Peachtree Hoops: The Hawks are all smiles until you start talking about the bench

[Hawksquawk]

More photos » Kevin C. Cox - Getty Images

Browse more photos »

After some deep thinking, Scott Skiles summed up the game in 12 words in the AJC.

"They outplayed us in almost every spot up and down the floor."

Woody naturally went broader. I wonder does he never mention match-up advantages in the post game because he is afraid the other team will notice or he is not 100% on board they exist?

"It’s the fans here,"

Hawks

coach Mike Woodson said. "The fans have been great the last three years. They really enjoy the product on the floor and how we play. They’ve been huge in the playoffs, like a sixth man."

Now, I have been going to the games the last three years, and while I appreciate the compliment, one could read this quote as being completely sarcastic and it would be more entertaining and honest.

Jamal Crawford, obviously using "we" loosely, pointed out that why this victory was better than game one. It lacked a comeback.

"We weren’t going to let them get over that hump,"

Hawks

guard Jamal Crawford said. "When a team like that can do that, it gives them life."

Michael Cunningham succinctly recapped the two negatives from last night in his Hawk Squawks.

–

Teague

looked lost during one sequence in the first quarter.

Ilyasova

shook free for a 3-pointer when Teague was slow on a rotation, then Teague didn’t seem to know the

Hawks

’ play and had to be shooed off by Jamal, and then he overdribbled and clanked a shot. That got

Bibby

back off the bench.

– The Hawks’ reserves didn’t contribute much. Jamal shot just 2 for 10 and then drew Woody’s ire by becoming gun shy.

Zaza

seemed out of sorts.

Mo

took just one shot. The

Bucks

’ bench players had 40 points to seven for the Hawks.

But this caught my eye the most.

Zaza and Woody had a blowup when Woody took him out of the game after Salmons kept going around him for layups. Zaza didn’t want to talk about it. "We won the game, that’s what’s important," he said.

Woody also had some words with Jamal Crawford at one point. Words were probably deserved for both, but I love how Zaza gets chewed out for not contesting John Salmons layups well enough. It is just assumed Salmons will get by whoever is guarding him on the perimeter.

Hoopinion delivers the stat wood and makes me love the front court more in the process.

[Horford and Smith] were on the court together for 30 minutes and 23 seconds during which the Hawks outscored the Bucks 67-45. They were both off the court for 6 minutes and 42 seconds* during which the Bucks outscored the Hawks 19-4.

On Jennings struggles, resident Bucks expert Brew Hoop files them under predictable.

Of little help was the star of Saturday,

Brandon Jennings

.  Perhaps predictably, he was completely ineffective after his 34 point outing on Saturday, going 1/10 in the first half and seeing four of his shots rejected by Atlanta's mobile big men.  It didn't seem like the defense was any tougher on him tonight than Saturday, but as we've often seen, the defense often doesn't have much to say about how much Brandon scores.  

While talking about the long held belief that Josh Smith is the Hawk's x-factor, Jeff Schultz gets a nice quote from said factor. File under 85% joking.

"Marvin [Williams] let me down," by missing a shot that would’ve given Smith his 10th assist.

Surely a triple double would have put Josh in some more elite company, but this is pretty nice.

Smoove became 4th player in playoff history 2 have @ least 20p/8r/8a & shoot 80% in a game, joining Bill Russell, Magic, and Mitch Richmond.

Go Hawks!

View the full article