Hawks improve to 3-3 on road trip

By Bud L. Ellis

A roster in evolution and a long road trip are coming together just fine for the Atlanta Hawks.

Atlanta even its record at 3-3 on a seven-game road trip on Sunday, downing Portland 90-83 as Jamal Crawford scored a team-high 23 points. ( Read More…)

Monday, February 28, 2011 at 9:33 pm by bud

Tags: Atlanta Hawks news, Atlanta Hawks schedule, Atlanta Hawks tickets, Denver Nuggets, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Kirk Heinrich, National Basketball Association, Portland Trail Blazers, Zaza Pachulia

High-flying Hawks stay perfect with win over Pistons

By Bud L. Ellis

Granted, it’s just five games. But the Atlanta Hawks are more than pleased with the start to their 2010-11 season.

Atlanta improved to 5-0 and remained the only unbeaten team in the Eastern Conference Wednesday, riding a strong 18-4 run late in the contest to pull away from Detroit 94-85 at Philips Arena. ( Read More…)

Friday, November 5, 2010 at 4:40 am by bud

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks news, Atlanta Hawks schedule, Atlanta Hawks tickets, Detroit Pistons, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Los Angeles Lakers, Marvin Williams, Minnesota Timberwolves, National Basketball Association, New Orleans Hornets, Philips Arena, Zaza Pachulia

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 look to soar in second half of season

By Bud L. Ellis

Joe Johnson and Al Horford are back from the All-Star game. Zaza Pachulia and Jamal Crawford are back from minor injuries.

For the Atlanta Hawks, it’s the second half of the season, and it’s time to make a move.

The Hawks sit in a great place in the standings, third in the Eastern Conference and just 1 ½ games behind second-seed Orlando in the Southeast Division. While catching the front-running Cleveland Cavaliers for the Eastern Conference lead may be a reach for both teams – the Hawks are 8 ½ games back; the Magic seven games in arrears of Cleveland – the division title is there for the taking.

And with Boston just ½ game behind Atlanta for fourth and the red-hot Toronto Raptors in fifth and only four games behind the Celtics, the race for the second through fifth seeds in the East figures to go down to the season’s final days.

Atlanta opens a critical four-game west coast road swing Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Hawks also visit Phoenix, Golden State and Utah on the trip, before returning home to Philips Arena next Wednesday to face Minnesota. The last three teams the Hawks face on the road trip all are above .500 and all would be in the playoffs if the season ended today.

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Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 8:51 pm by bud

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, National Basketball Association, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, Zaza Pachulia

After unexpected break, Hawks return to action

By Bud L. Ellis

After a break that lasted longer than scheduled thanks to a blizzard, the Atlanta Hawks are ready to return to the court.

Scheduled to play Saturday night against Washington at the Verizon Center, the Hawks couldn’t get into D.C. due to the major snowstorm that blasted the Mid-Atlantic States. The NBA postponed the game. It has been rescheduled for March 11.

Atlanta, which hasn’t played since beating Chicago on Friday at Philips Arena, plays Tuesday night at Memphis. And the Hawks needed the extra day to try and get Joe Johnson over the flu. Johnson, who leads the Hawks in scoring at 21.9 points per game (10th in the NBA), is expected to be in the lineup Tuesday.

Reserve forward Zaza Pachulia will not play. Pachulia is out with a hip injury and may not return until next week.

Atlanta opens the week in tied for third with Boston in the Eastern Conference standings at 32-17. The Hawks sit 1 ½ games behind Orlando in the Southeast Division.

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Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 5:35 pm by bud

Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Joe Johnson, Memphis Grizzlies, National Basketball Association, Orlando Magic, Philips Arena, Verizon Center, Washington Wizards, 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

Teague continues to impress as Hawks top Charlotte

By Bud L. Ellis

For some rookies, the middle days of October are when their NBA dreams expire.

For others — like Jeff Teague — it’s when those fantasties take flight for real.

Teague, the Atlanta Hawks‘ first-round draft pick this summer, continued to show why the organization thought so highly of the former Wake Forest star on Monday, leading Atlanta with 17 points in a 107-90 preseason victory over Charlotte at Philips Arena.

Teague needed just 29 minutes to score his 17, dish out seven assists, and continue to make an impression on his new teammates and coaching staff.

“It was a fun game,” Teague told Hawks.com. “I think I’m learning on the fly, learning quickly, trying to understand the game.”

That understanding is coming quickly for a player who gives Atlanta a young point guard to spell Mike Bibby this season. Teague leads the Hawks in scoring through three preseason games at 16.0 per contest

Coming off a loss Sunday night in Detroit, the Hawks showed plenty of bounce. Atlanta led by as many as 17 in the first half, hitting 53 percent from the floor in building an early eight-point advantage.

“We did a lot of good things tonight, which we didn’t do (Sunday) night in Detroit,” Hawks coach Mike Woodson told Hawks.com. “So it’s nice to see us bounce back.’

Joe Johnson, Zaza Pachulia and Juan Dixon each scored 14. Josh Smith and Marvin Williams added 11 for Atlanta, who plays Wednesday at Memphis.

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Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 5:43 am by bud

Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Detroit Pistons, Jeff Teague, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Juan Dixon, Marvin Williams, Memphis Grizzles, Mike Bibby, Mike Woodson, National Basketball Association, Philips Arena, Wake Forest, Zaza Pachulia

Balanced attack paces Hawks to win in preseason opener

By Bud L. Ellis

It’s not the type of game that will foster dreams of playing in June. Quite the contrary: the preseason opener, held in the opening days of October, is merely a time to return to the court against competition, the first step of a long journey toward next spring.

 

But the Atlanta Hawks made the most of it nonetheless, running out to a big first-half lead en route to a 101-84 win over New Orleans on Wednesday, in the preseason lidlifter at Philips Arena.

 

Plenty of optimism surround these Hawks, following consecutive playoff berths and the franchise’s first postseason series victory in a decade last spring.

 

Wednesday, Atlanta rode a balanced attack to earn the victory in the preseason debut. Joe Johnson and Zaza Pachulia led five scorers in double figures with 17 points each, Johnson knocking down 7-of-10 shots from the floor in 19 minutes. Jeff Teague, the team’s first-round draft pick from Wake Forest, added 15 points in 26 minutes.

 

Josh Smith scored 14 and pulled down seven rebounds. Al Horford added 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Reserve Mario West pulled down a team-high nine rebounds.

 

Again, one cannot read too much into a victory to open the preseason, but there were plenty of positives for the Hawks on this night. Atlanta shot 50 percent (35-for-70) from the floor, committed just 11 turnovers, and used a withering 30-12 second quarter to build a 62-36 lead at intermission.

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Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 9:41 pm by bud

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Jeff Teague, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Mario West, National Basketball Association, New Orleans Hornets, Philips Arena, Wake Forest, Zaza Pachulia

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