AP Recap – Box Score – Photo Gallery - Highlights

The Hawks handed the Heat their first loss of the 2011-12 season and improved their own record to 4-1 by posting a 100-92 win in Miami on Monday night. Tracy McGrady, now in his 15th season in the NBA, may not have the athleticism he had when he entered the league as a teenager, but on this night he showed that he can still knock down the 3-ball in clutch situations.

Atlanta executed Larry Drew’s game plan extremely well through the first three quarters, save for a few spurts where they let the Heat get out in transition for easy baskets. In the halfcourt the Hawks forced Miami to settle for perimeter shots with a mix of zone defense and more switching on ball screens than they typically employ. To keep the Heat from getting out in transition the Hawks had solid shot selection and only committed nine turnovers in the game.

All of the Hawks efforts set them up for a clutch fourth quarter by McGrady. T-Mac played all 12 minutes of the final period, scoring 13 of his 16 points while hitting all three of his attempts from behind the arc. For good measure, he added five rebounds and four assists to help Atlanta turn a four-point deficit into an eight-point win.

Joe Johnson also hit a big 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, helping him finish with a team-high 21 points, while Al Horford added 16 points and nine rebounds. Jeff Teague had another solid game at point guard, consistently breaking down Miami’s defense and getting into the paint while taking good care of the ball. Jeff hit six of his first seven shots while scoring 13 of his 15 points in the first half to keep the Hawks within striking distance.

LeBron James finished with a game-high 28 points and Chris Bosh added 19, but the Hawks did a great job of keeping Dwyane Wade out of the lane and settling for jumpers. Wade had 10 assists and scored 12 points, but he shot just 4-of-17 from the field.

The real story of the game was the clutch play from McGrady. With the condensed schedule and T-Mac’s injury history the Hawks shouldn’t plan on counting on these kind of heroics every night, but I think tonight proved that he still has plenty left in the tank to make a big contribution this season. He is definitely not afraid of stepping in to take the big shots.

GAME NOTES FROM HAWKS PR:

– On the strength of 21 points from Joe Johnson and a solid 16 off the bench from Tracy McGrady, the Atlanta Hawks knocked off the previously unbeaten Miami Heat, 100-92 Monday at the AmericanAirlines Arena.

–The win was Atlanta’s fourth in five games, and dropped Miami to 5-1.

– Al Horford also finished with 16 and Jeff Teague turned in a smooth, 15-point, five-assist and four-steal night.

– The Heat led by as many as 10 early, and took a 23-19 lead after one.  Atlanta narrowed the margin at the half, behind Teague’s 13 first half points, 50-47.  The Hawks took advantage of nine Miami turnovers, converting them into 14 points.

– Atlanta trailed by four heading into the final quarter (71-67), and completely dominated the home team in the fourth, outscoring them 33-21.  The Hawks shot 60% in the fourth, making 9-of-15 FGs and held the Heat to 37 percent shooting.

– McGrady had 13 of his 16 points in that crucial fourth, drilling three three-point FGs.

– Atlanta wraps up this three-game road trip Tuesday at Chicago at 8 ET (Sportsouth HD, NBA TV, 680 AM and 93.7 FM).

At times the Hawks got sloppy during Wednesday night’s home opener at the Highlight Factory, but don’t let that take away from the times that they looked like a well oiled machine poised to step into the “contender” category that is so coveted in this league.

For the second time in as many games the Hawks came out firing. They raced out to an 11-0 lead behind 3-pointers from Teague, Williams and Johnson. Their ball movement was immaculate, with players making the extra pass to get an even better look at an open shot. The game tightened in the second quarter, but Atlanta never appeared to be threatened the rest of the night.

As a unit, the starters were lights out tonight. Each of their point differentials (+/-) were better than +22.
- Marvin Williams turned in another strong performance, scoring 17 points and grabbing eight boards while playing strong inside.
- Al Horford and Josh Smith each posted double-doubles while blocking four shots combined. They convincingly outplayed the Wizards young frontcourt that features Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee.
- Joe Johnson got off to a scorching start, hitting his first three shots from behind the arc. He continues to play an excellent all-around game.

The Hawks did lose their focus in stretches, committing careless turnovers and settling for too many jump shots. That focus will be tested again on Friday when they host New Jersey, the team that they drubbed by 36 points on the road.

AP RECAP | BOX SCORE | VIDEO: Postgame Reactions

The New Jersey Nets haven’t been to the playoffs in the last four years and aren’t expecting a dramatic improvement this season, but don’t let that take anything away from how dominant the Hawks looked in Tuesday night’s season opening win at the Prudential Center.

All through training camp we heard about how the new additions to the Hawks’ roster, while small on the salary scale, would provide substantial additions on the court. If you were skeptical during training camp, then Tuesday night should at least push you in the direction of becoming a believer.

The Bench.
Many have asked how the Hawks could replace the bench production (14 ppg) that was lost when Jamal Crawford signed a free agent contract with the Trail Blazers. The Hawks never claimed that they would find that kind of offensive output in one replacement, but the second unit was anything but a weak link in the opener.

Vladimir Radmanovic scored 9 points in the first quarter, helping Atlanta’s bench outscore the Nets’ bench 13-2. Vladi finished with 17 points (3-of-4 from behind the arc) and also had four assists.

Tracy McGrady was much more locked in and aggressive than he showed in either preseason contest, finishing with 12 points in 20 minutes of action.

Jannero Pargo gave the Hawks quality minutes backing up Jeff Teague, making smart decisions and playing solid defense. As a seven-year vet, Pargo seems to have quickly identified his role on the team and should be a stable piece in the Hawks rotation.

Zaza Pachulia continues to impress this year. He is giving his trademark energy and effort and has shown a little more assertiveness on the offensive end as well. Pachulia grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds and scored 13 points.

Which Jeff Teague will show up?

The other big question entering the season was about Jeff Teague. Would we get to see the guy that dazzled us in the second round of the playoffs last year full time?

If Tuesday night was any indication the answer is a big YES.

Teague outplayed Deron Williams, the two-time All-Star, limiting him to 10 points and just ONE assist. Meanwhile, Jeff was strong on offense, scoring 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 3-of-4 from behind the arc. He did have a pair of careless turnovers, but nothing that should detract from an otherwise impressive debut as an opening night starter.

Again, take it with a grain of salt if you must, but 30-point road wins aren’t just given to anyone. The Hawks showed up on Tuesday night and made a statement about their intentions for the 2011-12 season. Now all they need to do is keep repeating the same line.

(UPDATE FROM ELIAS) The Hawks’ 106-70 victory over the Nets in New Jersey marked only the third time in NBA history that a team won on the road by more than 35 points in its season-opener. The other teams to do that were the Cavaliers in November 1988 (a 133-93 triumph over the Charlotte Hornets) and the Bulls in October 2006 (a 108-66 dismissal of the Heat in Miami).

Reasons to be optimistic:
- The Nets open their season tonight in Washington and will not be as fresh as the Hawks.
- Brook Lopez underwent surgery on his foot late last week, meaning the Hawks will avoid facing the 7-footer.

Reasons for concern:
- Jeff Teague rolled his ankle last week, and while he is expected to start, he may not be 100%.
- Teams playing their home opener usually have an extra boost of adrenaline, and since this is the last home opener before the franchise relocates to Brooklyn the crowd/emotion may be even more of a factor.

Click Here for the Game Info on NBA.com

Check back tomorrow morning for a full preview on Hawks.com.

One of the more intriguing options is a “BIG” lineup that features McGrady, Johnson, Vladimir Radmanovic, Horford and Jason Collins/Zaza Pachulia. McGrady has been used as a point-forward in the past and is capable of bringing the ball up the court on offense, while Johnson was often called on to guard the other team’s point guard when he played alongside Mike Bibby the last few years. With this lineup the Hawks would create some huge match-up problems for the other team’s backcourt and give Al a bigger advantage on the boards as well. Check out the sizes compared to league averages:

(Note: I know Joe is listed at 6’7″, but he plays a lot bigger than that at the 2. Other SG’s around the league may be similar in height, but they are not built like Joe… think Rudy Gay and/or Brandon Roy.)

Joe and T-Mac are able to draw double-teams with standard match-ups, but they will be immediate if they have 4-6 inches and/or 20-30 pounds on their defender. That means open looks for Horford (who was deadly from 15-18 feet for much of last season) and Radmanovich (who has made a living at the 3-point line).

There is no guarantee that LD will ever use this lineup, but it would be interesting to give it a try in one of the preseason games against the Bobcats.

The other end of the spectrum is probably one that you will see somewhat often this season. Let’s call it the “QUICK” lineup.

The core of the Hawks’ lineup this year, on paper, seems built to run. Coach Drew has acknowledged that he is encouraging players to push the ball more that Jeff Teague is the starting point guard. With the traditional starting lineup with Al at center and Josh at power forward, the Hawks sacrifice size but gain a big advantage with speed. Horford can outrun any big man in the league and Smoove is faster and more athletic than nearly every 4. Tweak the lineup a little bit to sub in the speedy Pape Sy for Marvin Williams and the Hawks resemble the Phoenix Suns from ’04-’05 when they averaged over 110 ppg.

Like I said before, LD has options. Look for the tinkering of the rotation to continue into the season since the preseason schedule only includes two games this year.

** – The league averages were pulled from The Bassline Spin‘s numbers from last season. They used the starting lineups from April 8, 2011, (24 of 30 teams were in action) to come up with their averages. It is not the most scientific or exact, but it will suffice for the purpose of this posting.

JOE JOHNSON –
Joe is serving as the Honorary Chairman of Arkansas Baptists Church’s HoopJams this weekend in Little Rock. Joe grew up playing in a similar event in Arkansas called Hoop Fest, and views his appearance at the competition as a good way to give back.

“It’s a chance to give back a little and show my appreciation for what the state and the city of Little Rock have done for me,” Johnson told Lindsey Millar of the ArkTimes.com.

AL HORFORD –
Horford definitely has a busy summer planned and is currently on the opposite side of the globe making appearances for the NBA in China. Al is scheduled to promote Tsingtao Beer (an NBA China partner) and possibly participate in a community event or two. Track all of his activity by following his Twitter feed: @Al_Horford.

Once Al is back stateside he is going to host two youth basketball camps in late June. One will be held in Atlanta at Emory University from June 25-26, and the other will be in Lansing, Michigan, from June 28-29.

JOSH SMITH –
Smoove is also spending some time abroad, working with the NBA’s 5 United Tour. Josh will be making at least two appearances in Spain this month and will join other NBA stars Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose in supporting the tour.

Smoove also has a camp scheduled for this summer (July 8-10) here in Atlanta.

JEFF TEAGUE –
Jeff Teague is hosting a pair of camps in the burbs around Atlanta next week. The first one is at Salem H.S. in Conyers, and the second is at Wheeler H.S. in Marietta.

DAMIEN WILKINS -
Wilkins recently visited the “Star Student” at a local elementary school. (Click Here to watch the video) He is scheduled to join Teague tonight at the Buckhead Bottle Bar (owned by teammate Zaza Pachulia) for a NBA Finals viewing party and Hawks Appreciation event (invitation only).

ZAZA PACHULIA -
Speaking of Big Z, Pachulia will be appearing at the Hawks Youth Basketball Camp early next week at Life University. Zaza is extremely excited for the end of the summer though, when he will lead his native Republic of Georgia in their first-ever appearance in the European Basketball Championships (Aug. 31 – Sept. 18, 2011).

JOSH POWELL –
Powell recently joined up with fellow Atlanta native Dwight Howard and his D12 Foundation to help families in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa whose homes were damaged by this Spring’s tornadoes.  The duo then had a light-hearted moment as they headed for home: rap video.

Keep up with all of JP’s charitable activity on Twitter @jp21reasons.

The night Thibodeau is saluted as the league’s top coach, it’s Drew who orchestrated yet another Game 1 upset on the road against a higher-seeded team to give the Hawks their first playoff victory in the second round since 1997. And on the eve that Rose is expected to pick up the league’s MVP award, it’s Teague who came out of nowhere to help hound the explosive Bulls guard into a 2-for-10 start from the field that led to an 11-for-27 finish from Rose.
Read the Full Article:
Johnson, Hawks keep earning respect by Michael Wallace on ESPN.com

“The Bulls didn’t show up to play and Atlanta hammered them and made them pay for it.” – Michael Wilbon
Watch the full segment from the guys on ESPN’s PTI

Once again, they played with confidence, got big-time performances from its stars Joe Johnson, who scored a career-playoff-high 34 points, and Jamal Crawford, who added 22, and got contributions from everyone.
Read the Full Article
Teague Steps Up by Jon Cooper for FoxSportsSouth.com

We all need to stop overlooking the Atlanta Hawks. We’re just making them mad. Mad enough to turn the Madhouse on Madison upside down Monday night.
Read the Full Story from Herb Gould of the Chicago Sun-Times

Teague walked onto the floor being reminded of just who he was by his coach, and walked off to be handed the Hawks’ game ball by Drew.
Read the Full Article
Teague rises to challenge in matchup with Rose by Steve Aschburner, NBA.com

In the days leading up to Game 1 it was hard to tell if Teague was “focused” or “nervous” as he attracted bigger and bigger crowds when the team was available to the media. On Monday night I think that question was clearly answered.

“I thought he played a heck of a game,” said Coach Drew after the game.  “He was phenomenal and played like a seasoned vet.  His attack mode and ability to get into the paint, he played like someone who had played a lot of minutes for me.  He stepped up big with the assignment he had tonight.  When he came in the locker room I gave him the game ball.”

Teague also got a lot of glowing reviews from his teammates:

Jamal Crawford: “I thought Jeff was awesome. From Start to finish he came out with a lot of confidence. That’s hard for a guy to play nine minutes in the playoffs and then come out and have to go against Derrick Rose, but Jeff did a great job. He was somebody that led us and we will continue to lean on.”

Al Horford: “Jeff was great. He kept his composure the whole game and played smart basketball.”

Going into the game a lot of the focus was on Teague slowing down Derrick Rose (which he did with help from his teammates), but Jeff also turned in a solid performance on the offensive end. He was the Hawks third leading scorer with 10 points and only committed one turnover.

“Before we went out there he told me to be aggressive, play my game,” said Teague of his instructions from LD. “You can’t get focused on being defensive, defensive, and not being able to attack on the offensive end. He told me to make sure I was aggressive in trying to get to the rim and things like that.”

All in all, it was a great debut as a starter in the postseason. If Atlanta can get similar production from Teague throughout the series it will be a huge lift in an area that was viewed as a big question mark prior to last night.

As for the decisions about the line-up that have been a main topic of discussion the last few days, Coach Drew has chosen (at least at the moment) to go with Teague, Johnson, Williams, Smith and Horford in the starting line-up.

LD’s decision means that Jamal Crawford (scoring) and Zaza Pachulia (size and energy) will continue to be key contributors off the bench for the Hawks. Also look for Damien Wilkins to get decent minutes in Game 1 as the Hawks try different schemes to slow down Derrick Rose.

The “traditional” starting line-up also creates some intriguing match-ups to start the game outside of the point-guard position (MVP Candidate vs. Young Bench Player). With Marvin Williams as a starter, he is saddled with the task of keeping Luol Deng in check on the defensive end. At four-spot, Josh Smith should have the advantage over Carlos Boozer with his speed and athleticism, especially with Boozer’s current toe injury.

Finally, at center you have two former college teammates and friends doing battle inside. Al Horford and Joakim Noah know each other’s game inside and out, and they each provide a unique skill set. Horford will look to draw Noah out of the paint and score with his mid-range jump shot on offense, while his primary task on defense will be to keep Joakim off the boards.

Check out the following links for more details on the match-ups:
- Hawks.com Scouting Report
- Michael Cunningham’s Blog on AJC.com
- Change in Priorities from NBA.com
- Hawks Turn to Teague from the Chicago Tribune
- Hawks Insist Second Round Will Be Different from AJC.com

On the surface this does not appear to be big news. Many teams have a similarly accomplished former player in a similar role. A closer look reveals that this small addition to the coaching staff could change the direction of the Hawks franchise.

Van Exel played 13 seasons in the NBA from 1993-2006, finishing his career with 12,658 points while averaging 6.6 assists per contest. He was named to the 1997-98 Western Conference All-Star team and earned a reputation as one of the most exciting guards in the league to watch. (Click Here for a full recap of his playing career in the official press release) His handles (immortalized by Jay-Z in the song “Crazy in Love”) were among the best of his era, and his brash style of play allowed the 6’1″, 170-pound guard to fill up the highlight tapes while playing primarily below the rim.

As a Player Development Instructor for the Hawks Van Exel will have contact with Joe, Jamal and Bibby, but veterans with nearly a decade (or more) of experience can only alter their approach so much. It is the potential influence Nick can have on the Hawks younger players that is exciting.

Up until now I would guess that few, if any, people have labeled Jeff Teague as “brash”. On the flip side, I doubt that anyone has described Nick Van Exel as “quiet” or “timid”. Van Exel played every night like he had a very large chip on his shoulder. Even after he had well established himself as a top-tier guard in the league he seemed to play like he was always out to prove any doubters wrong. If Teague can adopt any of that defiant, brash, aggressive (but under control) style that Van Exel perfected, then his value to the Hawks this year and beyond has just shot through the roof.

Earlier this summer in Vegas Jordan Crawford showed that he has some of that aggressive style in his game. Van Exel should be able to teach him how to perfect it and how to develop the skills and decision making that must accompany that aggression. Hopefully they can get past the whole cross-town rivalry from their days at Xavier and Cincinnati.

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