It is simple. If the Hawks want to win this series or at least win this series without having their backs against the wall, they have to win tonight. I didn’t realize that they Hawks haven’t won a road playoff game since 1997. They are currently 0-11. That stat is interesting, but that isn’t the stat that bothers me. If you recall last year, when Atlanta fans were happy that they won 3 games against the mighty Celtics, that all of those games were at home. If you also recall last year, the winning margins for the Celtics in Boston against the Hawks were by 23, 19, 25 and 34 points. To me, that is the cause of concern. It doesn’t matter that the Hawks haven’t won 11 straight road playoff games, it matters that this current Hawks team hasn’t won a road playoff game. Half the team wasn’t even 13 years old yet when that streak started, but they were all there when they choked, and choked hard, in Boston. Granted, the Heat are not anywhere near as talented as the Celtics were, but this game is so important because (a) it will break the Heat’s spirit a little bit (b) not put the Hawks down 2-1 with the chance to come back to Atlanta with their backs against a 3-1 deficit.
I am not completely sure why there was such a difference from game 1 to game 2, but from what I saw, it seemed the Hawks became complacent. The first game they played good team defense and stopped DWade from beating them. I guess they didn’t get the memo that you have to keep playing like that because he isn’t going to give up…ever. You have to play team defense, and on offense you have to attack the basket. Don’t settle for jumpers, take it down low. You want this game to be a defensive game. The Heat can and will beat the Hawks if the Hawks try and outscore the Heat and not play defense. The Hawks beat the Heat three times out of the four that they played this year. The Hawks didn’t score over 91 points in any of those games. I know defense isn’t pretty, but good defense wins games in the NBA Playoffs.
Getting Marvin back tonight was huge for two reasons: (1) he can get a few games in under his belt to shake the rust off before it matters. The Hawks have impressed me with their performance while he has been out. They went 10-6 without him, with only one of those losses to a team that had a worse record than the Hawks. One person that has really stepped up is Josh Smith. He has been going to the basket and in addition to scoring, he has gone to the free throw line 47 times the last 5 games, while going to the free throw line 85 times for the whole month of March. He is attacking the basket, and in the process, opening up the offense for the Hawks. (2) he can get that chemistry back with his teammates. The Hawks have to play good defense if they are going to advance in the playoffs, and with the liklihood that they will be facing D-Wade in the first round, they are going to have to be able to have good team defense. Speaking of the Heat, guess who comes to town on Tuesday for the final home game of the regular season…the Miami Heat. I don’t like it when teams play and then turn around and play each other again in the first round of the playoffs, but sometimes the schedule works out that way. If I were Woodson, I would rest my starters more than usual in not only the game on Tuesday, but in the regualr season finale at Memphis on Wednesday as well. I don’t think momentum is as important in the NBA as it is in some of the other leagues, like MLB. Last year the Hawks didn’t have an impressive last few weeks, but they turned it on against the Celtics in the first round. I think now that they have the 4th seed locked up, they need to be getting ready for that series. Use the game on Tuesday to have the starters sitting on the bench talking about what they see the Heat doing on the floor, almost like a live video study. I don’t know what Woodson is going to do, but if he can motivate those players to play come playoff time so that the Hawks win a series and make the next one competitive, then I think Woodson has every right to keep being the coach of the team and it should shut up those that say he isn’t good enough.
Looking at the Hawks win objectively
Posted in Game Commentary with tags Lucky shot, Mike Bibby, NBA Playoffs, Objectivity on March 30, 2009 by Michael YTake that Hawks message board haters, the Atlanta Hawks dominated the LA Lakers yesterday afternoon. I don’t get to watch many of the Hawk’s games, but I was able to Sunday, and let me tell you, the Hawks really did dominate that game. BUT, as much as I would like to say that the Hawks are for real and that they are going to win in the playoffs, I put my “objectivity” hat on and look at the actual facts.
Fact #1: The game was at home. The Hawks are much better at home than on the road. The win would have been much more quality had they beat the Lakers on the road, because that is what the Hawks are going to have to do in the playoffs in order to advance.
Fact #2: The Lakers lost the game more than the Hawks won the game. Let’s examine the evidence. (a) Kobe Bryant had only 17 points. You know he can score more. (b) This was the Lakers fifth straight game on the road. They have been on the road for more than a week, they are tired. If you watched this game, you could tell that this wasn’t a good Laker performance. (c) The Lakers shot 35% from the floor and 20% from the 3pt line. You aren’t going to win many games shooting that poor from the floor.
Fact #3: The Hawks had every shot falling, and then some. Here is Mike Bibby’s ridiculous three pointer off the top of the backboard. [see below]
Yeah, it was a great victory for the Hawks, but let’s not get too carried away with it.
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