AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2008 > November > 11
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
WOW!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CHICAGO - What else can you say?
Take your bow Al Horford.
You’ve only got about six or seven hours to bask in the glow of one of the most fantastic basketball showcases I’ve seen in the past 14 years of being in this profession (tonight’s game at Boston couldn’t have a better build up if Aaron Sorkin had scripted it).
If you missed the second-year Hawks center’s virtuoso performance in Tuesday night’s win here over Chicago, then I feel for you.
Because it was a one-of-a-kind performance.
With their star player struggling (Joe Johnson was 4-for-16 for the second straight game), his partner in crime back home (Josh Smith’s high ankle sprain kept him from making this road trip) and playing in a building the Hawks hadn’t won in since Horford was walking the hall of Grand Ledge High School, a young star was reborn (those Rookie of the Year votes people handed to Kevin Durant last year need to be recounted).
“He had a monster game,” Hawks coach Mike Woodson said in the understatement of the century after the Hawks’ 113-108 win over the Chicago Bulls at United Center.
How about one of the most “monster” games these eyes have ever seen.
The career-high 27 points, 17 rebounds, six blocks, three assists and steal don’t do justice to the effort Horford gave on this night.
He was quite simply a man among boys, like a young Karl Malone having his way around the basket.
I’ll stop with the craziness here shortly. But I have to admit, it’s not often that you watch a guy work and wonder if he knows that he realizes he’s taken his game to another level.
So I walked into the Hawks’ locker room after the game and glanced at Horford with one eye squeezed together.
“What’s good?” he asked.
“It looks like you,” I said before we both busted out laughing.
There were no ulterior motives for Horford in this one, though I’m sure he liked smashing on Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas, two of his contemporaries in college and now the NBA.
He simply understood that the Hawks hadn’t won in years in the house Michael Jordan built. He knew a job needed to be done and he rose to occasion in a fashion reserved for only the special players.
You’ve seen it from Johnson (countless times), Smith (remember Games 3 and 4 against the Celtics in the playoffs), Bibby (in Sacramento a zillion times and some Tuesday night with his ruthless four, fourth-quarter 3-point daggers) and now Horford.
This was his night. He owned it from the start and he never let up, not even for a second.
“I thought he was going to get 40, 40 and 10 blocks,” Marvin Williams said smiling. “I looked up early and he already had 16 points, six rebounds and four blocks and thought I was seeing double. That was crazy.”
Again, if you missed it, I feel for you.
Because it was a sight to see Horford work like that and then act like he hadn’t done anything special afterwards.
“Al can pass, he can score, he plays defense and he can …” Bibby said from his chair after the game, “he’s a hard man to stop.”
Tuesday night was mission impossible for the poor Bulls.
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