Mike Woodson: "We've got to play almost a perfect game to beat this team"

[GameTime]

http://www.nba.com/2010/news/features/shaun_powell/05/07/hawks.magic.game2/index.html

If true Woody, you are basically saying you are a horrible coach.

[DJlaysitup]

http://www.nba.com/2...ame2/index.html

If true Woody, you are basically saying you are a horrible coach.

Yeah I heard that quote after the game and thought it was dumb. Not exactly a confidence instiller. Maybe he was hoping to assist ORL in getting overconfident for game 3 though. They even asked SVG about it in his news conference and he brushed it off.

[GST]

Woodson is trying to sow the seeds of a contract extension.

[AHF]

Woody always tries to lower expectations for himself. Every year we have seen confident comments at times and then this sort of comment used to explain losses.

[NineOhTheRino]

He is flat out saying that the other team is better. That's Woody for ya. Woody actually seemed happy that the final score was within 20. What a same.

[Slamee101]

He is flat out saying that the other team is better. That's Woody for ya. Woody actually seemed happy that the final score was within 20. What a same.

Yea, and as the coach in the midlle of the series...no way he should say that.

That said, I do think they are just better than us. They're a deeper team. I have no faith in guys like Marvin or Maurice Evans and Mike Bibby was such a liability on D that he was MIA in the 2nd. Woody doesn't play Teague unless it's garbage time, so that leaves us with JJ, Jamal, Josh, Al to contend with Dwight, Jameer, Vince, Lewis, Paetrus and their role players (Gortat, Redick, Williams) that are a little better than our role players.

[Joker]

He's wrong but they do have to play 4 good quarters whereas v. others they can afford to have one bad quarter.

Woody thinks too much like a GM and not a coach. I've always thought that he would be better suited for that than being a HC.

Edited May 7, 2010 by nbasuperstar40

[NoJumpshotsNumber5]

Woody is actually right and we were playing the perfect game for 3 quarters. Our rotations were perfect, the ball movement was perfect and then it just stopped after Nelsons shot. I am very proud of the effort for 3 quarters that the players gave but unfortunately you have to do it for 4. We can beat this team but our idiotic meltdowns prevent us from doing so. SMH

[Swatguy]

Woody was truthful. And was coachspeak. You guys enjoy being lied to.

[JackB1]

Woody is trying to save his job. The truth is all we had to do was play the last 12 mins like the first 36 and we win.

[AUhawksfan]

While the comment may be true, you're really setting low expectations for yourself and that can rub off on your players (just look back to Marvin's comment regarding Orlando).

When you see teams upset others it's because the coach and his players buy into the fact that they can do it. It's on Woody to build that momentum/confidence into his players but he does just the opposite to have an excuse when contract talk begins.

Freaking pathetic. He always looks for excuses when things aren't going his way.

[Atlantaholic]

We haven't even played ONE good game against Orlando... All Season!! If a Perfect game is what it takes to win then we are gonna get swept.

[AHF]

The comment was definitely not true. A perfect game is impossible. An almost perfect game is very rare. We can beat Orlando if we play hard, play intelligently, and have a good game while they don't go crazy from the perimeter.

Clearly, I like their odds of winning more than ours (particularly when we are on the road) but to say we need to be "almost perfect" is materially overstating things. This is especially true since Orlando isn't "perfect" either - they can have a bad game and if they do have a bad game we may not even have to play above average to win the game.

Orlando has the edge but Woodson is just setting the expectations so that any win seems like a miracle of good coaching and any loss seems like the natural result of how talent-deprived his poor team is.

[Swatguy]

Woody is actually right and we were playing the perfect game for 3 quarters. Our rotations were perfect, the ball movement was perfect and then it just stopped after Nelsons shot. I am very proud of the effort for 3 quarters that the players gave but unfortunately you have to do it for 4. We can beat this team but our idiotic meltdowns prevent us from doing so. SMH

Actually the slid started at about the 4 minute mark. It was when Joe started pounding and holding the ball until 5 seconds of the shot clock. He then forced a bad shot, passed to a startled teammate which result in forced shot, or passed to a Magic player. Joe was out of position defensively at least three times with other guys scrambling to cover his poor play.

That Red Bull has strange side-effects.

Edited May 7, 2010 by Swatguy

[Admin]

The comment was definitely not true. A perfect game is impossible. An almost perfect game is very rare. We can beat Orlando if we play hard, play intelligently, and have a good game while they don't go crazy from the perimeter.

Clearly, I like their odds of winning more than ours (particularly when we are on the road) but to say we need to be "almost perfect" is materially overstating things. This is especially true since Orlando isn't "perfect" either - they can have a bad game and if they do have a bad game we may not even have to play above average to win the game.

Orlando has the edge but Woodson is just setting the expectations so that any win seems like a miracle of good coaching and any loss seems like the natural result of how talent-deprived his poor team is.

I'm fairly sure that he wasn't being literal when he used the word perfect. If he was I'd bet he hadn't given it much thought since as you point out it's impossible to play a perfect game. The way I see it he probably considers the way that we played the first 2.5 quarters to be perfect and if that's the case then he is right that we must play like that for 48 minutes in order to beat a team that like it or not is more talented than us overall (especially at the 2 most important positions), has better depth and is better coached.

[AHF]

I'm fairly sure that he wasn't being literal when he used the word perfect. If he was I'd bet he hadn't given it much thought since as you point out it's impossible to play a perfect game. The way I see it he probably considers the way that we played the first 2.5 quarters to be perfect and if that's the case then he is right that we must play like that for 48 minutes in order to beat a team that like it or not is more talented than us overall (especially at the 2 most important positions), has better depth and is better coached.

I am cynical that he is not setting expectations with it like he has in past seasons.

[Dexmethylphenidate]

I am cynical that he is not setting expectations with it like he has in past seasons.

I haven't thought of this... good point. The guy sets low expectations so that when the team exceeds it, then it's all because of him. And then if they meet it, it's good for him too. Seems like he only thought of himself and not for best interest of the team.

[99PROBL3MS]

I don't buy the setting low expectations deal. When has Woody ever taken major credit for the success of this team. I havre never heard him use the word "I" when discussing the success of the team. It is always "we". I think he is just calling it how he sees it. As he says, they have him getting fired every year.

[niremetal]

When has Woody ever taken major credit for the success of this team.

Are you kidding? He never wasted an opportunity this past year to talk about what a great job he has done and say that he deserves an extension.

[99PROBL3MS]

Are you kidding? He never wasted an opportunity this past year to talk about what a great job he has done and say that he deserves an extension.

Maybe I am mistaken, but show me where he has ever come out and said he deserves an extension. I am not saying I agree with the statment. I am not saying I agree with it. I am not saying it was a smart thing to say, but I think it should be taken with a grain of salt.