the Atlanta Hawks are NBA Championship Contenders 2010-2011

Joe Johnson 34 points lead the Atlanta Hawks to a wire-to-wire WIN in NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs Round 2 Game 1, MVP Derrick Rose twists ankle

noreply@blogger.com (tha DJ) — Tue, 03 May 2011 02:38:00 +0000

The Atlanta Hawks have made an epic upset against the 62-win, Coach of the Year, Most Valuable Player christened, well disciplined Chicago Bulls.

On the game of the recieving his Coach of the Year award and with official announcement on the MVP just made, the Atlanta Hawks essentially bullied and dominated the Chicago Bulls led by an amazing performance by Joe Johnson. Ric Bucher said it was easily the best performance of Joe Johnson's playoff career, and he was not exaggerating. 34 points 12 for 18 FGs 5 of 5 three-pointers 5 of 5 free throws, 4 rebounds 3 assists 3 steals.

The night Thibodeau is saluted as the league's top coach, it's Drew who orchestrated yet another Game 1 upset on the road against a higher-seeded team to give the Hawks their first playoff victory in the second round since 1997. And on the eve that Rose is expected to pick up the league's MVP award, it's Teague who came out of nowhere to help hound the explosive Bulls guard into a 2-for-10 start from the field that led to an 11-for-27 finish from Rose.

the Hawks outscored the Bulls 31-24 in the 4th quarter to ensure the win, an amazing showing of an improvement this post-season in clutch situations.

Just as Joe Johnson himself said, he doesn't get all the glory when they win and although it was a great efficient scoring game from him, it was a true team effort with good decisions from everybody, even Josh Smith despite his 3 for 11 shooting this game. He had 8 points 6 rebounds 4 assists and 4 HUGE blocks.

Jeff Teague started bravely and took the challenge of the MVP Derrick Rose, his 10 points 5 assists don't show the great defense he played and how he kept the tempo very well.

The LAST time the Hawks won a 2nd round playoff game was in 1997, when they beat a 1st seeded Bulls team... In the United Center...by a score of 103-95.

Jordan went for 12-29, 0-6 from 3.

Im sure that had to 'Shock the World' back then as well.

Derrick Rose Chicago Bulls officially christened Most Valuable Player of 2010-2011 Reglular Season, NBA Playoffs series against Atlanta Hawks is Tough

noreply@blogger.com (tha DJ) — Tue, 03 May 2011 01:24:00 +0000

Unfathomable.

It is official. The announcement has been made that Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls at 22 years 210 days is the youngest Most Valuable Player of the National Basketball Association since 1946 establishment.

The Chicago-born point guard had a breakout third season, averaging 25 points, 7.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds. After a summer with the U.S. National team, Rose made a significant leap in skill, assertiveness, and leadership on the court.

Almost similar to the last Chicago Bulls MVP recipient, Michael Jordan. He was the last Bulls player to win the award. He won it five times, with the latest being 1998. Earlier in the season, Jordan said Rose deserved the award.

Known for his quiet, humble demeanor, Rose raised eyebrows in late September when he told reporters his goal was to win the award.

"The way I look at it, within myself, why can't I be the MVP of the league?" he said. "Why can't I be the best player in the league? Why? Why can't I do that?"

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NBA Playoffs Series Chicago Bulls versus Atlanta Hawks off to a hot start, score 56-53 Bulls 7:56 left

2011 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Round One: Hawks VS Magic Game 2 preview

noreply@blogger.com (tha DJ) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 15:22:00 +0000

Game 1 Recap

Dwight Howard: "I Hate losing, especially to the Hawks"
If Dwight Howard hates losing to the Hawks he may as well start thinking about joining them.

In a wildly epic Game 1 of this best-of-seven series, the Hawks controlled the entire game to a 103-93 victory. It was an amazing display of the Hawks' team advantages versus the Magic's and the Hawks obviously triumphed. Dwight Howard scored a playoff career-high 46 pts (16/22 FGs 14/22 FTs) grabbed 19 rbs but only mustered 1 block and 1 assist. Jameer Nelson scored 27 pts (10/18 FGs 4/7 3ptFGs) but only managed to dish 1 assist. The Atlanta Hawks emphasized their advantage with their execution of the motion-offense and their amazing shot-making abilities led by Joe Johnson 25 pts (9/16 FGs 7/8 FTs) Jamal Crawford 23 pts (7/14 FGs 4/7 3ptFGs ) Al Horford 16 pts (7/14 FGs ) and yes, even Josh Smith 15 pts (6/12 FGs 1/2 3ptFGs)

Those guys had an outstanding offensive game which surely is a large portion of the reason the Hawks won, but the win-shares are at least equal with the strong play of 2 defensive specialists, Jason Collins and Kirk Hinrich. Collins only played 18 minutes and scored a total of 6 fouls and 1 point but his defensive work against Howard played a large role in not allowing the Magic to make a comeback in the second half. Kirk Hinrich has always been known as a defensive specialist, but he even outplayed Nelson on offense in the first half.

We here @PlayoffsHAWKS are avid readers and supporters of Hoopinionblog.com an Atlanta Hawks analysis run on pessimism and truth (Hence the inconsistent optimism this blog was born from), and this game was a win so beautiful it may have for the first time prompted owner Brett LaGree to start a post by saying, "A tremendous win for the Atlanta Hawks."

Game 2 Preview

The Hawks played game 1 perfectly and now Orlando is forced to make adjustments.

Or maybe they won't. Because the Hawks played PERFECTLY, probably for the first time all season, and many naysayers are saying it is unlikely that the Hawks will submit another efficient offensive showcase like in Game 1. Its also unlikely Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson will score 73 points on 26/40 FGs . The truth of the matter is that the Atlanta Hawks have 6 players who can and most likely will average double figures, with 2 of those guys(Johnson and Crawford) are almost guaranteed at least 20 ppg. Not only does Atlanta have the personnel to defeat this team, they definitely have the confidence.

"Just to continue to do it with five guys, continue to make the right play giving up good shots for great shots. That's why we shot such a high percentage. Guys passed up some good shots but we got great shots in the long run, we worked the clock well. We will continue to do things well that were successful for us." --Jamal Crawford 4/19/11

Yes, the Atlanta Hawks seem to have a good game plan, it is absolutely astounding that the Hawks made 34/74 FGs and only 8 FGs were layups. While the Hawks will most likely stick to the script, the Magic are surely going to make some adjustments.

"Our whole focus has been on protect the paint and they haven't been looking to get to the rim a whole lot, containing perimeter jump shots and the Hawks mid-range shots are now our biggest concerns. Even the (Hawks') 51 percent (field goal percentage) was deceptive, because going into the fourth (quarter) they were at 58 percent and that's when the game was decided, so they really had their way with us. And we've got to be a lot better defensively, no matter what we do offensively. If we're going to have to score 105 or 106 points every night to win, then we're gonna be in trouble." -- Coach Stan Van Gundy 4/18/11

Coach Larry Drew seems very confident, but healthily concerned about the way his team won the game.

"We don't want to be a team that relies on just shooting jump shots... We like to open the floor up. It won't be a situation of us just settling for the perimeter. We've got to find that balance of inside-out. As dominant as Dwight is on the inside, we can't shy away from taking the ball to the basket. We have to be the aggressor."

So a few minor adjustments to look for in tonight's game:

fast break points - Atlanta won the fast break battle 11-10 in Game 1 so look for the Hawks to run even more to challenge the Magic speed and athleticism, where they know they have an advantage
rebounding - Dwight Howard is almost guaranteed to average 20 rpg because he always does in the post-season but look for Al and Josh to step up on the boards to tighten up that 40-29 advantage the Magic had in Game 1
Marvin Williams - why not 7 players in double figures? Marvin scored 6 points on 2/3 FGs in Game 1 but also got 2 crucial steals and played excellent team defense, if he can get a few more points it will be difficult for Orlando to overcome

Do you think the Hawks are still excited with a Game 1 win and maybe they'll be satisfied with a 1-1 split going to Atlanta? Is taking a commanding 2-0 lead back to Phillips Arena too ambitious?

"Oh No. We came here with the objective to get two games, we put ourselves in this position and now we look forward to getting Game 2 on Tuesday night." --Jason Collins

ATL! O Le Do it.

2011 Eastern Conference Playoffs Round 1: Orlando Magic versus Atlanta Hawks, could be a monumental upset in the making

noreply@blogger.com (tha DJ) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 22:43:00 +0000

Ah, Yes. The NBA post-season, where amazing happens, rivalries are born, and championships are won. This 2011 NBA Playoffs should be one of the most exciting and unpredictable NBA fans have seen this 21st century, and although every matchup has a favorite, most underdog teams are perfectly capable of an upset.

The Atlanta Hawks have the most ability and the biggest opporitunity to make an upset in the 2011 post-season against the Orlando Magic.

No, the Atlanta Hawks have not looked ready to make such an upset in the regular season, they have looked confused, lethargic, and non-chalant on the court in many BIG regular season games this year, and that was even before one of the most foolish trades in Hawks franchise history; Kirk Hinrich for Mike Bibby, Jordan Crawford, and Mo Evans. They traded 2 solid rotation players and a starter for a role player, having gone 11-20 since that trade, many are saying these Atlanta Hawks look like the team they were in 2007-2008 before Mike Bibby arrived, a 37-win team.

But the Orlando Magic haven't been the Eastern conference championship contender that they have been in previous seasons. One reason is Orlando has not shoot the three-ball well in its regular-season games versus the Atlanta Hawks this year. In the four games(3-1 Hawks), the Magic shot 19-of-84 (22.6 percent) beyond the arc. The prevailing wisdom is that Jason Collins' one-on-one defense on Howard in the paint frees his teammates to stay closer to their men, denying them open attempts from long range.

Regardless of the defense, Dwight Howard is going to play well. Likewise, Al Horford is going to play well. Orlando knowns Jameer Nelson is going to play well.. is Joe Johnson going to play well? On the first year of the most salary-cap crippling contract in Hawks franchise history, Joe had the least productive season of his career. Of the past 23 games since the all-star break where Joe played at least 30 minutes he has only scored 20+ points in 5 games and the Hawks have gone 9-17. Jason Richardson is a streaky scorer, but he has younger legs than Vince Carter and he can give opponents fits when he is on. Josh Smith is one of the most versitile players at the forward position, he may not outscore you, but he can make the right play at the right time to fill the stat sheet.

The Hawks Doom:
Defense. They need to watch and listen to Charles Barkley's hit song featured on the T-mobile commercial, because this team plays with no defensive passion or strategy whatsoever in the game. Maybe, oh, maybe the "NBA Playoffs" logo on the floor and the fact that they are the rightful underdog in this series will inspire some defense, but from what we have seen thus far this season, that is a long goal.

Kirk Hinrich. Is is painfully unfortunate that soon-to-be-former Hawks GM Rick Sund traded two solid rotation players and the only proven veteran in the playoffs for a guy that is not going to make any significant impact whatsoever in any aspect of the game.

Heart. This team is full of questions and have-not; Is Joe Johnson worth the money? Whats wrong with Josh Smith? Is Al Horford getting the ball enough? Whats wrong with Jamal Crawford? They don't have the depth, they don't have the passion, they don't have the love and respect for the game that makes players like Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose great.

Ryan Anderson. I hope the Magic dont figure this out in this series, but the Magic "Big Three" are Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, and Ryan Anderson. Ryan Anderson has progressed into the best shooter on the team and at 6'10 he can really fill that Rashard Lewis role. He plays smart and is very unselfish, if Coach SVG can even get around to starting him at PF the Hawks will be in big trouble

The Magic Doom:
Joe Johnson. Though Joe did not have an outstanding year, the playoffs are a fresh start with hieghtened intensity. This will be Joe's 4th consecutive season leading this team to the playoffs, and none of the Magic defenders can match up with Joe physically. If he gains some resiliance and a stronger will to win, the Magic are in trouble.

Josh Smith. J-Smoove is the X factor in almost every game, he has the ability to average 20/10/5/2/2 but since he has never ever consistently played at his potential level 16/8/4/1/1 is a bit more realistic for him to actually achieve. Josh has had ONE great game in his playoffs career (2007 Eastern Conference Round 1 Game 5) if he adds another during this series, he alone can will Atlanta to a victory.

Gilbert Arenas. God Bless the heart of GM Otis Smith for making this trade, some people thought this trade would be the exact change of scenery to transform controversial Gilbert back to near-unstoppable scorer Agent Zero. Instead Gilbert got totally complecent shrunk even further into the abyss as a bit role player. Now averaging 8.3 PPG as a Magic, he has not probably set the record for the fastest fall from 30PPG superstar franchise player to bench warmer of all time.

Overall, we here at PlayoffsHawks say this is going to be a VERY exciting series, i predict at least 3 scuffles with Zaza Pachulia getting in the face of Dwight Howard at least once and also Dwight getting suspended from technical fouls for one game. In a GRUELING highly contested 7-game series, Joe Johnson puts on a superstar performance scoring 40+ points in the decisive game 7 and the Atlanta Hawks improborable move to the second round for the 3rd year in a row.

Hawks in 7

NBA make way for King Durant, the FIBA World Champions youngest-in-charge

noreply@blogger.com (tha DJ) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 17:52:00 +0000

Kobe.LeBron.Wade.Howard. How about Kevin Durant? This has been a spectacular basketball summer, but not because certain players moved from one team to another, or the controversy of certain player's personality characteristics (or lack thereof). June through September has been a historic basketball summer because the world may be witnessing (...) the emergence of one of the most young-wise, talent well-rounded, humble-coachable LEADERS in the game of basketball. We are witnessing the public perception transition of this basketball player from "young, talented scorer with unlimited potential" to "possibly the best in the business". Of course, this perception is magnified because team USA is playing in the FIBA tournament, and the rest of the best are at home watching and getting ready for the 2010-2011 NBA season (which will be one of the most exciting seasons in NBA history), but let this article explain how this transition is simply the moments of clarity of the truth.

When Kevin Durant was a 19-year-old rookie, after playing only a few NBA Summer League games, Kevin was invited by Mike Krzyzewski to the Team USA basketball challenge with established NBA stars like Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard, and Chris Bosh. Kevin did well, scoring 22 pts in a game, but he was ultimately cut from the team in favor of the experienced veterans that eventually won the gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The experience proved to be invaluable to Kevin, as he started his rookie campaign with a swagger from playing with the best players in the world before the season even started.

He established himself as a leader in scoring immediately and went on the average 20.1 ppg, the first rookie to do so since Allen Iverson. That off-season Kevin experienced something very few NBA players ever experience, which is the movement of a franchise from one city to another, the Seattle Supersonics became the Oklahoma City Thunder, this situation only motivated Kevin even more. He went on to average 25.4 ppg 6.5 rpg 2.8 apg, his scoring was 6th in the league behind Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Dirk Nowitzki, still Kevin Durant narrowly missed all-star selection, and his team went 23-59. With a burning desire to win and improve, Kevin Durant made another quantum leap in his scoring and leadership, in 2009-2010, Durant averaged 30.1 ppg 7.6 rpg 2.8 apg, and the Oklahoma City Thunder went 50-32, Kevin became the youngest player in NBA HISTORY to average 30 ppg, and the 27-win improvement was the 6th best single season turnaround in NBA history.

The Oklahoma City Thunder made the playoffs as the #8 seed and lost in a 6-game-series, they gave the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers a tough series, but that leads us to today. When Mike Krzyzewski began building the team that would compete in the FIBA World Championship, it was assured that not only was Kevin Durant on the team, but he would be established as a leader on the team, and he was the only player guaranteed a spot on the team! Regardless of the fact that all of the 2008 Team USA Olympic gold medal winners declined to do the FIBA tournament, it was a powerful vote of confidence for Kevin Durant.

The FIBA world championship basketball team was formed. Derrick Rose, Lamar Odom, Chauncey Billups, Russel Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Kevin Love, Tyson Chandler, Eric Gordon, Andre Igoudala, and Rudy Gay. ESPN analysts called it the "B" team, but the way the team is structured, it is every bit as talented as the 2008 Olympic team, with Kevin Durant as its Kobe Bryant leader. On September 11, 2010, with a spirit of patriotism bursting through the players of Team USA, Kevin Durant, the leading scorer of the team (22.1 ppg, the highest average of any Team USA player in FIBA history) scored 38 points in a 89-74 victory over Lithuania, another record broken (Carmelo Anthony's 35 pts in 2008). Today, Kevin Durant will lead Team USA to the FIBA World Championship, and he will break yet-another record, being the youngest Finals MVP in FIBA history. And he will do it as humbly as he announced his contract extension, maybe not through his twitter account (@KDthunderup), but on the court where the truth is always shown through the game of basketball.

Summer BLOCK BUSTER TRADE! Ariza to Hornets, Lee to Rockets and more

noreply@blogger.com (tha DJ) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:17:00 +0000

Ok, it looks like New Orleans is serious about keeping Chris Paul and they are making moves to build a team around him. There was a 4-team 5-player trade that all teams involved came out a winner.

New Orleans sent: Darren Collison
New Orleans received: Trevor Ariza

Houston Rockets sent: Trevor Ariza
Houston Rockets received: Courtney Lee

Indiana Pacers sent: Troy Murphy
Indiana Pacers received: Darren Collison, James Posey

New Jersey Nets sent: Courtney Lee
New Jersey Nets received: Troy Murphy

There was also a separate trade involving the New Orleans Hornets and the Toronto Raptors, a 1-for-1 deal: Julian Wright (6-8 F) for Marco Belinelli (6-6 G)

The Big Shamrock... Shaquille O'Neal is the newest Boston Celtic, ranking the top 5 Eastern Conference

noreply@blogger.com (tha DJ) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:43:00 +0000

Shaq introduced as Celtic in news conference

Welp, the Eastern Conference just got tougher. I suppose for Shaq the Celtics are a better destination for the sake of winning, he wouldn't have to be THE MAN on the team the way he would have been with Atlanta, he won't have the pressure of dominating the way he would have had to for the Atlanta Hawks to be successful. And of course, with the Celtics having won the 2008 Championship and possibly were a Kendrick Perkins-injury away from a 2010 Championship, it makes Boston a much more attractive destination for the chances of winning. Shaq will be teamed with all 10+ season veterans and collectively they will be a very strong, big, and wise basketball team.

So where does that leave the Atlanta Hawks? With no significant additions to the roster and every other elite team in the East loading up, how can the Hawks expect to seriously contend in the Eastern Conference? Simple. Chemistry. Consistency. The Atlanta Hawks have improved in the category of wins every season for 6 seasons now, if the Hawks can keep the chemistry improvement and Joe Johnson can be the leader this team has STILL been missing, it is not impossible to see even a slight improvement to 55 wins SHOULD make Joe Johnson an MVP candidate, even though he will probably not be awarded, because he is not popular enough.
This season will be the ultimate test for Joe Johnson and the Atlanta Hawks to see if they are a true title contender, we shall see ;)

Atlanta Hawks NEED Shaq, Shaq NEEDS the Atlanta Hawks

noreply@blogger.com (tha DJ) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:50:00 +0000

Hello, HOTlanta. It has been a very interesting NBA off-season thus far, all the free agent players trying to put themselves in a position to win a championship almost makes you forget who actually won the 2010 championship, so before i get to the Atlanta Hawks, i would like to take a moment to congratulate the undisputed most skilled, best leader, and most clutch performer in the NBA today, Kobe Bryant and the most controversial, infamous rapper/basketball player of all time, Ron Artest and the 2010 NBA Champions the Los Angeles Lakers. Nothing else that occurred in the 2010 NBA Playoffs is relevant, well, except the obliteration called the Magic vs Hawks series, the worst 4-game sweep in NBA History, featuring one of the worst performances by any so-called "team leader" in the same amount of time. BUT, thankfully all of that is behind us, and the great anticipated free agent bananza began!

One of the first things the Atlanta Hawks franchise did to try to spell some of that embarrassment is they fired Mike Woodson. We at PlayoffsHawks were very supportive of Mike Woodson and we would have been more upset if it wasn't for the replacement of Mike Woodson with Larry Drew, that shows the team is committed to keeping the "defense, rebounding" foundation while hopefully getting the offense more fluid and more efficient. Even still, WE LOVE YOU WOODSON! Here is a youtube video a PlayoffsHawks fan made to Mike Woodson.

We, at PlayoffsHawks wonder how Joe Johnson's 12.9 ppg 29% shooting performance in the second round of the NBA Playoffs, the same 2010 Playoffs which before it began where Joe Johnson declared, "I want to show the world that we have one of the best teams and that I am one of the best players." How did this guy earn the BIGGEST CONTRACT given to ANY PLAYER in free agency? It was safe to say that Joe FAILED in that demonstration of being the best, but Joe WON with selling himself as a franchise player, somehow. Now, I understand where the Atlanta Hawks franchise is coming from, this is the guy that took us from 13-69 to 53-29 in 5 seasons with 4 all-star selections and consistent 20/5/5 regular season statistics. However, his performance in these past 2 seasons playoffs have been atrocious, last season in the clean-sweep by the now-irrelevant Cavaliers was slightly excusable because of the slight injury he suffered in game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, but this past playoff performance against the Orlando Magic was inexcusable.

With all of that being said, the biggest "move" made in the off-season was the"LeBron" brand "taking his talents to South Beach" and that wouldn't be so bad if the great Dwayne Wade and top 5 big Chris Bosh weren't going there with him. And at this point in free agency they've also signed Udonis Haslem, Zydrunas Ilgauskaz, Mike Miller, Carlos Arroyo, James Jones, Jamaal Maglorie and surely others are coming. What does that mean for the Atlanta Hawks? That means the Joe Johnson signing means NOTHING in a division that features thel likes of Dwight Howard, Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and G.O.A.T. player whom is now the only black majority team owner in all professional sports, Micheal Jordan. Amare Stoudamire is with the Knicks, Carlos Boozer is with the Bulls, Nate Robinson is back with the Celtics, Rudy Gay the Grizzlies, Paul Pierce the Celtics with Jermaine O'Neal, even the Bucks got Corey Maggette. Without question, the Hawks will inevitable drop in the standings and ratings if bring back the same team, the cannot possible expect to improve or stay at 53-wins in the 2010-2011 season with just Joe Johnson. If the Hawks slip into mediocrity, they will slip into irrelevancy, unless they can show some competitive fire against the NBA elite, there is one way the Hawks can undoubtedly stay relevant and have a legitimate rivalry with the division neighbors Orlando Magic and Miami Heat, because without question there is one SUPERSTAR FREE AGENT left on the market the Atlanta Hawks must sign, Shaquille O'Neal.

I cannot believe Shaquille O'Neal is getting the Allen Iverson treatment. Its a sad state of the NBA when a 4x NBA Champion, the 2000 NBA MVP, 3x NBA Finals MVP, one of the undisputed greatest multi-talented players of all time is one of the last free agents left, when he WANTS to play for a contender. Granted, he may be 38 years old, but Shaq was playing extremely well for the Cavs last season, in 23.4 MPG averaged 12 PPG 6.7 RPG 1.8 BPG which translated to 18.5 PPG 11.3 RPG 2.4 BPG per 40-minutes. Now, of course Shaq isn't gonna play 40 MPG but his value to the young Atlanta Hawks team cannot be understated, he is more than just a "savvy veteran" he is a champion AND exactly the giant personality or unstoppable skill and confidence the Hawks need to get to the next level. Plus, JOE JOHNSON NEEDS the endorsement of SHAQ to play up to the pressure of his potential, imagine if Shaq signs and says the same thing he has said about Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Steve Nash, Amare Stoudamire, and LeBron James, "I came here to play with one of the best players in the game, and to help this city win a championship." Imagine what that confidence would do for the city of Atlanta sports! Josh Smith agrees with this sentiment and expressed it in this recent quick SLAM magazine interview.

Now, there are 3 concerns fans and the team seems to have:

1. Shaq is too old
Shaquille O'Neal is 15x all-star with countless other allocades, he is 38 years old, but by no means out-of-shape. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, another one of the greatest centers of all time (maybe THE GOAT at the position) brought the Los Angeles Lakers a championship and won the 1986 NBA Finals MVP at 38 years old, and that doesn't mean Shaq is gonna dominate averaging 20/10 to do the same for Atlanta, but HE CAN, Shaq was still the 3rd most efficient center in the NBA last season, and this season with Yao Ming and Greg Oden coming back from injuries and Dwight Howard still dominating as the best center in the NBA, Shaquille O'Neal can play more than efficient defense against those guys, regardless of what he provides on offense. If anything 38-year-old Shaq can defend centers to free up offense for AL HORFORD (one of the most effecient scorers in the entire NBA ;)

2. Shaq wants to start
Of course Shaq wants to start! This is not some regular 38-year-old center, this is 7 foot 1 inches 300 pounds of muscle and power! He would be underutilized and greatly disrespected if he does not START at center.
2(b). No! Shaq can't start because we would have to put Al Horford at power forward, which is good but Josh Smith CANNOT play small forward, he isn't a good enough shooter!
First of all, if the Atlanta Hawks put Al Horford at power forward, Al Horford will DEFINETLY average approximately 20 ppg 10 rpg, his natural skill and size makes him one of the most effecient and skilled power forwards in the NBA, a Carlos Boozer-type, if you will, as a center, Al Horford is quick but undersized. With that being said, second of all, Josh Smith has been facing all types of doubt and critisizm in his game every season AND every off-season, he will continue to improve inevitably. Also, Josh Smith is ONE OF THE BEST PASSING FORWARDS IN THE ENTIRE LEAGUE, he averaged 15 PPG 8 RPG 4 APG. second only to LeBron James, and 2 BPG, the ONLY PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE with those averages. Josh Smith is actually one of the NBA's most unique blends of talent and skill, the only thing people can try to critisize is his attitude, if they put Josh Smith at the small forward position, the Atlanta Hawks will have O'Neal-Horford-Smith as one of the BEST FRONTLINES IN THE LEAGUE legitimately capable of defending the Magic, Heat, or the Lakers.

3. the Hawks need payroll relief
Trade Marvin Williams. Do it. I love Marvin, i will miss him as a player and a person, but the Hawks have already mortgaged the future with Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, and Al Horford, those are our "Big Three" and everyone else on the roster, except for Zaza Pachulia, is expendable on our quest to win a championship. I know, Marvin is only 22 years old and an excellent defender and sometimes shows flash of offensive brilliance, he is a great blue-collar worker, rebounder, he has the potential to be a great player, which is another reason why the Hawks should trade him. Marvin Williams is never going to become a great player with the Atlanta Hawks, for the reasons which were stated above, if the Hawks were to do a sign-and-trade with Cleveland for Marvin, that would give Marvin Williams a HUGE VOID to fill left by LeBron James, and i believe strongly that Marvin Williams would step up into that starting small forward position and give that team stability that it now lacks, and it would give Marvin Williams that attention and postive regard as a player, that loyalty he feels to Atlanta, Cleveland would embrace this young guy and shower him with praise on a consistent basis, Marvin Williams would develop into a leader on that Cleveland Cavaliers team, and that would embarrass LeBron James even more (not that we care about him anyway). Its obvious that the Atlanta Hawks franchise cannot afford to keep Marvin Williams as part of its core, the Atlanta Hawks need to get bigger, not faster, if we can get the biggest personality in the NBA on his last hurrah, whether the Atlanta Hawks get to the NBA Finals or win the championship or not, it would be a victory just having him represent our city, our franchise, and mentoring our players.

One last thing, Hawks GM Rick Sund has done a good job so far, but if the Atlanta Hawks franchise does not improve its roster and financial situation, and when another team throws a boatload of cash to AL HORFORD when he is a restricted free agent next summer, and if the Hawks are NOT able to match... I will burn all of my Atlanta Hawks memorbilia and never attend another Hawks game again, Josh Smith is PlayoffsHawks favorite player, but Al Horford is the best player on the team.

and i hate to make Hawks fan cry, but i can't help but imagine....

Hawks trade Marvin Williams, Jamal Crawford, and Mike Bibby for Chris Paul and Emeka Okafor

SuperHawks route lowly Timberwolves in 'Sota, 20-7, ties best start in franchise history

noreply@blogger.com (tha DJ) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 04:10:00 +0000

26 28 27 31 | 112
17 24 28 18 | 87

recap

box score

It is such a beautiful day to be a Atlanta Hawks fan. Not too long ago, rookie Mike Woodson, Josh Smith and the Atlanta Hawks were the worst team in the league at 13-69. After 4 long years of player development and steady improvement, it seems the Hawks have taken a quantum leap into the NBA elite in this 09-10 season.

The Minnesota Timberwolves hope to emulate the Hawks' success story in the coming years. The Hawks core of Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, and Zaza Pachulia have played together for 4 seasons, and over the past 2 seasons they have added big Al Horford (3rd pick 2007 draft), Mo Evans, and Mike Bibby to their core. A couple of key role players such as Jamal Crawford (leading candidate for 6th man of the year), Jeff Teague (19th pick 2009 draft), Joe Smith (14 year veteran big), and young Randolph Morris, and the 2009-2010 Atlanta Hawks have one of the top 10-man rotations in the league.

This game was never in doubt, as the Hawks jumped out to an early lead, turning the Wolves 7 first quarter turnovers into 14 points, the Hawks ended the first quarter leading 26-17.

The Hawks did a great job of keeping the Wolves at arms length, the game never got closer than 8 in the first half, despite foul trouble with Josh Smith and Zaza Pachulia. When Smith was on the floor, he was a huge difference-maker, in 21 minutes Josh scored 10 pts (5/6 FGs) 3 rbs 3 asts 3 stls, but the biggest difference maker in this game had to be Jamal Crawford.

Just as he has been doing all season, Jamal comes off the bench to lead the team in scoring, it is amazing to see how offensively gifted this guy is, he must have one of the best pull-up jumpers in the league, and he is shooting at a career-high FG%, in this game, Jamal enters at 2:30 remaining in the 1st. The Hawks keep the lead going into the 2nd quarter and that is when the Jamal Crawford light show starts. He starts his scoring tier by hitting a 24-foot 3-pointer on an assist from Mike Bibby. The Wolves did get within 7 points on a Al Jefferson layup, but Really, the combination of Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford is getting too potent for opposing teams to handle, Joe and Jamal alternating scoring put the lead back up to 13 for a 54-41 halftime advantage.

The 2nd half had more of the same, the game was never really in doubt, but the Hawks did get a little lax defensively, allowing the Wolves to outscore them in the 3rd, 28-27, so in the 4th quarter, Joe and Jamal put the team on their back, and the most consistent player of the night had to be big Al Horford. In a game where Smith and Pachulia had 5 fouls, Horford played a game-high 41 minutes for 16 pts (7/15 FGs) 11 rbs 4 asts 2 stls 1 blk. Horford, shooting a 7th in the league best 57.8% on the floor, was great at making the right plays and playing defense, it would have been cool to see Horford with 19 rebounds, but he has the ability to get those numbers anytime.

Jamal Crawford scored 13 of his game-high 26 in the 4th quarter to put away the Wolves, including 2 back-to-back beautiful 3-pointers in the beginning of the 4th. The Wolves did battle back, but they did not get any closer than 12 as the Hawks stepped up and scored 31 4thQ points, the most of any quarter in the game for a 112-87 victory, the Timberwolves second worst defeat this season.

"We started with a bunch of babies six years ago, 18, 19, 20-year-old kids, and they've grown," coach Mike Woodson said. "The ownership has given me the latitude to continue to coach this team and our core guys have been together now four years and that makes a big difference." -Mike Woodson

"They're kind of the example of a team that got its players young," Love said of the Hawks. "They played together. They stuck together. They grinded out wins together. They had high points. They had low points. But they stuck together. ... That's something I hope I can be a part of one day." -Kevin Love

It great to see other players and teams continue to give the Hawks credit for their rise from the bottom and acknowledge the team as a top 5 team in the NBA today.

"We're trying to do something special," Woodson said.

translation: "We feel we can be the best team in basketball and maybe even win a championship"

I believe these Hawks can do it, they will at least make the conference Finals this season, but it would be a dream come true for the Hawks players coaches and especially the fans to see the Atlanta Hawks represent the East in the NBA Finals.

It can happen, stay tuned.

Denver Nuggets (19-9) tomorrow.

New Era DJ for tha New Era Championship contender Hawks, (18-6 .750, 1st in Southeast division, 2nd in Eastern Conference)

noreply@blogger.com (tha DJ) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:30:00 +0000

Can we get some love for the Atlanta Hawks Please?!
18-6 1st in Southeast Division, 2nd in Eastern Conference, 3rd in the league

It is a great day and time to be an Atlanta Hawks fan, the fandom of the people of the city is at an all time high, the atmosphere has become an aura of beaming smiles of pride, excitement and laughter of glee and bliss because, after 5 short years this Mike Woodson, Josh Smith Atlanta Hawks are truely, undisputedly one of the best teams in the NBA and a true NBA championship contender.

It is amazing, almost surreal this year in 2009-2010, the team that the Atlanta Hawks have become; Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, Mike Bibby, Al Horford, Marvin Williams, Jamal Crawford, Zaza Pachulia, Mo Evans, Joe Smith, Jeff Teague, Randolph Morris, Othello Hunter, Jason Collins. These 13 are an exceptional group of personnel on paper alone;

Mike Bibby(31 yrs 6-1 195lbs,12th)9.6ppg 2.7rpg 4.0apg 43.8%FGs 43.3%3ptFGs 81.1%FTs

Mike Bibby, in his 12th season is a great offensive coordination point guard, he has the ability to score 20+ ppg but with these Hawks he is great at making great plays with everyone on the floor involved in the offense, evident by the team making 22.3 apg, and although Bibby is averaging career lows in ppg, fga, and apg, he is also averaging a career low mpg at 28.3, afforded by great guard play in Crawford and Teague, also by Hawks 6 20+ blowouts against opponents already this season

Joe Johnson (28 yrs 6-7 240 lbs, 9th) 21.2 ppg 5.0 rpg 5.3 apg 45.5%FGs 87.9%FTs
Joe Johnson, Joe Johnson. The person of interest in the embarrassing Atlanta Spirit fiasco on whether he was franchise player and worth Boris Diaw and 2 (conditional) 1st round picks. In his 9th season as a pro and his 5th as a Hawk, Johnson has been great and consistent, he is one of 3 players in the league averaging 20+ ppg 5+ rpg 5+ apg, he has scored 30+ 9 times, 8 wins, he is playing extremely well this season, showing a greater sense of defensive and offensive awareness, he is averaging a career high FT%, rpg, and, after leading the league in mpg in the past 3 season, is averaging a career-low mpg (37.1) as a Hawk.

Marvin Williams(23 yrs 6-9 245 lbs, 5th)10.3 ppg 5.3 rpg 42.3%FGs 35.5% 3ptFGs 81%FTs
Marvin Williams. Once used to be the butt of many jokes about what could have been with a Paul-Johnson-Smith core, Marvin Williams has been carving his niche in the game as a forward. He is an excellent defender and a good scorer, shooter, he has high basketball IQ and knows how to make the right play. He began starting at the SF position in 06-07 and averaged 13 ppg 6 rpg, he hits 84% FTs and he has expanded his range out to the 3 point line, shooting 37.7% last season and 35.5% this season. Marvin Williams is a great core piece of the balanced scoring team that the Hawks have become, he never plays for stats and always plays hard.

Josh Smith(24 yrs 6-9 245 lbs, 6th)15.3 ppg 8.4 rpg 3.6 apg 2.5 bpg 1.6 spg 51.7%FGs
Josh Smith, Josh Smith. This guy has been the blunt of alot of scrutiny over the years, takes too many jumpshots, can't hit free throws, bad attitude, problems with Coach Woodson

after starting the season with 2 wins by 11, the Hawks were tested against the Lakers, whom were without Gasol, they played well in the 1st half, but were outscored 34-18 in the 3rd, final score 118-100. The Hawks then go into Portland and win 97-91 behind balanced scoring, 46-36 rebounding advantage, and Jamal Crawford's game-high 27

They then went into Sacromento and won 113-105 and felt good going into Charlotte, the Bobcats showed their improvement and suprised Atlanta, losing 103-83 behind Raja Bell's 24 and Gerald Wallace 11 pts 18 rbs.

The Hawks went back to Atlanta motivated against the Denver Nuggets, and won handily 125-100 behind Josh SMith 22pts/9rbs/7asts/6blks, Joe Johnson 22pts/7rbs/5asts, Al Horford 11pts/13rbs/5asts, and 7 players in double figures, starting a 7 game win streak including beating Knicks by 13, Celtics (in Boston) by 11, Hornets by 23, Blazers (in Portland, again) by 4, Heat by 15, and Rockets by 2 in a buzzer-beating dunk by Josh SMith.

Hawks slept on the Chris Paul-less Hornets, as any team would, not expect a rookie to DO Chris, leading the team with 22pts11asts, they then had a 5 days layoff to prepare for division leading Orlando Magic on Thanksgiving Day. The Hawks played a great first half, they were winning at 51-39. No one still can explain how they came out in the 2nd half with half the amount of energy and scored a measley 25 pts TOTAL in the 2nd half, losing 93-76, causing many people to dismiss them upon faliure of that test as a title contender.

Hawks then beat the 76ers, as they should have, 100-86, the Hawks then expected the same result visiting Detroit whom were without 3 starters; Tayshaun Prince, Richard Hamilton, and Will Bynum. They forgot about that final 04 championship piece whom has been invigorated by returning to his home franchise, Ben Wallace grabbed 18 rebounds, Rodney Stuckey scored 23, and the Hawks lost 94-88

In December, the Hawks are 7-1, beating the Raptors by 31, Mavericks (in Dallas) by 5, Bulls by 25, Raptors by 22, Nets by 23, and Memphis by 13

Spirit the Hawk takes flight onto the court, jynx Hawks(4), Wade put Heat(5) on fire from 3 to even series 1-1

noreply@blogger.com (tha DJ) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 06:14:00 +0000

Hawks 93 Heat 108
24 30 29 25
18 23 31 21

recap

box score

Damn! Gotta hate those Hawks, the bird, not the team of course. And i don't hate all Hawks, but the one that flew down from the rafters onto the shot clock in the middle of the 1st quarter didn't help the Atlanta Hawks at all. They needed it.

CoCo stated some interesting coinscidences with that Hawk, apparently whenever there are incidences with that bird, the Hawks lose, there was a game in the 2007-2008 season against Miami at Phillips Arena where the bird flew into the rafters and simply refused to come down, and yes, the Heat won too.

Well, the story had been told, just as Al Horford and Josh Smith were laughing about their fear of the bird, everyone was just a little too lighthearted in the game tonight. Dwayne Wade wasn't laughing about anything, he was offensively aggressive AND hitting shots from the opening tip all throughout this game. It is understood that Dwayne Wade is a top 2 SG in the NBA, and he has the ability to takeover a game at his own pace, but the Hawks defense simply was not what it was in game 1. Game 1 the Hawks had steals, deflections, blocks, our defense really created all those fast break opporitunities and of course, we had the advantage. But when the offense slows down and we run plays posting up Joe Johnson and stuff, that is not our advantage. It wasn't just Wade though, all the decent players on the Heat stepped up, Jermaine O'Neal scored 19 pts, Dequan Cook 3pt shooting champion scored 20 pts, the Heat RESERVES outscored the Hawks in the 2nd quarter while Wade was sitting, then he came back in and scored 13 points straight.

Yep, it was evident from the jump that this game was just in the Heat's favor, shots were falling, and no one even scored 20 on the Hawks, so the Hawk players must feel as if they've been kicked in the teeth, Wade just pissed on the Phillips Arena floor, right on the Hawks logo, i expect the Hawks to be pissed off have vengence in their blood in Miami on Saturday.

(wade just spits in the Hawks faces and gives the spitball to our Atlanta representer, hell na..)

CoCO writes a great blog entry about how the writing was on the scoreboard (figuratively and literally)

Hoopinon breaks down the loss and gives statistics as usual

the Human Highlight Blog shows how Wade made you look

i think the Hawks can and will win on the road in these playoffs, watch..game 3

the HomeCourt Advantaged PlayoffsHawks (4) SWARM Dwayne Wade's Heat(5) in Game 1

noreply@blogger.com (tha DJ) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 06:47:00 +0000

Hawks 90 Heat 64
21 18 18 7
24 35 17 14

recap

box score

As Clifford "T.I. Harris announced the starting lineup for the Hawks and the Heat, the energy of the crowd was supremely intense, it is the first time playoffs have started in Atlanta since the1998-1999 season and the first time ever at Phillips Arena. Atlanta has shown it has die-hard Hawks fans too with the arena filled way before tip-off, the crowd was hectic from the beginning.
It proved to make all the difference.

The game started on a Dwayne Wade dunk, but the Atlanta Hawks defense and fast break agility flustered the Heat throughout the entire game. the young veteran Atlanta Hawks showed how they've grown together and how they are a much better TEAM then the Heat by moving the ball and exploiting mismatchups all night, and on the fast break? Mike Bibby and Josh Smith are unstoppable, or Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, or Josh Smith and Al Horford, and especially Marvin Williams, the Hawks are showing they have a stonger starting 5 and a better bench.

Many "experts" have given their playoffs predictions, 6 out of 10 of them believe the Hawks will win the series, my only concern is that 4 of those 6 say it will take 7 games.

My Prediction for the series is Hawks in 6.

See HawksDawgs colorful commentary, analysis of game 1, where Josh Smith has no regard for human life, and his victory bullets for that game.

See EVERYTHING at Lang Whitaker

For Micah Hart this game went better than he could have imagined

CoCo called this a good old fashioned ass whippin

WOW, Hoopinon critic barely gives Atlanta any credit for that win, basically saying the Hawks defensive performance provided a welcome relief to Hawks fans who'd spent the past week entertaining reasonable worries about this series

Who has reasonable worries? I'm confident that this Hawks team is the better and it is our year to advance to round 2, and superstar Wade is not going to stop that.

See u at game 2

Got Karma? Hawks defense swarm Yao-led Rockets, Mike Bibby buzzer-beater 3 wins game

noreply@blogger.com (tha DJ) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 07:50:00 +0000

Hawks 103 Rockets 100
27 19 31 23
22 32 25 24

Now that was a good shot. Much prettier and with a much better result than the buzzer-beater we saw on ESPN as the #1 play of the night, and i would still be a little sick about that game if it wasn't for this one. And it was a good shot, great assist by the great Joe Johnson, his season-high 14th of the night, but none of this would be possible without the player of the game -- Josh Smith.

29 pts (13-16 FGs 3/4 FTs) 2 rbs 1 ast 1 blk

Marvin Williams aggrivated a shoulder injury in the last game against the Nets, so knowing he wouldn't be in the lineup, the Hawks would need an offensive lift, they got it. From the first play of the game, with the Maurice Evans assist Josh made a running 7-foot jumper with the AND 1 against Yao, it was felt that Josh would have a good offensive game. Josh Smith scored 29 pts (13-16 FGs 3-4 FTs), these 13 field goals coming mostly on drives to the hoops and short range jumpshots.

It would be an epic battle, for we all know the Atlanta Hawks know no 7-footers, so we had been slightly concerned that Yao would score easily on the Hawks in the paint, and that had been realized when Yao scored 8 points on 2 dunks a jumpshot and 2 free throws, but Josh Smith using his quickness to his advantage showed in the 1st quarter how we would win, Josh scored 13 points on 2 post-up hook-shots 2 driving layups 1 jumper and 3 free throws, and just as Josh Smith won the tip-off, Josh wins the battle of the paint in the 1st quarter, but the Rockets lead, 27-22.

2nd quarter, the Hawks 2nd unit play was great, particularly that of Acie Law (!!) and Flip Murray, who played together to start the 2nd, a rare sight indeed, and of course, Flip Murray has always scored well on driving layups and ill-advised 3s, but Flip played smart in the 25 ft range as well, hitting shots from 18 feet and getting to the line. Hawks played better collectively as a unit than the opponent, as usual, especially at Phillips Arena and the Hawks led 54-46 at halftime.

Halftime leaders: Hawks - Josh Smith 19 Rockets - Yao Ming 15

3rd quarter the Rockets came out gunning, hitting

That was a great game played by the Hawks, Josh Smith needed this offensive outburst, this in-paint confidence booster, so when he is facing Dwight Howard in the next game, he can try to hold him down.

Happy New Year Nets, Vince Carter buzzer-beater in OT wins game

noreply@blogger.com (tha DJ) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 07:34:00 +0000

Hawks 91 Nets 93 (OT)
21 28 20 16 6
16 13 34 24 8

BOX SCORE

I mean, it was a great shot, no doubt about it, but that shot wasn't the reason the Hawks lost the game. This was the first overtime game all season for the Hawks, and it was the Nets 4th, so they know a little about how to take care of the few possessions in a 5:00 OT Quarter, the Hawks are still learning that.

In the 1st half, the Nets were in full meltdown mode, the Nets scored 16 points in the 1st quarter and didn't score again until 6:13 left in the 2nd, and that was AFTER Coach Frank was ejected (lol, that was funny, u could see the curses flying from his mouth). the Hawks simply kept their cool, Bibby hit his technical free throws, and the Hawks kept pressing. On the last play of the 1st half, Coach Woodson subbed Joe for Mario West, a defensive stopper. It turned out to be a genius move by Woodson, Mario stole the ball from Devin Harris and with 2 seconds on the clock, lauched a halfcourt 37 foot shot, and it went it. Mario went nuts. This was an important moment because as a friend of mine pointed out at the end of the game, that just goes to show the difference between a veteran in a big moment, and a rookie.

Hawks shot 7/10 3pt FGs in the 1st half

Nets shot 1/5 3pt FGs in the 1st half

The Hawks were in the driver's seat all 1st half, and with their ejected coach making a motivational speech (you men better get out there and win! gotdammit!), the Nets stormed back in the 2nd half with a Vince Carter 3 on a Devin Harris assist, and that started a 14-3 run that cut the score from 49-29 to 52-43. Josh Smith hit a jumpshot after the ensuing timeout and the competition was fierce from that point on. At the end of the 3rd, it was 69-61, Hawks lead.

The 4th quarter start was an indication of things to come for the Hawks, as the Nets' Ryan Anderson fouls Josh Smith for two free throws, and Josh misses both free throws. Those misses turn into a Devin Harris layup, and after a Mike Bibby 3pt attempt, a Jarvis Hayes 3pt is made and the score is 69-66 just like that. After a timeout, somehow Josh Boone was the reciever of a Devin Harris assist and scored easliy. A few lead changes and free throws and the regulation game comes down to this: 83-85 Nets lead Hawks ball, Josh Smith shoots a three-pointer (!!) misses and Mike Bibby gets the rebound, feeds to Al Horford and Al lays it home plus a foul. Now the score is 85-85 with :47 left, time to take the lead, right? No, Al Horford misses the free throw, and the Nets get the ball and call timeout. Nets inbound to Devin Harris who launches a three, misses, and Josh Smith gets the rebound, ignites a break, and feeds Joe for the game-winning jumpshot. Joe's shot actually gets tipped by Devin Harris and Brook Lopez gets the rebound to call a timeout. 3 seconds left in regulation and the ball is inbounded to Vince Carter. Carter launches, misses, and we're in overtime.

We all know what happened in overtime so let's just say what we learned about the Hawks in this game:

Hawks MUST make crucial free throws to win the game

if Mike Bibby is ever fouled beyond the 3, worry about the FIRST free throw, not the last

Josh Smith is truely coming around as a scorer, playing inside-out for 20 pts

Joe Johnson is as clutch as they come, but we must have another reliable clutch option

Mario West gets very excited after hitting half-court buzzer-beaters (lol)

Mike Woodson will play Solomon Jones AND Mario West before he plays Acie Law IV

that last particular bullet is a sad fact, but the Hawks are still a winning team! Let's see how they do against the Yao-led Rockets.

Hawks close out 2008 with a win on the road, Johnson 27, Smith 24

noreply@blogger.com (tha DJ) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 06:47:00 +0000

Hawks 110 Pacers 104

26 24 35 25

25 21 37 21

BOX SCORE

Yes. It has finally been said. ESPN might be coming around to the Hawks this season, people.

First, we were gifted with a ESPN DAILY DIME feature, realistically predicting the Hawks to win 50 games, there was even a national poll taken, and 67% believe the Hawks can do it.

"What can you say? Joe has been huge for us this season, I put him in the same class as LeBron, Kobe -- he's playing at that level. He's making big plays for our team, he's making players around him better." ---Coach Mike Woodson

That is not the quote of a coach saying some nice things about his best player to the media to make him feel good, that's the truth in the NBA that very few realize. Joe knows:

"I don't get treated like that, but I feel like I'm up there in the elite," Johnson said.

If not one of the elite, at least one of the most clutch scorers in the NBA, Joe scored 12 points in the 4th on his way to 27 pts (9/21 FGs 2/6 3pt FGs 7/8 FTs) 7 rbs 5 asts, Josh Smith was great defensively as usual, but was also great offensively, hitting BIG free throws in a close game, scoring 24 pts (7/13 FGs 10/14 FTs) 6 rbs 3 asts 1 blk, but no big, especially not the one he jumped against (7'2 Roy Hibbert - 13 minutes, 0 pts 0 rbs) played bigger than Al Horford. Even with pesky Troy Murphy and Jeff Foster getting 12+ rebounds, Al Horford scored 12 pts (4/8 FGs 4/6 FTs) 14 rbs 2 asts 2 blks. Mike Bibby played about his average, except for his under-average 3pt shooting, 14 pts (5/14 FGs 1/6 3pt FGs 4/4 FTs) 5 rbs 6 asts. Marvin Williams didn't score alot of points, but was more than formidable against the scoring machine Danny Granger, Marvin scored 9 pts (3/10 FGs 1/3 FGs 2/2 FTs) 6 rbs 2 stls.

Our bench was big again, even though Acie Law wasn't part of it, again. ZaZa scored 9 pts 5 rbs, Mo Evans hit 2 big threes for 6 pts 3 rbs, and Flip made a few driving layups for 8 pts 2 rbs 2 asts.

I am an extremely optimistic, but not unrealistic Hawks fan, and even i am pleasantly suprised by the New Year record, 21-10, now let's see how we improve in 2009!

Defense, balanced scoring dominated the Denver Nuggets, Hawks improve to 20-10, T-5th best record in NBA

noreply@blogger.com (tha DJ) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 18:28:00 +0000

Hawks 109 Nuggets 91

24 29 18 20

29 25 24 31

BOX SCORE

This is a great year for Atlanta's birds.

Hawks 20-10 (4th in Eastern Conference, 5th in NBA)
Falcons 11-5 (NFC wildcard playoffs, Matt Ryan Offensive Rookie of the Year)

Both franchises have been through their fair share of turmoil, the Falcons a lil' more drama than the Hawks, but its beautiful to see these Atlanta teams maturing into real championship contenders.

This game started out very contested. Denver is a very good team, but NeNe, their starting center was out with an injury. Chris "Birdman" Andersen started in his place, he was no real challenge to Al Horford, as Horford made several big plays in the 1st quarter against him. Joe Johnson scored 12 pts in the 1st quarter, and the Nuggets doubled him at every position the rest of the game, Joe made them pay though with his excellent passing, usually to Mike Bibby who made big shots all game, he is a great floor leader offensively for the hawks, scoring (20) and assists (9). Al Horford played great. 16 pts (6/9 FGs 4/5 FTs) 10 rbs 4 asts, people don't give Atlanta's passing enough credit, especially that of Al Horford and Mike Bibby. Al Horford has to be the best passing center in the east, right?

i had been getting on Josh Smith lately, because i felt he hadn't played extremely well yet, but i just found out he had a nagging injury that he a playing through. That's alright, this is the year for the improvement of Mike Bibby, Marvin Williams, and Al Horford to shine, we won't be talking about Josh Smith all-star this year, but we will be talking about the Hawks 50 wins :)

The Hawks are looking real good right now, to themselves and the rest of the league. Joe Johnson is in his absolute prime, he is undisputedly an all-star and one of the best all-around players in the league. Mike Bibby is in his absolute prime, he has led this Hawks team to a winning situation better than anyone could have imagined this season, Mike Bibby should be an all-star.

The Mike Bibby-Joe Johnson backcourt combine to score more points per game than any other backcourt in the NBA.
the Mike Bibby-Joe Johnson duo has made more 3 pointers than any other duo on any team in the NBA.
Mike Bibby has made 78 3pt FGs this season, 2nd in the NBA, Joe 70, 5th.

Its beautiful, the Hawks being a winning team, now I am going to make another outlandish prediction. Hawks 21-10 in 2008, 13-4 in January to make them 34-14. Watch.

Joe Johnson season-high 41 fuel highest scoring Hawks game all season, defeat Bulls 129-117

noreply@blogger.com (tha DJ) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 07:47:00 +0000

Hawks 129 Bulls 117

35 28 32 22

32 36 30 31

BOX SCORE

From the opening tip to Al Horford, pass to Josh Smith, assist to Al Horford with a jumpshot, you could tell this was going to be a high-scoring game. We could see that Derrick Rose was going to be a handful, as he was last time in Chicago, and as he will be increasingly for years to come as the soon-to-be ROY (or OJ Mayo). But we could have not seen the shootout unfold as it did between Ben Gordon and Joe Johnson.

First quarter, Joe 12, Ben 15. Second quarter, Joe 10, Ben 3. Third quarter, Joe 8, Ben 8. And in the all important fourth quarter, Joe 10, Ben 4.

Overall, it was the Hawks best offensive game of the season, and a great demonstration of the versitility of the Hawks, they can play slow pace, half-court style basketball, or the 7 seconds or less D'Antoni style they tried today. Either way, Hawks win. Josh Smith agrees;

"It shows we are real versatile," Smith said. "It doesn't matter whether we're playing a fast style of basketball or slow, just as long as we win."

Every player had a great stat line for the night:

ATLANTA HAWKS
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Marvin Williams, PF	35	6-10	0-1	4-5	3	5	8	4	0	1	1	4	16
Josh Smith, PF	34	8-14	1-3	7-9	2	5	7	5	2	1	2	1	24
Al Horford, C	38	4-10	0-0	2-2	5	5	10	5	0	1	0	2	10
Joe Johnson, SG	44	16-31	4-6	5-6	1	2	3	8	2	0	1	2	41
Mike Bibby, PG	35	6-8	3-5	2-2	0	2	2	7	0	0	1	3	17
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Maurice Evans, SF	12	1-1	1-1	2-2	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	2	5
Zaza Pachulia, C	21	5-7	0-0	0-0	2	5	7	2	0	0	0	3	10
Ronald Murray, SG	20	2-6	0-3	0-0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	3	4

Somebody ask Woodson, when will we see more Acie out there? Its a damn good question..

If (and when) we beat Denver on Monday, the Hawks will be 20-10, the first time the franchise has reached 20 wins before the calendar flip since the 1987-1988 season. That team coached by Mike Fratello and led by Dominique Wilkins 30 ppg, and Doc Rivers 14 ppg 9 apg led the Hawks to a 50-32 record that season. Let's do better.

Joe Johnson 2nd career triple-double, Williams 21 lead Hawks over Thunder

noreply@blogger.com (tha DJ) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 20:11:00 +0000

Hawks 99 Thunder 88

24 19 25 20

23 22 24 30

BOX SCORE

A few pundits say we should be taking care of "bad" teams early and flexing our muscle in the eastern conference. We do threaten every team in the eastern conference but i think we played the Oklahoma City Thunder very well.

Joe Johnson scored 20 pts (8/23 FGs 2/8 3pt FGs 2/2 FTs) 11 rbs 11 asts, including 8 pts 4 rbs 6 asts in the 4th quarter alone. Marvin Williams was on the recieving end of at least 4 of those assists on his way to 21 pts (9/13 FGs 1/3 3pt FGs 2/4 FTs) 7 rbs, Josh Smith had his best offensive game since coming back from injury, 19 pts (6/11 FGs 1/1/ 3pt FGs 6/9 FTs) 3 rbs 3 asts 3 stls 1 blk.

Mike Bibby did his usual well, 14 pts (6/13 FGs 2/5 3pt FGs) 7 rbs 6 asts.

Al Horford did okay but "the Boss" got BOSSED in the paint in this game, OKC outrebounded the Hawks 52-40, Jeff Green had 14 rbs, Chris Wilcox off the bench had 19 pts 12 rbs, i mean, what really good, Al? lol

We will be alright, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a 22-10 record for 2009.

Mike Bibby season-high 27 pts, Iverson benched 4th Q, Hawks win

noreply@blogger.com (tha DJ) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 05:40:00 +0000

Hawks 85 Pistons 78

25 16 22 15

22 30 17 16

BOX SCORE

In the preview for this game, it had been said that a key matchup was the Iverson VS Bibby battle of team leadership, offensive effeciency. It's pretty safe to say Bibby won that battle. This game had also been donned as a PLAYOFFSHAWKS PREVIEW, for these Detroit Pistons would be our first round matchup if the playoffs started today, we hope things stay that way, because even the Hawks would rather see, especially after this game, these Pistons rather than, say, the Dwayne Wade Heat in the 1st round. Agreed. Regardless, we could be them too, as we did in south beach last week in the clash of the southeast, it was the game after we endured a 3-game losing streak in that Texas triangle trip, we all know what happened there.

So, HERE, Mike Bibby goes off, scores 27 pts (10/13 FGS 6/6 3pt FGs 1/2 FTs) 3 rbs 5 asts 3 stls in 38 minutes. Joe Johnson has a solid game, 19 pts (8/22 FGs 1/4 3pt FGs 2/2 FTs) 5 rbs 7 asts, Josh Smith had a very interesting game. One of the main matchups we saw in that game was Josh posting up against Tayshaun Prince. Now, Prince is a true Small Forward, always has been and with this new coach, he likes to start Rodney Stuckey, so that moves AI to the SG, Rip to the SF and Prince to PF...Josh Smith should have OWNED that matchup, but it was good for him to feel himself big in the paint, he hasn't owned the paint in any game yet, but he was posting up, we need to see more of that from him, anyway, he scored 11 pts (3/13 FGs 5/8 FTs) 8 rbs 2 asts, but he also held Tayshaun Prince to 2 pts 1-8 shooting.

Al Horford owned the paint, 11 pts (5/9 FGs 1/2 FTs) 11 rbs 4 asts, but only his 4th double-double of the season.

I predict wins for the rest of the year, and close the year 22-10, 4th in the eastern conference, closing in on the southeast division title.

Hawks shake off Celtics loss, balanced-attack smack Warriors, Williams 22, Johnson 19

noreply@blogger.com (tha DJ) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 07:20:00 +0000

Hawks 115 Warriors 99

21 33 27 18

31 21 27 36

BOX SCORE

Good game. The Hawks love this style of play and excel greatly in these type of games, not so much the chaotic, no-defense, shoot-in-less-than-5-seconds type of offense, but the fastbreak passing, Josh Smith rebounding and igniting the break, Mike Bibby to Joe Johnson to Marvin Williams for the alley-oop BOOM! Thats what im talking about, this isn't quite Suns basketball, especially not anymore, but it was an interesting test for how we can be against them and in fast games in the future.

Marvin Williams scored 22 pts (10/13 FGs 2/2 FTs) leading the Hawks to a 115-99 victory at Phillips arena on Friday night. It was only two nights after a heartwrenching defeat by the Champion Celtics in a much anticipated, ESPN broadcast game, the only one of the Hawks season and the first in 5 years. We all know what happened in that game, but the important thing is how the Hawks bounced back, and who other than Marvin Williams would have a career night the night after a game like that. Marvin Williams 10-13 FG equals 76.9%, a career-high FG%, with 9 rebounds in 35 minutes. Joe Johnson was looking to bounce back in a major way after missing that game-tying free-throw, he did well with 19 pts (8/20 FGs 2/8 3pt FGs 1/3 FTs) 5 rbs 5 asts, Josh Smith was the assist man in this game, 14 pts (5/8 FGs 4/5 FTs) 6 rbs, and 7 asts.

IS there any logical reason why Al Horford only had 1 personal foul, yet played 29 minutes, and still scored 14 pts (5/9 FGs 4/5 FTs) 6 rbs 5 asts 3 blks ?

Acie Law 8 minutes ?

Mike Bibby had a Rondo-game (lol) 2nd led the team in rebounding ended with 7 pts (2/8 FGs 1/3 3pt FGs 2/2 FTs ) 8 rbs 7 asts.

so ESPN is the mainstream most popular sports news media, right? well, why do they make themselves look like such fools so often? see the way Mr. PAUL SEVERINO generalizes the Hawks on internet TV:

"The Hawks like many sports teams have multiple personalities, there's the "Bad Hawks" the team that plays on the road, just 6-8"

from what i understand, maybe im just nieve, a 6-8 road record isnt bad, especially when those wins have come against Orlando, New Orleans, Chicago, OKC, Washington, and Miami. Can't be mad at losses to Celtics, Cavs, Nets, Raptors, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio. Oh, yeah that Indiana game we should have won, but still.. all i'm saying is the Hawks don't deserve a reputation as a "bad" road team, they will have to earn that respect, and my sentiment is that they will this season.

Tomorrow is another "biggest test of the season" this is a 2009 PLAYOFFSHAWKS PREVIEW at Phillips Arena on Sunday. The Allen Iverson Pistons against the new-improved Mike Woodson HAWks, we wil see who prevails

Celtics military execute down the stretch, Hawks not quite there yet, Celtics win 16th in a row

noreply@blogger.com (tha DJ) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:39:00 +0000

Hawks 85 Celtics 88

22 20 17 29

21 22 19 23

BOX SCORE

Mann.. it hurts so bad to type that headline. This was the game of the year to alot of people, the city of Atlanta was alive for this game in a way they haven't been since the playoffs, of course, there was no shortage of hype for this game. What sucks is the result of all that hype. So many things went wrong for the Hawks in this game, this was a defensive battle, and unfortunately, obviously, the defending champs win in that aspect.

PeachtreeHoops defined the deciding factors in this game in his recap, here is some of that info:

Possible determining factors for Boston's win...
Whereas only Ray Allen (1-8) struggled atypically from beyond the arc for Boston, both Joe Johnson (1-7) and Mike Bibby (2-8) struggled for the Hawks. Of course, the flip side* of that for Atlanta is that Josh Smith and Ronald Murray combined to make 3 of 5 three-pointers. Atypical isn't really a strong enough word to describe that.
Atlanta's willingness to switch ball screens and leave Mike Bibby guarding Paul Pierce one-on-one. On a night when no one who was used to making three-point shots was making them, Pierce attempted just one three-pointer mostly because he didn't need to. I presume the Boston staff watched tape of the Cleveland game where a couple of times in the second half, the Cavaliers had either Mo Williams or Delonte West set a screen for LeBron, the Hawks switched, and LeBron got to attack either Flip Murray or Mike Bibby one-on-one. Cleveland only ran this a handful of times. Boston had to run it at least 12-15 times. Bibby never had a chance.
Boston, with the bizarre exception of Atlanta's penultimate possession (if you count Bibby's prayer with .7 left a possession) where Joe Johnson was presented with just Ray Allen as an obstacle to the basket, did Johnson no such favors. When Atlanta ran (and ran and ran) isolations for Johnson on the wing, Boston put at least three defenders on the strong side. There was nowhere for Johnson to go and no one to receive the ball as off-the-ball movement, as 'Nique pointed out (and pointed out and pointed out) on the local broadcast last night, isn't really a part of the Hawks' half-court offense.
There is some level of respect (at least in the media) for the Hawks to the Celtics, here are some post-game quotes:

"This is not a rivalry. [The Hawks] are a very good team, they play with a lot of confidence and swagger. Joe Johnson is one of the best in the business and they cause a lot of hell and havoc. But you have to win for it to be a rivalry." -Kevin Garnett

"If they played everybody the way they play us they’d be a top five team in the league." -Rajon Rondo

What we learned about the Hawks in this game:

Josh Smith needs to learn how to play the power forward position,and he should learn that from Kevin Garnett, if he can rebound and block shots with the best in the NBA, but if he wants the ball on offense, he has got to develop that KG footwork, the reason the Hawks aren't taken seriously as a balanced team is beacause we dont have a true center and we don't have a true power forward.

Marvin Williams needs to do a little more on offense, i think he is the most improved Hawks player this season and he is slightly reliable on offense, he should be given more chances, after scoring 11 pts at halftime he scored 5 points the rest of the game

Mike Bibby needs to learn to penetrate, he did that one time and scored, but never again, seeing the way Rajon Rondo gets the rim at will, Mike Bibby should learn to do that.

Al Horford is a beast, but Kendrick Perkins is just a little meaner than he. Al Horford plays the center position as well as any big in the East not named Howard, but he must be more offensively polished

Joe Johnson is not perfect, people. I know that might break alot of hearts, but even with the biggest game of the season on the line, after making 7-7, Joe can miss that 8th free throw, he is still the 3rd best SG in the league, but not perfect.

The Hawks are gonna be alright, it will be very interesting to see how they bounce back from this at Phillips Arena against fast-paces Golden State, i wanna see the Hawks score 120 pts for once.

ATLANTA HAWKS
STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
Marvin Williams, PF 39 6-12 0-2 4-7 4 4 8 3 1 2 2 2 16
Josh Smith, PF 41 4-13 1-2 5-7 1 6 7 4 1 1 3 5 14
Al Horford, C 41 3-10 0-0 2-2 4 7 11 4 0 2 2 3 8
Joe Johnson, SG 40 6-16 1-7 7-8 2 3 5 4 3 0 0 3 20
Mike Bibby, PG 38 5-16 2-8 2-2 0 5 5 2 0 0 3 1 14
BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
Maurice Evans, SF 15 1-4 1-2 0-0 2 0 2 0 0 0 1 2 3
Ronald Murray, SG 12 2-4 2-3 0-0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 6
Zaza Pachulia, C 14 2-4 0-0 0-1 2 1 3 0 0 1 2 4 4

Hawks VS Celtics PLAYOFFS INTENSITY RIVALRY continues tonight at Phillips, ESPN game preview

noreply@blogger.com (tha DJ) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:13:00 +0000

Hawks VS Celtics RENEWED RIVALRY ESPN gameday

Yess! As an ATLien and a lifelong Hawks fan, I, along with the entire city of Atlanta, the NBA, and the entire sportsnation is very excited about this game. Whoever aint, isn't a fan of NBA basketball, there is so much beautiful symbolism to tonights game, there's no question this is the game of the night in the NBA (finally, for once).

I am one of the biggest fan of the Atlanta Hawks, not in a crazy, paint my face kind of way, but more like i am with the team every step of their journey of each game in the 82 game season, i predicted 47 wins in the pre-season, i changed that to the Hawks having their first 50 win season since the 1997-1998 season after seeing the Hawks 11-6 first month start, 12 of those 18 without Josh Smith. I have attended a couple games this season (Philly, Nets, Memphis), and its always a excellent experience, i had big plans to take lots of pictures, talk to fans and ESPN, and really be involved with as much festivities as i could at this game.

But, i have just as much trouble as the next fan getting tickets to games, and i am probably unable to make tonights game (kills self), but i am going to cover as much possible from the outside Phillips festivities, and the game itself, postgame and everything. So to begin, this is the grand preview to tonights RENEWED RIVALRY, Hawks VS Celtics Game 9.

Sekou Smith feels like me, this game is worth all the hype! in another excellent entry he talks to the Hawks players about the monstrosity of a game this is, and what it all means:

• Josh Smith: “It might be a little rivalry now. They know they can’t take us lightly. They play their hardest when they step out on the court with us. And we do the same. It’s like a respect level but also competitive nature that we’re going to win this game and they feel the same way.”

• Zaza Pachulia: “We feel like it’s a game we should win because we’re playing at home in front of our crowd. I know it’s easy to say we owe them and all that to get everybody pumped up. The bottom line is this game should be special, but in a good way.”

• Marvin Williams: “It might be impossible not to get too hyped up for this game. We played them as well as we ever played them in Boston earlier this year. Now we come back here. They’re playing well and we’re playing well at home. Something’s got to give.”

• Mike Woodson: “After the first couple of games I truly believe we were somewhat scared. A lot of guys that had never been in the playoffs were feeling the heat a little bit. Mike [Bibby] tried to take some of the heat off with the quotes he made in that series early trying to switch the heat onto himself because he had been in playoff situations.”

• Mike Bibby: “Everybody thought we were going to get walked over. But we had a chance to shock everybody. We never really played well in Boston but we played great here. Knowing that everybody was against us and to play like we did was satisfying. But we wanted to win. We have to take that next step.”

Even the Celtics concede that there is a little pressure on themselves to win there.

• Rajon Rondo: “They are a tough team. They just beat Cleveland at home so they’re pretty confident right now. They’re waiting on us. It’s a tough game. We have to try to go in there and focus and try to get a win in Atlanta. We didn’t do it at all last year instead of in the regular-season. But I’m sure this will be a playoff type of game, very physical. Probably go to the wire.”

• Ray Allen: “Atlanta is ready and waiting and they’ve been promoting this for a while. The building is going to be a playoff atmosphere so we need to go down there with a different mind set.”

• Paul Pierce: “This is going to be a whole different ball club that we saw last year during the regular season. It’s going to be more like the team we saw in the playoffs. We have to come with our A game or we won’t be walking out of there with a win. The way they’re playing at home, they’re playing at a high level.”

• Leon Powe: “I think it’s the crowd. I think they all feed off the crowd. When they got their crowd going, waving towels and doing all kinds of crazy stuff, and they start hitting all kinds of shots, even with our hands up, contested, I think it has a lot to do with the crowd.”

CelticsBlog picks the brain of the #1 Hawks blogger Brett LeGree AKA Hoopinion AKA PeachtreeHoops.com, this is a great interview, very insightful for Celtics and Hawks fans alike, i learned some things about you Brett:

Hoopinion: I'm less of a Joe Johnson fan than most Hawks fans as I thought (and still think) that the team paid too high a price to acquire him. That certainly doesn't mean that I think he's a mediocre player, just that it's not possible to build a championship contender if your best player is Joe Johnson. That is not my most popular opinion.

Wow, i mean, not many Hawks fans are thinking championship this season, but damn, "it's just not possible to build a championship contender if your best player is Joe Johnson"? I'm sure the Hawks team and organization would beg to differ, and everyone is entitled to their realistic opinion, but here's what i think about Joe Johnson. Joe is the 3rd best SG in the NBA, undisputed. Scoring, rebounding, passing, leadership, decision-making, leadership, durability, basketball IQ, he is everything a team could ask for in a shooting guard franchise player. Of course we all know he is a great player, forget statistics for once, in his 3 seasons with the Hawks he has taken a franchise that was the worst in the league to a legitimate eastern conference contender.

The Hawks gave up too much in that trade? Joe Johnson for Boris Diaw + 1st round pick in 2007, 2008. What did those 2 picks turn out to be? Alando Tucker and Robin Lopez, are any of those franchise players? How about Boris Diaw, i'm sure he is a franchise player, being the 2005-2006 MIP and all, right? Look, the Suns are killing themselves right now for trading Joe, the Suns could have been to the NBA Finals at least twice by now if they did not make that trade. Joe was a great complimentary player, but his destiny was to be a franchise player, if it wasn't the Hawks, Joe would have gone to another team to be the man eventually, but Atlanta, the Hawks organization, and Joe felt that they were a perfect marriage, and it has been increasingly every season, shoot, the only reason the Hawks didn't go to the playoffs in 2006-2007 is because Joe got injured and missed the last 25 games of the season.

Joe Johnson is better than Manu Ginobili because Manu is 3rd in a "big three" system that he has stayed in his entire career. Of course, manu is a 3x NBA champion, a great scorer and a pesky defender ( i personally hate his flopping style), but he has never led his team anywhere without the other 2, and Yes he is very efficient but he has never even scored 20 ppg, how can he be better than Joe when Joe has done that consistently for 4 seasons?

Joe Johnson is better than Tracy McGrady in every way. Who is Tracy McGrady? is he a great playmaker, explosive scorer that led the league in scoring two seasons in a row with Orlando (32.0, 28.0), or is he that inconsistent, weak effort, weak bodied, injury prone forward who has never ever won a playoff series on 2 teams with 3 appearances on each. Of course, Joe Johnson hasn't won a playoff series by himself yet either, but Joe clearly wins in durability, shooting (FG%, 3ptFG%, FT%), defending, passing, and leadership.

Joe Johnson is not yet better than Vince Carter. Vince Carter should have been one of the greatest SG in the game today, and he is definetly top 10, but he is not the great player he could have been. One of the most explosive scorers of our generation, he jumps over the moon at will, he has averaged 20+ ppg every season of his career, outside of he as a rookie in toronto. Vince Carter was an intricate part of a "big three" Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, and Richard Jefferson, that made the Finals 2 years in a row, they didn't win, but until Joe makes it at least past the 1st round, he is not better than the great Vince Carter.

In conclusion, I just want it to be known that I believe that Joe Johnson is the 3rd best shooting guard in the league, and he can lead the Hawks to a championship, or at least to the Finals in the next 3 seasons, I see that as a realistic possibility.

But in order to prove we are on that level or show that we are ascending to that level, we gotta stop this streak TODAY.

Hawks 98 Celtics 93

Go Hawks!

Hawks defeat Diaw-led Bobcats, lol, Johnson 28, Smith 15

noreply@blogger.com (tha DJ) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 05:32:00 +0000

Hawks 83 Bobcats 79

27 21 20 11
23 19 26 15

BOX SCORE

ESPN RECAP

Well alright, that was fun. It is always fun to play a bottom-feeding team in the division because you know you should win, but that's also sometimes the trick that doesn't treat too, I won't say the Bobcats cannot beat the Hawks, especially with the aquisition of Boris Diaw and Raja Bell for them, that actually makes their team better balanced talent-wise, so their gameplay should improve slightly, but they will still be a bottom-feeder.

The Hawks allowed the new-look Bobcats to win the 1st 2 quarters of the first half, then Hawks defense cranked up, and showed why they will be a tough match for the Boston Celtics on ESPN Wednesday. After only scoring 10 points in the 1st half, Joe Johnson turned it up offensively to finish with 28 pts (11/18 FGs 2/6 3pt FGs 4/5 FTs) 5 rbs 8 asts, Joe is truely one of the NBA's best clutch players. Josh Smith was great in this game, staying in his game scoring 15 pts (6/11 FGs 1/2 3pt FGs 2/4 FTs) 7 rbs 5 blks 2 asts, Al Horford is staying true to his nickname "THE BOSS" and owning the paint, scoring 12 pts (6/12 FGs) 14 rbs 5 asts 2 blks, and Mike Bibby was good and average, despite missing all 5 three point attempts and no free throws in this game, he scored 14 pts ( 7/15 FGs) 3 rbs 6 asts. Marvin Williams had an unimpactful game, in 34 minutes scoring 6 pts (2/4 FGs 0/2 3pt FGs 2/2 FTs) 6 rbs 2 asts.

Next up, the great Boston Celtics (23-2), if any team can break their streak, its us.

Hawks impressive win over LeBron, Cavs, Bibby 24, Williams 19

noreply@blogger.com (tha DJ) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 03:54:00 +0000

Hawks 97 Cavs 92

24 14 28 26

31 16 21 29

BOX SCORE

Josh Smith swatted the potential lead-taking 3 pointer deep into the stands with such powerful emphasis, it was as if Delonte West got smacked in the face right by the Cavs bench, oh wait, that actually did happen. (right after that block, watch the replay)

The Hawks made a HUGE statement defensively in this game against the 2nd hottest team in the NBA, the Hawks played poised, Joe Johnson was so cool in the clutch down the stretch, its a beautiful feeling as a Hawks fan having this confidence in your team, that knowing sense that we can beat any team ESPECIALLY at Phillips Arena, and their timing couldn't be more perfect as we begin a 8-game homestead to bring the fans of Atlanta out for the Holidays.

Mike Bibby should be an undisputed all-star this season, leading the Hawks with his veteran leadership scoring, playmaking, even his defense has been exceptional, he and Joe Johnson make THE MOST LETHAL backcourt in the Eastern Conference, so they should both be all-stars this season, or vote all 5 Hawks starters to the all-star game, we one of 3 teams that have 5 all-star candidates (Lakers, Celtics). Mike Bibby played exceptional in this game, led the Hawks with 24 pts (9/16 FGs 3/8 3pt FGs 3/4 FTs) 6 rbs 5 asts, Joe Johnson scored 4 points in the first half, then 11 in the 4th for 17 pts (7/17 FGs 0/5 3pt FGs 3/5 FTs) 3 rbs 8 asts, and Marvin Williams got the the free throw line tonight! 19 pts (3/6 FGs 2/3 3pt FGs 11/13 FTs) 7 rbs 2 asts 2 blks, not bad compared to the last time these teams met, and how did our frontcourt matchup with theirs?

Josh Smith 12 pts (5/8 FGs 2/2 FTs) 8 rbs 1 ast 1 stl 1 blk

Al Horford 12 pts (3/5 FGs 6/7 FTs) 8 rbs 2 asts 1 stl 1 blk

There was one thing i didn't like about the ESPN Recap:

"The Hawks are trying to build their fan support after making the playoffs last season for the first time in nine years. Despite taking eventual NBA champion Boston to a deciding seventh game in the first round of the postseason, Atlanta seemingly has yet to convince many fickle fans that the Hawks are as much worth the price of admission as seeing a superstar such as James."

I don't think the 19,200 fans in attendence at Phillips Arena were all there to see LeBron, and although the Hawks are not yet in the top 10 fan attendence in the NBA, i think we should be doing a little better than "trying to build our fan support," that's disrespectful to me as a Hawks fan. But, i feel Joe Johnson, the way to earn respect of national media and the league is winning. We're doing pretty good at that right now. (Hawks 14-9, 2nd SE divison, 4th Eastern Conference)

This was a fun win, great win, now the Hawks must relax and pray on Sunday to get ready for the practice Bobcats on Monday, and the BIGGEST SHOWDOWN OF THE SEASON on Wednesday.

Hawks VS Cavs Preview

noreply@blogger.com (the Internet nigger) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 19:34:00 +0000

Last time the Hawks and Cavs met, it wasn't a pretty sight.

A victory over the Atlanta Hawks three weeks ago helped the Cleveland Cavaliers bounce back from a disappointing defeat.

The Cavaliers haven't lost since, and even more impressive than their streak has been the fashion in which they've won.

Cleveland looks to continue its dominance, and set a franchise record with its 12th straight victory on Saturday night when it visits the Hawks, who are opening a season-high eight-game homestand.

After squandering a fourth-quarter lead in a 96-89 loss at Detroit on Nov. 19, Cleveland (20-3) has simply overpowered its last 11 opponents. The Cavaliers have won by an average of 19.8 points, and haven't trailed in the second half in any game during the streak.

The Cavs' streak began with a 110-96 home win over Atlanta (13-9) on Nov. 22, as James had 24 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. The four-time All-Star is averaging 30.9 points and 8.0 boards in his last 10 games against the Hawks.

But for the first time this season, Cleveland was forced to deal with some adversity on Friday. Starting centerZydrunas Ilgauskas sat out with a sprained left ankle, and reserve guard Daniel Gibson missed the game with a sprained toe.

Ilgauskas, who is averaging 14.8 points and a team-high 7.6 rebounds, suffered his injury in Wednesday's 101-93 victory at Philadelphia, and is expected to miss several games.

Anderson Varejao stepped up in Ilgauskas' place against the 76ers, and finished with 17 points and seven rebounds in his first start this season. Varejao had eight points and six rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench in the Cavs' win over Atlanta earlier this season.

Cleveland, which opens a four-game road trip on Saturday, has won 15 of its last 18 against the Hawks, and seven of the last nine in Atlanta.

The Hawks are hoping to take advantage of a favorable schedule, as they won't play on the road again until visiting Indiana on Dec. 30. Atlanta has won five straight home games since a 119-107 loss to New Jersey on Nov. 15, and is 7-1 at Philips Arena this season.

The Hawks wrapped up a four-game road trip with an 87-73 win at Miami on Friday to snap a three-game skid. Atlanta had a sound defensive effort, as it held the Heat to 38.6 percent shooting including 5-for-22 (22.7 percent) from beyond the arc.

"That's the best I've seen them play defensively," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said after his team allowed its fewest points in a game this season. "It was a total team effort across the board."

Joe Johnson scored 21 points against Miami, and is averaging 26.0 points in his last four games -- up from 16.3 in his previous six. He now looks to avenge one of his worst performances of the season, as he scored a season-low four points on 1-of-8 shooting in last month's loss to the Cavs.

GAMEDAY MATCHUP
	W-L	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	STK	L10
CLE	20-3	103.2	89.7	13-0	7-3	W11	10-0
ATL	13-9	97.0	95.6	7-1	6-8	W1	5-5