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
bid don
May 16th, 2012
2:37 pm
To the idiot who said the Hawks need to file a protest with the league over the blown call one thing immediately comes to mind. You must be a democrat because you beileve any could give a s… about a protest. And you’re probably a 99 percent protester sitting in your own filth bitching about the Hawks and complaining about “unfairness” and the evils of capitalism all along watching your frigging I Pad like a lion watching a freakin zebra grazing. F the Fing Hawks. Nuf said. They should never have been in that position to begin with. Hey,, Mr. Protester, why don’t you and your democatic idiot pals go protest out in front of the NBA offices over the blown call. The Hawks are to basket ball what salmonilla is to food. Just plain shitty.
O'Brien
May 16th, 2012
3:14 pm
As bad as the Hawks have been, they have 3 playoff series victories in the last 4 years. In that same time span, the Falcons have not won any playoff games (0-3), and the Braves have not even made it to the playoffs.
As for coaching, who would you rather have? LD, Dough Collins (Sixers coach) or Frank Vogel (Pacers coach). imo, I would rank LD 3′rd.
doc,
If the owners wanted to work the refs (complaining about KG), they should have let LD do the talking before the series started. Doug Collins told the refs to watch out for KG blah blah blah. Next thing you go, KG gets called for 3 moving screens in game 2. Before the Pacers-Heat series started, the Pacers coach went on radio and said the Heat are big floppers.
Before the Boston-Hawks series, LD should have talked to the refs from game 1 about the Celtics, or say it on the radio so it gets out. But this season, LD had 1 technical. He is a guy who keeps his mouth shut. He is probably afraid to get fined though (with his cheap salary).
O'Brien
May 16th, 2012
3:36 pm
If I’m not mistaken, Doc Rivers got 8 technical’s this season, Pacers coach (6), George Karl and Tom Thibodeau (5 each), Rick Carlisle, Mike Brown, Scott Brooks (4). LD and Mark Jackson are the only HC who had only one technical.
LakeDawg
May 16th, 2012
3:40 pm
We say it again: The Hawks really did flub a big fat chance
Of course they did. Smooooooooooove!
Jimmy Crack
May 16th, 2012
3:41 pm
Coulda, shoulda, woulda. You could have been a corporate titan or President of the Braves, Mark. Right now, you could be on your own private island sipping a margarita with your toes in the sand.
But no, you made some decision somewhere that changed all that, and here you are reading our crapola.
L Lovelace
May 16th, 2012
3:49 pm
mb this is partly your fault since you thought they were a lock to take down boston. you have to know any atl professional team is going to choke especially if the odds are in their favor to win. excluding death and taxes, if your a betting man, any atl pro team is pretty much a lock to take the bone if the odds favor them
DawgNole
May 16th, 2012
4:21 pm
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!
____________________
That doesn’t change the fact that ownership of ATL teams is to blame for “poor player selection, poor coaching, and poor play.”
Rod from College Park
May 16th, 2012
4:23 pm
“The Jamal thing is just speculation … he could just as easily shot us into a win vs. shot us into a loss.”
But the key is he would have shot it. There was not another guy on the team who was not scared to shoot it when it mattered except Josh, and we know what those results were. So if Jamal was on this team, this year would you rather him taking that 15 foot jump shot, or Josh? I know who I would choose, and we all know, it would have been a jump shot, because that is all this team does is shoot jumpers.
DawgNole
May 16th, 2012
4:33 pm
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!
________________________
“. . . again, IF Josh Smith finishes Game 2 . . .” blah blah blah.
IF!
It’s only two letters, but it’s a HUGE word in ATL, where it means yet another EXCUSE. If you can accept another round of IFs (EXCUSES) after nearly half a century–and it certainly appears that you can since you’ve just offered up one more–go right ahead.
After all this time, I want better than that. You should as well.
______________________
Rod from College Park
May 16th, 2012
4:36 pm
doc,
“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”
It was very realistic, and could have been done a number of ways. Could have amnestied Marvin, Traded Kirk Hinrich with an expiring contract at the deadline. Could have picked up a guy similar to Jamal (Barbosa, Nick Young, Jamal), at the deadline, but no, you stand pat and average 81ppg in the playoffs. No excuses. I knew we would have problems in the playoffs, and I don’t get paid by the Hawks, how could Sund or the coach not know. Organization as a whole is a joke. We went in the luxury tax anyway to pay guys like Stackhouse and Vlad, and they got no action in the playoffs at all. They reward guys who have no heart (Joe, and Marvin), disrespect guys who lay it on the line every game dispite their faults (Jamal and Josh), and can’t develop talent Teague, JC2, Ivan ……….
229Bravesfan
May 16th, 2012
4:36 pm
Unitl the Hawks have a new owner and GM, you can forget about the Hawks ever doing something in the playoffs.
Skeezix
May 16th, 2012
4:41 pm
I was surprised the Hawks got as far as they did. They just didn’t appear to be a well coached team or maybe they have some personnel/ego issues they need to correct.
SWAT Native
May 16th, 2012
4:42 pm
@ DawgNole – you asked me what makes me think the Hawks would have won Game 7 and I was explaining why. It’s all speculation either way. I also agree with Rod that IF the hawks had kept the “Celtic Killer” Jamal Crawford they would have won the series.
Of course I want more. Hope for better results is what keeps me a fan. But that doesn’t mean I have to trash my team when they lose.
DawgNole
May 16th, 2012
4:43 pm
O’Brien
May 16th, 2012
3:14 pm
As bad as the Hawks have been, they have 3 playoff series victories in the last 4 years. In that same time span, the Falcons have not won any playoff games (0-3), and the Braves have not even made it to the playoffs.
______________________
Is the fact that the Falcons and Braves have performed even more miserably in the postseason over the past 4 years than the Hawks somehow supposed to make us feel better about the Hawks?
Skeezix
May 16th, 2012
5:07 pm
Duh…the Braves were in the postseason in 2010.
cdog
May 16th, 2012
5:08 pm
josh, joe, jeff, are fine.need to get dwight howard. if you get rid of larry drew and rick sund, replace them with van gundy, danny ainge,even majic or someone who is about championship first because if you win, the money will come in. with sund, it’s money first and championship never.howard would come home if you’re doing what it takes to win a championship. if sund and drew stays, atlanta hawks franchise is doom to lose for seasons to come
Up
May 16th, 2012
5:15 pm
Hawks did well to push Boston to 6. Should have been a sweep or 5 game series. Boston is too much for the Hawks. I believe the team in the driver seat and the Eastern conference champ will be the Celtics. So no, the Hawks did not blow an opportunity, what was supposed to happen….happened.
btwarren
May 16th, 2012
5:19 pm
The Hawks problem is even though Woody is gone,they still rely on ISO JO in crunch time. If you will notice, during crunch time, Joe gets the ball from Teague dribbles in the same spot for 15 seconds and then either jacks up a bad shot, bounces it off his foot, gets it stolen, makes a bad pass out of bounds or occassionally makes the tough shot. They live and die with that and in the end they usually die. Second problem is Teague either doesn’t have confidence in himself at crunch time or LD doesn’t. Not sure which but if you notice any time Teague makes a mistake his starts shaking his head and looking not very confident or he tries too hard on the next possission and messes up becasue he is trying to hard. Third problem, Josh needs to stop trying to lead the break if he is worried about teague making a mistake he is the one getting the ball stolen or dribbling it off his foot. Teague will not get better if he isn’t the one leading the breaks. Coach needs to make Josh stop this. Horford too.
nomi76
May 16th, 2012
6:47 pm
Hawks really did blow a tremendous opportunity…..the path to the NBA Finals was opening up for them perfectly but all they could do is trip over themselves…much like the Falcons blew it in the 2008-09 playoffs with the loss at Arizona which really stung even more after the top seeded Giants lost at home to the 6 seeded Eagles which means the Falcons could have hosted the NFC Championship game…same old story for ATL teams
If the Hawks want to go anywhere next year and get out of this mediocrity hell they need to make just one move….trade JJ and Horford or Smoove for D Howard. This is the only trade that gives the Magic any real value for Howard before they lose him for nothing.
LakeDawg
May 16th, 2012
6:49 pm
The Celtics are iminately beatable. They might make the finals, but that says more about the Eastern Conference than the Celtics. They are on their last gasp. The Hawks could have easily won that series in 6 instead of losing it in 6. The fact they didn’t tells us everything we need to know about the Hawks. If not this year, then NEVER. Of course, anybody that knows human nature has known this for at least two years.
Harpie
May 16th, 2012
7:07 pm
The Hawks are not going to do squat until they get a coach! Larry Drew is a nincompoop.
JSS
May 16th, 2012
8:18 pm
“Is the fact that the Falcons and Braves have performed even more miserably in the postseason over the past 4 years than the Hawks somehow supposed to make us feel better about the Hawks?”
No, but you’d think idiot Braves and Falcons supporters would learn their place on the totem pole of post-season losers!
DawgNole
May 17th, 2012
12:22 pm
SWAT Native
May 16th, 2012
4:42 pm
@ DawgNole – you asked me what makes me think the Hawks would have won Game 7 and I was explaining why. It’s all speculation either way. I also agree with Rod that IF the hawks had kept the “Celtic Killer” Jamal Crawford they would have won the series.
Of course I want more. Hope for better results is what keeps me a fan. But that doesn’t mean I have to trash my team when they lose.
___________________
I did NOT ask you what makes you think the Hawks could beat the Celtics in Game 7. You wrote that their was “no way” they could’ve beaten the Hawks in the Highlight Factory in Game 7, and I simply pointed out that they had done so less than a week prior, so their obviously was “a way.”
I did NOT mention Rod or Jamal Crawford at all.
I did NOT suggest that you “have to trash my [your] team when they lose.”
If you want to engage in discussion, fine, but don’t distort what I’ve written.
Mr Mojo
May 17th, 2012
12:57 pm
Jerry Sloan is the answer. If they are bringing the same team back they will need a real coach.
Mr Mojo
May 17th, 2012
12:59 pm
Joe and Teague to the Nets for Deron Williams..If the Nets feel they can’t sign him they are going to want to trade him rather than get nothing. Moving to Brooklyn they will need to be somewhat competitve.
kuhndog
May 17th, 2012
9:58 pm
I like Larry D but he did not show enough passion towards the refs. or his players when they needed it, if there is a better coach out there ie.J Sloan than I would go for it.If you can get something decent for JJ I would do it he is on the last 3 years of his contract and I can guarantee he will get injured next year.I hate to see it cause JJ is a great hawk in my eyes,brought bball back to ATL.I think Josh S requires a little more thought,if you can get a premium return yes or wait it out til the trade dead line.Marvin W I think if JJ or Josh is gone he will play a little better,but of the 3 JJ Josh and Marvin ,Marvin would be my first choice to go.Now the Heat lost game 3 Hibbert needs to be suspended Bosh was the second super star raped by Hibbert that i know of,Horford was first,come on league get your crap together. The refs. and the leauge want ATL to have a b ball team but they dont want to give us fair calls or any respect call it a cop out but that is my opinion.GO HAWKS