Clippers thoughts on the thrashing
It wasn't so much the 128 points.
I wasn't even really the 38 assists.
Or the fact that a 27 point quarter marked the Hawks best defensive stand.
Not even the reality that all those offensive stats came at the hands of the 12-39 Clippers.
It is really that outside of around 47 seconds in the second quarter, the Hawks did not try...at all.
Proof you say. I give you proof in the form of the written word, articulated by large men who where there in person.
"What defense?" said Hawks forward Marvin Williams, who finished with 17 points to match Johnson's 17. "Those guys scored any way they wanted to score, and we really didn't make an effort to stop them."
Anytime you respond to reports questions with questions of your own, your team is in it in a bad way.
"We weren't ready to play," said Hawks forward Josh Smith, who finished with 16 points, a season-high tying 15 rebounds and two blocks. "Both teams had back-to-back games, and I feel like we should have used that to our advantage. We should have pushed the ball more than we did. But they were able to penetrate our interior and find open holes for shots all night."
I have used that excuse one time at my job....I will simply tell you this. I should have gone with Marvin's answer a question with a question strategy.
But I save the best for our coach.
"It's unacceptable," Woodson said. "We didn't compete. It's the first time I've seen that in this team this year [at home]. We did not compete at all."
I love this quote. Sure they have quit plenty of times at home but what do you think I am a miracle worker.
And I don't want to hear anything about not having Bibby. Acie actually played pretty well. Especially when you consider it looked like Woodson and Josh Smith were doing everything possible to keep him from actually performing real live point guard duties.
Regardless, anytime your best offensive possession is your power forward dribbling the length of the floor for a dunk, and your best defensive performance is said power forward getting beaten badly on a drive and out athleting the guy from behind for a block and then the power forward who did both of those plays sums up the game by saying the team was not ready to play, then you know, without a shadow of a doubt, it is a game to be proud of.
When is the all-star break again?