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Hawks BasketBlog
December 2007
Sunday December 30, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 1:14AM AFT on December 30, 2007
Atlanta Hawks (84) at Dallas Mavericks (97)
ATL (15-13), DALL (20-11) Scoring by Quarters ATL -- 21/14/25/24 - 84 DALL -- 34/20/21/22 - 97 Individual Leaders Scoring ATL - M Williams 18 DALL - Nowitzki 22 Rebounds ATL - 39 (Horford 10) DALL - 44 (Dampier 10) Assists ATL - 12 (J. Johnson 5) DALL - 19 (Nowitzki 5) -- The Hawks saw their five-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday afternoon in Dallas, 97-84. -- The Mavericks scored the first 12 points of the game, the Hawks recovered to pull to within 40-31, but the Mavs ended the half with a 14-4 run to move ahead 54-35 at the half ... Atlanta edged closer in the third, outscoring Dallas 25-21 ... The Hawks kept scrapping, eventually trimming the lead down to six late (82-76), but couldn't get closer. -- In his first pro game in his hometown, Acie Law scored a career-best 12 points and recorded 3 steals. -- Al Horford (11 pts/10 rebs) recorded his fourth double-double of the season. -- After not recording a blocked shot in 2 of the last 3 games, Josh Smith rejected 6 today, and added 3 steals. -- The Hawks still finished the month at 9-4, their best December since 1993-94, and the most wins in any month since March, 2002 ... Last season, Atlanta went 3-13 in December. -- The Hawks have lost four straight in Dallas, and 9-of-the-last-10. -- The Hawks don't play until Wednesday, when they begin a two-game road trip in Cleveland (7 p.m., FSN South HD, 790 The Zone), before heading to Indiana to face the Pacers on Friday (7 p.m., FSN South, 790 The Zone). Friday December 28, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 1:31AM AFT on December 28, 2007
Checking in from the lovely beachfront that is Gulf Shores, Alabama (that's right kids, it's right near Florabama). I wasn't able to watch the win over Indiana last night because the condo we are staying at lacks FSN, but I listened to most of it on the radio. Here is the biggest thing I took away from the game, the Hawks fifth straight win - confidence is contagious. When the team is winning, everyone starts to play better. The coaches coach better. And the fans...root better? That probably didn't make much sense, but I'll elaborate a little. Last night the Hawks got out to a decent lead in the third quarter, but allowed Indiana back into it and saw the score tied at 80-80 late in the period. Before we started this little run (8 of 10, if anyone's counting), a comeback by the Pacers would have made me nervous and dreading the thought of another lost lead and another frustrating loss. But I have confidence now, just like the players do, that they can weather the storm and still assert themselves before all is said and done. That's exactly what the Hawks did last night, going on a 12-0 run to put the game out of reach before winning 107-95. It's a wonderful feeling, and obviously one everyone associated with the franchise has been waiting a long time to experience. Of course, as Joe Johnson keeps hammering home to his teammates, this ain't over. No time to rest on your laurels, not with a three-game road trip starting Saturday afternoon in Dallas. But I will still take this time to enjoy the fact that the Hawks are winning, a lot, and frankly, it doesn't surprise me anymore. And that in and of itself is a great feeling. Update: When you win, people start to pay attention to you. I just saw this on TrueHoop, Henry Abbot's NBA blog over on ESPN.com, where Brian Windhorst wrote about Marvin Williams' blossoming career. It's a pretty nice little shout out for Marv, who continues to shine in his third NBA season. Check it out. Saturday December 22, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 7:44AM AFT on December 22, 2007
Atlanta Hawks (97) at Washington Wizards (92)
ATL (14-12), WASH (13-12) Scoring by Quarters ATL - 25/20/23/29 -- 97 WASH - 21/26/20/25 -- 92 Individual Leaders ATL - J. Johnson 32 WASH - Jamison 30 Rebounds ATL - 49 (Smith 14) WASH - 33 (Jamison 9) Assists ATL - 24 (A. Johnson/J. Johnson 8) WASH - 14 (Butler/Stevenson 4) -- The Atlanta Hawks won their fourth straight, and seventh-of-nine overall (fifth-of-seven on the road), after a 97-92 victory at Washington on Friday. The win moves the Hawks two games above the .500 mark. -- Atlanta had lost seven straight in D.C., last winning on 12/30/03. -- Joe Johnson scored 16 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, while Marvin Williams added 22 points, Josh Smith contributed 16 points and 14 boards (his team-high 7th double-double) and Al Horford had 13. -- Marvin Williams' effort was his 4th straight of 20-or-more, and fifth in the last six. -- Anthony Johnson dished out 8 more assists tonight, and has 38 in his last four games. -- After missing 6-of-the-last-7 games with a right groin strain, Josh Childress returned with a season-high 11 rebounds off the bench. -- Atlanta set the tone early, recording an assist on each of their first 13 field goals, and finished with 24 ... The Hawks enjoyed a 49-33 advantage on the glass. -- The Hawks' record on Christmas the last three years was 9-17 (2006-07), 7-18 (2005-06) and 5-20 (2004-05). -- The Hawks don't play again until Wednesday (Dec. 26), when Indiana comes to Philips Arena (7 p.m., FSN South HD, 790 The Zone). Saturday December 22, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 1:28AM AFT on December 22, 2007
I feel the need to start every blog post with the caveat saying that there is a
LOT of basketball left to play. I realize it, the players realize it, etc.
Having said that...big game tonight at Washington. The Hawks are just a half-game behind the Wizards for second place in the division, and a win would help them start climbing the ladder in the East (as would a win next Wednesday over Indiana). Looking at the Eastern Conference, I'm really thinking the Hawks need to finish no lower than 6th. I don't like our chances, at present, in a seven-game series against Boston or Detroit. But that aside, I think we could fare pretty well against the rest of the contenders. That's why its so important to win division and conference games - with so many teams bunched together right now, you want as many tie-breaking edges as you can get. Atlanta has played very well within the division so far, sporting a Southeast-best 5-1 mark. Their only blemish is a loss to Washington earlier this year, which makes tonight's game all that much more important. A Wizards win gives them no worse than a push on the season series, while a Hawks win ensures that they'll have the advantage when they play again at Philips on January 11. The schedule slows down a bit for the next couple weeks over the holidays (only five games spread over the next two weeks), which benefits the Hawks about as much as any team in the league right now. Hopefully it will give Chills, T-Lue, Acie, and AJ a chance to rest their bodies. Atlanta has been very impressive beating the likes of Utah and Miami of late despite being shorthanded, but that can only last so long. We can't afford to have Joe Johnson playing 53 minutes a night - there are just too many games on the schedule. Washington has been playing surprisingly well, but they are a beatable team. A win tonight and people are going to start paying more attention to the Hawks (seven wins in nine games tends to do that), but they are going to have to maintain the high level of play we've seen from them in the last few games. On another note, the posting may be lighter around these parts over the next several days as I am headed on a little family vacation. But I'll make sure to weigh in if anything big goes down. Catch the Hawks tonight at 7:00 ET on SportSouth, and let's see if we can't start putting more distance between ourselves and .500.
Friday December 21, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 12:38AM AFT on December 21, 2007
Man, what a win last night at Philips Arena. As I said in
Everything You Need To Know, I don't think this is a game we would have
won in the past few years. We were the better team last night, but the calls
seemed to be going against us (!), and when the Heat took the lead late in
regulation and overtime, the Hawks we used to know would have folded and that
would have been that.
But these Hawks are new. They played well almost the entire evening (except for the offensive execution towards the end of regulation - that has GOT to improve), and didn't show any of the malaise of a team too busy patting itself on the back for Monday's win to notice another opponent was in the building. If Joe Johnson wants to make the All-Star team, the Hawks need to send footage of his game last night to the Eastern Conference coaches, because that's exactly what he played like last night. Though his touch from long range was mysteriously missing, JJ repeatedly took the ball into the paint for layups and runners, including the game-winning points with just over a minute left in overtime. But of course, JJ didn't win this game by himself. For the second straight game, everyone who played contributed in a meaningful way. But Joe was the catalyst, and in talking to him today, you could tell how badly he wanted to win the game. The Hawks have started to do what everyone says is the first key to making the playoffs - they are protecting their home court. The team is 5-2 at home in December, and appear to only be getting stronger (they've already clinched a winning record for the month with three games left to play, a small but not insignificant achievement). If they can keep picking up road wins here and there (starting in Washington tomorrow night would be nice), we could see them start to move away from the bottom of the pack and more towards the top. Lastly, I again want to wish all the best to Alonzo Mourning on a speedy recovery. Watching him waive off the stretcher last night to leave under his own power (aided by his teammates) gave me chills. He has been one of the most passionate competitors the league has ever seen, and many of today's players would do well to emulate him in that respect. Get better, Zo.
Wednesday December 19, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 9:42PM AFT on December 19, 2007
I was thinking about this today. Most people complain that the NBA season is too
long; with 82 games, how can you get up for every single one? Wins and losses,
because there is the opportunity for so many of either, don't have a ton of
meaning on a game to game basis.
Maybe that is the case with the Spurs, or Mavericks, or the teams that know their postseason fate has already been decided. But I will tell you this - following the Hawks feels like following a college team - every game feels important to me. I realized this today because I was thinking about how huge Monday's win over the Jazz was, and it got me to realizing that actually, tonight's game against the Heat is really important as well. We know the Hawks are capable of beating any team in the league (well, maybe not the Pistons). We've seen that in wins over Phoenix, Dallas, etc. But if this team wants to make the playoffs, they've got to do what good teams do - string together some winning streaks. In the past, the Hawks have frustrated us by winning a big game (say, the road win over Orlando), but following it up with a momentum-stopping loss (say, the following loss to Toronto). So we find ourselves again in a situation where, on a two-game winning streak and coming off a big win, the Hawks can make a statement with a victory against Dwyane Wade and the Heat. It's as big a game as you can have against a squad that enters with a 7-17 record. In talking to Hawks assistant David Fizdale today in our Breaking Down The Heat segment, I definitely get the sense that the coaching staff realizes how big tonight's game is. He wants to beat Miami bad. The question we'll get the answer to tonight is, do the players feel the same way? Links: Wednesday December 19, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 12:37AM AFT on December 19, 2007
What a win. Yes, I know, we almost gave it away at the end with a sudden case of
missed free throw-itis, but in a month no one will remember that - they'll only
remember that the Hawks went toe-to-toe with a team that had beaten them nine
straight times and came away with a win.
There were so many things to be happy about from last night, and I mentioned many of them in Everything You Need To Know, but here is a short list of what I loved: - Al Horford's emerging offensive game I talked to both Joe and AJ after practice today (where, needless to say, spirits were high), and they both agreed last night was a big night. I asked Joe about erasing the memories of last year, and AJ talked about where this game ranks amongst his personal best performances. The guys are definitely enjoying the fruits of last night's win, and I am too - and if we can keep it up and beat Miami on Wednesday, I'll feel even better. Links:
 Monday December 17, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 10:58PM AFT on December 17, 2007
Things went about as I expected for the Hawks this weekend. A predictable loss
to Detroit on Friday, but an inspired victory over Charlotte on Saturday that
finally earned the Hawks at least a split on the season-series with their
division nemesis.
The Hawks have three games on the slate for this week, and all will be tough, especially with the spate of injuries of late. When you step back and look at it, it's kind of amazing, really - we had too many point guards on the roster (or point-guard-ish types like Salim Stoudamire and Mario West) to start, and now we don't have enough. How is that possible? The Jazz are here tonight, owners of nine straight wins against the Hawks. It was just a year ago (almost to the day - last Dec. 20) that the Hawks suffered arguably the most devastating loss of the entire season against Utah, blowing a 21-point lead entering the fourth quarter to lose 112-106. I for one still remember the sickness I felt in my stomach as I walked out of Philips that night. We owe Utah for that one. Owe them. But it won't be easy tonight. As Bob Bender mentioned in our Breaking Down The Jazz segment today (sorry, no video today - you will have to settle for my melodious voice without my handsome good looks), the Jazz have beaten us in the past because they are very good at dictating tempo and forcing teams to play at their pace and style. To break the streak, the Hawks are going to have to man up and keep the Jazz from knocking them around. Though the Hawks are shorthanded, the Jazz too will be missing a key player as Mehmet Okur is expected to sit out with a shoulder injury. Okur was particularly destructive last year, hitting several key shots in leading the Jazz comeback. Without him drawing the interior defense outside with his superior perimeter shooting, Atlanta should be able to commit more resources to keeping Carlos Boozer and Paul Millsap from hurting them inside. Our backcourt may be short, but at least all our bigs are healthy and ready to rumble. It's going to be a tough one, no doubt. But the Jazz have lost six of seven, so if there were ever a time to catch them in a lull, this may be it. Come out tonight to cheer the Hawks on as they try to get back to .500. See you there! Links:
Friday December 14, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 11:54PM AFT on December 14, 2007
I'm not going to lie - the Hawks have their work cut out for themselves tonight
in Detroit. Facing a Pistons team that manhandled them at Philips a couple weeks
ago and beat them (controversially, I might add) during the season's opening
weekend as well, the team will need to play at its highest level if they want to
come away with a win.
That in itself is going to be tough, especially considering Al Horford is out due to suspension, Josh Childress is out with a strained groin, and T-Lue is still out as well. Zaza Pachulia will be back, but since it's his first game back after missing 5 straight dealing with a concussion I don't know how much we can expect from him either. Honestly? I'm willing to give the team a pass in advance tonight, provided they come home and take care of business tomorrow night against Charlotte. I'm not saying the team shouldn't try to compete tonight, I'm just saying that in the grand scheme of things, if I had to choose one leg of a back-to-back to focus on, I'd take Charlotte here every time. Don't get me wrong, I want to beat Detroit. We got hosed against them in the Motor City, and they whupped us but good at Philips. But let's be honest - it's Detroit. At this point, they are supposed to beat us. Charlotte on the other hand - well, we all know how badly I want to beat them this year (and if you don't, I will reiterate - I really want to beat Charlotte this year). We got the first one in pretty good fashion. Saturday night will be the Bobcats second visit to Philips, and it's particularly important the Hawks win given that the last two meetings of the season will be on the road. Maybe I'm being silly, but I firmly believe we need to go at least 3-1 against them this season if we want to make the playoffs. I just view them as a microcosm of the whole schedule, that's all. Anyway, my overall point is this - the Hawks need a split this weekend at worst, and given the lack of bodies for tonight, I hope we fight the good fight but leave enough in reserve to take care of business at home tomorrow. Catch all the action tonight at 8:00 ET on FSN, and then come out tomorrow to Philips to cheer on your Hawks. See you there! Oh, and some links: Friday December 14, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 4:58AM AFT on December 14, 2007
We hoped it wouldn't be the case, but the league announced today that Al Horford will be suspended one game for his flagrant foul on Toronto's TJ Ford during Tuesday night's game. Nothing out of the ordinary here - you often see one-game suspensions for Type 2 flagrants (or whatever they are called), but obviously we hoped that extenuating circumstances (the fact that Horford clearly didn't mean to injure Ford) would help him avoid the punishment. So, presumably, the Hawks will be shorthanded Friday night at Detroit, but will get Big Al back for Saturday's home game against Charlotte. Thursday December 13, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 1:14AM AFT on December 13, 2007
A
disappointing loss last night to the Raptors, breaking the Hawks
three-game winning streak. But, more than the loss, the defining moment of the
evening was the scary moment when a foul by Al Horford near the end of the game
sent Toronto point guard TJ Ford sprawling to the floor. Ford was down for
several minutes, which is particularly scary given his injury history (Ford
missed a season-and-a-half with a spinal condition after going down hard in an
another NBA game) and his diminutive stature.
Happily, it appears Ford is going to be ok, and is on his way back to Toronto for further tests. As Sekou Smith reported in his blog today, several Hawks made their way to Piedmont Hospital last night to check on Ford, including Horford. No one ever wants to see anyone get hurt, and everyone realizes that last night's incident was an innocent mistake. Here's to hoping Ford is back on the court as soon as possible. Onto the links: Wednesday December 12, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 1:21AM AFT on December 12, 2007
Well apparently, when you win a game on the road against a team that came into the night 16-5, people will take notice. Lots of words about the Hawks out there on the interwebs right now, so I thought I'd provide a few extra links today for your enjoyment. Tuesday December 11, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 8:46PM AFT on December 11, 2007
The Hawks moved back to .500 last night with a 98-87 win at division-leading Orlando and in the process won their third straight game, which around the offices of Atlanta Spirit means free donuts! So thanks for that, Hawks. Josh Smith continued to show the form that won him Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors, posting huge numbers across the board with 25 points, 16 rebounds (a season-high), 5 assists, 4 steals, 4 blocks, and a partridge in a pear tree. This was an excellent win for Atlanta - probably the best of the season, considering the game was played in hostile territory. The Hawks raced out to a ten-point lead in the first quarter and never looked back, and executed a terrific game plan in slowing down Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson. And so, at the season's quarter pole, the Hawks have drawn even. There have been some great wins, some frustrating losses, but overall, the Hawks are right in the thick of it. Tonight's game with Toronto will be an interesting one. Not to get ahead of ourselves, but a win will get the Hawks back above .500 this late in the season for the first time since 1999. And, not that it matters, but if the season ended tonight, a Hawks win would give them the 4th-best record in the East. Just nice to think about things like that. But, to make that happen, Atlanta will have to come out with the same fire and intensity it showed against the Magic and the Grizzlies in the last two games. The Raptors are no joke, and are a squad that has dealt with a lot of injuries and at 11-10 are probably much better than their record would have you believe. Chris Bosh presents an entirely different set of problems than Dwight Howard did last night, so it will be interesting to see what the Hawks do to counter him. Andrea Bargnani looks like he'll be back for Toronto as well. Come out tonight to support the team - things are starting to pick up around here, let's help keep the streak alive!
Tuesday December 11, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 7:54AM AFT on December 11, 2007
Atlanta Hawks (98) at Orlando Magic (87)
ATL (10-10), ORL (16-6) Scoring by Quarters ATL 29/20/20/29 - 98 ORL 19/22/22/24 - 87 Individual Leaders ATL - Smith 25 ORL - Turkoglu 22 Rebounds ATL - 43 (Smith 16) ORL - 45 (Howard 18) Assists ATL - 19 (A. Johnson/Smith 5) ORL - 18 (Turkoglu 5) -- The Atlanta Hawks put together their best wire-to-wire effort of the season, and earned a 98-87 win at Division-leading Orlando on Monday. -- The Hawks are 7-3 in their last ten games, have won four-of-five overall, as well as four-of-five on the road, where they are now 4-5. -- Josh Smith, tabbed as the NBA's Eastern Conference Player of the Week earlier today, was tremendous, finishing with 25 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and 4 blocks in 45 minutes, for his team-high fifth double-double. -- Joe Johnson followed with 24, Anthony Johnson scored 15, and Marvin and Shelden Williams added 12 apiece. -- Atlanta held Orlando's Dwight Howard to 14 points on just 4-7 FGs. -- The Hawks are at .500 this late in the season for the first time since 2002, when they were also 10-10 through 20 contests. -- Josh Childress (right groin strain), Zaza Pachulia (concussion-like symptoms), Tyronn Lue (left calf strain) and Speedy Claxton (left knee) missed tonight's contest. -- The Hawks return home to take on the Toronto Raptors at 7 pm. tomorrow (SportSouth, 790 The Zone). Tuesday December 11, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 12:12AM AFT on December 11, 2007
 You know what happens when you win? You get recognition. I realize that's a fairly obvious thing to say, but it occurs to me it's something the Hawks haven't done so much over the past several years, and so it's not something they've received much of either. But a 9-10 start, unimpressive though a sub-.500 record may be, represents real progress for the Hawks franchise, and has resulted in renewed interest in the team's accomplishments around the NBA. I bring this up today because for the second straight week, I am posting a release on the Hawks website about a player garnering an NBA award. Last week it was Al Horford winning Rookie of the Month honors for November, and today it's Josh Smith earning Player of the Week honors for the Eastern Conference for his contributions to last week's 3-1 stretch. For the week, Josh averaged 22.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 3.3 blocks per game, all of which are impressive numbers. But to me the stat that stands out the most is this one: 55% FG percentage. Simply put, a Hawks team with Josh shooting above 50% from the field is a winning Hawks team. When Josh pounds the ball inside for baskets instead of settling for perimeter jumpers, the Hawks are a different offensive team. I watched him carefully during Saturday's win over Memphis, and several times he was open for long-range shots, but instead of launching them, he either passed the ball around to an open teammate or took the ball strong to the hole. If he keeps that up, the sky is the limit for this kid. Congrats to Josh for the honor, the first of this kind in his young career - and hopefully the sign of a maturing game that will help take the team to new heights. Monday December 10, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 8:38PM AFT on December 10, 2007
One thing, setting aside the loss to the Sonics, that I've noticed about the
Hawks so far this year has been their ability to win the games they are supposed
to. Now, they aren't blowing those teams out like we might want, but they are
getting the Ws, and accomplishing that is Step 1 towards making the playoffs.
Step 2? Winning a few games they aren't supposed to. The Hawks did that twice at the beginning of the season against Dallas and Phoenix, but haven't replicated the feat since. Why do I bring this up? Cause the schedule this week is brutal, and with the Hawks only a game under .500 at 9-10, it would make an excellent time for the team to pick up an unexpected win or two. Saturday's win over Memphis was a positive sign, especially given the frustration with the previous few games. The team played well in the third quarter, much to everyone's relief, and in general played the up-tempo style we've all been wanting to see. Tonight we will see if that form holds, as the Hawks travel to Orlando to take on the division-leading Magic. Orlando has been on fire since the season started, due mostly to the dominance of Dwight Howard inside. I don't expect Al Horford and company to be able to provide much resistance to him tonight (no knock against our guys, just no one has really been able to slow him so far), so to me the focus should be on trying to limit the damage done by perimeter players like Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu. The Magic aren't the only big obstacles in the road this week - the Raptors come to Philips on Tuesday on a back-to-back, and then the Hawks travel to Detroit Friday night to face the team that whipped them but good last Tuesday. Charlotte is a beatable opponent, but we all know how Atlanta has struggled against them in the past. What does it mean? It means the Hawks can't afford to bring anything less that their top effort into each game, or we could be looking at a bad week. And with the positive vibes flowing following a 3-1 record last week, that would be a shame.
Hawks.com: Test Your Wits With The Hawks November Quiz AJC (12/9) - NBA: HAWKS 86, GRIZZLIES 78: Up-tempo style finally more than merely talk AJC (12/9) – Hawks Report: Childress on the Mend AJC (12/9) – Local Players in the NBA; Smith, West mentioned AJC (12/8) - PRO BASKETBALL: HAWKS: Third quarter has become an obstacle Hawks.com – Everything You Need to Know; Hawks-Grizzlies recapped Orlando Sentinel - Transition to pros a learning experience; Al Horford mentioned Stats LLC – Hawks-Magic preview Sekou Smith's Blog: DANGER: Hate-free zone! Orlando Sentinel - Dooling might start if Bogans can't play; Al Horford mentioned (scroll) Friday December 7, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 9:13PM AFT on December 7, 2007
The Hawks escaped with a victory last night, and hopefully the buzzer-beater
from Joe Johnson will be just the tonic to cure what ails his shooting stroke.
Obviously, any win is a good win, but the Hawks have to be concerned about their play in the third quarter - in the last two games they've been outscored 57-21. That's astonishing. But, one good thing about the NBA is, you get several chances each week to try to solve your problems. What hasn't been working the last few nights may get turned on its head tomorrow night against Memphis, who knows? One other note from last night, Josh Childress went out with a strained groin. No word on his status yet, I'll see if I can find anything out about it at practice today. In other news, if you are in the market for a Hawks-related gift for your friends and family this holiday season, get to the arena early tomorrow night for the Memphis game and you can get Hawks C Lorenzen Wright's autograph. He'll be signing at Philips Experience from about 6:00 - 6:30 pm. Onto the links: AJC - HAWKS 90, TIMBERWOLVES 89: Johnson's good when it counts AJC – Hawks Report: Childress out Too Hawks.com – Everything You Need to Know; Hawks-Timberwolves recapped NBA.com – Rookie Rankings – Week 5; Al Horford mentioned ESPN.com - Hollinger Playoff Odds 2007-08; Hawks listed NBA.com – Around the Association; several Hawks mentioned NBA.com – Play of the Day; Joe Johnson featured (video clip) NBA.com – Block of the Night; Josh Smith featured (video clip) NBA.com – Nightly Photo Gallery; Joe Johnson pictured NBA.com – Nightly Photo Gallery; Hawks pictured FoxSports.com – Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop; several Hawks mentioned Thursday December 6, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 11:34PM AFT on December 6, 2007
The last we saw the Minnesota Timberwolves, they ran out to a 21-point lead on
the Hawks at the Target Center before a tremendous fourth quarter rally saw the
Hawks pull out the 94-87 win.
The big story right now seems to be the struggles of Hawks captain Joe Johnson, who seems to be struggling to find his rhythm. Joe suffered one of his worst games as a Hawk in Tuesday's loss to Detroit, scoring only 5 points on 2-10 shooting. I can't imagine this isn't something JJ will bust out of in the near future, so I'm not ready to press the panic button yet, but it is worth watching. Obviously, we need an All-Star caliber Joe available if we are going to make a run at the playoffs. Minnesota is giving up the 7th-most points in the league, so hopefully tonight will provide the cure to what's ailing him. Tonight's game is another one of those trap games - on paper, this should be an easy victory for the home team, but if the Hawks show up thinking the game is already over, Al Jefferson and company can definitely make them sweat. However, given the distaste in their mouth from Tuesday's loss to Detroit, I expect them to come out tonight with guns blazing. Join us at Philips tonight - tip off is at 7:00. See you there! Thursday December 6, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 1:28AM AFT on December 6, 2007
Al Horford continues to get press for his excellent play to start the season, and winning Rookie of the Month honors will hopefully only be the start of it. A pretty cool feature on ESPN (it's on Insider, but appears to be a free preview) today about him, including video breakdown of how well he is playing the game only 17 games into his first year. ESPN's David Thorpe is doing a weekly feature breaking down the play of NBA rookies, and this week he's got Big Al at the top spot. We'll have more on this tomorrow, but I really think Horford will be in the ROY discussion all season, and if the team makes a playoff push, who knows? Wednesday December 5, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 8:42PM AFT on December 5, 2007
Well, that was frustrating. Losses like that are going to happen sometimes in
the NBA. I thought the Hawks played pretty well in the second half, and if not
for Detroit's penchant for timely offensive rebounds, the score might have been
much different at the intermission.
The third quarter, obviously, was a different story, and the difference in the game. Detroit shot 11-14 from the field in the period, and I tell you, you aren't going to win many games when your opponent has a stretch like that. Still, tomorrow is another day, and with Minnesota coming to town at 2-14, maybe we can use that game to get the offense healthy again.
Hawks.com
- Everything You Need To Know... NBA.com – Nightly Photos; Josh Smith pictured Detroit Free Press - Prince leads with hot hand; 'Sheed gets second tech; Pistons-Hawks recapped Chicago Daily Herald - Bulls can't find rim through the trees; Josh Smith mentioned Wednesday December 5, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 7:30AM AFT on December 5, 2007
Detroit Pistons (106) at Atlanta Hawks (95)
Scoring by Quarters DET -- 33/24/30/19 -- 106 ATL -- 26/22/13/34 -- 95 Individual Leaders DET -- Prince 23 ATL -- Childress 18 Rebounds DET -- 39 (Maxiell 9) ATL -- 33 (Horford 10) Assists DET -- 29 (Billups 10) ATL -- 19 (A. Johnson/Stoudamire 3) -- The Hawks fell to the Pistons, 106-95, at Philips Arena on Tuesday. -- Atlanta was down 28-20 after one, and 57-48 at the half, before Detroit blew it open with a 30-13 third period differential ... The Hawks' bench trimmed the final deficit to 11. -- Josh Childress paced the Hawks with 18, while Salim Stoudamire (season-high 15 pts, all in the 4th qtr), Josh Smith (13), Marvin Williams (11) and Acie Law (11) also scored in double figures. -- The Hawks hit a season-best .900 from the charity stripe, knocking down 27-30. -- Atlanta's defense saw a seven-game streak of allowing less than 100 points come to an end. -- Atlanta's three-game homestand continues with contests against Minnesota on Thursday (7 pm, SportSouth, 790 The Zone) and Memphis on Saturday (7 pm, FSN South, 790 The Zone). Tuesday December 4, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 9:06PM AFT on December 4, 2007
The Hawks got a
much needed
road win last night in Philly, the result of which was apparently the
last straw for the Sixers, as they fired GM Billy King after the game. As is
typically the case when the Hawks get Ws, they got contributions across the
board, with 15+ points from JJ, Chills, Smoove, and Marv (I'm on a nickname
kick, sue me). Al Horford celebrated his rookie of the month honors by posting
his second double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
The game also marked the return of point guard Acie Law, who provided a steadying presence in the backcourt in 23 minutes of action. To look at his box score you'd think he had perhaps a bad game, shooting 0-8 from the field and finishing with a bagel - yet I find myself quite comforted by his performance. He may not have scored, but he dished out 5 assists and nabbed 5 rebounds (and forced 2 steals) and finished the night with a +16 rating, second best on the night for the Hawks. Welcome back Acie, we've missed you. And we'll need you to play big tonight as the Pistons come to town. I think we all agree the Hawks could have won the previous game with Detroit this season, losing on a disputed (ha!) call that gave Chauncey Billups the game-winning free throws in the final seconds. We know Atlanta gets up for the big games, so hopefully that trend will continue this evening against the Central leaders. Onto the links: Tuesday December 4, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 7:34AM AFT on December 4, 2007
Atlanta Hawks (88) at Philadelphia 76ers (79)
Scoring by Quarters ATL -- 24/21/21/22 -- 88 PHIL -- 17/29/16/17 -- 79 Individual Leaders ATL -- Smith 22 PHIL -- Green 23 Rebounds ATL -- 41 (Horford 13) PHIL -- 44 (Evans/Dalembert 10) Assists ATL -- 26 (J. Johnson 7) PHIL -- 14 (Miller 6) -- Behind a stifling defensive effort, the Hawks won for the third time in their last four road games, topping the Philadelphia 76ers, 88-79, on Monday night in Philly ... The win snaps a seven-game losing streak for the Hawks in Philadelphia. -- Josh Smith had a strong night, putting up 22 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 blocks and 2 steals. -- Named NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month earlier today, Al Horford recorded his second double-double (12 pts/13 rebs) and grabbed double-figure rebounds for the ninth time on the campaign. -- Josh Childress (16), Marvin Williams (16) and Joe Johnson (15) also scored in double figures. -- The NBA's premier shot blocker, Smith rejected a shot for an nba-best 68th straight game, and has turned away at least two shots in every game this season. -- Returning to the court after missing the last eight games due to a sprained left ankle, Acie Law played 24 minutes, finishing with 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals. -- Zaza Pachulia was inadvertently struck in the jaw during the first quarter, and did not return to the contest after suffering from concussion-like symptoms ... Tyronn Lue (left calf strain) missed tonight's contest. -- Atlanta returns home to host the Detroit Pistons at Philips Arena on Tuesday (7 pm, FSN South HD, 790 The Zone). Tuesday December 4, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 2:13AM AFT on December 4, 2007
Horford nabs the award after leading all rookies in rebounding at 10.2 per game, and is also near the top in several other categories amongst first-year players: 2nd in spg and mpg, 3rd in bpg (t36th in the league) and FG%, t4th in apg, and 7th in ppg. Big Al has been a revelation for the Hawks so far on the low post, providing excellent post defense and rebounding and showing an ever-expanding offensive repertoire. Most people figured the Florida product would be the most NBA-ready of all the high draft picks, and so far he hasn't done anything to dispell that notion. Meanwhile, Acie Law continues to rehab his ankle, and hopefully we'll see him back on the court if not tonight then tomorrow against the Pistons. Who knows - if he gets healthy and gets going, maybe he'll nab one of these awards for himself. But for now, let's keep the focus on Al and give the big man a round of applause for his efforts thus far. Kudos, Al, and kudos again.
Monday December 3, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 9:27PM AFT on December 3, 2007
The Hawks offensive struggles continued against the Hornets on Friday, and as a
result the team fell to 6-9 after the
92-86 defeat. The players called a team
meeting on Saturday to address the on-going issues; hopefully they hashed out
some of the things that are going wrong and, starting tonight in Philly, will
come out showing a renewed commitment to the offensive principles that led to
several of their early victories.
Here are a few suggestions towards that end: - We've got to stop sitting around and watching Joe operate. He is hard for teams to stop with his vast array of offensive maneuvers, but a 1-on-5 offense just makes everything harder. - Get Al Horford more touches on the blocks. He has shown pretty nice touch on his face-up jumpers, and has a nice little array of hook shots as well. We aren't getting many buckets inside, and it's causing us to rely more more heavily on our perimeter scoring. Going inside more to Al and Zaza would help cure that. - Speed it up! The more we run, the better we are. Hopefully, when Acie Law gets back, the team will be able to do that more often. Onto the links: |
Confirming
some suspicions I had,
