By Bud L. Ellis
The recent trends continued Tuesday night at Philips Arena for the Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Lakers, and that wasn’t good news for Hawks’ fans.
The Lakers made it eight victories in a row, running out to a big lead and cruising to a 101-87 victory over Atlanta, the Hawks’ third consecutive defeat. ( Read More…)
Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 10:01 pm by bud
Tags: Al Horford, Andrew Bynum, Atlanta Hawks news, Atlanta Hawks schedule, Atlanta Hawks tickets, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Damien Wilkins, Derek Fisher, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Kirk Hinrich, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, National Basketball Association, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Pau Gasol, Philips Arena, San Antonio Spurs
By Bud L. Ellis
With the Mike Woodson era over following one of the more embarrassing playoff performances in recent memory, the Atlanta Hawks are wasting little time in trying to turn the page.
According to published reports Monday, the Hawks are set to interview former Dallas head coach Avery Johnson and current Dallas assistant Dwane Casey. This comes three days after Woodson was told he would not be brought back following a four-game sweep of the Hawks by Orlando in the second round of the NBA playoffs, three of the four defeats coming by lopsided margins.
Johnson already has interviewed with New Orleans and Philadelphia. He led the Mavs to the 2006 NBA Finals, where Dallas won the first two games before losing the championship to Miami.
Casey has no previous NBA head coaching experience, but worked under Atlanta GM Rick Sund in Seattle.
Woodson, let go after six seasons at the helm, directed the Hawks to a better record in each season, raising the franchise from the stench of a 13-69 campaign to a 53-29 mark and the third seed in the Eastern Conference this season. But the Hawks were swept in the second round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season, after nearly losing to undermatched Milwaukee in the first round.
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Monday, May 17, 2010 at 7:58 pm by bud
Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Avery Johnson, Dallas Mavericks, Dwane Casey, Mike Woodson, National Basketball Association, New Orleans Hornets, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Rick Sund, Seattle
By Bud L. Ellis
Great teams don’t lose games at home like this. Great teams don’t lose to 4-15 teams on their home floor after running out to an 11-0 lead.
Maybe the Atlanta Hawks aren’t as great as we thought they were. Or maybe it was just a bad night.
Either way, Friday’s 114-107 loss to woeful New York at Philips Arena underscores the dangers any team faces on any given night.
Atlanta seemed to fall apart after Josh Smith was ejected in the second quarter. By then, the Knicks had stormed back from that early deficit, thanks in part to red-hot shooting that resulted in New York finishing the night shooting 57 percent from the floor.
The Hawks led 84-83 entering the fourth quarter, but the Knicks took total control from there, outscoring Atlanta 31-23 during the final 12 minutes.
Joe Johnson shouldered the offensive load, scoring 29 points to lead the Hawks on 12-of-24 shooting. Marvin Williams added 20, Al Horford scored 17 and pulled down 14 rebounds, and Jamal Crawford came off the bench to score 12.
Atlanta plays tonight at Dallas.
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Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 11:26 pm by bud
Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, National Basketball Association, New York Knicks
