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Do or Die: Three games in 24 hours

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Hawks' playoff hopes alive in weak East

Critical 3-game stretch begins Friday against Charlotte

By SEKOU SMITH

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 03/07/08

Charlotte — It's been a long time since the Hawks faced a span more crucial than this one.

Their playoff hopes may hang in the balance, despite an 11-game under .500 record, with three games in two days.

Welcome to the Eastern Conference, where a 24-35 record is good for ninth place. A mere game behind New Jersey for the final playoff spot.

The three games start with Friday's tilt against Charlotte. That will be followed by Saturday's replay and scheduled game against Miami.

Win them all and those teetering playoff hopes improve dramatically. Lose one, two or possibly even all three and all that postseason fuss that's been simmering since training camp will lose much of its heat.

"This is a huge 24-hour span coming up," Hawks swingman Josh Childress said. "For us being one game out of the eighth spot and being able to make up that ground by winning three games in a 24-hour span is just crucial. That said, we have to focus on each moment of each game and not get ahead of ourselves.

"But this is a pivotal point of our season. And more than anything, we've got to remember to have fun. The attitude and the feel right now is like this is the end of the world. But it's not. We've got plenty of games left. We're in a position to make the playoffs and we can't sit and put all kinds of pressure on ourselves. We just have to go out and have fun, because when we do that we always come out fine."

The Hawks have been anything but fine lately, going 3-7 since the All-Star break, including their current three-game slide. In the meantime, teams like Philadelphia and New Jersey have passed them.

In the Eastern Conference being a season-worst 11 games under .500 doesn't eliminate the Hawks from anything. With 23 games remaining, their playoff push may last into the final days of the season.

"We've got to take care of our own business," Marvin Williams said. "We can't keep expecting somebody else to bail us out. It's time now. There's no more time to waste. I look back at this time the last two years and we were playing for nothing. I think everybody needs to remember that.

"[Josh Childress] and [Josh Smith] are in their fourth years and this is my third year, and I can tell you I'm not trying to watch the playoffs from the house again. We want to be a part of it."

It won't happen without signature wins. The Hawks, who unlike the 76ers (7-3 in their last 10 games), haven't raised their level of play to match their circumstance.

"Philly got that big win in Phoenix and has been playing good basketball," Smith said. "We have to step our level of play up. We have to get on a roll of our own. We have to get everybody on the same page and make sure we all want the same things. And for whatever reasons, it hasn't been that way lately. ...

"We have to take these challenges as serious as ever. We've got to focus in better."

Hawks coach Mike Woodson said his mission is to make it clear that lamenting opportunities that have passed are, just that, in the past.

"We have to prepare for Charlotte first and then we'll go over the scenario for Saturday," Woodson said of the 51.9 seconds they'll have to replay against Miami before finishing with the regularly scheduled game. "But we have no more room for error, because everybody is making their push now. Even the teams below us are making a push. Sure, we've run into a few teams that have made shots like crazy. But if we want it, it's right there for us. The key, though, is that at the end of the day we control our own destiny."

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Hawks-Bobcats Preview

By DAN PIERINGER, STATS Writer

Posted Mar 6 2008 1:11PM

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Bobcats Home

Hawks Home

2006-07 Stats at a GlanceThe Atlanta Hawks haven't done much lately to help their playoff chances in the wide-open Eastern Conference. The Charlotte Bobcats, meanwhile, have used a season-high win streak to unexpectedly pull into the race.

The Bobcats look to match a franchise record with their fourth straight win when they host the struggling Hawks in a Southeast Division matchup Friday night.

Charlotte (22-39) lost 12 of 13 games from Jan. 30 -Feb. 29, but has won its first three contests in March. The Bobcats have won four straight twice since they began play in 2004-05, most recently from Feb. 14-23 of last season.

"There's something good going on," Bobcats guard Matt Carroll told the team's official Web site. "We've been playing well lately. Our chemistry is really good and we're playing well together."

Charlotte's recent success has put added pressure on Atlanta (24-35), which has dropped 11 of 14 to fall into ninth place in the East. The Hawks still have a three-game advantage over the Bobcats, but there are three other teams not in playoff position that have records at least as good as Charlotte's.

Atlanta expected to end its struggles when it acquired Mike Bibby during the All-Star break, but the Hawks have won just three of 10 games with their new point guard in the lineup. Bibby scored 21 points Wednesday, but was overmatched by New Orleans' Chris Paul in Atlanta's 116-101 loss.

"It's tough to overcome something like that," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said after Paul recorded 23 points and 18 assists. "They made shots."

The Bobcats made a lot of shots in their last outing as well, recording their highest point total since Jan. 14 by beating Golden State 118-109 on Wednesday. Jason Richardson, who played his first six seasons with the Warriors, had a season-high 42 points with five 3-pointers against his former club.

"This wasn't a revenge game. It wasn't anything personal," said Richardson, averaging 32.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists during the Bobcats' win streak. "It was just a game that we wanted to win."

Charlotte is averaging 112.3 points and beating teams by an average of 13.6 during its run.

"I think we are making strides," coach Sam Vincent said. "Offensively we are moving the ball and we have a lot of guys contributing."

One player that has not contributed is Gerald Wallace, who has missed six games after suffering his fourth concussion in the last four years. Wallace, who led the team with 20.6 points per game when he got hurt, won't play Friday, but could return within a week.

"He's feeling a lot better. The headaches are gone," Vincent said. "I think it's just a matter of him getting the final clearance to get back involved in full contact. From there we'll get him in some practices and let him and see how he responds to that. If he clears that well then we'll get him back to playing."

The Bobcats have had more success versus the Hawks than against any other team, winning 10 of the 15 meetings. Charlotte is no more than one game over .500 against any other opponent.

The Bobcats dropped the teams' first two matchups of the season, but won 100-98 in overtime Feb. 13.

Copyright 2007 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

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