Hawks Vs. Sixers Final Score: Atlanta's Win Streak Snapped In Philadelphia 90-76

Kind of refreshing to hear him say what everyone is thinking. Question is: how many times will it work before they tune him out?

why didn’t you give Ivan the opportunity to make a difference in that game? Outrebounded almost by 20 and beat on the offensive glass 15 to 5….clearly we needed a different mix. Marvin and Josh are USELESS if they stay stationed on the perimeter and that never changed in the second half. Then LD pulls the starters with 3:29 down 12 or 14 almost channeling the chicago game where he pulled the starters with 1:15 to go down a few buckets.

Here’s why I don’t believe in our coach. Larry Drew has been around this group for 6 years and he coaches as if he doesn’t know who he’s playing or their psyche. These should be HIS guys (not the new vets, but the rest should) and he should be in tune with what they can and can’t do, but routinely he does (I should be saving this for a TRUTH) things that highlight that he’s really out of touch and doesn’t have control of this team. My time with the Hawks knew that we needed a TO in 3 games this year to settle us and get back to winning b-ball. Now, I have seen Larry do that vs. the bad teams we’ve played, but in the biggest games when you need your coach to help you – he hasn’t recognized when this team is losing focus. It’s easy when you’re blowing Chicago out – it’s not when you are actually controlling a game vs. the same Chicago team and this Sixers team and then, it starts to fall apart.

A team that is in synch has his players back up his statement of quitting if that’s what happens. It’s not like we haven’t seen this team quit before. You can’t charge them with quitting without knowing that your leaders actually agree that they quit. I think he’ll regret that. I wish my boss would tell me that I sucked when I was actually trying. There’s a difference btw not doing well and not trying. If they quit, you obviously didn’t call a TO or pull anyone to resolve it. If your team quits you sit all of them down in the 3rd quarter. You didn’t realize that they were quitting until the 4th quarter with 3mins, LD?

I personally just thought the jumpers didn’t fall, Joe was completely off, and you were beat by the better team last night. I didn’t see quit unless you are talking about the things that fundamentally we do that can backfire (shooting lots of jumpers, not rebounding, playing Jason Collins after you got away with it to start the game). I said this after both games I’ve sat behind the bench this season and I haven’t seen anything to make me disagree – the team doesn’t really believe in Larry Drew (I KNOW Jeff and Zaza definitely don’t and for good reason) and that’s a problem that’s not going away. Winning is only masking that issue.

last night was the penalty for the hot streak from Josh from the perimeter. The coaching staff and players need to continue to impress upon Josh that there’s this thing called (NERD ALERT) regression to the mean. Josh, your jumper is a below average jump shot and that option is the worst of all of your options (well, that and you leading the break). The fact that nobody is saying that and actively doing something to change the fact that that’s where he is on the court just means we’ll have to live with nights like this. You can’t get mad at Josh for it since it’s accepted by everyone in the Hawks organization. If it wasn’t, it would change. I can’t imagine someone said – Josh, we would rather lose with you inside than win with you outside and until you understand that – we’re never going to win anything of substance. You can get away with that vs. the Kings. You can’t get away with that in the playoffs, so we’re going to practice this now. It’s lazy and it’s going to work sometimes and give you false hope that you can actually can do it, but you can’t. Even when it works – it’s not working. Don’t be fooled and if you need a reminder – here’s a tape of it not working. Period.

Coach Doug Collins wrote a halftime note for his team on the board: "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,"

from yahoo sports

did everyone just start to suck whenthe third quarter began?

is that i can finally wash my lucky shorts. On a serious response, I hope the team doesnt start to collapse after this game

This was not a make or break game for Hawks. Hawks were playing excellent ball in first half. Once Smoove jumpers failed to go in, and Marvin exacerbated everything with his weak play, thinks snowballed. I don’t think the team quit. Yes JJ did not have a good game, but I understand with Iguodala defending him.

Still a lot of positives to take from this game. Hawks were able to stay with Sixers, which are playing tremendous ball. Teague had a great first half, until he just got tired and upset at Marvin for lack of movement.

Lessons:
1. If the first two jumpers don’t go in, Smoove has to give it up.
2. Hawks still need a starting level center. Defense and rebounding were horrible last night at the center position.

The more important game is tonight. That is the one we can’t afford to lose.
No need topanic over one game against a very good team. We’ll see what happens when Sixers come back to A-town. Hopefully we would have added a starting center for Kirk by then.

Carlisle did the same thing last year. Its a matter of the players proving coach wrong

I can understand not being happy with a 4-game winning streak. I can understand trying to light a fire under his players. But this was not the way to do it under the circumstances. The Hawks have only had a few really bad games thus far. Otherwise they have been playing really hard for Drew. If Drew wants to motivate his players to play harder, he needs to stand up for them on the court. All season the Hawks have gotten the short end of the stick from the refs.

I totally agree with Smoove’s comments after Drew’s: "Everybody is entitled to their opinion. If he felt that way, that’s his opinion. I just felt we got a little careless with the basketball. In times of adversity, everybody has to stick together. Everybody. Players and everybody, and keep everything positive. The slightest thing can deter a situation or an individual."

So early in the season and with Hawks playing overall good ball, the best way for LD to motivate his players is to stand up for them. The whole world, including the Hawks’ own, are doubting the Hawks. The last thing the players need is for their coach to throw them under the bus, especially when no one believes in this team except for those in the locker room.

It is practically impossible for any player and any team to win every game, every quarter, every minute.

Where were the coaching adjustments? Yes the team withered at the increased defensive intensity and blew a lead just like in Chicago. This time it happened earlier and resulted in a blow out the other way, but essentially the same thing happened in the game. We had a prolonged stretch where we couldn’t hit a jump shot. Yep that same old story. It happened with both the starters and the bench. When the bench was out there we went into iso-TMac mode and it didn’t work. When the starters were out there Joe was negated by Igoudala, so we couldn’t even go iso-Joe. When Josh or Jeff tried to penetrate they lost the ball. When Marvin got close to the hole he got rejected hard (it was disheartening to watch).

We still have the same achilles that if the jump shots aren’t falling we don’t have another way to consistently score or even get shots. We need a play we can call that spreads the defense wide by positioning the shooting threats outside, not so fast Josh, you go down on the block. Give Teague the room to penetrate and react to defensive help. The end result shouldn’t be a open jumper but rather either a shot in the paint or a trip to the line. LD should have called a timeout and told the team that the jump shots we were taking were helping the Sixer run. He should have called a play or two with the express goal of a shot in the line or a trip to the line.

Next area that we were positively abused was the boards. Someone will have to explain LD’s system of minutes some day. Elton Brand with his long arms was devastating us. He was outworking our bigs and getting so many boards. Where’s Ivan? He was getting plenty of PT at home. Several games he was a closer. If you’re getting out worked by a 32 year forward who’s had multiple operations, why not send your hungry, give-no-quarter, forward who worked his way up from the d-league up against him? Why not at least try it as a change of pace? If it doesn’t work right away as coach I pull Ivan aside and say “Are you telling me that old man wants the rebound more than you? If you can’t work harder than him on the boards then you aren’t going to be in this league very long. Go out there and show me you want to be on the court.” Then if Ivan is given it full effort I say to Zaza that’s the type of effort you need to stay on the floor. I know that Brand is longer that mean you have to clamp down the ball, you have to secure the rebounding position. Don’t worry about anything else right now except that the Sixers get no 2nd shots.

I felt Larry Drew watched the team fold under the pressure instead of doing what he could as coach to help them survive the run and win the game. He rightfully questioned the team’s resolve, but I do the same for him as a coach because I didn’t feel he did what he could to stop the onslaught either.

they probably weren’t winning that game, but i agree – you gotta help your team and I don’t think LD did that. You can’t put the onus on they quit. That’s ridiculous…