LOS ANGELES -- Kobe Bryant made sure no other player would earn the All-Star Game MVP at his home arena on Sunday.
The Lakers superstar then reminded Hawks center Al Horford that he's up next at the Staples Center.
“He told me, ‘See you on Tuesday,’” Horford said.
Was Bryant serious?
“You never know with him,” Horford said. “He’s probably dead serious.”
Things are getting serious for the Hawks, too, and Bryant's Lakers are just the start.
The Lakers (38-19) are one of five road opponents in seven nights for the Hawks, and one of three with winning records with the Blazers (32-24) and Nuggets (32-25). Atlanta entered the break with losses in three of four games.
“I hope we can come back in this second half with a renewed sense of urgency every game we play,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said prior to the break. “It’s down to 27 games. I don’t care what happened the first part of the season; it comes down to this. We have got to do things with a sense of urgency and totally commit to the team.”
The Hawks (34-21) are fifth in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the Magic (36-21). Their next five games preview an unforgiving schedule to close the season.
Atlanta's opponents so far have a combined winning percentage of .459. That's the lowest percentage in the league, according to data compiled by ESPN.com's John Hollinger (Miami is second at .477).
By contrast, Atlanta's remaining opponents have a combined winning percentage of .518. The Hawks have three games remaining against the Bulls (38-16),two against the Lakers, Nuggets and Heat (41-15), and one each against the Magic, Celtics (40-14) and Spurs (46-10).
There's evidence to suggest the Hawks can get up for those games: They are 8-11 against opponents with winning records. They are 0-2 against Boston, the defending conference champion, but are 1-1 against Miami and 2-1 against Orlando.
The Hawks, who lack depth, have managed to stay afloat despite injuries. Players who have missed games include All-Stars Horford (four games) and Joe Johnson (nine), reigning Sixth Man Award winner Jamal Crawford (six) and key forward Marvin Williams (15).
"I think this break will be well-needed mentally and physically," Hawks forward Josh Smith said after the loss to the Knicks. "I think come Monday we will be able to come in and have a good practice and be focused."
The Hawks were set to meet for practice late Monday in Los Angeles. They are healthier as they take on tougher opponents but the schedule is only part of their challenge.
The Knicks exposed their persistent weaknesses in a 102-90 victory on Wednesday night. The Hawks had scoring droughts they exacerbated by settling for jump shots, and their inability to stop New York's dribble penetration led to easy scoring chances.
The Hawks seem better equipped to improve the offensive issues than the defensive problems, but Horford said solving the latter is the key to a strong finish.
"We just have to be way more committed to the defensive end if we want to make any kind of push to close out the season," Horford said. "Right now we are fighting for positioning in the playoffs."
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