In an attempt to turn disappointment into knowledge, I took a look at Sherron's two-point shooting.

It's been generally disappointing most of the year (44.7% on the season vs. 53.4% last year, hasn't finished a game above 50% on the season since the Jackson State game) but I wondered if it had been a specific factor in the seven losses.

The answer (rather predictably) is maybe.

He converted two-point attempts at less than his (already low) season average in 6 of the 7 losses but he also covnerted two-point attempts at less than his season average in 7 of the 25 wins.

The graph should you wish to take a gander.

WHERE: SportSouth, Hawks Radio Network, NBA Audio League Pass

Game Notes: Hawks/Bucks

Blogging With the Enemy: Brew Hoop

This is an open thread for pre-game, in-game, and post-game discussion.

WHERE: SportSouth, Hawks Radio Network, NBA Audio League Pass

Game Notes: Hawks/Bulls

Blogging With the Enemy: Blog a Bull

This is an open thread for pre-game, in-game, and post-game discussion.

WHERE: SportSouth, Hawks Radio Network, NBA Audio League Pass

Game Notes: Hawks/Raptors

Blogging With the Enemy: Raptorblog, Raptors Republic

This is an open thread for pre-game, in-game, and post-game discussion.

Boxscore

Gameflow

During the first quarter, I made a note which read, "When was the last time Mo Evans played a good game?" The answer to that question is now, January 16th in Golden State. The circumstances which made Evans' fine performance possible are unfortunate* at best.

*Heal fast, Marvin.

Also unfortunate is that Mo Evans' line is the only thing a Hawks fan can fully feel good about this morning. Joe Johnson's 8-8 start from the field was followed by a 1-12 finish from the field. Mike Bibby's fine offensive performance in the fourth quarter came at the cost of Mike Bibby's inability to help stop Golden State from scoring.

Unadulterated bad feelings abound from both the reminder of how little Flip Murray contributes when he's not scoring* and that Josh Smith managed to get outrebounded by a man who spent most of the game at the hospital. 5 rebounds in 38 minutes of a game that featured 90 missed field goals? Poor. Very, very poor.

*To be fair, Flip played very well for a 30 second stretch of the fourth quarter.

Mike Woodson on Marvin Williams:

"Right now he's still being evaluated for a head injury. We just wish him well and a speedy recovery. We don't even know if he's going to make the trip back, so we'll just have to see.''

Things may be a bit slow here for the next few days but, fear not, service will return to normal* shortly. The game threads will appear like clockwork for your pre-, in-, and post-game thoughts. Also feel free to make use of all the amenities here: FanPosts for your lengthier ruminations on a given topic and FanShots for choice links.

*If not better than ever.

WHO: Atlanta (23-15) at Golden State Warriors (11-29)

WHERE: SportSouth, Hawks Radio Network, NBA Audio League Pass

Injury Report: Al Horford is out. For Golden State: Marco Belinelli, Stephen Jackson, and Brandon Wright are out. Monta Ellis remains on the inactive list.

Game Notes: Hawks/Warriors

For Entertainment Purposes Only: Atlanta -1, 218.5 o/u

Blogging With the Enemy: Golden State of Mind

For those of you heading out to enjoy Friday night, don't forget to have your DVR add a little recording time on the back end of tonight's scheduled broadcast just in case the Warriors find themselves in another three overtime thriller.

Boxscore

Gameflow

I don't think there's reason to lavish praise on the Hawks for ending their four-game losing streak with a win over a Clippers team that lacks both talent and cohesion nor do I think there's any reason to criticize the team for failing to dismiss their opponent in style. The Hawks took care of business. It was a workmanlike effort. A win is a win. (Insert your preferred cliche in this space.)

Good to see Joe Johnson make some shots. Good to see Josh Smith (mostly) attack the basket. Good to see Acie Law IV get a single stint for a second consecutive night and play fairly well. Good not to see Marvin Williams clutching at any joints or appendages. Good to see Flip Murray play well again.

Solomon Jones must have disappointed those who hold out hope for him. His meager stat line accurately represented his contributions. He's a non-factor when not fouling or falling into an opportunity to dunk the ball. Compare his line with Zaza Pachulia's (who played but a minute more than Jones). Hell, compare Jones's line with DeAndre Jordan's and remember that this time last year, Jordan was playing his way out of the rotation of a mediocre Texas A&M squad.

Josh Smith has discovered the secret of playing well early is to redefine early:

"We definitely wanted to come out and establish ourselves early. We weren't able to do it in the first quarter, but we did over the last three."

The Human Highlight Blog is also willing to stretch the definition of success.

WHO: Atlanta (22-15) at Los Angeles Clippers (8-29)

WHEN: 10:30pm

WHERE: SportSouth, Hawks Radio Network, NBA Audio League Pass

Injury Report: Al Horford is out. For the Clippers (deep breath) Chris Kaman, Baron Davis, Zach Randolph, and Mike Taylor are out.

Game Notes

For Entertainment Purposes Only: Atlanta -4, 193 o/u

Blogging With the Enemy: Clips Nation, Clipper Blog

Apologies for the place-holder version of this game thread getting published twice.

Boxscore

Gameflow

There are a number of points of interest regarding last night's game: Flip Murray's (offensive*) excellence, Marvin Williams' health**, Acie Law IV's aggressive five minutes of play to open the second quarter, the possibility that Randolph Morris could pass Solomon Jones in the rotation, Zaza Pachulia's worthy effort against Shaquille O'Neal, Mike Bibby's strong fourth quarter, Joe Johnson's poor start, and Johnson's worse finish but there is a single defining moment.

*I do have a concern that Flip couldn't pick Leandro Barbosa out of a lineup but I'll chalk that up to Flip's standard disinterest in sound team defense rather than a specific inability to recognize that Barbosa deserved special attention last night.

**It'll be tough to get much information on this as the Hawks appear to be traveling again without an accompanying beat reporter.

Atlanta ball, down 101-98, 1:13 left in the game. The Hawks run a stagnant, slow developing* set in an effort to get the ball to Joe Johnson in the vicinity of the left block. Once Johnson gets the ball, the Phoenix double-team arrives and he (to his credit) finds the open man on the opposite wing. Phoenix not being a collection of complete imbeciles though, the open man is Josh Smith 22 feet from the basket. Smith catches the ball with four seconds left on the shot clock. He shoots with three seconds left on the shot clock. He does not appear to consider not shooting from there. I don't know whether that's because the shot clock is winding down or because he's one of two people** who don't seem to recognize his inability to make jump shots should preclude him from attempting them.

*though not atypically so

**I assume you can guess the other person.

The shot misses. Grant Hill rebounds. Phoenix heads to the other end and scores on their third consecutive possession to take a five point lead. That score doesn't kill the game off though as, on Atlanta's next possession, Josh Smith doesn't stand on the perimeter for 20 seconds before attempting to do something with less than a thirty-percent chance of succeeding. He gets to the paint and works hard to tap in Joe Johnson's missed shot. This effort doesn't end up changing the outcome of the game but, had Smith put in such a good, useful effort on the earlier, more important possession perhaps things would have played out differently in the final minute.

Again, though, the fault does not lie with Smith alone. On that possession that begins with 1:13 left in the game, I ask, which Hawks players are put in a position to succeed?

Joe Johnson? Everyone knows he's getting the ball and can probably guess where he's going to get the ball.

Mike Bibby? He's got to force the ball where the defense knows it's going because he does not appear to have a second option in that set.

Marvin Williams? He's asked to space the floor by standing in the opposite corner but because he shares the weak side of the court with Josh Smith, there's no reason for Marvin's defender to leave him. Ever.

Josh Smith? Asking Josh Smith to stand 22 feet from the basket cannot produce anything positive for an offense. Plus, I get the impression on terrible, unproductive possessions like this one that he's encouraged if not instructed not to make a hard cut into the paint when his defender leaves him to double Johnson.

Randolph Morris? I'm not entirely sure that the previous 46 minutes he'd played with the Hawks over the last ten weeks adequately prepared him to make a positive and aggressive contribution to that possession.

From a distance, Sekou Smith tackles the issue of Joe Johnson's poor shooting night:

But I’m going to say what Joe Johnson won’t. “Gimme a break.” And I don’t mean an extended stretch of days when he doesn’t have to play or practice, but more like an extended stretch of a game where he doesn’t have to be the first, second and third option for the Hawks on offense.

The Hawks made their best run against the Suns with a motley crew of characters on the floor and Johnson resting, deservedly so, on the sidelines. And it’s okay some nights for the star player to watch his supporting cast take care of things, especially when that star player averages 41 minutes a night and carries a load as large as the one the Hawks have asked Johnson to carry the past few years.

Now I also realize that a player’s pride precludes him from admitting that he’s gassed and that he might need a break from the constant pressure of toting the heaviest load.

That’s fine. We’ve all got raging pride that colors our decisions sometimes. But that doesn’t mean someone else can’t step in and notice the obvious and do something to alleviate the problem.

Sekou's a hell of a blogger.

WHO: Atlanta (22-14) at Phoenix (21-13)

WHEN: 9pm

WHERE: SportSouth, Hawks Radio Network, NBA Audio League Pass

Injury Report: Al Horford is out.

Game Notes

For Entertainment Purposes Only: Phoenix -7, 212 o/u

Blogging With the Enemy: Bright Side of the Sun, Ben's Phoenix Suns Blog

Here's a treat for everyone: I particpated in a pre-game podcast with Phoenix Stan of Bright Side of the Sun. In the interests of maintaining my self-esteem, I haven't listened to it but I didn't want anyone to miss out ont he opportunity to hear me stammer, cricle around an argument I'm trying make, or pause awkwardly when I lose my train of thought completely.

If material of this quality got printed in the newspaper perhaps the medium would not be dying.

First, a revealing quote from Joe Johnson:

“… this isn’t just a spell we’re going through right now. It’s about a lack of focus on our part. It’s just about playing with more energy, more heart and more determination. We’ve been going out there lately playing lackadaisical, like we can win games because we think we’re good. When you don’t respect teams and players in this league you can go out there and get your tail kicked like we have lately.”

Second, an unnamed advance scout speaks about the Hawks' offense in Sunday's game:

"There was one stretch where Andre Miller was guarding Josh Smith and Louis Williams was on Marvin Williams and the Hawks ignored both of those opportunities for their standard sets on the other side of the floor. That’s not winning basketball in this league. You have to be able to recognize where those mismatches are and max them out. Joe and [Mike] Bibby have been piling up assists, but they left a lot of plays on the floor Sunday. Even worse, they let those Philly guards off the hook on the defensive end. They didn’t make them work the way you have to with two 6-9 guys on them.”

Sekou follows up on this thought:

I’ve heard that critique of the Hawks several times this year, that they don’t utilize the entire floor the way they should offensively because they’re so used to their default setting of ‘Give it to Joe and watch him go.”

It’s a valid opinion. I can think of a lot of ways to breathe life into a struggling team. And one of those would be taking some of the pressure off of your No. 1 option by utilizing some of your other options, not all the time but just whenever the opportunity presents itself.

The Hawks have actually gone over this stuff in practice the past few days but they haven’t seen any improvement during games. It makes no sense.

That last sentence sounds like the frustrated Sekou Smith of last season.

A source of frustration for anyone watching this team regularly, Josh Smith's poor rebounding of late:

Josh Smith has averaged just 4.3 rebounds in the Hawks’ past five games, down from his paltry season average of 6.6. That needs to change dramatically with Al Horford out for this road trip.

But it also needs to change because Smith is too good a player and too good an athlete to rebound like a shooting guard.

He didn’t grab his first rebound Sunday until the 8:14 mark of the third quarter. How a 6-9 guy that can jump over the moon goes the entire first half and the first few minutes of the second without a grabbing a single rebound is beyond me (and plenty of other people that have noticed his decreased activity on the boards this season).

This dude is just not playing the way he normally does. Anyone can see that. He’s watching the action go by him on both ends of the floor.

Finally, I don't doubt the accuracy of this nugget of reporting but that doesn't mean the idea being reported makes any sense to me:

But don’t be surprised if Solomon Jones is deployed with the starting unit against the LA Clipper and possibly Golden State.

Pachulia’s been so good off the bench that moving him into the starting lineup, the way the Hawks did Sunday, seemed to mute his effectiveness.

Because, of course, if Zaza Pachulia plays better against backup big men than he does against starters, then starting Solomon Jones, who doesn't really play well against anybody is clearly the solution to the problem of the Hawks' recent slow starts.

Boxscore

Gameflow

Let's see...a terrible defensive performance, certainly as bad as it can get when you force a turnover on more than one out of every five of your opponent's possessions, an embarrassing rebounding performance* and a near-total offensive meltdown in the fourth quarter. Did I leave anything out? Oh yeah, Al Horford isn't making the roadtrip and I'm not convinced that Marvin Williams** is completely healthy either.

*I would not be surprised (though I'm also not going to check two-fifths of a season's worth of boxscores) if that 15.2/63.3 OR%/DR% posted by the Hawks yesterday afternoon was the worst in the NBA this season. That looks like the rebounding performance of a low-major college team against a good rebounding high-major team. Or Michigan State against Kansas  on Saturday.

**Marvin's fourth quarter line: 8 trillion.

Sekou adds detail to the ugliness of the day:

A light smattering of boos accompanied the Hawks as they left the floor for the locker room at the end of Sunday’s ugly 109-94 whipping at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Joe Johnson:

"I don’t think we’re playing together on either end of the floor. We’re just not helping one another. We’re not playing with any energy, and really, you have to put it on the starting five because we’re not doing [expletive] at the start of these games."

Mike Woodson:

"Orlando took some starch out of us that last game. We’re not competing defensively like we have been. And that’s on me. I have to get them back playing defense because that’s the only [way] we’re going to have a chance to win."

Check the opponent's offensive efficiency at the top of the game recap of each of the last four games the Hawks have won and tell me again that playing defense is the only way the Hawks are going to have a chance to win.

Maurice Evans (emphasis mine):

"We’re just not playing with any intensity, and it’s coming from the way we’re starting these games. You saw Philly jump on us at the start. And then at the end of the game, they were still outrebounding us and getting to all the loose balls when we’re the team that needs to be playing with a sense of urgency. In my opinion, there seems like a complacency on our team right now, like we already clinched a playoff seed or home court advantage or something and we’re barely out of the starting gate of this season."

Marvin Williams:

"All I can tell you is we’re not going to shake this off one man at a time. It has to be us doing it together."

76ers coach Tony DiLeo:

"We controlled the pace of the game for most of the game. Right from the beginning we got out on the break, and I thought we established that.''

Andre Miller:

"I think both teams were a little tired. We were able to fight through it and get some easy baskets off their turnovers. That was a big part of the game.''

Woodson on Al Horford's injury:

"We’re looking at anywhere from five to 10 days. So it puts some extra pressure on Zaza, Solomon [Jones] and Randolph [Morris]. And we’re probably going to have to look at playing a little more small ball with Josh Smith playing some at center."

At Hawks Str8Talk, Larry asks a relevant question:

How do you get embarrassed TWICE by Orlando, then come home, get some Chunky soup, and ...get embarrassed again at home by the Sixers? Yeah, I know the Sixers were coming in playing well, but sorry - but this is not about missing players (sorry Al), this is about effort.

and provides a plausible answer:

As I understand it, the coach is responsible for the playing style, rotations, in-game adjustments, and motivating the players to play their best.

Jason Walker at The Human Highlight Blog takes a look at Josh Smith:

Josh Smith when winning: Takes the ball hard to the basket and finishes while making his presence felt on defense.

Josh Smith when losing: Takes the ball and stands outside to launch a jump shot and is nowhere to be seen defensively.

Any guesses as to what we have been seeing more of lately?

Did you realize?: Smith is shooting a career low from the free throw line (64 percent). Earn your right to shoot those bombs, Josh----still bricking from long range and then taking your free points to an all-time low is not a good way to start.

Kelly Dwyer goes behind the boxscore:

Gut-check time for the Hawks. They won six straight to close out 2008, but have lost four of five in the new year, and the lone win was a close three-point victory over a T-Mac'less Rockets team playing on the second night of a back-to-back. After this, Atlanta hits the road for six of its next nine, and Horford is set to miss at least three more contests.

The Hawks did succeed in one area yesterday.  They lifted spirits at Liberty Ballers:

Ladies and Gentlemen, I just witnessed the best Sixers game I've watched all season. They went into Atlanta, which isn't an easy place to win these days, and out-played and out-hustled the Hawks en route to a 15-point victory. This was our first blowout win without Elton Brand and it was just magical to watch. Great win, plus entertaining basketball equals a very happy Sixers blogger.

The Pacific Time Zone beckons.

From NBA.com:

Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford was held out of Sunday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers with a bone bruise in his right knee and will miss at least three more games.

Horford was injured in Friday's loss at Orlando and is out indefinitely after an MRI showed the bruise, coach Mike Woodson said.

The Hawks said before Sunday's game that Horford will not be with the team for a three-game road trip that begins Tuesday at Phoenix.

WHO: Philadelphia at Atlanta (22-13)

WHEN: 2pm

WHERE: No local TV, Hawks Radio Network, NBA Audio League Pass

Injury Report: Al Horford is questionable. For Philadelphia, Elton Brand and Jason Ssith are out.

Game Notes

For Entertainment Purposes Only: Atlanta -6.5, 196 o/u

Blogging With the Enemy: Liberty Ballers

The Hawks continue their efforts to promote League Pass as they once more choose not to broadcast the game locally.

Pre-game reading...

• Sekou Smith examines how Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson work together. Key quote therein from Mike Woodson regarding the trade to acquire Bibby:

"It was a no-brainer. I felt, and I’m sure Billy and everybody else involved felt, Bibby would fit perfectly because he’s a great pick and roll player and could create shots for everybody, as well as being a guy who makes big shots, a guy that isn’t afraid to take and will make big shots. Plus, he’s a veteran. It wasn’t like we were bringing in some untested guy.”

If they come here untested, they're sure to leave in the same condition.

• In Philadelphia, Kate Fagan of the Inquirer details the Sixers' preparations for the Hawks:

"The ball has bounced our way for the past few games," said point guard Andre Miller, who scored 22 points Friday and whose all-around play has been an integral part of the Sixers' improved play. "We picked up our defense, the bench is forming, and the young guys are getting better. Elton Brand will come back, and we will just get better."

Miller added, "We want to hit teams before they hit us. That's what I am thinking before the game starts."

Boxscore

Gameflow

I may look back on this as being a premature judgment made in the heat of passion* but I think the Southeast Division title race is over.

*Passion--there's something the Hawks haven't displayed in seven of the last eight quarters they've played. Unless you consider knocking JJ Redick over then drawing a technical foul for whining to be passionate. In that case, Josh Smith and Joe Johnson were full of passion in the second quarter last night.

Not much to say about this game. The Hawks were dreadful. The Magic were good. I can't take any encouragement from the performances of Acie Law IV or Solomon Jones as much of their contributions* came against the fourth quarter Orlando lineup of Anthony Johnson, Keith Bogans, Jeremy Richardson, Brian Cook, and Marcin Gortat. That was a summer league game.

*Especially Jones who got 10 minutes in the first half and did nothing (2 rebounds and 1 free throw) useful and looked completely lost. Could be lack of ability. Could be lack of development. I don't get the interest in the latter, though. Especially in light of his third quarter flagrant foul. The Hawks can at least develop petulance in their young players.

Mike Bibby:

"They just beat the [expletive] out of us. They were making shots, and that took so much steam out of us early on because we weren’t —- and we never recovered.”

The shit, they beat the shit out of the Hawks.

Mike Woodson:

"That was a totally unacceptable performance."

Joe Johnson:

"They hit us first and we never hit back. They wanted it more than us.''

Mike Woodson:

"We just didn't compete tonight and it started with the five guys that started the game."

I don't know, it might start even higher up the chain of command.

No word as of this writing regarding either Al Horford's knee or Marvin Williams' shoulder. I'll update as warranted.

• Last night's game inspired Larry to reduce his prediction for the Hawks from 51 to 45 wins. 6 wins! A 13% drop!
  

I exclaim not because I disagree but simply for effect. Also, Larry asking of Mike Woodson "What is your job?" likely constitutes the sole pleasure I'll receive in return for watching last night's abomination.

• Jason's take at The Human Highlight Blog:
  

In short, they lost their poise, their heads, and their will to compete----and the end result was the message that the Magic had every intention of delivering.

• Ben Q. Rock at Third Quarter Collapse has this morning both my envy for his getting to write about a competent basketball team and his typically solid game recap.
  

WHO: Atlanta (22-12) at Orlando (28-8)

WHEN: 7pm

WHERE: SportSouth HD, Hawks Radio Network, NBA Audio League Pass

Injury Report: As always, Speedy Claxton is out. Neither Zaza Pachulia nor Acie Law IV are with the team tonight. For Orlando, Keith Bogans is questionable and Mickael Pietrus is out.

Game Notes

For Entertainment Purposes Only: Orlando -5, 192 o/u

Blogging With the Enemy: Third Quarter Collapse

But neither Zaza Pachulia nor Acie Law IV are writes Thomas Stinson in the AJC:

As they were Wednesday, the Hawks expect to be at less than full strength tonight. Center Zaza Pachulia, an asset against Orlando’s 6-foot-10, 6-11, 6-10 front line, is still suffering from flu-like symptoms that scratched him Wednesday. He did not travel with the team Thursday night.

Reserve point guard Acie Law IV remains in Texas with an ailing family member, and coach Mike Woodson was doubtful he would rejoin the team tonight.

Boxscore

Gameflow

In lieu of my own confused feelings about the game, I'll begin with a quote from Mike Woodson for which I have no complaint or (would be) clever rejoinder:

"You can't wait three quarters to decide you want to play. We were just awful, I thought, in the first three quarters.''

That nails it. As does the corresponding quote from Stan Van Gundy (though his perspective is obviously buoyed by the addition of one to Orlando's victory column):

"The fourth quarter was not a thing of beauty. I think we pushed our starters too much in the second night of a back-to-back. But I'm not going to quibble. This is a very good win against a very good team."

I'd be lying if I said I had handle on this game.

• Did Josh Smith have a good game (21 points on 15 shots, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 turnovers) or a bad game (0 points, 2 rebounds, -12 over 13:44 in the 2nd and 3rd quarters)?
• Did Flip Murray get the Hawks back in the game (10 points in 12 second half minutes) or did he prevent the comeback from fully flowering (2 turnovers, 2 missed, misguided jump shots, and a missed free throw in the final 7 of those 12 minutes)?
• Were the Hawks terrible defensively (Orlando scored 1.21 points per possession through three quarters) or just terribly inconsistent (Orlando score 0.79 point per possession in the fourth quarter while Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu combined to miss all 9 of their field goal attempts)?
• What amount of credit do the Hawks deserve for coming back in a game wherein they didn't defend for three quarters, missed 44 percent of their free throws, and Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby combined to shoot 11-34?
• What degree of blame* do they deserve for not playing defense until they fell 21 points behind and for not making their free throws?

*I don't think blame is the right word with regard to Bibby and Johnson shooting the ball. They took very few bad shots. They just didn't hit anything. Bibby's blown layup down 4 with 55 seconds left was a killer but I have trouble conflating that fuke, physical error with a team-wide free throw embargo.

At Third Quarter Collapse, Ben Q. Rock has a similarly mixed take from the victors' perspective:

As tremendous as this win is for Orlando--it, coupled with the Boston Celtics' loss to the Houston Rockets, brings them to within a half-game of Boston for the second seed in the Eastern Conference--it's important to note that it could have fairly easily been an embarrassing defeat. The Magic led by as many as 21 points in the game, and if the Hawks had simply managed to convert more often from the foul line (they finished a miserable 14-of-25) they may have eked-out the win. It's also important for Orlando to not get too pleased with itself.

Professional writer John Hollinger encapsulates in a single paragraph what took me four questions, two quotes, and a Pozterisk above:

But Bibby's miss was the perfect metaphor for an ugly night for the Hawks. They shot 14-of-25 from the line, ceded a 60-point first half, and oddly sat Al Horford for a nine-minute stretch of the second half even though he had only one foul and Zaza Pachulia was out with the flu.

Regarding Zaza's absence (and that of Acie Law IV), Thomas Stinson of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Suffering from flu-like symptoms, Pachulia stayed home Wednesday night. Also unavailable was point guard Acie Law IV, who left the team to tend to an ailing family member.

The Human Highlight Blog has lots of stuff from the game last night.

Same teams, different location on Friday night. Stan Van Gundy's already made a prediction:

"Tonight they missed. I don't anticipate they they'll do that two nights in a row. When they play us Friday, it could be a tough night."

WHO: Orlando (27-8) at Atlanta (22-11)

WHEN: 7pm

WHERE: SportSouth HD, Hawks Radio Network, NBA Audio League Pass

Injury Report: As always, Speedy Claxton is out. Marvin Williams is listed as day-to-day but is expected to play. For Orlando, Mickael Pietrus is out.

Game Notes

For Entertainment Purposes Only: Atlanta -2, 190.5 o/u

Blogging With the Enemy: Third Quarter Collapse

Orlando beat Washington 89-80 last night. Ben Q. Rock has all you need to know about that tilt.

In the previously posted article regarding the importance the Magic are putting on tonight's game (and presumably Friday's re-match in Orlando), John Denton also notes the recent trouble that the Magic have had guarding opposing 2-guards:

The Magic have had loads of trouble stopping opposing shooting guards of late, and Tuesday night was no different. Caron Butler scored 21 of his 29 points in the third period to keep Washington (7-26) surprisingly within striking distance much of the second half.

Toronto's lightly regarded two-guard Anthony Parker had 26 points against the Magic on Sunday. Dwyane Wade scored 33 against Orlando on Friday and Kobe Bryant (41 points), Jamal Crawford (18 points) and Rashad McCants (21 points) have had big nights from the shooting guard position of late against the Magic.

All of this (well, obviously not Caron Butler's big game) led to Courtney Lee getting his first NBA start last night. They really should have just drafted Ronnie Brewer instead of JJ Redick.

John Denton sets the mood:

There was a time when going to Atlanta was the equivalent of a NBA vacation what with the night life the city offered the visiting players and the homecoming doormat of a team calling Philips Arena home.

But with the Hawks now stockpiled with young, dynamic talent and clearly positioned as a franchise finally on the rise, the days of treating the Atlanta Hawks like a speed bump are over.

Our dark past is someone else's glory days. There's a lesson in there somewhere.

Dwight Howard states his intention:

"(The Hawks) seem to have our number lately, but this is our chance to send a message to that team from the start of the game. They really play well at home and they are a good team, but if we go down there and dominate from the first quarter we can get ourselves a good win."

Rashard Lewis provides a second:

"We need to set the tone right away and let them know that we're the better team. Obviously it's a big game and they beat us early in the season, but we'll be ready."

With 40(.2)-percent of the season completed and another off day to fill, I say it's time to re-visit everyone's expectations for the team.

• The Hawks are 22-11. If they continue to win two-thirds of their games, they'll finish with 54 or 55 wins.
• The Hawks Pythagorean record through 33 games is 20-13. If they're more of a .606 winning percentage than a .667 winning percentage team the rest of the way, they'll finish with 51 or 52 wins.
• John Hollinger's Playoff Odds project 50 wins for the Hawks. In the best of the 5000 simulated iterations of the remainder of the season the Hawks win 63 games. In the worst of the 5000 simulated iterations of the remainder of the season the Hawks win 35 games.

What say you?

As always, feel free to own or elaborate your vote in the comments.

As promised, Sekou Smith delivers more about the surprise re-appearance of Acie Law and Solomon Jones Saturday night:

Just the sight of the five of them on the floor together caused heads to turn.

Five Hawks reserves playing together usually means they’re at practice. Five Hawks reserves on the floor together in a game, as they were in the second half of Saturday’s last-second win over Houston, is noteworthy.

And something, according to Hawks coach Mike Woodson, that likely will have to be repeated on a regular basis with the rigors of the NBA season.

“I’ve got to get back to that somehow,” Woodson said. “And I know I keep saying that, but eventually we will. We’ll have guys in and out. I want to try to, at least, get to nine or 10 deep that we’re playing on a regular basis.

“But it sure would be nice to get some big leads and keep them so we could work all our guys.”

This is why I so frequently correct, fact-check, or just make fun of Mike Woodson quotes. I do not believe he tends toward understatement, subterfuge, or deliberate obfuscation. In complimentary terms, he appears to be too honest for any of those modes of speech. In more critical terms, he appears to lack the verbal communication skills to engage in such multi-purposed modes of speech.

Woodson genuinely does not believe that Acie Law is capable of playing 10 or 12 minutes a night backing up Mike Bibby. Or, he does not believe that Acie Law is capable of playing 10 or 12 minutes a night backing up Mike Bibby any better than can non-point guard of long standing, Flip Murray. I think it's time to stop wondering* why. 

Same goes for Solomon Jones but in his case, I'm completely with Woodson because

1. Smith/Horford/Pachulia plus some spot power forward time for Marvin Williams is a good frontcourt rotation.
2. Solomon Jones was never a good college basketball player.

*Though we can start wondering why Woodson seems to envision himself so passively with regard to who on his team gets playing time.

Acie Law fans can, I believe, take long-term encouragement for his NBA career in the following quotes from his teammates.

Josh Smith*:

"That has to be the toughest part for those guys. You come to work every day, and everybody wants to play minutes. There’s no doubt about that. But it’s nearly impossible to keep 12 guys happy that way, because everybody wants to play as much as possible. That’s why we have to be grateful for the times that they come in and do what they did [against the Rockets], because it’s a huge boost for our team."

Zaza Pachulia:

"I’ve been talking to Acie, especially just because I’ve been in that situation before. I think he’s done a great job. And he has to respect it, because it’s very hard to stay ready when you’re not playing. But this is professional basketball, and he’s a good young player and he’s showing good character by accepting his role the way he has.”

*How can a guy who can't but say something perceptive damn near every time he opens his mouth not be a moe self-aware basketball player?

Joe Johnson sounds like a guy who would welcome a lessening of his burden. Unless he's still thinking about Mike Bibby dragging in the fourth quarter in New Jersey:

"The bench definitely has to be effective in order for us to be a good team. There’s just no way the starters can play 40-plus minutes a game every night. So those guys have got to be ready whenever their number is called.”

Last word goes to the man in charge:

"When you’re learning to win everybody has to understand that and accept their role, knowing that whatever minutes I get I have to make them most significant minutes I can to help our team win basketball games. Because you never know when you’ll be called upon. And Acie was great for us, Solomon was great for us. You just never know what can happen, so you have to ready mentally and physically to do your job.”

Boxscore

Gameflow

Reduced to following the game online under the heavy influence of cold medicine rather than spending an early Saturday night downtown, I regret missing out on a game I assume I would have found alternately delightful (Josh Smith attacking the basket almost exclusively and the return of Acie Law IV) and maddening (the inability to guard a Houston team missing Tracy McGrady, Ron Artest, Shane Battier, and, for much of the fourth quarter, Yao Ming and Woodson's overreaction to the slight possibility of future foul trouble).

So this Sunday morning, rather than speculate as to why Zaza Pachulia would get the Horford treatment in the first half so that Solomon Jones could come in and get a sole, lonely rebound while committing four fouls in four minutes or why Horford would sit for eight minutes of the third quarter after picking up his fourth foul if he's not going to play the final 4:41 even if he doesn't foul out (deep breath) I'll just move straight along to the eyewitness accounts and the words of those directly involved in the proceedings.

Josh Smith, still not in need of instruction in how to think positively about oneself:

"I wanted to try to crash the boards. I only had two rebounds, but they were the two biggest rebounds in the game."

I shouldn't tease on a night when, otherwise, he plays so well but how can Josh Smith play almost 36 straight minutes without even accidentally grabbing a rebound?

Mike Bibby:

"...a win’s a win, no matter how it comes. The idea is to win the game."

Al Horford:

"It’s only fair that we were on the other end this time. I think it showed a lot from our team, after losing such a tough game [Friday night] and being able to bounce back here and get a home win.”

Marvin Williams, on the subject of his shoulder:

"I hurt it in practice, the last full practice we had [before the New Year]. I wore a sleeve on it in the first half in [New] Jersey [Friday night] and then when I got up this morning I could barely lift my arm up, so I don’t know what the deal is.”

• Sekou Smith teases us with the promise of "more on" the reappearance of Acie Law (And, I presume, Solomon Jones, too, though the belief that he's ever going to become a useful player baffles me. Carl Landry's more my idea of a how to make good use of a pick early in the second round.) to be revealed during the upcoming off days.
  
• Houston had a foul to give on Atlanta's final possession, a fact Rick Adelman says he failed to communicate clearly enough.
  
• At The Human Highlight Blog, Jason asks if McGrady and Artest would have put up better numbers than (the aforementioned) Carl Landry and Aaron Brooks.
  

WHO: Houston (21-13) at Atlanta (21-11)

WHEN: 7pm

WHERE: No local TV, Hawks Radio Network, NBA Audio League Pass

Injury Report: As always, Speedy Claxton is out. For Houston, Shane Battier is out while both Tracy McGrady and Ron Artest are questionable.

Game Notes

For Entertainment Purposes Only: Atlanta -4.5, 184 o/u

Blogging With the Enemy: The Dream Shake

The Hawks had a bad night in New Jersey last night. Houston had a worse night in Toronto, losing 94-73 and providing Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle with a rich vein of first-person content for his game report...

Tracy McGrady:

"(Effort) is something we’re obviously not giving right now. For whatever reason, at both ends of the court — offensively, especially defensively — we’re not executing. We’re missing assignments. It’s all of us.”

Rick Adelman:

"In this league, you have to find a way to get yourself out of that. Either come together as a group or you don’t. We have to decide on how we want to play. It’s one thing to get beat. It’s another thing to just be outworked, and I thought we got outworked.”

Yao Ming:

"Coach said in the locker room, in this league it’s easy to keep chemistry when everything is going right. Right now, we know we played games at home … just like tonight. We need to fight together."

Rafer Alston, asked if his team is on the same page:

"Not one bit. This is embarrassing. Again. We had this happen the other night in Houston. We had it tonight. It’s sad, and it’s unfortunate.”

The loser of tonight's game will officially be deemed to be in a funk.

Boxscore

Gameflow

Do you begin by saying the Hawks never should have been in a close game down the stretch given how the first half played out or do you begin by saying Vince Carter never should have had to make a 29-footer at the buzzer to win the game given how the second half and overtime played out?

If you prefer the former, the Hawks had a 19-point lead at the half despite not playing particularly well, New Jersey (reduced to being coached by Brian Hill) were in disarray, and Atlanta missed 8 of their 12 free throw attempts in the second half.

Do you tend toward the latter, it took a Mario West half-court shot at the halftime buzzer, a better return than could be expected from Josh Smith choosing to take 8 jump shots* (and they were all choices...bad ones), Devin Harris missing a fourth quarter possession due to injury (a possession which gave us all an object lesson in Keyon Dooling's limitations as a point guard), Joe Johnson committing his fifth foul with 4:46 left in the game which meant that a) Marvin Williams was pressed into duty guarding Devin Harris and did an extraordinary job (After Johnson's fifth foul, Harris went 0-5 from the floor and committed 3 turnovers) and b) Maurice Evans had to be put in the game with 20 seconds left in overtime (New Jersey ball, Hawks down one) to commit a foul, only Evans didn't foul anyone, instead he stripped the ball from Devin Harris which led to Josh Smith's go ahead layup with 11 seconds left in the game.

*3-6 on two-point jumpers and both of his fourth quarter three-point misses: at 6:13 with the Hawks down 77-74 and at 0:51 with the Hawks down 85-83 were rebounded by a teammate. Tip of the hat to Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby for correctly anticipating and grabbing those misses.

Marvin Williams:

"They just came out and punched us in the face after halftime, and we didn’t respond. Being up that big at the half on the road, especially against a team that’s already beaten us twice this year … there’s no excuse and no explanation for something like that.”

Sekou Smith is firmly in the New Jersey-never-should-have-been-allowed-to-get-back-in-the-game camp:

Carter’s last shot should never have been.

And not because the Hawks have shouldn’t have squandered that 20-point lead or because they should have made their free throws down the stretch or because they should have kept the ball moving on the offensive end until they found the best shot (as the Nets did to perfection in the second half).

But because Carter never should have been allowed to scoop up an errant inbounds pass from Jarvis Hayes without the Hawks swarming him like the ice cream man on a sweltering summer day.

A fair perspective, I think, but I do take issue with his description of the Hawks play so far this season:

...the Hawks have enjoyed a monster season so far while playing far below their potential for much of their first 32 games...

• Joe Johnson is having the best season of his career.
  
• So is Marvin Williams.
  
• Mike Bibby is having a career year shooting the ball.
  
• So is Flip Murray.
  
• Al Horford is playing a little better than he did last year.
  
• Zaza Pachulia has given every indication that last year was lost due to injuries not an erosion of skill.
  

Other than Josh Smith missing 12 games, what has gone counter to the most incredibly optimistic outlook for any Hawks player (who is allowed to play in games)?

Let's not use this surprisingly strong start as a stick with which to beat the team should they not continue to win 2 out of every 3 games the rest of the season.

WHO: Atlanta (21-10) at New Jersey (15-17)

WHEN: 7:30pm

WHERE: Fox Sports South, Hawks Radio Network, NBA Audio League Pass

Injury Report: As always, Speedy Claxton is out. For New Jersey, Keyon Dooling is questionable.

Game Notes

For Entertainment Purposes Only: Atlanta -4.5, 197 o/u

Blogging With the Enemy: Nets Blast, Nets Daily

Paragon of maturity Vince Carter has convinced his teammates that he'll try tonight in order to prove how unjustly he was ejected from Wednesday's 83-75 loss in Detroit. Vince Carter's a gifted basketball player but anything that motivates any Net other than Devin Harris to create offense can only benefit the Hawks tonight.

Lest you've forgotten about Devin Harris...

• November 14th in New Jersey: 30 points (8-17 FGA, 2-4 3PTA, 12-12 FTA), 8 assists, 1 turnover
• November 15th in Atlanta: 33 points (9-15 FGA, 2-3 3PTA, 13-14 FTA), 10 assists, 1 turnover

The former line was part of a 115-108 Nets win. The latter line sparked a 119-107 Nets victory. I'm not sure either stat line does justice to the degree to which Harris dominated the proceedings in both games. Until I looked back at the box scores this morning I had no recollection of Joe Johnson scoring 63 points his own self over the two games. (Or Flip Murray scoring 35 points. Or Acie Law IV playing 10+ minutes both nights.)

Josh Smith didn't play in either game so the Hawks can be sadi to have that going for them in this meeting. Also engendering hope: New Jersey have lost 7 of their last 8 home games in the midst of a 4-9 stretch overall.

The Hawks are talking about winning more games on the road in 2009. A worthy goal to be sure but it should not be overlooked that going 7-8 on the road in a league where home teams have won 58.1% of the games is above average to begin with.

Further keeping with the theme of keeping things in proper perspective, Jason Walker at The Human Highlight Blog has a good look back at 2008 and a wish list for 2009.

The latest instance of my failure to be a homer is included in the new set of rankings which are over at Raptors HQ.

My ballot...

MVP

1. LeBron James
2. Chris Paul
3. Dwyane Wade
4. Dwight Howard
5. Tim Duncan
6. Kobe Bryant
7. Devin Harris
8. Brandon Roy
9. Dirk Nowitzki
10. Yao Ming

Next 5: Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, Tony Parker, and Pau Gasol

Rookie of the Year

1. OJ Mayo
2. Derrick Rose
3. Marc Gasol
4. Rudy Fernandez
5. Russell Westbrook

Next 6: Brook Lopez, Dj Augustin, Mario Chalmers, Greg Oden, Michael Beasley, and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute