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Posted by: Micah Hart at 5:26PM EST on February 29, 2008
Wednesday the Hawks got a much-needed win in their first home game after the
brutal West Coast trip. It was a big boost to the team's confidence, as I think
it showed them that things aren't as bad as they may have seemed on the road.
Not that Mike Bibby didn't play well on the road, but his first game in
Atlanta definitely showed how much better the Hawks offense can look with a
top-flight point guard at the helm.
Tonight presents another game for the Hawks that should help build some
momentum. The Knicks, let's face it, are a mess.
This clip, which has been making the rounds on the intertubes, puts
their performance this season in perspective.
Atlanta should get a win tonight in front of the home crowd, but they can't
just show up and expect it to be done with. Bad though they may seem, New York
has actually beaten several of the league's elite teams (no one disputes the
Knicks' talent - its the way the pieces fit together that most take issue).
As the Al Horford for Rookie of the Year campaign builds steam, tonight
presents a chance for him to add to his streak of double-doubles (in it's
infancy at two) as he faces off against Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph, neither of
whom you'll see on many All-Defensive teams at year's end. If he can stay out of
foul trouble (which actually will be tough, as both aforementioned players are
terrific offensively), I am going to go out on a limb and say he nets a
career-high in points tonight.
And speaking of Al's ROY candidacy, I couldn't leave for the afternoon
without sharing this:
Big props to "Big Al", the creator of the above video - according to his
Facebook profile, the dude is from Croatia. We are going global on this, man!
Come down to Philips tonight to see the Hawks get their second straight - one
that becomes all-the-more-important when you consider they have to travel to
Boston on Sunday to face the Celtics.
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Posted by: Micah Hart at 11:54AM EST on February 28, 2008
Hawks fans saw exactly what they needed to out of Mike Bibby in the first half
last night, and it was a sight to behold. Dishing out assists left and right
(while not turning the ball over), he helped the team to a 40-point first
quarter on the way to a season-high 123 points on the night. Not bad,
considering Marvin Williams was out with the flu and his backup, Acie Law,
missed a fourth straight game with a wrist injury. Atlanta played exciting
basketball last night, and hopefully showed the form that will lead their
playoff push over the last 27 games of the season.
-- Mike Bibby had an outstanding home debut, turning in a 24-point, 12-assist performance in the Hawks 123-117 win over Sacramento at Philips Arena on Wednesday ... Bibby actually had a double-double at the half (11 pts/10 assts/0 turnovers).
-- Josh Childress was huge off the bench, scoring 22 of his 25 in the second half ... Joe Johnson scored a team-high 26, Al Horford had 16 pts and 14 boards (his second straight double-double), and Josh Smith added 14 pts and 10 rebs.
-- The Hawks' starting backcourt tandem of Bibby and Johnson combined for 50 points and 18 assists, hitting 15-30 FGs, 7-12 3 FGs and 13-14 FTs.
-- The Hawks had their best offensive quarter of the season (40) in the first, and held the lead the remainder of the night, recording 28 assists.
-- Atlanta and Sacramento split the season series for the second straight year.
-- Atlanta hosts New York at Philips Arena on Friday (7:30 p.m., SportSouth, 790 AM).
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Posted by: Micah Hart at 4:58PM EST on February 27, 2008
Mike Bibby makes his Hawks home debut tonight as the team thankfully returns
home from a brutal West Coast road trip. The media was out in force to talk to
him today at shootaround - it's kinda weird to think this is their first chance
to see him up close and personal since he's already played five games, but such
is life on the road.
But
for those who still can't believe we traded for him, it's legit. He has a locker
and everything.
I don't think anyone expected us, Bibby or no Bibby, to do exceptionally well
on the last road trip. Many teams in the East have gone 1-4 on trips through the Western Conference.
That the Hawks just did that is certainly not a good thing, but it's not out of
line with what the rest of the East has done. But starting tonight I like to
think we'll start to see what this team is capable of going forward with Bibby
at the controls, hobbled though he might be (he is still limping a good bit from
the heel injury he sustained in the Lakers game).
It's easy to get panicky with the injuries and the losses, but once again, we
have to keep things in perspective. The fact is, Atlanta is 1.5 games out of the playoffs, and with 28 games left
to play, still very much in the thick of it. But while excuses can be made to
explain losing out West, we will be fresh out of them if we can't turn it around
now, starting tonight with the Hawks-Kings mini-reunion.
Larry Drew spoke about it in
Breaking Down the Kings today, but for the Hawks to win tonight they've
got to do a better job of transition defense and slowing down Ron Artest, who
was just too much physically for them in the loss at Sacramento last week.
Bret did a good job over at Hoopinion (a terrific Hawks blog, if you aren't
reading it currently) breaking down
what the Hawks need to do the rest of the season to make the playoffs. I
for one think they can pull it off.
Hopefully tonight against the Kings, we'll see the team begin its final push
towards getting it done.
Come down to Philips to check it out for yourself.
-- The Hawks finished up their road trip with an 89-74 loss at San Antonio on Monday.
-- The Hawks' defense was stifling to start, as they held the Spurs to just 5 first quarter points (on 1-17 FGs), the least Atlanta has ever allowed in a quarter, and the lowest amount the Spurs have ever scored in a period ... At the half, Atlanta was up, 37-30 ... But the Spurs began the second half on a 21-4 run to go up 10 (51-41), and led 57-48 through three ... After cutting the deficit to six in the fourth, Atlanta could get no closer.
-- Joe Johnson paced the Hawks with 17, while Zaza Pachulia added 14 ... Rookie of the year candidate Al Horford pitched in with 12 pts and 13 boards, his team-high 13th double-double, best among all NBA rookies.
-- The Hawks have dropped their last 10 contests in San Antonio.
-- Atlanta returns home to host the Sacramento Kings at Philips Arena on Wednesday (7 p.m., SportSouth, 790 AM).
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Posted by: Micah Hart at 5:20PM EST on February 25, 2008
The West Coast hasn't been particularly kind to the Hawks this season. To be fair, it hasn't been kind to many teams (if any). The Hawks get their last chance to add a win to their total when they face the simple task of playing the defending champs tonight in San Antonio - with the Spurs struggling mightily, winning only 9 of their last 10.
I kid of course - the Spurs are playing lights out, which makes tonight a very tough proposition. However, I think we've seen some signs of life in the last couple games, at least offensively (defensively, it may be a different story).
Mike Bibby definitely adds a component to the Hawks offense that was missing before, and as the guys get more used to playing together, I think we'll see the team continue to get easier and better shots. It may not happen tonight, or in the next couple games, but sometime soon I think we'll see the real difference between the Hawks +Bibby and -Bibby.
As for tonight - it won't be easy, and the Spurs have beaten us 9 straight in San Antone. Still, the Hawks showed some mettle rallying against the Jazz twice on Saturday. If they hadn't turned the ball over so much, they might have won that game. So, if they can take care of the rock tonight, I think they may even have a shot at finishing this trip with a W. Crazier things have happened, right?
Tune in tonight at 8:30 ET on SportSouth to catch all the action.
-- Playing against the best home team in the NBA, the Hawks fought back from a 19-point deficit to take a lead, only to drop a 100-94 decision at Utah on Saturday.
-- The Hawks trailed, 23-17, through one ... Falling behind as many as 19 in the second quarter, Atlanta drained four three-pointers (three by Mike Bibby) in the final 1:17 of the half to get within 47-40, despite 15 first half turnovers ... The Hawks continued their rally, eventually taking the lead, 58-56, midway through the third .. However, Utah ended the quarter with a 17-4 run and led 73-62 through three ... After falling behind by 16, the Hawks once again fought back with a 13-0 run to cut the lead to 82-79.
-- Josh Smith led the Hawks with 30 points and 12 boards (his 12th double-double of the season), while Mike Bibby added 18 points and 9 assists ... Marvin Williams scored 16 and Joe Johnson finished 1 assist shy of a triple double (14 pts/10 rebs/9 assts).
-- The Hawks (7-15 from long range tonight) have made 31-69 3-pointers (44.9%) in the four games since the Bibby trade.
-- Atlanta has now lost 14 straight at Utah, last winning in Salt Lake City on 2/13/93 (121-112).
-- Acie Law missed his second straight contest with a sprained right wrist, and his status remains day-to-day.
-- The Hawks wrap up their five-game West coast trip on Monday at San Antonio (8:30 ET, SportSouth, 790 AM).
-- The Hawks led by as many as 23, weathered Golden State's second-half run behind an outstanding team effort, and closed out a 117-110 win in Oakland on Friday, snapping a six-game losing streak.
-- Atlanta opened strong, leading 35-23 after one, hitting 60.9% of their shots in the period ... After leading by as many as 20 in the second quarter, the Hawks held a 68-50 halftime advantage ... Golden State ate into the lead in the third, trimming it to 5 (94-89) through three ... But the Hawks gathered their composure and finished out for the win, never trailing in the contest.
-- Atlanta has won four straight over Golden State, and eight-of-11.
-- Joe Johnson led the way with 27 points, Josh Smith and Mike Bibby had 17 each, Josh Childress put in 13 and Marvin Williams tallied 10 with a career-high 14 rebounds.
-- Salim Stoudamire saw his most action (23 minutes) since Nov 16 vs Seattle, and responded with a season-high 18 points ... In the second quarter, Stoudamire became the first player in Atlanta history with two four-point plays in his career .... He was also the last Hawk to record one (12/4/05 at Phoenix).
-- Smith also grabbed his 2000th career rebound tonight.
-- Acie Law missed tonight's contest with a sprained right wrist, and his status remains day-to-day.
-- The Hawks play their fourth game in five nights on Saturday at Utah (9 p.m. ET, FSN South, 790 AM).
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Posted by: Micah Hart at 4:16PM EST on February 22, 2008
A long time ago, a group of witches bought group tickets to a Hawks game. They showed up on time, but the giveaway item that night had already been given out. The line for the bathrooms was too long. Their cinnapretzel was hard as a rock. And to top it off, one of the Hawks point guards zipped a pass to a teammate that went through his hands and right at their seats, spilling their beers and hotdogs all over them.
Needless to say, these witches were upset. So irate were they, that they immediately went home and put a curse on the Hawks point guards, damning them to be injured at least 85% of the time the moment they donned a Hawks uniform.
Ok, I can't really vouch for the veracity of that story, but at this point, it almost seems plausible. Why can't Hawks point guards stay healthy?
This weekend the Hawks face a brutal back-to-back, taking on the fastbreaking Golden State Warriors tonight before facing the bruising, physical Utah Jazz tomorrow. It doesn't promise to be easy, especially for a team struggling to get its confidence back after losing six straight.
Still, everyone goes through injuries and rough patches in the NBA - no one is going to cut the Hawks any slack.
Both Mike Bibby and Acie Law are questionable to play, but both are tough enough I imagine we'll see at least a little of both in each game.
In their absence, it will be up to Joe Johnson and Josh Childress, most likely, to shoulder the load.
I'd be pretty pleased with a split, I don't mind telling you. I like our chances tonight more than at Utah, where we haven't won in 13 years.
We have had success against Golden State in the past, and we have the horses to run with them even without Bibby or Law. If the Hawks can keep the Warriors from breaking any big scoring runs, I think they can gather up the strength to take home a much needed victory.
Since it's the weekend, I will assume it'll be easier for everyone to stay up and watch the West Coast start times.
Tonight should be entertaining if nothing else - tune into SportSouth at 10:30 to catch all the action.
Tomorrow night's game is a little earlier - 9:00 on FSN.
Here's to breaking out of a slump, and breaking whatever spell is over the health of our guards.
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Posted by: Micah Hart at 11:28AM EST on February 21, 2008
A tough loss last night in Sacramento, as the Hawks rebounded from the
Lakers game to play well before the Kings pulled away late. Unfortunately,
injuries are starting to pile up, and this will shock you, in the Hawks
backcourt. Acie Law went down hard on his wrist in the 3rd quarter last night
and as of last report
was going to get an MRI on it.
Hopefully he'll be ok, especially because he has really started to play well in
support of Mike Bibby.
Today is the NBA trade deadline, and though I don't
expect us to be involved in anything, I will keep you posted should that change.
But
for those who still can't believe we traded for him, it's legit. He has a locker
and everything.