AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2008 > April > 11
Friday, April 11, 2008
Hope they saved some for the Knicks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
NEW YAWK CITY - It’s fight night at Madison Square Garden.
In the blue corner, fighting out of the Sunshine State, a 6-10, 235-pound jab specialist, Solomon Jones.
And in the red corner, fighting out of Georgia (not Ray’s “Gaaawguh” the other one), at 6-11 and 275-pounds, the long lost third Klitschko brother, Zaza Pachuuuuuulia!
Seriously, though, of all the days to be stuck on an early morning Delta flight (I was supposed to be on the early one to LaGuardia but somehow ended up on the 10:40), I choose this day, when the fists finally start flying between two Hawks (I’m gonna be sick all weekend knowing that I missed a slap-boxing match I could have done the play-by-play for).
I’ve been wondering how in the world a team goes this long without someone jaw-jackin’ someone else (Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams came close in practice earlier this season but no one ever actually threw a punch). And then they go and do it when I’m at 30,000 feet. I’ve been sick ever since I got off the plane and my voicemail and text message inboxes were overflowing with details of the post-shootaround practice bout between the Hawks’ reserve big men (just hope they save some for the Knicks in tonight’s monumental showdown at the Garden).
Word has it that our friend from Florida got off the cleaner punches. His reach advantage had to be in play and he is a bit more nimble than ZP. I’m told he landed a couple of straight rights to the grill and ZP’s lip was bloodied, but that was the extent of the damage to either guy (I imagine an eight-day road trip this late in a grueling season had to have some sort of impact on both guys. After all, you can only see so much of each other before someone gets tired of someone else).
I’d like to see either one of them be as physical when the Knicks are going to the basket tonight. The Hawks could use some of this bravado, false or otherwise, when the lights are on tonight.
If they cough up another winnable game right now (and Indiana finds a way to win in Philadelphia) the Hawks can toss out the Gatorade in the locker room and get some Maalox.
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