SB Nation - Joe Johnson

Chicago Bulls 101, Atlanta Hawks 98 or Joe Johnson tries his hat at 06-07 Kobe Bryant

hawksdawgs — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 04:58:44 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

1 day ago: Chicago Bulls' Joakim Noah, left, and James Johnson (16) try to stop the Atlanta Hawks' Joe Johnson (2) from scoring during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)

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Oddly enough, Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson were the difference in this game. That and four horrible jump shots by Josh Smith.

Now I understand the desire to go crazy over the Joe Johnson show. There was way too much Joe Johnson. Especially when Al Horford was having a perfectly fine game and Joakim Noah had five fouls for what felt like the last 20 minutes of the game. I get that feeling. The Hawks probably could have used some more ball movement and diversity. And despite what Nique says, a fade away two point jump shot with a hand at your chin is not a good shot. I understand all this.

But with all that said, Joe really did have the advantage. Outside a few forced shots (and you are going to have a few when you shoot 32 of them), Joe could have made near every one of those looks. That last missed layup was so good my buddy and I were talking about how he went too soon in the game clock. Joe got his looks. He passed to open shooters. But Bibby missed open shots, Marvin missed open shots. And Josh took open shots.

On the other side of the ball, the Bulls did what we wanted them to do, only they succeeded. Rose, Taj, and Kirk hit jump shot after jump shot. Hats off to them. They deserved to win.

On a night when our defense forced them into jump shots, they hit them. VDN played one on one defense knowing Joe could get his shot and banking on the fact that he would not always hit it. Del Negro was right. And without any real help for Joe, every possession mattered for the Hawks and we wasted too many.

A lot of what ifs were left on the table, but I am going to answer the ones with blame toward the guys that did not score 40 points on 50% shooting.

The Hawks won't win them all. And that includes the ones they should. But anger tonight. Perspective tomorrow. Go Hawks!

NBA Eastern Conference: Taking Stock

tenaciousT — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:04:32 -0000

NBA –arama

After making my preseason predictions, I said I'd check how things were going from time to time. It's time. Let's take a look around the east, see what’s going on, and fess up to a few big misses. A number of predictions are on target...so far. Preseason predictions are in parentheses followed by current record

Atlantic Division

Boston Celtics (63-19) - 20-4
Thought they were going gently into their assisted living facilities, eh? Tut tut, my skeptical friends. The ‘assisted living’ comes courtesy of one Rajon Rondo, point guard extraordinaire. Rondo plays one gear higher than the rest of his starting unit.

11 game win streak says they are rounding into shape after starting strong, stumbling, then slowly righting the ship. The only major surprise was/is the lack of 48 minute intensity, and rebounding woes. They still look like one of the best teams in the NBA to challenge the Lakers. Back with a vengeance? They are back. Vengeance comes later.

Toronto (35-47) - 11-17
International crisis or communication breakdown?
Some expected more, but they are about where I expected and for the same reason – defense. Bargnani is part of the dilemma. He is a skilled big, but not an interior presence. With a domestic vs. international player rift surfacing recently, the Raps played their best defensive game of the season afterwards. Hedo’s not fitting in like they hoped…yet.

Jose Calderon has disappointed so far in what was supposed to be his big year. The rebuilt roster should be better later in the season, but aren’t built for prolonged defense. They are giving up 103.5 over their last 5 games, which 5 points better than before.

New York (31-51) - 8-16
After a 3-14 start, the ‘D’Antonies’ are 5-2 in their last 7 games. Another team without interior defense. They looked under every rock for a bona fide PG but the right one – the draft. Biggest current embarrassment is choosing Jordan Hill over Brandon Jennings in the draft. This was going to be a learning year anyway, right? Ty Lawson, Darren Collison, Eric Maynor, Jeff Teague were also still out there. Any of those better than Chris Duhon? Maybe some are already.

D’Antoni, frankly, has disappointed as well. I’ll confess, I thought Darko Milicic was a good risk for a team starved for bigs that block shots and play defense. Go figure. Jordan Hill may end up being a good player some day, too. Winning started by benching Nate Robinson. Coincidence? Sharp shooter Gallinari continues to impress, adds some board work.

76ers (41-41) – 6-19
Okay, this is one that’s not going as I thought it would. Oye.
Injuries are only part of the problem. Is Brand a lesser player now? Or is he just on the wrong team? Maybe it’s all bad karma for Elton leaving a good situation in Clipperland. (Yes, I did just say that.) Louis Williams (injured), Marreese Speights, and Thaddeus Young give hope for the future. It’s so bad that Iverson is back. Yeah, I know.

New Jersey (26-56) – 2-24
Say no more. Accident on the Jersey Turnpike. Tie up for miles, but not for years. No, they are not this bad. Bad luck continues with Yi Jianlian getting 50 stitches (yes 50) in his mouth courtesy of a Sean Williams elbow in a recent practice. The sooner this team can exit the swamp the better. Still, Brook Lopez will become an even better player if this season doesn’t kill him first. Devin Harris, Courtney Lee, Chris Douglas-Roberts are all good young talent.

Central Division

Cleveland (58-24) – 19-7
They are much better after starting 0-2 and 3-3. Not dominating like last season, but still a force. Shaq shooting a career low 49%, though they are now winning with him. Most lopsided team scoring distribution I have ever seen for a top team. Only three players in double digits and one of them is Shaq at 10.8 per.

Second best FG% defense and 4th best points allowed means they are still dangerous and in the hunt. Though Shaq is mostly a sideways or backwards move, if they get to the finals he helps against Lakers’ frontline. Shaq can’t slow down an already very slow team…can he? I feared this team more last year. Stop LeBron and you stop the Cavs. Am I wrong?

Stat of note: Cavs lead league in points in paint defense (34.1)

Milwaukee (35-47) – 11-12
Early season surprise coming back to earth lately. Many thought I had them too high. But Skiles always seems to get players to overachieve for a few years, until his tough guy ways get tired. Brandon Jennings makes a big splash with 55 point game but is tailing off since then. Still, he is the real deal and will figure things out.

Bucks are first in shot attempts and dead last in free throw attempts, which pretty much goes hand in hand. No one on this team gets to the line, except Jennings and Hakim Warrick.

Side Note: Toronto is known as the international team. But even they can’t compete with Milwaukee. Current starters are from 5 different countries: Turkey, Argentina, Australia, Cameroon, and U.S. Positively cosmopolitan for a city Shlitz beer made famous.

Detroit (36-46) - 11-14
I guess they are a bit better than I thought. Will this last? Even with key players injured, they put together a recent 5 game winning streak. They are still working a new system with a new coach. Loss of Tayshaun Prince hurts, Gordon is playing hurt, and Rip Hamilton is still in and out.

Still, the biggest surprise is the renaissance of "I’m retiring" Ben Wallace. Back up to 30 minutes and 10 rebounds a game, he can still defend, too. Detroit is 2nd best in points in paint defense. Can he do it all year and where is his help?

Pistons have the 3rd best total rebounding and 3rd best offensive rebounding differential in the league. Rodney Stuckey’s career year (19.3 pts) is offset by lower shooting %. He should stop taking three pointers altogether (21.4%)

Indiana (30-52) – 9-14
Danny Granger’s team is without Danny Granger for a while. With mediocre stats everywhere, just what do they do better than most NBA teams? Foul. They are 3rd in league with 2.2 foul differential.

Mike Dunleavy returns to a system that uses him to his best advantage and not a minute too soon. If the Pacers win 36 games, and that’s possible, that means O’Brien would have coached three straight 36-46 records here. Hey I have to find something interesting, don’t I? T.J. Ford is underwhelming again.

How are they doing attracting more fans? The past three years they went from 30th to 28th to 27th this season in attendance. They are a team with more integrity, but a few more wins wouldn’t hurt, would it?

Chicago (41-41) - 8-15 No one expected this meltdown. The loss of Ben Gordon’s 4th quarter points, Tyrus Thomas’ injury, Kirk Hinrich playing hurt, John Salmons’ underachieving season are all contributors, but all are secondary to Derrick Rose’s lack of noticeable improvement.

The chant for Vinny Del Negro’s head grows louder and I’m not against it. But I’d ask…who hired a rookie head coach for this team in the first place? That is where the blame should lie. Del Negro did reasonably well last season, but the wheels are falling off the wagon now.

Deng is playing well and Joakim Noah is continuing his rise up the food chain, but it’s nowhere near enough. I am fast becoming a Joakim Noah fan. Plays with passion, toughness, and heart.

Southeast Division

Orlando (60-22) -19-6
Fools go where wise men fear to tread – the paint against the Magic. They are crazy deep and probably Boston’s biggest problem in the East. Jameer Nelson returns soon and that’s not good news for opponents. Right now they are better offensively (5th rated) but worse defensively (9th rated) than last season, while giving up 2.2 more points.

This is a great situation for Vince Carter, who is playing 5 minutes less, but leads the team in scoring (19), while still hoisting up 17 shots per and will be a solid 4th quarter option for the Magic.

D. Howard is getting one less block a game, but shooting a career high in FG% (63.4%) While they probably over paid a bit for Mickael Pietrus ($5.3 mil), he continues to be a valuable piece to this team. Ryan Andersen has quietly been a nice addition. Marcin Gortat – the unhappy multi-millionaire.

Atlanta (48-34) - 18-6
This team is playing even better than I thought….and I thought this would be a good team. Woodson said the next thing is to learn how to win on the road. The Hawks are 7-4 so far this season and that is a huge step forward. Three of those road wins were against very tough home teams - Dallas, Boston and Portland.

For a team that could lose their leader (Joe Johnson) and their coach next season, they are moving from pretender to contender. Their youthful exuberance could make up for whatever they are missing. Al Horford and Josh Smith are unique young players and Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson provide the veteran leadership. They are pasting the lesser teams and are 3rd in the league in average winning margin at +8.4 points. Just behind the Celtics and Lakers. Hmm…

Miami (38-44) – 12-11
Dwayne Wade is to this team what LeBron is to the Cavs. Probably more so. Jermaine O’Neal is actually playing pretty well, but is a shell of his earlier self. We knew going in that the Heat go as Wade goes. Michael Beasley is improving and Haslem is solid.

They stretched the Lakers to a (lucky) Kobe Bryant banked buzzer beating 3 pointer over Wade’s outstretched hand. That probably defines their season as well as anything. With $50 million coming off the books in 2010, this team (hopefully) gets a complete rebuild. With a player option for $17 million, whether Wade stays or not remains to be seen.

Charlotte (33-49) - 10-14
Solid defensive team (2nd in points allowed) that has trouble scoring (27th). Deliberate offense (pace: 28th in NBA) helps keep opponents’ numbers down. 5-5 over the last ten, they added controversial, but multi-talented Stephen Jackson. It gives the team a focal point (and… gulp…leader) Larry Brown has great experience handling prima donna players and Raymond Felton is playing better since Jackson’s arrival.

Gerald Wallace, the last original Bobcat, was plucked from deep on Sacramento’s bench. Time to test him for HRH (Human Rebound Hormone). He has gone crazy boarding, up from 7.8 last season to 12.2 this year. I’d like to know the last time an established player made that kind of jump. He continues to ply his game for a team going nowhere.

Talented DJ Augustine has perplexingly gone backwards this season. Tyson Chandler, who could have been an earlier version of Joakim Noah, is showing how much Chris Paul helped his game.

But we forget just how bad this team was before Larry Brown arrived.

Washington (41-41) - 7-16
In preseason I wrote…. "everyone’s favorite ‘move up’ team." What I didn’t write was that it would take some doing to keep all these scorers happy with shots and minutes. Unfortunately, that appears to be the case. And things aren’t getting better. They are on a 6 game losing streak as I write this.

I never saw a happier, more hopeful team in the losers’ locker room than the one that ended its season against the Celtics last year. They all knew a much better year was coming. They had their version of a big three returning. But ubuntu doesn’t live here. Tragic because there is a lot of talent here. Flip Saunders has to sort this out, but I’m not sure where he starts.

I’ll end by (again) making my pitch for an unsung role player buried on the Wizards bench. Dominic McGuire would make a great (and cheap) Celtic.

There you have it. I apparently thought way too much of the Sixers. Comments welcome on all teams.

Five Game Cycles: New Year Early

djturtleface — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:31:35 -0000

More photos » by John Amis - AP

The Grizzlies got off to a bad start to this five game cycle, getting blown out and dunked on regularly against the Hawks last night. (AP Photo/John Amis)

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The Grizzlies had a tough set of five games, which is how Coach Hollins has told the young team to see their schedule, over the past two weeks. With Dallas, Cleveland, and then Oklahoma City at home, Memphis saw some serious superstar scoring.

They then took it onto the road against Miami, and then came back home against the Celtics. For those of you that don't really follow the rest of the league, that's five teams currently in the playoffs with a combined 82-41. For those of that don't really follow mathematics, that means they win twice as often as they lose.

And yet the Grizzlies came away from this five 3-2, which is one win better than Coach Lionel Hollins wants to average on the season, and two wins better than I predicted in the last edition of 'Five Game Cycles'

Get over the jump to see how the Grizzlies made dreams come true and also what to expect from this five game cycle.

The Breakdown- (3-2): Talk about some kind of goodness. The Memphis Grizzlies just lit it up on offense, just torching some big time defensive squads. The Grizzlies averaged a nice 105 points per game.

Yes, that number is somewhat high because the Grizzlies battled, and beat, the Cavaliers in overtime, though they probably also would have dropped a few more buckets had they needed to play the starters longer during a blowout against the Mavericks. And against Miami the Grizzlies offense barely even had to play to score 118, all they needed was to put the ball in Rudy Gay's hands -- he scored a career high 41 points.

The two losses came against Boston and Oklahoma City. The Grizzlies looked flustered by a very motivated, and increasingly talented, Oklahoma City Thunder. But when Boston came to town they worked out Boston's defense, getting up and down the court, shooting 50%, and scoring 105. It was too bad Boston had even less trouble on offense.

What Feels Good- Big wins against big teams always feel good for the Grizzlies. But this five game cycle was special because it also included two blowouts against playoff teams, not to mention the young Grizzlies leaving their hearts on the court in losses against the Celtics and the Thunder.

Rudy Gay continues to prove that he can contribute in more ways than highlight reel dunks. Rudy is racking up steals and rebounds like never before, and is sharing the ball better than ever also. Most importantly though, in my opinion at least, that extra muscle is helping. Rudy is now averaging a career-high number of free throw attempts per game -- if only he could start making some.

You've also got to like seeing Marc Gasol coming out of his relative slump, Mike Conley has been scoring much better at times, Jamaal Tinsley has made some serious intangible contributions, Sam Young and Hasheem Thabeet are both playing better, and O.J. Mayo is getting some consistency on his stroke.

Tell Me What Hurts- We're going to harp on this all season, I think, because the Grizzlies defense is just downright poor at times. It's definitely improving, but I also have a feeling that no amount of cohesion and growth under Coach Hollins is going to get rid of this problem.

I mean Zach Randolph, Mike Conley, and O.J. Mayo all have significant shortcomings as defenders. Zach just isn't that great and, more importantly, isn't respected by the other team. No matter how many hands he puts in their face, other power forwards just shoot right over him with confidence because they have no fear. Mike is too small and isn't strong enough, and O.J. Mayo arguably is as well.

Also there has to be some serious concern over the minutes these starters are playing, especially Rudy, who is around 40 minutes per game and still doesn't really have a sub. If Von Wafer is signed, he will slide to backup shooting guard and Sam Young will be at the forward spot, but our sub teams definitely need at least one starter on the floor with them at all times.

Into the Horizon- Here's a big prediction: the Grizzlies are going to lose to the Atlanta Hawks 110-97. Joe Johnson will handle the much, much smaller O.J. Mayo. And Rudy Gay will roll his ankle, which is more than a little bit worrisome without much depth on the bench.

But the next four are Indiana, Denver, Golden State, and then Dallas again. Indiana has some serious problems without Danny Granger, and T.J. Ford is one of the few good matchups for Mike Conley. Denver will be somewhere between tough and impossible, especially if Rudy Gay is laying on the sick bed all game. Golden State should be a win, but even in their dilapidated state, that franchise is always dangerous. And Dallas certainly isn't planning on crapping out against against Memphis, especially not at home.

So I'll give us a number that will make Coach Hollins nice and happy. The Grizzlies should come out of this stretch 2-3, and this next couple weeks is definitely going to test their staying power. The national media is starting to give respect -- the Grizzlies are 16th in ESPN's newest power rankings -- and this week, especially possibly dealing with Rudy's injury, is going to go a long way towards proving they deserve to be there.

Daily Links 12/12

FLCeltsFan — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:18:20 -0000

Herald    Counter points
Scouting report: Celtics at Bulls
LeBron James scores 33, Cavs trip Trail Blazers
Amare Stoudemire’s big rebound helps Suns beat Magic
Globe   Bulls thumbnails
On guard: Rondo slicing through foes
Vote for Perk    Vote For Perk
SportCenter 5     Vote For Perk!

Celtics Blog   AM Notes: Allen's Last Chance, Lester Helps Rondo
Loscy    The Rondoness of all Rondo Articles: The Mother-load "
HoopsHype    Zebras and lions
NESN    Celtics Seek 10th Straight Win Against Flailing Bulls
Live Blog: Celtics at Bulls
Tony Allen Emerges as Marquis Daniels Hits the Shelf
Paul Pierce, Glen Davis, J.R. Giddens Get in Holiday Spirit With Local Students
Celtics Legends Cedric Maxwell, JoJo White to Distribute Food to Lee Academy
Rajon Rondo, Glen Davis, Lester Hudson to Host Stay In School Assembly
Dueling Couches    Ray Allen's Most Memorible Moments
CelticsLife Shaq Injures Eye, Kobe Breaks Finger, Injuries Reportedly Unrelated
McHale on Lebron's Dancing Nonsense
Today's Video: Ray Allen 20,000 Points NBA Career
LOY's Place    Quote of the Week - Kevin McHale
Red's Army    Rashard Lewis Has No Respect for His Coach
The Big 3 Things of the Week
Your KG Face of the Day
Ray Gets UP!
Your Morning Dump... Where Kevin McHale is still awesome
Celtics Hub   Kentucky-UConn Garden Party—an NBA Fan’s Perspective
Eddie House and 3 Point Attempts
Gratuitous Wolf on Human Violence
Saturday Notebook: Hudson’s Value, Rondo’s J, the Bulls
North Station Sports    More than a feeling: Dwight & Nate, pt. 2
Tony Allen Takes Over For Daniels. Should You Be Scared?
More Thoughts From Egypt: LeBron's Behavior in Question
Celtics Town    Celtics 'define what winning basketball in the NBA is all about'
Ray Allen gives teammates credit for milestone
Joe Johnson wants to come back to Boston?
Ray Allen, named top shooter of the decade, says Dirk is best
Rajon Rondo latest Celtic to deflect praise to teammates
Lex Nihil Novi    Wedman Leads Birdless Celts Over Hawks 83-84
Wedman Adapting to New Role 83-84
Knicks Try to Make it 3 in a Row against C's 83-84
Rondo Gives Jerry West No Respect
Celtics Overcome 12 4th-Quarter TO's to Finally Beat Knicks (83-84)
ESPN   Bulls-Celtics preview
So you're saying there's a chance?
Businesslike Approach Working For Celtics
Legler: Celtics are underrated
Chicago Tribune Chicago Bulls woes tied directly to defense
Chicago Bulls hear strange sound -- cheers during 96-91 overtime victory
Milford Daily News    Celtics: Green streak
Daily Herald    Bulls not responding well to other teams' runs
LA Times   Is this Lakers team the NBA's best ever? Not by a three-pointer
Sporting News   Celtics-Bulls Preview
HoopsAddict    Rajon Rondo: Silent, But Deadly
Washington Post     As the Wizards' big three try to mesh again, past is not present
The Starting Five    Notes from TNT’s Coverage of the NBA
Patriot Ledger     Celtics bid for another double-digit winning streak
Ohio.com    Notebook: Cavs' West earning more time on floor
Mass Live    Celtics buzz: Tony Allen's early returns, Boston's rebounding woes, and appreciating Ray Allen
Truth About It    Inconsistency Is A Muther: Celtics Down Wizards 104-102
4 Sport Boston    3 Things You Didn’t See In The Celtics-Wizards Rumble
Philly.com   Dick Jerardi: Biggest Donaghy question remains: Which games?
Basketbawful    Worst of the Night: December 10, 2009
Hoopsvibe     Tracy McGrady: All-Star Starter?
Dimemag     The Bulls Are Struggling And Vinny Del Negro Will Be The Scapegoat
Rashard Lewis didn’t want to play; Van Gundy says it’s no big deal
CSNNE   Celts, Bulls headed in opposite direction
WEEI    Postgame Guest - Tony Allen on WEEI
Washington Post   Book review: When the Game Was Ours by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson
Seattle Times    LeBron James' dance act wouldn't play well in old-school NBA

Raptors Rapid Recap - Atlanta 111 - Toronto 89

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 02:38:43 -0000

-Another 20+ point loss, Toronto's 6th loss this season by 15 points or more, as the Hawks wacked the Raps 111 to 89.

-Despite a decent start to the game in which the Dinos only trailed by two, the Hawks' bench took over in the second quarter and finished the half outscoring Toronto's pine crew, 31 to 10. This was a pivotal stat early and it allowed Atlanta, despite some hot Toronto shooting, to grab the lead and never look back.

-The Hawks shot 52 per cent from the field, outrebounded Toronto, out-assisted the Raps, and generally dominated in every way. Looking at the box score though, outside of the final score, the disparity in most categories wasn't that big. However Atlanta's athleticism gave Toronto fits once again and little plays made at both ends by the Hawks resulted in easy baskets and the eventual final score.

-Toronto was lead scoring-wise by Andrea Bargnani with 17, but no one on the Raps, Chris Bosh included, was able to really dominante their match-up all night.

-The Hawks were led by Joe Johnson who had 20, but six Hawks reached double figures with two others just on the border of the 10 point mark.

-So now what? Well, I'll be discussing that tomorrow morning but for now it's back to the drawing board for Toronto. After three straight wins the team falls badly twice in a row with three very tough match-ups looming.

Blogging With the Enemy - Peachtree Hoops

RaptorsHQ - Howland — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:39:11 -0000

In what we hope to make a Friday tradition, we reached out to Drew at Peachtree Hoops to discuss the Hawks prior to tonight's game.

HQ: After years of setting-up camp at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings Atlanta has finally come around and is starting to look like a real contender in the East. What's been the biggest reason for this? Growth? Maturity? ZaZa?

I want to give sole credit to Zaza. I really do. I could even make a compelling case for it, but the truth is growth and maturity are the big reasons. Specifically, growth and maturity in Josh Smith. He has improved in almost every facet of his game, and really that did not take adding any new skills, it just required attempting (and subsequently missing) fewer jump shots and trying most of the time. His athleticism combined with effort supersedes skill. Add the addition of Jamal Crawford and Joe Smith, some internal improvement from Al Horford, and the continutity built by having the same starters and coach for the last season and half, and the team has easily been able to take the step from clear fourth seed to probably still fourth seed but not so clear anymore.

HQ: A lot of the talk in Toronto centers around CB4 and whether he is staying or going. What's the feeling on Joe Johnson? WIll he stay or go? What sort of impact would his departure have on this team given it has taken them so long to become relevant again?

The Hawks world is very split on this. So may answer is far from consensus, but I think Joe will go where he gets the most money for the most years. No home town discount this summer. If the Hawks have to outbid other teams to keep him and approach a max salary over five years, I think it will hamper the internal growth of Al Horford and Josh Smith and financially limit the Hawks from contending for conference championships going forward. Joe demands a lot of shots, and he has a lot of wear and tear. There is no doubt in my mind by year four of whatever deal he has will be one that deserves about six (and not fifteen) million for the effort. Still, if the Hawks can sign him to a reasonable rate, I think they should and will bring him back. Atlanta has been so centered around Joe and found such success with that strategy, it would be a huge risk to let him go.

Atlanta without Joe Johnson next year would struggle to make the playoffs, but building around the front court and spending the money that would have gone to Joe wisely two or three years down the road, might yield a team with a higher ceiling than one with Johnson.

HQ: What are the keys to the game for the Hawks to ensure they secure another win against the Raps?

I don't think Atlanta is going to shoot the ball as well as they did last time against the Raps. So take solace in that, but your team is not what they like to call "good on defense." So if the Hawks can stay patient, work the ball around, inside out, get in some pick and rolls with Horford, I think the Hawks will score enough points to win. But, Toronto can fill it up. I expect Chris Bosh to put in more than two points, and it is when the defensive break downs happen for the Hawks that they start to play one on five and try to cure every problem known to man every time they touch the ball. Translation, there are a lot fadaway, contested jump shots.

I expect Atlanta to win, but I expected that against the Knicks a week ago too. Still, if the Hawks rebound with tenacity and have balanced scoring I think they pull out the road win.

The anatomy of hope in 20 missed shots

hawksdawgs — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:04:50 -0000

More photos » by Mike Fuentes - AP

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I remember watching the Hawks/Orlando game and in between the third and fourth quarter, Mike Woodson saying something like, "We are fine. They just made some shots and we just missed some shots." When the reality was Orlando was playing progressively better team basketball and the Hawks were playing progressively worse (regressively worse?). If everything was fine, the Hawks were going to lose, and they did. By a lot.

So I began to wonder where the worry and dread was as the Hawks missed 20 shots against Dallas the other night. And yes, this might be a revisionist look at history since Atlanta won, but I went back and logged each offensive possessions to see how the Hawks were playing. Was I turning into MIke Woodson and saying "Hey, we are still close, and we are not even hitting shots! Surely that will change." Or were the Hawks playing good basketball and just going cold.

Here is the possession log with five man rotation changes noted. Underlined possession are ones I have deemed bad offensive trips down the floor.

Joe, Jamal, Zaza, Al, Mo

Joe double team, zaza long jumper.

Jamal good drive rejected.

Joe double team, wild shot by horford.

Joe, Jamal, Al, Josh, Marvin

Good ball movement. Joe Johnson three.

Fast break. Good break. Better block on Al Horford.

Open three for Marvin.

Good Fast break. Foul.

Bibby, Josh, Al, Joe, Marvin

Joe good drive, one on one, but blocked with last second help defense.

Horford drive and miss.

Josh Smith blocked layup.

Offensive rebound, Josh fouled.

Joe drive and kick to open Bibby for three.

Joe drive and kick back to Bibby. Bibby drive and pull up jumper.

Zaza, Horford, Joe, Marvin, Bibby.

Lots of passing, No movement. Joe contested jumper.

Bibby offensive rebound. Shoots open three.

Joe over dribbles and misses floater.

Joe, Bibby, Marvin, Josh, Al.

Joe curl, catch, and shoot open mid range.

Marvin jumper off screen.

Joe offensive rebound. Foul on Josh dunk attempt.

Marvin Williams drive and blocked. Slightly out of control.

Offensive rebound and Bibby desperation three with shot clock winding down.

Josh Smith jumper.

Josh Smith miss on drive.

Al Horford make on offensive rebound!

That is five bad shots out of twenty and the Hawks had five offensive rebounds during the stretch of misses. Joe Johnson only took five shots. They were playing team basketball. And I don't know if it was just this night or something more, but in a one game survey, playing good basketball can actually thwart a freak out. It only takes one guy pressing, thinking he needs to take over the game, for the team to realize they no longer need to play five man basketball because they can't do it with four guys. The Hawks missed shots, but for the majority of the time, they missed good shots. It goes a long way for psyche. Frustration was setting in, but a freak out was not. Defense was still played. Effort was still being given on the boards. And in the end, the Hawks were able to miss 20 straight shots and win on the road against one of the elite teams in the league.

The Hawks may not have the focus to play team basketball every night, but when they do, I am beginning to think they not only can beat anyone in the league, they actually will.

Mavericks Vs Hawks: Game 21 Preview

Phillip Baggett — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:50:29 -0000

Hawks vs Mavericks coverage

Hawks vs Mavericks preview

Peachtree Hoops

The Match-ups:

Point Guard

Jason Kidd: Well here we are again the second game of a back to back, and so far this year this has been the game that this team has struggled with. However typically the Mavs have been very good in the first game and they were awful last night. There defensive rotations were slow and they became once again very one demensional, as they shot zero free throws in the second half. This is Kidds job to get this team to move and attack the basket, one night after the team shot 35% from the field Kidd must now try and find a way to inspire his team, because the same lack of effort as last night tonight and they will get blown off the court.

vs.

Mike Bibby: Outside of CP3 by far my favorite PG in the league. Mike is just a gamer and has been for his entire career. The Hawks have a very athletic team but make no mistake Bibby is the leader of the team. When Bibby is penetrating and passing and knocking down the occasional deep ball the Hawks are lethal. The Key to beating the Hawks begins and ends with Mike Bibby.

Edge: Hawks

Shooting Guard

Rodrigue Beaubois: Finally after weeks of pissing and moaning coach Carlisle finally gave Roddy B some extended minutes last night. Even though the Mavs as a whole were awful last night I think everyone finally was able to recognize the difference in the flow of the team between Roddy B and the annexation of Puerto Rico. The difference is undeniable, when JJ is the game for longer than a 4 minute stint the flow of the game goes hay wire, but with Roddy B things seems more fluent. Rodrigue Beaubois athleticism will be needed tonight.

vs.

Joe Johnson: Yes he is a tad bit older now and maybe just a little bit slower, there is no doubting his shot skills. His FG% and 3point % are a little low this year, but he continues to lead a deadly cast in scoring at 21ppg. Joe Johnson has the ability to explode for large chunks of points, and this is what makes him very scary and a major point of emphasis tonight for the Mavs.

Edge: Hawks

Forward

Shawn Marion: I read lots of comments from people being upset that Marion was on the bench in the 4th quarter while Barea was on the court, and while i would agree the majority of the time, I also understand why that decision was made. Shawn Marion will have to devote more energy tonight on defense than probably any other game all year. I would not be surprised at all to see Shawn play more minutes than he has all year tonight. He will have his hands full with Josh Smith and Marvin Williams.

vs.

Josh Smith: Josh has been unbelievable so far this year, he comes in to tonights contest shooting a gawdy 54% from the field. The Hawks play with essentially 2 small gaurds, and 2 gaurd/ forward combos, and a PF in Al Horford. Both Joe Smith and Marvin Williams will be on the court at the same time and this causes serious match up issues not only with the Mavs but just about every other team in the league. Josh is the cutting, driving, havoc creating forward. Josh can also get a little wild at times and this is the Josh that we want to see as Mavs fans.

Edge: Hawks

Power Forward

Dirk Nowitzki: As poorly as he shot last night and as poorly as the team played Dirk still managed double figures in both points and rebounds. Tonight however the Mavs will not survive very long without Dirk being on top of his game. Dirk and the Mavs will probably use a lot of zone defense tonight to try and keep the high flying Hawks from getting easy baskets, and it is the Mavs defense and most notable Dirk Nowitzki's defense that will dictate the final outcome of the game.

vs.

Marvin Williams: Marvin is long and athletic with above average quickness for a player of his size, and these are the types of players that genuinely give Dirk and the Mavs trouble. Marvin has been known however to fall in love with his jump shot even when it is not going down. The Mavs need to be ruthless in their defensive pursuit of Williams and the Hawks tonight, slow and lethargic pursuit will not get the job done.

Edge: Mavericks

Center

Erick Gooden: This will probably be one of those nights that the Gooden half of the center combination sees the most minutes simply due to the extreme athleticism needed to cover the Hawks. However do not be surprised if the Mavs do not just slow the tempo down to a crawl in an attempt to pound on the smaller Hawks.

Vs.

Al Horford: Another in a long line of long, quick, and athletic Hawks. The Hawks get the most out of Horford when they are running. Al is very athletic, he moves more like a small forward, but he can finish close to the basket. However if the Mavs can slow the pace down and spend alot of time posting up, I am not sure Horford and the rest of the Hawks can handle that kind of treatment. The problem is that the Hawks simply do not let teams do that to them.

Edge: Even

Injuries/Suspensions

Atlanta Hawks

OUT - None

Dallas Mavericks

OUT - Josh Howard (will you please get better and come back?)

Prediction: Well I have been wrog most of the year with my predictions, and hopefully I continue that again tonight. The Hawks are just far to athletic for this version of the Dallas Mavericks to compete. The Mavs are just to inconsistent right now for me to be able to say which Mavs team will show up, but the only chance they have is if the "A" Team shows up.

Dallas Mavericks: 95

Atlanta Hawks: 110

God I hope I am wrong...

Knicks 114, Hawks 107

Seth — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:06:47 -0000

More photos » by Gregory Smith - AP

I would've liked to include a picture of Chris Duhon, but all photos taken of him scoring tonight are apparently being analyzed by the AP to guarantee authenticity. (AP Photo/Gregory Smith)

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That was confusing. After a three months of berating Chris Duhon and a full night of fawning over Al Harrington trade rumors, those very two Knicks co-piloted a convincing win tonight in Atlanta. Harrington dominated the first half with 25 points through the opening quarters, while Duhon was steady throughout, dropping a cool 25 and 10 in jaw-dropping, head-scratching, brain-melting fashion.

Details on those fellas and much more after the jump...

- Danilo Gallinari sat tonight because of a sore forearm. You might remember Matt Barnes decking Gallo into the Magic bench on Wednesday. Well, that apparently didn't feel too good on Danilo's shooting arm. The word is that there's no serious damage and Danilo should be back soon. In related news, I didn't commit infanticide this evening.

- The Knicks started this game down 11-0, at which point many people probably turned off their televisions. I, in fact, had yet to turn on my own. I arrived mid-way through the first, when the Knicks had nearly erased the deficit. That being the case, I feel no responsibility to go back and watch those first few minutes and rehash them for you, and I'm very happy about that.

- After all that, the Knicks actually finished the first quarter leading the Hawks 35-34. Once the Knicks started hitting, it became an old-fashioned shootout. The killer combo of Al Harrington and Chris Duhon had 28 of the Knicks 35 points in the first quarter. They each hit 3 three-pointers. I couldn't make this up.

- Harrington, overall, did his part to answer a lot of the criticism that's fallen upon him since the Tyrus Thomas rumors blew up. Al didn't suddenly become unselfish or anything, but he did manage to drain a lot of the shots we tend to scold him for taking. Al finished with 27 points on 11-17 shooting, including 4-8 from three on the night, and was nothing short of brilliant in the first half. If there's anything to buoy our demands that he be dealt, it was his stark drop-off in the second half, in which he was 1-4 by my count. Sticking with the here and now, though, Al Harrington was key in the New York victory tonight, and we thank him for that.

- Chris Duhon was something else entirely. First, let me remind everybody that Du has caught two months of grief not because he's a bad player, but because he consistently failed to flex his muscles and assert his bounty of point guard talent when it counted. At least that's how I've felt. Anyone who saw his stretch of brilliance early last season or his passionate play in training camp this September knows Chris possesses the skills to be an effective lead guard. For perhaps the first time this season, he showed that. Duhon not only ran the pick-and-roll brilliantly, he looked for his own shot both from the outside and, most importantly, at the rim. When David Lee's roll to the basket was shut off, Du would take off and glide to the rim for acrobatic lay-ins. It was a sight to be seen, and something we've been waiting on for months. Hats off to Chris Duhon, and here's hoping his newfound mojo is here to stay.

- Josh Smith got pretty frustrated with Al Harrington's savior-like play in the first half, and eventually blew his top. Smith's already got a chronic case of Meanface, but he took it to another level after a non-call and eventually got tossed by Bob Delaney. That didn't help matters for a Hawks team that just couldn't get it done on offense.

- Oh, can we all agree to call Josh Smith "The Flying Pug"? I'd really like that nickname to stick. My attempt to anoint Marvin Williams "Milk" (since he was a bad choice over Chris Paul and Deron Williams) didn't really pan out. I need at least one of my Hawks monikers to amount to something.

- That "Two Generations of Cool" thing with Frank Sinatra and Jay-Z concerts is on MSG tonight, and Walt Frazier and Kenny Albert had the following conversation in that vein:

Kenny: "Clyde, did you ever see Frank Sinatra in concert?"

Clyde: "Once, I did."

Kenny: "And how was it?"

Clyde: "Asdfasdfasdfasdf"

- The Knick defense and shot selection was superior to their previous game against Atlanta and, well, about 15 other games this season, but the Hawks also deserve recognition for failing to make shots from absolutely everywhere on the floor. They shot 4-23 as a team from downtown and I'm pretty sure I saw someone miss a tip-in from inside the basket. Sometimes the rim's got a lid.

- I don't think I'd want to play pick-up ball with David Lee. At least not in a game where you call your own fouls.

- Just to emphasize how well Duhon played tonight, I should mention that he personally generated two of Clyde's favorite rhymes. Du was both "swishing and dishing" and "driving and thriving" this evening, whereas he'd spent the first 19 games totally rhyme-free. If anything, he was "chucking and sucking" or something.

- Also, Clyde used the phrase "scoring extravaganza" twice tonight, which is exactly two more times than that phrase has been used by any other announcer in the history of color commentary.

- Shit, Clyde was on fire tonight. "Ain't that Pachulia"? That's goddamn brilliant.

- There was a fun little stretch in the third quarter during which Al Horford and Al Harrington kept going one-on-one with each other to determine who was the superior "Al H.". If I could pick one adjective to describe the showdown, it would be "mouthguard".

- We shouldn't forget Wilson Chandler in the midst of all this Harrington and Duhon hooplah. Wil put in hard work against Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams, and finished with 18 points on 8-17 shooting. He kept himself to 1-3 from downtown, and instead did a nice job attacking the rim. He even caught an alley-oop at one point, which made me feel a little like the announcers in Semi-Pro. I hadn't seen an oop in a long time.

- A monstrous 17 and 18 for David Lee. Top-notch, David.

- Larry Hughes had 10 in the fourth quarter. Marvelously done, Lawrence.

- Other than Hughes, D'Antoni kept his bench rotation typically short. Tonight, it was just Marcus Landry, who did nothing of note in 6 minutes, and Toney Douglas, who played some excellent off-the-ball D, shot 3-5 for 6 points, and pretty much did what Toney Douglas do.

In summary, I can't say I saw that coming, but I'm plenty happy with the results. Next game's Sunday against the Nets, who thankfully recorded their first win of the season tonight against the Bobcats. Consider that a bullet dodged. Everybody have a splendid night and I'll talk to y'all tomorrow.

Mike Woodson thinks there can only be one kind of Joe Johnson, so back off

hawksdawgs — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:06:43 -0000

More photos » by Gregory Smith - AP

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Not sure how I missed this, but Sekou's replacement, Ken Sugiura, had a nice, quick blurb two blogs ago.

It'll be interesting to see how Joe Johnson fares. As I wrote earlier this week, he is in a pretty decent slump. Mike Woodson conceded that some of the misses have been forced, but is going to keep riding him. Said Woodson, "when he's making those forced shots, nobody's saying a [darn] thing."

Ahhhh, Woody. You don't need to tell us. You clearly do not coach to what people are saying since you have done things for years that people despise. So don't say you are going to deny the problem based on the every fan reaction to Joe's makes. You never listen to the fan. If you did, two fouls would not be a foul letter word. Honestly, if it took a few fan gripes on a blog to question Joe's shot taking, I would be more confused than ever.

And I very much get that nearly every shot by Joe Johnson is forced. Forced does not mean bad. When you methodically drive at that slow a pace, you are rarely not going to have a contested shot. Nique remarks "that was a tough shot" after every Joe shot beecause they literally are tough makes. It is a testament to how good he is.

I am all for Joe taking a one on one forced shot. Anytime he drives for a layup, floater, or close jump shot and no one doubles, Joe should have free reign to take that shot. The problem comes when Joe forces the attempt against three defenders, four defenders, every defender. Those are bad shots especially as the players around him have become more capable of scoring efficiently.

And as for the Joe complaints increasing among fans, I can only say Joe Johnson turned down a sizable contract this summer. He wants to be a max contract player. That kind of contract will set the Hawks into a certain style of team and with a specific ceiling for the next five years. That kind of contract is no longer a necessary tax the Hawks franchise has to pay. Earning that kind of money will be a different ride for Joe than it was last time. It will have new expectations and criticisms. That kind of money with the team around Joe is championship money.

Going four on one time after time and hogging the ball is perfectly fine max contract play for a guy on a 30 win team. But the Hawks want to win fifty something win team, and Joe is auditioning for franchise player. So if he is going to play like he wants to be that kind of player but does not change his style from three years ago expect criticism...whether Mike Woodson does anything about it or not.