Atlanta Hawks Schedule
Monday
2/6/2012
7:30PM
Atlanta Hawks vs Phoenix Suns
Wednesday
2/8/2012
7:30PM
Atlanta Hawks vs Indiana Pacers
Friday
2/10/2012
7:00PM
Orlando Magic vs Atlanta Hawks
NEWS
By Bud L. Ellis
So, remember the last time the Atlanta Hawks ran across the Orlando Magic?
Even though the game didn’t count in the standings, that big ol’ bruise the Magic left all over the Hawks’ pride definitely hasn’t been forgotten.
Back on Oct. 23, Atlanta traveled down to Orlando for the final game of what – to that point – had been a nearly perfect preseason. But the Magic cast a spell over the Hawks that night, racing out to a lead that pushed north of 40 points at times before winning 123-86.
Now granted, there is nothing you really can take from a preseason game … or is there?
Flash forward to now. The Hawks and the Magic are tied atop the Southeast Division and the Eastern Conference at 11-3 (heck, that’s tops in the NBA with the Lakers and Suns).
The two teams meet Thursday night at Philips Arena in a Thanksgiving night showcase that will be broadcast nationwide on TNT. It’s a big-time stage for a Hawks’ team that’s looking every bit like a big-time player this season.
And while the Hawks may not obsess over it, you better believe they remember that beatdown they took the fourth Friday in October in central Florida. That game, as you recall, didn’t count for anything … or maybe it did.
Maybe it’ll end up doing the Hawks some good. Maybe it gave Atlanta a good look at a team that played for the NBA title in June, and maybe that’s what has helped the Hawks race out to 11 wins in their first 14 games.
If so, the Hawks should give Orlando a thank you. They’ll get the chance to do so Thursday night.
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Wednesday, November 25, 2009 at 4:56 pm by bud
Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Lakers, National Basketball Association, Orlando Magic, Philips Arena, Phoenix Suns
By Bud L. Ellis
Mike Bibby’s sprained ankle could turn out to be a good thing.
No, I’m not advocating the Atlanta Hawks are better off without their veteran point guard. Far from it.
But when the Hawks drafted Jeff Teague out of Wake Forest in the first round of this summer’s NBA draft, the thought was Teague would be molded to wear that label which sank Acie Law IV:
“Point guard of the future.”
Teague showed in preseason he could play – and play well – at the NBA level. But playing in October games before 5,000 people and playing on Thanksgiving in a showdown of two teams at the top of the Eastern Conference standings are two different things.
And yet, Teague very well could be in the starting lineup Thursday at Philips Arena when the Hawks play host to Orlando, in a meeting of two teams with 11 wins already this season.
The double-edge sword with any young player designed to become a key cog in a team’s rotation is the kid needs experience, but the only way to get said experience is to play. To play a young kid means dealing with the inevitable mistakes inexperience causes, mistakes that can cost you a game or two along the way.
No matter. No worry. The Hawks’ future is bright. So too is Teague’s. If Bibby can’t go, leave Jamal Crawford in his role as super-scorer off the bench. Put the kid into the starting lineup and start the experience-gaining process.
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Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 8:11 pm by bud
Tags: Acie Law IV, Atlanta Hawks, Jamal Crawford, Jeff Teague, Mike Bibby, Orlando Magic, Philips Arena, Wake Forest
By Bud L. Ellis
On an Atlanta radio show last week, an observer noted the impressive run of the Atlanta Hawks to the top of the NBA through the first three weeks of this young season.
But the caller brought up a great point, mentioning how everything had clicked just right for the high-flying Hawks. How would this team handle adversity?
The Hawks have hit their first roadblock of what’s been a nearly perfect start to their season, losing point guard Mike Bibby to a sprained left ankle injury early in Saturday’s loss at New Orleans.
Now it’s unfair to say the Hawks don’t lose if Bibby doesn’t get hurt. Atlanta was playing the second night of a back-to-back, the first one a gritty, hold-on-for-dear-life victory over Houston on Friday. The Hawks also were facing a New Orleans team that hadn’t lost since former coach Byron Scott was shown the door.
But now the Hawks face perhaps the task of taking the court without Bibby, the savvy veteran whose acquisition from Sacramento at the 2008 trade deadline fueled Atlanta’s return to the playoffs after a decade-long absence. In those playoffs, against behemoth Boston, Bibby took on the wrath of Celtics fans, a calculated move done to take the heat off his teammates, most of whom had never played in the postseason.
It worked. Atlanta pushed the eventual world champs to a Game 7, stunning the basketball world and giving the Hawks the confident push that resulted in a 47-win season in 2008-09 and a first-round victory over Miami last spring.
Without Bibby, the point duties fall to veteran Jamal Crawford and rookie Jeff Teague. For the former, it takes away from his role as scorer off the bench. For the later, its’ a chance to add to the impressive play we saw from him in preseason.
Either way, it would behoove the Hawks to get Bibby back and soon. After all, the next time the Hawks hit the floor is Thanksgiving night at Philips Arena, and the team Atlanta is tied with for first in the Eastern Conference, Orlando, is the opposition.
If Bibby can’t go Thursday, we’ll see just how well his teammates handle their first dose of adversity.
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Monday, November 23, 2009 at 10:54 pm by bud
Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Byron Scott, Houston Rockets, Jamal Crawford, Jeff Teague, Miami Heat, Mike Bibby, New Orleans Hornets, Orlando Magic, Philips Arena
By Bud L. Ellis
You knew it couldn’t last forever, this streak of improbable and galvanizing victories by the Atlanta Hawks.
The story of the year in the NBA to this point, the Hawks saw their seven-game winning streak halted Saturday night in a 96-88 loss at New Orleans.
For the Hawks (11-3), the difference came from beyond the 3-point arc. Atlanta hit just 4-of-22 from 3-point range (18.2 percent), while the Hornets knocked down 12 of their 17 3-point tries.
And still, Atlanta had a chance in the final minute to pull within five after trailing by 14 with nine minutes to play. But the Hawks, down seven after a Marvin Williams layup and a New Orleans turnover, couldn’t get any closer.
Jamal Crawford led Atlanta with 20 points off the bench. Williams scored 17, and Josh Smith and Joe Johnson added 14 points each. Both Smith (10 rebounds) and Al Horford (10 points, 11 rebounds) posted double-doubles.
Crawford played 39 minutes, coming in early after Atlanta loss starting point guard Mike Bibby to an ankle injury. Bibby played just five minutes.
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Sunday, November 22, 2009 at 11:25 am by bud
Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, Mike Bibby, National Basketball Association, New Orleans Hornets
By Bud L. Ellis
Josh Smith is no stranger to living above the rim, having won an NBA Slam Dunk title en route to becoming one of the highest fliers in the league.
But in the waning seconds Friday night, in a game where the Atlanta Hawks looked ready to turn a seventh-straight victory into a difficult defeat, Smith came through with the biggest dunk of his career.
Slamming home Mike Bibby’s miss with 0.7 seconds left, Smith’s jam snapped a 103-103 tie, the Hawks earning a 105-103 win to push their winning streak to seven and their NBA-best record to 11-2.
It shouldn’t have come down to the final seconds. Atlanta led 102-92 on a Jamal Crawford 3-pointer with 2:07 left, but Houston rallied to tie the game on two Carl Landry free throws with five seconds left.
But great teams find a way to win, and everything we’ve seen from the Hawks so far this season leads one to believe this Atlanta squad indeed could be great.
Marvin Williams broke out of his early-season scoring slump in a big way, hitting 13-of-19 shots from the floor en route to a 29-point, nine-rebound performance.
Crawford hit three 3’s off the bench, finishing with 21. Joe Johnson added 19 and Al Horford scored 17.
Atlanta plays Saturday at New Orleans, looking to run its record 10 games above .500.
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Friday, November 20, 2009 at 10:42 pm by bud
Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, Mike Bibby, National Basketball Association, New Orleans Hornets
By Bud L. Ellis
Skip Caray made his mark calling Braves baseball, but once upon a time he also broadcast some Atlanta Hawks games.
Watching the Hawks play lately brings to mind one of Skip’s famous quips, one he would utter sarcastically after the powerhouse Braves’ teams of the 1990s would polish off another opponent:
“Ho-hum … win, win, win.”
That’s what the Hawks keep doing, winning with impressive fashion en route to running out to an NBA-best 10-2 record. The latest chapter of Atlanta’s resurgent run came Wednesday night, when Joe Johnson scored 30 points and Josh Smith continued his maturation process in a 105-90 triumph over Miami at sold-out Philips Arena.
The Hawks are off to their best start in more than a decade, and have grabbed headlines and attention for their solid play. Wednesday was more of the same, Atlanta breaking open a close game in the second quarter with a withering 25-8 run to build a 17-point lead at halftime, 60-43.
Miami made a game of it in the second half, but the Hawks — as has been the case just about every time out this season — had too much for the opposition. Smith added 16 points with 14 rebounds and seven assists, and Al Horford chipped in a double-double of his own (16 points, 12 rebounds).
Johnson hit five 3-pointers in the win, while Smith and Horford each hit six shots from the floor. As it did throughout last season’s first-round playoff victory over Miami, the Hawks made life miserable for Dwyane Wade, holding the Heat superstar to just 15 points.
Win, win, win.
The Hawks, ranked No. 1 in several major media outlet power rankings this week, wrap up a four-game homestand Friday against Houston.
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Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 11:12 pm by bud
Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Hawks, Dwyane Wade, Houston Rockets, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Miami Heat, Philips Arena, Skip Caray
By Bud L. Ellis
The easiest path to the playoffs is simple math:
Play .500 on the road, and dominate at home.
So far, the Atlanta Hawks are earning straight A’s in math class. Keep this up, and Atlanta will have a shot when it comes to exam time.
One night after a four-game in six-day road trip caught up to them in a road loss at Charlotte, Atlanta returned home and ripped through Denver, 125-100 Saturday night at Philips Arena.
Through seven games, consider the Hawks are 2-2 on the road, having downed Portland and Sacramento in between losses at the defending champion Lakers and at Charlotte. At home, the Hawks are perfect, moving to 3-0 at Philips with the win over Denver.
Good teams play even ball on the road, then do what they’re supposed to do at home. The Hawks had that missing zip, that missing step, when they stepped onto their home court against a Denver team that played deep into the playoffs last season.
Jamal Crawford again did his thing off the bench, Mr. Offense leading the way with 25 points. Joe Johnson and Josh Smith each popped in 22 points, as seven Hawks scored in double figures.
The Hawks put their even-steven road record on the line Wednesday with a trip to New York.
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Monday, November 9, 2009 at 8:19 am by bud
Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Denver Nuggets, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Philips Arena, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings
By Bud L. Ellis
This wasn’t the way the Atlanta Hawks wanted to open their four-game road trip.
Playing at the defending NBA champions, the Hawks came unglued in the third quarter Sunday night, a four-point third-quarter deficit deficit turning into a 22-point hole thanks to an 18-0 L.A. run as Atlanta eventually fell 118-110.
It marked the first loss of the season for the Hawks after two home victories last week. And while Joe Johnson led the way with 27 points, he didn’t get much support as Atlanta shot 43 percent from the floor.
Jamal Crawford came off the bench with 17 points. Mike Bibby scored 15, and first-round draft choice Jeff Teague added 12, most coming in the fourth quarter to spark a rally that made the final score somewhat respectable.
The Hawks finished with 20 turnovers, and the Lakers made Atlanta pay for its sloppiness.
Atlanta takes on Portland Tuesday night in the second game on this four-game trip.
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Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 9:23 pm by bud
Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Jamal Crawford, Jeff Teague, Joe Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers, Mike Bibby, National Basketball Association, Portland Trail Blazers
By Bud L. Ellis
A monumental moment on the defensive end for Josh Smith sparked the Atlanta Hawks in a return to defensive night at Philips Arena.
Smith became the youngest player in NBA history to block 900 shots, and Atlanta rebounded from a shaky defensive effort in the season opener to beat Washington 100-89 on Friday, improving to 2-0 on the season.
Sure, the Hawks are unbeaten, but there was some worry after the Pacers ran through the Atlanta D for 65 first-half points in Wednesday’s season opener. Consider the message delivered, though: Atlanta held Indy to 15 points in the fourth quarter, then bounced back from an early 10-point deficit to take care of the Wizards.
J’Smooth led the Hawks with 20 points in 29 minutes, along with eight rebounds. Joe Johnson scored 17, Jamal Crawford infused the Atlanta offense with 16 points off the bench, and Al Horford and Marvin Williams chipped in 10 points each. Crawford’s effort led the Hawks’ bolstered bench, which gave Atlanta 27 points.
The Hawks needed these two wins at home, and they got them. Now, it’s time to hit the road. Atlanta plays at the defending champion Lakers on Sunday, opening a four-game road swing that includes meetings at Portland on Tuesday, at Sacramento on Wednesday, and at Charlotte on Friday.
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Sunday, November 1, 2009 at 6:54 pm by bud
Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Indiana Pacers, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Los Angeles Lakers, Marvin Williams, National Basketball Association, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards
