Had to work, and missed the game

[bronnt]

I really need a Hawks' fan take on the game. Really, really wish I hadn't missed it, and AP's game recaps are always so bland. And I can't find anyone who did a live blog of this game, so I can't get feedback.

Looking at the box score, things that jump out at me:

Mo Williams had a predictably big night, but it looks like Bibby was our offensive hero, and made up for it a bit.

Was the game really as close as the score, or did we fail to put these guys away in the fourth quarter, as we've been doing at times? Looks like Lebron went off for big points-who did we have guarding him? And did we do anything on him that worked?

Bench looks like it was really weak again. Zaza was decent but doesn't appear to have had an impact.

I see only one three point attempt by Josh Smith, but 4 turnovers. Was it a good night or bad night for him?

Also, how was Marvin at the foul line so often? Was he doing his clumsy awkward driving thing that refs always fall for? Looks like he had a big night and rebounded from having such a terrible night in Miami...I kind of predicted that he'd bounce back at home.

How many minutes did Horford sit in he first half after (I assume) he picked up his second foul? And did he get sent to the bench for the rest of the game with 5 fouls (like last year)?

Love the feedback, if anyone can give it to me.

Edited December 14, 2008 by bronnt

[Peoriabird]

I really need a Hawks' fan take on the game. Really, really wish I hadn't missed it, and AP's game recaps are always so bland. And I can't find anyone who did a live blog of this game, so I can't get feedback.

Looking at the box score, things that jump out at me:

Mo Williams had a predictably big night, but it looks like Bibby was our offensive hero, and made up for it a bit.

Was the game really as close as the score, or did we fail to put these guys away in the fourth quarter, as we've been doing at times? Looks like Lebron went off for big points-who did we have guarding him? And did we do anything on him that worked?

Bench looks like it was really weak again. Zaza was decent but doesn't appear to have had an impact.

I see only one three point attempt by Josh Smith, but 4 turnovers. Was it a good night or bad night for him?

Also, how was Marvin at the foul line so often? Was he doing his clumsy awkward driving thing that refs always fall for? Looks like he had a big night and rebounded from having such a terrible night in Miami...I kind of predicted that he'd bounce back at home.

How many minutes did Horford sit in he first half after (I assume) he picked up his second foul? And did he get sent to the bench for the rest of the game with 5 fouls (like last year)?

Love the feedback, if anyone can give it to me.

The defense was good overall

Lebron was getting a lot of screens to free him up although he did take josh Smith to the rack on one play and had a Munster dunk. He also got a lot of calls

Mo Williams was blowing passed Joe all night long

Zaza played well Mo Evans and Flip didn't play so well

Marvin seem to have more pep in his step and was skying for some of those rebounds

Woodson used a big line up of Zaza and Horford that worked well in the 2nd quarter but went small in the second half and we couldn't buy a rebound.

Joe was quite in the 1st half but was big down the stretch offensively

Bibby got most of his point through kick outs and was wide open most of the 1st half. The Cavs must have thought that he was Smith.

Smith had that one 3 point attempt for no reason but he played well over all. He did have a few bone headed turn overs though

Al played good defense in the middle stuffing several drives to the basket

Law got no burn neither did Solo

Over all the Hawks looked like the team that won their 1st 6 games playing good defense and rebounding the ball. A little too much dribbling at times especially by Joe Johnson but the over all the ball movement wasn't bad.

[JoeJohnson2]

I really need a Hawks' fan take on the game. Really, really wish I hadn't missed it, and AP's game recaps are always so bland. And I can't find anyone who did a live blog of this game, so I can't get feedback.

Looking at the box score, things that jump out at me:

Mo Williams had a predictably big night, but it looks like Bibby was our offensive hero, and made up for it a bit.

Was the game really as close as the score, or did we fail to put these guys away in the fourth quarter, as we've been doing at times? Looks like Lebron went off for big points-who did we have guarding him? And did we do anything on him that worked?

Bench looks like it was really weak again. Zaza was decent but doesn't appear to have had an impact.

I see only one three point attempt by Josh Smith, but 4 turnovers. Was it a good night or bad night for him?

Also, how was Marvin at the foul line so often? Was he doing his clumsy awkward driving thing that refs always fall for? Looks like he had a big night and rebounded from having such a terrible night in Miami...I kind of predicted that he'd bounce back at home.

How many minutes did Horford sit in he first half after (I assume) he picked up his second foul? And did he get sent to the bench for the rest of the game with 5 fouls (like last year)?

Love the feedback, if anyone can give it to me.

Was at the game. Missed the 1st though due to some scalpers haggling excessively....Marvin got the foul line with some very aggressive play. He was catching passes while cutting to the basket and instead of pulling up or taking a dribble he was just jumping at the hoop trying to get the contact (one time in particular in the early 2nd he tried to dunk on LeBron I believe)....Was very encouraged to see him get his clumsy self going straight towards the basket more.

As for Josh, he had a pretty uneven night. His lone 3 attempt came in the 4th when we really got away from good offense. We just had Joe and Bibby fool around at the top, running half ass high screens/pick and rolls, and letting the clock wind down....Josh bricked one at the end of the shot clock with about 2:00 to go but then got the huge block on Delonte to seal it... The block he had made up for his turnovers tenfold though, that pretty much erased any hope Cleveland had both in matters of the score and moral, that brought the house down and was a bit of a chest-pound for the entire organization.

Zaza did play a lot in the first half and played decently well. About what I expect out of Zaza normally anyway, which is a few put backs, some offensive rebounds, and average defense. The thing that bothered me in the first half was Flip Murray. He's really starting to chuck too much (like he was known to do with the 87 other teams he's played for).

The game wasn't close at all in the 1st half, but Cleveland got hot at the end of the 3rd and we weren't defending too well either. Hard to say we let them back in the game though, because you expect a good team like Cleveland to make a run at some point.

I would've liked to see us keep the foot on their throat but I'm at least happy we managed to absorb their run and still hold on to win.

This was a very big victory for our club and should give us a huge lift going into Monday's game vs. Charlotte, which should set us up for a great effort against Boston.

[bronnt]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Looks like a big win, and a good way to kick off the homestand.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

I really need a Hawks' fan take on the game. Really, really wish I hadn't missed it, and AP's game recaps are always so bland. And I can't find anyone who did a live blog of this game, so I can't get feedback.

Looking at the box score, things that jump out at me:

Mo Williams had a predictably big night, but it looks like Bibby was our offensive hero, and made up for it a bit.

Was the game really as close as the score, or did we fail to put these guys away in the fourth quarter, as we've been doing at times?

I was at the game last night. Bibby played like the Bibby of old, if you ask me. His play enabled JJ to put it on crusie control for most of the 1st half. JJ was struggling a little anyway, but he was racking up the assists, mainly by finding Bibby for open jumpers. Mo Williams can't play defense to save his life, but that kid can score. He's a perfect compliment for LeBron. That game got tight after the Cavs ( and the crowd ) got energized by LeBron's dunk in the 3rd quarter. Up until that point, we looked to have complete control of that game.

Looks like Lebron went off for big points-who did we have guarding him? And did we do anything on him that worked?

Actually, I thought we did a decent ( not good, but decent ) job on LeBron, because I thought he might go for 40 or 50, seeing that his shooters couldn't make a 3 to save their lives. It was good that Woody decided to throw soft double teams at him to make him give the ball up. If Delonte West makes half of his wide open jumpers he had, the Cavs might have won the game. Szczerbiak was awful as well. Only Williams was helping LeBron out with some big time shots.

The thing is, you can't even breathe on LeBron when he goes to the hole. If you do, you'll get a foul called on you. The technical he got, was because he thought he was fouled going to the hole ( which he wasn't ). He's so used to getting the touch fouls, that he thought he should've gotten that call as well.

Bench looks like it was really weak again. Zaza was decent but doesn't appear to have had an impact.

Zaza was solid. Evans had virtually no impact on the game offensively, but did challenge shots on the perimeter. And Flip . . . ( sigh ). Flip is a turnover machine. His defense was decent though. I just wish Acie can get right, and step his game up to take most of his minutes. Right now though, Woody trusts Flip more than the trusts Acie. It's up to Acie to gain that trust, by playing solidly every night.

I see only one three point attempt by Josh Smith, but 4 turnovers. Was it a good night or bad night for him?

LOL @ me and the guy sitting next to me in the 1st quarter. Smith took those two early jumpers, and we were both like . . "no . . no". Smith, when he stayed under control, was decent. He had one real aggressive move in which he faked a 3 pointer, and went hard to the hole and got fouled. I wish he'd do that more often. He made 2 of his 3 jumpers, so I can't complain about the 3 that he missed in the 4th . . . I guess.

But he was part of the reason the Cavs got back in the game in the 3rd. After LeBron makes that spectacular dunk over Smith, he comes back down and tries to score on the offensive end. The first time, he tries to go behind his back, but lost the ball. Cavs go down and score. Then he does the EXACT same move, trying to get to the hole, and lost the ball again. Luckily, we didn't lose possession, but Woody immeadiately took his azz out the game because it was obvious what he was trying to do. That was the turning point in the game, if you ask me.

Smith was real active on the defensive end up until that point, mainly by challenging the shots of the shooters. He, Marvin, and JJ did a great job in doing that most of the night. But when Woody took him out, the Cavs got going and got back into the game.

Also, how was Marvin at the foul line so often? Was he doing his clumsy awkward driving thing that refs always fall for? Looks like he had a big night and rebounded from having such a terrible night in Miami...I kind of predicted that he'd bounce back at home.

Marvin understands his role perfectly as a complimentary player on this team. He had one of the better all-around games I've ever seen him play. He made a few great passes, especially the one to Horford in the 4th quarter. The 3 he made in the 4th was HUGE, because it put us up by 4 points, and gave us the lead for good. But his defense and activity on that end of the floor was most impressive to me. He didn't stop LeBron, but he didn't make it easy on him either. And he did a good job challenging shots both on the outside and inside. The one rebound he got, where he basically outjumped 5 people, was impressive as well. LOL . . I even bought me a Marvin jersey last night, after his performance.

How many minutes did Horford sit in he first half after (I assume) he picked up his second foul? And did he get sent to the bench for the rest of the game with 5 fouls (like last year)?

Well, in a game like that, it was important to try to preserve Horford for the 4th quarter. But Al did a good job in staying out of serious foul trouble, and actually played a lot in the first half. Zaza played decent while Al was out. Al had a couple of really good moves down on the block, and he was aggressive in going to the hole and drawing a few shooting fouls. I thought he was going to get a technical foul, on that offensive foul they called on him, when Varajao(sp) flopped and got the call. He got a few calls on him, strictly off of LeBron driving like a bull to the hole. Like I said, you can't even breathe on that cat.

[Iman]

The main thing I think you miss from the boxscore is that they sub Lebron way after most of the other starter on both teams. Actually I think he played the whole second half. He doesn't seem to trust his second unit and takes over the game during those times and we couldn't stop him.

Bibby had one of his best games as a Hawk. He didn't just hit open jumpers, he also made a few nice driving moves, floaters, etc.