The Hawks?
Has anyone noticed that the Hawks are standing on the verge of pulling off one of the greatest upsets in sports history?
Honestly I hadn't even thought about the Hawks in at least a few years and when I happened to catch game 2 while channel surfing I noticed that they had even changed uni's since I last thought of them (when did that happen?).
I forgot which article it was. but the reporter mentioned that Phillip's Arena the past couple games have been the loudest crowds he had heard while covering the NBA. Pretty exciting stuff, I think I am actually looking forward to watching game 7.
So I guess my point is that if the #8 seeded Hawks, who went 37-45 can give the number 1 seeded Celtics (66-16) a run for their money, then why can't the Falcons make an improbable run of some sort? Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but this Hawks run is pretty neat.
This FanPost was written by one of The Falcoholic's talented readers. It does not necessarily reflect the views of The Falcoholic.
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With their collection
of lottery picks, high draft choices, and one genuine all-star, it really seems fair to ask why the hawks have been so bad – maybe the PG situation was the root problem and bibby is the missing piece. Don’t the falcons seem more structurally screwed up? They have whole units – OL, DBs – that seem fundamentally inadequate, and several…shall we say…high profile meltdowns that have cost them the services of their best players. Less potential for an improbable run, seem to me….
by Hot Cup Joe on
May 3, 2008 1:26 PM EDT
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Oh yeah
“falcons seem more structurally screwed up”
That totally goes without saying, I was talking more about the out of left field-ness of it all. It’s exciting for fans and it even has me, a total non NBA fan pretty excited about game 7.
Hey Joe, if you wouldn’t mind maybe enlightening me a bit more about the Hawks? I am a total novice when i comes to all things NBA. Thanks!
In a way, each of us has an El Guapo to face.
by runningback on
May 3, 2008 1:46 PM EDT
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The Hawks - it's a painful story.
The Hawks were a pretty good team – 2nd quartile – throughout the ‘80s and early 90s. Their best teams were built around dominique wilkins, kevin willis, and glenn rivers, current coach of the celtics. They made the playoffs every year and usually won a series or two. In the fullness of time, this level of achievement seemed inadequate and the club made a series of moves that traded their second quartile core for a group of players whose alleged higher upside was balanced out by bad chemistry, washed upness, and occasional outright criminality. They also traded competent but unexciting coaches – mike fratello & lenny wilkens- for some outside-the-box guys who over the course of the ‘90s turned the hawks into a third quartile team – occasional one and done appearances in the playoffs.
Around 2000 they figured well, how could it get worse than that, right? Let’s just blow the whole thing up. Turns out, it could get worse. For the next 5 years the hawks were terrible, no sniff of the playoffs. Season ticket holders couldn’t give tickets away and bailed – that would be me – and attendance was so bad that it seemed like there were more employees than fans on many a night.
They brought in Knight as GM and Woody as coach around 2004 or so. With high draft choices every year, they quickly established a core of good athletic guys including childress (#6 pick) J Smith (#19 or so pick – the highpoint of knight’s tenure), and joe johnson, acquired through a complicated but ultimately justified trade. It quickly became apparent that the team desperately needed a big tough mutha in the middle and a point guard. For the last three years the team has addressed the big guy issue in the draft. Marvin Smith, #2 pick in 05 was decent but not a tough inside guy. Shelden Williams #5 pick in 06 was a disaster – already gone. Horford #3 pick in 07 – problem solved.
Unfortunately that still left the PG issue. Chris Paul, Deron Williams, yada yada. What i’m saying is that maybe bibby solves that problem and it was just not so obvious during the sputtering run for the playoffs.
by Hot Cup Joe on
May 3, 2008 8:08 PM EDT
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Re: Hawks
I grew up on the Hawks of the late 80’s and into the 90’s. Those were some very good, albeit frustrating, years. This year has been a long time coming. I’m not so sure I can say that this years playoff performance was completely out of left field, butit definitely caught many, if not all, by surprise, especially those Celtics.
Billy Knight I think is getting a lot of undeserved flak and I think Woody is getting none when he should be getting most. He is one of the worst coaches I have ever seen take the to the floor. And the ownership will surely be to blame for letting Knight walk and keeping Woodson as they are complete idiots. Also, Acie Law is the answer at PG, not Bibby, and had Woodson not been a complete idiot and killed every chance for Law to learn and grow, the Bibby deal would not have been needed and we could have used those same resources going after Gasol.
Either way, this year was a success and I am extremely happy with the outcome of our playoff series. Maybe next year we will see more.
by Jesse28 on
May 14, 2008 2:55 PM EDT
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