Pardon my terrible pun, it's nearly quitting time on a Friday. Still, the question was raised. Can we beat Chicago?

They have fairly owned us of late, winning ten straight in the series. In Breaking down the Bulls with Coach Bender today, he talked about the Bulls physicality and toughness, which we have had a tough time matching. So, there you have it - the key to beating Chicago is matching their strength and intensity. Seems easy enough right?

In all seriousness though, the Hawk have been in a funk this last week, losing five straight games, third worst streak of the season. To snap it against a team as good as the Bulls, Bender hit it right on the head. We have to come out and be aggressive and tough and take the fight to them instead of letting them dictate tempo and speed. Chicago is a tough team, but they aren't invincible. They just do a lot of the little things that makes the difference in a lot of games over the course of a season. But if we show up ready to go to war for 48 minutes, we can come away with a victory. We almost had one back in January, but allowed the Bulls to get back into it late before they won in overtime. Hopefully, the sting of five consecutive losses will be fuel enough to see the Hawks come out fighting mad.

In other news, the Final Four is this weekend at the Georgia Dome. None of the Hawks players have any connections to the teams involved (as discussed earlier in today's trivia question), but I imagine they will still take a strong interest in all the hoopla that will be going on this weekend around the city.

I spoke to Royal Ivey, who was a player in the 2003 Final Four at Texas, about what it is like to play on college basketball's biggest stage. I was at that Final Four as well, as I traveled all the way from Syracuse, NY to root on my beloved Longhorns. Just looking at his face as he remembered the experience, I could tell it really was one of the greatest things he's ever been a part of. I for one am looking forward to the games, and will be in attendance for both semifinal games on Saturday as well as the title game on Monday.

My picks? I say Florida out-toughts UCLA and Georgetown squeezes by Ohio State, followed by a repeat victory by the Gators on Monday night.

Either way, should be a very fun weekend of basketball, college and pro, in the Atlanta area. Come out to Philips on Sunday and help root the Hawks on to a much-needed victory.

See you there!

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Pretty easy question today (at least in my opinion). The only player on the two rosters who went to one of the schools in the final four this season is the Bulls' Michael Sweetney, who played for the Georgetown Hoyas.

Congrats to Kevin M., who wins tickets to Sunday's game.

Back with a little more on the weekend in a bit!

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I'm a big trivia fan - I love trying to stump his co-workers with various bits of random information throughout the day. So, to have a little fun this year, we are going to be asking a trivia question the morning of every home game - usually around 10:00 am. At that point, you are free to email in your answer to that day's question. Around 2:00 p.m., we will look through all the responses, and one correct answer will be chosen at random as the winner. (Click here for official rules).

And what will they receive for their efforts, you ask? Why, they will get two free tickets to that night's home game! Hooray!

It's that simple! So remember to come to the Hawks BasketBlog every morning of every home game for a chance to win tickets for that night's game! Note: Tickets to weekend games will be given away on Fridays - so today's question will be for Sunday's game against Chicago.

Okay, take a look at today's question and give it a shot!
 

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Last night was the McDonald's All-American game, featuring the alleged best high school players in the country (I say alleged because Neil Fingleton was once one - if you don't know who that is, that should tell you part of the story - but he was a 7-6 stiff who was committed to North Carolina but ended up going to Holy Cross where he barely played. Point being, you have to take these rosters with just a slight grain of salt).

I didn't see much of the game as I was watching the Hawks get drubbed by the Bobcats yet again (I think Charlotte has some sort of mental hold on us - I can't think of any other explanation), but it did remind me to post this: in 2004 both Marvin Williams and Josh Smith played in the McDonalds game as well as several other high school all-star competitions. Here is a link to one of those events, where you see Marvin posterizing his future teammate. Funny stuff.

One thing I do enjoy about the game now is that no matter how well someone does, they cannot jump directly to the pros based on their performance. I grew up in Jackson, MS, and watched too many Mississippi State commits use the McDonald's game as a springboard to a pro career (Jonathan Bender, Monta Ellis). I even wrote an article after the 2004 game, after watching Josh Smith display the talents we have come to know and love here in Atlanta.

Might there be any future Hawks on last night's rosters? We'll have to check back in a couple years (at least) to know the answer to that one.

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Atlanta Hawks (27-45) at Charlotte Bobcats (27-45)

POINTS
Atlanta -- Josh Smith, 25
Charlotte -- Gerald Wallace, 31

REBOUNDS
Atlanta -- Josh Smith, 15
Charlotte -- Gerald Wallace, 9

ASSISTS
Atlanta -- Anthony Johnson, 5
Charlotte -- Raymond Felton, 10

FG%
Atlanta -- .400
Charlotte -- .487

FT%
Atlanta -- .724
Charlotte -- .700

-- The Charlotte Bobcats outscored the Atlanta Hawks 101-87 Wednesday at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena.

-- The loss dropped the Hawks to 27-46 on the season.

-- Gerald Wallace tallied a game-high 31 on 12-of-16 field goals and grabbed a team-high nine boards.

-- Josh Smith carried those honors for Atlanta with 25 points and 15 rebounds.

-- Marvin Williams also recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Salim Stoudamire and Lorenzen Wright finished with 12 and 10 points respectively.

-- The Hawks trailed by five after the first (25-20) and at the half (49-44), before cutting the deficit to two, 56-54, at the 8:02 mark of the third. Charlotte proceeded to go on a 13-2 run over the next four minutes to take a 13-point lead (69-56).

-- The Bobcats never relinquished the lead en route to their 27th win of the season, equaling the Hawks in the standings.

-- Charlotte capitalized on 22 Hawks turnovers, scoring 28 points and dominated in the paint, outscoring Atlanta 50-42.

-- Atlanta returns to action Sunday afternoon at 2 pm when the Hawks host Chicago at Philips Arena. (790 AM, no TV).

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Let's start out by talking about this tanking nonsense. The Hawks are not out to try to lose tonight just because it will help them in the lottery. It's a silly line of thinking - first of all, the pick isn't guaranteed to be there because it's a lottery, and secondly, the two players everyone is salivating over (Greg Oden and Kevin Durant) could easily end up staying in school. Not saying that's going to happen, but the point is its all an unknown, so why soil your reputation by coming out with less than your best?

The Hawks need to learn how to win, as we have said many times. Without Joe in the lineup, it's all the more crucial that the guys develop the muscle memory of what to do in late game situations so as to avoid crushing losses like Friday's loss to Portland.

Tanking would take that away from us, and as much as a loss might help our bottom line in gaining a draft pick, I'd much rather have the continued experience of winning.

Plus, I am tired of losing to Charlotte! They are an expansion team, they should not be taking three of four from us every year. A win tonight would give us a split on the season, and I want that split.

It won't be easy though, as the Bobcats are expected to get several injured players back in time for tonight's tilt. Emeka Okafor (out the last 15 games with a calf injury - I guess those are going around), Raymond Felton (thigh bruise), and Gerald Wallace (severe cramping (?) and a sore hip) are all expected to play.

So to recap - tanking bad. Winning good. Evened series good.

Tune in at 7:00 on FSN South to catch all the action!

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Tonight we play the Bobcats in Charlotte in the fourth and final meeting between the two teams this season. More on that later.

Today we have a much more important match-up with the Bobcats that requires - nay- commands your attention.

The A-Town Dancers face off against the Charlotte Lady Cats in the NBA Dance Team Bracket. Voting is today. Tell your friends to go to the page and represent the A. Come on, we can't lose to Charlotte for god's sake. Vote. Do it now. I will wait...

There, that's better.

 

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Atlanta Hawks (27-45) at Miami Heat (38-32)

POINTS
Atlanta -- Salim Stoudamire, 22
Miami -- Shaquille O'Neal, 22

REBOUNDS
Atlanta (34) -- Marvin Williams, 8
Miami (39) -- Shaquille O'Neal,11

ASSISTS
Atlanta (19) -- Anthony Johnson, 6
Miami (20) -- Jason Williams, 5

FG%
Atlanta -- .500
Miami -- .493

FT%
Atlanta -- .786
Miami -- .711

-- Shaquille O'Neal delivered his sixth double-double of the season Monday as the world champion Miami Heat beat the Atlanta Hawks, 106-89.

-- O'Neal had 22 points and 11 rebounds and even made 11 free throws, as Miami won its 38th game of the season.

-- The Hawks fell to 27-45, losing its third in a row.

-- Atlanta has dropped its last eight road games, winning its last game in Los Angeles (Clippers) on February 14.

-- With Esteban Batista's quick six points in the first quarter (he finished with eight), he became the sixth Atlanta player to score his season or career high since Joe Johnson's departure -- joining Josh Smith (career), Josh Childress (season), Zaza Pachulia (career), Salim Stoudamire (career) and Anthony Johnson (season).

-- Salim Stoudamire led the Hawks 22 points.

-- Miami shot a season high 45 free throws, making 32, with O'Neal shooting 20, more than the entire Atlanta team (14).

-- The Hawks wrap up this brief road trip Wednesday at Charlotte (7 pm, 790 AM, FSN South).

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The Hawks held their annual Spring charity event on Saturday night, the aptly-titled "Hawks Bowl-n-Ball" at Ten Pin Alley at Atlantic Station. It was a fun time for all who were there, as fans got to meet and mingle with all of the Hawks players, coaches, and front-office staff during a night of bowling, pool, and cards, all in the name of raising money for the Hawks Foundation. Here are some pictures from the evening, courtesy of Colby Kidd.

I don't know if all NBA players are like this, but the Hawks love to bowl. Many of them own their own balls, and Marvin (pictured right) apparently routinely breaks 200. I am definitely recruiting him to join my league the next time I play.

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Atlanta Hawks (27-44) vs Dallas Mavericks (58-12)

POINTS
Atlanta -- two with 21
Dallas -- two with 28

REBOUNDS
Atlanta (38) -- Zaza Pachulia, 13
Dallas (39) -- DeSagana Diop, 9

ASSISTS
Atlanta (15) -- Anthony Johnson, 4
Dallas (23) -- Jerry Stackhouse, 8

FG%
Atlanta -- .529
Dallas -- .412

FT%
Atlanta -- .816
Dallas -- .833

-- Behind 83 points from Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard and Jason Terry, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Atlanta Hawks in a tough Sunday afternoon affair, 104-97, before a sellout crowd of 19,322 at Philips Arena.

-- Nowitzki and Howard led all scorers with 28 points, while Terry tossed in 27.

-- Atlanta's Josh duo of Childress and Smith each scored 21, Tyronn Lue had 15 and Zaza Pachulia finished with 14.

-- The Hawks overcame a 23-point first half deficit to take the lead (79-77) with 8:15 remaining, but the defending Western Conference finalists outscored Atlanta 34-18 down the stretch.

-- Atlanta got back into this game by the aggressiveness they showed to get to the charity stripe, shooting and making season highs of 40-of-49 FTs.

-- The Hawks also capitalized on 17 Maverick turnovers, scoring 27 points.

-- Additionally, Atlanta outscored Dallas 78-65 after the first quarter.

-- Monday, the Hawks face the Miami Heat at the American Airlines Arena (7:30 pm, 790 AM, FSN South).


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Atlanta Hawks (27-43) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (29-40)

POINTS
Atlanta -- Salim Stoudamire, 37
Portland -- LaMarcus Aldridge, 27

REBOUNDS
Atlanta (43) -- Josh Childress, 12
Portland (53) -- Jamaal Magliore, 16

ASSISTS
Atlanta (27) -- Anthony Johnson, 10
Portland (20) -- Jarrett Jack, 7

FG%
Atlanta -- .419
Portland -- .407

FT%
Atlanta -- .947
Portland -- .750

-- Despite a career-high 37 from Atlanta's Salim Stoudamire, the visiting Portland Trail Blazers posted a 102-100 victory before 14,884 Friday at Philips Arena.

-- Stoudamire made 14-of-20 field goals and six three pointers in 33 minutes.

-- Josh Childress had 18 of his 22 points in the first half as Atlanta took a 47-40 lead into the lockerroom at the half.

-- He also grabbed 12 boards for his seventh double-double of the year.

-- Josh Smith also had a double-double, his team-leading 27th, finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds. He also had five assists and five blocked shots.

-- Zaza Pachulia rounded the players with 10-or-more points -- he had 11.

-- The Hawks next host the Dallas Mavericks and former Atlanta guard Jason Terry in a Sunday afternoon affair at 1 pm (790 AM).


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Two games on the slate this weekend, and against two completely different opponents. One we beat handily on their court, one they whipped us like they were our daddy.

Portland and Dallas are both Western Conference teams, but the similarities pretty much end there. The Mavs are right in the middle of the greatest stretch the franchise has ever known; the Blazers are pretty much at their lowest point.

One team we will have to play our best against to even compete, the other we have to guard against taking too lightly. Hopefully, the chips will fall our way and we will have a chance to pull out two wins.

In breaking down the Blazers today with Hawks coach Greg Ballard, he talked about Portland's youth movement. Personally, I think they are a dangerous, dangerous team despite their record and the fact that Zach Randolph may not play. LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, Jarrett Jack, and Sergio Rodriguez are all good young players who can beat teams despite their inexperience. If we go in thinking we can just show up and win tonight, we will be in trouble.

Sunday is a different story. As everyone knows, the Mavs have been nearly unbeatable since starting the season 0-4. We hung with them for about a quarter in Dallas last month before they turned out the lights on us. Larry Drew said something interesting today in breaking down the Mavericks, stating that for us to beat Dallas we need to get out and run and, in a sense, outscore them. I always thought of Dallas as an offensive juggernaut like the Suns, so it's interesting to hear that strategy.

I also spoke to Anthony Johnson, who is quite familiar with the Mavs having spent the first half of the season on their roster, about how to beat them.

Basically, we have to play our best game of the season and hope we catch them on an off-night. That's not to say we aren't capable of winning  - witness some of our better wins this season against Phoenix and Detroit - but anything less than 100% effort for all 48 minutes will make it very, very difficult.

Either way, both games should be a lot of fun. Oh, and don't forget - Sunday's game against Dallas is a 1:00 ET start, not 2:00 as it originally said on the schedule. Make a note of it.

See you there!

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Tough question today asking what is the most consecutive seasons the team has improved it's win total from the previous year. The answer? Four. In 1975-76, the Hawks went 29-53, and improved on that record in each of the four seasons thereafter, from 31-51 in 76-77 to 41-41 in 77-78 to 46-36 in 78-79 and finally to 50-32 in 79-80.

We have two winners today for two games - Dave E. wins tonight's tickets, and Gerald T. wins for Sunday. Congrats to you both.

Back in a bit with a preview of the weekend...

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I'm a big trivia fan - I love trying to stump his co-workers with various bits of random information throughout the day. So, to have a little fun this year, we are going to be asking a trivia question the morning of every home game - usually around 10:00 am. At that point, you are free to email in your answer to that day's question. Around 2:00 p.m., we will look through all the responses, and one correct answer will be chosen at random as the winner. (Click here for official rules).

And what will they receive for their efforts, you ask? Why, they will get two free tickets to that night's home game! Hooray!

It's that simple! So remember to come to the Hawks BasketBlog every morning of every home game for a chance to win tickets for that night's game! Note: Tickets to weekend games will be given away on Fridays - so today's question will have two winners, one for today and one for Sunday's game against Dallas.

Okay, take a look at today's question and give it a shot!
 

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Atlanta Hawks (27-42) vs Miami Heat (37-30)

SCORING
Atlanta -- Josh Smith, 27
Miami -- Jason Williams, 19

REBOUNDS
Atlanta (45) -- Marvin Williams, 12
Miami (40) -- three with 7

ASSISTS
Atlanta (25) -- two with 5
Miami (25) -- Jason Williams, 8

FG%
Atlanta -- .402
Miami -- .500

FT%
Atlanta -- .625
Miami -- .667

-- The Atlanta Hawks saw their five-game home winning streak come to an end Wednesday in a 91-83 loss to the world champion Miami Heat before a sellout crowd of 19,089 at Philips Arena.

-- Josh Smith tallied a game-high 27 points on 12-of-26 FGs, grabbed nine rebounds, and added four blocks, three assists and three steals.

-- Others in double-digit scoring for Atlanta included -- Marvin Williams (16), Salim Stoudamire (13) and Zaza Pachulia (10).

-- Atlanta is now 27-42 with 13 games remaining.

-- Marvin Williams had the first consecutive double-double of his career.

-- This was Atlanta's seventh sellout of the season.

-- Jason Williams' 21 points led six Heat scorers in double figures.

-- The Hawks host Portland Friday at Philips (7:30 pm, 790 AM, Sportsouth).


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8:58 - The fourth begins with a dunk by the Heat's Michael Doleac. Jonathan Carl adds that Doleac was voted as the "Slowest Player In The League" by an ESPN poll of NBA players. Bully for him.

9:00 - Antoine Walker misses a pair of FTs, and the Heat are now faring just as poorly from the line as we are - 6/13 for the game. The Hawks have a couple chances to cut into the lead, but we just aren't hitting our shots tonight. Another basket by Doleac, who now has ten, makes it a 14-point game with 8:24 left at 75-61. We are playing better basketball right now, but we just can't seem to hit enough shots to climb back into it. This is where not having Joe available really hurts us.

9:03 - A bunch of celebs in the house for tonight's game - Jerome Bettis, Charles Woodson, Alge Crumpler, and former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield. I think he knows he is here.

9:04 - Josh Smith intercepts a pass and goes in uncontested for a seriously-ill windmill jam. It gets the crowd pretty pumped, but we still trail by 12, 77-65. If we are going to make a run, it's gotta get started now.

9:06 - Zaza gives Shaq a nice pump-fake and drives, drawing the foul, but comes up clutching his right elbow. He is wincing, but staying in the game. It'll take more than that to take him out of the game Dorrell Wright!

9:09 - Marvin has now tied his career-high with 11 rebounds (set on Monday), and gets a nice assist from T-Lue for a basket to make it 79-68 with five minutes left. The Heat are getting contributions from their entire team tonight, as six players are in double figures for them. No one on the team has more than 13 points.

9:12 - Marvin hits a deuce from the corner and we are down nine. We need a defensive stand...and we get it! Steal by Childress, intercepting an entry pass, and he gets fouled going to the hole the other way. The foul was on the floor though, so no free throws. Josh Smith misses the jumper, and another opportunity goes by - but he more than makes up for it with a block at the other end and then a vicious dunk! A steal by Marvin and a basket by AJ! Hawks down five with three minutes left! Timeout Heat! Additional comment by me ending in an exclamation point!

9:16 - Drat. J-Will banks a runner, and then Josh Childress gets called for an offensive foul. 81-74 Heat with 2:37 left. Gotta get a stop here.

9:18 - Lorenzen Wright makes the right call, fouling Shaq in the lane and sending him to the line. He hits the first...and the second. I take back all the nice things I said about him earlier tonight. Josh Smith gets to the rack for two, and it's back to seven points. Smith blocks a jumper and scores on the other end for the second time this quarter, it's down to five...a steal by Chill! He misses the lay-up but gets fouled, and he will shoot free throws for a chance to cut it to three with 1:17 left. First one good. Second one good. 83-80 Heat.

9:21 - Jason Williams, Hawks Killer. Williams drains a jumper with Childress in his face, and it's back to five. He isn't afraid to take big shots, that is for sure. The Hawks can't convert on the other end, and have to foul, and now the Heat lead by seven, 87-80, with 25 seconds left.

9:28 - And that's all she wrote. Jason Williams hits a few more free throws and the Hawks fall 91-83 to Miami. The comeback was valiant, but it was too little too late, and the home win streak is snapped at five. A frustrating loss because we had several chances to et back in this one, but just couldn't get over the hump. I tip my cap to the Heat, who found the way to get inside baskets aplenty when they needed them thanks to well-executed plays. If Dwyane Wade gets healthy for the playoffs, they really could make another run.

Josh Smith finishes the night with a game-high 27 points, but it came on 26 shots. Marvin had 16 and 12 (a career-best), and we did have 25 assists, but in the end, 40% shooting and 17 turnovers were just too much to overcome.

Either way, it was fun doing this tonight, and I hope you enjoyed reading along with me. See you Friday for Hawks-Blazers...

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8:23 - Alright, let's get back in this thing right quick. We can beat the Heat, I swear it! Hawks have the ball to start the third, let's see what we do...Smoove gets bailed out on a running hook, putting him at the line. I didn't realize this, but Shaq just picked up his fourth foul right there. We have to take advantage. Josh hits one of two, and its back to ten, 47-37.

8:24 - Zaza Pachulia just hit one of his patented "How did that shot go in?" lay-ups. He is good for at least one or two of those a game. Very high degree-of-difficulty. Marvin gets a steal, the layup is blocked by 'Toine, but AJ is there for the putback...oops! He misses, but J-Chill is there to clean it up. On the other end Udonis Haslem travels, giving it back to the Hawks...and Marvin absolutely abuses him on the other end, giving him a series of fakes before driving baseline on him for a dunk. A pretty sweet move by Marv, who now has 11 points and 9 rebounds. Roose thinks he is on the verge of his first-ever back-to-back double doubles, but we will find out for sure. Another Hawks rebound and a kickout to Josh Smith, who nails a three (for the record, I don't mind him shooting from anywhere on the court if he is in a set position to shoot - I just don't think he should be doing it off the dribble at this stage in his career) to give him 17 points for the game. The Heat take a timeout, and the Hawks have done exactly what they needed to do to start the second half, cutting it to three at 49-46 Miami.

8:31 - This is the difference between a veteran team like Miami and a young team like Atlanta. The Heat come out of the timeout and get three easy baskets to run the lead back to nine points, forcing us to call a timeout of our own. It's the subtle differences like this that players learn as time goes on in this league - how to maintain intensity. You can't let your guard down for even a minute, or your opponent (especially a team - let's face it - as old as the Heat. Incidentally, during the timeout the video board showed the crowd favorite Kiss Cam, and at the end of it they always like to focus on two players from the opposing team. Of course they zeroed in on Shaq, who is always happy to oblige the fans, as he responded by lovingly running his hands through teammate Chris Quinn's hair. Have I mentioned how much I love Shaq? He has pretty much attained Most Favored Athlete status in my book after his breakdancing performance over All-Star Weekend.

8:38 - Zaza hits one of two from the line, and we are now 5-11 from the foul line - meanwhile Jason Williams buries another long three, and it's back to a twelve point deficit, 60-48. Every time the Heat need a basket so far, they are getting it.

8:40 - Zaza picks up his fourth foul, which sends him to the bench. It's a small lineup out on the court for the Hawks now, with T-Lue, Marvin, Chill, Josh Smith, and Shelden. Another turnover, another bucket by Miami, and it's 62-50 Miami. Timeout, Atlanta.

8:44 - In playoff-related games, Indy is beating San Antonio early while Orlando trails Toronto midway through the third. The Heat get a turnover, and we see a rarely-called offensive foul but count the basket for Miami. J-Will gets the basket, but Haslem picks up his fourth foul. He and Shaq are both now out. We have GOT to take advantage. Salim hits a pair of free throws, and it's 64-52 Heat.

8:49 - There is a curse on us at the line tonight. Seriously, someone has to have jinxed us. Chill hits one of two and we are now 8-16, and trailing 67-53. Shelden plays some pretty solid defense on a patented Antoine Walker venture into the paint, and Salim gets fouled and hits two. If only he could be the only person fouled for us the rest of the game, that would be nice. Hey! The refs hear my prayers, as Salim gets fouled by Michael Doleac going for a rebound. He's hit four straight, and it's now back to ten points, 69-59 at the end of three. Stoudamire, though he hasn't played a ton of minutes this season, I think it pretty crucial to the Hawks success in Joe's absence. He can catch fire at any time, and I really think he will have another scoring explosion like in last year's Hornets game (24 points in the 4th quarter in that one) before his tenure is done here.

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