Hawks vs. Bulls Final Score: Chicago Bulls 76, Atlanta Hawks 74
by Jason Walker on Jan 3, 2012 11:29 PM EST
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Quick Thought: So close and yet so far.
A Very Special Thought:
In leiu of a full recap tonight, I offer this very special thought about this close, but no cigar blown game tonight against the Chicago Bulls.
There was serious doubt coming into this season whether the Hawks would even be as good as last year, a year in which they slid due to off years from role players, regression to the mean for a certain 6th Man of the Year, injuries to a recently signed max contract player and a new head coach.
In back to back nights, the Hawks went into what is widely considered to be the best two teams in the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls. What they did in six of eight quarters of those two games was to impose their own will and athleticism on these two teams and show that the Atlanta Hawks belong in any discussion regarding not just the playoffs, but potentially a home court advantage seed.
That's why I'm choosing to be optimistic and pragmatic about the way the Hawks lost this particular game, blowing a 14 point lead heading into the fourth quarter and generally looking like they lost their oxygen tank at the bottom of the ocean.
The Hawks can play with anyone with this roster. Their core being together has definitely helped them in this compressed season and the addition of Tracy McGrady has me believing that he could make a run at 6th Man of the Year himself.
The rotations are still being tested, as Marvin Williams got crunch time against the Bulls where Tracy McGrady got it against the Heat last night. Larry Drew and the coaches are learning, hopefully, what's working when and against what.
Jeff Teague is getting vaulable experience he should have had long before this season, and the busted winning time free throws can only help the young man as he plays in more and more high pressure, big time games.
This is a good team who is proving to be capable of beating anyone in the East, and though a blown lead and loss might have me shaking my head and feeling negative about their poor execution after three brilliant defensive quarters, I am feeling rather positive --- about this team, about this season, and about the Hawks chances of exceeding most pundits relatively poor outlook overall.
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Still figuring it out, I'm sure...
…These lessons will be good before playoff time rolls around. Obviously, the Hawks are going to be there.
by Jason Walker on Jan 3, 2012 10:34 PM EST up reply actions
Not according to the all-knowing John Hollinger.
by tylerj19 on Jan 3, 2012 10:50 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Exactly..
…say, isn’t it about time his also annual, “Gee, the Hawks really aren’t that bad” column?
by Jason Walker on Jan 3, 2012 10:52 PM EST up reply actions
And Parho and/or Green will not be there.
And I think THAT will be the big factor.
I'm on the Twitter: twitter.com/edgrohl
It shouldn't come down to a Marvin/T-Mac dilemma
Maybe at certain points…but only 15 minutes for T-Mac? Why, then, 7 minutes for Willie Green? Seriously, I’ll bet the two of them can co-exist on a basketball court.
Braves will be fine. I'm not worried.
by Bronn on Sep 18, 2011 4:26 PM EDT
Okay, missed a lot of the game
But I did notice that, once again, Marvin’s and T-Mac’s minutes added up to exactly 48. They do not share one single second on the court, which is just a weird decision to make. They’ve definitely been 2 of your 5 best players so far this season, I don’t think you can argue that. A smart coach would try to make sure his best 5 guys get plenty of time of the court.
Braves will be fine. I'm not worried.
by Bronn on Sep 18, 2011 4:26 PM EDT
Damn it....
Do you think it will linger? We can’t have TMac and Hinrich out. The bench will be as horrible as ever.
Honesty it could have been worse.
We went toe to toe with arguably the 2 best teams in the NBA. We beat one and we lost to the other in the final seconds of a game. I’m an optimist though.
What a complete collapse
Gutless performance by the Hawks.
You won't like my recap then.
Feeling somewhat FutureShock-ish tonight.
by Jason Walker on Jan 3, 2012 10:35 PM EST up reply actions
you shouldn't be. What else do you expect from the Bulls?
I just expected more from the Hawks. Again, Drew should have had TMac in for the final 2 minutes. Marvin got his time.
Or put Taco Mac in at PG on defense.
I feel his longer arms may have been helpful.
I'm on the Twitter: twitter.com/edgrohl
This was the complete opposite
of that game in March
I know where the bodies are buried.....I buried some of them myself. - David Stern
by a hooter's baby on Jan 3, 2012 10:37 PM EST via mobile reply actions
When does Kirk come back?
We need a little smart play mixed in to the team?
I'm on the Twitter: twitter.com/edgrohl
This is what the Chicago paper reported....
Former Bull Kirk Hinrich has been cleared for non-contact drills with the Hawks and is ahead of schedule to return from Nov. 4 surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.
*sigh* well I didnt really expect us to win any of the 2 back to backs
i guess winning on the road in miami and coming close on the road is a move in teh rig direction. at least this wasnt a playoff game, then id be really pissed
"A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble."
Mohandas Gandhi
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
Winston Churchill
"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"
Jesus
"We were real solid on both ends of the floor today and had positive energy coming from the bench tonight."
Jeff Teague
and ill have a tough time if a chicago troller comes on here, ill be ready to cuss them out
"A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble."
Mohandas Gandhi
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
Winston Churchill
"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"
Jesus
"We were real solid on both ends of the floor today and had positive energy coming from the bench tonight."
Jeff Teague
if it helps,
you can cuss me out, as i like the bulls, and no one has to troll anyone!
"Sportsmanship is just loser talk for losing."
by boyonthedock on Jan 3, 2012 11:22 PM EST up reply actions
No one has to Troll anyone.
The Bulls will be a top team in the East… but so will the Hawks. We gave this one to ya’ll. I hope you are happy!
pretty happy to pull out a win
on one of the worst shooting nights the bulls are likely to have, hell yeah. I like coming here because I never seen a fanbase with quite the relationship with a player as hawks fans (peachtree hoops ones especially) and josh smith. tickles me pink.
"Sportsmanship is just loser talk for losing."
by boyonthedock on Jan 3, 2012 11:27 PM EST up reply actions
lol its cool both teams seem to be in the top of the east
it just pisses us off when the “experts” believe we will finish 9th in the east
"A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble."
Mohandas Gandhi
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
Winston Churchill
"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"
Jesus
"We were real solid on both ends of the floor today and had positive energy coming from the bench tonight."
Jeff Teague
It's a little early to make judgements like that
especially with key players on both sides out, in cj watson, rip hamilton, and kirk hinrich.
"Sportsmanship is just loser talk for losing."
by boyonthedock on Jan 3, 2012 11:40 PM EST up reply actions
the bulls did for a while.
dark days. But Watson is much better than john lucas the third. rose doesn’t play 44 minutes if watson were there.
"Sportsmanship is just loser talk for losing."
by boyonthedock on Jan 3, 2012 11:52 PM EST up reply actions
The Miami fans were bagging on Wade the way that Josh gets called out over here for his decision making on their blog yesterday
Will making it back to the Eastern Conference Semis give Larry Drew another year at the helm?
I guess you weren’t familiar with Blog a Bulls relationship with Kirk Hinrich
I know where the bodies are buried.....I buried some of them myself. - David Stern
by a hooter's baby on Jan 4, 2012 12:19 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
It's not the same when viewed up close
than from afar. emotions ran too high.
"Sportsmanship is just loser talk for losing."
by boyonthedock on Jan 4, 2012 12:38 AM EST up reply actions
Same Ole Hawks tonight blowing leads...
I’m not sure if the hawks are sold on moving with out the ball. There were glimpses of movement in the 4th quarter but they went back to iso Joe ball. Why was jeff teague on Derrick rose the whole time maybe throw some other players at him all he did was run over teague. Teague and the rest of the team has to improve on defense. Larry Drew you couldn’t draw a better last shot play?
Whatever!
The Hawks are playing D like never before. If they are to lose a game in January, this is the one. And what a show-and-prove game. Teague wasn’t on, Joe wasn’t on, Al wasn’t on, Tmac wasnt on. The D owned the Bulls this game. The D is what’s gonna win games period this season.
Nice!
I know where the bodies are buried.....I buried some of them myself. - David Stern
by a hooter's baby on Jan 3, 2012 10:51 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Back to back against the two best teams, on the road....
Handily beat Miami and lost by 2 in the second game in Chicago. Not too bad. Shouldn’t have let the Bulls back in this one. Missed FTs was the tale, plain and simple. Can’t win a road game missing half of the freebies at the stripe.
Overall, I’m feeling good about my Hawks.
All you can ask for is a chance
Hawks had them. But I rather stay with ball movement and take best shot, than static play near end by JJ. Tough loss to take, just tough. I am tired of learning, this team is beyond learning, darn it. I am not commenting on LD, not worth it
It's all about free throws!!!
Shooting 56% from the line isn’t gonna cut it in any NBA game. Make 76% of those and you win by at least 3. Maybe even more since they would continue to foul. Oh well. Cant dwell on this to long we’ve got the Heatles on Thursday
by BravesFanScout on Jan 3, 2012 10:54 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Well. This team DOES need to work on the fundamentals.
Although the only shocker was Marvin missing so egregiously.
I'm on the Twitter: twitter.com/edgrohl
Horford was money at the line in the 4th last year
I was surprised to see him miss those tonight. Seriously.
by Hawk n the Ham on Jan 3, 2012 10:59 PM EST up reply actions
Exactly, Al hasn't hit the money shots at all in the first 6 games.
We can’t win them all but being up 19 in the 2nd half, Larry Drew had to be teaching a lesson by not putting TMac in late in the 4th.
I definitely feel T-Mac needs to be out there in crunch time from now on.
He is a play maker, has hit HUGE shots before, and plays good defense. What more can you ask for in the last few minutes of the game?
by BravesFanScout on Jan 3, 2012 11:13 PM EST up reply actions
+ prioer to the game
drew said before the game he would play everyone off the bench if need be. yet he doesnt play jerry stackhouse none. nor ivan johnson who looked amazing in preseason. drew is one strange coach….
by liquidvizions on Jan 3, 2012 11:39 PM EST up reply actions
He plays Willie Green way too much
Marvin was good, and deserves all of his minutes, but it doesn’t need to be a T-Mac/Marvin Williams dilemma.
Braves will be fine. I'm not worried.
by Bronn on Sep 18, 2011 4:26 PM EDT
I feel ya...
I have said it before that Drew needs to learn how to play TMac and Marvin together. Marvin can guard most bench 2s. I have also said that Drew probably thinks that TMacs best position at this point in his career is the 3.
The way Marvin's been going
He can probably play some PFs, too. Depending on the match-up, at least, but he’s playing strong, and he might be just as strong, physically, as a slimmed-down Josh Smith. Certainly, he could defend the 4 spot as well as Radmanovich does, as slender as he is. He’s been going inside and getting rebounds, too.
You’re right. Larry Drew needs to learn how to accomplish a basic coaching feat-most high school and college programs have already got this kind of crap figured out.
Braves will be fine. I'm not worried.
by Bronn on Sep 18, 2011 4:26 PM EDT
Exactly...
Marvin has hit the 3 and every other shot as well as VladRad… so why not give him a run a the 4??
Its about the small things.
The Hawks should have won this game. The key to this game was defense. The Hawk played it in the 1st half… The Bulls did it in the 2nd half (or at least the Hawks missed shots). As far I am concerned, if the Bulls and the Heat are the best two teams in the East, the Hawks have nothing to fear!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
not to make any excuses
but i think the legs were tired tonight. When you miss free throws like that you’re tired
Atlanta will win a championship....someday
Glad it was close
I had a class tonight and had to miss the action, or lack thereof. I saw the score and thought there must be a quarter left for a second.
PATHETIC FREE THROW SHOOTING
if horford or teague makes just half of their shots we win this game. horford and teague need to get they butts on that free throw line in practice until they at least are above decent. i mean josh is gonna miss his from time to time but that’s a given. teague and horford need to get with it. missing the tech. shots and the freet throws constantly is just a mess.
btw...
can someone please explain to me why we are not playing jerry stackhouse or ivan johnson {who looked AMAZING in pre-season} any??? this makes ZERO sense.
Jerry Stackhouse is a bloated, rotting corpse
But I don’t know about Ivan Johnson.
Braves will be fine. I'm not worried.
by Bronn on Sep 18, 2011 4:26 PM EDT
I heard that Jerry Stackhouse was there to be a good locker room guy
Not to play much. Drew is only playing who he trusts so without injuries or 2 fouls in the first half I wouldn’t expect anyone outside the first 10 to get used.
well maybe
i just know ivan johnson looked much better than green or pargo during preseason. but we’ll probably never find out. thats how drew rolls.
by liquidvizions on Jan 4, 2012 12:12 AM EST up reply actions
Okay im calmed now
we beat miami then gave Chicago a run for their money on the road (though they didnt have rip) but still i feel good. Once we get kirk back to fill in the void of the crappiness of green or pargo then i will feel way better. But until then we just gotta win the games we are suppose to win and show that effort we showed every night
"A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble."
Mohandas Gandhi
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
Winston Churchill
"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"
Jesus
"We were real solid on both ends of the floor today and had positive energy coming from the bench tonight."
Jeff Teague
I'm going to play apologist here.
I think we need to keep in mind the retracted preseason before getting in too large of a panic over the missed free throws in this game.
no
because its been going on for 6 games now. especially with horford. he used to be much better than this at the line. i mean its ok if josh misses his. he brings other things to the table for us and we expect josh to miss some free throws. but josh is hitting more of his now than horford. al seriously needs to get with it. plus stop making stupid fouls. and i love teague but he is just as bad if not worst at the free throw line. one of them has to get with it. specially when marvin has a off night at the line when he is usually money. u cant have teague and horford staying horrible at the line every game.
by liquidvizions on Jan 3, 2012 11:33 PM EST up reply actions
I guess ya'll can see that I am fuming from this loss. If won't don't get the next one against Chi, I will definitely be heated.
If the city doesn’t have a rivalry already, I definitely do. I have family in Chicago and I know Atlanta is the better team from top to bottom, especially this year. The only player that really wins a one on one match up against any Hawk is Derrik Rose. But even after that the bench does not compare, even with Hinrich out.
Asik is Zaza at best and he played 12 more minutes than Noah (who is supposed to be Chicaogo’s All-Star Center).
Noah's foul trouble was to blame for that
He will typically get the bulk of the minutes. Asik is best at defensively altering shots in the paint. He’s not a great rebounder, or shot blocker, or scorer. But I’ve watched a couple teams in a row now completely fail to shoot over him.
"Sportsmanship is just loser talk for losing."
by boyonthedock on Jan 3, 2012 11:37 PM EST up reply actions
Nah
Noah’s rebounding and defense > Lopez’s scoring…Lopez can’t grab a rebound to save his life
I know where the bodies are buried.....I buried some of them myself. - David Stern
by a hooter's baby on Jan 3, 2012 11:44 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Smits
I never realized it, but thats an accurate comparison
I know where the bodies are buried.....I buried some of them myself. - David Stern
by a hooter's baby on Jan 3, 2012 11:53 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I think the thing that hurts me the most
is that every bulls game i go too I always heckle rose for not hitting freethrows, oh well we just 6 games into the season 60 more to go
"A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble."
Mohandas Gandhi
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
Winston Churchill
"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"
Jesus
"We were real solid on both ends of the floor today and had positive energy coming from the bench tonight."
Jeff Teague
what really hurts is....
if we fought this back n forth til the end then we feel ok with a 2 point loss on the road after a good win in miami. its the fact how we lost when we had this in the bag. blowing a 18 point lead late in the game and then giving the bulls their first lead of the game the last couple mins of the game. that is what kills. watching us melt to pieces out there when you had this game right in ya pocket. and if horford and teague dont step up at the line then opposing teams are gonna have a field day fouling them since they pretty much know they either gonna miss both or at least one every time.
The ISOs
against good teams should be trashed in these types of games. The missed free throws hurt a lot but TMAc not getting in there after what he did last night hurt as well.
Atlanta will win a championship....someday
Al Horford post game
“I promise you a lot of good will come out of this. You will never see another team play as hard as we will play for the rest of the season and you will not see another player play as hard as I will play….”
I know where the bodies are buried.....I buried some of them myself. - David Stern
by a hooter's baby on Jan 3, 2012 11:39 PM EST via mobile reply actions
I wish
I know where the bodies are buried.....I buried some of them myself. - David Stern
by a hooter's baby on Jan 3, 2012 11:40 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
what he should say is i promise im gonna work on my awful free throw shooting in practice. it’s killing our chances and i need to get on this. nice try though horford @ avoiding the issue at hand.
by liquidvizions on Jan 3, 2012 11:41 PM EST up reply actions
HIS??
How about the SF and PG make some??? They shoot for a living!!!
I'm on the Twitter: twitter.com/edgrohl
Oh...and Josh shoots for a living too now.
Anyone have his jump shot stats for tonight? I need to know how many possessions were wasted in a one score game.
I'm on the Twitter: twitter.com/edgrohl
josh smith i trust over joe johnson. josh looked a million times better tonight than joe. then again what else is new for the most.
by liquidvizions on Jan 3, 2012 11:48 PM EST up reply actions
Well that is ridiculous considering one is titled "SHOOTING GUARD"
And the other is a “POWER FORWARD”.
Joe…keep shooting.
I'm on the Twitter: twitter.com/edgrohl
yeah keeping throwing up brciks joe
its awesome
by liquidvizions on Jan 3, 2012 11:52 PM EST up reply actions
You must be a Vick fan as well.
Style over substance.
Joe had an off night. Josh has never had success as a shooter. Stop being obtuse for the sake of highlights.
I'm on the Twitter: twitter.com/edgrohl
far from a vick fan. though i like him just fine
joe had a off night? u make that sound like it rarely happens. joe has WAY more many off nights than he does good nights. josh has more good nights than bad. and JOE IS GETTING PAID STAR PLAYER MONEY. he is far from that. and u saw what happened tonight. joe couldnt even get a shot off at the end of the game. i wish we would learn to stop going to him. i much woulda rather had us find marvin open for a tie game shot than cold as ice joe johnson.
by liquidvizions on Jan 4, 2012 12:01 AM EST up reply actions
We really SHOULD feel bad about a guy going 3-17 shooting the ball, though
I mean, let’s not sweep that under the rug. It’s pretty bad.
Braves will be fine. I'm not worried.
by Bronn on Sep 18, 2011 4:26 PM EDT
our so called star player at that bronn
and it happens more times than it doesnt. joe hits one 3pointer and dominique and a few go insane. yet they never talk about how sloppy he is and just how careless he plays 75% of the time.
by liquidvizions on Jan 4, 2012 12:07 AM EST up reply actions
and it happens more times than it doesnt
Don’t get too crazy, now. I’ll ride JJ as much as anyone for his struggles, but to say that he’s shooting less than 20% very often is a ridiculous exaggeration. He needs to be a more efficient scorer if the Hawks are going to take a step forward…and so far this year, he really has. Good for him.
Braves will be fine. I'm not worried.
by Bronn on Sep 18, 2011 4:26 PM EDT
yeah
didnt mean it that way as in he goes 3-17 and under 20% i mainly just meant he shoots under 50% more times than not. meaning he is under par way more than over. and that is fact.
by liquidvizions on Jan 4, 2012 12:14 AM EST up reply actions
well that's the problem
If everyone feels ok with Josh shooting jumpers and not Joe……there’s something wrong.
Atlanta will win a championship....someday
didnt say that
i said id trust getting the ball to josh in the inside over joe on the outside. expecially when joe was cold as ice tonight. i mean look at that lousy shot he took at the end.
by liquidvizions on Jan 4, 2012 12:02 AM EST up reply actions
well
one’s a harder shot and one’s a easier shot. But Josh took more harder ones than easier ones….so blame that on Joe?
Atlanta will win a championship....someday
and...
im not a fan of josh taking long shots. even though he hits a good few. he does what he has to do also at times. they pass it to him with 3 secs left on the f’n shot clock what else can he do. see none of u ever point that out. it happens COUNTLESS times. but does josh take shots that he doesnt need to? sure. he is a beast in the paint. he can frustrate me as well when he doesnt do what he is so talented for. but here’s an idea. try getting under the basket for the rebound when u gonna throw it to him on the outside with the shot clock winding down.
by liquidvizions on Jan 4, 2012 12:10 AM EST up reply actions
I wasn't upset with one of Josh's jumpers as the shot clock was expiring
It happens. Teague got into a bad spot, time was running out, so Josh taking an open jumper isn’t any worse than either trying to force an impossible pass to JJ in the corner or throwing up an awkward, off balance runner.
It’s the shots he takes early in the shot clock when the bal gets swung around the perimter that are so frustrating.
Braves will be fine. I'm not worried.
by Bronn on Sep 18, 2011 4:26 PM EDT
Let's not pick on the things we know will happen... Horford should have hit his foul shots and Teague should have hit his.
Just like the last game, Smoove’s shooting wouldn’t matter if everyone else hits the shots they should have.
exactly
josh is just fine. he makes the game exciting. he gets the steals. the blocks. and his rebounds. and had a double double tonight. joe on the other hand was a mess out there. throw in horford and teague shooting up brick after brick at the free throw line and there is your loss.
by liquidvizions on Jan 3, 2012 11:51 PM EST up reply actions
no sarcasm about it
joe is supposed to be a star player yet he stays outshined by josh or someone on the team night after night for the most. joe makes all that money and is our star yet others just laugh at him. including most non blind hawk fans.
by liquidvizions on Jan 3, 2012 11:54 PM EST up reply actions
It is when you know you your players are. I have been for a long time saying that Al should get as much criticism as anyone.
He wants to be PF but hardly ever puts up a 20/10 game. Kevin Love puts up 20/20 games and his barely matches up with Horford size-to-size.
“We know this guy is going to play stupid, so we shouldn’t be upset that he plays stupid.”
I’m not sure I get the reasoning. I think repetitive stupid play is more frustrating than being stupid for short stretches of games.
Braves will be fine. I'm not worried.
by Bronn on Sep 18, 2011 4:26 PM EDT
Even worse is the way you reasoned this out
“We know Josh is going to waste offensive possessions, so there’s no point in focusing on that. Instead, we need to be upset at everyone who failed to pick up the slack.”
Or, we could just point out that plenty of people were crappy at the free throw line, and leave it at that. Regardless, Horford’s 16 points on 14 FGAs, and Josh’s 15 points on 13 FGAs were both blistering with effeciency compared to JJ’s 10 poings on 17 FGAs.
The three turnovers by Josh, and three from T-Mac in limited playing time, those did hurt, though.
Braves will be fine. I'm not worried.
by Bronn on Sep 18, 2011 4:26 PM EDT
by Bronn on Jan 4, 2012 12:01 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Smoove's play overall makes him a better PF.
Al never dominates Centers and he never dominates PF’s. Al will forever be a 16 and 9 guy. Josh is a 17 and 8 and 4apg and 2bpg and 1.5 spg guy. Josh is the better PF and better beside Dwight. AL, MARVIN, AND KIRK to Orlando for Dwight!
AMEN AGAIN JDE
if josh had someone like dwight by his side then josh would be a beasttttttt. instead he has butter fingers horford and has to make do…
by liquidvizions on Jan 4, 2012 12:04 AM EST up reply actions
Exactly...
If defense is already giving teams like Chicago and Miami fits, if Dwight teams up with Josh, the defense will be OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!
Josh is the better PF
I just wonder if you’ve been watching the Hawks this season. Josh has played pretty crappy, overall. This game was his best so far, and it was hardly dominant.
Braves will be fine. I'm not worried.
by Bronn on Sep 18, 2011 4:26 PM EDT
Question is have you been watching the past 4 seasons.
We know what Josh is and we know what Al is. The only reason Al has been an All-Star is by default (Bogut has been hurt, Lopez has not won enough games, and Noah deserves it less than Al.
horford just isnt the right guy to play with josh
and ask yaself this. if we get someone over josh to play with horford will it really matter? no. horford is horford. he isnt gonna be any better. he cant gel with josh then he will never get it done. he is average at best.
now reverse that. get dwight with josh and josh would be lights out. this isn’t rocket science people. josh could get amazing with the right guy. horford is as good as he is gonna be.
by liquidvizions on Jan 4, 2012 12:20 AM EST up reply actions
amen jdewayneatl
horford needs to get his s h i t together and fast
by liquidvizions on Jan 3, 2012 11:56 PM EST up reply actions
Just go check out his shot charg
2-7 on jumpshots. 4-6 on everything else.
Braves will be fine. I'm not worried.
by Bronn on Sep 18, 2011 4:26 PM EDT
Ok so that is something that we have become accomstomed to.
We scored 74 points on 35% shooting. Thats not all because of 5 shots by Josh.
No
But it’s worth mentioning almost everything in a game that comes down to losing by one possession. I mean, there were lots of shots that JJ should have hit, but there weren’t any that he took which has categorically demonstrated an inability to make. With Josh, we immediately know what the story is. He can’t hit jumpshots at a reasonable rate, much less an average rate, and he takes a ton of them. It’s not arguable at this point, which is why his defenders aren’t even trying to justify it, they’re just spouting crap like, “That’s the way he plays.”
But we knew coming into this game, coming into this season, just as we’ve known for the past 4 years. Josh Smith will NOT hit a high percentage of his jumpshots. Everyone but Josh Smith knows this. He continues to take half of his shot attempts on low percentage opportunities when he is skilled enough to score in much better ways. It’s stupid that he continues to play this way. Every game he does it, it is stupid.
Joe Johnson wasn’t hitting his shot tonight. That sucks. His shot selection, though, was not categorically bad enough for us to be upset with his decision making. He doesn’t demonstrate an inability to recognize his own weaknesses on the basketball floor. He does sometimes attempt to do too much, but as a skille shooter, we’re not going to harp on his usage of jumpshots. Josh Smith’s jumpshots are always, always, always a waste. People shouldn’t HAVE to pick up the slack for him. He should know better. He doesn’t. It is frustrating. The only thing he needs in order to become a superstud, All Pro, first team NBA elite player is a SHOCK COLLAR.
Braves will be fine. I'm not worried.
by Bronn on Sep 18, 2011 4:26 PM EDT
yet no one complains
when josh hits a buzzer beater outsider for the win. or a outside shot to tie a game. josh is FAR from the problem with the hawks. joe is a ball hog and he dribbles wayyyyy to much. turns it over. least josh passes the ball. joe will keep trying and wont accept he is having a horrible night. nah. lets do this! im just 2 for 16! let me keep going! no. u pass it to players that are having a good night. like marvin. joe makes his self look bad most of the time and it is his own fault. sad part is we stuck with him for years and he is only going to get worst. but i got more issues with horford right now than joe. i mean joe is joe. ive come to expect the same ol thing from joe johnson. he’ll have a ok game. 3 bad games. 2 good games. it repeats itself. im more concerned with josh. because he has so much talent and i just wish he would put it to good use a bit more than he does. he could be so elite if he could just fix some things.
by liquidvizions on Jan 4, 2012 12:35 AM EST up reply actions
Its not that Joe was 2 for 16.
He should have been shooting the ball. My thing is he should have found a way to hit at least 3 more shots. That would have been more than enough.
at this point it's pointless to argue Joe vs Josh
Both players are who they are. And Josh will never be the shooter Joe is because Josh shooting is never a good shot
Atlanta will win a championship....someday
He didn't really say it
I know where the bodies are buried.....I buried some of them myself. - David Stern
by a hooter's baby on Jan 3, 2012 11:46 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I don't wanna get my hopes up (maybe I do)
but if this team continues to play defense like this, I’m gonna be like a giddy little school girl when the playoffs roll around
I know where the bodies are buried.....I buried some of them myself. - David Stern
by a hooter's baby on Jan 4, 2012 12:26 AM EST via mobile reply actions
I'm with the optimists tonight
The Hawks played some strangling defense against the Bulls for 3 quarters tonight. There was more positive than negative aspects to this game, and I’m not sure if it was fatigue down the stretch or otherwise, but the positives they showed in this game give hope for the season. If it was low gas in the tank, hopefully a night off and being back at home Thursday night will bring them back to plying the shut-down D and rotating the ball on offense more.
Will making it back to the Eastern Conference Semis give Larry Drew another year at the helm?
We had them at 34 points after 3 quarters tonight.
Will making it back to the Eastern Conference Semis give Larry Drew another year at the helm?
Sorry, 42 points
Will making it back to the Eastern Conference Semis give Larry Drew another year at the helm?
The National media is going to get nervous SOON...
The Hawks look like party crashers to ECF.
The stern will not allow this
"A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble."
Mohandas Gandhi
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
Winston Churchill
"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"
Jesus
"We were real solid on both ends of the floor today and had positive energy coming from the bench tonight."
Jeff Teague
anyway.. just gotta forget this should have win
and try and move on. but i will say this. if teague and horford dont at least get decent at the line then we are gonna have serious issues because them 2 are killing us at the line. they were much better at the line prior to this season. so i just hope while the season is still early that these 2 can pull it together. if not they just gonna hack josh. horford. teague. and that is gonna bite us bad when u got 3 players who cant do squat at the ft line. and josh is same. he hits some and misses some. but teague and horford have sunk bad so far this season and that just isnt going to work out for us.
6 games into the season
atleast our starters arent killing themselves with minutes, I cant wait to see what happens when the other star teams in the east continue to play their players with such high minutes
"A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble."
Mohandas Gandhi
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
Winston Churchill
"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"
Jesus
"We were real solid on both ends of the floor today and had positive energy coming from the bench tonight."
Jeff Teague
Not sure
those extra 3 minutes per starter are going to cause a lot of wear and tear. Play ‘em during the great games. I’m ok with it vs. the Nets because the Nets don’t have D. Rose and a full house to turn the game around
Hawk Str8Talk
by Hawk Str8Talk on Jan 4, 2012 12:59 AM EST up reply actions
wait so are you saying that the extra minutes are going to be negative on the stars?
If so thats what im trying to say for teams like the heat who continuously play their stars at near 40 min
"A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble."
Mohandas Gandhi
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
Winston Churchill
"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"
Jesus
"We were real solid on both ends of the floor today and had positive energy coming from the bench tonight."
Jeff Teague
I'm not saying that
I’m saying that last night (and in selective times – last night was one of them) you can’t count on your bench to play those minutes that the bench played in the 2nd half. First half was fine, but when D Rose was on the court at the start of the 4th with Deng – at least 2-3 of our starters should have been there with him. That’s where I think we lost control of the game.
Hawk Str8Talk
by Hawk Str8Talk on Jan 4, 2012 5:20 PM EST up reply actions
oh yeah then I agree
I was just saying that certain teams that play their players close to 40 minutes every night are gonna kill their players.
"A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble."
Mohandas Gandhi
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
Winston Churchill
"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"
Jesus
"We were real solid on both ends of the floor today and had positive energy coming from the bench tonight."
Jeff Teague
agree with ya
and i’m glad that Drew is erring on saving our team’s legs, just not last night in that situation.
Hawk Str8Talk
by Hawk Str8Talk on Jan 4, 2012 11:21 PM EST up reply actions
Id argue Horford and Johnson played too much in both MIA and CHI
Zaza should have played more against Mia, (he didnt deserve to against CHI), and for christ sake play Tracy at the 2 guard and Marvin at the three. The World will not end if Tracy and Marvin play at the same time. but because he only subs Joe Johnson for Willie “heat check” Green and he SEES him being so awful out there that he plays Joe 3 to 4 extra minutes every night
its funny i wrote a blog that we should have added T-Mac before the previous season
now everyone is crying to put T-Mac in the game…….
theres nothing like getting people to agree with you
by basically saying “I told you so”
"A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble."
Mohandas Gandhi
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
Winston Churchill
"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"
Jesus
"We were real solid on both ends of the floor today and had positive energy coming from the bench tonight."
Jeff Teague
by Throw on Jan 4, 2012 3:03 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I missed the entire second half
I saw J-smoove have the most deceptive, least impressive, 11-rebound 1st half. But how was he in the second?
Did i miss the part where TMac was good this game?
Rebounds aside Tracy McGrady was having a hard time tonight. Jeff Teague gambled WAY to much this game and he got burned every single time except once. He looked fatigued, but being hes the only PG worth his shit he had to be out there
Marvin Williams was pretty good and deserved to be out there, making some key passes and cuts to get people open the entire game. Shot left him like everybody else after the first half. LD might actually be monitering his minutes, because his typically solid Defense slipped towards the end of the game and all of his shots were short.
At the end of the game i wasnt even mad at Josh Smith taking jumpshots because it became clear they as a unit didnt have the energy to run their sets. Playing 4 games in 5 nights in four different cities is something people need to keep in mind after this loss.
Zaza Pachulia forgot how to play basketball. This is disappointing because the Hawks needed something out of the bench and he offered zilch
LD may be inclined to play Ivan Johnson over VladRad against bigger opponents like the Bulls
A cause for concern tho is the Hawks inability to run the fastbreak. Jeff Teague missed Josh on an easy alley oop opting for the corner three from Joe Johnson. This has been a trend and something I hope that gets corrected during the season. Opting for the three point shot when an easy layup can be had isnt very smart basketball
Complaining about free throw shooting this early in the season seems a little crazy. The starting 5 are all 80 percent free throw shooters or better for their career averages except for Josh Smith. Who is a known slow starter when it comes to his FT shooting. Over time it should even out
On second thought i retract my Zaza ire
http://blogs.ajc.com/hawks/2012/01/04/atlanta-hawks-bulls-76-hawks-74/?cxntfid=blogs_hawks
“it’s clear Willie Green is going to shoot when he gets in so the Hawks have to hope there are more 2-for-4s than 0-for-6s. Zaza Pachulia kept getting the ball late in the shot clock in bad position and at one point appeared to tell Green that’s not cool.”
MC is the best and i implore everybody read whats written in his blog.
I think Jeff Teague should have been more agressive this game
He passed up several wide open shots putting pressure on the next guy shooting. I know everyone’s going to rag on Joe for his dismal performance but Teague and Marvin should be more agressive when they get the ball. When the ball is passed around it always ends up in Joe’s hands, and I know he’s the go to guy, but not every go to guy is going to hit all the clutch shots……that is a fact. Oh, and I know I’ve mentioned this before but isos against a team like that and Miami will not work
Atlanta will win a championship....someday
ISO Joe
at crunch time does not work. move the ball, amazing how stagnant their offense was in the final minutes.
I want Marvin to play more, but he’s got to make the open jump shots at crunch time.
Adding Kirk Hinrich will help this team tremendously.
The style of play we are developing epitomizes KH style of play. There should be no drop off once he and Tmac lead the second unit with defensive intensity.
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