Gotta keep this win in perspective, we got LUCKY

[CBAreject]

Dolfan, I think most people know what you're saying. I don't think you're considering their case, though.

Yes, night-to-night team FT shooting is a matter of luck. Some nights, a team will shoot 80%, some nights, 60%. On rare nights, they'll shoot below 50% or over 90%. Those outliers happen randomly, theoretically, so whoever benefits from one of those unusual performances can be said to be lucky.

BUT, there are other matters of luck in basketball. For example, certain players are injured more frequently than others, but the timing of injuries for a team is somewhat random. The same goes for suspensions.

It was a matter of bad luck for the Hawks to be missing 4 of their top 7 players tonight. Conversely, it was quite lucky for the Nuggets. They were favored heavily to beat our depleted squad. If the Nuggets had shot 70%, as exodus said, the would've won by 5 points. Perhaps they would have someone talking about how lucky they were that the Hawks were depleted, because if they hadn't been, how could they have shot so poorly?

[Iman]

We got lucky to win this game and the road game at Cleveland. But we got unlucky to lose a few game early like Seattle and Milwaukee at home. I'll take it. I'm still worried at we go into a slump the next 5-10 games until we get back to strength. Bet we lose the next 4 outta the next 6.

[Nicholasp27]

Quote:

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The point you are failing to realize is that we outscored them in 3 out of 4 quarters. We played better then them for 75% of the game. If I was a Denver fan I could say in the third "damn we are lucky to be winning right now. If it wasnt for those Hawk turnovers we would be down by 17 ourselves".

There is always if that or if this. How about we fouled Evans every time he was in the paint? It worked, he is a below 50% FT shooter for his career. It was like the hack a shaq. You act as if it was the whole team. We fouled guys proposefully becuase they cant' shoot. Evans missed 7 ft himself and Najara another historically poor free throw shooter mised 5. Take the two guys out that we fouled on puropse, and Denver shoots 14-19 from the line.

So we fouled two poor FT shooters on purpose if they got it in the paint. Got a baseball sceniro for you. Say two outs in a two run game. The 7 hitter is up, the coach intentionally walks the 7 and 8 guys to get to the pitcher's spot. Being an historically bad hitter the pitcher strikes out. The coach does this 3 times in the game. Then at the end of the game you say geez we were 0-3 with runners in scoring postion thats why we lost. NO, the team was counting on that pitcher to strike out.

Denver aside from the guys we hacked went 14-19. Sometimes stradigies pay off.

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great point

also, i agree that our guys in suits could field a team: speedy/chill/marvin/batman/zaza

that team at 100% strength (and with decent backups/bench), could win some games

[Diesel]

The difference...

The same zone that a Luke Ridenour (6'2") can pass over the top of... gives problems to an Earl Boykins (5'5").

If you don't recognize the defensive call that helped win the game, then maybe you are just making excuses for the Nuggets...

Because if you watched the game, you would know that when we put that Zone in, the game changed. Suddenly, Denver became tentative, didn't know what to do, couldn't get easy buckets inside.

That's why I gave the game ball to Woody.

What do you want?

Do you want us to sit here and say:

"The Hawks won, but they had to use that weak zone that Seattle busted up to do it. If Denver had prepared better, they would have known how to break it!"

Come on Dol!

[Diesel]

Quote:

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Sometimes you get lucky, other times you get unlucky. I don't understand your need to look a gift horse in the mouth. All the wins look the same in the standings.

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Damn, this feels like Bizzaro world!

[gsuteke]

i would like to congratulate fellow Squawkers on showing some restraint and not flaming Dolphan up one side of this board and down the other.

of all the things to say......

[exodus]

is the one on the hat you're wearing.

[Gray Mule]

Yes. Hawks were lucky. Lucky that they didn't play

the 4th quarter like they did the 3rd.

Hawks quit turning the ball over so much - That 3rd quarter

was horrible, wasn't it. Lucky to figure out who to foul.

Hack-a-Shaq defense with no Shaq. But it worked.

Lucky to figure out that a zone was the way to stop them,

but kept it in reserve until we really needed it, so that

they didn't have a long time to adjust.

Lucky to hit all those shots in the 4th. Hawks were

meaning for them to go in, so just maybe, some skill

of the Hawks was involved, but we meant to do it!

Lucky that all the players who got on the floor did what

was required of them. Lucky when Salim and The Landlord

had those "And One" fouls and hit the freebie.

Lucky that Sheldon, who is a great free throw shot, and

who had missed the previous 2 attempts, cool as could be,

dropped in those final points.

Lucky that, like the story of the race between the Turtle

and the Hare (You remember that one, don't you?) that,

when the Denver team ran away and hid in the 3rd quarter,

they went to sleep and didn't wake up in time.

"I'd rather be lucky than good!" Worked this time any way.

Hawks should have won that Seattle game, but didn't.

Should have lost this one, but we didn't. So, we're

even on that part.

I'd really rather be both lucky AND good. We're not there

yet, as Dolfan was trying to point out, but we're gaining

on it !!!!!

GO HAWKS !!!

[CBAreject]

So, after I said all that explaining how the luck went both ways (injuries vs. missed FT's), you reply with "we got lucky to win this game".

Sometimes I wonder why I try to say anything insightful at all. It sure does seem like nobody listens.

[DrReality]

The Hawks make me think of the Carolina Panthers team (I think it was???) a few years ago who had one of their key players rally around him when he was diagnosed with cancer. Adversity brings out the best in people and I think that is the case with Jason Collier's death last year. Right after his death they hit rock bottom for a few weeks/months. But when they picked themselves up they played good ball. That builds character and that along with JJ in the Olympics helped develop chemestry that can't be had any other way.

[BusBoyIsBack]

Luck is always an element of sports. Rather be lucky than good.

We are on a hellish road trip and all the wins we can get, the better. You can't complain about the win we somehow got vs Denver.

[TexasPete]

There was nothing lucky about the win. If we were "lucky" to win, then we were "unlucky" in about 5 losses. It cuts both ways. The team was depleted and gritted out a win against a hot team with twice the talent. It wasn't luck...its having cajones.