Box Score

Recap

DVR is a glorious thing. There are few times I do not think of it with anything but affection and joy. I sing its praises when I wake. I preach its goodness to anyone who will listen.

What could tarnish such a wonderful piece of technology? Knowing you are about to watch your team play a game where, at one point, they will be down 40-16. Then it is pressing play on a funeral.

I was more impressed than mad. Ruining DVR is not something I take lightly. It takes work. While I still doubt it could happen, if push came to shove, the Hawks may have the ability to ruin beer.

A loss yesterday afternoon would have been fine. You cannot expect to win in Cleveland and the fact that fans could even hope for a victory was great. But that kind of beat down breathes life into the idea that the Hawks simply cannot win on the road. It not only acknowledged that the seed of doubt had been planted. It threw some fertilizer on it. Watered it. Put those seeds in the greenhouse.

A brief recap of this game via video.

After the first quarter and half knockout punch, it seems the Hawks, the Cavs, and me watching hours later all asked the same thing. Why even play the rest of the game? Woodson certainly was on board. He left early.

Again I say, feed the post

I harp after games the Hawks win about Horford's touches. So six shots in a loss where the majority of the other starters tried around every 12th possessions is borderline inexcusable. Lets leave it to the Human Highlight Blog's excellent track of offensive plays in the post to be our dissent. 

1st Q:

No post plays

2nd Q:

11:00 remaining--Post play, Johnson, scored.

8:22 remaining--Post play, Murray, fouled; post play Murray, second chance basket

6:50 remaining--Post play, Horford, basket and foul

5:06 remaining--Post play, Horford, basket by Bibby (assist Horford)

2:52 remaining--Post play, Horford, Maurice Evans fouled after pass from Horford

2nd Half:

3rd Q:

10:30 remaining--Post play, Horford, Maurice Evans 3 point basket (assist Horford)

9:05 remaining--Post play, Josh Smith, 2nd chance basket (Horford)

6:00 remaining--Post play, Joe Johnson, Smith basket

5:26 remaining--Post play, Smith, layup

3:09 remaining--Post play, Smith, missed layup

Q4:

11:38 remaining--Post play, Smith, fouled

One of the most peculiar things about the game of basketball is that the less you try often the more shots you take.

I can only hope that Woodson and the rest were explaining to the refs in an apparently very disrepectful fashion why exactly they were letting there most focused player languish on the offensive end.

After the game Horford let the coach and team know, stop explaining. 

We shouldn't even be talking to the refs. We have to go out there and play. The Cavs are the best team in the league, so we need to go out and play. Until guys understand that, we're going to be going through this.

Comment of the game thread Bronn with an epic 7 point diagnosis of the game. It starts with this and gets better.

1) After Woodson was sent home, ‘Nique was confused that they didn’t remove Joe Johnson when he got four fouls. It seems Larry Drew has some sense regarding this. Joe Johnson finished the game with 5 fouls, not fouling out, and playing a huge part in the Hawks’ cutting the lead down to 11 at the beginning of the fourth.

Go Hawks!