MIL-ATL Game Review: Stump the Band

Sometimes, we just don't know.

Somewhere deep beneath the box scores and replays of the Hawks 106-102 overtime victory over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks we know there are reasons and explanations.

There have to be theories why the Hawks needed overtime at home to dispatch a .500 Bucks team that lacked firepower to the point where they signed Jerry Stackhouse to come in and provide some oomph to their efforts.

THHB watched as the home team outrebounded the Bucks, along with having fewer turnovers, more free throws, and made more baskets than their visitors.

We mean, apart from the same old, same old of standing around on offense leading to poor transition defense, right? Right?

This game ended in a win, which makes the all of the minutes we watched go down as easy as castor oil. But the contest served to turn up the burner on all the simmering doubts and questions regarding viability for the long term and whether this team even believes or understands that there are issues that need to be resolved here.

The fourth quarter malaise that has been a Hawks staple since just before the Cleveland games is on the verge of graduating to a tradition. Once again the ball stopped moving, and therefore the Hawks stopped moving as well. When this occurs the ATL end of the scoreboard follows suit. It's discussed on their telecasts, by the head coach and players after the games, and yet there they are still---not moving, watching, waiting for someone else to do something.

It wasn't like that in the beginning---the Hawks blitzed the Bucks with (7) field goals in the game's first (4) minutes, using energy and ball movement to get any shot they wanted. Why then, after such success, did Joe Johnson take a Josh Smith outlet and then toss off the effectiveness of what they were doing to back a guard down (23) feet from the basket and attempt a quick fadeaway without a single pass?

This lack of respect to what was working began the Hawks down a tailspin that would see them only convert (10) more baskets for the other (20) minutes of the first half. The Hawks never really got back into the same kind of flow, rather, they scratched and clawed to survive in a game where John Salmons and Jerry Stackhouse took turns scoring on the Hawks backcourt "defense".

(Sidenote: There is a lot to love about Joe Johnson, including the fact that he is willing to take and can make the clutch shots late in games. Much is made about how Joe never talks to the officials, doesn't run his mouth, etc. But what is unspoken is the darker trend of the frustration foul, something the Johnson does habitually, especially after a bad forced shot, self turnover, or an uncalled offense to his being. Johnson had two of these against Milwaukee, the second of which Johnson was fortunate not to get called for a flagrant foul as he shoved a driving Buck to the ground. There is not much to make of this--just a shade of Johnson that is under-reported but obvious to the rolling eyes of THHB.)

Maybe no sequences define the Joe Johnson era in Atlanta better than the fourth quarter isolations of Joe-on-Five, the final shot--a last second 20+ foot fall away after dribbling the clock down from (13) seconds, and the overtime, when Johnson spent the time taking and making the shots he had missed previously.

The Hawks have done a better job of distributing scoring opportunities more equally across their talented roster, however Sunday night Johnson took (26) shots to score his (24) points--with (10) field goals made. Johnson wasn't the only player below the 1.00 Points Contributed/Possessions Used---his backcourt mates continued their trend down below the same 1.00 mark, with Jamal Crawford posting a .82 and Mike Bibby offering a stinky .56. It has been long said that Crawford and Bibby offer little when they are not making shots--last night was another piece of evidence in that argument.

It's a shame the Hawks didn't sign Stackhouse because when Jamal and Bibby aren't hitting, it would be nice to plug in another streak scorer to have another option. As it is, Woody feels like he has to ride out their slumps because he has no other options. Bucks coach Scott Skiles, on the other hand, shows how to do the hot/cold shuffle.

Skiles had seen enough of Luc M'bah a Moute in his short stints on the floor--yielding a -20 in his (13) minutes on the floor. Skiles had other options, and he used them. When Sekou Smith favorite Luke Ridnour showed he had his game going, Skiles rode him over rookie Brandon Jennings.

Everyone in THHB Viewing Center could visualize Stackhouse coming off the bench for the ATL so we wonder why the Hawks brass couldn't do the same.

Da, Da, Da

Al Horford, on the surface, seems to have had a decent game. (17) points and (10) rebounds, but he continually made himself small around the hoop by leaning in too far and tossing behind his body, trying to sneak the ball in under the basket, etc. Horford has left the All-Star in some western city---he needs to get his groove back, especially with the Backcourt struggling to be efficient.

On the other hand, Josh Smith continues to prove that he was the best the Hawks had to offer that exhibition in Dallas. Smith went 22/15/6, continuing his sick stat-stuffing since returning to action. He had two of the Hawks three And-1s, ditching the long shot to get back to attacking the rim, drawing contact, and finishing or getting to the line, where he made 6-8.

It's difficult for Marvin Williams to find a place in the offense other than flying in after the Backcourt launches a shot to keep a possession alive when the ball isn't moving. Marvin made a couple of shots after Josh Smith found him on the weakside---really the only times the ball moves from side to side in the halfcourt is when Smoove initiates.

Highlights Right Now:

In Their Place

And now we move on---

We saw little in the Official Smuggled Footage of the 113-105 Hawks win over the hosting Milwaukee Bucks that differed from any other Bird offering this calendar year.

First Half: Bucks take shots, Bucks make shots = 62(!) first half points for the home team against only (53) for the Hawks, who were bricking fantastically from the outside.

Third Quarter: Bucks take shots, Bucks miss shots = 12(!) third quarter points, though we really couldn't tell that the Hawks did anything different in giving up the same open shots to MIL, except now they wouldn't go in. What was different was that the Hawks finally started making their own threes, especially Mo Evans and Joe Johnson, in the quarter.

Fourth Quarter: The Bucks finally decide that the outside shot has dried up and take it to the Hawks. Result? What seemed to be moving into comfort lead territory for the Hawks, suddenly got tight, especially since the run coincided with the Hawks dribbling until they have very little left that they can attempt except for launching a highly contested shot. Oh we know, we couldn't believe it either. But on this night, Joe Johnson was hitting those shots, including a classic bomb from the top of the key (well, you would have been able to tell that's where he was if he had been closer than four steps behind the three point line) and a nifty fall away which had some killer sauce on it.

In the end, the Hawks proved they can beat a losing team on the road, which just goes to validate their place in the NBA at this time---talented and enough execution to beat bad teams on the road, but not polished enough to do the same against the best.

They have all but sewn up home court which last occurred back in 1999, when the Hawks took the first two of the five game series in ATL from the Pistons (Christian Laettner edition for DET) but needed that Game 5 at home to advance as Detroit took the two up there to force the deciding game.

(Sidenote: That Game 5 was at Georgia Tech, and it served as Pistons GM Joe Dumars' last game as a player for DET. The Hawks were overrun by the Finals bound Knicks in the second round, and one too many Ty Corbin threes (foot on the line twos) led Pete Babcock to declare the Mookie-Smitty era over afterwards.)


Not So Fast, Acie Law

In an obvious contest between the two second season guards, Acie Law's blank box 6:14 against Toronto Tuesday night was outdone by Flubber West's 7:49 minutes of "play" against Milwaukee Wednesday night. Oh sure, Flubber had a steal and a foul in his time, but watching the Hawks play four on five offensively when he is in there gives him the extra oomph to take the contest.

Sure, the Hawks bench was outscored a gazillion to 15, but the Bucks run one of those fancy "why do these guys start again?" lineups out there, especially with Redd and Bogut out. Makes the HHB wistful for the (188) game Royal Ivey era.

We don't know because we don't watch every MIL game (an easy thing to admit), but Richard Jefferson looks like the small forward version of Shareef Abdur-Rahim---yes the numbers are there at the end of the game, but you're not scared of him as an opposing fan, and he doesn't consistently have an impact.

The Backcourt had (52) points and shot (50) percent. They thoughtfully took advantage of the Sessions/Bell/Bogans/Ridnour offering as they should.

Al Horford had (19) points on (8) shots. Efficient.

Josh Smith had little interest in making free throws in the first half, but we heard he twittered himself to snap out of it (direct message!) and he did, making (9) of (10) the rest of the way. Twitter--is there anything it can't do?

Maybe Milwaukee has the same official scorekeeping standards as the ATL, because we could swear there were more than (3) blocks between the two teams. Maybe they napped.

The HHB is interested in a good nap also---pillows and blankets can be dropped off in the Comments Area.

Why Not Forfeit?

Bill Russell had a famous approach to his attitude regarding playing games. He said that the game was on the schedule, you have to play it, you might as well win. That approach says a lot about how his Boston Celtic teams were not just merely great, but all time great.

Let's just say the Atlanta Hawks have not embraced that philosophy.

In fact, one might say that the team has adopted a different approach and to the untrained (read: HHB) eyes, it looks a little like this:

We are going to play the way that each individual feels like playing. We're going to seek to do the bare minimum and try to win. We're going to give effort in spurts and hope that's enough to beat this team. If more energy or execution is required to win the game, then we won't win the game.

This alleged approach has led the Hawks to look the part of a disinterested, disjointed squad---and the results have reflected as such.

Against the Bucks on Saturday night, the Hawks looked as if playing defense was a foreign language to them as Milwaukee and their roster of journeymen and neverwillbes paraded to the hoop like a charity game. Sometimes the lack of interest in defending the easiest of shots was so profound, the HHB thought the Hawks were paid promotional patsies for the home team.

The fact that the game appeared close only highlights the fact that, should the Hawks have showed ANY interest on the defensive end, this game would have been as much a laugher as the game in Atlanta was. That these Bucks shot 52 percent, scored 110 points and had a whopping 52 points in the paint tells a strong story about a team that appeared to try and show up with their talent and win.

It was wasted minutes by all Hawks involved.

We will say this---we try to find the light heartedness in the midst of a long season. The HHB tries not to take things too seriously in the context of one game out of 82.

But---

If the Hawks don't permanently break out of the habit of taking the other team's temperature to see how hard they may have to play to win, they will go nowhere this season.

If the Hawks don't approach defense, especially in the paint, with more attention and dedication, they will go nowhere this season.

The Hawks tried to show up and win---and failed. It's an approach that seems to have become their calling card since a successful December. There could be a number of excuses why: fatigue, malaise, injuries---but there is no excuse for not being ready to give yourself the best chance to win every night. It's an attitude---and the one the Hawks are currently displaying doesn't get the job done in the NBA.

And if they need to find one that does, they should refer to Mr. Russell.

End communique.

This Is How We Do It

For those who didn't watch the Hawks 117-87 obliteration of the Milwaukee Bucks, let's just say there was a party going on at Philips Arena Friday night and nobody told the visitors they were going to get pies thrown at their face---repeatedly. In fact, one might say that the Bucks got into the act and tossed a few in their own faces by the way they fell apart during the second half.

If this were a video game, the difficulty would have been set on easy for the Hawks, even though they had to hold off a hot shooting Charlie Villanueva in the first half (19 point/27 for the game), which is the only thing that kept the Bucks within 10 at the half.

And since it was such a fun game, what's more fun than breaking things down bullet-point style?

• Mike Bibby was dominant offensively, not so much with his shooting as with his passing. Bibby offered 15 assists to various players, but none more fun to watch than the weak side alley-oop to Josh Smith, who had just given Bibby the ball at the top of the 3-pt arc. Both Bucks players stayed on Bibby and Smith looped towards the cup on the weak side, which seemed to be quarantined--Bibby tossed his hook pass with physician's precision and Smoove generously drove home the perfection.

• If you haven't read by now---the HHB hearts the game of Mike Bibby and we thank him for making this Hawks machine run sooooo good.

• We hope the coaches, family, and friends of Josh Smith found every recording method of this game and from this day forth play it in an endless loop wherever Smoove goes. Smith tortured the Bucks, scoring 22 of his 24 in that painted area of the court. Defensively, Smith ended a 2 game blockless streak (inspiring CoCo from the Vent to Comment and the HHB to openly break down the break down in Smith's blocked shot output) by swatting (3) for the night---and he seemed to be looking for the rejection with his defensive body language more in this game. Was it the extra rest between the Tuesday game against the Bulls and Friday night that made the difference in his energy? That's right, we're calling out newly ESPN minted Hoopinion to track the blocked shot rate when Smith has had extra rest since coming back from his early season injury vs. when he has had to play closer together.

• While someone is recording the game, someone send a copy to RFM, will ya? Murray could not miss against the Bucks, scoring as only RFM can score---with a dizzying array of Murray-esque shots. Three pointer stopping on a dime? Check. Turning against your own body and fading away with plenty of time on the shot clock? Check. Wide open 3's, crazy drives to the hoop, and everything else in between? Check-check-and check! Oh, and let's cap it off with a 4-point play to complete Murray's 11-13, 25 point night, shall we? Murray hit that three with Tyronn Lue taking his legs out from under him and there was no doubt about if it would go in---it was a good night for RFM.

• Marvin Williams was a rebounding beast---(8) in the first half, (9) overall. It was very good to see him back in action (coming soon: Al Horford) and even better that he got to get such a good game in and then sit back and relax for the majority of the second half.

• It was such a good night for the Birds that even Solomon Jones looked good. He scored 7 points, finished a 3-pt play, and still kept his prolific fouling going, hacking (5) times in his 15 minutes. Gotta stay true, Solly, gotta stay true---
  

About the Bucks----

• The Bucks played old school Hawks basketball---if that school was built earlier this decade. They took bad shots, turned the ball over religiously, and had nothing to say defensively.

• Good thing they payed Andrew Bogut all that cash this offseason, because obviously his absence was the difference.

• We go back to this thought---Why didn't anyone think Mo Williams was worth keeping? Utah scrapped him in favor of Carlos Arroyo and Raul Lopez (rimshot), and then the Bucks thought they were in such good hands that they couldn't/wouldn't overpay to keep him--really? Sure he might have wanted to play elsewhere, but why did he get so close to free agency?

• It was fun to hear I'm Bob Rathbun and Nique talk about Michael Redd coming back for the second half. They spoke about how he came out early after halftime and seemed determined to change the Bucks fortunes from the first half. He was dripping sweat as the second half began from his reportedly hard and focused workout. He had (1) field goal in the second half. Guess it was harder to score against actual opponents.

• While we're at it, if we were a Milwaukee fan (we're not) we might want to question the roster makeup of this team. It seems like players fit into 3 categories: guards with no singular talent, big men who can shoot, and big men who cannot shoot. That is all. No shot blockers (no, no, no---have a seat Mr. Gadzuric), no post players (you too, Mr. Bogut), no real point guards (yeah right, Luke). This---is a dead parrot.

So--it was a great night---That Joe Johnson had a fair night---and we say fair because the man brings it even when the shot is o-f-f (5 boards, 6 assists, active defensively)---and the Hawks still won easily tells you how bad the Bucks are and how the Hawks never gave into letting the Bucks back into the game.

The times that the Bucks seemed like they were willing to show some energy and patience offensively, the Hawks pushed back with stellar defense and snuffed out Milwaukee's curiosity. It was a display of good team basketball and not allowing themselves to lower themselves to an inferior team's level of play.

Bravo.

The HHB is going into the Official HHB Laboratory to find a way to permanently burn the game into Josh Smith's brain. Ideas on the process and other witticisms are welcome in the Comments Area.