We say it again: The Hawks really did flub a big fat chance
This is Miami's Chris Bosh. Guess what? He's hurt. (AP photo)
As noted, the Hawks tripped over a splendid opportunity to reach the Eastern Conference finals. But, even had they gotten there, they wouldn’t have been expected to win the Eastern Conference finals. You had to figure Miami’s Big Three would have been too big.
Update: Miami’s Big Three is down to two, and the Heat just lost Game 2 at home to the Indiana Pacers. Meaning: The Hawks might have had a better chance in the ECF than we’d have thought.
Run the (depleted) numbers: In Round 1 the Hawks had the homecourt edge over Boston, which was without Ray Allen for Games 1 and 2 and Rajon Rondo for Game 2 and which saw Paul Pierce hurt himself in a shootaround before Game 4; in Round 2 they’d have faced eighth-seeded Philadelphia, which beat Chicago after Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah got hurt, and if they’d won Round 2 they would have faced either Miami, suddenly without Chris Bosh, or Indiana, which nobody really fears.
Oh, and this, too: Al Horford returned in Game 4 of Round 1 after a 3 1/2-month absence, and the Hawks thought Zaza Pachulia might have been ready for Round 2. And we’re being reminded on a nightly basis that the 2012 NBA playoffs are less about excellence than about who’s fit to play.
As we know, Round 2 and the Eastern Conference finals were rendered moot points when the Hawks lost to Boston in six games (after winning Game 1 and leading Game 2 by 11 points). The notion of what might have been hurt, and it will keep on hurting with every wobble by the Celtics (who lost Game 2 of Round 2 at home to Philadelphia after having to steal Game 1) or the Heat (who are tied headed to Indianapolis for Games 3 and 4) or anybody still standing.
For decades we’ve been noting that the Hawks, in addition to being not quite good enough, have never been very lucky. Had they been good enough this time, they’d have had the wind at their backs. I guess you’d have to say that’s the story of their lives: They finally get lucky and it still doesn’t matter.
By Mark Bradley
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126 comments Add your comment
Delbert D.
May 16th, 2012
10:19 am
Come on, Mark. F-o-o-t-b-a-l-l.
SWAT Native
May 16th, 2012
10:20 am
I came back because I wanted to say a word for Josh Smith. I saw a different player this season. Yeah, I wish he didn’t bring the ball up or shoot long jumpers so much. But, if he didn’t step his game up when Al Horford got hurt, I don’t think the Hawks make the playoffs, and he was their key player doing that Celtic series. That was him on the floor fighting for a loose ball when Rondo got ejected in Game 1. He had big games in Games 1 and 2. If he finished Game 2 and played Game 3, I think the Hawks would have won both games. I didn’t want that jumper at the end of Game 6, but I’ve seen him make that shot in games in the same situation. Even on that blown out of bounds call, he had beaten KG on a cut that would have been a layup and Marvin had hit him in stride when the whistle was blown. I don’t think he deserves all this criticism.
doc
May 16th, 2012
10:25 am
yup that is what i was suggesting evans before the season and kmart during the season when we were desparate. there is no way a team starting the worst player by the numbers at center should ever conceive there were enough parts around him to make it fly. it is like the braves turning a bull pen specialist against lefties into a starter in the baseball playoffs. it wont work for long.
kg essentially beat us by himself. pp had the great gsme two but we cuoked on that one plain and simple and why i dont think these guys are winners. the mindset to be a winner is different. we dont have one of those except for al who has the mind but not the overall skill or teammates to go further.
did you listen to kmart and paul in their pist game interviews last night? huge difference in what we get from josh and jj. they said no excuses, we have to play better in the case of kmart and paul said we arent going to win if i shoot 3-13. i have got to do better.
we hear about jersey colors as if that should make a difference for a pro, and i dont get the ball enough or we need to do better from jj never owning up to his clear lack of responsibility to the wheels not rolling right. does everyone see the excuses underlying those comments though the season motto was no excuses.
even the owners make excuses after flubbing and getting caught mouthing off cant say it was an expensive lesson ill timed and my bad, though i certainly believe they are right in saying the refs sucked but not calling out the opposition in the middle of yhe playoffs in a guy who clearly likes playing with a chip on his shoulder.
KevinM
May 16th, 2012
10:33 am
Too many ‘ifs’, plain and simple. As I said on the MC blog, these guys are going about their business, and it doesn’t hurt enough for them to overcome their limitations.
One guy improved over the offseason: Josh. The rest: you got what you expected.
When we lost Game 2, we lost the Boston series. We didn’t have to win a game in Boston until then. That wasn’t going to happen and it didn’t happen the game prior in Boston in the regular season when the refs tried to give the Hawks the game in the last minute.
No more Josh antics, no more long jumpers.
No more Marvin disappearing acts…he’s watching LeBron and still gets paid to do it.
Move Horford if he won’t defend the center position…whether to PF or to another team.
We have assets to keep the opporunity alive. We cannot stand pat like we have since Teague was drafted in ‘09. To move Bibby out wasn’t enough and it costs us 2 future talent players. If we can’t move Joe, then bring in a guy that will complement Joe even if it costs us Teague.
Sautee
May 16th, 2012
10:34 am
Mark, thanks for being here for us Hawks fans. Too bad the AJC is so lame with their blogs, particularly the Hawks blog. I wonder if the advertisers who pay good money for a banner that is never seen would think this was a good business practice?
Maybe someone should tell them…hmmmmm.
IceColdATLien
May 16th, 2012
10:37 am
SWAT, I hate to say it, but having your PF be second in the league (only to Kobe) in long 2-pt attempts… and hitting only 32% of them… is simply insane. He simply will not get it through his thick skull that HE DOESN’T HAVE A JUMP SHOT. He destroys all those possessions by jacking up those shots just inside the 3-pt arc. I understand everything he gives the team in other areas of the game, but he’s just too dumb to recognize his main weakness and then address it (namely by NOT SHOOTING THOSE LONG 2s).
I partly blame Drew for not sitting Josh each time he takes those stupid jumpers, but at the same time I understand that Josh is a head case and Drew knows it. Oh well…
doc
May 16th, 2012
10:38 am
well the famous bradley blog screen gets me again. what is it about this blog more than the rest? a timer?
doc
May 16th, 2012
10:40 am
is that a real stat about number of long two’s?
AlpharettaGuy
May 16th, 2012
10:42 am
Josh Smith is a keeper. He’s tremendously talented but makes bone-headed plays & decisions at times. The answer is better coaching. We need to talk to the Bulls about Joe (throw in Marvin for free) & see what they can offer in return. Keep Josh, keep Al…get some good pieces and a good coach around them & go from there.
drmaryb.(*_*).
May 16th, 2012
10:47 am
SWATNative
“But, if he didn’t step his game up when Al Horford got hurt, I don’t think the Hawks make the playoffs, and he was their key player doing that Celtic series.”
__________
Yes Sir, you are spot on correct here. If, Josh would just fix those two tendencies though, he would be a hands down All Star. In my eyes, Josh IS already an All Star for the reasons you just stated. This series exit was in now way his fault, but, the biggest room in the house is the room for:
Self Improvement.
We can ALL improve something in our lives. So, no Josh does not get the blame for the Boston Series lost, he is actually the reason we were ever in it. Kudos to JOSH for an excellent year, and his constant improvement. If, Josh is here next year … I expect even better improvement from last year. His jump shot is legit, he just needs better shot selection on every trip down the floor, he needs to pick his spots and take them when the team needs it and, not when the defense wants him to take those early in the shot clock. Just drive to the paint on more of those looks.
And, just give the ball to Jeff, Jeff will give it back. Love Josh though. (see the coach, here)
cdog
May 16th, 2012
10:48 am
yes mark i totally agree. if they get rid of rick sund and larry drew to start with then look to van gundy and phil jackson as replacements, you will see them begin to go in the championship direction. there’s the possibility of rehiring billy knight, anything except rick sund
Rick Sund
May 16th, 2012
10:51 am
We’re going to let Larry Drew go … and promote Lester Conner to head coach.
Andy
May 16th, 2012
10:52 am
Here is the Hawks’ problem: Joe and Marvin do the minimum to get paid; Josh is physically talented but mentally undisciplined. We need to dump all three. We should rebuild around Horford and Teague.
Dragon
May 16th, 2012
11:01 am
It’s ironic that one of the best basketball writers in the country is stuck in NBA/NCAA hell in a talent-rich environment. Mark Bradley deserves to cover better teams.
Maybe in his next life…
DawgNole
May 16th, 2012
11:01 am
some sense
May 16th, 2012
7:18 am
They will tell us that they’re going into next season with:
Josh Smith playing in a contract year.
Healthy Horford and Pachulia.
An improved Jeff Teague.
Finally figuring out how to use Marvin Williams…as a sixth man.
Salary relief by dropping Hinrich(?).
A decent (i. e. rotation) player in the draft.
Still relatively young while other top teams are aging.
A coach who inspired forty wins w/ a patchwork roster.
Do we buy this???
______________________
We shouldn’t, but many will. Just check out the post right after yours–by the delusional crose714.
Rod from College Park
May 16th, 2012
11:15 am
O’Brien
“Our bench helped us during the season, but they gave us nothng during the playoffs.”
But I thought Willie Green was just as good as Jamal Crawford (LOL). Simply put, if the Hawks resigned Jamal Crawford this offseason, we would be at least going to the ECF.
Rod from College Park
May 16th, 2012
11:17 am
Coaching is the real issue. Especially on the offensive side of the floor.
DawgNole
May 16th, 2012
11:22 am
O’Brien
May 16th, 2012
8:00 am
Buddy,
I suggest sending MC an email as well. They shut down the Fan blog last season, and now they can’t even leave the Hawks beat blog open…SMH
_______________________
If he responds to emails like he interacts with his bloggers, you’re wasting your time.
Josh
May 16th, 2012
11:23 am
Mark this is a lot fo coulda, woulda, shoulda. Remember these are the Hawks and even if they would have won Game 7 they still would have managed to choke against the 76ers who owned them all year long.
DawgNole
May 16th, 2012
11:32 am
SWAT Native
May 16th, 2012
8:28 am
” . . . if the Hawks win game 6, there’s no way the Celtics would have won game 7 in the Highlight Factory.”
_________________________
Uh, hello? Celtics have seldom had trouble winning in ATL. I direct your attention to Game 2 of the series (in the Highlight Factory), when many figured the Hawks would triumph against the aging, Rondo-less Celtics. How’d that work out for you?
DawgNole
May 16th, 2012
11:45 am
doc
May 16th, 2012
8:58 am
mark what gives you the notion the hawks could have beaten the sixers who demolished them in the regular season? horford? nah, theyy would figure a way to implode and lose like they did games two and six. sorry, i dont think this team is strong enough mentally to win.
doc
May 16th, 2012
9:27 am
. . . it is going to take ownership willing to lead and put it out there it is about winning. only owners in the history of atlanta sports to take that approach is ted and arthur. arthulr knows you have to sell excellence on the field before fans will come. these owners expect you to show up no matter what out of civic obligation.
__________________
Right with you on these two observations, doc.
Zeke!
May 16th, 2012
11:46 am
bring in isiah thomas as coach and GM take this team to the top! Zeke will want huge money but he will be worth it!
DawgNole
May 16th, 2012
11:48 am
biz
May 16th, 2012
9:56 am
woulda.
shoulda.
coulda.
didnt.
____________________
Yet again.
O'Brien
May 16th, 2012
11:50 am
Rod,
I agree that we needed more scoring. But to say that Jamal alone would have gotten us to the ECF? I disagree. Why is it both years he was here, we lost in the second round.
But you’re right in that the bigger issue is coaching (and LD does not know how to use Jamal effectively either).
The irony is one reason LD got the job is because Woody’s iso-Joe was not working anymore, and LD sold Rick and the ASG on his so called “motion-offense”. But yet offense got worse under LD.
O'Brien
May 16th, 2012
11:54 am
doc,
I can’t find the quotes, but Before the season started, didn’t Rick Sund come out and say “we like our bigs”?
Look for more basement shopping this off-season (as in all vet min salary guys again).
Sid
May 16th, 2012
12:06 pm
in other words…..break them up they are hopeless and clueless.
HawkFan
May 16th, 2012
12:10 pm
it may be up to the fans to demand respect from the refs. I think the refs fear for their safety in some of the more rabid arenas around the league and so the calls go to the home team, not so much in the ATL. maybe as fans we need to change the culture in the ATL from southern hospitality to you better make good calls for the Hawks or ELSE! Is that what you want? Josh? media? Owners???
AlpharettaGuy
May 16th, 2012
12:19 pm
Zeke!, Bringing in Isiah Thomas?? I appreciate your humor. If you wanna do that, why not just bring in Allen Iverson as player/coach? Practice? Practice? You talkin about practice, man!
Hawks need to send Joe & Marvin to the Bulls, try to get Noah (you’d have to throw ZaZa in the mix, then). If you can’t get Noah, get Deng. AND, get a new coach.
one man's opinion
May 16th, 2012
12:21 pm
Guys, I don’t comment very often but wanted to share some observations…
1) JJ’s contract is a sunk cost. It will hamstring us in the future with the cap, so we have to do something about it now. We may have to sacrifice next year (much like the Mavs did this season) in order to get in a better place for the future. Something must be done though. Maybe we can trade him, kick in 5-6 mil/yr to help the receiving team with the contract, use the amnesty, free up future cap space and go find someone with the other ~$14 mil to help replace him. It is imperative that we address this now or else we risk slowly digressing until we are back in the lottery
2) Smoove is a baller but he plays undisciplined ball at critical times. I think a new coach, one that is respected, and one that will not tolerate his undisciplined style is imperative. However, this may not change anything. IMO, Smoove’s biggest problem is he feels like this is his team (since he has been here longer than any other) and therefore he needs to facilitate the offense. Until he understand his role, we will not see improvement. Maybe a well respected coach can get through to him to understand how his skills could be best utilized. If so, he would be a perennial all-star.
3) Teague just finished his rookie season imo. He has now started 76 reg season games. Not playing him until Hinrich went down in the playoffs delayed his growth as a player. He is not polished yet, but he is a guy that can facilitate the offense. I can’t see letting him go now unless we know we are bringing in a high quality PG.
4) I am not impressed with LD because I don’t feel the players show him enough respect. (see above about Smoove). In order to get a great coach, we need a quality GM. In order to bring in a quality GM, we need solid ownership. I am not sure this will be addressed this off season.
5) just wanted to throw in the fact that I am disappointed at how Tmac was used in the playoffs.
juice sourcer
May 16th, 2012
12:23 pm
If…ifs and buts were cherry and nuts we would all have a Merry Christmas…and if the Hawks made it to the finals they would have been humiliated by either San Antonio or Oklahoma City.
Larry
May 16th, 2012
12:26 pm
The Hawks are vanilla, uninteresting and boring…all leading to irrelevancy.
Larry
May 16th, 2012
12:36 pm
In all sports blogs, I’d be willing to bet that 99% of those fans always blaming ownership for poor player selection, poor coaching and poor play have never owned or operated a business in their lives…and never will!
Rod from College Park
May 16th, 2012
12:42 pm
“I agree that we needed more scoring. But to say that Jamal alone would have gotten us to the ECF? I disagree. Why is it both years he was here, we lost in the second round.”
We lost to better teams. I think we are better than Boston with Jamal (we could not score), and we probably are better than Philly with him (Philly shuts down Joe). Miami without Bosh is not a good team either.
Rudi
May 16th, 2012
12:42 pm
uhh, hawks went 0-3 against the sixers. No chance Hawks beat them
doc
May 16th, 2012
12:56 pm
rod, money honey. if jamal wanted a vet minimum he would have been welcomed with open arms. there wasnt enough in the budgeted kitty to bring him in as teams have to carry a certain number, right? i hear ya, but drop it rod, aint realistic and you are obsessed with it, until they get some more bread to spend on these guys or pick up someone being paid by someone else who might think this is his ticket to the nba finals, heh heh.
AlpharettaGuy
May 16th, 2012
12:57 pm
Back to the title of this thing, “Hawks Flub a Chance.” Consider this: Celtics are old, Bulls have no Rose, Miami is dysfunctional…Hawks have as good a chance as anyone next year if they can make a few moves. Standing pat won’t do anything.
Karma
May 16th, 2012
1:04 pm
The Atlanta spirit has taken a city with 4 teams and in my world cut it to 2. They sold the thrashers and I will never support them or go to philips until the Hawks are sold. Just left with braves and falcons. As soon as they are sold, and let’s face it the asg has mastered lying with the claims they are not for sale, I will be back. Until then they can continue to run this franchise into the ground. Thrilled NBA fined Gearon. Worst ownership in all of sports and a plague on this city.
Marcus
May 16th, 2012
1:04 pm
Mr. Bradley,
Yeah we definitely had a shot, and this Celtics team was not unbeatable. Man, it sux for our season to be over so early.
We can rail on LDs offense all we want, but there are other teams who run iso at ends of games as well. Folks (supposed NBA analysts) are poo-poing the chances of the 76ers and Pacers wining tight games due to lack of a “closer” and Lebron and D-Wade are catching heat (no pun intended) for not taking shots a la solo variety to win Game 2. Us Hawks fans can’t have it both ways, esp. if the culture and expectations of the NBA is to put the ball in your best players hands at the end of the game to win it or tie it. It not just a Hawks thing, it is across the league.
Shot selection in key moments remains a growth area.
tom
May 16th, 2012
1:08 pm
it just kills me to see the sixers win a game in boston! There’s a team that hasn’t had much playoff experience in the past 5 years and already they have a road playoff win in the second round. Only last year did these hawks register 1 second round playoff road win against a good bulls team.
Marcus
May 16th, 2012
1:17 pm
The Jamal thing is just speculation … he could just as easily shot us into a win vs. shot us into a loss.
PMC
May 16th, 2012
1:19 pm
Yet the city of Atlanta is lambasted because they have not fallen over themselves to pay ridiculous prices to go see one of the most inept franchises ever go through the motions night in and night out.
LawDawg
May 16th, 2012
1:19 pm
Par for the course. This franchise is pathetic.
Marcus
May 16th, 2012
1:21 pm
ditto SWAT native, Josh had a step on KG as the ball was in the air, and Pierce was late on backside help.
We had chances for 2 wins in BOS, missed both. Season over.
Josh
May 16th, 2012
1:22 pm
You do not win championships by being the least least bad team…you win championships by being great. And the Hawks were not great…
BravesFan79
May 16th, 2012
1:23 pm
I think our GM did a excellent job actually in bringing in Vrad (underused), Ivan, Tmac, Green and Pargo. I really like Crawford tho, but i thought steping up to get crawford in the first place was a huge step up for the Hawks back in 2009 or whatever year it was. We need to keep Sund as GM, and bring in a top notch coach to replace Drew. Because if Josh Smith turned into the player hes capable of being, and actually setting screens worth a damn instead of quickly giving up on it so he can take a long 2 instead, the Hawks would be EFC material every year!
Jeff Van Gundy for coach! And anyone who remembers the defensive intensity of the old Knicks or Rockets knows why!
SWAT Native
May 16th, 2012
1:30 pm
@ DawgNole – again, if Josh Smith finishes Game 2 (I believe the Hawks were winning when he left with about six minutes left) I believe they win that game. Even without him, it came down to the last possession. Remember, the Hawks won two out of three at home in that series. Yes, I believe the Hawks would have won Game 7!
JSS
May 16th, 2012
1:31 pm
Run away Hawks blog!!! Let it go, the series is done! Unless I’m reading about changes and Tyrone Hill is going out the door, there’s nothing to talk about really… Oh yeah, it doesn’t matter if some people don’t own a business. Irving Thalberg didn’t own MGM, but I bet you know who made that company great, it wasn’t Louie B. Mayer! Sounds like the fools who ran Lee Iacocca away from Ford, there are multiple ways to get to profitability!
drmaryb.(*_*).
May 16th, 2012
1:35 pm
Mr. Bradley
Can you please keep a Hawks Thread open for us this Summer?
Last Season during the lock out, us rabid Hawks Bloggers were locked out too. I don’t think we got more than 7even threads in four months. Even when we did get one, it would automatically close down in about 24 hours. Basically, we got nothing.
Please help us.
Jumboboard
May 16th, 2012
2:10 pm
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SWAT Native
May 16th, 2012
2:21 pm
Let me prolong the discussion and start a new controversy by noting that the Hawks won as many games as the number of points the Falcons scored in the playoffs. Which team really blew it?
Najeh, are you out there?