Ball or Nuthin' » Josh Smith

Same Players, Different Result for Hawks

T Lamont — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 18:14:53 +0000

The enigma of the Atlanta Hawks continues.

There’s certainly no surprise that the Hawks, an ultra-talented team, have sent the Magic fishing. But, at the same time, it is a surprise.

Over the past few years, if there’s one thing that Atlanta had firmly established about itself, it has been that they are disturbingly inconsistent. Last year, the Hawks were good enough to sweep their season series with the Boston Celtics, but somehow required seven games to advance past the first round of the postseason (they outlasted the Milwaukee Bucks).

Atlanta’s former head coach, Mike Woodson, pulled the Hawks from the league’s basement, and turned them into a playoff team. But was it really him? Or was it talent from years of lottery picks? Or perhaps a huge free-agent purchase half a decade ago? It’s no secret that in the midst of the team’s development into an annual playoff participant, Woodson clashed with some of the Hawks’ best players.

Last season was clearly the best regular season effort that Atlanta had put together in quite some time. The bar of expectations was raised, simply based on the familiarity that roster members should have had with one another, as well as the maturity that each player should have made individually. However, a nip-and-tuck series with the Bucks made many wonder how an undersized, inexperienced, undermanned team like Milwaukee – who were without center Andrew Bogut – could come so close to taking down Atlanta.

And then, the bottom dropped out.

Smith and Horford match up favorably with Chicago's frontcourt of Noah and Boozer.

In the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Hawks set playoff series futility records against the Orlando Magic. To say that the Magic utterly destroyed Atlanta would be a huge understatement. Woodson’s squad were swept – losing the four games by a total of 101 points.

It certainly appeared as if the Hawks had maxed out their potential.

Now, of course, after such an embarrassing defeat, something has to change. Atlanta let Woodson walk, and brought in a fresh, new coach in Larry Drew – with ‘fresh and new’ meaning a very lightweight resume as far as NBA head coaches are concerned.

What else changed? Nothing. Seriously?

There were no significant roster changes to improve their standing among the elite beasts of the East. Miami now had ‘the Big Three.’ Boston had ‘the Fantastic Four.’ Orlando still had their MVP candidate (Dwight Howard), and a team that crushed Atlanta when it mattered most. And Chicago had renewed hope with roster additions and an improving Derrick Rose.

Predictably, the Hawks finished this regular season fifth in the conference, behind each of those teams. And guess who was knocking on their door for an opening-round series?

Howard certainly got his, but no other Magic players did.

A couple of years ago, the Boston Celtics established the blueprint on how to defeat Orlando – with single-coverage of Howard. Not doubling him on the touch stifles the Magic’s offense output for the following reasons:

- It discourages ball movement, keeping the rock of Howard’s – occasionally unsure – hands

- It encourages Howard to attempt offensive moves that he has yet to perfect

- It results in possessions in which Howard is fouled (instead of possessions where a basket is made, or a better free throw shooter is fouled)

Atlanta – with new coach Drew – obviously noted that, because it was that difference in defensive philosophy that kept the Magic at bay this time around. Orlando, a team loaded with exceptional long-range bombers, only shot 27% from beyond the arc in the series. Drew focused his team’s individual defensive responsibility, stressing that they not overreact to perceived mismatches. The Hawks used their length and athleticism to shadow the Magic’s perimeter players.

The Hawks will now move on to battle the conference’s #1 seed, the Chicago Bulls, led by their superstar and MVP candidate, the aforementioned Rose. Unlike most teams, Atlanta is equipped with the personnel to make things tough for Rose. Kirk Hinrich, a former teammate of Rose’s, is a tough, smart defender. If he’s able to shake off the apparent injury that he suffered last night, his ability to play offense and defense could be key for Atlanta. Al Horford and Josh Smith provide just as much strength and even more athleticism than Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer.

This Atlanta team has a real chance to knock off Chicago, and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time (since they’ve been the “Atlanta Hawks”).

And it’s all thanks to the one change that they made.

And the many others that they didn’t.

Josh Smith: Keep Risin’ to the Top

T Lamont — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 04:26:14 +0000

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With season stats of 15.0 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 3.8 apg, 2.2 bpg, 1.5 spg, Josh Smith’s impact on the Hawks can pretty easily be told…or at least it would seem so.

But his impact on the 4th place eastern Conference team has been far greater than that.

Coming out of basketball powerhouse Oak Hill Academy by way of McEachern High School (Powder Springs, GA), Smith was selected 17th in the 2004 NBA Draft. His athleticism was top notch. And Smith did some outstanding things with it. Smith led all rookies in blocked shots, averaging 1.9 per game (12th in the NBA). Most notably, Josh won the Sprite Rising Stars Slam Dunk competition. However, much of his rookie and sophomore season, J-Smoove looked lost of the court. It was painfully obvious that Smith’s instincts had to be honed if he wanted to stick in the league.

The Hawks seemed to be headed nowhere fast – and passed on selecting a point guard in the following draft…a move that was highly questioned by analysts. They did manage to sign up-and-coming, free-agent swingman Joe Johnson, to whom they quickly gave the keys to the organization. This move proved to be vital to Atlanta’s success. Over the next couple of years, a team that was initially selfish and unfocused began to grow together through their trials on the hardwood.

Smith’s game was beginning to take flight. His statistics in 2006-2007, were the type that we would expect from someone with his physical gifts. Smith’s well-rounded contributions helped a young team push themselves to stay positive.

Smith's unbelievable atleticism allowed him to make a name for himself during his early NBA seasons.

Fast forward to today. In the last two seasons, the Hawks are consistent playoff participants – but what has been driving their success year after year?

Joe Johnson’s versatility? Jamal Crawford’s clutch performance?

While both of the above parties have led the team to a 32-17 record, the true catalyst has been Josh Smith. Smith is doing everything on the court, and has matured to the point that he will make passes even if the recipient isn’t in immediate scoring position. He’s knocked down his 3-point attempts considerably and is focusing on doing more damage to his opponents in the paint. And Smith is great at finding the game-changing or game-winning opportunities. He has blocked shots to seal games, tip the game winner into the basket for a close win.

One night, Smith will have 8 assists. The next night, he’ll have 15 rebounds - then, follow that up with 7 blocks and you’d be totally frustrated to find out what his specialty is. But his focus has been on playing basketball – and doing what it takes to be a better player.

So far so good…right, ATL fans??

Best “Teams” Win Game 7s

T Lamont — Mon, 04 May 2009 02:37:14 +0000

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Well, we’re officially done with what had to be one of the most exciting first rounds in recent memory.

And while we all realize the importance of seeding and home court, it couldn’t have been more valuable in securing victories for the Celtics and Hawks in their respective game sevens.

The Celtics ousted the Bulls on Saturday in Boston, 109-99. As always, the home court seems to bring out the best in role players and bench players. Eddie House was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, including 4-for-4 from 3-point land for 16 points. Brian Scalabrine contributed 8 points, and Glen Davis and Kendrick Perkins continued their improved play to spark the C’s to victory. In the end game, the more experienced team was playing at home with two All-Stars on their roster. It would have been EXTREMELY difficult for Chicago to upend Boston given this scenario.

Moving on to Phillips Arena on Sunday, Atlanta flew past Miami by the final score of 91-78. Joe Johnson and Josh Smith were the main culprits, but the Hawks also had key contributions from Flip Murray and Mike Bibby. In the end, D-Wade just didn’t have quite enough help for the Heat to pull out this series.

The Hawks are a dangerous team at home (as we saw in last year’s first round series against the Celtics)…capable of running good teams out of their building. Atlanta defended Miami very well – they make things tough for Wade (10-25 shooting), while simultaneously limiting open looks for Miami’s shooters (4-19 from 3-point land, including 2-9 from D-Wade). As a bonus, the Hawks went 11-23 from distance. They also limited their turnovers (9 for the game), which often makes the difference for such a young, developing team.

So, now it’s time for some great second round matchups:

Houston / Los Angeles
Dallas / Denver
Atlanta / Cleveland
Orlando / Boston

Stay tuned to www.ballornuthin.com for continued insight into these series…

Motivation For the Heat??

T Lamont — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:37:32 +0000

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I’m sure that some of you have seen / heard about “the Josh Smith dunk attempt”…you can check it out here. Look for it around the 2:40 mark of the video highlights.

Let see if the Heat can rebound and rise up for Game 6 in Miami. Maybe just a little bit higher than Smith did.

Eastern Conference NBA Playoff Time!!!

T Lamont — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 03:50:13 +0000

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It’s the time that we all been waiting for – NBA playoff time. Let’s take a look at what’s on tap in round one:

The Pistons will be pooping shoe for a while.

Cavaliers vs. Pistons:

I think we all know what’s going to happen here. Besides, they need more ugly guys on their team like they had in 2004 (and back in the early 90′s). The rule is that you should either have talented players or a team full of mad, ugly dudes. I think they need to go mad and ugly.

Look at me mom...I fooled them into thinking I'm good enough to be a lottery pick!!!

Celtics vs. Bulls:

I almost thought that the Bulls could pull off the upset with Kevin Garnett missing in action. But then I saw the picture to the right.

Any team that lets a guy like this play big minutes is definitely gonna lose. What a cornball.

Anybody else want some of Dwight Howard??

Magic vs. Sixers:

Dwight Howard is the real deal. Samuel Dalembert is a wannabe Dikembe Mutombo. No contest here.

Andre Miller’s point guard saavy won’t be nearly enough to give the Sixers a chance in this series. The Magic have too many weapons to choose from.

Unfortunately, the Sixers will only end up in one, very familiar position.

Hawks vs. Heat:

This is going to be a great series. The Hawks are outstanding at home. They have a very, young athletic team. Joe Johnson is one of the best players in the league. Based on his skill set, he is probably more of a Kobe-clone than is LeBron James. And Josh Smith is just a freak.

D-Wade would have been my choice for MVP. He leads a squad with only one other potential All-Star (Michael Beasley), and has them sitting confortably as a #5 seed. 30.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 7.5 APG, 2.1 SPG, 1.3 BPG, 49% FG…DAYUM!!! That being said, he’s gonna need a bonfide second option in this series for the Heat to have a chance.

So, sit back, relax and enjoy the nonstop drama that is the NBA Playoffs. Where amazing happens…