Who do we have to beat to get respect?

[Diesel]

Mon 08 @ Orlando 7:00pm SPSO

Wed 10 vs Milwaukee [bUY TICKET] 7:00pm SPSO

Fri 12 vs Utah [bUY TICKET] 7:00pm

Sun 14 vs Minnesota [bUY TICKET] 2:00pm SPSO

Tue 16 @ Indiana 7:00pm SPSO

Sat 20 vs Dallas [bUY TICKET] 8:00pm SPSO

Mon 22 vs Boston [bUY TICKET] 7:00pm SPSO

Tue 23 @ New Jersey 7:00pm SPSO

Thu 25 vs Washington [bUY TICKET] 8:00pm

Sat 27 @ New York 1:00pm SPSO

Sun 28 @ Toronto 1:00pm SPSO

December Opponent Time Local TV Nat TV Radio

Wed 01 vs Memphis [bUY TICKET] 7:00pm SPSO

Fri 03 vs Philadelphia [bUY TICKET] 7:30pm SPSO

Sat 04 @ Miami 7:30pm SPSO

Mon 06 @ Orlando 7:00pm SPSO

Tue 07 vs New Jersey [bUY TICKET] 7:00pm SPSO

Fri 10 @ San Antonio 8:30pm SPSO

This is our schedule. I feel like this. If we can beat Orlando on the 8th, we should get respect.

However, if we beat Miami, Orlando, NJ, and SA in a row during Dec, we'll start getting Championship talk..

[gsuteke]

I'm more concerned with how they play in may.

[Joker]

I'm more concerned with how they play in may.

I'm not, I want to see what works for the next couple of months to see the moves we have to make.

[JJFAN4LF]

We need to split at least the four game series vs. Orlando and Miami this season. Everyone has us pegged us a playoff team that can't win against the big boys. Until we show that we can at least hang with them, we're not going to get respect.

[Deeman]

We had respect last season and still got blown out by the Magic. It's kinda irrelevant.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Goood point Deeman. We definitely had respect going into last postseason. After the Game 4 loss @ Milwaukee, people were uneasy, but still viewed us as legit. But when we lost Game 5, they all wrote us off for dead, because of our poor playoff road record.

Once the Game 1 beatdown vs Orlando occured, the respect was gone out the window.

The "respect" isn't going to come, unless we beat a few championship contender teams ON THE ROAD. Everyone knows that the Hawks can ball at home, but we usually struggle out on the road.

We may have to beat Orlando, Boston, LA Lakers, and Miami at least once on the road, for that respect to come.

( edit ) . . and do it with them at full strength, so the "well so and so was out/hurt/hobbling" excuse can't be used.

Edited November 1, 2010 by northcyde

[DrReality]

The NBA chapionship. Respect won't come from a lot of people until then.

[vext]

We had respect last season...

No we didn't. You want to believe that we did, but we really didn't. We were just another "ok" or "good" team. There was still a big difference between us and the elite according to the media. We have to either dominate all teams (with a couple of losses now and then) or we need to make it to the third round in the playoffs in ten games. Or simply put, we need to win 60+ games.

[AHawks89]

Teams respect us and know that we are a very good team. Media wise, who cares? Yeah, it would be nice getting media attention, but it's just BS media.

To earn more respect from players and media, then we need to get out of of the 2nd round playoffs or actually make it a series.

Edited November 1, 2010 by AHawks89

[High5]

It was fun being respected a couple of seasons ago, but at this point I couldn't care less. The respect will come when the Hawks can at least be competitive in a 2nd round series. Until then, why should the Hawks be respected?

[HawkFoLife]

Respect will come when we become solid on the road and when Orlando doesn't go to sleep in the 2nd quarter against us cause of boredom or laughing themselves into exhaustion. The reason the Lakers/Yankees/Penguins/Patriots of the world get love so much is because they've proven to over and over and over to be in the mix for the Team Trophies at the end of each season. Why should we get this glowing respect from all over?? What has this team accomplished that just demands this awesome respect?? Now as far as being thought of as a solid legit upper echelon playoff team, i'm sure you would be hard pressed to find very many people at all that would oppose that fact but the fact remains when the 2nd round of the playoffs start and you look totally out of your league for 2 years straight. You should accept that it is what it is.

[Sothron]

We have to win a second round playoff series at the minimum. You aren't considered an elite team if you can't even make it to the conference finals and frankly I agree with that.

[Diesel]

We have to win a second round playoff series at the minimum. You aren't considered an elite team if you can't even make it to the conference finals and frankly I agree with that.

Not so.

Had Lebron stayed in Cleveland, they would have had respect (just like the last two years).

The Heat have had respect for the last 2 years and they couldn't get past us.

Nobody give Boston a chance at winning it all and they've been in the picture for the last 3 yrs, in the ECF for the last 3 and the Championship game 2 out of 3.

respect, my friend, is not based on getting to the third round.

[spotatl]

When you say respect you mean as a championship contender?

Boston gets respect because they have won it. Cleveland and Miami got whatever respect they had because of Lebron and Wade and virtually every team that has ever won the championship has had a top 5 player on the roster.

The Hawks don't have a superstar- for them to get respect it would take then winning in the second round of the playoffs. Respect is when teams don't want to face you in the playoffs. Right now the Hawks are a team that others want to face in the second round and thats not going to change until they take someone down.

Edited November 1, 2010 by spotatl

[Sothron]

Not so.

Had Lebron stayed in Cleveland, they would have had respect (just like the last two years).

The Heat have had respect for the last 2 years and they couldn't get past us.

Nobody give Boston a chance at winning it all and they've been in the picture for the last 3 yrs, in the ECF for the last 3 and the Championship game 2 out of 3.

respect, my friend, is not based on getting to the third round.

Lebron's Cavs made it to the Finals, the Heat with Wade won a title recently and Boston won a title and has lost in the Finals recently. All of them won second round playoff series at the minimum. So yes, my friend, it is so.

[exodus]

At this point it is not about getting respect. It about execution. Since the Hawks haven't made any major roster upgrades they need to focus on getting more out of the players they have. That means:

-better ball movement, especially late in games

-much better defensive rebounding and better defense overall

- Smith taking fewer jumpers

- Horford taking his man off the dribble more

- JJ not overdribbling especially late in games

etc

[frosgrim]

It's really simple, winning takes care of everything.

This team doesn't have a winning resume, so it needs to win, esp. in the playoffs.

Heck, the ATL Hawks have NEVER won a 2nd round playoff series. Until the franchis wins one of those, no respect- and rightfully so.

Again, just start winning and all will take care of itself.

[macdaddy]

I tell ya looking at our schedule through november we better win a lot of games. Dallas, Boston and Orlando are the only 'elite' games in the whole month. Not that the other games won't be challeges but as things go we've got a favorable month to work out the kinks.

[JTB]

Good Post man but honestly I think we wont get any respect till we do something come playoff time! Like for example sweeping or going 4-1, 4-2 against our first round opponents. Then as far as the second round goes we still wont get respect unless we actually complete, if we can compete in the playoffs especially after the 1st round than we will earn respect...simple as that...as of now no matter who we beat I feel that we wont earn the respect we should but that could be a good thing! dont know aboout you guys but I like my ATL HAWKS FLYING UNDER THE RADAR!!!!!!!!!!!

[jhay610]

It seems like each of the last two years we have gotten off to a hot start and Diesel and various others have come on early and started putting the metaphorical cart in front of its horse, talking about what we need to do to get in the championship conversation.

We've beaten three teams that failed to make the playoffs last year. I am aware that anything can happen on any given night in the NBA and that road wins are golden, but getting fat off these teams won't make a difference to the naysayers.

We need to beat Orlando a couple of times before we start to earn back some respect, after the way they treated us last year. Otherwise we will continue to be perceived as a second tier EC team, which is honestly a fair assessment given our performance in the last two playoffs.

Edited November 1, 2010 by jhay610