DEL.ICIO.USLaw scores 20 to lead Hawks in preseason opener
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monday, October 06, 2008
Orlando — Any fears about Acie Law IV’s readiness to run this Hawks team were eliminated here Monday night.
Any other questions about his game, competitive nature or poker face were sufficiently answered as well.
MCT
Orlando Magic’s J.J. Redick reaches up to block a shot by Hawks’ guard Acie Law. Law came off the bench to score 20 points in Atlanta’s preseason win over Orlando.
Law, expressionless for most of the first week of training camp, exploded onto the scene in the Hawks’ 118-101 comeback win over the Orlando Magic in the preseason opener for both teams at Amway Arena.
“I think this ought to be a serious confidence builder for Acie,” Hawks captain Joe Johnson said. “Now he can relax and do the things that a point guard is supposed to do.”
Law played his role to perfection against the Magic. He came off the bench to help rescue the Hawks from a dismal first-half effort, scoring a team-high 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting as he and the rest of the Hawks reserves gave an impressive performance. Mo Evans added 17 points, including 4-for-4 from beyond the 3-point line against his most recent former team, and Zaza Pachulia added 11.
Solomon Jones added eight points and three rebounds, Flip Murray six points and two assists and Randolph Morris added a couple of late jumpers for good measure.
But it was the mercurial effort of Law, who helped the Hawks pile up 45 third-quarter points, that ultimately helped turn the game around. He added five rebounds and four assists in just over 25 minutes of action, including the bulk of the crucial minutes after halftime, when he scored 16 points.
“I’m just trying to show my coaches, my teammates and management that I’m ready,” Law said with his head down in the locker room after the game. “My goal was to get stronger this summer and have a good summer league in Utah and I think I did that. But tonight was about me running things out there, getting my guys in position and making sure they had the ball when they needed it.
“The shots won’t be there every night, so you can’t focus on that. It was just about taking what was available, and there were openings to take advantage of and that’s what I did.”
Just before tip off, Hawks coach Mike Woodson leaned over to assistant coach Larry Drew and told him that if they were going to excel this season they would need a huge contribution from Law, who is backing up veteran point guard Mike Bibby.
“It’s the truth,” Woodson said. “He has to play a major role in what we do this year. And tonight I noticed the difference in him. He’s intense. It showed in practice all week and he’s trying to be conscious of what he’s doing and it was a nice carryover into the game.”
Law’s heroics couldn’t have come at a better time for the Hawks. The Magic led by as many as 10 points early on behind the play of All-Star center and Atlanta native Dwight Howard (17 points, eight blocks).
With the starters sputtering along and the Magic cruising, Law and the reserves blew the game open in the third quarter with crazy energy. Evans was fantastic, making six of his nine shots and dishing out three assists. On the night, the reserves outscored the starters 67-51. “That’s definitely what we didn’t have last year,” Marvin Williams said. “We’ve got so many guys off that bench that can score. If they can play like that all year, we’re going to be just fine.”
And if Law can continue to perform at the level he did Monday night, he’ll go a long way toward putting to rest his uneven rookie season, which was marred by frequent injuries and repeated stints in Woodson’s doghouse.
“That’s why I’ve kept my head down this year and just kept plugging,” Law said. “I’m just focused. It’s not about play time for me. It’s not about joking. I’ve got something to prove. I feel like I was the 11th pick in the draft for a reason and this is the year I have to show that.”
Services »