Diametrically Composed

Joe Johnson’s corner of the Hawks’ locker room is usually quiet. The reserved personality of the Hawks’ captain and All-Star guard rules most days as teammates roam around without much hassle from their leader.

Mike Bibby’s corner, on the far side of the room, is the epicenter of energy. It’s a joke-filled zone run daily by the Hawks’ veteran point guard and most outgoing personality.

While their personalities couldn’t be more different, the Hawks couldn’t have asked for a better fit in a backcourt that ranks as one of the NBA’s best.

Bibby serves as the feisty and often mischievous yin to Johnson’s laid-back and stoic yang —- on and off the court. It seems an unlikely marriage that came together last season at the February NBA trade deadline. The Hawks have risen to heights this season the franchise hasn’t experienced in more than a decade.

Where the ride goes from day to day no one knows.

But it’s never boring, thanks mostly to Bibby’s non-stop persona —- not to mention his sinister giggle that accompanies every quip. And with their two veterans leading the way, the possibilities for the Hawks are endless.

“When those two guys have it going, they’re as tough to stop as [any backcourt] in the league,” New Jersey star Vince Carter said. “They can beat you in so many ways. And they play so well off of each other. It’s like they’ve played together for years.”

It’s hard to imagine that they didn’t know each other when the trade was made.

“You don’t ever know if it’s going to work,” Johnson said. “I just thought it would be a good fit. My style of play is not complicated. So I wasn’t worried. I just thought Mike would come in here and help us win games. And it’s obvious that he has.”

There’s no doubt.

Entering play Friday, the Hawks were 37-28 in the regular season since Bibby’s arrival, with the franchise’s first playoff appearance in a decade tossed in for good measure.

“Basically, you’re just trying to play off of each other,” said Bibby, who took a feed from Johnson and calmly drained the game-winning 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left in a win over Houston last Saturday. “When I first got here it was tough. Everything was done on short notice. I was hurt. And I didn’t have a feel for the guys on this team without training camp or anything to get adjusted. But you just had to try it. You never know what’s going to happen.”

Steady hand

Former Hawks general manager Billy Knight had an idea. So did Hawks coach Mike Woodson.

After years of piecing together the Hawks point guard position, it became clear last season the team needed a steady, veteran hand to guide them if they were going to challenge for a playoff spot in Woodson’s fourth season.

With Sacramento trying to rebuild and the Hawks in need, a deal was struck.

The Hawks gave up veteran backups Tyronn Lue and Anthony Johnson along with Shelden Williams and Lorenzen Wright to get Bibby.

“It was a no-brainer,” Woodson said. “I felt, and I’m sure Billy and everybody else involved felt, Bibby would fit perfectly because he’s a great pick and roll player and could create shots for everybody, as well as being a guy who makes big shots, a guy that isn’t afraid to take and will make big shots. Plus, he’s a veteran. It wasn’t like we were bringing in some untested guy.”

Still, there was no guarantee that it would work out. When Bibby arrived, he was coming off of an extended layoff due to thumb surgery. He suffered a heel injury in his first game with the Hawks, a road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

He struggled with his shot early, so much so that Hawks reserve forward Solomon Jones felt compelled to needle him about it.

“We were on him about making 3-pointers at first,” Jones said. “He’s supposed to be ‘Mike Bibby, the king of big shots’ if you watched him during those playoff runs he had with the Kings. But he was missing like crazy at first, so I got on him. But it was all in fun.”

Bibby, however, got the last laugh.

Now, whenever Bibby drains a 3-pointer, he turns and points to Jones and the Hawks bench, making sure they remember who he is.

“We’ve always needed that kind of veteran touch on this team,” Jones said. “With a young team like we have, we needed a guy that could run our team a certain way. Mike is about winning and having fun. Even if we mess up and he gets on us, he’ll give you that smile and that damn laugh. He brings so much to this team.”

As valuable as his skills have been, Bibby’s personality has been just as crucial.

“I’m going to talk,” he said. “I like to talk. And if I feel comfortable around people, I’m going to let you hear it. So if we’re sitting in here and you haven’t said something in a little while, I’m going to mess with you just to hear you say something.”

And that includes Johnson, whom Bibby insists is playing the strong and silent role for the public.

“I haven’t seen it,” he said of Johnson’s quite side before smiling and then unleashing his famous giggle. “In the year I’ve been here, I haven’t seen this quiet side of Joe Johnson. It’s a lie.”

Dynamic duo

Bibby’s addition takes a huge amount of pressure off Johnson, who no longer shoulders the burden at the end of close games.

The duo is 1-2 on the team in scoring (22.5 for Johnson and 16.2 for Bibby) and assists (6.1 and 5.4). They’re the only players to start all 34 games this season.

Bibby also leads the team and ranks ninth in the NBA in 3-point shooting (.439), making him and Johnson nearly impossible to deal with when they’re on late in games.

“Joe is up there with the [Dwyane] Wades,” Nets coach Lawrence Frank said. “Joe has raised his game to where he’s amongst the elite. So when they get to the fourth quarter, Bibby has always been kind of the Cool Hand Luke —- he doesn’t get flustered or rattled —- he’s shooting 44 percent from [3-point territory], so they put those guys in two-man situations, and Johnson’s delivered.

“Bibby’s always been a big-moment player, then you throw Josh [Smith] in the mix, and [Al] Horford, and Marvin [Williams]’s ability to make spot-up shots … they’ve just been very, very solid in what they’re doing.”

The overall effect the Johnson-Bibby synergy has created is what stands out to Woodson.

“The fact that Bibby has gotten guys to buy into how he plays and how he leads says a lot,” Woodson said. “He’s not a screamer or a yeller. That’s not his nature. It’s the subtle things he says and does on the floor and off that let guys know it’s time to get serious about what they’re doing. And that’s helped Joe. It breaks the locker room pressure.

“He’s been good for me, too. Because I can come in there all upset and he will instantly say, ‘Hey man, relax. Settle down and relax. Everything’s going to be all right.’ And I need that. It’s reassurance for me that they have things under control in there as veterans.”

Johnson is having another All-Star season and having the best time he can remember doing it.

“It’s just good on and off the floor, thanks to that nut over there,” Johnson said pointing across the room at Bibby’s locker. “He’s just a cool guy to be around, and we hang out quite often. He can be kind of relaxed and reserved, and that’s how I am, too. But he’s crazy as hell, too. Winning has definitely helped everything, and it’s about wins more than anything else.

“But there’s a reason this is probably the best season we’ve had since I’ve been here. It’s the most enjoyable one. They say winning cures a lot. And it’s true, this has just been fun the whole year.”

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