Initial feedback: A completely subjective and immediate response to the events of tonight's game, featuring a comment and rating, the latter on a scale of 1 to 10, on every player who saw the floor and the head coach, along with ephemera and miscellany as the author deems necessary.
Your ratings and commentary, dear reader, are welcomed in the comments to this post.
Boxscore
Players
Jeff Teague: There are few things more entertaining in a battle between middle-class teams than a point guard blocking three shots. Thoroughly outplayed the Knicks' second- through fourth-string point guards. Mike Woodson might not have expected that. 7/10
Kirk Hinrich: Eeesh. 2/10
Joe Johnson: Super Willie Green. His shot-making and New York's inability to convert beating him off the dribble into points were the differences in the game. 8/10
Josh Smith: 23 points on 13 shots in the paint. 0 points on 6 shots outside of the paint. Seven turnovers make it difficult for the former to make up for the latter. On the other end, Carmelo Anthony is a terrible matchup for Josh Smith. Smith struggles to defend at the point of attack. Anthony is all point of attack. By making Smith defend the ball, New York really limited his impact on the defensive glass, just four defensive rebounds in 38 minutes for a guy pulling down a quarter of opponents' misses this season. 7/10
Zaza Pachulia: Will never have the defensive impact of Tyson Chandler but attacked the glass and scored one handful of points to make a play for a a draw. 5/10
Marvin Williams: If you only watch the ball when the offensive team has it, Willie Green was the unquestioned star off the bench. If you watch the entire basketball game, Marvin Williams was his equal. 6/10
Willie Green: If he makes every shot, Willie Green is a good basketball player. Even then, he's also a poor defender. Baron Davis beat him off the dribble in the fourth quarter but couldn't finish at the rim. The inability of the Knicks to guard Green in the fourth was as telling as their inability to exploit him offensively. 7/10
Ivan Johnson: Ivan Johnson is not going to get regular minutes. 2/10
Jerry Stackhouse: Marked present. Incomplete
Jason Collins: A new scoreless game streak begins. Incomplete
The head coach
Simply by virtue of standing on the Atlanta sideline for the better part of two seasons while Mike Woodson has been a head coach for 10 games, Larry Drew won whatever power struggle may or may not have gone down between the two. Drew also works for the better organization as the Hawks without Al Horford were clearly superior to the Knicks without Amare Stoudemire. But the Hawks rarely look bad when they make half (48.6 eFG% from 15 feet and beyond) their jump shots. 6/10
Showing posts with label knicks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label knicks. Show all posts
Friday, March 30, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Initial Feedback: Pessimism Is in the Title of This Blog
Initial feedback: A completely subjective and immediate response to the events of tonight's game, featuring a comment and rating, the latter on a scale of 1 to 10, on every player who saw the floor and the head coach, along with ephemera and miscellany as the author deems necessary.
Your ratings and commentary, dear reader, are welcomed in the comments to this post.
Boxscore
Players
Jeff Teague: It'll be another season before we can fairly judge Jeff Teague's ability to defend the pick-and-roll. In the meantime, Teague offers to outscore the point guards the Hawks can't stop. Which would be interesting were it not for the long stretches he spends on the bench. 5/10
Willie Green: Landry Fields put a clown suit on him in the first half. 16 points on 16 shots ain't making up for that. 3/10
Marvin Williams: Marvin didn't ask for a trade but he's not exactly integrated into a functional organization, either. Condolences, and play better tomorrow night. The team will need it. Again. 4/10
Josh Smith: It's on a night like this, down two of his three fellow paid players, that Smith's willingness to take horrible shots, throw his hands in the air, and generally not overcome adversity hurts his reputation. A defensive rebound every 11 minutes? That's one for every two jump shots he took. 4/10
Zaza Pachulia: A terrible matchup for Zaza. That he was under-appreciated for several years does not mean he's not sometimes overmatched as a starter in Horford's absence. 3/10
Kirk Hinrich: Looked horrible again though Larry Drew's reluctance to play Hinrich and Teague together is approaching Marvin/McGrady levels. If the Hawks think they're showcasing Hinrich for a trade, they're not improving the potential return. 2/10
Tracy McGrady: Understandably, he likes playing. Unfortunately, he's not a difference maker, on his own, any more. 3/10
Jerry Stackhouse: Started the second half. Played the entire third quarter. Made a couple of corner threes. Probably will give him the chance to create garbage time in the near future. 3/10
Jannero Pargo: For some reason, he played seven scoreless first half minutes. Pargo's the guy you go to down 20 in the second half. 1/10
Vladimir Radmanovic: A decent defensive rebounder for a stretch four. Who wouldn't rather, on tonight's evidence, have Steve Novak to make most of his shots when stretching instead. 2/10
Ivan Johnson: I propose that the lack of structure within the organization manifests itself when Ivan Johnson touches the ball. He clearly thinks that it's little different than Erie and that he should create offense. It's not and he mostly shouldn't. 2/10
Erick Dampier: Can't defend the pick-and-roll. In that respect, a perfect Jason Collins fill-in. 1/10
The head coach
It's not easy to coach without 40% of the team's payroll, but it shouldn't be easy to oversee a structureless mess, either. Outside of Smith, Johnson, and Pachulia, no one's getting regular minutes or has a defined role. Johnson and Smith arguably don't have roles defined toward their strengths. With the rest of the roster on one-year deals or possessing a history of mistrust and self-doubt from the franchise, it's not surprising they're susceptible to a not very good team that, to one-up the Hawks in a profound way, has a defined system. 1/10
A thought regarding the opposition
Josh Smith is a good defensive player. Some nights, he's a very good defensive player. Watching Tyson Chandler play defense puts Smith in perspective. Chandler doesn't take plays off, switch screens, or yell at teammates. Chandler tries to stop the other team from scoring. He deserved to be part of a championship team last season and he deserves the increased offensive role Jeremy Lin's emergence in New York provides him.
Your ratings and commentary, dear reader, are welcomed in the comments to this post.
Boxscore
Players
Jeff Teague: It'll be another season before we can fairly judge Jeff Teague's ability to defend the pick-and-roll. In the meantime, Teague offers to outscore the point guards the Hawks can't stop. Which would be interesting were it not for the long stretches he spends on the bench. 5/10
Willie Green: Landry Fields put a clown suit on him in the first half. 16 points on 16 shots ain't making up for that. 3/10
Marvin Williams: Marvin didn't ask for a trade but he's not exactly integrated into a functional organization, either. Condolences, and play better tomorrow night. The team will need it. Again. 4/10
Josh Smith: It's on a night like this, down two of his three fellow paid players, that Smith's willingness to take horrible shots, throw his hands in the air, and generally not overcome adversity hurts his reputation. A defensive rebound every 11 minutes? That's one for every two jump shots he took. 4/10
Zaza Pachulia: A terrible matchup for Zaza. That he was under-appreciated for several years does not mean he's not sometimes overmatched as a starter in Horford's absence. 3/10
Kirk Hinrich: Looked horrible again though Larry Drew's reluctance to play Hinrich and Teague together is approaching Marvin/McGrady levels. If the Hawks think they're showcasing Hinrich for a trade, they're not improving the potential return. 2/10
Tracy McGrady: Understandably, he likes playing. Unfortunately, he's not a difference maker, on his own, any more. 3/10
Jerry Stackhouse: Started the second half. Played the entire third quarter. Made a couple of corner threes. Probably will give him the chance to create garbage time in the near future. 3/10
Jannero Pargo: For some reason, he played seven scoreless first half minutes. Pargo's the guy you go to down 20 in the second half. 1/10
Vladimir Radmanovic: A decent defensive rebounder for a stretch four. Who wouldn't rather, on tonight's evidence, have Steve Novak to make most of his shots when stretching instead. 2/10
Ivan Johnson: I propose that the lack of structure within the organization manifests itself when Ivan Johnson touches the ball. He clearly thinks that it's little different than Erie and that he should create offense. It's not and he mostly shouldn't. 2/10
Erick Dampier: Can't defend the pick-and-roll. In that respect, a perfect Jason Collins fill-in. 1/10
The head coach
It's not easy to coach without 40% of the team's payroll, but it shouldn't be easy to oversee a structureless mess, either. Outside of Smith, Johnson, and Pachulia, no one's getting regular minutes or has a defined role. Johnson and Smith arguably don't have roles defined toward their strengths. With the rest of the roster on one-year deals or possessing a history of mistrust and self-doubt from the franchise, it's not surprising they're susceptible to a not very good team that, to one-up the Hawks in a profound way, has a defined system. 1/10
A thought regarding the opposition
Josh Smith is a good defensive player. Some nights, he's a very good defensive player. Watching Tyson Chandler play defense puts Smith in perspective. Chandler doesn't take plays off, switch screens, or yell at teammates. Chandler tries to stop the other team from scoring. He deserved to be part of a championship team last season and he deserves the increased offensive role Jeremy Lin's emergence in New York provides him.
Monday, March 07, 2011
New York Knicks 92 Atlanta Hawks 79
Boxscore
Gameflow
Hoopdata boxscore
Highlights
If the comeback victory over the Chicago Bulls demonstrated the interconnectedness of offense and defense, then last night's home loss to the New York Knicks demonstrated that, in the short-term, the act of creating open shots can mean little if those open shots aren't made.
During the Baseball Analytics panel at Sloan, Tom Tippett of the Boston Red Sox spoke (generally) about his efforts to evaluate process rather than results. The idea being that much can go right for a player or a team despite an unsuccessful end result and vice versa. If one defines process as the sum of the acts that led to the a player taking a shot, then, process-wise, the Hawks and Knicks were essentially equal last night. The Knicks won by 13 points because they were far more effective in the act of taking shots. And there's a reason that eFG% is the most important of the four factors.
There were reasons the Hawks lost beyond not making good shots. Al Horford missing six of eight shots hurts worse when Josh Smith takes eight jump shots (making two, one of which was a three-pointer) and the Hawks further squandered their margin for error by turning the ball over on 24.1% of their possessions and getting to the free throw line just nine times.
The Knicks deserve credit for increasing their own likelihood of making open shots. In their decisive fourth quarter run, New York neutralized the defensive impact of Al Horford and Josh Smith by forcing them to close out on three-point shooters.
Plus, it must be acknowledged that the Knicks were without Chauncey Billups and Ronny Turiaf for the entire game and with Carmelo Anthony seeing double for the better part of three quarters. This was a game the Hawks probably should have won and they didn't. It was a bad result but, generally, the process was sound (especially in terms of the team's inescapable and long-standing limitations) and, over time, sound process will lead to good results more often than not.
Larry Drew:
Al Horford:
Gameflow
Hoopdata boxscore
Highlights
| Team | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| NY | 87 | 1.057 | 53.2 | 12.9 | 20.6 | 16.1 |
| ATL | 87 | 0.908 | 48.6 | 9.5 | 18.4 | 24.1 |
If the comeback victory over the Chicago Bulls demonstrated the interconnectedness of offense and defense, then last night's home loss to the New York Knicks demonstrated that, in the short-term, the act of creating open shots can mean little if those open shots aren't made.
During the Baseball Analytics panel at Sloan, Tom Tippett of the Boston Red Sox spoke (generally) about his efforts to evaluate process rather than results. The idea being that much can go right for a player or a team despite an unsuccessful end result and vice versa. If one defines process as the sum of the acts that led to the a player taking a shot, then, process-wise, the Hawks and Knicks were essentially equal last night. The Knicks won by 13 points because they were far more effective in the act of taking shots. And there's a reason that eFG% is the most important of the four factors.
There were reasons the Hawks lost beyond not making good shots. Al Horford missing six of eight shots hurts worse when Josh Smith takes eight jump shots (making two, one of which was a three-pointer) and the Hawks further squandered their margin for error by turning the ball over on 24.1% of their possessions and getting to the free throw line just nine times.
The Knicks deserve credit for increasing their own likelihood of making open shots. In their decisive fourth quarter run, New York neutralized the defensive impact of Al Horford and Josh Smith by forcing them to close out on three-point shooters.
Plus, it must be acknowledged that the Knicks were without Chauncey Billups and Ronny Turiaf for the entire game and with Carmelo Anthony seeing double for the better part of three quarters. This was a game the Hawks probably should have won and they didn't. It was a bad result but, generally, the process was sound (especially in terms of the team's inescapable and long-standing limitations) and, over time, sound process will lead to good results more often than not.
Larry Drew:
"Right now, we’re in disarray. We’re not playing with the type of confidence and the type of swagger we should be playing with at home. And that’s a very disturbing thing."The post rotation provides the best evidence of top-to-bottom disarray by a wide margin. Jason Collins doesn't play unless he starts, Zaza Pachulia's production and playing time have become dissociated to near-Teaguian proportions, Josh Powell is brought off the bench about once a month to remind Drew that he can't play, a process Hilton Armstrong likely (hopefully?) began last night.
Al Horford:
"They moved the ball well, making big shots. I think we became real stagnant on offense. I think it carried over to the defensive end."Amar'e Stoudemire on the Atlanta crowd:
"It felt like a home game in the fourth quarter."
Thursday, February 17, 2011
New York Knicks 102 Atlanta Hawks 90
Boxscore
Gameflow
Hoopdata boxscore
Highlights
It would be unfair to blame this loss entirely on Mike Bibby's defensive shortcomings as he's not to blame for the Hawks missing plenty of good shots while falling behind in the first quarter, Josh Smith taking nine more jump shots (making three), or Smith and Joe Johnson throwing the ball away on three successive fourth quarter possessions, effectively eliminating any question about which team would win the game but New York scored 102 points on just 92 possessions with the vast majority of those points coming from attacking Bibby or attacking the weaknesses created through the machinations involved in attempting to hide Bibby's defensive liabilities.
Primarily, the Knicks attacked Bibby on the pick-and-roll. Bibby's lack of mobility forced whichever player guarded the screener into double-duty: slow the ball-handler and recover quickly onto his man. Because, if the Hawks switched on the ball-screen, the screener could either roll Bibby into the deep post or pop and shoot over Bibby. Most often, Bibby went under the ball-screen, his help defender showed on the ball-handler, then quickly retreated to his man. This gave the ball-handler two options: 1) take an uncontested jumper or 2) attack Bibby off the dribble again in the hopes of drawing another help defender. And that second option created two avenues of attack for the ball-handler. He could attack in the hopes of either again drawing help off the initial screener or from off of one of New York's spot-up shooters.
When Larry Drew attempted to remove Bibby from the screen-and-roll defense he did so by keeping Bibby on the court but assigning Joe Johnson to guard the ball-handler. Joe Johnson struggles mightily dealing with off-the-ball screens and had little success* dealing with the combination of Raymond Felton's speed and the ball-screens inherent in the design of New York's offense.
*Nor should he have been expected to have success in that situation.
Finally, as has been tried so often this season as the Hawks have been attempting futile comebacks or busy blowing leads in the fourth quarter, Larry Drew responded to the inherent defensive problems of playing a Bibby/Jamal Crawford backcourt not by removing one from the game in favor of a two-way player but by playing a 2-3 zone that roots Bibby and Crawford in space on the perimeter and drags at least one of Josh Smith or Al Horford away from the basket to deal with spot-up shooters.
One hopes that the All-Star break provides Larry Drew and the Hawks with the time to reflect on whether or not it is worth it, even given the limited options at his disposal, to work so hard to find a way to keep Mike Bibby on the floor for 30 or more minutes a night. It wasn't worth it in New York and that on a night when Bibby shot the ball well (15 points on 8 shots), providing more of an offensive contribution than can be reasonably expected on a regular basis.
Larry Drew:
Gameflow
Hoopdata boxscore
Highlights
| Team | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| ATL | 91 | 0.989 | 50.6 | 6 | 13.6 | 13.2 |
| NY | 92 | 1.109 | 53.8 | 21.5 | 15.8 | 14.1 |
It would be unfair to blame this loss entirely on Mike Bibby's defensive shortcomings as he's not to blame for the Hawks missing plenty of good shots while falling behind in the first quarter, Josh Smith taking nine more jump shots (making three), or Smith and Joe Johnson throwing the ball away on three successive fourth quarter possessions, effectively eliminating any question about which team would win the game but New York scored 102 points on just 92 possessions with the vast majority of those points coming from attacking Bibby or attacking the weaknesses created through the machinations involved in attempting to hide Bibby's defensive liabilities.
Primarily, the Knicks attacked Bibby on the pick-and-roll. Bibby's lack of mobility forced whichever player guarded the screener into double-duty: slow the ball-handler and recover quickly onto his man. Because, if the Hawks switched on the ball-screen, the screener could either roll Bibby into the deep post or pop and shoot over Bibby. Most often, Bibby went under the ball-screen, his help defender showed on the ball-handler, then quickly retreated to his man. This gave the ball-handler two options: 1) take an uncontested jumper or 2) attack Bibby off the dribble again in the hopes of drawing another help defender. And that second option created two avenues of attack for the ball-handler. He could attack in the hopes of either again drawing help off the initial screener or from off of one of New York's spot-up shooters.
When Larry Drew attempted to remove Bibby from the screen-and-roll defense he did so by keeping Bibby on the court but assigning Joe Johnson to guard the ball-handler. Joe Johnson struggles mightily dealing with off-the-ball screens and had little success* dealing with the combination of Raymond Felton's speed and the ball-screens inherent in the design of New York's offense.
*Nor should he have been expected to have success in that situation.
Finally, as has been tried so often this season as the Hawks have been attempting futile comebacks or busy blowing leads in the fourth quarter, Larry Drew responded to the inherent defensive problems of playing a Bibby/Jamal Crawford backcourt not by removing one from the game in favor of a two-way player but by playing a 2-3 zone that roots Bibby and Crawford in space on the perimeter and drags at least one of Josh Smith or Al Horford away from the basket to deal with spot-up shooters.
One hopes that the All-Star break provides Larry Drew and the Hawks with the time to reflect on whether or not it is worth it, even given the limited options at his disposal, to work so hard to find a way to keep Mike Bibby on the floor for 30 or more minutes a night. It wasn't worth it in New York and that on a night when Bibby shot the ball well (15 points on 8 shots), providing more of an offensive contribution than can be reasonably expected on a regular basis.
Larry Drew:
"They run a ton of pick-and-rolls and we were trying to figure out the best coverages for it. They do a great job in the pick-and-roll with Felton and then they have a guy who is a forceful roller with Stoudemire. You have to defend the guard, you have to defend the big guy on the roll and then they spread out with shooters. It makes it tough for us."Josh Smith:
"It’s kind of hard to really help, especially when they are knocking down the jump shot like tonight. We gave up too much dribble penetration and then we helped and were scrambling from that point on."Al Horford:
"Every time we tried to [rally], they made a big three or a big basket. It was a little demoralizing. We stayed with it, but we just didn’t have enough tonight."Overheard at Madison Square Garden with Michael Cunningham:
At one point, a New York hack sitting next to me asked: “So, basically, whomever Bibby is guarding scores?” Me: “Not always. Sometimes his man passes to open shooters when everything breaks down, and they score.”
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
February 16th Game Preview: Atlanta Hawks (34-20) @ New York Knicks (27-26)
Thanks to everyone for their game preview feedback Monday night. If anyone else would like to chime in on that subject, please feel free to do so.
TIP-OFF: 7:30pm (EST)
TELEVISION: SportSouth
RADIO: The Hawks have moved to 97.9 on the FM dial this season.
CHAT: Daily Dime Live
GAME NOTES: Hawks/Knicks
ATLANTA INJURY REPORT: None.
NEW YORK INJURY REPORT: Amar'e Stoudemire is probable. Kelenna Azubuike is out.
BY THE NUMBERS
OTHER PERSPECTIVES: Knickerblogger, Posting and Toasting
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY: New York -2.5, 205.5 o/u
PREVIOUSLY...the New York Knicks beat the New Jersey Nets 105-95 in Newark on Saturday night without Amar'e Stoudemire but with 30 points of the bench from Toney Douglas and Bill Walker.
The Hawks beat the Knicks in both previous meetings this season: 99-90 in New York on November 27th and 111-102 in Atlanta on January 28th, a game wherein Marvin Williams flat lost it and Amar'e Stoudemire might well have gotten his feelings hurt.
Consider this an open thread for all pre-game, in-game, and post-game (but pre-recap) thoughts.
TIP-OFF: 7:30pm (EST)
TELEVISION: SportSouth
RADIO: The Hawks have moved to 97.9 on the FM dial this season.
CHAT: Daily Dime Live
GAME NOTES: Hawks/Knicks
ATLANTA INJURY REPORT: None.
NEW YORK INJURY REPORT: Amar'e Stoudemire is probable. Kelenna Azubuike is out.
BY THE NUMBERS
| 2010-11 | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| ATL (off) | 89.6 | 1.077 | 50.6 | 21.8 | 23.7 | 15.2 |
| NY (def) | 96.2 | 1.096 | 50.8 | 30.6 | 28.3 | 13.7 |
| 2010-11 | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| ATL (def) | 89.7 | 1.058 | 48.8 | 27.1 | 25 | 14 |
| NY (off) | 96.2 | 1.098 | 52.4 | 23.9 | 24.3 | 13.4 |
OTHER PERSPECTIVES: Knickerblogger, Posting and Toasting
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY: New York -2.5, 205.5 o/u
PREVIOUSLY...the New York Knicks beat the New Jersey Nets 105-95 in Newark on Saturday night without Amar'e Stoudemire but with 30 points of the bench from Toney Douglas and Bill Walker.
The Hawks beat the Knicks in both previous meetings this season: 99-90 in New York on November 27th and 111-102 in Atlanta on January 28th, a game wherein Marvin Williams flat lost it and Amar'e Stoudemire might well have gotten his feelings hurt.
Consider this an open thread for all pre-game, in-game, and post-game (but pre-recap) thoughts.
Stoudemire to Horford: "Welcome to New York"
Jonathan Abrams quoting Amar'e Stoudemire at Knicks practice on Tuesday talking about Al Horford and the January 28th meeting between the Hawks and the Knicks:
Stoudemire wasn't doing those things (He grabbed three rebounds and earned one assist.) but he was turning the ball over three times (Horford committed one turnover.), sitting out the last five minutes of the first half with three fouls, and needing nine more shots from the field and four more attempts from the line to score eight more points than Horford.
Al Horford utterly dominated Amar'e Stoudemire in that game and it's hard to believe that anyone took Stoudemire's post-game quote about Horford at face value:
"He felt good. His team was winning. He had a couple baskets. He hit a couple jump shots. But he felt good. He felt like he was doing something. But welcome to New York."Stoudemire's right. Horford was doing something in that game. He was grabbing 14 rebounds. He was earning six assists.
Stoudemire wasn't doing those things (He grabbed three rebounds and earned one assist.) but he was turning the ball over three times (Horford committed one turnover.), sitting out the last five minutes of the first half with three fouls, and needing nine more shots from the field and four more attempts from the line to score eight more points than Horford.
Al Horford utterly dominated Amar'e Stoudemire in that game and it's hard to believe that anyone took Stoudemire's post-game quote about Horford at face value:
"He needs to calm down. He’s not that type of player. He don’t want to see me any night, so he might as well relax and calm down."Stoudemire wasn't talking about decorum after the game. Nor is he now. He was and is expressing frustration over getting beat, both individually and as a Knick.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Atlanta Hawks 111 New York Knicks 102
Boxscore
Gameflow
Hoopdata boxscore
Highlights
Larry Drew:
Drew:
Also, if Larry Drew likes Joe Johnson's rebounding (10.8 DR%), you know who he might love? Jeff Teague (12.6 DR%).
Jason Walker on Al Horford:
Gameflow
Hoopdata boxscore
Highlights
| Team | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| NY | 91 | 1.121 | 50.6 | 16.1 | 23.3 | 12.1 |
| ATL | 90 | 1.233 | 55.5 | 24.4 | 35.1 | 15.6 |
Larry Drew:
"That was almost a similar situation like we collapsed fourth quarter against Milwaukee. Losing focus of what got us the lead. I threw the challenge down at halftime. We played well, let’s see what we are made of the third quarter because we knew that team was not going to quit. But we got into a situation of trading baskets and against a team like New York you can’t do that because they have a lot of firepower."What, again, was the most important thing from the loss in Milwaukee?
"[W]e have to learn from it. To me, that's the most important thing. It happened to cost us a game but the most important thing is that we learn from it. We cannot allow that type of play in the fourth quarter. We cannot allow the snowball effect."There was some of "that type of play" in the first half of the fourth quarter but good play far outweighed it over the course of the game.
Drew:
"I’m proud of the way our guys responded. They did not lose their composure. They got back into a rhythm. Josh Smith did a great job when we were struggling somewhat for a basket and we were able to post him and he took advantage of it, made some really nice moves down low."Drew on Joe Johnson:
"Everyone looks at his scoring but I look at his assists and rebounds because those are areas we really need help in. And he’s been defending like crazy. He guards ones, he guards twos. I’ve always stated that he’s a very underrated defender."Odd night to praise Joe Johnson's defense. (I'd say after Johnson typically plays atypically good defense against Deron Williams would make a stronger case than a night the Hawks allowed Raymond Felton and Landry Field significant freedom and the Knicks 112 points per 100 possessions.)
Also, if Larry Drew likes Joe Johnson's rebounding (10.8 DR%), you know who he might love? Jeff Teague (12.6 DR%).
Jason Walker on Al Horford:
He had his usual ho-hum, 19 points on 12 shots night, with 14 rebounds and 6 assists tossed in. Is there any doubt that Al Horford is an All-Star? Despite not getting 21 shots like Amare Stoudemire, Horford outplayed him across the board. Put Horford in an offense that averages more than 90 possessions a game and see what kind of numbers he might put up nightly. Once again, Horford was boss in crunch time...scoring 5, grabbing 2 rebounds, and mixing in an assist and block.Kris Willis on Josh Smith:
[Smith] was clearly into this game and was a factor on both ends of the floor. His final line of 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists looked much better but the 9-13 shooting may have been the best part. He started inside and got some easy baskets in transition and usually after getting in a rhythm that leads to more success from the outside for Smith. He knocked down 2-3 3-point shots including one to push the lead back to eight late in the fourth.
Friday, January 28, 2011
January 28th Game Preview: New York Knicks (24-21) @ Atlanta Hawks (29-17)
TIP-OFF: 7:30pm (EST)
TELEVISION: SportSouth
RADIO: The Hawks have moved to 97.9 on the FM dial this season.
CHAT: Daily Dime Live
GAME NOTES: Hawks/Knicks
ATLANTA INJURY REPORT: None listed, but several Hawks are playing hurt.
NEW YORK INJURY REPORT: Kelenna Azubuike is out.
BY THE NUMBERS
OTHER PERSPECTIVES: KnickerBlogger.net, Posting and Toasting
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY: Atlanta -6.5, 206 o/u
PREVIOUSLY...the New York Knicks beat the Miami Heat 93-88 last night in New York behind 24 points from Amar'e Stoudemire and 19, 13, and 6 from Landry Fields. Danilo Gallinari pitched in with a late three-pointer. Mike Bibby is probably going to be asked to guard either Fields or Gallinari for long stretches tonight.
It was the second straight win for the Knicks following a six-game losing streak. The Knicks have lost four straight road games.
The Atlanta Hawks beat the Knicks 99-90 in New York on November 27th in a rare instance Al Horford-centric fourth quarter basketball from the Hawks.
Consider this an open thread for all pre-game, in-game, and post-game (but pre-recap) thoughts.
TELEVISION: SportSouth
RADIO: The Hawks have moved to 97.9 on the FM dial this season.
CHAT: Daily Dime Live
GAME NOTES: Hawks/Knicks
ATLANTA INJURY REPORT: None listed, but several Hawks are playing hurt.
NEW YORK INJURY REPORT: Kelenna Azubuike is out.
BY THE NUMBERS
| 2010-11 | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| NY (off) | 96.6 | 1.094 | 51.3 | 23.9 | 24 | 13.1 |
| ATL (def) | 90.2 | 1.051 | 48.5 | 26.7 | 25.3 | 14.2 |
| 2010-11 | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| NY (def) | 96.6 | 1.089 | 50.1 | 31 | 28.7 | 13.7 |
| ATL (off) | 90 | 1.073 | 50.5 | 22.2 | 23.3 | 15.3 |
OTHER PERSPECTIVES: KnickerBlogger.net, Posting and Toasting
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY: Atlanta -6.5, 206 o/u
PREVIOUSLY...the New York Knicks beat the Miami Heat 93-88 last night in New York behind 24 points from Amar'e Stoudemire and 19, 13, and 6 from Landry Fields. Danilo Gallinari pitched in with a late three-pointer. Mike Bibby is probably going to be asked to guard either Fields or Gallinari for long stretches tonight.
It was the second straight win for the Knicks following a six-game losing streak. The Knicks have lost four straight road games.
The Atlanta Hawks beat the Knicks 99-90 in New York on November 27th in a rare instance Al Horford-centric fourth quarter basketball from the Hawks.
Consider this an open thread for all pre-game, in-game, and post-game (but pre-recap) thoughts.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Ticket Giveaway: New York Knicks @ Atlanta Hawks, January 28th
The good folks at StubHub have come through again with a pair of tickets for me to give away to a reader.I have two tickets to give away to tomorrow night's game against the New York Knicks.
If you can and wish to attend the game, send an e-mail by 11:59pm EST tonight, January 27th to (hoopinion (at) gmail (dot) com) with "Tickets" in the subject line and the answer to this question:
How many times did Dan Roundfield make the first team of the NBA's All-Defensive Team as a member of the Atlanta Hawks?If I receive but one correct answer to the question, that entrant will win the tickets. If I receive more than one correct answer to the question, I will draw a winner, at random, from the pool of correct answers.
Good luck, and thanks for reading.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Quotes, Notes, and Links: Atlanta Hawks 99 New York Knicks 90
Recap
Gameflow
Highlights
The management would like to make an announcement. For this afternoon's matinee performance, the role of the Atlanta Hawks will be played by Amar'e Stoudemire:
And Cunningham on Joe Johnson:
Jamal Crawford on playing in Madison Square Garden:
Gameflow
Highlights
The management would like to make an announcement. For this afternoon's matinee performance, the role of the Atlanta Hawks will be played by Amar'e Stoudemire:
"We've got to be mentally ready for these early games, and we weren't. We didn't come out from the start with energy, we had to fight so hard to get back into it, but the Hawks had the confidence and momentum, and it's hard to beat a team when they're feeling that good."Joe Johnson on the good things (10 rebounds, 9 of them defensive, 7 assists, and no turnovers) he did:
"I had to be effective some way. I couldn’t make a damn shot. I just try to make up for it with defense, rebounding, getting guys shots. A lot of times they double me whether I am making shots or not. So I am just looking for open teammates."Al Horford on the increased defensive attention he's receiving:
"They are being more aggressive on me and almost forcing me to make other players and pass it out. It’s just something I am going to have to adjust to. I’m unselfish enough that I am going to get the ball and kick it out quickly."Larry Drew on the how the team missed Josh Smith defensively:
"We blew some defensive assignments, which we didn’t do the first half. We had some breakdowns. Some baskets they got in the second half, we did a good job with in the first half. With Josh, we know we can have a breakdown and he will erase our mistakes."Josh Smith (even more enthusiastic after the game than I) sets it up:
"We are helping each other now. We are having fun again, sharing the basketball, communicating. I think if we can put a string of games like that together, we can have a successful season."Michael Cunningham knocks it down:
Give the Hawks credit, but I’ve got two caveats. One is that the Knicks and Wizards just aren’t good enough to cause Atlanta the kind of frustration that comes from playing its best but still having to be precise and persistent for long periods. The other is that there’s energy and effort but then there are the limitations of the roster and how L.D. uses what he’s got.Larry Drew:
"They are going to start every game at a high energy level. Thus far, it's been two games since we made that pact, and we've done it."Cunningham also has a Jeff Teague update:
I’ve snooped around and so far all I can gather is Teague’s reduced role is nothing more than coach’s decision.The decision, I might add, of a coach given a short bench and little in the way of organizational authority or job security.
And Cunningham on Joe Johnson:
J.J.’s scoring struggles are becoming a big problem because now he’s wrecking Atlanta’s flow. There are times he’s just not in sync with what his teammates are doing and the ball stops when it gets to him, just like last season. It’s as if the more he struggles, the more he slows down his game as he thinks about what he can do to get a good shot instead of realizing he’d get plenty if he swung the ball around.Time to resurrect my theory that one of the reasons Johnson left Phoenix was that the way Steve Nash plays makes no sense to him?
Jamal Crawford on playing in Madison Square Garden:
"It’s always fun to come back here."Howard Beck's game recap in The New York Times focused on Crawford's return:
They cut the deficit to 4 points in the fourth quarter, then faded as Jamal Crawford, a former Knick, scored 10 points in a 21-8 Hawks run.
Crawford, who was traded two Novembers ago when the Knicks began purging salary, scored 21 points off the bench for the Hawks.
...
Crawford put on a familiar show, hitting tough fadeaways, off-balance runners and clutch 3-pointers.
...
A Knicks-Crawford reunion is possible. Crawford is due to become a free agent next summer, and the Hawks have been hesitant about offering an extension.
The Knicks will have cap room again when Eddy Curry, Crawford’s close friend, comes off the books, and. Their primary target will be Carmelo Anthony. But they have a clear need at shooting guard.
“I would definitely listen,” Crawford said.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Atlanta Hawks 99 New York Knicks 90
Boxscore
Was that the passing of the guard we witnessed in the fourth quarter? An on-court acknowledgment of whose hands hold the future of franchise regardless of the allocation financial resorces? Joe Johnson isn't in a shooting slump. Joe Johnson can't create good shots for himself and he's either incapable of or unwilling to move the ball quickly in the half-court offense. Some hot jump shooting from his teammates overcame this personal failure in the first quarter as the Hawks took control of the game and some good work on the offensive glass from Mo Evans and Al Horford held off both the Knicks and the inadequacies of isolation basketball as practiced by an inefficient scorer in the late third and early fourth quarter .
Larry Drew then largely took the ball out of his highest paid player's hands and made Al Horford, the team's best player, central to almost every offensive possession from the 10-minute to the 3-minute mark of the fourth quarter. Horford scored eight points, grabbed two offensive rebounds, and earned two assists in the fourth quarter. He set countless ball-screens to free ball-handlers. He made strong, purposeful cuts to create space for himself or his teammates. He scored in the post. He drew, then passed out of, a double-team in the post. Neither Horford nor the ball rested in the heart of the fourth quarter as the Hawks finished off the Knicks.
Not that Horford papered over all the team's inadequacies. Jamal Crawford is by far the Atlanta guard most adept at running screen-and-roll or pick-and-pop with Horford but he had to share the ball-handling opportunities with Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby. Johnson moves laterally across the floor, rather than turn the corner and attack, when using a ball-screen and, as mentioned above, does nothing quickly. Mike Bibby has to play at the very limit of control both to turn the corner and to hit Horford on the move. Crawford, though, is given the freedom to take advantage of his one great skill within a team context. It's the latter that helps minimize Crawford's offensive weaknesses.
Running the screen-and-roll with Horford gives Crawford two options: take the first available shot or pass the ball to Horford. He doesn't have to move without the ball. He doesn't have to anticipate what his teammates will do. He doesn't have to work through the full set of options available to a point guard. Furthermore, the difficulty he and Horford cause defenses opens up offensive rebounding avenues should Crawford choose to take a bad shot. Crawford scored 10 points while making 4 of 6 shots (not counting his shot-clock violation avoidance heave with 5 seconds left in the game). One of those misses was rebounded and put back by Horford.
The Hawks also witnessed the value of the symbiotic defensive relationship between Horford and Josh Smith as Smith sat much of the second half due to (real) foul trouble. Horford, playing alongside Marvin Williams, or Zaza Pachulia, or four guards had responsibility both for Amar'e Stoudemire and cleaning up after whichever Knick guards penetrated the first line of Atlanta defense. There is no most important Atlanta defender, there is only the importance, the necessity, of Smith and Horford.
Add in the first, simultaneous evidence of good health from Mo Evans (10 points on 9 shots in 25:24) and Marvin Williams (13 points on 7 shots, 8 rebounds, 3 of them on the offensive end, and...THIS) and the outlook appears far brighter than it did earlier in the week.
| Team | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| ATL | 89 | 1.112 | 49.4 | 12.4 | 23.4 | 6.7 |
| NY | 88 | 1.023 | 50 | 28.4 | 19.5 | 13.6 |
Was that the passing of the guard we witnessed in the fourth quarter? An on-court acknowledgment of whose hands hold the future of franchise regardless of the allocation financial resorces? Joe Johnson isn't in a shooting slump. Joe Johnson can't create good shots for himself and he's either incapable of or unwilling to move the ball quickly in the half-court offense. Some hot jump shooting from his teammates overcame this personal failure in the first quarter as the Hawks took control of the game and some good work on the offensive glass from Mo Evans and Al Horford held off both the Knicks and the inadequacies of isolation basketball as practiced by an inefficient scorer in the late third and early fourth quarter .
Larry Drew then largely took the ball out of his highest paid player's hands and made Al Horford, the team's best player, central to almost every offensive possession from the 10-minute to the 3-minute mark of the fourth quarter. Horford scored eight points, grabbed two offensive rebounds, and earned two assists in the fourth quarter. He set countless ball-screens to free ball-handlers. He made strong, purposeful cuts to create space for himself or his teammates. He scored in the post. He drew, then passed out of, a double-team in the post. Neither Horford nor the ball rested in the heart of the fourth quarter as the Hawks finished off the Knicks.
Not that Horford papered over all the team's inadequacies. Jamal Crawford is by far the Atlanta guard most adept at running screen-and-roll or pick-and-pop with Horford but he had to share the ball-handling opportunities with Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby. Johnson moves laterally across the floor, rather than turn the corner and attack, when using a ball-screen and, as mentioned above, does nothing quickly. Mike Bibby has to play at the very limit of control both to turn the corner and to hit Horford on the move. Crawford, though, is given the freedom to take advantage of his one great skill within a team context. It's the latter that helps minimize Crawford's offensive weaknesses.
Running the screen-and-roll with Horford gives Crawford two options: take the first available shot or pass the ball to Horford. He doesn't have to move without the ball. He doesn't have to anticipate what his teammates will do. He doesn't have to work through the full set of options available to a point guard. Furthermore, the difficulty he and Horford cause defenses opens up offensive rebounding avenues should Crawford choose to take a bad shot. Crawford scored 10 points while making 4 of 6 shots (not counting his shot-clock violation avoidance heave with 5 seconds left in the game). One of those misses was rebounded and put back by Horford.
The Hawks also witnessed the value of the symbiotic defensive relationship between Horford and Josh Smith as Smith sat much of the second half due to (real) foul trouble. Horford, playing alongside Marvin Williams, or Zaza Pachulia, or four guards had responsibility both for Amar'e Stoudemire and cleaning up after whichever Knick guards penetrated the first line of Atlanta defense. There is no most important Atlanta defender, there is only the importance, the necessity, of Smith and Horford.
Add in the first, simultaneous evidence of good health from Mo Evans (10 points on 9 shots in 25:24) and Marvin Williams (13 points on 7 shots, 8 rebounds, 3 of them on the offensive end, and...THIS) and the outlook appears far brighter than it did earlier in the week.
November 27th Game Preview: Atlanta Hawks (9-7) @ New York Knicks (8-8)
TIP-OFF: 1pm (EST)
TELEVISION: SportSouth
RADIO: The Hawks have moved to 97.9 on the FM dial this season.
GAME NOTES: Hawks/Knicks
ATLANTA INJURY REPORT: Pape Sy is out.
NEW YORK INJURY REPORT: Kelenna Azubuike is out.
BY THE NUMBERS
OTHER PERSPECTIVES: Knickerblogger, Posting and Toasting
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY: New York -1.5, 210 o/u
PREVIOUSLY...the New York Knicks have won five straight games, four of them on the road. The first three wins came on the West Coast (granted, against Sacramento, Golden State, and the Clippers) and the last two came in a home-and-home, back-to-back against Charlotte on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The 8-8 Knicks have benefited from the additions of NBA veterans Amar'e Stoudemire, Raymond Felton, and Ronny Turiaf as well as from spending a second-round pick on a 6-7 22-year-old who did not spend last season on the bench of a poor team in the French league.
Consider this an open thread for all pre-game, in-game, and post-game (but pre-recap) thoughts.
TELEVISION: SportSouth
RADIO: The Hawks have moved to 97.9 on the FM dial this season.
GAME NOTES: Hawks/Knicks
ATLANTA INJURY REPORT: Pape Sy is out.
NEW YORK INJURY REPORT: Kelenna Azubuike is out.
BY THE NUMBERS
| 2010-11 | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| ATL (off) | 90.7 | 1.099 | 51.7 | 24.3 | 25.6 | 15.7 |
| NY (def) | 96.7 | 1.108 | 51.2 | 31.6 | 28.4 | 16.8 |
| 2010-11 | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| ATL (def) | 91.1 | 1.078 | 49.2 | 27.6 | 27.9 | 14.3 |
| NY (off) | 96.7 | 1.103 | 51 | 28.1 | 26 | 16.7 |
OTHER PERSPECTIVES: Knickerblogger, Posting and Toasting
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY: New York -1.5, 210 o/u
PREVIOUSLY...the New York Knicks have won five straight games, four of them on the road. The first three wins came on the West Coast (granted, against Sacramento, Golden State, and the Clippers) and the last two came in a home-and-home, back-to-back against Charlotte on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The 8-8 Knicks have benefited from the additions of NBA veterans Amar'e Stoudemire, Raymond Felton, and Ronny Turiaf as well as from spending a second-round pick on a 6-7 22-year-old who did not spend last season on the bench of a poor team in the French league.
Consider this an open thread for all pre-game, in-game, and post-game (but pre-recap) thoughts.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Roughly 10 Hours Into Free Agency: An Update
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports expects Joe Johnson to take Atlanta's max offer:
Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle speaks of Houston's interest in Joe Johnson in the past tense but adds the Miami Heat to the list of teams meeting with him:
The Atlanta Hawks offered Joe Johnson a six-year, $119 million contract Thursday morning, and sources close to the All-Star guard expect him to accept the max deal soon.Frank Isola of The New York Daily News explains Walsh's absence (preparing to meet with LeBron) and that the Knicks really want Joe Johnson:
The Hawks moved quickly at midnight ET to try to secure their franchise star and offered the contract that Johnson’s agent Arn Tellem sought from the organization. Sources say ownership OK’d the max offer and general manager Rick Sund delivered it in Los Angeles.
After receiving the Hawks’ offer, Johnson met with a contingent from the New York Knicks that included coach Mike D’Antoni, Johnson’s former coach with the Phoenix Suns. Knicks GM Donnie Walsh didn’t attend.
The Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks were pushing for meetings with Johnson on Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles where they could discuss possible sign-and-trade scenarios. The Chicago Bulls also have interest in Johnson.
The Knicks were hoping to get a verbal commitment from Johnson, but that scenario was losing steam by the minute once it was reported that the Hawks were prepared to offer Johnson a maximum contract over six years. Re-signing with Atlanta would mean an additional $30 million for Johnson over the length of the contract than the maximum deal the Knicks could offer the four-time All-Star. The Knicks are also meeting with former Wizards forward Mike Miller, who like Johnson, is represented by Arn Tellem.Arn Tellem may be the first big winner of free agency.
A person familiar with Johnson's thinking all but conceded that the guard would have no choice but to re-sign with the Hawks. Plus, there have been reports that Johnson, who was born and raised in Arkansas, has reservations about playing in New York and that he prefers his Atlanta lifestyle.
Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle speaks of Houston's interest in Joe Johnson in the past tense but adds the Miami Heat to the list of teams meeting with him:
The Atlanta Hawks were readying a maximum-contract offer for Joe Johnson that would likely keep him in Atlanta. Although the Rockets had considered pursuing Johnson, this could be good news for the Rockets if it takes Johnson out of a potential pairing with Bosh in New York.Braves & Birds joins the chorus questioning this decision, comparing the wisdom of offering Joe Johnson a max contract to Bob Bradley starting Ricardo Clark and Robbie Findley repeatedly in South Africa. Is this the month of supporting those who don't learn from their mistakes?
Johnson was expected to begin the process with the Hawks, with conversations also expected in short order with the Knicks, Heat and Dallas Mavericks.
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
NBA Playbook: The Knicks Use Defense To Get a Win
Pictures, arrows, and commentary for those who wish to relive the game's final play.
Knicks 99 Hawks 98
Boxscore
Gameflow
Highlights
There was no offensive collapse in the fourth quarter. The Hawks scored 28 points. The shots were widely and fairly distributed. Even the couple of times that Joe Johnson declined the opportunity to feed Al Horford in the post, Johnson allowed Horford to set a ball-screen that Johnson used to create an open shot for himself. The Hawks lost because they did a few small things poorly and the Knicks did a couple of large things very well.
First the things the Hawks surely regret...
Gameflow
Highlights
| Team | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| ATL | 92 | 1.066 | 44.3 | 24.1 | 27.7 | 10.9 |
| NY | 92 | 1.076 | 57.1 | 14.3 | 11.8 | 18.5 |
There was no offensive collapse in the fourth quarter. The Hawks scored 28 points. The shots were widely and fairly distributed. Even the couple of times that Joe Johnson declined the opportunity to feed Al Horford in the post, Johnson allowed Horford to set a ball-screen that Johnson used to create an open shot for himself. The Hawks lost because they did a few small things poorly and the Knicks did a couple of large things very well.
First the things the Hawks surely regret...
- The seven jump shots Josh Smith hoisted (two of them in the fourth quarter, both missed) negated some of the good work his teammates did to get the ball to Smith and Horford more often. That he succumbed to the lure of the jump on a night when he also...
- ...missed four of his seven free throws boggles the mind and puts one in the uncomfortable position of deeming a 25 point, 10 rebound, 6 assist performance if not somewhat disappointing then not all it could have been.
- Those three minutes and eleven seconds that Mike Bibby played in the middle of the fourth quarter. The Hawks were +5 over that stretch but that was almost entirely due to the work of Smith and Horford on the glass. The Knicks scored ten points in the final 7:44 of the game. Six of those points came on two wide-open threes while Bibby was in the game. The first courtesy of Wilson Chandler posting Bibby up and forcing a double-team the Knicks beat with good ball movement and spacing. The second (following a Bibby turnover) when Bibby failed to close out on Chandler in the corner. The Knicks scored 23 points on 23 fourth quarter possessions. 17 points on 18 possessions without Bibby on the court. 6 points on the 5 possessions he was on the court. Like I said, small things, but important in a one-point game.
- Not going small when Mike D'Antoni replaced David Lee with Eddie House after Lee picked up his fourth foul late in the third quarter. Al Harrington got five of his fourteen points in those three minutes Mike Woodson made Zaza Pachulia try and guard him.
- Chandler's block of Josh Smith's dunk attempt would be a wildly impressive play at any point of any game. In its context last night it was simply extraordinary. Jamal Crawford made a good pass, Smith made a good, agressive move to the basket, but Chandler surpassed their combined efforts.
- David Lee finally played well against Al Horford, and, in doing so, occupied Horford sufficiently that the Knicks could spread the floor, thus increasing the distance the help defense had to travel, and isolate the Atlanta guards to make them more vulnerable to dribble penetration. It was essentially the same thing Orlando does successfully against the Hawks, only without Orlando's personnel.
Losing to New York is like breathing for this team. I mean it is shocking the Hawks just got beat. Period. That "don't try and lay the ball up with a half second to go ever again" block on Josh Smith summed it up. The Knicks were better. All the predictable faults were there for Atlanta, all things we have grown accustom to laundry list after losses, the ball movement, inability to get the ball inside, questionable shot selection, an inability to disguise poor defenders, and of course, the coaching left something to be desired, but in the end, the Knicks beat the Hawks because they were the better team.Mike Woodson:
That should bring some cold, hard truth to Hawks fans and players.
"We're just not matched up well with the Knicks for some reason. We played well enough to win tonight, but we were our own worst enemies down the stretch."Michael Cunningham:
Lee got his fifth foul early in the fourth. The Hawks never really went at him aggressively and instead jacked jumpers. “I thought our shots coming down the stretch were awful,” Woody said. “We could have gone inside. We were in the penalty early in the fourth quarter and didn’t take advantage of that.”The Human Highlight Blog:
The Hawks played the first half and took (28) shots inside of 16-feet to (14) shots outside that mark. In the third quarter alone the Hawks took (12) shots outside of 16-feet to (11) inside--not an indication that a team buys into an inside = success correlation.Soaring Down South:
By the time the fourth quarter clock reached 8:16, the Hawks trailed by (11)--the biggest Knicks lead of the night--and had taken more second half jump shots (16) than inside shots (12).
Then, when it seemed the Hawks might just send up the white flag and continue to try and shoot their way out of trouble--a method that has spelled doom to their recent fourth quarter chances--the Hawks began to get the ball inside to Josh Smith and play strong defense on the other end.
Slowly, the Hawks paralyzed the Knicks scoring while chipping away at the lead on the other end going through Smith in the post. Whereas the Hawks took (7) free throws in the first (16) minutes of the second half, they shot (9) in the next six minutes of the game. And when Joe Johnson made the last of those nine attempts, the Hawks had cut the lead to a single point, a 20-10 run.
But just as quickly as you could say, "Lesson Learned. Hooray!", the Hawks abandoned the boat that had taken them off their sinking ship. After continued success going inside and narrowing the margin, Johnson couldn't help himself when he found himself open coming off a screen, 23 feet from the hoop. He missed.
Then it was Smoove's turn to defy what had been working when he too launched a jump shot with daylight in front of him to the hoop--a path that had played a large part in his (9) fourth quarter points. That was no time to see if the clunker could still start up--it was time to stay in the Ferrari that had got you there.
I’m growing tired of the roller coaster ride that this blog has become riding high after Hawks victories and falling off the cliff after losses. I am trying to look at this game simply as one of eighty two and nothing more. Still all of the problems that have plagued the Hawks over the last few games are still present. Lack of ball movement, lack of commitment to the inside game, questionable shot selection at key points throughout the game and now you can add another one that has become a trend. The Hawks look completely clueless against a zone defense right now.Frank Isola of The New York Daily News on the possible recruitment of Joe Johnson by the Knicks:
"I don't think it's a reach to say that Arn could influence Joe's decisions," said a Hawks official. "There's nothing wrong with that. But we could still offer the most money."Mark Bradley aggregates the full spectrum of Johnson-to-the-Knicks coverage from yesterday.
"Wink-wink" deals are against NBA rules, but they are next to impossible to prove and happen all the time. That doesn't mean the Knicks have such an agreement in place with Johnson. In fact, Johnson was clear last night that his preference is to sign with a ready-made team, which would seem to include Atlanta but not necessarily the Knicks.
"I can't backtrack," Johnson said before the Hawks lost to the Knicks at the Garden. "I can't go into a situation like when I first got here to Atlanta."
Monday, March 08, 2010
March 8th Open Thread: Atlanta (40-22) @ New York (21-41)
TIP-OFF: 7:30pm (EST)
TELEVISION: Fox Sports South
CHAT: Daily Dime Live (In which I will be particpating)
RADIO: Hawks Radio Network, Audio League Pass
GAME NOTES: Hawks/Knicks
ATLANTA INJURY REPORT: None.
NEW YORK INJURY REPORT: Eddy Curry and JR Giddens are out. Tracy McGrady may be rested.
BY THE NUMBERS
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY: Atlanta -6.5, 209.5 o/u
OTHER PERSPECTIVES: Knickerblogger
PREVIOUSLY, THE MIAMI HEAT...lost (again) to the Nets, 113-93, on Saturday night. It was the 19th loss in New York's last 24 games.
The Knicks have two of three against the Hawks this season but not the previous meeting in New York. The Hawks won that one 114-101 on November 11th. The Knicks swept the meetings in Atlanta, winning 114-107 on December 4th and 112-108 (OT) on the first day of this year.
Nate Robinson is gone to Boston, however. Leaving me to worry about Sergio Rodriguez. I mean, if Woodson preferred to have Bibby guard Wilson Chandler (who, you may recall had 24 and 17 on New Year's Day) rather than Chris Duhon in the last meeting, there's little chance Bibby gets Rodriguez tonight. There could be cascading defensive problems again. At least one can count on Al Horford likely dominating David Lee one more time.
Consider this an open thread for all pre-game, in-game, and post-game (but pre-recap) thoughts.
TELEVISION: Fox Sports South
CHAT: Daily Dime Live (In which I will be particpating)
RADIO: Hawks Radio Network, Audio League Pass
GAME NOTES: Hawks/Knicks
ATLANTA INJURY REPORT: None.
NEW YORK INJURY REPORT: Eddy Curry and JR Giddens are out. Tracy McGrady may be rested.
BY THE NUMBERS
| Team | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| ATL(off) | 89.5 | 1.131 | 50.2 | 22.3 | 27.9 | 13.2 |
| NY (def) | 92.3 | 1.123 | 52 | 27.3 | 27.7 | 15.7 |
| Team | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| ATL (def) | 89.5 | 1.082 | 50 | 27.8 | 27 | 15.7 |
| NY (off) | 92.3 | 1.085 | 50.6 | 19.2 | 22.8 | 15 |
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY: Atlanta -6.5, 209.5 o/u
OTHER PERSPECTIVES: Knickerblogger
PREVIOUSLY, THE MIAMI HEAT...lost (again) to the Nets, 113-93, on Saturday night. It was the 19th loss in New York's last 24 games.
The Knicks have two of three against the Hawks this season but not the previous meeting in New York. The Hawks won that one 114-101 on November 11th. The Knicks swept the meetings in Atlanta, winning 114-107 on December 4th and 112-108 (OT) on the first day of this year.
Nate Robinson is gone to Boston, however. Leaving me to worry about Sergio Rodriguez. I mean, if Woodson preferred to have Bibby guard Wilson Chandler (who, you may recall had 24 and 17 on New Year's Day) rather than Chris Duhon in the last meeting, there's little chance Bibby gets Rodriguez tonight. There could be cascading defensive problems again. At least one can count on Al Horford likely dominating David Lee one more time.
Consider this an open thread for all pre-game, in-game, and post-game (but pre-recap) thoughts.
Saturday, January 02, 2010
Quotes, Notes, and Links: Knicks 112 Hawks 108 (OT)
Gameflow
Hoopdata Boxscore
Highlights
Mike Woodson:
Speaking from experience, Jamal Crawford:
HawkStr8Talk:
Hoopdata Boxscore
Highlights
Mike Woodson:
"We should have posted the ball a little bit more, because I thought [forward Josh Smith] and Al somewhat had their way, but [the Knicks] stayed with the zone and sometimes those jump shots look very appetizing, and we didn't make them."I'll admit it: my inexperience with regard to participating in the coach's post-game Q&A, combined with the fact that I've never heard someone ask a pointed or especially detailed question at said Q&A kept me from asking my planned question about Horford or Smith getting the ball in the post on the first four possessions of overtime then never again since the above sort of vaguely addressed the issue.
Speaking from experience, Jamal Crawford:
"You don't want three losses [in a row] to turn into 10 losses."The Human Highlight Blog:
It's as if that fourth quarter offensive cabal pats Al on the head and says, "Thank you for participating in the game up to this point, but now it's time for the grownups to play."Not that that pick would any way extend itself into an -and-roll situation.
"Hey, if you get the offensive rebound, make sure you toss it back to the big boys because they know better than you how to score in the fourth quarter. Oh, and come up here and get me a pick, alright?"
HawkStr8Talk:
...it can't be understated any longer that our implicit trust in Joe Johnson (or Jamal Crawford) down the stretch is just UNFOUNDED. There isn't enough evidence that that's our best play. We aren't building big leads that way, so why are we trying to close games out that way.The Vent:
Since I didn't watch the game, I assume Nate was dropping the majority of his points over double teams and he was just amazing and NOTHING would have saved the Hawks. I assume this because I know there's just no way in hell a coach who is coaching for a contract extension would let a man who's barely 5ft 7in tall destroy his team without trying to get the ball out of his hand or without throwing multiple defenders at him. I assume this because it's the only thing that makes sense.Kevin McElroy, for Knickerblogger:
If you haven’t seen the fourth quarter and overtime, I suggest trying to find video footage. For me to try to put prose to a walkthrough would be both unfulfilling and redundant; I would surely wear out my copy and paste buttons while continuously highlighting the words “And then Nate beat his man off the dribble for an uncontested layup.” But it’s worth mentioning that he finished with 41 points (on 18/24 shooting), 8 assists, and 6 rebounds, that he eschewed any opportunity to show up the coach who had sidelined him in postgame interviews, that he had the look of a player who has gone through a difficult experience and come out the stronger for it.Bob Rathbun:
Tweets, you'll have to talk me off the ledge after last nights Hawks debacle. 9 fast break points vs the Knicks?? Nate??
Friday, January 01, 2010
Knicks 112 Hawks 108 (OT)
Boxscore
On court: Knicks score 97 points in 38:24 on 69 possessions (140.6 pts/100 poss)
Off court: Knicks score 15 points in 14:36 on 25 possessions (60 pts/100 poss)
I'm sure some will appreciate* the irony in Atlanta losing to a team that repeatedly isolated a guard with the ball 25 feet from the basket because the Hawks were thoroughly unable to get the ball out of his hands.
*appreciate or rue
The Atlanta Hawks are the only team that wouldn't know how to defend Joe Johnson.
Through three quarters, Nate Robinson looked to be an interesting sidelight in an easy home victory for the Hawks. Good as Robinson was, Al Horford was the best player on the court through three quarters as the Hawks moved the ball well, allowing Joe Johnson to score fairly efficiently, while Atlanta's inconsistent team defense was still better overall than the Knicks could muster.
In the fourth quarter, Nate Robinson kept going, the Hawks stopped moving the ball, Al Horford rarely touched it except when rebounding a miss, Joe Johnson kept shooting but stopped scoring, and the Hawks lost control of the game.
What makes this loss extra-frustrating is that the Hawks appeared to have learned something from their recent second half offensive swoons, tonight's fourth quarter performance* included. On the first four possessions of overtime, the Hawks got the ball into Josh Smith or Al Horford on the low post. The Hawks scored** on three of the four possessions. On the next four possessions, the Hawks isolated (or ran that high screen-and-roll wherein Johnson makes no use of the screen except to move laterally across the floor) Joe Johnson each time. The Hawks didn't score on any of those, including a three-shot possession that lasted as long as it did thanks to an Al Horford offensive rebound and a team offensive rebound courtesy of Horford and Smith.
*Perhaps best exemplified by the possession that began with 1:09 left in the quarter and the Hawks up 97-95. Joe Johnson didn't begin his move to the basket (from an isolated spot on the left wing) until 11 seconds were left on the shot clock. He couldn't get a clean shot, New York knocked the ball out of bounds with 1 second left on the shot clock and Al Horford got his only field goal attempt of the quarter when he caught the in-bounds pass on the right baseline and threw a 16-footer at the rim. It missed.
**Once with Smith and on both of the possessions Horford posted up.
Johnson had 21 points and 5 assists on 22 shots through three quarters. He finished with 28 points and 5 assists on 30 shots (and 1 whole free throw attempt). Jamal Crawford needed 12 shots to score 6 points (he also had 4 assists) and was 1-7 in the fourth quarter and overtime. Josh Smith scored 24 on 14 field goal and 11 free throw attempts with 3 assists (and 3 turnovers) of his own. Smith got four field goal and three free throw attempts in the fourth quarter and overtime. Horford scored 22 on 14 shots, just two of those shots coming in the fourth quarter and overtime while adding 4 assists and 19 rebounds (8 offensive), including 8 of Atlanta's 13 rebounds in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Thus, in losing the game, the Hawks, offensively, willfully went away from what was working, and, defensively, didn't try to change what was not working. The Knicks scored 13 points in overtime. Nate Robinson scored 11 of those points and assisted on the Wilson Chandler bucket that accounted for the other two. Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Marvin Williams each made their lone field goal attempt in overtime, then Johnson, Mike Bibby, and Jamal Crawford proceeded to take the next seven shots, five of them from beyond the arc with Johnson's lone make cutting the lead to 4 with a sole second remaining.
| Team | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| NY | 94 | 1.191 | 57.4 | 19.3 | 24.4 | 17 |
| ATL | 95 | 1.137 | 49.5 | 9 | 32.1 | 10.4 |
Nate Robinson On/Off Stats
On court: Knicks score 97 points in 38:24 on 69 possessions (140.6 pts/100 poss)
Off court: Knicks score 15 points in 14:36 on 25 possessions (60 pts/100 poss)
I'm sure some will appreciate* the irony in Atlanta losing to a team that repeatedly isolated a guard with the ball 25 feet from the basket because the Hawks were thoroughly unable to get the ball out of his hands.
*appreciate or rue
The Atlanta Hawks are the only team that wouldn't know how to defend Joe Johnson.
Through three quarters, Nate Robinson looked to be an interesting sidelight in an easy home victory for the Hawks. Good as Robinson was, Al Horford was the best player on the court through three quarters as the Hawks moved the ball well, allowing Joe Johnson to score fairly efficiently, while Atlanta's inconsistent team defense was still better overall than the Knicks could muster.
In the fourth quarter, Nate Robinson kept going, the Hawks stopped moving the ball, Al Horford rarely touched it except when rebounding a miss, Joe Johnson kept shooting but stopped scoring, and the Hawks lost control of the game.
What makes this loss extra-frustrating is that the Hawks appeared to have learned something from their recent second half offensive swoons, tonight's fourth quarter performance* included. On the first four possessions of overtime, the Hawks got the ball into Josh Smith or Al Horford on the low post. The Hawks scored** on three of the four possessions. On the next four possessions, the Hawks isolated (or ran that high screen-and-roll wherein Johnson makes no use of the screen except to move laterally across the floor) Joe Johnson each time. The Hawks didn't score on any of those, including a three-shot possession that lasted as long as it did thanks to an Al Horford offensive rebound and a team offensive rebound courtesy of Horford and Smith.
*Perhaps best exemplified by the possession that began with 1:09 left in the quarter and the Hawks up 97-95. Joe Johnson didn't begin his move to the basket (from an isolated spot on the left wing) until 11 seconds were left on the shot clock. He couldn't get a clean shot, New York knocked the ball out of bounds with 1 second left on the shot clock and Al Horford got his only field goal attempt of the quarter when he caught the in-bounds pass on the right baseline and threw a 16-footer at the rim. It missed.
**Once with Smith and on both of the possessions Horford posted up.
Johnson had 21 points and 5 assists on 22 shots through three quarters. He finished with 28 points and 5 assists on 30 shots (and 1 whole free throw attempt). Jamal Crawford needed 12 shots to score 6 points (he also had 4 assists) and was 1-7 in the fourth quarter and overtime. Josh Smith scored 24 on 14 field goal and 11 free throw attempts with 3 assists (and 3 turnovers) of his own. Smith got four field goal and three free throw attempts in the fourth quarter and overtime. Horford scored 22 on 14 shots, just two of those shots coming in the fourth quarter and overtime while adding 4 assists and 19 rebounds (8 offensive), including 8 of Atlanta's 13 rebounds in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Thus, in losing the game, the Hawks, offensively, willfully went away from what was working, and, defensively, didn't try to change what was not working. The Knicks scored 13 points in overtime. Nate Robinson scored 11 of those points and assisted on the Wilson Chandler bucket that accounted for the other two. Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Marvin Williams each made their lone field goal attempt in overtime, then Johnson, Mike Bibby, and Jamal Crawford proceeded to take the next seven shots, five of them from beyond the arc with Johnson's lone make cutting the lead to 4 with a sole second remaining.
New Year's Day Game Thread: New York (12-20) @ Atlanta (21-10)
TIP-OFF: 7:30pm (EST)
TELEVISION: Fox Sports South, NBATV
RADIO: Hawks Radio Network, Audio League Pass
GAME NOTES: Hawks/Knicks
ATLANTA INJURY REPORT: None.
NEW YORK INJURY REPORT: Darko Milicic and Jonathan Bender are out.
BY THE NUMBERS
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY: Atlanta -11, 204.5 o/u
OTHER PERSPECTIVES: Knickerblogger, KnickBlog.com, Posting and Toasting
PREVIOUSLY, THE NEW YORK KNICKS...joined the exclusive club of teams who have lost to the New Jersey Nets so far this season, leaving New Jersey 104-95 losers on Wednesday night.
The Knicks are also members of an equally exclusive club--visiting teams that have won in Philips Arena--courtesy of their 114-107 win on December 4th. Atlanta won the first meeting between the teams, 114-101 in New York on November 5th.
Consider this an open thread for all pre-game, in-game, and post-game (but pre-recap) thoughts.
TELEVISION: Fox Sports South, NBATV
RADIO: Hawks Radio Network, Audio League Pass
GAME NOTES: Hawks/Knicks
ATLANTA INJURY REPORT: None.
NEW YORK INJURY REPORT: Darko Milicic and Jonathan Bender are out.
BY THE NUMBERS
| Team | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| NY (off) | 92.5 | 1.075 | 50.2 | 19.9 | 23 | 15.5 |
| ATL (def) | 91 | 1.067 | 50 | 28.1 | 26.5 | 16.3 |
| Team | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| NY (def) | 92.5 | 1.098 | 51.3 | 30.4 | 26.3 | 16.8 |
| ATL (off) | 91 | 1.142 | 51.3 | 21.5 | 27.9 | 13.4 |
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY: Atlanta -11, 204.5 o/u
OTHER PERSPECTIVES: Knickerblogger, KnickBlog.com, Posting and Toasting
PREVIOUSLY, THE NEW YORK KNICKS...joined the exclusive club of teams who have lost to the New Jersey Nets so far this season, leaving New Jersey 104-95 losers on Wednesday night.
The Knicks are also members of an equally exclusive club--visiting teams that have won in Philips Arena--courtesy of their 114-107 win on December 4th. Atlanta won the first meeting between the teams, 114-101 in New York on November 5th.
Consider this an open thread for all pre-game, in-game, and post-game (but pre-recap) thoughts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)