Hawks beat Charlotte in exhibition finale

Soon after the opening tip Thursday the Hawks flashed what kind of team coach Larry Drew wants them to become.

Al Horford blocked a shot. Point guard Donald Sloan collected the loose ball and passed ahead to Joe Johnson. Josh Smith came streaking down the lane and dunked a lob pass from Johnson to finish the play.

Scrappy defense is how the Hawks hope to win this season. They clamped down on Charlotte and won 92-75 in the exhibition finale at Philips Arena.

The Hawks turned in a ho-hum effort while losing at Charlotte on Monday but this time wore down the Bobcats.

“Way better altogether,” Horford said. “We had better energy. I don't know if it was being at home or what. I was very pleased with the way we played defense tonight. We really committed to it.”

Drew is changing Atlanta's defensive style, which he said was too passive last season. The Hawks now want to disrupt opponents with effort and pressure and they showed off the new approach in their final tuneup before opening the regular season Tuesday at New Jersey.

Atlanta forced 20 turnovers, enjoyed a 47-30 rebounding advantage and held Charlotte to just 29 points after halftime.

“In the back of my mind, I really wanted to win this game and go into the Christmas holiday and the regular season with a better taste in our mouths,” Drew said. “I thought we did a good job of picking up our energy.”

Smith dominated the Bobcats around the basket while scoring 21 points and making 10 of 15 shots. Atlanta also got a boost from its bench from rookie Ivan Johnson (15 points, six rebounds) and new veteran addition Vladimir Radmanovic.

Johnson had a good game Monday and was even better this time. He made 7 of 9 shots, recorded two steals and roused fans by pushing the Bobcats around with his muscular build.

“He was really good and that's who he is,” Drew said. “He's like a Mack truck. If you get in his way he will run you over.”

Earlier Thursday the Hawks made another acquisition to help with their defense by signing free agent guard Willie Green.

Green didn't dress for the game but is expected to eventually join the regular rotation.

“You are talking about a guy who is a combo guard that's a scorer, tough defender,” Drew said. “He's a guy that plays hard when he's on the floor. He's kind of had to do it the hard way therefore he has an appreciation for what he's earned. I think he's kind of a throwback. Kind of an old-school style player.”

Green is the second veteran guard to recent be added to Atlanta's roster, following the signing of Jannero Pargo on Tuesday. Both players will be expected to help fill the void left by sixth man Jamal Crawford, who signed with Portland as a free agent.

Neither Green nor Pargo has been as prolific a scorer as Crawford, who led the league in bench scoring in 2009-10 and was second last season. But the Hawks hope those two can help them win with a different style.

“You can't play a high-energy defensive scheme if you don't have the personnel to do it,” Drew said. “Both guys have played that way pretty much their whole careers. Jannero, when he was own in New Orleans and had his best years, he was very effective playing that way. Willie's style is very similar.