The Quest for #2 : The story of the 2007 - 2008 ATL Hawks

[ixcuincle]

Washington 102 - Atlanta 100

A fierce Hawks rally fell short as a Rodney Tian three pointer clanked off the rim , ending a 4 game winning streak.

The game was close from the start as both teams erupted offensively , and after 1 quarter it was 30-28. The Wizards , however , maintained the offensive momentum while the Hawks went cold , and the Wizards led by 10 at the half. In the third the Wizards continued to hit their shots , at one point leading by 17. The Hawks would come back and cut the lead to 7.

In the final minutes of the 4th it appeared the Wizards were on their way to a win , up by 10. Several threes by the Hawks , and shoddy play by the Wizards would eventually cut the lead down to 2 with 1.7 seconds left. After a timeout , Tian grabbed the rebound and hurled a three at the buzzer which clanked off the rim , sending the Wizards to a loss.

[ixcuincle]

Atlanta 105 - Charlotte 100

The Charlotte Bobcats have improved significantly this season , and might be a contender for the Southeast title next year. But not this year.

The 35-37 Bobcats fell to the Southeast division leader Hawks today , 105-100. Stojakovich , who had been cold the previous couple of games , erupted with 28 points to lead the Hawks in scoring.

The Bobcats played neck and neck with the Hawks until the 3rd , where Peja Stojakovich would help the team pull away from the Bobcats. But , the Bobcats did not go quietly , as the game remained close until the 4th quarter with 2 minutes left. Several mistakes by the Bobcats in the final minutes led to Hawks points off turnovers , and the Bobcats blew a chance to upset one of the best teams in the East.

The Hawks play Golden State next.

[ixcuincle]

Detroit 105 - Atlanta 101

The Pistons didn't forget about the last time they played Atlanta , and made sure history didn't repeat itself.

The last time these two foes battled , Detroit had a 16 point lead before Atlanta led a furious comeback to upset the Pistons. Again , Detroit would have a 16 point lead today , but barely beat a strong opponent who wouldn't go away.

The Hawks , after trailing by 16 in the 3rd , replaced shooting guard Sarunas Jasikevicius with small forward Devean George. The Pistons and their speedy offense appeared like Roadrunner clones , speeding past Hawks defenders who stood like statues. After George was substituted in , the defense began to slightly slow down the frenetic Pistons pace , and Payton contributed several three-pointers to chip away. The Pistons lead would shrink to 5 , but the Hawks could not capitalize. Every time the Hawks hit a shot , the Pistons would respond with another shot and then took advantage of foolish Hawk turnovers to increase their lead. In the end , the Hawks could not hit key shots or three pointers when it mattered , and they lost their 2nd straight.

"We are in a funk right now" , coach Mike Woodson said.

The Hawks previously fell behind by 10 to Chicago before another Hawks rally fell short.

"We can't keep falling behind by 10 , 15 and expect to come back every game." , Woodson reiterated. "I hope we can play better in our next game."

The Hawks loss may have cost them the #1 spot in the East , as they are in a virtual tie with the Pistons in the race for 1st. The Hawks must hope to win as many of the remaining games in this season as possible to seize home-field through the playoffs from the Pistons , if the two should meet again in the postseason.

"We need every advantage we can get." , Woodson said.

[ixcuincle]

Atlanta 95 - Utah 85

The Hawks ended a 2-game losing streak and got back to winning ways today as they defeated the Utah Jazz 95-85. At one point , the Hawks led by 20 until they pulled all the starters and emptied the bench. Utah took advantage of this to make the score more respectable , but in the end they had no answer for Andrew Bogut. Bogut scored 27 in the win.

[ixcuincle]

Atlanta 145 - Chicago 137

The Hawks appeared to be on their way to another loss against Chicago , trailing by 8 in the 4th with less than 2 minutes left in regulation. Previously , Chicago had beaten the Hawks and they were looking to do so again. Chicago was playing perfect basketball and had all the momentum : every time Atlanta hit a three pointer to try to get closer , Chicago would respond with a quick layup. Chicago only made one mistake.

With Chicago up by 4 with less than a minute left , Kirk Heinrich was on the line to try to up the lead to 5. The free throw clanked off the rim and the Hawks grabbed the rebound , immediately sending it to Sarunas Jasikevicius for a three to cut the lead to 1. The free throw was the first free throw missed by the Bulls in the final minute , when the Bulls were fouled again after the three-pointer they hit both shots. But the lead was 3 , and Rodney Tian would hit another three-pointer from the left side to tie the game.

As is Coach Woodson's custom in close final-second games , Woodson rarely lets the opponent get the last shot to win it. With 15 seconds left , Bulls possession , and the game tied , Woodson would not deviate as he ordered the Hawks to foul Heinrich. Heinrich made both shots and the Bulls had a temporary 2 point lead until Steven Hunter made a layup with 5 seconds left. A Heinrich 3 clanked off the rim and the game was going to overtime , where the Hawks would eventually overpower the Bulls and take a commanding 10 point lead.

This was the last game Woodson would coach in the regular season as he decided to let assistants coach the remaining 2 games. "I have to get ready for playoff basketball" , Woodson said as he left for his office.



2007 SEASON OVER

The Hawks ended the 2007 season with a loss to Charlotte. Coach Mike Woodson took the last 2 games off and let his assistants coach the game , beating New York but losing to Charlotte.

The Hawks final record is 58-24 as they clinch home field advantage throughout the playoffs , and have the best record in the NBA. The Pistons finished a close 57-25 , and are 2nd place.

PLAYOFF PREVIEW

The Hawks have been assigned to play #8 seed Boston. In the regular season , the Hawks won the season series , 3-1. Skilled players on Boston include small forward Paul Pierce and rookie shooting guard , Mattias Tomsa.

[Anthony15]

Good luck against Boston

[ixcuincle]

Game 1
Boston 93 - Atlanta 85
Boston leads series 1-0

Mattias Tomsa scored 21 points and the Celtics held on for a win against a Hawks team that did not show up. In the 4th quarter , with a chance to close in on a Celtics deficit , the Hawks shooting suddenly went cold. Shot after shot clanked off the rim , rebounded by the Celtics.

"We couldn't hit anything when it mattered." , shooter Rodney Tian said. He finished with 28 points but was benched most of the 4th quarter for rest purposes.

The game started off with the Celtics in control , as they took a 7 point lead into the 2nd quarter. The Hawks would get back in the game and close the deficit to 2 at the half , but in the 3rd the Celtics would pull away and in the 4th seal it when Peja Stojakovich's multiple three-pointer attemps fell short.

[ixcuincle]

Game 2
Atlanta 99 - Boston 98
Series Tied 1-1

In the closest and most thrilling series game to date , the Hawks avoided falling in a detrimental 0-2 hole in the series , and won game 2 by a Rodney Tian shot with 1.1 seconds left.

In game 1 the Hawks were the ones making the mistakes in the final minutes , however it would be the Hawks taking advantage of mistakes in the final minutes in game 2 , as key plays off turnovers helped set up Tian's game-winner. With less than 3 minutes remaining Boston led by 5 and the game appeared over. The ball was stolen by Rodney Tian who then passed to Doug Christie for a layup. Another turnover led to the game-tying three pointer.

With 17 seconds left , Coach Woodson again told his team to foul Boston with the game tied at 97. Al Jefferson was fouled and hit one free throw , but the other clanked off the rim and the Hawks called a timeout with 17 seconds left.

"If he had hit them both...I don't know what we would have done." , Woodson later said. "Probably hit a jumper , I guess. Luckily he hit one , so we had a chance to win it with an easy two-pointer."

Coming out of the timeout , Tian dribbled the ball and ran the clock down to 2 seconds. With 1.1 , he shifted to the left side of the court , just inside the three-point arc , and let loose a shot that gave the Hawks a 1 point lead. Phillips Center went crazy , and Coach Woodson didn't even see what happened next , he was on the floor crying tears of joy.

"I'm told there was a backcourt violation by them (Boston)" , Woodson later said. "I didn't see any of it...I was too excited."

The Hawks inbounded the ball following the turnover and ran out the clock , and the series was tied 1 apiece.

Notes : Andrew Bogut was injured in the 1st quarter during the win. He was later announced as having a broken nose which would sideline him for 5 weeks.

"If he doesn't play , it's really going to hurt our chances.", Woodson said during the postgame press conference. "We may need to put Marvin Williams in there as center or something."

[Garnett]

How did you post the Playoff Tree Pictures... Did you use Photobucket or Imageshack... Did you use the Prnt Scrn method? Please respond!

[ixcuincle]

Printscreen , pasted to paint , saved to jpg , and uploaded to my website

There may be another way though , a bunch of programs like fraps that can take pictures of games...but they save as .bmp and sometimes it doesn't even take the picture when you press the key.

[ixcuincle]

Game 3
Boston 100 - Atlanta 98
Boston leads series 2-1

If there is one thing that characterizes this series it is the constant outbursts of offense , not by one , but both contenders. Many thought the Atlanta Hawks would overwhelm Boston and end this series quickly , but the Celtics are giving Atlanta trouble as their offense refuses to be slowed down.

Rodney Tian's game winner fell short , and an elated Celtics team responded after losing Game 2 on a last second shot.

"When I fired it , I thought it was good", Tian said after the game. "We'll all obviously very disappointed."

Again , the Hawks refusal to play defense meant that both teams would engage in an offensive shootout. This time , the Celtics would win , and outmanage one of the best cruch-time coaches in Mike Woodson.

The game would be close at the end of 3 , with this game being no different from other games in this series in terms of how close they have been. Boston led 70-67 but the lead was short lived as the Hawks would tie it. With the Celtics up 85-81 , Mattias Tomsa would miss a free throw that would have extended the lead with 1:57 remaining. However the Hawks came up with a steal to make it 85-83 and then another turnover led to another Hawks score , and it was tied up with less than 2 minutes to go.

However , Atlanta could not stop a high-powered Boston offensive , and Banks made a bucket and was fouled , frustrating the already depleted Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks struggled under center without Steven Hunter , as regular center Andrew Bogut sustained a broken nose and sat out the rest of the series. "Without his presense...we have only one center on our roster." , coach Woodson said. "It's not easy to win games with one center...other players are going to have to step up."

Boston led 93-92 before Paul Pierce foolishly dribbled the ball out of bounds after a Hawks layup. The Hawks took advantage and scored promptly , but time and time again Boston would hit a shot and get fouled. To further add fuel to the fire , every single shot they made after the foul was good.

The score was 99 - 96 and the Hawks had come out of a timeout. After scoring , the Hawks immediately fouled Banks who would miss a free throw to keep the score at 99-98. Banks would hit the 2nd setting up a Hawks game-tying or game-winning situation with 9.1 seconds left. Following a timeout , the Hawks inbounded the ball to Tian who tried to set up another dramatic shot. He dribbled through traffic to his right , and as time expired threw up a prayer that bounced off the rim , sending the Hawks to a 100-98 defeat.

Several images of Game 3 were taken. They can be found here.
http://www.tidalwaveclan.com/zargotelc/ ... e%203.html

[ixcuincle]

Game 4
Atlanta 104 - Boston 79
Series tied 2-2

Atlanta avenged a last-second loss in Game 3 , and blew open a previously close game to seize control of Game 4 and tie the series at 2 apiece.

Games 2 and 3 came down to the last shot , but not Game 4. The two teams played closely until the 2nd quarter , when Atlanta started to play sloppy basketball. Angered , Coach Woodson called in Doug Christie , the shooting guard known for his stealing ability , and Devean George , bench catalyst. The Hawks finally began to play defense and create turnovers , but Boston was still within 3 at the half.

That all began to change in the 3rd. With Christie still at shooting guard , the team continued to play strongly , increasing their lead to 10. Boston would go on an 8-0 run but that was the closest they would get for the rest of the game. Atlanta would combine potent offense with stingent defense to limit the Celtics to 79 points.

"When we actually play defense , get steals , there's no limit to what we are capable of." , Christie said after the game.

Game 5 is at Phillips Arena.

Pictures at http://www.tidalwaveclan.com/zargotelc/NBA06/Game4

[ixcuincle]

Game 5
Atlanta 101 - Boston 98
Atlanta leads 3-2

The Hawks outlasted the Boston Celtics today , and are now one game away from the 2nd round of the NBA playoffs , defeating Boston 101-98.

Boston had ample opportunity to close in on a 3 point gap , but they missed 2 free throws which would have cut the lead to one. Later , Gary Payton missed both of his free throws and Boston had another opportunity , with the score 99-96. Marvin Williams grabbed the rebound and was fouled...he made both of his to give the Hawks a 101-96 advantage.

The Hawks go to Boston tommorow hoping to end the series for good with a win. A 3-2 lead is very familiar to them. Last year in the postseason , the Hawks also had a 3-2 lead against Philadelphia. The Sixers would end up forcing a game 7 which they later won to eliminate the Hawks.

"The pressure's on them now" , Payton said after the game.

[Marquis]

good luck in the game 6

[Srbija]

Close playoff. Good luck in the next match.

[ixcuincle]

Game 6
Atlanta 106 - Boston 65
Atlanta wins series 4-2

Atlanta was up by 20 in the 2nd half , led by 40 at times , and ended their first round series today with a bang as they shut down the Boston Celtics and advanced to the 2nd round of the NBA playoffs for the first time under coach Mike Woodson.

Later , after the game , it was announced that Coach Woodson was voted NBA Coach of the Year.

The Hawks will play Cleveland in the 2nd round.

[ixcuincle]

Cavaliers - Hawks Playoff Preview

Projected starters for the series


Regular Season overview


Pre-game festivities



Game 1 Recap

Atlanta 95 - Cleveland 82

The Cleveland Cavaliers hadn't played basketball in a while , having swept their series against Miami. All their time off didn't help them in Game 1.

The Cavs had an early 6-0 lead in the 1st quarter but didn't lead after that as Atlanta quickly responded and shut the Cavs down for the rest of the game to win Game 1 , 95-82. The Hawks at one point held a 20 point lead until Cleveland started to chip away. Late in the 4th quarter , the Cavs would cut the lead to single digits , but clutch three point shooting and free throws would increase the lead to 11 with less than a minute left. LeBron James was not a factor in the game , and Cleveland's leading scorer was Larry Hughes with 30 points.

In the 1st quarter , Cleveland center Ilgauzkus had an upper body injury. It is unknown whether he will start game 2 or not.

Game 1 Images






Postgame

[ixcuincle]

Game 2
Cleveland 90 - Atlanta 87
Series tied 1-1

Even with LeBron James scoring far below his usual average , the Cavaliers still found a way to win today.

A Peja Stojakovich three-pointer fell short and the Cavs avoided falling in a 2-0 hole as they won Game 2 , 90-87.

The Hawks had no answer for the play of Larry Hughes , who scored 30 in game 1 and 35 in game 2.

The game remained close throughout with no team having a clear-cut advantage. In the 4th it would remain close. Rodney Tian , the team's star point guard , would hit a few three pointers to tie the game but , in the final minutes , his critical three pointers fell short.

The Cavaliers led by 2 with 11 seconds left when LeBron James was fouled and went to the free throw line. His first free throw bounced off the rim , giving the Hawks a chance to tie or win the game. His 2nd fell in , and the Cavs led by 3 with 11 seconds left. The Hawks called a timeout and set up a play where they would throw to Stojakovich for the tying three-pointer. Coming out of the timeout , Tian got the pass and instead of trying for a game-tying shot , passed off to Stojakovich whose shot fell short , giving the Cavaliers a thrilling 90-87 victory.

"Do I think I could have hit that shot?" , Tian responded to questions after the game. "Yes...I could have hit a game-tying shot. But I passed it off to Peja [Stojakovich] , who is also a very competent 3-point shooter...If we had another chance to run that play , in retrospect , I probably would have tried for the game-tying shot. But what's done is done. We have to get ready for Game 3 , hopefully we won't fall in a 2-1 hole."

Game Photos here http://www.tidalwaveclan.com/zargotelc/ ... und2game2/

[ixcuincle]

Game 3
Atlanta 108 - Cleveland 93
Atlanta leads series 2-1

Most of what happened in this game was sketchy because I really wasn't paying attention. I played most of this game while watching the Yankees and the Mets on TV so I don't remember anything that went on except the Cavaliers got blown out , and Atlanta led by 20 most of the 2nd half.

Here are some pictures.

[KIG1]

Nice wins

[ixcuincle]

Game 4
Atlanta 103 - Cleveland 102
Atlanta leads series 3-1

Atlanta held on after nearly blowing a 15-point lead , and managed to beat the Cavaliers today to take a commanding 3-1 series lead in their second round matchup.

Atlanta would lead by 15 , 86 - 71 , at the end of the 3rd quarter. However , Cleveland led a furious rally in the 4th to tie the game. With 12 seconds left , Cleveland led the game by 3. Point Guard Rodney Tian dribbled the ball to midcourt , and hit a three-pointer to tie it at 101-101. Cleveland was fouled and hit 1 out of two free throws , giving the Hawks a chance to win the game with 3.9 seconds left. The Hawks promptly called a timeout , and then inbounded the ball to Tian.

As Tian dribbled around looking for a shot , he noticed no Cavaliers near the basket. Time was ticking , and he ran through the hole and laid the ball in with .9 seconds left for a 103-102 lead. Cleveland had no answer and hurled the ball at the hoop in frustration , to no avail , and the Hawks led 3-1.

Pictures @ http://www.tidalwaveclan.com/zargotelc/ ... ound2game4

[Marquis]

Close and very important win for you

[ixcuincle]

Game 5
Atlanta 96 - Cleveland 81
Atlanta wins series 4-1

After a frustrating loss last night , the Cavaliers apparently didn't show up and the Hawks took full advantage.

The Hawks led throughout , had full control of Game 5 , and won their series 4-1 against Cleveland today , setting up an anticipated Eastern Conference Finals matchup between Detroit and Atlanta. Atlanta finished 1st in the East with Detroit a very close 2nd.

Detroit led the regular season 2-1 and coach Mike Woodson has often said , if anyone can beat the Hawks it would be Detroit. Detroit almost swept the regular season series but the Hawks averted that by coming back from a 16 point deficit to win the game.

"It will truely be a challenge for us to stop Detroit. They have an advantage over us at every position , center , forward , bench...they are a very talented team." , Woodson said.

"Not many people are picking us to upset the defending champs (The pistons won the championship in the playoffs last year) , but we're hoping luck is on our side." , point guard Gary Payton said after the Cavaliers game.

Images of the game @ http://www.tidalwaveclan.com/zargotelc/ ... ound2game5

[Mark.]

Good win, this is a very active dynasty I find it quite hard to get past the fact you play such short quarters, im a stats junky so its hard for me to follow and dynasties that play less the 9 min quarters

[ixcuincle]

Game 1 - 2007 Eastern Conference Finals
Detroit 97 - Atlanta 81
Detroit leads series 1-0

If there was any opponent the Hawks feared playing in the postseason , it was the Pistons , and this was why.

Chauncey Billups scored 24 , Rip Hamilton scored 25 , and the Pistons blew out a previously close game to seize Game 1 of the series , 97-81.

The game was marred by odd events throughout. Midway during the first quarter , starting point guard Gary Payton mysteriously flopped on the floor and did not get up as play went on. After the Pistons possession , Payton got up off the floor and resumed play.

"I was a bit tired , that was all." , Payton said after the game.

The game also involved a phantom "3 second violation" on Devean George when the Hawks were trying to cut into double digit leads. Moving across the court to the hoop , Devean George was trying to score when , out of nowhere , a whistle was blown and the call was made. The entire Pistons bench was livid , seeing that George didn't even stay in the same spot for more than 3 seconds and was clearly in motion. Coach Mike Woodson actually ran onto the court and feverishly protested the call to no avail. "The Call" changed the momentum of the game completely in Detroit's favor , after the call Detroit would extend their lead to 20 in which was previously a 10 point game , essentially knocking the Hawks out of game 1.

"It was a bullshit call" , Woodson said. "I'm not a basketball genius , but I do know one thing. How can 3 second violations be called on players in motion?"

Pictures @ http://www.tidalwaveclan.com/zargotelc/ ... ound3game1