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Hawks BasketBlog
game preview
Saturday April 14, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 1:21AM AFT on April 14, 2007
Tonight's game against Washington would seem to be somewhat inconsequential.
We are fairly locked into our lottery seeding, and the Wizards are a playoff
team (in name, if not in actuality thanks to their injuries), and it shouldn't
matter who wins or loses. I say let's come out and get a win tonight on Fan Appreciation Night, get to 30 wins, and deal an even larger blow to the Wizards fragile emotional state. See you there! Wednesday April 11, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 1:47AM AFT on April 11, 2007
Tonight we finish the season series against Boston, a team we have beaten two of the three times we've played them so far. I know fans are still in a "lets lose to protect our draft slot" mode, but I for one would like to get a win this evening.
Secondly, if you look at the standings, we are pretty much set in the #4 slot. The Bucks are 26-51, two games worse than us, and hold the #3 position. Charlotte and Seattle, at 31-47, are 2.5 games to the better, occupying a tie for the fifth-spot. With only five games remaining, it seems pretty unlikely that we will move from the spot we currently occupy. Given that, wouldn't you rather see the team finish the season on a high note and grab a few more Ws, maybe get to 30+ wins on the year? I know I would. It may be tough given the players we are missing, but I'd still like to go into the games desiring a positive outcome. Tonight's game against Boston is winnable, regardless of who we have out on the court. We got nice performances out of Marvin and T-Lue in the OT loss at Philly, and if Salim is healthy enough to go tonight, I expect him to continue his offensive ways as well. So come out to Philips and cheer the team on to a win against one of the league's most storied franchises. Maybe it's just me, but a win over the Celtics will always mean something. See you there! Saturday April 7, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 12:54AM AFT on April 7, 2007
Before we get into tonight's game, it seems there is video all over these interwebs of various things happening with the Hawks family. Yesterday it was Harry the Hawk breakdancing, and today it's a scene from the Kiss Cam circa last season (watch till the end, the pay-off with Shaq and D-Wade is pretty funny). Check it out. In other news, Faith Dawson has an interesting feature in the AJC about Salim Stoudamire's eating habits. It's rare you see vegans in the macho world of professional sports, but I am actually surprised you don't see more of them - if only because many athletes subscribe to the "my body is a temple" line of thinking. Salim still likes the leather ball though - a good thing, considering he has had to pick up the offensive slack a lot with the recent rash of injuries to several of his teammates. I spoke to Salim at shootaround today about his increased presence. It's a tough situation for him (as well as all of the Hawks currently getting more minutes), as he is desperate to win games but is able to showcase his talents much more right now with the Joe's and Joshes out of the picture. Speaking of tonight's game, it should be interesting. Both teams are playing shorthanded (to say the least). In Breaking Down The Bucks today with Hawks assistant Larry Drew, we discussed the difficulty of preparing for an unfamiliar opponent and trying to get production from unfamiliar sources. One tip - he said the player to watch for Milwaukee tonight is fan favorite Earl Boykins. You heard it here first. Come to Philips to check it out - I am predicting big nights from Smoove and Salim in a Hawks win... Saturday March 31, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 2:04AM AFT on March 31, 2007
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! Thursday March 29, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 1:20AM AFT on March 29, 2007
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! Saturday March 24, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 1:47AM AFT on March 24, 2007
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! Thursday March 22, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 12:35AM AFT on March 22, 2007
 Tonight's game...it's kinda important. As we continue to hold onto slight
hopes of making a run at a playoff spot, games like tonight's against the Heat
become ultra important. It's good that we have been holding serve at home of
late (ok, it's better than good), but we can't afford any slip ups. The Heat
have been on fire of late (ooh, bad pun there - I promise it was unintentional),
winning nine of ten. But, they are beatable, even without Joe Johnson. We just
have to want it.
In Breaking Down The Heat today with Herb Brown, Coach Brown spoke about their veteran leadership, and I couldn't agree more. The reason why they are where they are and we are where we are has more to do with know-how than talent. Miami has been through the battles before, and that mental toughness has allowed them to maintain their playoff position despite losing Dwyane Wade. The Hawks have done well without their leading scorer, lest we forget, which the team deserves a ton of credit for. If they can keep it up through the rest of the season, regardless of whether or not they make the postseason, they will deserve kudos. It should be a pretty fun night tonight at Philips. Based on my tickets, I am assuming it is going to be pretty close to a sellout, as it should be for a game involving the defending champs and the league's largest personality in Shaquille O'Neal. As I mentioned earlier, I will be live blogging, so please feel free to join me in the comments section with your questions and observations. Also, with widgets becoming increasingly popular on these here internets, check out this Hawks widget put together by the fine people at the NBA: There are widgets for all of the Hawks players as well, by the way, just click on their names on the Hawks roster page. See you tonight! Tuesday March 20, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 1:07AM AFT on March 20, 2007
As we begin play this evening, the Hawks are five games out of the 8th spot in the East. With only 15 games left, that's a pretty huge margin. Still, it would be nice to at least put some pressure on the teams in front of us. Sacramento is a beatable team, but not one we can just show up and expect to dominate (not that such a team exists in the NBA). They beat us in Sacto earlier this season when we were without JJ and Josh Childress among others. We are without Joe now as well, of course, but there are still positive memories of last week's four-game home winning streak. In breaking down tonight's game today with Hawks assistant David Fizdale, he said the Kings will be daring us to beat them from outside. That being the case, I look for big performances from Marvin Williams and Salim Stoudamire, our two best perimeter threats in Joe's absence. I am interested to see the match-up between the Kings' Kevin Martin and Josh Childress, mostly because each of them manages to shoot well from the field despite two of the most unconventional (read: ugly) releases in the NBA. In other news, we have posted a survey on the Hawks site to get your feedback on how we do on this here Internet thing. Please take a few minutes and fill it out - you can win four tickets to the game against the Bulls on April 1 (and no, that's not a cruel April Fool's joke). Seriously, we strive to give you the things you want over here at Hawks.com, so any information you can give us about your preferences will help to make the site get better and better. Finally, just a reminder - if you can't make the game tonight due to any legitimate reason (birth of your first child, let's say), remember you can check it out in HD tonight, one of three Hawks games being shown in high-def over the course of these few weeks. It should be pretty sweet. Otherwise, get down to Philips and let's see if the Hawks can't get a season-high fifth straight home win! See you there! Wednesday March 14, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 11:52PM AFT on March 14, 2007
The above picture says it all. The Hawks, streaking downcourt, with their opponents on their collective heels. What can you say about this winning streak? Last night's game was by far the most impressive of the four wins, as we took on a Philadelphia team that had won seven-straight games but was out of this one by the end of the first quarter. The final score may have been 104-92, but it was never that close.
Josh was incredible, but as we have seen during this winning streak, it wasn't all about him. This was another tremendous team effort, with six Hawks scoring in double-figures, tying the season-high. Salim Stoudamire tried in vain to join the group, but finished with nine. Here is a photo gallery from the game - really a treat to watch from start to finish (the game, not the photo gallery - though they are nice shots). So, here we are again. Four games out of the 8th spot, still sitting 11th overall. Many of the teams in front of us are heading in the wrong direction: Indy has lost 10 straight, Orlando has lost eight of ten, and New Jersey has only recently righted the ship, winning two straight after a five-game losing streak. I feel like I ask myself this every day - can we really make a run? There are only 17 games left in the season, so I don't want to get all riled up for nothing. But if they continue to play the way they have since the loss to Miami, they could make things interesting. The two game road trip that starts tonight in Boston will pretty much determine whether or not a run is possible. The Celtics are back to relative mediocrity since Paul Pierce returned, so they won't be a pushover. Both teams are playing the second of a back-to-back, so there is no rest advantage for either unit. Friday we play at Indiana, a team in an absolute freefall. A win there would not only keep the team headed in the right direction, but would allow the Hawks to make up a game in the standings directly against the competition. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. But at the same time, a split on this trip would be tremendous, especially with another four-game homestand beginning next Monday against Sacramento. First things first though - let's see if we can't grab our first five-game winning streak since the 1999-2000 season. Tune in tonight to FSN South at 7:30 for all the action! Wednesday March 14, 2007
Posted by: Micah Hart at 12:44AM AFT on March 14, 2007
The first thing to mention about tonight's game, for anyone who isn't going, is that the game is being broadcast in HD. That is pretty sweet. Every sporting event in the world is better in HD. It's one of three games coming up for the Hawks that will be in HD: - 3/13 vs. Philly I am in no way saying you shouldn't go to those games; you should. But if you can't make it for whatever reason, definitely catch the action in HD, you will thank me for it. As for tonight's game, the Hawks are streaking, having improbably won three straight without Joe Johnson. Of course, tonight's opponent, Philly, is even hotter, having won seven straight to pull within shouting distance of a playoff berth as well. They have beaten us twice already this year - the season-opener at Philly, and in late January at Philips. I talked to Hawks assistant Greg Ballard today to break down the Sixers, and he says Andre Miller deserves a lot of credit for the team's play of late. I have always found him underrated, and I think he is one of the best distributors in the league. Tyronn Lue agrees, or so he told me in our podcast (shameless plug). When we lost to the Sixers in January, I thought their bigs were particularly damaging to us. Usually, I would be fine with daring Samuel Dalembert and Steven Hunter to beat us, but that night they were both hitting shots and were very active on the boards. I think to get a W tonight, we have to minimize their effectiveness. In our three wins last week, we did a great job sharing the wealth. Josh Smith was tremendous, but we got double-digit scoring from several players in each game, which I think makes us more dangerous. If we can continue to distribute the ball well and do a good job defensively on the interior, I see no reason why we can't win our fourth straight home game for the first time since April of 2003. Come out tonight to cheer us on. Philly fans typically show up pretty well to Philips, so let's make sure to drown them out and send 'em home unhappy. See you tonight! |
Except, I find there is actually a lot riding on tonight's game. The Wizards,
incredibly unfortunate of late, have lost their stature as an Eastern Conference
contender and turned into a nearly gift-wrapped First Round playoff series
victory for someone in the East, thanks to season-ending injuries to Caron
Butler and Gilbert Arenas.
First and
foremost, I like getting series bragging rights. We've already got them against
the Clippers, the Warriors, the Magic, the T-Wolves, and the Grizzlies (maybe we
should relocate to the Western Conference?). With a win tonight, we add the
Celtics.
Josh
Smith continues to be a revelation, as he followed up his
32 point effort against Minnesota with 26 more (and a career-best 17 rebounds)
in this one. I'll just come out and say it. Smoove was the best player on the
court last night. I think that's the first time I've ever thought that to
myself. What impressed me the most? The way he attacked the basket inside
against Samuel Dalembert and Steven Hunter, two guys
who defend the paint very well.