Ladies and Gentlemen, the Atlanta Hawks.

[wilson]

I'm still not predicting a series victory or anything, but the Hawks have just evened the series with the Celtics. On top of that, as Dominique Wilkins mentioned on the TNT telecast, the city has actually decided (albeit in typically belated fashion) to care. Philips Arena was LOUD tonight, and people in Atlanta actually know what's going on. My brother called from a sports bar, dumbfounded to be amid several dozen people loudly cheering for the team. I sat and watched the whole thing by myself at home. Tonight's 4th quarter was among the most inspired basketball I can ever remember seeing from any Hawks team (down 10 at the end of the 3rd, win by 6). I have actually watched a number of games this year, because the team has displayed its first semblance of true progress in nearly a decade. The losing record playoff campaign was/is a bit of a laugher, but it was improvement nonetheless, and here we stand with a deadlocked series against the best team in the NBA. I, for one, am quite pleased.

[Channing]

I know JE is stewing at the thought of Mike Woodson being successful because it will only elongate his tenure with the Hawks - but that was awesome.

Joe Johnson is something else.

[hc5duke]

If someone told me 2 weeks ago that #1 and #2 seeds would go 7-1 in one conference, while the other conference goes 4-4... I would have lost a lot of money.

[billybreen]

Congrats to the Hawks. There are going to be quite a few concerned faces in the office tomorrow.

[Ignatius07]

Joe Johnson was unreal in the fourth quarter. Perhaps that big deal is finally paying off (well, probably not)?

[Channing]

Joe Johnson was unreal in the fourth quarter. Perhaps that big deal is finally paying off (well, probably not)?

to debunk a common misconception - There was not opposition to getting Joe Johnson. The problem is that he was a restricted free agent. With Nash on the books, Marion on the books, and Stoudamire about to get a huge pay day the Suns were not going to match a max deal for JJ. The Hawks offered him a max deal, and then balked, and traded a first round pick (or was it two first rounders) in a sign and trade with the Suns. I think JJ has clearly shown that he is worth a max deal. The problem was with the Hawks giving up a first round pick. Incidentally, it will be a pick in this draft- one of the deepest drafts in recent years.

[JasonEvans]

to debunk a common misconception - There was not opposition to getting Joe Johnson. The problem is that he was a restricted free agent. With Nash on the books, Marion on the books, and Stoudamire about to get a huge pay day the Suns were not going to match a max deal for JJ. The Hawks offered him a max deal, and then balked, and traded a first round pick (or was it two first rounders) in a sign and trade with the Suns. I think JJ has clearly shown that he is worth a max deal. The problem was with the Hawks giving up a first round pick. Incidentally, it will be a pick in this draft- one of the deepest drafts in recent years.

The Hawks gave up Boris Diaw (who has blossomed into a pretty darn good player in Phoenix) and 2 first rounders for JJ. One of those first rounders was later dealt to the Celtics who used it on Rajon Rando. The other comes due this year and will be the 15th pick in this year's draft. Had the Hawks been just a couple games worse this year, it would have been a lottery pick. In fact, had the Hawks not gotten quite lucky in the lottery last year, that pick could have been someone like Mike Conley, Corey Brewer, or Brandan Wright.

I don't think anyone disputes the value of getting JJ. I very much wanted the Hawks to get him. But, as indicated in the post above, the Hawks gave him a deal that they knew the Suns could not match -- they "overpaid" for Johnson precisely so the Suns would not match it -- and then when the Suns threatened to match it (a threat that they never could have kept) the Hawks buckled. Really, really bad management.

--Jason "this is a franchise that has lucked into being decent despite itself" Evans

[JasonEvans]

I know JE is stewing at the thought of Mike Woodson being successful because it will only elongate his tenure with the Hawks - but that was awesome.

Bingo. As I was enjoying the Hawks comeback in the 4th and feeling great about the team, I kept on thinking in the back of my mind, "Woodson just bought himself another year...@^@&!*@*~!!!"

Want to know how bad a coach Mike Woodson is? The following is a true story--

With 4 seconds left last night, James Posey makes a 3 from the corner to make it a 3 point game. Boston has really only one chance at this point. They must steal the inbounds pass and hit a 3 to send it to overtime. One of the Hawks players grabs the ball almost the instant it goes through the basket and inbounds it to Mike Bibby (an 80% FT shooter and a NBA vet immune to pressure). The moment the ball hit Bibby's hands, the game was over. It was perfect execution by Atlanta-- not waiting to let Boston get set up to steal the inbounds pass and designed to maybe even run an extra second or two off the clock before hitting just 1 of 2 FTs to ice the game. It was smart basketball. The team in the lead has to make that play before the opposition gets a chance to defend them and maybe steal the pass.

But wait... the play had been blown dead. Before the Hawks inbounded the ball, Mike Woodson had called timeout to design an inbounds play. Did I mention that this was the Hawks final timeout? So, not only did he allow Boston to set up for a potential steal, but (just in case everyone was covered) he made it so that the Hawks could not call timeout if they were having trouble inbounding the ball. The sheer stupidity of the team in the lead calling that timeout boggles the mind.

Ladies and Gentlemen, that is Mike Woodson at his finest.

Oh, and anyone who praises Woodson for his role in the Hawks success last night is on crack. I wonder what he was saying in the huddles during the 4th quarter? "Hey guys, pass it to JJ and get out of the way. Ready, break!"

--Jason "could Marvin Williams suck any more than he does? Boy, I sure am glad we did not get Chris Paul or Deron Williams out of that draft pick!" Evans

[JasonEvans]

I have moved this thread to the main board as pro basketball playoff action is on-topic.

--Jason

[gvtucker]

With 4 seconds left last night, James Posey makes a 3 from the corner to make it a 3 point game. Boston has really only one chance at this point. They must steal the inbounds pass and hit a 3 to send it to overtime. One of the Hawks players grabs the ball almost the instant it goes through the basket and inbounds it to Mike Bibby (an 80% FT shooter and a NBA vet immune to pressure). The moment the ball hit Bibby's hands, the game was over. It was perfect execution by Atlanta-- not waiting to let Boston get set up to steal the inbounds pass and designed to maybe even run an extra second or two off the clock before hitting just 1 of 2 FTs to ice the game. It was smart basketball. The team in the lead has to make that play before the opposition gets a chance to defend them and maybe steal the pass.

But wait... the play had been blown dead. Before the Hawks inbounded the ball, Mike Woodson had called timeout to design an inbounds play. Did I mention that this was the Hawks final timeout? So, not only did he allow Boston to set up for a potential steal, but (just in case everyone was covered) he made it so that the Hawks could not call timeout if they were having trouble inbounding the ball. The sheer stupidity of the team in the lead calling that timeout boggles the mind.

Ladies and Gentlemen, that is Mike Woodson at his finest.

I don't think that was a horrible call at all by Woodson.

It wasn't guaranteed that they would get the ball inbounds so quickly (although, of course, they did).

You call time out, you're guaranteed to get the ball at the hash mark in front court. With 2.xx seconds left (I don't remember exactly how much) you can even have the inbounds pass stolen, and as long as you pass the ball forward, and not backward, you're fine.

Oh, and Joe Johnson...dang, what a 4th quarter.

[Classof06]

Boston let a young team get confidence and now they got themselves into a sticky situation. That whole Garnett-Pachulia incident last night was so telling because it mirrors what's going on in this series; Boston thinks Atlanta will lay/back down, Atlanta won't (they came back from two 10-point defecits last night- one in the 1st quarter and one in the 4th), and Boston is getting frustrated.

What makes this troublesome for Boston is that they have to come back to Atlanta (a place they have yet to win) for Game 6 no matter what. This Friday night, no less. Phillips Arena will be rocking again.

As a Cavs fan, I hope this series goes as long as possible and I hope we close Washington out tomorrow night and get some rest .

[Classof06]

As far as Joe Johnson goes, it's clear that Ray Allen cannot stay in front of him and I applaud Mike Woodson and the Hawks for continually exploiting that matchup; it very well may have won them the game.

[Troublemaker]

Yeah, the Hawks dominated Boston to the tune of 32-17 in the 4th quarter to win by 5. Pretty shocking first round series here. Atlanta doesn't have much depth but their predominant lineup of Bibby, JJ, Childress, Smith, and Horford consists of 5 good to very good players. And except for Bibby, they're all young. Not a bad future for Atlanta. Horford is going to turn into an All-Star center in the East. I love his aggressiveness and skill. Smith is a freaking versatile stud at PF -- 7 blocks last night. And Joe Johnson -- what can you say after a performance like that. It was Kobe-like. Great player at SG.

[Edouble]

to debunk a common misconception - There was not opposition to getting Joe Johnson. The problem is that he was a restricted free agent. With Nash on the books, Marion on the books, and Stoudamire about to get a huge pay day the Suns were not going to match a max deal for JJ. The Hawks offered him a max deal, and then balked, and traded a first round pick (or was it two first rounders) in a sign and trade with the Suns. I think JJ has clearly shown that he is worth a max deal. The problem was with the Hawks giving up a first round pick. Incidentally, it will be a pick in this draft- one of the deepest drafts in recent years.

Yeah, but any long time Hawks fan can tell you how terrible we are in the first round of the draft. I, for one, was glad to give up the first round pick in exchange for a very solid player. Go Hawks, get it done fellas!!!

[Huh?]

Who drafted all those guys? Didn't he catch hell for drafting the "same" type players.

[hood7]

I don't think that was a horrible call at all by Woodson.

It wasn't guaranteed that they would get the ball inbounds so quickly (although, of course, they did).

You call time out, you're guaranteed to get the ball at the hash mark in front court. With 2.xx seconds left (I don't remember exactly how much) you can even have the inbounds pass stolen, and as long as you pass the ball forward, and not backward, you're fine.

Oh, and Joe Johnson...dang, what a 4th quarter.

I disagree (and agree with Jason). There was about 4 seconds left, and Woodson didn't even wait to see if they could get the ball in easily. He panicked and called the TO, when he should have let them take a look or two for an inbounds pass before calling the TO. So, he gave the Celts a chance to set up a D, and if they'd stolen the inbounds they'd have had a few seconds to get a decent 3 off. It was one of those "oh, they're trying so hard to blow this" moments, which are plentiful in Atlanta.

[wilson]

Who drafted all those guys? Didn't he catch hell for drafting the "same" type players.

Yes, and some of that now appears unfounded. But let's not forget, he still drafted Marvin Williams over Chris Paul. Make that trade today, and this is easily a 55-win team.

[gvtucker]

I disagree (and agree with Jason). There was about 4 seconds left, and Woodson didn't even wait to see if they could get the ball in easily. He panicked and called the TO, when he should have let them take a look or two for an inbounds pass before calling the TO. So, he gave the Celts a chance to set up a D, and if they'd stolen the inbounds they'd have had a few seconds to get a decent 3 off. It was one of those "oh, they're trying so hard to blow this" moments, which are plentiful in Atlanta.

If you wait and see if you can get the ball in easily, you give up the opportunity to inbound the ball in front court. You have to call the timeout after the basket is made but before you make an attempt to inbound the ball.

[Edouble]

Who drafted all those guys? Didn't he catch hell for drafting the "same" type players.

Yeah, Billy Knight wanted a bunch of tall guys with long arms. It's ridiculous. Draft the best players, not just guys that fit a physical description.

[Channing]

Who drafted all those guys? Didn't he catch hell for drafting the "same" type players.

well, you can throw Shelden and Marvin Williams into that group too. He also drafted (in the same draft) Childress over Luol for some unknown reason, and Royale Ivey over Duhon after Duhon (and Duke) dominated Ivey (and UT) in MSG earlier that very season.