AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2005 > October > 24
Monday, October 24, 2005
Going up against a have
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Hawks’ matchup tonight against Miami reminds me of the difference between the NBA’s haves and the have-nots.
The haves are gearing up to play into the summer of 2006 while the have-nots are gearing up to play through the All-Star break before retooling. The Hawks are light in the middle while the Heat have Shaq, Alonzo Mourning and a promising young center Earl Barron, whom the Heat coaches believe could be a major factor.
The Heat’s deep enough that Antoine Walker is coming off their bench. A guy who was arguably the Hawks’ best player (for half of) last year, is coming off their bench!
That’s why a game like tonight, even without key players available (Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams and Tony Delk won’t play) is a great test for the Hawks. And it’s the only way to gauge how far away they are from the top of the Eastern Conference, and some people believe the league.
I don’t know if I am convinced yet that this Miami team is the leading contender in the East. Indiana and Detroit figure to be strong and the Heat has to integrate ‘Toine and Jason Williams into their system. So I think we have to wait and see how they play before crowning the Heat.
But we’ll know a lot more about the Hawks after tonight because we’ll know if they’re just road kill for the top teams in the league or if they’re going to put up a fight.
