lethalweapon3

Who takes over for Larry P.? "Larry" Jr. or "Larry" Sr.? Anybody seen Julio Franco around? What's Sheff doing these days? ~lw3

Where is that GIF of the kid's face in front of the birthday cake when I need it? ~lw3

The Atlanta Hawks. The feel-good Atlanta MEN'S pro sports story of the year! ~lw3

Soooo... who stays, who goes, who retires? Somewhere in Little Rock last night, Joe Johnson said, "D-Lowe makes WHAT???" ~lw3

Biggest collapse in major league... whoops, oh never mind! hahahaha ~lw3

I've elected to start calling him "Woodi" ~lw3

Hey Bravos, this is what CLUTCH looks like! I don't like their chances if Erika misses 3 games, BUT in a town with so many end-of-season disappointments, it's nice to have a perennial league finalist who gets in the postseason and knows what to do when they get there. Let's Go Dream! ~lw3

Any word on whether Catchings will try to play? It was so sad to see her go down on Sunday. If not, even without having DeSouza, the Dream have the edge going in. Somebody will try to pull an Izi for Indy and step up big time in Tamika's absence (my money is on perennial Dream-killer Shavonte Zellous). I doubt they try to put all the pressure on Katie Douglas. Go Dream! Let's bring home Maya Moore for the Finals! ~lw3

Answering my own question regarding Mme. DeSouza: http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-opinion/7001243/wnba-playoffs-five-things-watch-conference-finals ~lw3

Round 2 kicks off on the Deuce (ESPN2) tonight. Dream head to Naptown to face the first-place Fever. For those watching from their 'puter, it'll also be on ESPN3 or WatchESPN or whatever they're calling it this week. Hopefully, Tamika Catchings gets the dreaded "MVP Award Ceremony" curse tonight. ~lw3

http://www.swishappeal.com/2011/9/15/2427777/de-souza-off-to-olympic-qualifying-tournament-during-playoffs-iziane Any truth to the rumor that Erika is about to LITERALLY "GO"... to the Brazilian National Team (FIBA Americas tourney & Olympics qualifier) right in the middle of the WNBA playoffs? Hopefully, the truth is she heads to Brazil as soon as the Dream's playoff run ends. Otherwise, they'll have to rely on major steps-up from Ally Bales and Courtney Paris. ~lw3

Al Davis would be proud. "Just win baby!" That team went to hell and back today. On to the next round! ~lw3

One down, one to go! http://sports.yahoo.com/wnba/recap?gid=20110916012 ATL took the team with the best home record in the East (15-2) and put them on their playoff heels. Deja vu, anyone? The Dream have been finding a new calling card of late: offensive balance. It's becoming commonplace for Atlanta to finish the night with 4, 5 (like last night), even 6 players in double-figures. Even on a not-so-good night, Angel can score 20+ points, but she doesn't have to drop 30 when Erika, Sancho, Lindsay, Izi, and either one of Arminite or Coco are routinely finding the basket. They have the league's 1st (Lyttle), 3rd (McCoughtry), and 8th-ranked (Price) theft-meisters, and league-leader Sancho's steal in the closing minutes helped seal the deal. Izi's two threes (of course, the ONLY shots beyond the stripe any Dream player made) were huge, but she also made some shockingly good passes that made the difference in the game while Angel was plagued with foul trouble late. With almost three double-doubles, the Dream frontline starters were just overwhelming on the glass (30-16). Their big offseason pickup, Harding, also being aggressive game-long and making a ton of free throws was a big deal (as was the case last night, though, she's infamous for getting a little shaky at the line in crunch time). She can rely on the speedster Price to share the passing duties, creating a pick-your-poison backcourt dilemma for opponents. The Sun hasn't completely set for Connecticut. Probable WNBA MVP Tina Charles is NOT going 4-for-16 again on Sunday, at least not if she stops settling for jumpshots and starts wreaking havoc inside. But she'll need more help with Erika and Sancho than she's getting. The Dream will have to tighten up on the Sun's outside shooters (Lawson, Greene, McCray) if they are going to close this out without taking a gamble and heading back to the blackjack tables in Uncasville. Hopefully the Dream fans won't be freaked out by the Vickageddon tailgaters on Sunday afternoon, and instead show up in droves to support what has, as of late, become the truly best sports ticket in town (9 of the last 10 Dream crowds went home happy)! Would be nice to see some more Falcons fans double up at The Highlight Factory before heading to the Dome! ~lw3

http://origin.nydailynews.com/blogs/knicks/2011/09/ex-knick-jamal-crawford-leaves-goodwin-agency DISCLAIMER: It's another "Frank Isola Special," so don't take all the Knicks/Nets talk for granted. ~lw3

<p> </p> <p>They took a far different path than last season, but the Dream is perched in the same situation, just playing with house money. And just like this time last year, the odds are looking pretty good, maybe even better.</p> <p> </p> <p>The two things that could doom Atlanta’s championship aspirations are the same things from last season: nobody can hit a three to save their lives (25.5% 3FG%, dead last by far – the team ranked next-to-last in 3FGAs ahead of the Dream still makes more than twice as many 3FGs) and they’re the only WNBA team not converting 70% of their free throws. The latter doesn’t help since they rely so heavily on their inside game and opponents put them on the line more than any other team. They also get blocked a ton by keeping their offense predictably close to the basket.</p> <p> </p> <p>On the plus side, though, they play a high-pace style that has them leading the league in scoring as well as steals; tops in the East in FG%, assists, and rebounds; and second in the East in blocks. Opponents turn the ball over far more than any other team.</p> <p> </p> <p>Dictating that frenetic tempo will go a long way to ensuring they get to the Finals again. They’ll also need Erika DeSouza’s ankle as healthy as possible. Given the team has confidence against either Connecticut or Indiana (having gone 2-1 against the Sun and sweeping the first-place Fever on home-and-home in the last 4 weeks) I’m guessing they limit her playing time on Sunday. Finally, they will need not just late-game heroics but composure throughout the game from Angel McCoughtry, something that was very telling during the team’s second-half turnaround.</p> <p> </p> <p>Last year they came out of the blocks blazing, then limped their way to what turned out to be a favorable #4 playoff spot in the East. This year, they started off slow, with Angel playing through an injury for the first time in her career while Sancho Lyttle was returning in late June from Eurobasket and the Spanish national team. Once both were back in gear alongside DeSouza, they have been downright dominant on the boards in big games. Keeping opponents one-and-done and churning out the turnovers to their advantage will give the Dream the edge they need. Midseason pickup Courtney Paris and Allison Bales have been a godsend in terms of depth upfront, a luxury many playoff teams do not have. Superb guard play from Armintie Price and Coco Miller has allowed them to take one of last year’s All-Stars, the defensively-challenged Izi Castro-Marques, and bring her in for spot duty whenever the team needs an quick offensive boost.</p> <p> </p> <p>Angel has been in a complete stratospheric zone since her All-Star showcase. Just watch her offensive moves sometimes, and you'll momentarily forget there's a W in front of that NBA. As of late, I think she's been watching a LOT of tape of her B-More colleagues, Mr. Melo and Mr. Gay.</p> <p> </p> <p>The Hawks may not be in town, but in August, the Highlight Factory was totally open for business. Last-minute heroics from Sancho and Angel have had Philips Arena rocking, building team and fan momentum toward the playoff run. An early August loss against New York was the only home loss the Dream suffered since the end of June. They also proved themselves as a dangerous foe on the road with victories against last year’s champ Seattle (albeit without Lauren Jackson), Indiana, and Los Angeles during Candace Parker’s return from injury.</p> <p> </p> <p>The Dream have proven themselves more than capable of winning 2 out of 3 from anyone in the East, as a road underdog or not. Out West, last year’s buzzsaw, Seattle, has struggled to readjust with Jackson rounding back into form. First place Minnesota, with local sensation Maya Moore, is loaded but unproven in postseason play. If they trip up against any of the other teams (Phoenix, Seattle, San Antonio) and Atlanta comes out of the East, as our friend KG would say, anything’s possible!</p> <p> </p> <p>~lw3</p>

Critt vs. Acie (Acie looks like he won even back then): http://www.hawksquawk.net/community/index.php/topic/337071-something-to-keep-in-mind-about-woodson-and-young-guys ~lw3

http://www.hawksquawk.net/community/index.php/topic/361508-cmon-javaris/ ~lw3 All the glowing endorsements can be found here: http://www.hawksquawk.net/community/index.php/topic/355846-should-javaris-crittenton-be-given-a-chance-by-the-hawks-in-2011-12/ ~lw3

It's about time. Although it looks like he'll sleep in a real bed tonight and not a jail cell. http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/attorney-crittenton-turning-himself-1150640.html ~lw3

http://www.nba.com/knicks/news/woodson_assistant_coach.html Yeah, that looks nice. ~lw3

I knew when I saw Javaris Crittenton trending on Twitter, the news couldn't be good. But man! Somewhere in Central Florida, Agent Zero is saying, "Phew!" http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/former-georgia-tech-star-1146197.html ~lw3

One ex-Hawk goes from Lockout to Tapout, and here he is Knocking Somebody Out* *kinda telegraphed, and staged (could the reporter have unbuttoned his shirt, maybe?), but whatev... ~lw3

Just more workout stuff. ~lw3

Silly questions from me, but what's the deal with Canada? On the surface, it seems like it would be the easiest place to transition for NBA players, but they have, like, no functioning pro leagues? (I see there's a draft for the latest attempt at a league, the NBL, this weekend). Is it just a lack of money? I can see NBA players providing an instant boost to the upstart NBL teams if the money was there, and I can't imagine Halifax or Medicine Hat or somebody whining if the players have to opt out in mid-season. Even if the NBL teams had cash, could the Raptors' owner do anything to block players from signing up? ~lw3

lethalweapon3, on 25 July 2011 - 11:14 AM, said: Whereabouts unknown! Selected by the Hawks one pick before Bobby Jackson. The troubled player and component of an infamous Hawks trade eventually won a CBA championship with the Dakota Wizards and had a momentary run with the Harlem Globetrotters. Here's this answer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ok4MG7BJPA Ed Gray never quite came into form after his senior season at Cal, cited by alums as perhaps the greatest individual season by a Golden Bears player in its collegiate hoops history (Jason Kidd included). It ended prematurely while scoring 48 points on Washington State, when he landed awkwardly after dunking and broke a bone in his foot. He struggled throughout his Hawks tenure as an undersized (a shade under 6'3") shooting guard who couldn't transition to the point. Things started out promising with a 14-point effort, in place of injured leading scorer Steve Smith, as the Hawks reached 11-0 in the 1997-98 season, then dropping 20 on Toronto a few games later as a starter. But rookie-year fines surpassing $50,000 for tardiness, missing medical appointments, and the persistent foot injuries hampered matters greatly. Newspaper article about Gray getting arrested at the height of his NBA-era transgressions. I believe he may have been the first NBA player subject to the league's new collective-bargaining rules regarding marijuana after the post-lockout of 1999. Before being a component of the Isaiah Rider-Jimmy Jackson-Steve Smith offseason trade in 1999, he dropped three 3-pointers and 14 points in the clinching playoff game against Detroit, which would be the last playoff series win for the Hawks for nearly a decade. He never played in an NBA game again after the playoff loss to the Knicks. Also as a correction, Gray was released before the end of the Dakota Wizards' championship season in 2002, and also played part of the prior season with the Gary Steelheads of the CBA. He is also on the Globetrotters' all-time roster, apparently traveling with them later in 2002, but not for very long. ShamSports notes he signed with the London Towers in 2003, but never played a game, and hasn't been seen in a basketball setting since. ~lw3

Hey, I'm typing from Android and I can't recall, but wasn't there a "Jump To Page" feature in the prior versions, at least on the thread pages? With that feature I could get to page 7 of an 11 page thread without having to start from one end and "Next/Prev " my way to it. ~lw3