11 replies to this topic

[hds428]

Hey, it's better than nothing!

" Why were the Atlanta Hawks so bad?

Have they really snapped out of it?

Theo Ratliff and the Hawks have underachieved this season to say the least.(AP)
Sunday night the Hawks stared down a nine-game losing streak in the Palace of Auburn Hills against the Detroit Pistons and dominated them defensively with a 91-82 victory. The Hawks are now 4-3 since losing four of five on the road.

"We had played them well the two times before but made plays at the end," Hawks coach Terry Stotts said. "Tonight, we had to be tough. They had only two second-chance points in the second half and they had only four offensive rebounds in the second half.

"We hit bottom on the road trip and there's no question the pride of the players is showing. Since we came off the road trip, we're 4-3 and the total of the losses are by 12 points, New York (96-94 loss) was a last-second deal. They're showing pride, competing and playing hard."

With a starting lineup of Jason Terry and Stephen Jackson in the backcourt, balancing out the frontcourt of Shareef Abdur-Rahim, rookie Boris Diaw and Theo Ratliff, this is not a group that should have a 13-31 record.

"Of late, we've been playing great defensively, trying to step it up on both ends of the court," Terry said of Sunday's victory. "Trying to be more physical. We've been making the extra pass, and making sure you get a good shot on offense."

But really it was defense that won it. It's one thing if Ben Wallace has 14 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in a secondary role. But Wallace took three more shots than anybody else on the Pistons...

..."When you hit rock bottom it tests character and the only way you can go is up," Terry said. "We had to mentally look within ourselves and see what each guy can do to help this team to win. Everybody soul-searched after the West Coast trip and the guys have been playing great since then."

http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/7036386

[chillzatl]

..."When you hit rock bottom it tests character and the only way you can go is up," Terry said. "We had to mentally look within ourselves and see what each guy can do to help this team to win. Everybody soul-searched after the West Coast trip and the guys have been playing great since then."

JT, saying all the right things. I'll admin lately this team really seems to have picked up the level of play. But is it just a minor streak of their potential or is it real. Will it be here a month from now? It's hard to say. They seem to be finding an identity, trusting each other. It's fun to see, fun to have something good to talk about.

BUt i'm not ready to give in. I've been teased before. The last few seasons to be exact! I'm still hoping for a legit shot at the #1 pick. That could change. If we can string out a few more wins, I might be won over. But not yet!

[cyman3]

"BUt i'm not ready to give in. I've been teased before."
"If we can string out a few more wins, I might be won over. But not yet!"

thats exactly how i feel... im not going to get overhyped about our play the last 8 games.... im just gonna wait around and see what happens... should they continue to play well, i will support them and go from there.

[chillzatl]

we aren't playing like a great team. We're playing good compared to how badly we've been. We have yet to win two in a row. I don't care how many wins they get, if you can't put together two in a row, you are going to be losing more than you're winning.

[RLHawk]

I agree.  The biggest problem is that each year we have a good streak to make us believe we have turned the corner (generally late in the season so we have hope for next year).  I am not really buying into it yet this year.  I want to see some changes that set us up for next year.

What I would like to see....
Trade #1 - (As seen on Hawksquawk) Theo to Detroit for Campbell/Adkins/Darko

Detroit wants Theo (and need him going into the stretch) Darko is a hope for years to come.

Trade #2 - Campbell/SJax/Hendu to Minnesota for Wally/Kandi

Minnesota has it going...without these two guys.  They need so size in the middle for the playoffs (purpose of Kandi in the first place) but do not need chemistry challenges.  Wally has caused htem in the past.  With him on the IL, they have really clicked.  SJax has proven he can be a great role player on a championship team (and he is cheap)

WHY I WANT THIS....(I know this is a little strange thoughts, but here me out and then you can flame)

We end up with..

JT/Atkins/DD/JV
Diaw/Dion/Hansen
Wally*/CC
SAR/Darko
Kandi*/Nazr

With Kandi and Wally on IL, we will probley remain in the hunt for a #1 this year.  JT can learn a lot from Atkins. Darko has a lot of potential (2-3 years out) but needs some PT this year.  Next year when everyone is healthy we have a good starting line-up..JT/Diaw/Wally/SAR/Kandi  with a couple really good potential guys Darko/#1 pick/DD/Hansen.  I think we are positioned to try to build chemistry for the rest of the year and set ourselves up for next year.

[Diesel]

[Diesel]

I wouldn't say that our win over Detroit is the beginning of anything.  Detroit is a team that we match up well against.  NO doubt.  We played them closely before (OT game) and this time, we caught them in the midst of a slump.  It doesn't mean that we are a team that can now beat teams above .500 and there are some below .500 teams that will give us problems.  Mainly any team that knows how to put pressure on the PG and how to play Reef in the post will give us problems.   However, teams like Detroit that have a lot of role players and are reliant on one or 2 scorers (Rip, Billups) for points are easy pickens.  

Still, I applaud the defense that we played against them and I applaud the effort that we have been putting fourth.  However, we are not there yet.  I don't know if investing another season in this team is worth it.  We should try for the lottery.

[Traceman]

There is no question that we have played with more effort lately, particularly on the defensive end.  We have still had lapses on occasion but not NEARLY as many.  The thing I like most is that while we are certainly not a physical team yet and we are still undersized up front, we are not getting punked out by physical teams as we have in the past.  We have battled very hard against physical teams like SA, Indy and DET and we have more than held our own.  Theo has been as physical as I've ever seen him over the last 7 games and he's getting plenty of help from Diaw and Nazr.  JT has played the best D that he's played since he's been here.  Reef and Jax have been better than ususal defensively too (though Reef still frustrates me by rotating too late when Theo goes for the block).  I think that JT's effort getting around picks and pressuring the ball has set the tone for the defensive efforts of the other guys.  JT even held his own against Marbury (it was JV that Marbury got rolling on) and Marbury has always killed him in the past.  

If we continue to play with effort on D as we have lately, we have a chance to be a decent team in the medicore EC.  JT has always played better in the 2nd half of the season and because we had our WC road trip earlier this year, it might not be too late for this team to make a run at the playoffs.  Well, lets not get too carried away. We still need to win 2 games in a row before we talk about the possibility of turning this season around.  But, with Phoenix coming in tommorow without Stoudemire, we won't have a better chance to win 2 in a row all season.  Phoenix is playing hard and pretty well but I like Reef on the block against anyone they have with Stoudemire out.

I really like the way Jax has been playing lately.  He is FAR more effective slashing to the basket, getting out on the break and shooting midrange J's than he is when he's just launching 3's from everywhere.  He has been doing a terrific job of finding his offense early and I hope that trend continues.

Reef has been very consistent with his offense and I think he deserves to be an All Star.  VERY few people can guard him one on one.  He will never be a great defender but if he can just learn to rotate quicker and help Theo out some, I can live with his defensive deficiencies.  His man to man D is average at best but his overall effort has been terrific and it is great to see him diving on the floor for loose balls.      

The bottom line for me is that IF (BIG if) these guys continue to give max effort on D, IF they contine to play hard and aggressively against physical teams and IF these guys can continue to improve in the TO department (we've been better lately but obviously there is still a LOT of room for improvement), we have a CHANCE to surprise a lot of people and make a run at the playoffs.  I still don't think we're a very good team but Indy and DET are apparently the best the EC has to offer and we have competed very well against those teams this season.  Other than NJ, NOBODY else in the EC is appreciably more talented than we are and they just fired Byron Scott so who's to say whether they will be better or worse.  

All of the above being said, I also share your desire for the #1 pick (at least a top 5 pick).  My worst fear is that we will somehow manage to put together a winning streak and get into the playoff race but fall just short.  We'll then end up with a low lottery pick and pick in the high teens where we'll end up with a decent player but no one that we can build the future around.  I can't help but root for this team to win but I just hope that my worst case scenario doesn't play out.  Here's to cautious optimism!

[DocHawk]

2 wins in a row.....

[JTFan31]

I'm glad you brought the JT comment up.  JT has been playing the best defense that he has ever.  JT's problem is and hopefully was not that he cannot play defense is that he wasnt putting enough effort into it.  We all know JT has enough talent to be a very good PG in this league and right now he is showing his abilities, he is running the offense not great but very darn effective and he is playing solid pressure defense and getting in passing lanes and staying with his man, somewhat of a PG that was here right before JT got here to Atlanta (we all know who that is), but is not only JT, every player is contributing just as well, heck Crawford, Dickau, Nazr and JV came in and we didnt miss a beat.....it reminded me of those days with Ehlo.  I was most surprised by the way Dickau played, he really played with confidence and played great for the minutes he was there.  I also think we should give Crawford more playing time, because he is a guy that will take the rock to the hole with authority no matter who is there (Ben Wallace) and he can play solid defense and is an effective rebounder.  I think Dickau also deserves some time, but not sure if Stotts will bench JV in favor of Dickau and last night we saw JV, JT and Dickau at the same time because they had Billups, Atkins and Sura.

[Diesel]

JV didn't get Marbury started??   JV was actually playing tightly on Marbury.  So tightly that at one part Marbury got called for an offensive foul because he shot an elbow at JV for being too Close.  JT however, was given Marbury more cushion than a tempurpedic mattress.   JT has been playing a little better defensively but it's still his defense or his lack or defense that gets us to the win or loss column on most nights.

[pathway23]

Actually Diesel, beating an above .500 team is not surprising for the Hawks. They seem to be competitive in most of the games and most of their wins have come against above .500 teams. We need to beat the below .500 teams, the teams we should beat if we are competitive all the time