Reserves lead Hawks past Cleveland in regular-season finale

By Bud L. Ellis

Wrapping up their most successful regular season in years, the Atlanta Hawks didn’t need to trot out their A-list lineup Wednesday night.

No, the guys on the bench drew the vast majority of the playing time in the regular-season finale at Philips Arena. But that’s OK. The stars of the Eastern Conference’s No. 3 seed already were preparing to tip off the second season.

Atlanta downed Cleveland 99-83 to conclude a regular season where the Hawks won 53 games, earned the No. 3 seed in the East and feel like they have what it takes to break through to the conference finals for the first time since the team was based in St. Louis.

This one was all about who wasn’t on the hardwood. The Hawks rested Joe Johnson, Al Horford, Josh Smith, Mike Bibby and Jamal Crawford. Cleveland didn’t bother playing LeBron James or Shaquille O’Neal.

One thing to note from this one: Atlanta’s top draft pick last summer, point guard Jeff Teague, showed a season getting minutes here and there might be the foundation for a really good NBA career. Playing all 48 minutes, Teague finished with 24 points on 11-for-19 shooting and 15 assists.

He had help on this night. Seven Hawks scored in double figures: Joe Smith, Marvin Williams, Zaza Pachulia, Mario West, Jason Collins, Mo Evans and Teague.

Atlanta plays host to Milwaukee in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Philips Arena.

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Thursday, April 15, 2010 at 11:00 pm by bud

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Jamal Crawford, Jason Collins, Jeff Teague, Joe Johnson, Joe Smith, Josh Smith, LeBron James, Mario West, Marvin Williams, Mike Bibby, Milwaukee Bucks, Mo Evans, National Basketball Association, Philips Arena, Shaquille O’Neal, Zaza Pachulia

Hawks rediscover offensive output, blast Raptors

By Bud L. Ellis

It looks like the Atlanta Hawks have rediscovered their offensive mo-jo.

Mired in a slump on the offensive end during a 1-3 stretch, the Hawks busted out in a big way Wednesday night at Philips Arena. Nine Atlanta players scored in double figures as the Hawks ripped the Toronto Raptors 146-115, matching the highest offensive output in the NBA so far this season.

Al Horford led the assault with 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting, but he had company … lots of company. Josh Smith and Jamal Crawford scored 16 points each. Marvin Williams added 14. Rookie Jeff Teague scored 13. Joe Smith, Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson added 12 points each, and Zaza Pachulia scored 11.

The Hawks hit 59 percent of their shots from the floor, totally blowing away the overmatched Raptors. Atlanta led by 21 at halftime and by 30 after three quarters. Going into the fourth, the Hawks had 114 points, after scoring 88 points or fewer in the three losses preceding the rout.

Now 13-5 on the season, the Hawks take on New York on Friday.

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Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 9:38 pm by bud

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Jamal Crawford, Jeff Teague, Joe Johnson, Joe Smith, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, Mike Bibby, National Basketball Association, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Zaza Pachulia

Hawks set sail with high hopes

By Bud L. Ellis

After an offseason of resigning key cogs and bolstering the bench and seeing the rest of the East get stronger, it’s showtime for the Atlanta Hawks.

Atlanta tipped off the 2009-10 season Wednesday night at Philips Arena, the first step of an 82-game journey that Hawks’ fans hope will lead Atlanta to the playoffs for a third consecutive season.

Very few campaigns have been met with this much hope, this much enthusiasm surrounding Atlanta’s NBA entry. Sure, there were the years in the late 1980s, when the Hawks ran off four consecutive 50-win seasons, yet could never crack through the Eastern Conference semifinals.

There were a few decent years in the 1990s. There was the 1979-80 team that won 57 games, a mark matched by the 1986-87 team. But the meter of anticipation is nearing an all-time high in Atlanta, and with good reason.

The Hawks addressed multiple needs this offseason by signing Jason Collins and Joe Smith. The two veterans give Atlanta size off the bench and veteran leadership, two traits a talented-yet-youthful core needs.

The Hawks are about to embark on a season that they believe will carry them into late May. Doing so would be the most successful foray for this franchise in decades. The adjustments are now done. Time to see this machine roar to life. The road to a deep advance in the NBA playoffs won’t be easy. You have to get there first.

But there is every reason to believe this team has what it will take to play toward Memorial Day.

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Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 8:47 pm by bud

Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Jason Collins, Joe Smith, National Basketball Association, Philips Arena

On eve of tipoff, Hawks aim for continued improvement

By Bud L. Ellis

In each of the past five years, the Atlanta Hawks have won more games than the year before.

The past two seasons, the Hawks have nudged their way back into contender status in the Eastern Conference. In 2008, Atlanta made the playoffs for the first time in a decade, then pushed the eventual world-champion Boston Celtics to seven games in the first round.

Last spring, the Hawks outlasted Miami in seven games to win a playoff series for the first time since 1999.

So, as the Hawks get ready to tip off the 2009-10 season Wednesday night at home against Indiana, the question is can Atlanta continue its upward surge?

It won’t be easy. The Hawks won 47 games a year ago, but play in the rugged East where the big three contenders — Boston, Cleveland and Orlando — all made major moves in the offseason.

So too did the Hawks, who added Jamal Crawford to the backcourt, Jason Collins and Joe Smith to the frontcourt, and drafted Jeff Teague to be the point guard of the future. Add in the playoff experience gained by Atlanta’s core, and the components are in place for the Hawks to crack the 50-win plateau.

The East will be a battle all season, and while the Hawks probably won’t be the ones to emerge from the fray come June, Atlanta should be good enough to make at least a decent push come playoff time.

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Monday, October 26, 2009 at 8:56 pm by bud

Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Jamal Crawford, Jason Collins, Jeff Teague, Joe Smith, Miami Heat, National Basketball Association, Orlando Magic

Hawks using preseason to tune roster, find chemistry

By Bud L. Ellis

With three games in the next four nights, the Atlanta Hawks ramp up preparations for the 2009-10 season.

It’s likely by the time this three-game stretch ends Wednesday, there will be a few players who will be looking for another team.

Cuts are likely to come down at some point during this stretch, which begins at 6 p.m. today at Detroit. Atlanta returns home Monday to play host to Charlotte at 7 p.m., then travels to Memphis at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

As the Hawks’ staff evaluates the guys on the fringe, the more-established veteran players and the top newcomers brought onto the roster in the offseason will continue to work on meshing together as a team.

That’s what preseason is all about. Guys like Jamal Crawford, Jason Collins and Joe Smith are seeking the chemistry and where they fit into a team coming off back-to-back playoff appearances. Other guys, like Mario West, Othello Hunter and Courtney Sims, are hoping they can do enough during the next three weeks to land on the opening-night roster.

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Sunday, October 11, 2009 at 9:35 am by bud

Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Courtney Sims, Detroit Pistons, Jamal Crawford, Jason Collins, Joe Smith, Mario West, Memphis Grizzlies, National Basketball Association, Othello Hunter

Hawks look to soar higher after back-to-back playoff berths

By Bud L. Ellis

It wasn’t long ago the Atlanta Hawks just weren’t an afterthought on the Georgia sports scene. The franchise found itself one of the laughingstocks of professional sports.

Not anymore.

Not after back-t0-back playoff appearances: a surprise pushing of the eventual champion Boston Celtics to seven games in the opening round two seasons ago, followed by a seven-game victory over Miami in the first round last season.

Even a sweep at the hands of Cleveland in round two — a series where injuries ripped apart the Hawks’ player rotation — couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm for a team that won 47 games and captured a playoff series victory for the first time in a decade.

But what about now? What will the Hawks do in year three of the resurgence? Will they bust through and become a serious challenger to the big three in the East — Boston, Cleveland and Orlando. Or, will the Hawks take a step back in 2009-2010?

With training camp underway, optimism rules the day. Part of the enthusiasm comes from re-signing point guard Mike Bibby — who came from Sacramento at the trade deadline two winters ago to provide veteran leadership — and vital banger Zaza Pachulia.

Veteran Joe Smith brings 14 years of NBA experience to the table, and first-round draft pick Jeff Teague from Wake Forest could emerge into a star at the point, something the Hawks hoped to see out of Acie Law.

That didn’t happen, so Law was sent west this offseason for Jamal Crawford, a 6-foot-5 veteran who will join Joe Johnson and Bibby to give the Hawks a big-time scoring punch in the backcourt. Emerging star Al Horford may be undersized at center, but he makes up for it with his heart and hustle.

The Hawks have their work cut out for them in the ultra-tough East. But this team has come so far in the past two years, and if the new pieces fall into place the way head coach Mike Woodson hopes, then the Hawks can surpass the 50-win plateau and really be an interesting player come postseason.

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Monday, October 5, 2009 at 8:00 pm by bud

Tags: Acie Law, Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Jamal Crawford, Jeff Teague, Joe Johnson, Joe Smith, Miami Heat, Mike Bibby, Mike Woodson, National Basketball Association, Orlando Magic, Zaza Pachulia