The Hawks have broken through another barrier on first stop of their Texas two-step. Winning in a building for the first time in a decade is just another obstacle knocked down by this impressive Hawks squad.  The last time the Hawks won in Houston, the Rockets were playing in the Summit and Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley were on the court and not in the Hall of Fame. Coupled with the season sweep, the Hawks have yet again shown they have not only turned the corner, but are running around it by winning on the road in another tough environment. 

Good ball movement and crashing the boards, good games from Joe, Josh, and Jamal, along with a fantastic effort from the bench held of Houston late. Adversity revealed itself in the form of foul trouble for Al Horford and guard production from the Rockets, but in the end the better team played smart down the stretch.

SENDING A MESSAGE

The Hawks play three of their next five games on the road with no bums along the way.  San Antonito, Orlando, and Oklahoma City are all trying to move up in the standings. Improving on the road record certainly is a goal.  However, there are a couple of statement games along the way.  

With the Magic now looking up at the Hawks in the standings, this would be a good time to knock them down another peg and add more distance between the teams. It would also be good to win number one against Orlando this season at such an important time.  And what would it mean if the Hawks sweep the season series from the Celtics with a win on Friday night?

EYEBROW GATE

Was it a bet, a barber gone wild, a fashion statement, or midlife crisis?  Coach Mike Woodson left Atlanta with a winning streak and two full eyebrows.  He still has a shot at returning with a winning streak.  An answer may or may not come soon. Not one source of mine seems to know anything about the situation, and Coach Woodson was coy when asked about it after the game.  What do you think?

First place halfway through, three potential all stars, a great home record and still half a season to go. What did you expect from the Hawks? Did you expect them to be in first place, be one of the highest scoring teams in the league or having one of the best home records?  Did you expect them to beat the Celtics three consecutive times and get two wins in Boston? Did you expect the national media to pick up additional Hawks games throughout the year?

The players, coaching staff and ownership are not shocked one bit. The team has worked hard, learned to play well together, and is progressing nicely in the 2009-2010 campaign.

The Hawks started off hot and with the exception of a four game slide, have been a consistent team in the win column. It seems the team has learned not to let bad habits linger for long, and has figured out how to not one bad game snowball into a bad week or month. While there are times where the starts are slow and shot selection could be better, the good far exceeds the bad and this team has earned the top spot in the division. Can they hold it?  Here are some quotes on the first 41.

COACH MIKE WOODSON

“I like the direction that we are going, losses are tougher to swallow because expectations are high.”

JOSH SMITH

“Feels good, we just have to stay focused and not look at the standings and come out and play.”

MO EVANS

“We feel like we are right where we want to be and we still gave away few games that we felt like we should have had.  If we learn and put this chemistry together we can go really far.”

MARVIN WILLIAMS

“We’ve gotten off to a pretty good start, our goal was to get 50-plus wins and get home court advantage throughout the playoffs. We can’t have too many let downs.” 

ZAZA

“We had a good first half and we are looking forward to a better second half.”

JOE JOHNSON

“Our effort has to pickup in the first quarter, we can’t have mishaps in games we are supposed to win so we need to come out and handle business.”

OWNER BRUCE LEVENSON

“We couldn’t have asked for anymore than what we got this first half … I like this team I like this locker room.”

OWNER ED PESKOWITZ

“The team has just come together and is much better.  Jamal has made a great difference you can see a lot of chemistry, it’s really exciting. This team is really really competitive.”

THE GOOD TIMES OF THE FIRST HALF

The Hawks have had some memorable moments in the first 41 games this year here are a few:

Beating the Celtics three straight times, Jamal Crawford’s buzzer beater against the Suns, Smooth’s buzzer beater against the Rockets, the red jerseys, winning in Dallas, the largest crowd in Philips Arena History against the Cavs , the return of Mario West (Feel free to fill in the blanks).

THE BAD

Some things did not go the Hawks’ way in the first 41, but the sting of the not so good should be used to motivate the guys to not let them happen again.  I’m sure we all remember these:

The entire game against the Magic in Orlando in Orlando, The first half in Miami, the fourth quarter against Cleveland (10 points), two home losses against the Knicks, and who could forget Nate Robinson in overtime!

WHAT TO WATCH FOR IN SECOND HALF

Trade deadline- Is the team fine as currently constructed or will Gm Rick Sund pull the trigger on a move to make the team more devastating?  What do you think?

Mesmerizing  the Magic-The Hawks are in first place against the Magic, but Orlando owns the tie breaker. Figuring out how to beat this team will be huge for the standings and for a mental standpoint.

Beating Beatable and Bad Teams-With the Cavs, Celtics, Magic and Hawks close together not giving games away will be crucial in the second half.  If a team has a losing record they should be beaten. You can’t win them all, but imagine if the loses to the Knicks, Pistons, the Hornets without Chris Paul, had gone in favor of the Hawks.

“BOB-HAWKS”

Five former Hawks will be in the house on Friday as Acie Law, Stephen Jackson, Boris Diaw ,Nazr Mohammed and Flip Murray all return to the highlight factory as the enemy.  Charlotte is a very dangerous team and this will be a highly competitive game.  Great plays, three pointers, and blocked shots will be coming from both teams. Flip Murray was replaced by Jamal Crawford so that will be a production battle to watch. Flip was a fan favorite…but Jamal is better.

Johnson’s 36-point performance on Monday that saw him score in traffic, from behind the arc, triple-teamed, in transition, or any other way you can think of, reminded us a little bit of his a different highlight bundle from a couple years ago. If the all-star appearances weren’t enough to make the C’s regret their decision, these two games probably did the trick. Take a look at the footage and you decide which is more impressive.

January 11, 2010 – Regular Season @ Boston

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In other news, many are looking at this game as a test for the C’s, so it is safe to assume it is a good test for the Hawks as well. Here are some links to the relevant articles:

ESPN.com – Celtics Look for Revenge vs. Hawks
NESN.com – C’s Face Hefty Challenge
BostonHerald.com – Celtics vs. Hawks Scouting Report
AJC.com – Hawks Shed No Tears for Garnett’s Absence

Atlanta will be looking for a similar effort Friday night when the team that helped give the young Hawks an identity back in 2008 visits the Highlight Factory for the first time this season. Whether or not the Celtics are Atlanta’s “rival”, a label that Kevin Garnett often disputes, there is definitely not a lot of love lost between these two teams.

Boston enters the game with the best record in the Eastern Conference, but they recently lost three in a row on a west coast swing. KG hasn’t seen any action since December 28 and Paul Peirce returned to action for the first time Wednesday night after a two-week hiatus. Regardless of who the Celtics put on the court for the opening tip the Hawks know that the key to victory will be effort and intensity.

With a “rival” in town and a losing streak and players-only meeting still fresh on their mind Atlanta shouldn’t have any trouble staying motivated Friday night.

 Highlights from the win in Boston on November 13:

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Now whether NBA TV planned well or just got lucky is open for discussion. The Atlanta based operation will host its first original broadcast of a live NBA game with their Fan Night Crew of Ernie Johnson, Kevin McHale and Chris Webber leaving the comforts of the studio to call the game courtside. (Full Story) Previously, the all-NBA channel exclusively featured feeds from team-produced broadcasts such as the Hawks games on SportsSouth and Fox Sports South.

Many around the league will be watching this “mini-series” to see if the Hawks can convince the last handful of doubters that they deserve to be thought of as contenders in the East.

Bottom line is, if you are a fan of this year’s Hawks or of the NBA as a whole, Tuesday and Wednesday are must watch games. Tickets are sold out for the Highlight Factory, so check out what’s available on TicketExchange and make sure you don’t wait until the last minute to get your seats for big games against the C’s later in January.

Note: If you haven’t seen it yet, check out Josh Smith’s new web site: JSmoove.net.

Complete NBA.com Rankings and Article

Making the jump from a solid playoff team to a legitimate contender is the toughest one to make, and some might argue that the Hawks have not done enough to warrant a ranking in the top group, much less the top spot. A look at the other teams in the top group and their argument loses steam: Phoenix, Boston, Portland and Denver round out NBA.com’s top-5. Atlanta has beaten the Celtics and Blazers on the road and handled the Nuggets by 25 at the Highlight Factory. It is safe to say that the Hawks have passed their early season tests against other teams in the league that are playing at a high level.

Champions are not crowned in November, but the Hawks don’t appear to be getting full of themselves. They still seem to be operating with a bit of a chip on their shoulder after being left out of all the preseason talk about contenders in the Eastern Conference. The media has been obsessed with the Cavs/Celtics/Magic and their star power, and is just now starting to notice Atlanta.

More tests are on the schedule for the Hawks this week against three of the hotter teams in the league. Portland owns the league’s longest winning streak (6 games), Miami is only a half game behind Atlanta at 7-2, and Houston beat the defending champion Lakers on the road by double digits last night. The good news is that these tests will be taken in the Highlight Factory where the Hawks are 4-0 and are winning by an average of 17.5 points per contest.

It is early, but these early season tests all factor in. The Hawks are gaining confidence, gaining respect and gaining attention around the league.

Update: Hawks also ranked #1 on ESPN.com | Hollinger’s Daily Dime
Update: Hawks ranked #2 on SI.com (behind Suns)

Update: Other Rankings – #1 at Yahoo! – Ball Don’t Lie, #1 at HoopsWorld.com, #1 at BleacherReport.com, #2 at FoxSports.com

After nearly two weeks away from Philips Arena, the Hawks can now drive their own cars, sleep in their own beds, and play their own video games.  With a four game home stand underway the Hawks have an opportunity to really pad the wins in the standings if they remain focused.

Tonight Brandon Roy and the Blazers look for revenge. The last time the Hawks saw the Trail Blazers it was a hard fought game, resulting in a comeback victory for winged warriors.  Even after beating the Nuggets at home a few days later, Josh Smith still called the win in Portland, “the biggest win of the season.” While the win in Boston trumps that now, he is right in that you beat one of the best home teams in the NBA on their home floor in a game in which you did not shoot well.  It would have ended differently in years past. That win helped the road trip, a win tonight will do the same for the home stand.

 What to look for against the Blazers:

Avoid the slow start – The Hawks got off to a poor shooting start and found themselves down 12 points early in Portland. 

Josh Smith should be a force – Smoove was in foul trouble early the last game, but continued to play aggressively against Portland and he was a defensive presence every minute. The defense should be repeated.

Jamal Crawford driving – Crawford had his way with Portland in round one.  He was able to break down the defense by driving to the basket.  He should drive first and attack the heart of the defense and get the bad guys in foul trouble.

Defend-Rebound-Hustle
Since Keving Garnett has joined the Celtics they have established a reputation of defense, intensity and rebounding. From the opening tip the Hawks outhustled Boston for loose balls and were tougher when competing for rebounds. In fact, Boston set a season-low for rebounds (29) and a season-high for rebounds allowed (47).

Weathering the Storm
The cold and sloppy stretch in the second quarter could have lingered into the second half and effected the outcome of the game. Seven turnovers in the quarter, and the momentum established early was completely lost. Then, in the second half, Atlanta tightened up (only three turnovers) and the Jamal, Joe and Mike all found their rythm. The team weathered the storm and found a way to win in a hostile environment.

New Guys Step Up
Jamal Crawford had 16 of his 18 points in the second half and seemed to be able to get his pull-up jumper off anytime he wanted. Joe Smith also made big contributions scoring two big baskets and drawing an offensive foul from Sheed early in the fourth quarter.

A week is in the book and offense is no problem for the Hawks squad. For the past few days the Hawks have had time to recharge their batteries and work on their defensive execution and strategies. The Hawks go into New York City fifth in the league in scoring (105 ppg) and 17th in points allowed (102 ppg).

Joe Johnson says, “we won’t always be hot scoring the ball so playing defense is a must every night.” Joe is right. The team has given up too many layups this year and that must not happen on the this road trip. The Knicks are a young team and in the words of Josh Smith, “are dangerous because they play the same whether they are up 15 points or down 15 points.”

Hawks math for this road trip

A great trip= beating New York and Boston

 A good trip= getting a split

A bad trip= losing both or winning in Boston after losing in New York

Crawford’s first return trip

Jamal Crawford returns to one of his former NBA homes and says he’s looking forward to going back. He has great admiration for the New York fan base and respects them for their passion. He recommends Tao for good sushi in New York.

Things I’ve noticed

Josh Smith is hitting 57 percent of his shots and has taken ZERO 3 pointers year

Al Horford seems to always be in the right spot in the post

 Joe Johnson has been good in closing out games