Bleacher Report - Atlanta Hawks

Teamwork, Josh Smith's Clutch Play Boost Atlanta Hawks to NBA's Best Record

John Boller — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:37:49 -0500

Make it seven wins in a row for the Atlanta Hawks after Friday night’s squeaker past the Houston Rockets at Philips Arena, pushing them to the NBA's best record at 11-2 overall.

The 105-103 win wouldn’t have been possible without the left hand of Josh Smith, though.

Following two free throws from the Rockets’ Carl Landry to tie the game at 103 with just five seconds left in the game, head coach Mike Woodson called a 20-second timeout to draw up a play.

It looked like Woodson had called a play that put the ball in the hands of the Hawks’ go-to-guy, Joe Johnson. However, Houston was ready for the ball to go to Johnson and quickly doubled him.

The double on Johnson left Mike Bibby open for a pretty good look just inside the three-point line at the top of the key. His shot didn’t fall, but it went straight up off the rim, leaving a great opportunity for a tip-in on an Atlanta rebound.

Luckily for the Hawks, there weren’t many red jerseys in position for a rebound while Al Horford and Smith were right there.

It’d be smith who would reach up with that golden left hand of his and finish off coach Woodson’s play. He left just one second on the clock for Houston to try and pull off a miracle shot. But Shane Battier’s full-court heave was intercepted by Johnson and the arena erupted right on cue.

I felt lucky to be there and to have seen such a great team muscle out a win. I was in the last row directly behind the hoop by the Headlines Bar, but the electricity of the moment permeated the whole building.

At first, I was jealous of all those who had been at Philips Arena on Wednesday to watch the Hawks dismantle the Miami Heat. But, after being there last night, I knew that I had just witnessed Atlanta’s best game of the season.

I have never heard a Hawks crowd like the one I heard last night. The fans were up on their feet and cheering the team on after every basket, every blocked shot, every rebound, and every three-pointer nailed. It was a beautiful sight—not just for a basketball fan, but for anyone that loves sports.

It was a total team effort. The Hawks had four players in double-figures, with Marvin Williams leading the team in scoring for the first time this season. His play was simply brilliant.

He also had the game-high with 29 points and led the Hawks with nine rebounds—five offensive and four defensive—and shot 13-of-19 from the field, including 3-of-5 from downtown.

Jamal Crawford led the Hawks with four treys to finish with 21 points in 31 minutes of action. He also had three steals.

Atlanta continues to show it is no fluke and that the Eastern Conference has more than just three championship-caliber teams.

Up next for Atlanta is a trip to New Orleans to play a Hornets team that has won two in a row but is 4-6 over its last 10 and still without All-Star point guard Chris Paul.

Following the trip to New Orleans, the Hawks are off until a Thanksgiving Day showdown against the Orlando Magic in Atlanta. The Hawks currently have a one-game lead on the Magic (10-3) in the Eastern Conference’s Southeast Division.

Nothing like watching a Southeast rivalry while eating your turkey.

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Atlanta Hawks Making the NBA Take Notice

Fred Richani — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:36:38 -0500

When experts were asked who would be contending for an NBA Championship in 2009-10, I believe they mentioned the following teams: Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and Orlando Magic.

I don't think any of them expected much from the Atlanta Hawks, who are now 10-2—tied with the Phoenix Suns for the best record in the NBA.

The Atliens are coming!

Okay, so while the Mavs and Suns lead their respective divisions, it shouldn't be that surprising, considering they have more than one legitimate All-Star that plays for them. The Hawks don't have that luxury.

They have Joe Johnson, who took the heat (pun intended) out of Miami on Wednesday, with 30 points, to tie his Hawks with Phoenix for the NBA's best record thus far.

Not bad for a team with a coach that was previously in lame-duck status. When I mentioned before about the Hawks only having one legitimate All-Star, I didn't make that statement to bury the rest of the team. I meant it from a fan's perspective.

When you think of All-Star forwards in the Eastern Conference, the names Garnett, LeBron (who can play multiple positions), and Bosh are the ones that most likely come to mind first.

Well forget them for a second and enter Josh Smith (a.k.a. the player that bares a striking resemblance to west coast rapper The Game). At only 23-years old, the College Park, GA native (home of Yung Joc for you hip-hop heads out there) has already been in the league for five seasons and counting (drafted out of high school).

It took him awhile to mature, but that dude can ball.

Just take a look at his averages the last three seasons, counting this one(numbers rounded to nearest tenth. Ex: 16.7 ppg = 17 ppg):

2007-08: 17 points per game , three assists, three blocks , and eight rebounds

2008-09: 16 points per game, two assists, one block, and seven rebounds

2009-10 (12 games played): 16 points per game, three blocks, 9 rebounds

If those numbers aren't impressive, then maybe his dunks will do send you the message (he is 2005's Slam Dunk Champion). But the Hawks' talent doesn't stop there.

They have a great veteran guard in Mike Bibby, famous for those Sacramento Kings teams that were so fun to watch in the early/mid-2000s. Guard Jamal Crawford has finally found a place where he can play like...well, Jamal Crawford, averaging nearly 17 points and three assists. He sure can score.

If there is one guy from the ATL people need to take notice of, beyond the team's scorers, it's their center, Al Horford. Here's a guy that may not score a ton of points (career average in his two-plus seasons is 11), but gets the job done on the defensive side of things, averaging nearly a double-double in every NBA season he's played.

The man who could be considered an undersized center at 6'10” and 245lbs, comes from a winning background via the University of Florida. He won two National Championships in 2006 and 2007 and took home the NCAA Finals MVP Award both times as well. What the statistics don't show you is his hustle.

Just watch his playoff games against the eventual NBA Champion Celtics back in 2008. I dare you to tell me there's fear in those eyes and he was a rookie back then, going up against the likes of Kevin Garnett!

The bottom line is that the Florida alum is a winner. He won in college. He's won playoff berths in the NBA and last season, his team even won the first round. Don't underestimate Al Horford.

Actually, don't underestimate the entire Atlanta Hawks team. Who knows where they'll be in a month's time or as far as the All-Star break. But screw the immediate future for now. I'm not Miss Cleo. Let's focus on the now. And right now, the Atlanta Hawks are the best team in league, record-wise.

That might not last, but don't be surprised if they upset one of your championship picks this postseason.

ATL, stand up!

Fred "The F-Bomb" Richani is a columnist for The Sports Courier , 411Mania.com , and everythingyntk.com . Richani founded The Sports Courier in 2009. His work has been featured on CBS Sportsline , Pro Wrestling Torch , GOOGLE News , and USAToday.com .

He has also interviewed Platinum-selling bands Blue October and OneRepublic . Richani currently resides in Freehold, N.J., just an hour from New York City and Philadelphia.

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Can Atlanta Hawks Give Dwayne Wade and Miami Heat Back-to-Back Losses?

John Boller — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:45:00 -0500

The Atlanta Hawks can do something tonight that the Washington Wizards and New Jersey Nets failed to do; give the Miami Heat back-to-back losses.

With their 13-point loss at home last night to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Heat (7-3) dropped from 2^nd overall in the Eastern Conference and in the Southeast Division.

The Atlanta Hawks (9-2) have a one game lead on the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Orlando Magic for the top spot in the East. A win against the Heat would give the Hawks a 2.5 game lead over the Heat.

Even though the Heat have yet to give up back-to-back losses this season, the Hawks still have a good shot at becoming the first team to do so.

After loosing to the Phoenix Suns by eight points on November 3rd, the Heat just barely got past the Wizards the following night 93-89. A little over a week later, the Cavaliers came to Miami and won 111-104. Two days later, the New Jersey Nets turned up the heat on Miami and came within one point of getting their first win of the season and giving Miami their first back-to-back loss.

The Heat, however, have not lost a road game this season. Of course, they have only played two away games so far. Their first road win of the season came in just their second game, a 13-point victory over the Indiana Pacers. Their second win on the road was their four-point win over Washington after suffering the first loss of the season to the Suns.

Another positive note for the Hawks, they are 5-0 at home this season where they are averaging 113 points per game and winning by an average of 14.8 points per game.

In the Heat’s game last night against the Thunder, Dwayne Wade shot just 6-for-19 from the field, including 1-of-4 from the 3-point land. As a team, the Heat shot just 5-of-18 from downtown and only 20-of-30 from the charity stripe. They also committed 15 turnovers.

The Heat had trouble containing Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant. Durant finished with 32 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in 39 minutes of action. He shot 11-of-23 from the field, but was money from the free-throw line. He went 9 for 9 to lead the Thunder who shot 21-of-22 from the foul line.

Johnson and the Hawks are coming off a four point victory at home against the Portland Trailblazers, getting the season series-sweep.

It’s a good sign that the Heat could not contain Durant, especially since Johnson is coming off a huge 35-point (18 in the fourth quarter and overtime) night. However, these two teams are division rivals, so the Heat probably knows how to guard Johnson better than Portland did.

Johnson is not the only Hawk who is coming off of a big game. Josh Smith finished with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting and pulled down 16 rebounds. The Trailblazers just had eight offensive rebounds in the game.

Tonight’s game should add another exciting chapter to this is Southeast Division rivalry. Even if the Hawks were to lose, they would still share a tie for the top spot in the East.

Orlando will host the Thunder tonight, Cleveland plays at Washington, and the Golden State Warriors play the Celtics in Boston.

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NBA Power Rankings Top 10: Eat Your Hat, the Hawks are No. 1

Euno Lee — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:48:21 -0500

Call Reggie Miller flabbergasted. Not only did the Lakers get their second loss 8 games into the season, but Reggie's beloved Bruins lost to Cal State Fullerton last night in a double overtime heartbreaker. I wasn't aware Cal State Fullerton even had a basketball team, much less a gym. Call me flabbergasted. The Atlanta Hawks are on top of the NBA world, and by jove, their entire roster looks like a poor man's All-Star team so it might mean they stay up there or close for a while. This inaugural edition of my power rankings are probably what you expect, but read it anyway. Because you love me.

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The Atlanta Hawks Are Soaring

Beyond the Arc Basketball — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:25:36 -0500

ESPN and NBA.com have both released their weekly power rankings and if someone had been in a coma since 2003 or so, the number one team would’ve come as quite a shock (actually, it probably comes as quite a shock to anyone who has yet to really pay attention to the NBA this season too).

The Atlanta Hawks are ranked No. 1 in each poll. What’s the bigger shock though is that it’s not a misprint and they actually deserve the ranking at this point in the season.

Going into the season, it seemed like the Hawks only marginally improved on what they had last season. They upgraded slightly on the bench by replacing Flip Murray with Jamal Crawford and they signed Joe Smith to fill the veteran role off the bench (which they did not have last season or the season before that).

They’re about the same defensively as they were last season, which is to say, a rather underappreciated defensive team that’s a little small up front. Offensively, they’re about the same as last season, albeit a bit more efficient (at least statistically, they’re running the offense much better than they were last season).

All of the changes for the Hawks have been relatively minor, but for a team like this, a number of minor changes can mean the world.

It all starts though with the player who has usurped the mantle of best player on the team, Josh Smith. The minor change he made this season is only minor in the box score and is a major shift in the player’s mindset (and a sign a growth that seemed like a distant).

This season Smith decided to stop shooting threes. It seems what started this trend was last season, after every three point attempt, the Hawks fans would boo Smith regardless of the outcome of the shot. Over the first 11 games, Smith has yet to attempt a three pointer and this had something of a snowball effect on the rest of his game.

His defense is more fundamentally sound and not just based around getting blocks and steals, but actually staying in front of his man. And on offense, he’s limiting his turnovers and not making boneheaded plays. In essence, by taking the three point shot out of his repertoire, he’s just playing a smarter game and has been the key to the Hawks currently holding court as the best team in the league.

Josh Smith evolution into basketball maturity isn’t the only reason for the Hawks improvement. Al Horford has leapfrogged Mike Bibby and Marvin Williams has the third option in the Hawks starting lineup (Williams for the most part has absolutely disappeared on offense).

This is rather huge for the Hawks even if Horford’s improvement has been rather slight. It’s not so much his number that have his improved but he’s becoming more aggressive inside and giving the Hawks an interior presence on offense that they were missing the last two seasons.

Of course it would be hard to overlook the addition of Jamal Crawford. When they traded for him during the offseason, the move was treated as a big deal for about five second before being forgotten about because of moves that involved Rasheed Wallace, Ron Artest, Richard Jefferson, and Shaq.

But it’s easy to argue that Crawford has been just as big an addition as any of those admittedly bigger names. Crawford has always had the stigma of being a gunner who never helped his team win (a stigma for all intents and purposes proved to be true). He’d never been to the playoffs in his entire career, almost all of it as a starter.

But when you take him out of the starting line-up, limit his minutes, and embrace his gunner tendencies, all of sudden he becomes a major asset coming off the bench. He gives the second unit more scoring punch than they had with Flip Murray last season, meaning that the first unit doesn’t have to kill themselves when they take a breather (or in some cases last season, if they take a breather).

None of this really matters though if Joe Johnson didn’t remain the All Star caliber rock that he has been the last few seasons. Since joining the Hawks Joe Johnson has been consistently solid, playing at the same level regardless of how good the Hawks have been. All of these elements give a fair explanation why the Hawks have made a dramatic change from last season without changing much of anything.

Other Notes:

While the Hawks maybe a surprising best team currently in the NBA, the Bucks have to be considered the most surprising. Looking at their roster now in a vacuum and without context of what they’ve done this season, they have one legitimate starter on their roster at the moment with Michael Redd hurt and that’s Andrew Bogut.

The rest of their rotation consists of Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Ersan Ilyasova, Luke Ridnour, Hakeem Warrick, Charlie Bell, Carlos Delfino, and Brandon Jennings. Looking at that group, there isn’t a traditional big man (outside of Bogut) or scoring swing player.

It helps that Brandon Jennings has broken out as a star and is carrying the team offensively right now (it’ll be curious to see if he can continue to build off of his record setting scoring output against the Warriors), but the real reason for the Bucks looking like a possible playoff contender is the embracing of Skiles defensive philosophy, right now ranking fifth overall in defensive rating.

The Nuggets have seemed to have turned the corner from being a team concentrating on tough guy posturing to a team that is actually tough.

Their utter beatdown of the Lakers last Friday was eye opening. And they did most of it by pushing around the Lakers and just locking them down defensively, holding the Lakers to a franchise low 23 points in the second half (including holding Kobe Bryant to zero points in that span). What remains to be seen though is if they can keep up this kind of intensity with any kind of consistency.

Early on this season they looked like a true title contender but their concentration has wavered since their opening few games. So an eye will be kept on them to see if they only get up for “big games” and then play down to lesser opponents, but as it stands now, they honestly look like they could make a serious run.

The Lakers on the other hand might have some major concerns lining up for them. They clearly miss Pau Gasol, not only for the elite level skills he provides but for the balance he provides to the roster. Without Gasol in the lineup the Lakers are forced to start Lamar Odom which really does a number on their bench.

Without Odom the bench is absolutely awful, relying on the likes of Sasha Vuajcic, Jordan Farmar, Luke Walton, and Shannon Brown to carry the offensive load (including Mbenga and Josh Powell, do any of those six break any of other “elite” teams’ rotations?).

Add that to the fact that the Lakers have been playing sloppy in general and that Kobe has decided to shoot, shoot, and shoot some more, the Lakers need Gasol back sooner rather than later (I haven’t been able to get a word on his time table, Jackson said something about Christmas, but I wasn’t sure he was joking or not).

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Atlanta Hawks Top spot in Eastern Conference and NBA's power rankings

John Boller — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:26:30 -0500

The NBA.com has released their Week Three power rankings and guess who is number one? The Atlanta Hawks.

It is the first time in the eight year history of NBA.com’s power rankings that Atlanta has topped the list.

After holding off the Portland Trailblazers last night in overtime, the Hawks are now 9-2 on the season and lead the Eastern Conference by one game over the Miami Heat.

Joe Johnson continues to be the franchise player after coming up huge in last night’s win at Philips Arena. He had 18 of his game-high 35 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, while Atlanta got the season-sweep over Portland 99-95.

Josh Smith added 20 points of his own to go with 16 rebounds, and a fifth straight win for the Hawks.

The Hawks moved into the Eastern Conference’s top spot after the Boston Celtics dropped two-in-a-row. Atlanta is tied with the Phoenix Suns for the best record in the entire league.

The Hawks have two more home games this week, including a huge matchup on Wednesday night.

The win over the Trailblazers has set up an Eastern Conference showdown between the Hawks and Heat on Wednesday at the Highlight Factory.

The Hawks and Heat (7-2) are the top two teams in the East, and have developed a strong rivalry after last year’s exciting seven-game first round playoff matchup.

The Hawks also have another test on Friday night when the Houston Rockets come to town. The Rockets are no push-over, after they beat the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center by double digits last night.

However, the Hawks do have a noticeable advantage at home. They are 4-0 in Atlanta this season and are winning by an average of 17.5 points per contest, according to the Hawks’ website.

The Hawks are proving that there are more than just three elite teams in the Eastern Conference. The Miami Heat also has something to say about that as both teams are having terrific starts.

Johnson also had nine assists to go with his 35 points, and Al Horford continues to the Hawks’ double-double man, finishing with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Atlanta was in comeback mode last night, trailing the Blazers 67-58 to start the fourth quarter. Johnson scored 10 points in the fourth quarter—two 3-pointers and hit a pair of clutch free throws with just 4.1 seconds to give Atlanta an 85-82 lead. Portland’s Rudy Fernandez drained a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to send the game into overtime.

Johnson added eight more points in the overtime, and it was Jamal Crawford who made two clutch free throws in the extra frame, to put the nail-in-the-coffin with 7.9 seconds left in the game.

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Smokin' Joe Johnson Leads Atlanta Hawks in OT Win Over Portland Blazers

Jack Bender — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:35:53 -0500

Atlanta Hawks' color analyst Dominique Wilkins said it all when he said late in the 4th quarter that "Joe Johnson was smokin'." Johnson caught fire for the Hawks hitting a variety of pull up jump shots, tough three point shots, strong driving lay-ups, and floaters in the lane.

Once again in this game, the Hawks dominated the offensive boards. Josh Smith led the way with another monster double-double. Smith finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds. Smith's passing has been great this season and he has been a key to the Hawks league-leading 9-2 start.

The biggest disappointment of the night was the late arriving and non-existent Hawks crowd. The home crowd (those fans that actually took the time to show up) sat quietly in their seats for three quarters.

Philips Arena was so quiet that I heard Greg Oden's joints creaking. A fan eating nachos a couple of rows behind Portland's Coach Nate McMillan politely asked McMillan to move to his right during a free throw.

During a Hawks' third quarter time-out, I thought I overheard game official Steve Javie giving a pep talk to Allen Iverson on a cell phone call. You could actually hear Juwan Howard's goatee growing. I mean it was quiet circa Philips Arena in 2005.

Portland's 3-2 zone gave the Hawks problems all night long. Trail Blazer Assistant Coach Dean Demoupoulus is a zone guru and he dialed up the right zone coverages. The Hawks usually knock down threes and force teams out of the zone, but those shots were not falling. To beat this zone, you have to flatten out on the baseline and post up a player on the block.

The Hawks could never make the adjustment, but, in the 4th quarter, Joe turned up the offensive intensity. Portland almost had to play man and the Hawks were able to exploit some match up advantages.

Al Horford was able to take Oden off the dribble. J-Smoove drove on Juwan Howard. Joe simply torched Brandon Roy.

Possibly, the Trail Blazers do not know that most teams are doubling Joe down the stretch of games. Joe must have had flashbacks to the Boston playoff series in 2008 when the Celtics refused to double team him. Johnson can score on almost anyone one-on-one.

Portland has a similar problem to the Hawks in that their best player Brandon Roy has to guard the other team's best player when they really need a stop. Johnson just overwhelmed Roy tonight in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Smokin' Joe finished the game with 35 points and 9 assists to rescue a victory from the jaws of defeat. Hopefully, on Wednesday versus the Miami Heat, more Hawks fans will see the game and help keep the Hawks undefeated at the Highlight Factory.

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Joe Johnson, Mike Bibby, Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Jamal Crawford make All-Star Ballot for Atlanta Hawks

John Boller — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:37:58 -0500

At nine games into their season, the Atlanta Hawks are sitting pretty with a 7-2 record, good for second place in the Eastern Conference Last night the Hawks defeated Eastern Conference rival Boston Celtics, giving the Celtics just their second loss of the season. The victory moved the Hawks past the Miami Heat for second place in the Eastern Conference. The 7-2 record is tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the third best record in the NBA. The Hawks are a team that has made the playoffs the last two seasons, getting into the second round last year. The Hawks hope to continue this trend and make it their third straight trip to the postseason. Where is their success coming from? You can find it in the combined efforts of five players. Joe Johnson, Mike Bibby, Al Horford, Josh Smith, and Jamal Crawford are giving the Hawks exceptional play. I’m not the only one to notice. The NBA has rewarded these players for leading their team to such a hot start. All five can be found on the All-Star ballot that the NBA released last week. Besides Johnson, the other four players have never made an All-Star Team. Bibby, Smith, and Horford have participated in the NBA’s All-Star weekend Rookie vs. Sophomore game, and Smith won the NBA’s dunk contest in 2005. Horford continues to improve each season since being drafted as the third overall pick in the 2007 draft by the Hawks. In his rookie campaign he played on the Rookie Team in the 2008 Rookie vs. Sophomore game, and played in it again as a sophomore back in February. His 13.5 points per game after eight games is seventh best in the East among centers. He is also eighth in rebounds for Eastern Conference centers, pulling down 10.5 a game. Horford is also getting 2.25 blocks per game. This is good for a three-way tie for fifth best in the NBA. For Horford, his scoring and rebounding among his peers in the East is not where it needs to be. But, Horford is no doubt proving that he can compete with the best centers in the league. He has had five double-doubles, which is only one behind the NBA’s top centers, Andrew Bynum of the Lakers, and Dwight Howard for the Orlando Magic, to lead the NBA. He is a key player for the Hawks on the offensive and defensive end, without Horfod the Hawks have no other player who averages a double-double. And sometimes numbers alone are not the only thing voters take into account when making their selections. If you are a guy who consistently brings it for his time every night, voters notice that, and can give the player a nice reward with a check, or punch-out next to their name.

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