Do the Atlanta Hawks Have Spirit?

The Atlanta Hawks have a real live mascot, few NBA teams do.  The Georgia Bull Dogs have a real live "dawg."  The Hawks are playing more like a placid bulldog. 

Bulldog, a misnomer if I ever heard one, means to be a bull to force the action.  The breed info states, "Highly spirited as a puppy, the English Bulldog grows up to be a calm adult. The breed prefers not to exercise, can easily overheat, and is prone to drooling and snoring."

That is exactly what the Atlanta Hawks did in game two and three, effectively giving up the homecourt.  The only reason they won last night was because Dwayne Wade was hurt. 

Back to the task at hand, the Hawks played more like bulldogs. They are highly spirited puppies who haven't grown up yet.

There mascot, Spirit the Hawk, is a Harris Hawk.  Wikipedia describes this species: "The Harris Hawk is famous for its remarkable behavior of hunting cooperatively in 'packs,' consisting of family groups."

Most raptors are solitary hunters.

This is one trait Atlanta lacks.  These hawks hunt for a few minutes then revert to their bulldog like tendencies.

Joe Johnson the only all-star on the team does not make his teammates better.  His regular season stats are 21 PPG  and 5 APG.  His playoff numbers are 13.7 PPG and 2.5 ASP.  He doesn't create shots for his teammates, and for all his skills, he has gone about his business with a whimper.

Josh Smith is the embodiment of Spirit, he swoops in with ferocious dunks and will get an occasional block. His regular season numbers are 15 PPG and 7 RPG, and his playoff numbers are 17 PPG and 8 RPG—not much of an improvement.  He has a tendency to jack up three pointers, when his team would be better of with him honing his inside game.

Mike Woodson could be seen last night in exasperation as he jacked up three pointer after three pointer, when the situation clearly called for him to go inside with it.

Johnson, as the only all-star, should have taken him to task.  Call him out on what the team needs.  We are so quick to always blame the coach, but in reality, it is the veterans on the team or the de facto leader that will pull them together.

This series should make the Hawks realize that they need to raise the basketball IQ of the team via trade next season.  Marvin Williams is playing out of position.  In my opinion, he is more of a hybrid power forward, the Hawks should look to trade him. Prince would be a good fit here.

Josh Smith will flame out if he does not start working more on the inside. Otherwise, Al Horford is going to look elsewhere when his rookie contract is up.

Acie Law is supposed to be the future backcourt for the Hawks, yet he has hardly seen any playing time.  Bibby, Murray, and Evans man the point.  This does not bode well for them in future rounds.

Maybe the Hawks front office was right when they wanted to get rid of Woodson. But with the ownership situation still in the air, not many established coaches are looking to the Hawks for a job.

The Hawks are a rudderless franchise. If Wade's injury limits his mobility, the Hawks will win and become the sacrificial lamb for the Cavs.