Preview and Game Thread #62: Atlanta Hawks @ Charlotte Bobcats

Atlanta Hawks 08-09 Game #62
	@
33-26		26-35
Time Warner Cable Arena
March 6, 2009, 7:00 PM
Sports South, Hawks Radio Network, NBA Audio League Pass
Probable starters:
Mike Bibby	PG	Raymond Felton
Joe Johnson	SG	Raja Bell
Marvin Williams	SF	Gerald Wallace
Josh Smith	PF	Boris Diaw
Al Horford	C	Emeka Okafor

Hawks Injury Report: Craig "five million to the cap" Claxton

Bobcats Injury Report: Raja Bell and Emeka Okafor have tweaked ankles, but I expect them both to play. Sean May will also probably be eating as opposed to playing.

Blogging With the Enemy: Rufus on Fire, QC Sports Blog

Predicted bane of the Hawks existence: DJ Augustin, not because I think he will outperform other Bobcats but because he scares me the most.

Game Preview:

In roughly one hour, my friend and I are taking the scenic trip up i-85 to the Queen City where we plan to root on the Hawks tonight.

You may be saying, Drew, did this not end with you weeping last year? And I would say, yes, yes it did. Which is why I plan to sit closer this year so I can yell at the players. Make sure they know my self worth is at stake here. And it is the Bobcats arena; they are going to be able to hear me.

The Hawks are reaching the point in the season where one can refer to games as "must wins" and not be an over dramatic fan. I mean they are probably being over dramatic, but it is not a closed case.

In its most general form, the scale of necessity is something like this.

• Must win.

• Need to win.

• Should but do not need to win.

• Could but do not need to win.  

• The Hawks playing in Texas in November.

Tonight's game sits somewhere between must and need to win. Let's call it a "try your freaking hardest to win and be really upset if you lose" game.

The Bobcats look a lot like the Hawks last year, and since around this time the Bobcats destroyed the Hawks of last year, I am very nervous about this game. With the loss to New York and the very tough home schedule coming up, this game becomes a very important jumping in point for the stretch run. If the Hawks feel home court is important at all, they will start treating these games as more than normal, regular season match-ups.

Keys to the game:

1. Let Gerald Wallace get his points in the first half, not the second.
2. Mike Bibby and Flip Murray need to return fully from the flu from hell and old Flip Murray respectfully.
3. Al Horford continues to be Al Horford.
4. Keep DJ Augustine off the foul line.
5. Josh Smith listens to me when I yell at him.
6. Since Mike Woodson mostly has taken Larry Brown's bad habits, Mike Woodson does not try and out "Larry Brown" Larry Brown.

Other keys, good insights, terrific Nique-isms, see me on tv? Hit up the comments. You could win comment of the game especially if you reference a Yetti.

Go Hawks!