ajcsportstalk

By AEG

February 7, 2008 8:52 AM | Link to this

If the Hawks can keep the tempo up and the Closer can keep hitting big shots late in the game, they should be pretty good.

By Mick

February 7, 2008 9:01 AM | Link to this

The Hawks looked good last night and are taking care of their business at home. It was good to shut-up all of those Laker fans. Now if they can just get some fire on the road, we’ll be alright. Watch out LeBron, here comes the Hawks.

By smartguy

February 7, 2008 9:13 AM | Link to this

Congrats on the big win. It was a good win, but I still think we’re much better off without Woody. Wins against two very bad teams and one very goody team is nice, but we’ve been here before only to trip up for the next few games.

With all the top-tier teams that we have beat, I don’t know how you can complain that we don’t have enough talent. Stop wasting your time with trades that aren’t going to happen, and start winning consistently with what you have. We are much better than our record, and are capable of being much better still. We have reached the ceiling under Woody. It would take another ten of fifteen straight wins to convince me that Woody is not a bad coach.

By Dan

February 7, 2008 9:15 AM | Link to this

Let’s get the negative out of the way, this is a team with poor ownership, management and coaching, that is well known and always worth stating. That being said, we have a three game lead in the 7th spot, so it’s a comfortable lead for now. It’s simple for Atlanta. There are 12 teams with worse records than us in the NBA right now, and those teams make up 18 of our final 37 games. If we can go at WORST 13-5 against those teams and steal a couple of games from teams better than us, we should be in the playoffs. I think 38 wins probably gets us into the playoffs. I think 41 gets us the 6th seed and our only chance to be competitive in the first round.

And can we sign Josh Smith to that extension already for crying out loud?

By Peachtree John

February 7, 2008 9:16 AM | Link to this

Congratulations on the victories. This does not change the fact that the GM and the coach need to be replaced. It would, indeed, be a coup if the players could overcome the shortcomings of the GM and the coach. My best to each of you.

By preston

February 7, 2008 9:17 AM | Link to this

There is nothing like winning to make you forget about all of the frustrations of drafting the wrong players, watching a coach trying to fit circles in square pegs, watching talented players languish on the bench to no end, and having an ownership group that doesn’t know if it is comming or going…………these wins are nice, and I have enjoyed watching the Hawks win, but this team stil should be better than 21-24, we should still be utilizing our bench more, and consistently playing to our strengths.

By jsmoove

February 7, 2008 9:19 AM | Link to this

Although, it has been nice to win a few in a row, at some point that should be expected from bunch and not praised. Look at the numbers, this team can win at home and collapses on the road. Lue and AJ are only going to get you so far running the point…and for the Hawks this year, it is going to be a first round exit from the playoffs courtesy of Detroit, who we always struggle with.

Woodson has the team playing better, but not consistent enough. I wonder how far he can take this team and if a new coach may be needed to take this team to the next level. And for Billy Knight…please FIRE him!! How can someone who has done an awful job with top picks each year keep his job? Can ANYONE explain to me why Billy Knight still has his job? Anyone? I will never have complete faith in this team until Knight is long gone. How can we as fans feel like he is going to make the right decisions to provide our long suffering fan base a title with his personnel moves? And if Josh Smith slips away at the end of the year….I’m officially done with this team. And I mean it this time!

Go Hawks!!

By RealSquawk

February 7, 2008 9:22 AM | Link to this

yeah these wins one were huge to regain some balance for the season and to build up momentum for that up and coming all star break

but that doesn’t mean Woody must be around. but i must give him credit for getting the team prepared during the distractions

i think the interesting thing is the nba trade deadline.. so many different teams are moving people it seems impossible not to move anyone.

By Clarkekent

February 7, 2008 9:28 AM | Link to this

fire woodson.. they are winning inspite of him… not because of him!

By Angry Tim

February 7, 2008 9:37 AM | Link to this

MIKE WOODSON STILL SUCKS!

By naya

February 7, 2008 9:39 AM | Link to this

Go Hawks! They have the talent and skills to take ATL forward. Too bad the management is un balanced and not supportive. They are the main source of holding this team back to what they deserve.

By SmoothFanboy

February 7, 2008 9:39 AM | Link to this

Rock and Roll Smooth. Nother HUGE game. Don’t worry about being an all-star, your fans here LOVE you. We see what you do, and we recognize you for the outstanding talent that you are. Keep it up.

By Dean

February 7, 2008 9:40 AM | Link to this

We can close our eyes, pretend we’ve turned a corner, and that all the problems are gone. But the reality is that we are still a terribly coached team.

Until we finally took our chance late in the game, we had four opportunities to take the lead. And we screwed them all up. Josh Smith tried to beat a triple team, we threw up a quick of three pointer, and then tried to beat another double-team when the kick out was wide open. Sometimes these guys are so frustrating to watch…like there’s no discipline or patience. It’s got to come down to coaching when we continuously make these mistakes.

Now give credit where credit is due…the guys showed tremendous heart last nght. With all those missed chances to climb the mountain, they finally did it…in an atmosphere that amounted to a Lakers home game. The noise level actually dropped when the game ended!

So sorry Lakers fans.

By Pete

February 7, 2008 9:49 AM | Link to this

KEEP IT UP BOYS!!!!! GET THE CAVS!!!!

GO HAWKS!!!!!

By Steve

February 7, 2008 10:00 AM | Link to this

If we mostly agree that we like the players we have, how can we want to fire the GM? He has put together a competitive team for the first time in years and making the playoffs woule be a successful season to me. Other than drafting Sheldon Williams, who no longer plays, the draft has been pretty good. I think the jury is still out on the coach, let’s see how they finish the second half of the season.

By PaulWinchester

February 7, 2008 10:24 AM | Link to this

I said it before and Ill say it again. The Hawks in the NBA are what the NY Giants are in the NFL. A tough team that just doesnt know when to quit. Look for the Hawks to be crowned NBA champions in June of ‘08.

By Barry

February 7, 2008 10:27 AM | Link to this

Hey Y’all:

The Hawks is a running team and coach Woodson needs make and keep them that way. They shoot better on the move. They rebound better on the move. This is an opportune time for Woodsson to be going crazy and emotional on the sidelines. He needs to keep this time fired up, hyoer, and ready to play the next game , and all games, on fire. Woodson needs to be coaching and fired up on the sidelines as he has never done before he needs to talking and coaching continuosly throughout the games. He need to show his players another side of himself that they have never seen before. He needs to be hyper, pumping them up, and talking trash to the officials, protecting his players. The players need to be just as fired up and eager to play, from the starters to those on the bench because they will be needed to spell the starters. the bench need to be more than fired up than the starters: READY TO RUN AND GUN.

I am looking forward to the remaining games, especially with the HAWKS running and gunning. I hope the players and coaches are fired up as much as I am for the remaining games. It is up to the coach to set the tone. Let’s get dirty coach Woodson and get emotional and crazy for the rest of the season. Your players will love it.

GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! This is a SECRET from a HAWK FAN. TELL EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ringold

By Barry

February 7, 2008 10:27 AM | Link to this

Hey Y’all:

The Hawks is a running team and coach Woodson needs make and keep them that way. They shoot better on the move. They rebound better on the move. This is an opportune time for Woodsson to be going crazy and emotional on the sidelines. He needs to keep this time fired up, hyoer, and ready to play the next game , and all games, on fire. Woodson needs to be coaching and fired up on the sidelines as he has never done before he needs to talking and coaching continuosly throughout the games. He need to show his players another side of himself that they have never seen before. He needs to be hyper, pumping them up, and talking trash to the officials, protecting his players. The players need to be just as fired up and eager to play, from the starters to those on the bench because they will be needed to spell the starters. the bench need to be more than fired up than the starters: READY TO RUN AND GUN.

I am looking forward to the remaining games, especially with the HAWKS running and gunning. I hope the players and coaches are fired up as much as I am for the remaining games. It is up to the coach to set the tone. Let’s get dirty coach Woodson and get emotional and crazy for the rest of the season. Your players will love it.

GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! This is a SECRET from a HAWK FAN. TELL EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ringold

By Star of the Zanarkand Abes!

February 7, 2008 10:30 AM | Link to this

Isn’t it about time for a Hawks vent? Yep, I thought so. LET’S GO HAWKS!!! (AND THRASHERS AND DREAM!!!)

By hocker

February 7, 2008 10:33 AM | Link to this

Can we win enough games to deny the Suns a lottery pick? That’s my principal reason to bother caring about the rest of the games this year. I trust Billy will somehow find a great point guard or true center in the second round. And pigs will fly.

By Stoned Mountain

February 7, 2008 10:37 AM | Link to this

I am not a Woody fan; I think the team needs a more seasoned coach. But I give Woody his due. The guys have learned team defense under him, and the fact they are inconsistent, with effort that comes and goes, is on the team, not the coach.

But for anybody who has followed the Hawks over the last 20 years, as I have, you know consistent effort has always been a Hawks problem. Even in the golden years of Deke and Mookie, Lenny had to preach over and over that their key strength, team defense, only worked when they played flat out, from start to finish.

I believe the key ingredient this team has lacked over the years is the fiery leader, the kind that simply will not let his team mates dog it —- like Michael, like Kobe. JJ talks about it, but on the floor he is too much the quiet craftsman. We have not had that fiery leader since Doc, but I think I see that spark in JSmoove and even more clearly in Al Horford.

By lawman

February 7, 2008 10:42 AM | Link to this

WOODY AND BK NEEDS TO BE FIRED A.S.A.P….. we win because the players have a lot of fight in them. woody has cost us 10+ wins this year so far. BK should be fired for not firing woody by now!!!!

By Ken Strickland

February 7, 2008 10:42 AM | Link to this

Darn good posts so far. The issue isn’t solving our problems with a few wins, but how we win those games by minimizing those problems. These last 3 wins have demonstrated how we thrive in an uptempo OFF. Easy baskets makes our poor outside shooting less of an issue. I’m inclined to believe Woodson gave instructions to push the ball none stop. Has anyone seen our PG’s push the ball and play that fast before, especially TLue?

Horford literally ran Gasol right off the court. Gasol hardly played the 4th qtr, and when he did he wasn’t very effective. His legs were gone, and he wasn’t the same player he was in the 1st half. Our consistent uptempo OFF/DEF pressure caused them to suffer the effects of having played the night before.

Woodson has to realize he can’t continue playing his vets big mins. He can’t expect JJ, AJ and Lue to continue playing like they were required to last night. The same goes for JSmith and Horford. He has to use more players, especially in the 1st half. Hat’s off to JJ. He hasn’t been that aggressive with his jumpshot or DEF in a long time, especially in the 1st half.

Aside from poor outside shooting, our problems seem to be more psychological than physical. When we play a high profile opponent, we seem to focus much more. We seem to go into these slumps when we stop playing with energy. We usually play uptempo the 1st half, and step in quicksand the 2nd. We came back against Philly in the 2nd half because we played DEF, which stopped their easy baskets, and created easy baskets for ourselves by playing uptempo. We need to stop worrying about who we play and concentrate on how we play.

Anyway, we need to have a good gm and a win against Cleveland. We want to head west with momentum and our confidence high. GOOD LUCK AGAIN TO YOU HIGH FLYING FAST MOVING HAWKS!!!

By Jesse

February 7, 2008 10:55 AM | Link to this

It gives us a false sense of hope and it’s frustrating. This team is not consistent and that is coaching. They can beat the Lakers, but can’t beat a short handed Clippers team? Are you serious? Every win means 5 more games of Woodson, and that’s a problem. Why haven’t they signed J. Smith to a contract extension yet?!
Oh they could be so good at times and just so bad. How frustrating is that?

By UYGF

February 7, 2008 12:15 PM | Link to this

THE HAWKS ARE THE HAWKS AND I HOPE THEY CONTINUE TO WIN, BUT I THINK IT SUCKS WHEN ONE OF OUR GUYS IS SHOOTING FOUL SHOTS AND THE BOOING IN OUR OWN GYM IS LOUDER THAN WHEN AN OPPOSING PLAYER IS SHOOTING.

By Frank

February 7, 2008 3:58 PM | Link to this

1)WE MUST GET A POINT(ANDRE MILLER)WITHOUT LOSING CHILL OR LUE

2)CHILL AND LUE ARE THE BENCH PIECES WINNERS NEED.(TOTAL ENERGY@DEFENSE=CHILL)AND(CLUTCH SHOOTER@NO NONSENSE WINNING ATTITUDE=LUE

3)COACH: IF WOOD CAN SOMEHOW REALIZE HE IS COACHING FOR HIS LIFE AND UNDERSTAND WE RUN BEST,DECIDE ON A DAILY ROTATION(FORGET LAW UNTIL NEXT YEAR,HEY BILLUPS SUCKED FOR 2-3 YEARS,AND QUIT THESE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SPATS WITH HIS PLAYERS HE’LL LAST THE SEASON.

4)WIN ON THE ROAD(EASIER SIAD THEN DONE)BUT HELL,OUR HOME COURT IS’NT EXACTLY FRIENDLY CONFINES (example 80% LAKER FANS AT HOME)SO NO MORE EXCUSES!

By steve brown

February 7, 2008 4:29 PM | Link to this

I just can’t bare watching when I think that we passed on Paul, Williams and Roy. Our invisible GM, undercapitalized owners and comatose coach are hurting this city. By the way, the Hawk nicknames are pathetic, why not wait until they accomplish something before crowning them. In fact this whole organization is pathetic, fans that never played would have out-drafted this group of geniuses. Sekou, you just re-write past excuses, get tough, please.

By Capt. Caveman

February 7, 2008 5:19 PM | Link to this

Stoned Mountain

Not to downplay deke and mookie but the Golden Years for the Hawks were in the ‘80’s with ‘Nique,Doc,Tree,Lenvingston, Carr,Roundfield,Drew,”Fast” Eddie Johnson,etc.

Granted though that any year that we make past the 2nd round of the playoffs will officially become our best year ever. NOW theirs something to think about.

By Lamar

February 7, 2008 5:43 PM | Link to this

I think thier playing ok. But they are missing that point guard. Jason Kid sounds good. they can’t stop Lebron at the end of games!

By RA

February 7, 2008 6:16 PM | Link to this

Okay Lamar, I’m going to ask you to thank back to the last time that Atlanta played Cleveland. They won that game as I recall… Or did I blink?

Anyway, Blog Z, I don’t know what to think of these guys. God love ‘em they’ll be absolutely brilliant for a few games and then for the next ten they’ll leave you scratching your head! I don’t know. The one thing that I do know is that if they keep playing bigger than they are, they’re going to give a lot of teams problems. One thing’s for sure, Phillips Arena is becoming a dangerous place, even for the elite teams in the league…