Cleveland Game....

[1524]

First of all, let me say wow. How great is this guys? I can't remember the last time I said the Hawks are over 500. and in first place. Obviously it is early, but you have to love the start.

Tuesday's game I think will tell us alot about this Hawks team. How they come out and play will say alot. Do the Hawks want to play with 500. all year, or do the Hawks really want to be a force this year?

[Plainview1981]

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First of all, let me say wow. How great is this guys? I can't remember the last time I said the Hawks are over 500. and in first place. Obviously it is early, but you have to love the start.

Tuesday's game I think will tell us alot about this Hawks team. How they come out and play will say alot. Do the Hawks want to play with 500. all year, or do the Hawks really want to be a force this year?

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I think the Cleveland game will be tough... But I expect a good outing againest Toronto.

[HawksFan87]

We beat them last year in Cleveland and it can happen again.

[Gray Mule]

They just lost one - To the Bobcats!

They will come out and try to take it on the Hawks.

Hawks MUST have another defensive effort from everyone

to win this game.

Scoring contest, Hawks loose. Defensive battle, we have

a good chance to win.

GO HAWKS !!!

[RAHMOR]

This should be a fun game to watch. JJ vs. Larry Hughes. Lebron vs. Josh. I think Josh will probably get into early foul trouble. It's not out of the realm of possibility for us to beat Cleveland, after all they just lost to Charlotte. The could also beat our brains out because they just lost to Charlotte and we'll be playing in Cleveland.

It all depends on how much energy we come out with.

[Peoriabird]

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The could also beat our brains out because they just lost to Charlotte and we'll be playing in Cleveland.

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They don't have enough weapons to beat our brains out!

[RAHMOR]

They have just as many weapons as Philly. Larry Hughes is back this season and Drew Gooden just had a double double. It all depends on how much energy we bring.

[Diesel]

Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves with Tuesday's game.

I think it will suggest certain things:

1. Are we better at Home?

2. Can we beat teams that play strong defense?

3. Is Joe an elite 2?

4. Are we ready for primetime?

Personally, I hope we beat Cleveland the way that teams have been beating Miami...

However, I realize that it will be a physical game.

The Landlord and the Vice President of Pain better get ready!

[DrReality]

They have their big white guy who we will have trouble with. Seems to me that it would be a good time to activate Esteban to give us some muscle. We sure had a hard time with our first road game.

[Guest Walter]

...because I don't think Cleveland is a greatest match-up for us (or they match-up well against us) and they have some talent. A win over them says alot.

W

[Swatguy]

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Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves with Tuesday's game.

I think it will suggest certain things:

1. Are we better at Home?

2. Can we beat teams that play strong defense?

3. Is Joe an elite 2?

4. Are we ready for primetime?

Personally, I hope we beat Cleveland the way that teams have been beating Miami...

However, I realize that it will be a physical game.

The Landlord and the Vice President of Pain better get ready!

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You question whether JJ is an elite 2. You've got to be kidding.

The team was tight and intimidated as a whole in Philly. That has to change. The front court will have to match physically. We obviously need to frustrate LeBron, they rest of the team cannot beat us.

[Johnnybravo4]

I think our Z goes for 25 points on their Z. The key will be for Smoove/Chill combo to hold LBJ under 30. I think that Larry Hughes won't be a factor.

[chillzatl]

He's had some elite-level games, but that doesn't make him an elite 2. He's got to bring it night after night, pick up his team when they're not getting it done and not fade in big games. You can't answer those questions after 3 games. He's definitely got the talent to be elite.

[frosgrim]

Yup, the key to beating the Cavs is to frustrate LeBron and keep his teammates from getting easy baskets. Easy to say, but hard to do.

Zadrunis is a tough matchup for ZaZa because of where Zad plays (high post).

Sheldon will have to go into the game thinking put LeBron on the floor and worry about fouls later.

Joe will have to stick on Larry Hughes throughout the game and not let him get easy looks.

Smith will just need to keep LeBron in front of him and make it tough on the King to get his points.

Childress just needs to doing what he has been doing- energy and rebound.

Speedy can control this game by pushing the ball in transition AND after a make by the Cavs. We should run the entire game.

Defensively the Hawks need to run the Nolan Richardson 40 minutes of hell, but do it for 48 minutes. Half-court traps, full court press, etc.

Hope we win, but its on the road and the Cavs are good. My prediction Cavs 102 Hawks 95.

[GoDawgs21]

Just 3 games ???? Are you new or something. So I guess teh 3 game winning shots he had last year dont count, uh. I guess beside being the only guy with 20 pts, 5 rebs, and 4 asst per game last year beside Lebron, Wade, and Kobe last year doesnt put him up there. Yep, I guess we should only look at these 3 games to decide if he is an elite player. Oh, and lets not factor in he made the 15 man roster for the USA Basketball team.

I'm sorry if you are still in the camp that thinks we got hosed on the JJ trade. But to ? Joe as an elite player is absurd. Is he the greatest no. But even all the season previews that take every chance to hate on the Hawks had him in the top 15 players in the NBA.

[Wretch]

JJ is good. Make no mistake. Though when I think about the elite guards in our league, I think about guys that can will a team to wins all season long. His talent is obvious, but can JJ maintain that level of consistency all season long. It's going to be an ongoing question that I think will only be answered many moons from now.

BUT..........!!!

The question that I have is if Woody is holding this team back. I've heard the players talking about what it's gonna take to win and being right moreso and more often than Woody. Serously... How telling is it that JJ comes out after the first win saying that the team has to push the ball, that's their identity, and that they have to figure that out.

???

I thought it was the coach's responsibility to get all the guys on the same page, implement a system, and make sure they're following it. Sounded like to me after that first win that they had just figured out that they need to push the ball. And of course Woody jumps in with "Speedy's still trying to get into playing shape...so we couldn't push that ball as much as we wanted to when he was in..."

Whatever.

No matter what this team does, I think they would do it better with a better coach. Too bad it's gonna take management many moons to figure that out too.

[chillzatl]

and they aren't 2-1 by simply doing what JJ thinks is the right thing to do out there. I think you read too much into one guys comment, as is often the case around here. It's easy to take a random comment or two and make it fit whatever scenerio we think it should fit.

We're 3 games into a season where we're already down our 2nd best player, we're 2-1 and people are already pointing fingers. I don't think I can take 79 games of this....

[chillzatl]

Maybe it's just easier to become "elite" with you than with I?

[drzachary]

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and they aren't 2-1 by simply doing what JJ thinks is the right thing to do out there. I think you read too much into one guys comment, as is often the case around here. It's easy to take a random comment or two and make it fit whatever scenerio we think it should fit.

We're 3 games into a season where we're already down our 2nd best player, we're 2-1 and people are already pointing fingers. I don't think I can take 79 games of this....

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Hmm.. I think we have our second best player on the court right now, and he's tall, gangly and Eastern European! Seroiusly, I'm the new Treasurer of the Zaza Fan Club. Or maybe the conductor of the Pachulia Bandwagon Express. Choose your own metaphor.

[Johnnybravo4]

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and they aren't 2-1 by simply doing what JJ thinks is the right thing to do out there. I think you read too much into one guys comment, as is often the case around here. It's easy to take a random comment or two and make it fit whatever scenerio we think it should fit.

We're 3 games into a season where we're already down our 2nd best player, we're 2-1 and people are already pointing fingers. I don't think I can take 79 games of this....

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Hmm.. I think we have our second best player on the court right now, and he's tall, gangly and Eastern European! Seroiusly, I'm the new Treasurer of the Zaza Fan Club. Or maybe the conductor of the Pachulia Bandwagon Express. Choose your own metaphor.

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Yeah where are the "we need a center" bitchers and moaners now. Zaza is avg 18/8 and has outplayed Dalembert, Curry, and Dwight Howard. I wonder what the Irishman and the Senagaleze stiff are doing?