Anyone else have the feeling that we're playing possum?

[Admin]

I mean let's be real here for a minute, there is NO WAY that we're really this bad that we'd lose 6 games in a row unless we didn't care enough to really try and win the games. I just have the feeling that we decided to coast once our 5th position was locked up and that maybe we're trying to lull the Magic into a false sense of security and come into the playoffs as the underdogs. I guess time will tell whether or not we are truly capable of flipping the switch come playoff time but for some strange reason I am feeling very optimistic. :alcoholic:

Here's our 2011 playoffs mascot ...

[Duff_Man]

Can't buy into this. This team does not have the mental toughness to just flip a switch back on like that. LD played a really poor hand by ending on 6 losses in a row.

[hawkfan15]

Yep, i would put nothing into the last 6 games. Its a new slate now for the playoffs. Besides, Ric Bucher on ESPN said we have the best chance of an upset and have a great opportunity to beat Orlando.

[capstone21]

I really hope so because the end of the season was really hard to watch

[Admin]

I really hope so because the end of the season was really hard to watch

Not for me ... but that's probably because I didn't watch it since I figured the team would lay down. We're the 2009 - 2010 Celtics I can feel it ...:superman:

[coachx]

We will know after the 1st quarter of Game 1.The Hawks come out attacking the paint and going at Howard then your thought may be true.............if the Hawks come out hoisting jump shots then the Hawks simply are who they were for most of this season......a lazy team with no discipline and no toughness.The worst things about any team are these 3 cardinal sins:1. Laziness2. Lack of Toughness3. Lack of DisciplineThe Hawks have shown all 3 of these characteristics this season. Last season many here thought they over performed in the regular season......this season its evident they have under performed.There is no dount they will try to flip the switch and I do bleieve they can make this a 7 game series simply b/c Orlando has as many warts as the Hawks do. I'm hoping the off time for Joe and Josh and will help refresh them.

Edited April 14, 2011 by coachx

[Crank]

I dot think we are playing possum . Those games didnt mean anything and this bi-polar fanbase doesnt make things any better . This team has known since training camp that at this point there regular season record means nothing the only way to show the league or bi-polars anything is to get out of the second rd . This team improved on the road this year ,face our nemesis who weve beat 3 of 4 times and have shown that it can beat any of the top 4 teams in the East . This team had its issue in the regular season but thats just it THATS WAS THE REGULAR SEASON . A new season is starting now where nothing that you did back then matters and you can erase memories of the regular season with a nice post season run. The Bulls are beatable The Heat are beatable The Celtics are beatable The Magic are beatable I feel this team will play much better as the underdog than it would as the favorite . Lets throw that ball out there and get it on .

[macdaddy]

Being overlooked may help us, but I think we've lost confidence. All these guys will WANT to step up in the playoffs but will they do it together? Or can they even?

[AHF]

Man I hope so. I want to see us play hard and with pride this postseason.

[warcore]

no because our coach is too dumb to think of something like that

[JackB1]

We are not that smart. And if we are "playing possum", we have been doing it since the All Star break.

[NineOhTheRino]

Josh and Al are the only players I have confidence in. Joe...well Joe has that little wittle boo boo with his thumb so I don't see him doing much.

Edited April 14, 2011 by NineOhTheRino

[ATLSmith]

Yea, I think they might be.Seems like the starters are just running drills while they are out there.The bench is playing more urgency though and has stepped up. We're going to need them.

[AHawks89]

I like the way you think. I also too, think that the Hawks had put it on cruise control. Think about how our team is hard headed anyways, you know they had to put it on cruise control. O well, I hope they heard the media saying we can't beat the Magic, Jameer telling D. Rose, "see ya in the 2nd round", and have the confidence now to beat them. I honestly think we will win this series. :D Prove everyone wrong. Go Hawks!

[Bawse]

Well, it's possible and would be the best case scenario. I really hope so for our sake.

[hawkman]

The second half of this season has been borderline unwatchable. But, if we were indeed playing possum and end up convincingly beating Orlando, all will be forgiven. LD will ultimately be judged by how this team performs in the Playoffs. The Hawks looked too good early on running his motion offense to think that they just abandoned it just for the heck of it. Maybe they decided it worked and that they didn't want to give teams too much film of them executing it?

[HawkItus]

I had a similar thought. What if Drew is planning on opening up his rotation more? What if we go with the Teague, Cp'n Kirk, Powell, Marvin, Zaza lineups more? Could we shock some people.

[coachx]

Man I hope so. I want to see us play hard and with pride this postseason.

I do too but I have never been a believer in a team simply flipping a switch unless they are a veteran winners with past playoff success.We have not played with pride or discipline all season and we have no past playoff success as an expierence to draw from.

[MaceCase]

We've just been spoiled by Woody for too long, he would of coached the last two weeks as though getting to 50 wins was the championship itself. Coasting the past few games may not be ideal but it beats having what happened to the Lakers and Spurs where Bynum and Ginobili went down in the last week of the season. For them it's tolerable even if it compromises their championship hopes because they were playing for the top 2 seeds but for us that couldn't go neither up nor down it would be even more of a disaster.

I really do think this team can turn it on though. We are not the favorites and we are not playing a team that we have zero history with so I don't see why the guys would coast through the series. This is a division rival and personal buggaboo for us, after what happened last year I highly doubt that the guys just walk in like business as usual, lay an egg and go home. There is some pride when facing Orlando.

[Admin]

I do too but I have never been a believer in a team simply flipping a switch unless they are a veteran winners with past playoff success.We have not played with pride or discipline all season and we have no past playoff success as an expierence to draw from.

I don't know that you have to have had playoff "success" in order to know how to flip the switch come playoff time. I think that simply having been there for 4 straight years now should give us plenty of experience to draw from in order to know what we need to do to be ready for it and that's a big part of why I think we may have been coasting at the end of the regular season.