Duff_Man

Wade is going to go all out in that series. I'll be extremely shocked if Wade averages under 35PPG for the series.

Please go buy a woman. Get the hostility out, and come back.

My god...bad on the road, bad at home? How did we ever make the playoffs with a winning record?

This team thinks they're special because of winning some home games. 22 NBA teams have a winning record at home. Winning at home isn't all that special. Most of the teams do it. Only 7 teams have a winning road record. Which in reality means they're only 7 good teams in the league. I think the Hawks found out today they're still along way away from being a really good team. This was a big game to prove themselves in and they got clowned.

Just like Orlando clowned them.

You need to focus on the dopeness. Not so much on the wackness.

I love watching Woody pump both fists in the air.

Best part about that is it will be part of playoff lore for years to come. Sorry, Leon Powe.

Shareef was a mechanical post scorer that often got his shot blocked and he wasn't that great of a passer out of the double team. On the boards, he was a worse rebounder than his numbers suggest. He never made an impact on the defensive end either.

Oh no. I am on this side? Ugh.

Anyways, my beef with Reef was that he never seemed to hustle. Ever. He'd drive the lane and get blocked or whatever, and then stand there either staring or bitching at the ref while play went on. 5 seconds later, here he comes, jogging down the floor.

I am sure he is a fantastic person and all, but he never was an impact guy on the court. I thought he could be, but he never looked like he had the determination. Kinda the same way I felt about Smith earlier this year. He just looked like he didn't care at times. He could never be the main piece on a team. Good second or third option, but you can never build around him.

Uhm... a healthy Amare/Shaq would be better than Bynum/Gasol...

I think you overate Gasol/Bynum. Gasol's defense is suspect and Gasol is not so physical.

Can we really include Bynum here? He is constantly injured.

sounds like Mike Bibby

Except that Bibby produced on winning teams.

And Bibby is a guard...therefore he should shoot jumpers.

45-48 wins is a great season for this team. And to think we won 13 games a few years ago.

That statement is soooooo false that I don't know where to begin.

No. It isn't. All that ability and size and he'd rather loft up 18-footers and threes. He wasted more time trying to complain to refs than anything...usually while his man was getting an easy 2 on the other end. There's a reason he never elevated his teams.

He's not hating, but I wish he was. SAR was the complete antithesis of hustle and teamwork.

Scratch two of those teams off the list. We beat the Kings, and I will take a loss to the Mavs, although I think we're better.

Man...THAT is how you play a team game. This home stand has been incredibly fun to watch. They finally look like they're enjoying themselves again.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/pachuza01.html

His defensive reb#'s (per min) have increased every season with the Hawks. Kudos to Zaza for that.

One strength of his that rarely gets mentioned is his ability to stay healthy. For a big man, that's a major plus.

Zaza has a lot to offer off the bench. He's tough, he's aggressive, and when he gets to the line, he hits his FTs. He can handle the ball pretty well,and he really hustles. He takes his role and accepts it like a pro. I love how he has grown into this team.

Good: I get Bob and Nique on Sportsouth.

Bad: They aren't showing the game in HD.

I am pretty pumped for this one. Let's keep that home cookin' going!!

I think the biggest thing is mentally woody doesn't know how to coach young guys.

Larry Brown had the same problem. He always favored vets and traded and benched young guys.

I swear before I die I am moving down there and getting my Hawks and Falcons season tickets. Then i'll show you all!

Seriously, have fun. Represent Dr Zach!

VS

Portland: 41-24 (1st Northwest / 4th West) PF: 99.1 PA: 95.2 Road: 13-18 Streak: Won 1 Last 10: 6-4

Atlanta: 38-28 (2nd Southeast / 4th East) PF: 98.1 PA: 96.6 Home: 24-7 Streak: Won 4 Last 10: 6-4

Portland (41-24) at Atlanta (38-28)

* Cloudy Currently: Atlanta, GA

Temp: 45° F

* Game info: 1:00 pm EDT Sun Mar 15, 2009

* TV: CSNW

Two seasons ago, both the Atlanta Hawks and Portland Trail Blazers were 50-loss teams riding lengthy playoff droughts.

Now, they’re two of the NBA’s emerging young contenders, and both will be looking to improve their postseason positioning when they meet Sunday afternoon in Atlanta.

The Hawks (38-28) enter Sunday’s matchup having won four straight to start a seven-game homestand, including victories over Western Conference contenders New Orleans and Utah.

Joe Johnson’s 30-point effort keyed Friday night’s 101-87 win over Indiana as the Hawks played a third straight game without forward Marvin Williams. It’s unclear how long a strained lower back will sideline Williams, who’s averaging 14.0 points and 6.4 rebounds.

“We’ve all got to pick up our play, definitely,” said Johnson, who has scored at least 30 points in each of the three games without Williams after failing to reach 20 in any of his previous four.

“I’m trying to be the first one,” he added. “At least jump-start us.”

The Hawks also have played superior defense in their last four games, with opponents averaging 85.5 points and shooting 41.8 percent from the field.

One season after reaching the playoffs for the first time in nine years as a No. 8 seed, Atlanta is trying to strengthen its grip on the fourth spot in the East, meaning it would earn home-court advantage in the first round. The Hawks hold a 1 1/2-game lead on fifth-place Miami.

“I’m pleased with the way we’ve played on this homestand, especially considering the loss of Marvin, but the tough teams just keep on coming,” said Atlanta center Al Horford, who has seven double-doubles in his last 10 games. “We can’t relax at all, we just have to continue the way we’re playing and try to protect our playoff position.”

Portland has been especially tough on Atlanta, with a 108-98 win over the Hawks on Feb. 20 being the Blazers’ 13th victory in the last 14 meetings. They’ve won six straight in Atlanta - the last two in overtime.

The Blazers (41-24) have won six of their last eight overall, including Friday night’s 109-100 home victory over New Jersey, but they’ll be trying to solve some recent road woes as they start a five-game trip.

They’re 13-18 away from home after dropping six of their last seven, a stretch that includes losses to two of the West’s worst teams—Oklahoma City and Golden State.

The importance of the trip is magnified with Portland in a group of seven teams jockeying for position in the West’s 2-through-8 spots, although it is looking increasingly likely the Blazers will qualify for the postseason for the first time in six years.

“It is a key stretch, but I think that’s why (Friday’s) game was so important to find some rhythm,” forward LaMarcus Aldridge said after posting his fourth straight double-double. “I think that’s going to be big for us going into the Atlanta game, having a good rhythm and being confident to try to get that first one.”

Brandon Roy led the Blazers with 31 points and Aldridge added 19 points and 10 rebounds, but it was rookie Nicolas Batum’s career-best 20-point effort that was most surprising.

Batum, who briefly left the game with a shoulder injury but returned, also guarded New Jersey’s Vince Carter. A defensive specialist who has been a starter nearly all season, the Frenchman stepped up offensively with Portland missing fellow rookie Rudy Fernandez, who has sat out the last two games with a bruised chest and a hip pointer.

The Blazers also remain without oft-injured rookie Greg Oden, who has missed 13 straight games due to a knee problem.

maybe it's a good thing, we lost home court, first round and mostly importantly, head coach. i'll call it a good summer.

I find it horrifying that fans could think this way about a team like ours. If we were battling for the 8th seed, maybe.

Averaging 40 points 10 assists and 6 rebounds in his last 7 games is pretty legendary though.

Dude is turning into Oscar Robertson.

That's fine I have no problem with that. Did you even read what the other guy wrote? If he had of simply said he doesn't like it, who cares. But, don't attack others who like it intelligence or my favorite part

What's that all about? I stand by my previous statement.

Oh and by the way HipHop is the culture not the music. It was always hiphop. Rap is just 1/5 of it.

Allow me to add this to prove I am non-biased:

Who listens to sports talk radio for the intelligent conversation anyways?

nope. I'm 34 years old and listen to motown and 80's hiphop. And I didn't say people who listen to skip or whoever are unintelligent. I don't care what people like or say "so-so" shouldn't be on the air Duffy. See the difference?

I am 33, white, and have an old-school rap (when did it become hip hop? Stetsasonic?) collection that will make your head spin. I do not like the Stews, though. If I remember correctly, they were big on defending Deangelo Hall and Mike Vick. I may be thinking of another show, but I am pretty sure it was them. That's enough to warrant not listening.

Let me guess middle aged white guy who grew up on old school talk radio. Show isn't for everybody. I love the show. Guess I'm unintelligent. Oh well. But, it seems to me you might just be a bigoted intolerant *ss. So who's higher on the food chain?

Let me guess...young, urban black male who loves new "hip-hop" and can't stand guys like Skip Bayless. It seems you might be a reverse-bigoted *ss. It goes both ways.

He just doesn't like them. Get over it.

I can't believe VICK75 has invaded this board as well.

If we have home court and the crowd shows up like last year, we're second round bound.