Preview and Game Thread #76: Atlanta Hawks @ Philadelphia 76ers
| Atlanta Hawks 08-09 Game #76 | ||
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| 43-30 | 37-35 |
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| Wachovia Center |
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| March 31, 2009, 7:00 PM | ||
| Sports South, Hawks Radio Network, NBA Audio League Pass | ||
| Probable starters: | ||
| Mike Bibby | PG | Andre Miller |
| Joe Johnson | SG | Willie Green |
| arvin Williams | SF | Andre Iguodala |
| Josh Smith | PF | Thaddeus Young |
| Al Horford | C | Samuel Dalembert |
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Hawks Injury Report: Craig "five million to the cap" Claxton and Marvin Williams are out. Acie Law has officially entered "mysterious" injury land.
Sixers Injury Report: Elton Brand is out. Samuel Dalembert is a game time decision, and only played seven minutes against the Pistons. He may pull a Royal Ivey tonight.
Blogging With the Enemy: Liberty Ballers
Predicted bane of the Hawks existence: Considering I hate the match up problems the Sixers bring to the Hawks, I am tempted to name multiple people, but I will go with a home town pick, Louis Williams.
Game Preview:
While over the top, I tend to agree with Josh Smith's latest quote (but really that caveat sums up much of my one sided relationship with the Inspector):
"I can’t tell you the last time we played a game that didn’t seem like our entire season was on the line at the opening tip. Philadelphia is an interesting team for us because they match up pretty well against us."
Philly is really in no position to challenge the Hawks fourth seed so its importance lies in the fact that neither Josh Smith or me want to see the Sixers in the first round of the playoffs. It is not that Philly is better just that they are scarier. That makes this game not "entire season" important, but certainly, control your own destiny/message sending important.
I just spent 134 words defining the importance level of the 76th game of the season. See I told you the season is not too long.
Keys to the game:
- Slump buster Al. Partly because the Hawks need him to be more efficient, partly because, with Dalembert injured, this is a mismatch in favor of the Hawks.
- Full 48. The Hawks are pretty anti 48 minutes of effort on the road. This should be a playoff like atmosphere so lets hope we see playoff effort.
- Joe Johnson punishes Willie Green.
- This game ends with my only reason to dislike Thad Young remaining that he attended Tech. I kid, I kid...sort of.
Join me in the comments where we can discuss how scary that huge bridge is in Philadelphia, the ways Nique has criticized some Hawks strategy as the season has gone, and of course whether or not Randolph smiled in the documentary "Under the Lights."
Go Hawks.
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163 comments
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Comments
how weird is it
that the sixers have two players in the starting line up with the first name Andre?
also i forgot royal ivey was on the sixers when i made that reference.
Ah, Sixers Pregame Show
Us here in PA get treated to the Sixers announcers (Mark Zumoff, Bob Salmi, and Dei Lynam – Jim Lynam’s daughter). And I am not being sarcastic, they’re really good. I do love Rathbun and Nique, but I can live with the local guys for this one.
the big one
if you are heading from down town to the arena.
its the one that makes you feel like someone is going to run you off of.
You can't really blame Mike Woodson for his playcalling,
When the guy draws up an alley-oop his PG thinks he’s the -ooper.
I'm not worried at this point
Until Joe keeps throwing up bricks and nobody else picks up the slack.
This would seem to be a game where Acie could really do some damage against Miller in there, but I guess his alien abduction is still going on.
unfortunately
that wasn’t surprising to see in the first quarter
considering
the hawks do not like working in the post.
we basically have two offensive weapons on the court right now.
If it helps...
D Rose is playing pretty well for my fantasy team right now. Talk about clutch with the playoff pressure
is James Verret serious? wow I never would have guessed that Flip wants to win even though he is from Philly
"The Hawks haven't one a 7-game playoff series since 1970"
The Sixers announcers just said that, I didn’t realize it was that bad.
We can't get a call
That mixed with the turnovers is killing us. Honestly, down 14 isn’t that bad if we can re-group out of the locker room.
Basically, that and the JJ offensive foul
Pretty much show that the refs have it in for us right now.
Right now...
If I came down the floor and had jesus on one side, and Josh Smith on the other, i’d pass it to Josh Smith.
he would be a top 10 player in the league
if a top 3 athlete, hits 95 percent of his shots, that is a good combo.
I can't even wrap my mind around this.
And now Theo Ratliff is coming in. I am now in the looney zone.
zaza has to get that one
how do the refs call a touch foul with 0 sec on the shot clock for the sixers.
and either josh runs over or is tripped and nothing is called?
I have been watching the Sixers for years now
And I can honestly say Dei Lynam’s rack has easily doubled in size.
he's back!
and we don’t score. and they get another o-board which they convert into two points. Sounds familiar

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