Hawks notebook

By Michael Cunningham

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

For three weeks, playing in the NBA was a lot like Xavier University for Hawks guard Jordan Crawford: He played a lot of minutes, took a lot of shots, and scored a lot of points.

But that was during the preseason. Since the regular season began, Crawford, the Hawks' 2010 first-round draft pick, has been on the inactive list for three of five games.

Hawks coach Larry Drew said he doesn't want Crawford to lose focus now that he's not playing much behind the team's deep group of veteran guards.

“I’ve got to keep him engaged,” Drew said. “He’s going through a situation a lot of rookies go through. He went from being ‘the man' in college to coming to this level, and their roles change.

"He played a lot in preseason because a lot of guys were hurt. It’s a role that he’s going to have to accept, and he just has to stay ready."

Crawford played his first meaningful minutes of the season Wednesday because Jamal Crawford (toe) and Mo Evans (knee) were out. Crawford entered the game late in the first quarter and scored his first NBA points a short time later.

Crawford previously had played two minutes at Memphis after the Hawks had secured a victory in the season opener.

No standings watching

The Hawks were the only undefeated team in the Eastern Conference entering Wednesday. Not that Drew would acknowledge even looking at the standings.

"I've heard that," he said, smiling. "It's still early. Way, way too early."

The Hawks say they aren't concerned about getting less attention than East contenders Boston and Orlando and the newly star-studded Heat.

“We are going to keep going about our business, keep playing and get better," Hawks center Al Horford said. "We will get our respect when it’s due. We just have to prove it to people.”

Holman streaking

Hawks radio voice Steve Holman called his 1,800th consecutive game for the team Tuesday at Cleveland. Holman has worked every game for the past 25 years, but considers his streak to have started when John Sterling left to do Yankees broadcasts in March 1989 and Holman started doing Hawks games solo.

“I’m proud of it,” Holman said. “I’ve been able to stay healthy, and they’ve let me continue to do it all these years. I look forward to every game like it’s my first night, and I really mean that.”