DEL.ICIO.USNBA
Hawks hold off Orlando for opening win
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Orlando — Maybe that playoff show the Hawks put on last season wasn’t a fluke after all.
After hearing for weeks about their one-hit wonder status and about how they wouldn’t be able to carry any of their playoff magic to this season, the Hawks shouted down their doubters with a hair-raising 99-85 blowout victory over Orlando in the season opener for both teams Wednesday night before a sellout crowd of 17,461 at Amway Arena.
They did it with gritty defense, an electrifying tempo, and an unstoppable offensive performance that included contributions from up and down a new-and-improved roster.
Not only did the Hawks smother their Southeast Division rivals on a night when the Magic threw a huge party to hang their Southeast Division championship banner from last season and celebrate their 20th anniversary team, they served notice that they intend to be a factor in the race for the division title this season.
“I’ve never heard of a bad win,” said a smiling Hawks forward Mo Evans, a starter for the Magic last season. “But this is the perfect way to open a season, on the road and sending all those people home with a nasty taste in their mouths. It’s even better when you can send a message to the team that won the division last year.
“Sure, it’s just one game. But you want people to know that you’re going to be in the mix from the start. So I’m happy we played the way we did.”
It was a stunning performance for a Hawks team that won only 12 road games last season. But for all the tough times the Hawks have endured over the years, times could be changing.
They’ve won back-to-back season openers for the first time since the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons. And they also won their road opener for the first time since the 1997-98 season.
“I think I was in high school then,” Hawks captain and All-Star Joe Johnson joked as he walked to a postgame television interview.
“Listen, you’ve got a bunch of hungry guys in that locker room that got a taste of playoff basketball at its highest level last year,” Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. “It’s my job to push them to make sure they continue to play at that level because if you do that, you’re going to have nights like this, when you win in grand style.
“I’m not taking anything away from Orlando, because they’re going to be there when it counts. But we just have to take it a game at a time and handle our business.”
The Hawks handled business from the start Wednesday night. After trading blows with the Magic for the first four minutes of the game, Josh Smith drained a 21-footer with 7:50 to play in the first quarter that started a 14-0 run, a storm that never let up.
The Hawks led by as many as 18 points in the first half and stretched that lead to as many as 19 after halftime, when they ran through the Magic defense at will on offense and turned them away repeatedly on defense.
Not even a huge second-half effort from Magic All-Star center Dwight Howard (22 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks) could turn things around for the Magic, who never got closer than five points after halftime.
Johnson led the Hawks with 25 points and seven rebounds. Smith finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and four steals. Mike Bibby and Al Horford added 12 and 10 points, respectively. And Flip Murray added 14 off the bench, helping the Hawks’ second unit outscore their Magic counterparts 27-11.
“We just have so many weapons,” Johnson said. “When teams try and lock in on one guy we’re capable of going somewhere else to get what we need. Despite what people say and write about us, we’re a pretty good team. We just have to believe that. We have to play with this same confidence night in and night out.”
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