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Tuesday, November 8, 2005
Very little electricity at Philips
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
Everybody was there. Current Falcons and former ones. Big Boi. Johnny Estrada. You even had North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams (hey, don’t the Tar Heels have practice or something?), Andrew Young and what remains of the Lakers mystique. Still, during one of those rare times when Philips Arena was stuffed for a Hawks game, the mood Tuesday night was strikingly mellow.
That’s a kind way to say boring. We’re talking about really boring, especially when compared to those Hawks-Lakers affairs of lore, ranging from ‘Nique and Magic to any of those involving the new Showtime group that roared to three world championships during the early 21st century. For whatever reason, the electricity (and we’re talking about literally) just wasn’t present in the house this time around.
Maybe it was because Shaquille O’Neal works for the Miami Heat these days when his ankle isn’t aching. Maybe it was because the scoreboard zonked out (we’re back to that lack of electricity) in the second quarter to leave the crowd and the players at the mercy of the public address announcer regarding the score and the time. Maybe it was because the Hawks still have a ways to go during their extremely long and unfortunately necessary rebuilding process to become interesting again.
Bad and boring. Not the best combination for an NBA team in a perennial search for others to take it seriously. So the question for the Hawks during the rest of an already rocky season is: If you’re going to continue to spend more time going north than south in the standings, can you attempt to do so with a little style?
Good news. Hawks coach Mike Woodson listened to a derivative of that question, and then he shook his head. “It’s not so much how we look right now. For us, it’s about winning,” he said, referring to a terribly young Hawks bunch that is on pace to win even less than it did last year. They had 13 victories last season compared to zero right now after the Shaqless Lakers ruined the Hawks’ opener with a lot of Kobe.
Much of the Lakers’ 103-97 romp featured Kobe Bryant and friends roaring with ease through what the Hawks called a defense to reach the hoop. “I mean, when you give up 20-plus layups, it just takes the starch out of your defense,” said Woodson, recalling just one of many problems for his 0-4 team that kept Bryant (37 points) rising as the NBA’s leading scorer. That Joe Johnson managed 26 points for the Hawks during his home debut as the $70 million man was nice, but that was about it for highlights among the slew of lowlights that dominated the Hawks’ evening.
As usual, when L.A comes to town, the stands were dominated more by purple and gold than red and white. Much of the crowd was chanting “Kobe, Kobe, Kobe” by the end of the game, and that was when he was in the midst of spending the rest of the blowout on the bench. In other words, the Hawks weren’t the most popular team in the building. Even without Mr. O’Neal, the Lakers are considered a pleasure to the eyes that the Hawks hope to become one. You know, sort of. “We looked good a lot last year,” Woodson added. “We’ve gotta win games. That’s how you win the hometown fans over. If we play hard enough and do what we’re supposed to do, they’ll eventually be on our side.”
Woodson knows all of that other stuff (the constant yapping about the Hawks’ youth, the cries for patience, the talk of the franchise sitting another summer here or there from getting that one player or two to reach that next level) — yes, Woodson definitely knows all of that gets old to a public that mostly couldn’t care less.
Until then, the Hawks franchise is hoping flash will cover up some of its lack of substance on the floor. For instance: There was a dramatic and excessive fireworks display on the top of each backboards before the game. Sparks flew, and folks scattered nearby. It likely was enough to cause those electrical problems later in the arena.
Translated: The Hawks need to stick to substance. Or at least try.
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Tuesday Countdown: Girls gone wild; T.O. just gone
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
10: Wow. It’s one thing for the Eagles to shelve Terrell Owens. But now even Renee Thomas and Angela Keathley are available on the open market! Love for sale.
9: Used to be in sports it was all about performance. Performance clearly isn’t the issue with Renee and Angela, so I’m assuming they’ve just become too big of a distraction for the rest of the Carolina Panthers’ “TopCats.” The NFL Cheerleaders, Twits and Therapeutic Spababes Union is expected to grieve the action.
8: NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue immediately denounced Renee and Angela’s Tampa bathroom escapades. The league then announced both will appear in a new NFL cheerleaders calendar, because one good contradiction deserves another.
7: Melissa Holden, the women who got punched by Thomas in the incident, actually said: “She [Thomas] was screaming, ‘I am a Panther cheerleader. I’m not going to get arrested for this!’” Gee. And I thought it was bad when Rod Coleman pulled the do-you-know-who-I-am? card.
6: Surprise, surprise. Penthouse magazine is courting the two.
5: And now for the clothed twit. I’ll say it again: Terrell Owens had a case for wanting his contract renegotiated. In the NFL, teams can cut you any time they want because contracts aren’t guaranteed. Players deserve the same right. BUT …
4: … never in the history of professional sports has any athlete handled a contract situation so poorly.
3: The only thing worse than Owens making a circus of things before this season started was making a circus of things after it started. Before the season, you alienate the public. After the opening kickoff, you alienate your teammates.
2: BUT … if you think Owens will never work in this league again, let me throw out some names for you: Ricky Williams, Keyshawn Johnson, Lawrence Phillips, Michael Irvin, Nate Newton. There’s always somebody willing to make room for high-risk talent.
1: And tell me again what part of the ESPN show, “Playmakers,” was exaggerated?
Permalink | Comments (20) | Categories: Jeff Schultz, Quick Hit
