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Raptors Vs. Hawks Final Score: Atlanta Loses Ugly At Home Vs Toronto 102-86

By William Sevidal
This is not a jump ball gesture. This is the saddest two thumbs up ever caught on camera.
This is not a jump ball gesture. This is the saddest two thumbs up ever caught on camera.
Instant Reaction: The Hawks can still be the Hawks when they want to be. In other words, they can completely go the opposite way of what everyone expects. A supposed to be sure win turns out to be a blowout loss.

Game Recap: Dominique Wilkins said something in the broadcast that summed it up best. "When it goes bad, it goes bad. Nothing goes the right way for you." He said that right after Jannero Pargo airballed an open three pointer. Now I know it's a cliche line, but it fits for tonight. Seriously, nothing went well for the Hawks.

You can gripe about so many things. Jeff Teague was non-existent. Kirk Hinrich was Kirk Hinrich. Joe Johnson earned another undeserving paycheck. Josh Smith refused to play to his strengths. Jason Collins was hopeless. Willie Green was too little too late. Jannero Pargo was off. Vladimir Radmanovic still doesn't excite. Larry Drew's offensive game plan was laughable. You get the point...

Just how bad was this loss for the Hawks? Let's examine...

  • The Hawks never took the lead in this game.
  • They lost to a bad road team at home.
  • They lost to a team that was missing 3 key players.
  • They get blown out by a team that isn't playing for anything.
  • They most likely killed their chances for the 3rd seed.
  • They lost to a team that they had beaten the last 6 times.
  • They are now 3 games behind the Indiana Pacers.
  • They lose their current homecourt advantage vs. the Celtics.
  • They lose their 1 game lead they had on the Orlando Magic.

Now I know there has been more disappointing losses than this one, but this one just might be the worst game the Hawks have played the entire season. I seriously can't remember a worse performance from this Hawks team this season. This was a needed and a must-should win that ended up to be a blow-out loss. How worse can it get?

    Final Thought: We all knew losing Al Horford to injury was going to hurt the Hawks pretty badly, but did we really know that about Zaza Pachulia?

    I know Jason Collins only saw the court for about 5 minutes, but that was a dreadful 5 minutes. The Hawks were playing 5 on 4 on each possession, offensive end and defensive end. Ivan Johnson did a much better job than Collins, but still, his lack of size was clearly shown in many moments in this game. Zaza's size, energy, and overall presence was definitely missed tonight, and I honestly think the outcome might have been different tonight if Zaza were available.

    Next Game: Hey, we get to do this again! This time, in Toronto. The Hawks will travel to Toronto tonight, and will have their rematch and potential revenge game tomorrow night at 7 PM.

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