Happiness Is a Hot Cup of Coffee on a Cold Day and a Lottery Team On the Schedule

Ah--we love the smell of cynicism in the morning.

First things first---Yes, the Hawks did break their (4) game losing streak courtesy of the now 3-32 New Jersey Nets with a 119-89 win Wednesday night but, with the exception of the beginning of the game and some improved ball movement (read: less isolation) they did it simply by making the large amount of jump shots they took, rather than some ideological shift to what they were doing earlier in the year to improve their efficiency.

Disagree?

Ok, hands up who believes that the Hawks will continue to win consistently by shooting more shots from beyond (16) feet than inside (40-35)? Keep your hands up if you believe that the Hawks will be able to pull past the Celtics by only scoring (34) points in the paint?

The Backcourt took more shots than the frontcourt 32-20--they just made the shots that they took to the tune of (57) percent as a team. Joe Johnson took (13) shots and (11) of them were longer than 16 feet, of which he made (8). Whoohoo! All is well!

As we stated, at the beginning of the game, the Hawks came out motivated and with a lot of energy. They pushed towards the basket and scored----scoring almost half of their game points in the paint in the first quarter (16). The ball moved well, usually a result of some penetration and inside-out play which resulted in better 16+ foot shots than in previous games when those shots were much more contested as a result of isolation and stagnation. Ball movement was part of this for sure, but the Nets have lost all but three of their games this season for a reason---and their close out defense on jump shots in this game gave some clues.

But after that first quarter, the Hawks seemed less motivated towards going inside, especially since thier pet shot, the jumper, was successful. The Hawks led by (17) after that motivated first quarter and every time the Nets made what amounted to a run, the Hawks answered with jump shots. Good for them--they were due--but it's not what's going to make for long lasting success, as we have seen often in the past.

Eeyore Is Our Consult

Before the game we were informed that the Hawks were going to "take what defenses give us" going forward. We had to laugh---that might indulge a largely jump shooting approach as it takes much more work to move the ball around and try to get into the paint. And all the Hawks backcourt players can say "aw, shucks--we just took what the defense gave us". Indeed.

Al Horford is not going to the All-Star game, gang--at least not as a participant. Horford is used less than many frontcourt players and despite the Hawks great record and our belief of how good Horford is and how much more they should run the offense through his high and low post skills, the Hawks won't utilize him as such, which is why players like Brook Lopez and Yi Jianlian get more run and more counting stats that The Boss. He is ignored by his own team, why should we think the league will recognize him?

In the interest of fairness, the Hawks won a game where they shot over (21) three pointers, taking (22) against the Nets. This puts them at 3-6 when shooting that many in a game for the season, with those wins over Chicago, Toronto, and now New Jersey, all at home.

We Got A Pocketful of Sunshine

Josh Smith showed excellent activity early and tremendous hustle. Maybe the Hawks lost that collective juju after an easy first quarter, but Smith spent the rest of the game arguing for calls, picking up a technical, etc. Smith ended with an 11/9/7 primary stat line, but we feel like someone should continue to tell him that his griping is like being in officiating quicksand---the more you fight and struggle, the more you sink into the abyss.

We also liked the fact that Marvin Williams went in hard for a challenge jam (he missed) and Jamal Crawford did the same twice (he missed on one, fingertipped the other for the score). Williams did get a jam to go down with a nifty steal, tiptoe the sidelines, and then gather himself for a fast break jam.

In broadcast news, Bob Rathbun mentioned Effective Field Goal percentage when talking about the Hawks efficiency during the game. Thanks to places like Hoopdata.com (which is where we got our data for today), we know the Hawks were an incredible (66) percent in that particular stat. The fact that Bob Rathbun, a "seasoned" broadcaster, knows about these advanced stats and is willing to bring them forth in a telecast can definitely be stated as progress. And kudos to Rathbun for taking the time to explain it to the viewing public.

Next to the phenomenon of Flopping---the next non-basketball move that we abhor is the art of drawing fouls while not even remotely caring whether or not your shot is even heading for the basket. Now, we know that we have one of the best on the roster in Zaza Pachulia, but he doesn't do what Devin Harris does and did against Atlanta. In the manner in which many have done the same before him (Reggie Miller, Bobby Sura, and more recently, Kevin Martin), Harris lunges into players, wanting to draw a whistle for some easy points from the free throw line, often initiating contact himself. It's not good basketball to be driving to the hoop and then jump 45 degrees backwards with your shoulder down just so the ref can blow the whistle. Harris doesn't even need to do that kind of chicanery--he's so quick, like on the play where Al Horford nearly fell into the third row on a Harris stop and shoot, that he can get any shot he wants nearly--unfortunately, the shots he wanted mainly against the Hawks were free throws.

Taking Care of Business--Weekend Style

There was a time not too long ago when a Friday and a Sunday game would mean that Hawks fans would have to find something fun to do on Saturday to compensate.

But these (17-6) Hawks are not the same weekend killers as their aughts sharing brethren. These Hawks took two undermanned, underdefensive teams (Raptors, Nets) and disassembled them with aggressive play on both ends, solid rebounding, and depth.

The latter part is amazing to those who have seen the Hawks pinch a penny over the last two decades when it came to quality minutes off the bench. As long time Hawk Mike Fratello marveled from the Nets broadcast booth Sunday night, "This team is deep and talented!" We know, we can't believe that Mr. Fratello was talking about the hometeam either.

Yet, there they were, doing as top reserve Jamal Crawford said a few games ago---wearing teams out. The Nets came out Sunday shooting far above their 41 percent standard for their woeful season and had the lead by two points with a little more than (5) minutes to play in the half. Then the Nets turned their head and were down by (12) when the half ended.

Yup, the Hawks are that kind of team. The team that kills you for settling for jump shots all night. A team that makes you pay when you go 1-7 over a stretch when your hot hand cools. You know, a strong playoff caliber team.

The Hawks showed poise and patience over the weekend and have (2) wins over lesser teams and have given the starters some extra Gatorade time as a reward. In previous seasons, these were games that might have had to use Joe Johnson and company 34+ minutes each to put away, but on both occasions the only players to log major minutes were off the bench, something that has to be better come April/May than in seasons past.


You Know They Call Him The Streak

Mo Evans hit seven of nine threes over the weekend and displayed some seriously quick hops on a pair of finishes. Just saying. When he is going like he was against TOR and NJ, he is mighty fine luxury to have bombing away out of that corner he loves so much.

Teams are gameplanning for Josh Smith's game inside. That's a major development for the Hawks this season and is a result of the change and maintaining of a "I'm better on the inside" in hardwood attitude for Smith. It's the reason his assist rate (8 more assists over the weekend) and many other numbers are at career highs this season. Hoopinion has done a great bit on monitoring on his site around just how much of a difference it's making on his productivity---and is answering a great deal of folks who hypothesized that the Hawks would be much better off if Smith dropped the Reggie Miller act and used his size and length to get easier hoops. Now--on to making free throws.

(Sidenote: The play of the weekend for THHB was the run-out 3 on 1 against the Nets when Josh could have tried to force a drive to the hoop and would likely have been fouled but missed a shot, but instead threaded a perfect bounce pass to Mike Bibby who quickly offered up a return to Smoove for the jam. To say it was picture perfect is saying too little--hopefully a snapshot of even more growth from Smith.)

We wholeheartedly agree again with Mike Fratello that the culture and execution of this team improved significantly when the Hawks made the move to get Bibby. Yes, he's a thorn in the defensive flesh, but wow--having a real point guard on the floor has made everything go. We all know this, which is why few were surprised that the Hawks re-upped with the vet, but it bears a reminder that his introduction to the team is when the franchise turned the corner.

Speaking of point guards---Jeff Teague continues to impress in his minutes off the bench. His quick hands are lethal (his steal from Rafer Alston and subsequent throw down was a close second to the Smith/Bibby play on the THHB corkboard) and his confidence is growing. He got a little loose late in the game against the Nets and made a rare careless pass, but he is getting better with every game out there. He reminds us of Jason Terry---as quick as Jet, a lesser shooter, but a more convincing distributor/decision maker/point guard than #31. How much of an impact he will make ultimately (meaning career) will probably be based on how dependable his shot becomes, but he is making us less morose about missing out on Ty Lawson every game.

The Nets had some success early getting inside and scoring on the Hawks until they lapsed (translation: forgot to keep doing it) and the Hawks took advantage. Atlanta was below their seasonal shot blocking average over the weekend games and in particular against the Nets, both Al Horford and Smith shied away from contesting aggressive drives to the hoop due to foul trouble. Not having Joe Smith off the bench to thwart shots didn't help as the Hawks elected to go small (three guards) without Smith and Marvin Williams (upset stomach) to go to.Something to keep an eye on against better teams with size.

Horford plays the bigger guys fine defensively, but still rushes his shot or takes awkward angles when against a big--though he made an adjustment against Brook Lopez (who has game) and started to use his nice face up jump shot to lure the big out and then go around him and get contact. Yet another piece that's improving for the Hawks and is making for difficult matchups for the opposition. And credit the Hawks backcourt for being very good in these games in recognizing mismatches and going right to them to exploit. And yes, once again, it's odd to watch a game and hear the opposing announcers lauding the Hawks as the example of a fundamentally sound team doing those "little things" to win.

Odd in this case = good. As in a really good weekend that made Saturday seem to drag. THHB calls that another nice development.

Blacked Out----But Not Down

The HHB, like the Hawks, have been in a slump.

You see, the HHB is bound by the NBA laws which govern broadcast and distribution of the images, descriptions, and accounts of all Atlanta Hawks basketball games.

So, when a game is blacked out from the Official HHB High Definition Viewing Center, as the games against the Knicks and Nets were to us, any attempt to "cover" the team is thwarted.

Apparently, it's difficult for all the HHB hired hands, spotters, analysts, and facial expression scientists to tell us what to write when there is no broadcast to dissect.

The HHB doesn't believe in excuses, but they may have a point here. It's a development that makes us as excited as the prospects in the 2000 draft all over again.

If this were 1990, the HHB might just give the whole situation the Gas Face.

But, things are apparently looking up--after receiving the latest bit of bad news regarding tonight's non-broadcast of the Revenge of the Hawks, we checked the Crystal Ball for the score and was thrilled to see that the Hawks beat down the evil Nets so good (105-88) that even D'Alessandro of the Star-Ledger was so unimpressed by the team he beats that he called getting within (7) points close and called Joe Johnson "John".


Somewhere, Ron Gant is Smiling

Funny thing about the recent scoring slump of The Backcourt---it's that outside shooting is not so surprisingly impacted by streaks---good and bad. As Bret from Hoopinion has mentioned often this season, the Hawks have been sailing along thanks to the wind of a really good year shooting the basketball from the outside. Recently, the shooting has cooled, especially from Mike Bibby.

The HHB is never surprised, but admits the collective head shakes a little when a slump is in full swing, the sky in the Hawks Nation is always falling. Then, when the slump ends, the doom and gloom fades---Then again, maybe it's good to go to a bad place for a while to appreciate the good times.

This whole cycle brought to mind the hand wringing that would always go on with Atlanta's Ron Gant. For some reason, folks singled out Ronnie's ability to go cold at the plate (Bobby Cox included) and talking heads on TV and radio would rail on and on about how he needed to be more consistent. Gant was the equivalent of an outside shooter in basketball. When he was on, he could carry the team and put up big numbers, when he was cold---well, lots of hands would be wrung.

Slumps come and go---you gotta have depth to ride it out when your guys are cold---The Backcourt could use some post presence when these times hit--but the Hawks have seemed reticent to add more inside or even use what they have there.


3----That's the Magic Number


Now you may try to subtract it
But it just wont go away
Three times one?
(what is it? )
(one, two, three!)
And that's the magic number

Joe Johnson this week became the third Hawks since '75 to go three peat on the ATL and represent the Birds at the NBA All-Star Game. As we wrote in our 2009 Wish List Joe joins The HHF and Dan Roundfield with this honor and we think it is well earned.

We will say it again for all Hawks fans to hear---enjoy this special player---he is not everything you want him to be, but he is great, make no bones about it----what he has been to the Hawks is nothing short of a cornerstone---the fact that he is not in the Top 5 players in the game should not subtract from how great he has been for the home team.

Big Fat All-Star Ups to Joe---now get some rest, man.


Speaking of Which

We were delighted (ahem) to see that once again Joe played an insane amount of time in this game. He played 43:11 of the first 46:14 of the game--that's 93.4 percent for those of us who went to Florida---and 90 percent overall.

In baseball terms, if Johnson were a pitcher, he would be throwing about 241 pitches per start.

Now, we don't pretend to know how this affects NBA players in general or even Joe Johnson specifically---that's for the sabermagicians to figure out---but the HHB Bean Counters have told us that over the last few seasons, even when being immensely overworked, Joe has thrived in March, where you would typically expect a wear down to begin.

Again, we simply pose the questions---that's all we're good for---others might have this information and need to share it with the less mentally fortunate, such as we have proven ourselves to be over the years here.

Still---we don't want this to be the year where Joe's wheels come flying off---so we're watching.


The HHB is still staring at the blacked out notice at the HHB headquarters---explanations and suggestions, as well as the usual insightful comments may be received in our Comments Area.

Standing Atop the Mountain, Peace Be With You

They'll learn.

Sometime this season, They'll learn the following:

• You can't waste possessions.
• A 20 point lead, with the exception of 6:40 left in the game, with the ball, is not safe.
• Never put the ball on the floor around the basket when you are over 6'9.
• Sometimes you can't take that last shot, especially with double coverage.
• That it's never time to be desperate, especially when you are only one possession down.
• When you have a star player down, you can't let them get going with easy looks.
• When it's down to the last possession, and you are on defense, never let the team's best player take the last shot.

The Hawks are 0-2 in that lesson this season. Someone else has to beat you.

That mistake was one among the many, all of them contributing to the final outcome, but there's a thing about that last one. If you make that mistake, it's the last one of the game.

The Hawks have shown good mettle this season, and the HHB expects that this tough loss will heal, and fans can take note that, even in a game they had no business winning with their second half play, they still lost by a single point on the road.

Will they repeat some or all of these mistakes again this season? Certainly.

But one day, on a road that could lead this team beyond any Hawks team in Atlanta, one day--

---they'll learn.

The HHB is chanting and taking deep breaths inside the Official HHB Internet Room, Comments and other Mistakes the team made are welcome in the Comment Section

Vince Carter---Not Gonna Phone It In Tonight

Our friends (all of them) over at Zaza's Playground dug up this interesting item regarding Vince Carter and his motivation for tonight's game against the Hawks.

While you may assume that natural competitive instincts, millions of dollars, and the relative mediocrity of the Nets this season would be able to motivate a player, apparently Vince needs more.

It certainly seems like Vince is plenty motivated against the Hawks, where no shot is impossible for the former Tar Heel and he seems to score a-plenty.

Sure enough a search through the inner mind and personal diary of Vince Carter revealed a list of the Top 10 reasons Vince gets motivated to do his best for tonight's game.

10. Cut the Check

9. My teammates need me.

8. Coin said "Heads"

7. Read the autobiography of Derrick Coleman in order to make the most of his talent.

6. Playing Atlanta

5. Reservations are at 10pm.

4. A Special "somebody" in the crowd.

3. One of the officials doing the game called him "pretty boy" when in Toronto.

2. Atlanta is the presidential library home of his cousin, Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States.

1. Every 13 games, a statement must be made!


There you go---So in honor of Mr. Carter, we present the theme song for when he takes the court at home tonight. You go get 'em, Vince!

Swept Away

It happens most when you have kids.

You praise them.

You laud their work in a very specific area, be it manners, grades, activities, and then it happens.

They blow it.

The very thing you were most proud of suddenly goes *poof* into thin air as you watch your kid do exactly the opposite of that which you were just congratulating them.

Rewind the to weekend---just as the HHB dared to pen a post exclaiming Atlanta's return to relevance they get caught sleeping in the nest for their game in New Jersey, which was hard fought, but the Hawks just gave out--and then returned to the ATL to lay an enormous Hawk egg all over the Philips Arena floor.

The "effort" threatens to somewhat undo what had been done during their bold 6-0 start, but really, fans and writers shouldn't jump to those conclusions yet.

A downtick was expected the day that Josh Smith went down. No team loses the second biggest piece to the puzzle and continue to excel to the degree that the team was excelling.

So now there has been a setback, and just like the test that the team needed to conquer when faced with whether or not they would build off of the Celtics series momentum they can now answer if they have the maturity to fight through Smith's injury and the negativity of a three game losing streak and use those things to get back on a winning streak.

Observations While Sitting on a Wire:

They live by the three and die by it. The Hawks have been uncanny from long range, but they seemed to get too dependant on the bomb and need to work on being aggressive to the cup. Fatigue will have a lot to do with that, but hey, it's an 82 game season and doing the right things in spite of the inevitable tiredness that goes with it is the key to being a winning club.

Al Horford needs to understand that the team needs his production every single night. He brings his heart, for sure, but unlike last season when he can blend into the fabric that is the Hawks night in and night out, he has to make his presence felt and be on the court every night. He needs to not hurry his moves to the basket and the following shot, and he needs to understand how tight the game is being called so that he can adjust his energy when it comes to reaching in, slapping at the ball, etc.

You can't depend on the bench to be your consistency on a nightly basis. The play of Ronald Murray, Mo Evans, and company can be very productive, but they are to be the extra toppings to the sundae that is supposed to be the starting lineup. So, defensively as well as offensively, the starting 5 have to be there, especially with Smith out. It seems as if the Hawks are depending on the bench's production, and that is parellel to a worker who counts on his bonus like it's his paycheck---a bad idea.


Looking forward, the HHB is confident that what was seen on weekend was a natural comedown to what was a hot start, and that is was not a return to past years' inefficiency. The team gets it's next shot at Indiana, a shot to prove that the team is truly different and that what was built over the team's first seven games wasn't swept away by a couple of bad ones.