“I need an Around-the-Way Guard…”
Two Weeks Notice.
Effectively, that’s what the top-seeded Indiana Pacers were served during the Atlanta Hawks’ last trip to Bankers Life Fieldhouse, the site of tonight’s Game 1 matchup (7:00 PM Eastern, SportSouth, ESPN).
Up until then, the Pacers were teetering on the edge of a mutinous implosion. Paul George struggled to find his jumper (39.6 FG% post-All-Star-Break), while a benched Roy Hibbert was back to sulking on the sideline and moping in the
"Déjà Drew"?
You’ll forgive Milwaukee Bucks fans if they’re paying even less attention than Atlanta Hawks fans to tonight’s matchup at BMO Harris Bradley Center (8 PM Eastern, SportSouth, Fox Sports Wisconsin).
There will probably be fewer attendees for this one than participants in Ekpe Udoh’s Book Club. But each Buck fan will have one eye darting at the sudden changes in the owner’s box, and the other aimed toward the goings-on over in Durham, North Carolina.
Today, Kohl and the G
He goes hard in the... yeah, you know. "Cover the Earth!"
Surely you remember that hapless kid, back in the day, who was a pushover patsy in the sandlot and a boundless source for extra lunch money? What’s that? “Sounds like a personal problem,” you say? Fine then, never mind.
But you do recall those Charlotte Bobcats, don’t you? The ones formerly led by Meddling Michael in the player personnel office? The guys that took Sean May and Adam Morrison in the lottery? The team that finally c
“If you like your jersey, you can keep it.”
Playoff positioning is on the line once again at the Highlight Factory, this time for both teams on the floor. The Atlanta Hawks can cement their claim on the final playoff spot in the East, and maybe build some momentum against a first-round opponent, with another victory at Philips Arena against the Miami HEAT (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, SUN Sports Network).
It’s Hip Hop Night and already, the HEAT got what the Hawks need. Miami (54-25) tr
This game was supposed to mean so much more! *sniff*
It would have been so awesome if it were tonight’s hosts for the Atlanta Hawks, the Brooklyn Nets (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, YES Network), and not just Brooklyn’s division foes across the East River, playing for their postseason lives. Alas, while the New York Knicks continued to sputter all season long, the Nets (43-35) bounced back strongly from internal strife and a season-ending injury to Brook Lopez to post the best record in the E
Never gets old, does it?
So, does anybody want to win a game around here? That’s the question two new coaches are likely asking of their teams tonight, as the Boston Celtics pay the Atlanta Hawks a visit (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, CSN Northeast).
Before burying their positive momentum toward the postseason in a barrage of missed three-point shots last night versus the Smoove-less Pistons, the Hawks’ most disappointing defeats at the Highlight Factory came in November, with losses to
Thanks to Josh Smith, Detroit's whole season just kind of bobbled away...
So, you like tanking, you say? Well then, tonight’s opponents for the Atlanta Hawks, the Detroit Pistons (7:30 PM Eastern, NO LOCAL TV), are your kind of team.
Sure, the playoffs are officially a lost cause in Motown for the fifth-straight year, likely the death knell for Joe Dumars’ worn-out-his-welcome tenure as general manager. But the Pistons still have something very important to (not) play for.
This year
Tell us the story about The One-Seed That Got Away!
If the postseason was based purely on locker-room levity, the Atlanta Hawks would stroll into today’s meeting with the Indiana Pacers (6:00 PM Eastern, SportSouth and FSN Indiana locally, NBATV nationally) looking like the probable 2-seed. The Pacers would probably be the team that has to play their way in.
After earning league-wide accolades with a 40-12 start before the All-Star Break, Indiana has been downright pedestrian ever si
Who will pick the Hawks' playoff hopes up off the ground?
The Cleveland Cavaliers got the wake-up call for their postseason hopes back in December. Now, they’ll come into tonight’s game with the Atlanta Hawks (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, FoxSports Ohio) carrying a wet blanket, hoping to return the favor.
They’re not necessarily done dreaming of a four-day, all-expenses-paid trip to South Beach, either. At 31-45, the Cavs sit just two games behind the Hawks and Knicks in the race for th
"I'm Mike D, and I get respect..."
“Playoffs, ho!” The Atlanta Hawks truly mean that, in the most nautical sense possible.
It’s likely that only a few thousand stragglers will warm the seats of the Highlight Factory for this mid-week clash between the Hawks and the Chicago Bulls (7:30 PM Eastern, CSN Chicago). But there will be tens of thousands of people 860 miles away in Manhattan with a close eye on the goings-on here. The Madison Square Garden faithful hope a Bulls victory in Atlant
“That was FUN! Say, why don’t we all get together and do this again sometime? What are y'all's names, again?”
“Who He Play For?” I had a little fun with some associates recently, armed with a list of names from the Clark Atlanta University Panthers men’s hoops team and people who have suited up this season for the Philadelphia 76ers, the opponents for tonight’s alleged NBA game against the Atlanta Hawks (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, CSN Philly). Only the hardest-core NBA aficionados had any
All right now, Dandy Randy... let's not get cocky...
Is some more Capitol Punishment in store for the Atlanta Hawks?
On Friday night, tonight’s host, the Washington Wizards (37-35, 6th seed in Eastern Conference), took an Indiana Pacers team (that leads the East and was smelling themselves a bit after besting the defending champion Miami Heat) and waxed them in a wire-to-wire 91-78 victory at the Verizon Center. They held the Pacers to 35.4 FG%, their best defensive effort of the yea
"'No days off. Or No playoffs.' Okay, that's one bar..."
The Portland Trail Blazers are in Atlanta to take on our half-baked Hawks (7:30 PM, SportSouth, CSN Northwest), and looking forward to being the latest team to stop their own three-game slide.
Portland has dropped eight of their last 11 games, the last seven without All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge (back contusion). During their trek across the Dirty South, they got throttled in Charlotte by 30 points, and on Monday got sunk by the
"No Playoffs Again? This is Hard to Swallow. A Hot Mess Grande..."
Are you gonna make it after all?
That question applies not just to the Atlanta Hawks but their hosts tonight, the Minnesota Timberwolves (8:00 PM Eastern, SportSouth, FoxSports North). Both teams come into tonight’s action having dropped three straight. But unlike the Hawks, who have the Knicks jogging in mud to chase them for the final spot in the East, the T’Wolves (34-35) have frittered away almost any chance they hav
"Whaddya mean by, 'All This Will Be Yours', Steve?"
Here come the Suns. And I say… is it all right?
As the 9th-seed in the Western Conference (41-29, just a half-game behind Dallas and Memphis), the Phoenix Suns are hungry to make a surprise playoff appearance one year after finishing dead last in the West. They pay a visit to the Highlight Factory (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, FoxSports Arizona) to face an Atlanta Hawks team that strives to… well, it’s hard to tell exactly what they’re
“Sure, you can have ‘em. Jeff Teague shook me out of these.”
The Kings. The Bobcats. The Knicks. The Pistons. The Cavs. The Celtics. The Magic. The Bucks. The Sixers. The Jazz. The Bobcats again.
The Atlanta Hawks have had a particularly underwhelming season on the road, an 11-24 mark that’s currently as bad as Cleveland’s. For a team that professes to want to make the playoffs as a low-seed, and do a little something once they get there, it behooves them to demonstrate they can beat a
"Ain't no paddles involved in this, right?"
Another barn-burner is in store for all you rabid hoop fans out there, as the 12th-seeded Ragin’ Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafay… huh, what? Oh, there’s some OTHER basketball being played today? Cool!
The New Orleans Pelicans are situated in the West Region, but for much of the season they have feasted on the East. Back when they defeated tonight’s opponent, the Atlanta Hawks (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, FoxSports NOLA) at Smoothie King Center on F
"Really, Masai? Really?"
I ask you... which is the best Toronto Raptors team ever? Butch Carter’s 2000 Raptors, with Vince Carter and T-Mac, plus Doug Christie? The 2001 Raptors, led by Lenny Wilkens and featuring "Half-Man, Half-Amazing," Alvin Williams, Oakley and A-Davis? Or the 2007 Raptors, with Bosh and Bargs, T.J. Ford and Sam Mitchell leading the way?
Think fast. Because the 2014 edition of the Toronto Raptors are very close to being better than any of the others.
A winning
"What? Who... me, on a .500 team? That's a stretch."
Remember those Charlotte Bobcats? Those guys that were pushovers, that tanked their way into the worst single-season record in NBA history just two seasons ago? The team loaded with draft picks that never quite seem to pull it together, and a dumpster fire of veteran castaways? The team always got in its own way trying to play defense? The team that could only beat the Hawks only once in a blue moon?
Yeah, forget all you remember, bec
“Now, I want you all to sign up early. Don't wait until THIS young man here breaks your ankles.”
The Denver Nuggets have flown into town, and for the Atlanta Hawks’ sake, let’s all hope their arms are tired.
The Nuggs (29-36, 11th in West) come into tonight’s action feeling mile-high, just hours after having dusted the suddenly-bumbling Miami HEAT on their own floor. Running through a five-game road gauntlet over the course of seven days, including three games in the last four, ro
"Prince's 1979 self-titled album? Yeah, I'm a big fan."
Following a horrendous road trip, the Atlanta Hawks return to the comfier confines of Philips Arena and are likely to kiss the floor when they arrive. Zaza Pachulia and Head Coach Larry Drew of the Milwaukee Bucks may very well join the Hawks in the floor-smooching festivities tonight (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, FoxSports Wisconsin).
A rousing ovation is likely for one of the most endeared Atlanta Hawks of the past decade. More t
"Don't sleep on my game."
Can the Atlanta Hawks stop their months-long skid in Salt Lake City against the Utah Jazz (9:00 PM Eastern, SportSouth, ROOT Sports Rocky Mountain), a club that needed a strong second half just to beat the lowly Philadelphia 76ers and end their own five-game road-trip losing streak? A lot will depend on how focused a pair of former Jazzmen are on the court.
Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll are still well-lauded for their tenures in SLC. Drafted in the second ro
"This comes with ankle insurance!"
The beatings will continue. But, does morale need to improve?
After just five double-digit losses on the season going into February, our Atlanta Hawks have dropped seven of their last ten deficits by ten or more points, including last night’s collapse at Golden State.
Even with the playing field leveled somewhat by opponents’ misfortunes, the Hawks’ defensive ineptitude has the team failing to capitalize. LaMarcus Aldridge had a rare night struggli
Full Squad?
It won’t have the same affect on the Atlanta Hawks as it has on tonight’s opponents, the Golden State Warriors (10:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, CSN Bay Area), but the Hawks may be as close to full strength as they’ve been in awhile with the return of All-Star Paul Millsap (bruised knee) to the starting lineup. Atlanta will need all hands on deck to have any chance of tripping up G-State and snipping their latest losing string in front of the 67th consecutive sold-out audience at O
Are you ready for another wild round of pinball-scoring basketball? Strap yourself in!
The Atlanta Hawks take their wobbly, hobbling expedition into Oregon, facing the Portland Trail Blazers (10:30 PM Eastern, ESPN, NO LOCAL TV) tonight. If you discovered that 140-point halves are to your liking after the nets burned with the fire of a thousand Suns’ baskets on Sunday, then you’re likely to be in for another treat from Budenholzer’s Bunch today. Indeed, when it comes to cumulative scoring, T
