Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks are pleased with their rookie crop

alleyoop — Wed, 21 May 2008 14:24:07 +0000

With all due respect to Kevin Durant in Seattle, Al Horford is the best rookie in the NBA. He has a huge upside and he will be one of the cornerstones of the Hawks future which appears to be a bright one. Horford played in 81 games (77 starts) this season for the Hawks and he averaged 31.4 minutes, 10.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. The most impressive thing about Horford is that he raised his game in the playoffs against the Celtics in Round #1. Horford started all 7 games against the Celtics and he averaged 39.6 minutes, 12.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game. Look for Horford to make some All-Star teams in the very near future.

Acie Law was also supposed to move into the starting lineup this season but he started the year slowly. With Law struggling the Hawks felt the need to trade for Mike Bibby and that was a great move for the Hawks. Law didn’t sulk as he learned a few tricks from Bibby and he played much better as his backup. Law played in 56 games (6 starts) for the Hawks this season and he averaged 15.4 minutes, 4.2 points, 1.0 rebound and 2.0 assists per game. Maybe Law will be ready to start when Mike Bibby starts to wear down.

G/F Mario West didn’t get much playing time despite playing in a lot of games as a rookie. West played in 64 games (2 starts) this season for the Hawks and he averaged 4.2 minutes, 0.9 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game.

Boston Celtics 99, Atlanta Hawks 65

alleyoop — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:02:32 +0000

The Hawks season ended with a thud yesterday afternoon in Boston as they only shot 29.3% from the floor and were never really in the game. Joe Johnson only shot 5 of 17 from the floor but he still led the way for the Hawks with 16 points and 3 rebounds. Salim Stoudamire was good off the bench in garbage time as he finished with 10 points in only 15 minutes. Al Horford had his worst game of this series at an inopportune time. He was only 3 of 12 from the floor as he finished with 8 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocked shots. The Hawks lost this series 4-3 but it was a very solid step for the future.

Atlanta Hawks 103, Boston Celtics 100

alleyoop — Sat, 03 May 2008 06:20:05 +0000

The Hawks outplayed the Celtics tonight and they have forced a Game 7 winner take all game on Sunday Afternoon in Boston. Marvin Williams led the way for the Hawks with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Mike Bibby only shot 6 of 17 from the floor but he still finished with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. Al Horford was busy again last night as he finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocked shots. Joe Johnson was only 4 of 13 shooting from the floor as he finished with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Josh Childress was solid off the bench with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in only 26 minutes. It will be interesting to see how the Hawks play on Sunday as none of the “Big Three” on the Celtics have ever won anything.

Boston Celtics 110, Atlanta Hawks 85

alleyoop — Thu, 01 May 2008 15:23:17 +0000

The Hawks didn’t have much of a chance last night in Boston. The Celtics shot 53.6% from the floor and they outrebounded the Hawks 39-28 which explains the final score. Joe Johnson led the way for the Hawks with 21 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Josh Smith only shot 4 of 13 from the floor but he still finished with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Al Horford was solid again for the Hawks with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. The Hawks are now down 3-2 in this series.

Atlanta Hawks 97, Boston Celtics 92

alleyoop — Thu, 01 May 2008 01:47:18 +0000

The Hawks outscored the Celtics 32-17 in the 4th quarter to pull away with a big win on Monday. Joe Johnson led the way for the Hawks with 35 points and 6 assists. Josh Smith stuffed the stat sheet with 28 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 7 blocked shots. Mike Bibby also had a solid game with 18 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists. The Hawks are now tied at 2-2 in this series.

Atlanta Hawks 102, Boston Celtics 93

alleyoop — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 15:24:36 +0000

The Atlanta Hawks outscored the Celtics 28-18 in the third quarter yesterday and they never looked back. They also outrebounded the Celtics 43-35 as they played inspired ball yesterday. Josh Smith led the way for the Hawks with 27 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. Joe Johnson only shot 7 of 18 from the floor yesterday but he still finished with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Al Horford also had a super game as he finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists. The Hawks are now down 2-1 in this series.

Boston Celtics 96, Atlanta Hawks 77

alleyoop — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:19:04 +0000

The Atlanta Hawks got pasted again on Wednesday Night against the Celtics. The Hawks only shot 38.3% from the floor and they were outrebounded 45-35 which explains the final score. Marvin Williams led the way for the Hawks with 13 points and 4 rebounds. Josh Smith only shot 3 of 13 from the floor but he still finished up with 13 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 4 blocked shots. Mike Bibby was only 2 for 7 shooting from the floor but he finished with 12 points and 3 rebounds. Acie Law was very solid off the bench with 12 points in only 21 minutes. The Hawks are now down 2-0 in this series.

Boston Celtics 104, Atlanta Hawks 81

alleyoop — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:02:57 +0000

The Hawks had a rough time last night with the Celtics as they only shot 38.2% from the floor. Al Horford led the way for the Hawks with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists. Joe Johnson was only 7 of 22 shooting from the floor last night but he still finished with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Josh Childress finished up with 10 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocked shots off the bench. Mike Bibby, Marvin Williams and Josh Smith combined to score 20 points on 7 of 27 shooting from the floor. The Hawks will need more production out of Bibby, Williams and Smith or they will have no shot of competing with the Celtics in this series.

Atlanta Hawks (37-45) vs. Boston Celtics (66-16)

alleyoop — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 19:19:51 +0000

This appears to be a huge mis-match when you look at regular season records but the matchups are much closer than it might appear. Here is a closer look at those matchups:

POINT GUARD: The Hawks traded for Mike Bibby at the trade deadline and that was the reason they made the playoffs. Bibby gave the Hawks’ offense direction that it hasn’t had in a long, long time. In 33 games (32 starts) for the Hawks, Bibby averaged 14.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Bibby also has a ton of playoff experience and he knows all the tricks.

Rajon Rondo had a good sophomore season for the Celtics. He started 77 games for the Celtics this season and he averaged 10.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Rondo is a defensive stopper and he could give Bibby some fits.

EDGE: HAWKS

SHOOTING GUARD: This will be the matchup to watch in this series….Joe Johnson vs. Ray Allen. Joe Johnson is one of the better guards in the NBA but he just hasn’t got the respect until now. He started 82 games for the Hawks this season and he averaged 21.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game.

Ray Allen fit in well with the team concept of the Celtics. He started 73 games for the Celtics this year and he averaged 17.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Allen and Johnson are both outstanding outside shooters so it will be fun to watch them mix it up.

EDGE: EVEN

SMALL FORWARD: Marvin Williams really improved for the Hawks this season. He started 80 games this season for the Hawks and he averaged 14.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Williams will have his hands full with Paul Pierce.

Paul Pierce also bought into the “team first” mentality of the Celtics this season. He started 80 games for the Celtics this season and he averaged 19.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Pierce can take over a game on offense if the Celtics’ need him to.

EDGE: CELTICS

POWER FORWARD: This will be a much better matchup than anyone thinks it might be. Josh Smith is one of the best all-around players in the NBA but no one ever hears about him because he plays for the Hawks but that’s about to change soon. Smith started 81 games for the Hawks this year and he averaged 17.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.8 blocked shots per game. Smith is always hustling on the basketball court and his energy rubs off on his teammates.

Kevin Garnett is one of the best players in the NBA, period. He started 71 games for the Celtics this year and he averaged 18.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocked shots per game. Garnett is capable of much more and he might show it in the playoffs.

EDGE: CELTICS

CENTER: The Hawks had one of the best rookies this season in center Al Horford. Horford played in 81 games (77 starts) for the Hawks this season and he averaged 10.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Horford is capable of even more offense but the Hawks have enough scorers that they usually don’t turn to him.

All the Celtics wanted out of starting center Kendrick Perkins was rebounding and defense. Perkins started 78 games for the Celtics this season and he averaged 6.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.5 blocked shots per game.

EDGE: HAWKS

BENCH: The Hawks’ bench isn’t very deep at all. Josh Childress is one of the best 6th men in the NBA. He played in 76 games (0 starts) last season for the Hawks and he averaged 11.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Center Zaza Pachulia is a better player than he showed this season. He played in 62 games (5 starts) for the Hawks this season and he averaged 5.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. Salim Stoudamire is the backup shooting guard for the Hawks. He played in 35 games (0 starts) for the Hawks this season and he averaged 5.7 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Reserve point guard Acie Law will back up Mike Bibby in this series. He played in 56 games (6 starts) for the Hawks this season and he averaged 4.2 points, 1.0 rebound and 2.0 assists per game.

The Celtics have a pretty deep bench. It all starts with F/C Leon Powe. Powe played in 56 games (5 starts) for the Celtics this season and he averaged 7.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Reserve point guard Sam Cassell was brought over from the Clippers during the season. He played in 17 games (1 start) for the Celtics and he averaged 7.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Cassell is a money player who saves his best basketball for the playoffs. Eddie House is a instant offense type player off the bench. He played in 78 games (2 starts) for the Celtics this season and he averaged 7.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. James Posey is a defensive stopper and a good long range shooter. Posey played in 74 games (2 starts) and he averaged 7.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game for the Celtics this season. Tony Allen got kind of buried on the bench for the Celtics but he has game. Allen played in 75 games (11 starts) for the Celtics this season and he averaged 6.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Glen “Big Baby” Davis has a soft body but he plays a strong mans’ game. He played in 69 games (1 start) for the Celtics this season and he averaged 4.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. Brian Scalabrine is a hustle player for the Celtics. He played in 48 games (9 starts) for the Celtics and he averaged 1.8 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Veteran power forward P.J. Brown signed late in the season with the Celtics. He played in 18 games (0 starts) for the Celtics and he averaged 2.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.

PREDICTION: CELTICS IN 6 GAMES

Atlanta Hawks 117, Los Angeles Clippers 93

alleyoop — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 17:48:47 +0000

The Hawks dominated the game last night as they shot 54% from the floor and they outrebounded the Clippers 46-35. Joe Johnson led the way for the Hawks with 28 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Josh Smith also had a good game with 25 points and 8 rebounds. Mike Bibby and Josh Childress each pitched in with 14 points apiece. The Hawks are now 27-38 on the season.