Hawks move on from Smith-Woodson tiff

It didn’t take another dust-up between Hawks coach Mike Woodson and Josh Smith to remind the Hawks of what’s at stake in the final 20 games of the season, and that included Saturday’s game against Detroit at Philips Arena.

With 14 home games and six road games between them and the playoffs, Hawks captain Joe Johnson said the path had already been highlighted.

“It’s already done,” Johnson said when asked if the Hawks had closed the locker-room doors and spoken to each other about what needs to be done going forward. “Every guy in here knows exactly what’s at stake every time we hit that floor. It’s no secret that we’re not getting it done right now. We haven’t played up to our capability, and that’s on us.”

Saturday’s game began a seven-game homestand that could make or break the Hawks’ chances of landing the fourth seed and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

“Our playoffs have already started,” Johnson said. “We’re just getting ready to get into the thick of it coming up.”

To each his own

First-year Pistons coach Michael Curry has his own set of issues to deal with.

But at Philips Arena on Saturday night, he was asked about the rift between Woodson and Smith and how he might handle such things.

“Everyone has to handle things differently,” Curry said. “I just always try to let nothing become personal; just try to do everything from a basketball standpoint, what’s best for the team. If you stick with that, hopefully everything else will be OK.”

As for Smith and Woodson bumping heads, Curry recognizes it’s something that didn’t start Friday.

“That’s been going on for some years now,” Curry said. “I heard there was an incident [Friday]. But you never know how those teams respond. They may respond and come together today, and whatever. But the reality is, we need a win. That’s what we’re focusing on. We need a win, and it’s a great day to get one.”

A different look without the Answer

The Pistons that the Hawks handled Feb. 11 at the Palace of Auburn Hills didn’t look anything like the team that showed up Saturday. They’re currently playing without All-Star guard Allen Iverson (back), and thriving without him. They’re 4-1 since he went down. Their first loss coming Saturday against the Hawks.