WE WON!!!!!

[Wurider05]

We are on fire!!! Big game from the guys today.

[Diesel]

I like our chemistry.

We are the big game Hawks!!!

[Peoriabird]

Quote:

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I like our chemistry.

We are the big game Hawks!!!

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Also the difference is that we are making our free throws especially down the stretch which was killing us in the 1st 16 games. You have to give the Nuggets some credit, they hung in there but our ball movement was outstanding. Even Josh Smith looked good passing the ball.

[Diesel]

All I will say is that if we keep beating over .500 teams, we will build up confidence. A young team with confidence is a dangerous team to play.

[KB21]

We aren't turning the ball over either.

Limiting turnovers. Great ball movement offensively. Multiple players getting in on the action.

Still need to improve defensively, especially with our defensive rebounding, but we'll get there.

Now, I've got to go write my letter to Turner South letting them know about my disgust of getting Cape Fear instead of the Hawks game today.

[exodus]

Quote:

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Limiting turnovers. Great ball movement offensively. Multiple players getting in on the action.

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JJ had 9 assists and ZERO turnovers to go along with 30 points. WOW!

[hotboyj]

No matter how much of an impact Smoove made down the stretch, JJ kept us in the game the whole night, and he was the one who sent the game into overtime.

Chillz could have won it for us had he not thrown a half court heave with 4 seconds left at the clock.

Despite all the errors made, we still came off with a win against another playoff team.

Miami is up next, and if we can beat them it will certainly send the message to the league that the Hawks are a playoff-caliber team you better not take lightly.

[f_town]

its kinda impressive that even though our defense was poor and we had long offensive lulls, we still pulled it out in the end...Smith had a big role in that imho

whats important is that we closed out the game, and have players becoming more confident in big-game situations

we have lost plenty of games like this in the last couple years

so, onward and upward to the toP!

Go Hawks!

[Gray Mule]

Had a real fight late in this game, but Hawks managed

to send it into overtime.

Then, having to come back, Hawks prevail with the icing

for the cake coming from Tyronn Lue when he hit the final

three!

WOW !! OUT OF THE BASEMENT !! HOW ABOUT THAT !!

GO HAWKS !!!!!

[swolehawk2]

That is when you know u r on to something with a young team....Denver out hustled us and played better for a majority of that game, but we still won.

Clutch plays from JJ, Smoove & Lue.

[Plastic Man]

and i'm so glad the refs didnt bail out 'melo at the end. in the first half we came out of a timeout with an oop for jsmoove and from that point on he played with confidence. those easy baskets give him adreniline and seem to "elevate" his game. again, he only gets credit for 1 block but he changed many more; still pickin up cheap fouls though. HAWKS FTA: 19 'MELO FTA: 24

[Wretch]

...because I believe that we're close to a winning season.

We have beat some good teams. We've gone to the wire with others...and have been royally screwed a few times. At other times, we just looked lost as opposed to outmatched.

Mark of an inexperienced team...not a bad one.

We made some great moves over the summer and I think we have turned a corner in the rebuilding process. We're close. Perhaps not 50+ wins (pfft...), but .500 isn't that far away.

Still don't know if Woody's the man for the job longterm, but certainly no need to fire him right now (yeah, I gotta back up on that). Let's see where this goes.

[exodus]

The Hawks werent as bad as people thought when they were

2-16, they aren't as good as they look winning 4 of 5. They are the same team.

Looking at their offseason moves they added a lot of offense, not much defense. I figured they would score much better but the D would be their big weakness.

In November they didn't move the ball well and so they couldn't take advantage of their shooters. Now they are moving the ball better and the offense is getting cranked up. They are shooting 40% from 3 as a team.

However they are giving up 47% shooting to their opponents. Only two teams are worse, Toronto and Seatle. The last two games they have won because they were very hot from 3. However you can't shoot that well all the time. Shooting blows hot and cold. It is much easier to be consistent on D.

If they do keep Al, their poor defense will prevent them from getting near .500. I still think 25 wins is about right.

[RMJ]

I disagree. The Hawks are not the same team they were when they was 2-16. That team found ways to lose close games by missing FT's or turning the ball over down the stretch.

The team we're seeing now is finding ways to win the close games.

[Highpozt]

One big difference is Woodson has decided to make JJ and Al be the leader of this team not only physically on the court but from a rah rah stand point. Al is vocal on this team. He has decided the team will depend on the function of these JJ and Al.

[Highpozt]

You got to make other teaams at least respect your go to guys Al and JJ. Woodson has featured those 2 and they are paying dividends. which has allowed us to use Childress JSmith and ZaZa more efectively

[chillzatl]

who being woodson, that being him deciding that JJ adn Al are going to be the leaders of this team? that was the point all season long. That's why we got Al and why we paid all that money to JJ. The difference is that they and everyone else around them, are becoming comfortable together and learning their roles. Apart from Al, everyone on this team was playing a different role than they were at season end last season. Most young players are going to struggle a little with that kind of change.

But woodson isn't doing anything different. He's still stressing the same things, coaching the same way. It's just that his guys are a little better know and can actually do in game, what they work on in practice.

Need a holla from all the woodson haters!

[Highpozt]

Not quite --- what the difference is is that the number of touches Al and Joe have gotten over the last 6 games is a commitment to run the offense through them even more than the beginning of the season. In the start of the season he thought he would get more from Josh Childress and J smith but they have not been consistent enough to be dependable --- so he is riding the offense of JJ and Al more --- look at # of shots and PPG fo Al and JJ.

[exodus]

Actually you have it backwards. Al and JJ were going 1 on 1 too much in November and that was the problem. Now they are passing more and it has opened up easier looks.

The only person taking significantly more shots than they did in November is Lue.

[chillzatl]

I don't see JJ or Al getting any more touches than they did earlier. The ball has ALWAYS went through those guys. They're just doing the right things iwth it, consistantly. Rather than doing the wrong things. The guys around htem are also doing what htey're supposed to be doing.

Woodson has known who his two best players were and he didn't just decide to start running the ball through them. It's a group effort and the group is finally learning how to play within that. It's simply good ole fashioned improvement and experience taking hold