ll never buy a ticket or a piece of Hawks apparel as long as the ASG is in control.
I have zero faith in them to make improvements. Even if they did makes moves, I have ZERO faith that they would be good moves. The book is written on the ASG.
We deserve better. Cryin shame. At least in Politics we get to vote in or out XYZ President every 4 years. We’re stuck with this lame duck ownership.
ANOTHER GM
May 11th, 2012
2:53 pm
The bell has rung………
What to Watch for on MCFB « Mostly College Football Blog
May 11th, 2012
2:58 pm
[...] a dead period right now. Signing day has come and gone, spring practice is over and the Atlanta Hawks have been knocked out of the playoffs. The baseball season is still young, so anything can still happen with the Atlanta Braves. [...]
Hawks = Falclowns
May 11th, 2012
3:09 pm
Aka loosahs…
Who dat, we dat, you ain’t dat….lmao…
john
May 11th, 2012
3:12 pm
wHY ISNT ANYONE TALKING ABOUT THE IDIOT FINAL TWO MINUTES. aHEAD BY ONLY 1 POINT AND THERE POSTING UP TRYING TO BURN THE CLOCK. MADE NO SENSE. THE CLOCK WOULD HAVE HANDLED ITSELF, WE NEEDED BASKETS. IF WEDVE PLAYED THE LAST TWO MINUTES LIKE THE FIRST 46 WE WOULD HAVE WON
Ian
May 11th, 2012
3:19 pm
I’m from San Francisco and am not a Hawks fan, but came here to see if ANYONE was talking about how the Hawks got jobbed by the refs in the last 5 seconds. First there should have been 2 FTs for the foul that was committed before the inbounds. Then Daniels’ foul on Horford was a clear intentional foul, should have been 2 + the ball. Total blown calls by the refs….. I’m surprised no one’s talking about this.
cdpridg
May 11th, 2012
3:19 pm
Marvin williams….core 4. Wow! So this has been the problem all along…
hawks fan
May 11th, 2012
3:19 pm
how do yall see hawks sign steve nash and mike dantoni to make this team uptempo run and gun team like pheonix suns team. All our players are very versatile and can run and defend. Put teague on bench as sixth man for this team. It would be like pheonix team back in the day with a lot better defensive and well rebound team.
cdpridg
May 11th, 2012
3:22 pm
Ownership is horrible…gearon keep your mouth shut…hawks have never done anything for 1 of the 10 pathetic owners to spout off. Why dont u give away another franchise….most incompetent sports ownership in the history of sports
MrDan
May 11th, 2012
3:22 pm
NBA? Who cares! NFL? Give it 5 years and it’ll be the NFFL (National Flag Football League)
MLB is wass’ happinin’ now baby! Go Braves!
DawggoneFalcons
May 11th, 2012
3:23 pm
Hawks = Falclowns, Did the Hornets make the playoffs, NOPE, will the Saints make the Playoff, Ha, they haven’t even signed the Drew Brees back yet! Matty Ice and the crew already practicing!! Saints Suck!!
Chief
May 11th, 2012
3:28 pm
Mark, Al Horford is the Hawks best player. Josh Smith is its most athletic but he makes too many silly turnovers and takes too many tough shots.
Lowdawg
May 11th, 2012
3:29 pm
Frankly, I struggle to watch NBA basketball and all you have to do is watch Josh Smith play to understand why. He is tall, athletically gifted and LAZY. Garnett repeatedly beat him down the floor because Smith prefers to bitch about a no call vs. get back on defense. Again and again and again. And do you think the coach says anthing about it? Nah. They have no decernable office I can see and their defense and hussle is just nonexistent. When the camera panned to the coaches huddle during a time out – he gave no meaningful advice and why should he……they were not even paying attention to him!!! NBA basketball is in a terrible decline.
shotty
May 11th, 2012
3:37 pm
larry drew is the one who needs to go.
mykhalc
May 11th, 2012
3:40 pm
@TenaciousD…on-point…this organization is brain dead…PERIOD!!!
dean
May 11th, 2012
3:42 pm
If the Hawks in the playoffs were a movie, would the title be “Groundhog Day”?
PMC
May 11th, 2012
3:43 pm
Stephen A Smith and Rob Parker need to start focusing on the fact that the Knicks are a worse team than the Hawks and they will NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER be any good.
The fact that they talk about such a terrible franchise so much is a freaking joke.
MSG is a dump. Burn it down and rebuild it.
229Bravesfan
May 11th, 2012
3:48 pm
Is anybody really suprised???
Sad and Depressed Atlanta Fan
May 11th, 2012
3:50 pm
I am sadly disappointed with this team. I realize they would lose this series no matter whata, and they did, but with that said, why is there no outrrage from the coach, players, or even you beat writers for the inexcusable, horrific, and biased officiating. IMHO the refs were determined to give this game away to the Celtics. Not that it would have ultimately mattered, but where is the outrage? OK, now that I have that off of my chest, I will go take a nap!!!
Eric C.
May 11th, 2012
3:51 pm
Mark,
I know it’s been pointed out already, but this is a glaring error, unless you feel they would have no worries about winning game 7???
“The Hawks could have been preparing Friday for Game 1 against the eighth-seeded Sixers.”
Kaboooom
May 11th, 2012
3:51 pm
The problem with amnesty for Joe is, the owners still have to come up with the money to pay him. Salary cap or not, if the owners are tapped for cash after paying Joe, they still can’t pay for other players. Josh? Josh is what, eight years into the league, and still an immature player with very limited basketball intelligence. I’m sure he’s a smart guy off the floor, but he still makes poor choices offensively, defensively every night. He’s not ‘basketball smart’. Marvin? please. Teague has an opportunity to be very effective, but the laissez-faire attitude of the other players will ruin him.
The good news is, it’s the NBA….who really cares?
The Hawks...where to begin
May 11th, 2012
3:57 pm
They can’t amnesty Joe. ASG cannot afford to eat his salary and still have cash to pay players. It’s not a salary cap issue, I just doubt they have the money to do it. Josh still makes rookie mistakes in judgment, offensively and defensively. There’s really no tradeable player, save Al and maybe Heinrich.
Josh would bring decent value, maybe more. He’s awfully athletic.
I feel for Sund. A decent GM in the past, tied up with ASG…..
Sad and Depressed Atlanta Fan
May 11th, 2012
3:57 pm
This team is pathetic. That being said, where is the outrage from the media, players, or that emotionless coach of ours over the obviously biased officiating. If the NBA does not address this obvious intent to take the Hawks down by the refs then there is no reason for me to invest another minute or penny of mine on anything NBA. Now that I have that off of my chest, I am going to take a nap, Gezzz!!!
dan roundfield
May 11th, 2012
3:58 pm
don’t even try to fool yourself. this is a pathetic organization – end to end!
Eric C.
May 11th, 2012
4:04 pm
mountain_jim, my thoughts exactly…what an ill-timed article. Garnett has stated the comments fired him up.
We don’t know the Hawks would have won a game 7, or would have gotten past the 76ers, but getting to the ECF for the first time in ATL history would have been special.
DHD
May 11th, 2012
4:09 pm
Somehow, we need to deal Josh and Marvin and get a real center. Move Horford back to forward.
bigcalidawg
May 11th, 2012
4:12 pm
JOE JOHNSON
scott
May 11th, 2012
4:14 pm
Totally expected. Please just blow it all up and stat over. I am sick of Josh whining, I am sick of JJ not earning his HUGE salary, and im sick of Larry D pandering to both. and im SICK of the ownership. I’m just sick of it all. I went to three playoff games last year. This year? ZILCH. you could see this coming a mile away.
joe Mac
May 11th, 2012
4:17 pm
Time to Clean House and start over. THe Hawks have went to the playoffs several years in a row with absolutely no chance of advancing far. They need to get rid of Josh Smith and Joe Johnson. Keep Horford and build around him. If they are lousy for a while, at least we can hope to pick up some good talent in the draft. Need to follow Oklahoma CIty’s blue print!
hawksfan2012
May 11th, 2012
4:26 pm
THE HAWKS WERE ROBBED BY THE REFEREES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PROTEST THAT LAST CALL. HECK, PROTEST THE WHOLE GAME IN WHICH BOSTON SHOT 14 MORE FREE THROWS. NOT TO MENTION GAME 3 WHERE PIERCE SHOT MORE FREE THROWS THAN OUR ENTIRE TEAM.
Bill Walton
May 11th, 2012
4:27 pm
Blaming the coach???? Didn’t we blame the last coach?? No one can coach this group of numskulls, they play dumb,act dumb,and look dumb doing it. They have no heart and the whole roster needs to be blown up. Near the bottom in league attendance also-what does that tell you about the product they are trying to sell?
hawksfan2012
May 11th, 2012
4:27 pm
IF JOSH SMITH DOESNT SIGN THE EXTENSION THIS SUMMER, YOU HAVE TO TRADE HIM.
george
May 11th, 2012
4:28 pm
The Hawks should trade Josh smiyh to Sacramento for Demarcus Cousins. That giveas you a center, and a low post presence. Then you ship Joe johnson to the Nets for Deron Williams and Brook Lopez. You’ll have a starting center and a backup
hawksfan2012
May 11th, 2012
4:29 pm
@ george
i like the josh smith trade, but no way the nets give us lopez and deron for joe alone
Cgu
May 11th, 2012
4:30 pm
I wish they could sell the team. I’d be much happier not having this pathetic group in my city
hawksfan2012
May 11th, 2012
4:34 pm
TEST
hawksfan2012
May 11th, 2012
4:35 pm
i like josh smith but im tired of his shot selection and ripping of the atlanta fanbase. ship him out of here this summer.
dave
May 11th, 2012
4:50 pm
Mark talks about the Hawk’s injuries during the year and what might have been if the team had been healthy. He fails to mention that the Celtics loss Chris Wilcox and Jeff Green – two key players off the bench for the team – for the year due to heart surgery. Green never played a minute.
Upsetum
May 11th, 2012
4:51 pm
Oh well. Terrible shot selection in every game.
mountain_jim
May 11th, 2012
5:03 pm
Ian
May 11th, 2012
3:19 pm
I’m from San Francisco and am not a Hawks fan, but came here to see if ANYONE was talking about how the Hawks got jobbed by the refs in the last 5 seconds. First there should have been 2 FTs for the foul that was committed before the inbounds. Then Daniels’ foul on Horford was a clear intentional foul, should have been 2 + the ball. Total blown calls by the refs….. I’m surprised no one’s talking about this.
Ian – Before this game, I pointed out the whole series had a different definition of a foul between the 2 teams. You saw why Boston was able to win all the close games – that last few seconds was a microcosm of how the NBA takes care of it’s high-dollar-eyeball teams.
Hawks fans are used to getting jobbed against Celtics or other teams from bigger markets – and knew we would have to win agaist the Celtics and the refs – but it was so f’ing obvious they were not going to allow Boston to lose without the Hawks managing to put the ball in the basket, no matter the rulebook definitions for fouls, flagrant fouls, etc. employed to prevent the ball from going in, or inbounds.
PMC
May 11th, 2012
5:04 pm
wait…people from New Orleans are talking crap on a basketball blog?
beone
May 11th, 2012
5:05 pm
There is only one way to engage the fan base. Change the players and the coach and hopefully the GM. That at least breathes hope into the team. Staying the same will provide no one with any hope of improvement. This is one of those cases where it will be best to just DO SOMETHING, EVEN IF IT TURNS OUT TO BE WRONG! We know what we have is wrong. If we change, we at least give ourselves a chance.
mountain_jim
May 11th, 2012
5:08 pm
Another ESPN column pointing out what a dumbass our owner was, and our beat-writer was, concerning Garnet
Angry and feeling disrespected, Kevin Garnett stood up, put the Celtics on his back and got Boston into the second round, writes Jackie MacMullan
http://espn.go.com/boston/nba/story/_/id/7917879/2012-nba-playoffs-boston-celtics-reluctant-scorer-kevin-garnett-cuts-atlanta-hawks-game-6
Hawks had to overcome the Celtics, the Refs, and their idiot owners.
John
May 11th, 2012
5:08 pm
I cant decide what was funnier……
Josh Smith pulling up for a 20 foot jumper and barely scimming the rim, Paul Pierce giving Joe Johnson the lane just so he could swat his shot, or Al Horford making the second free throw when everybody in the universe (execept him I guess) knew he had to miss it.
3 way tie I guess. They were all hilarious……
JLS
May 11th, 2012
5:09 pm
Can we just sell them to some Canadien city like we did the Thrashers? I am tired of that team. I never did care for the African Ballet anyway.