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    16

    Game No. 41, live: Hawks (23-15) at Warriors (11-29)

    Filed under: Commentary;

    FOURTH QUARTER:

    ** If the Warriors can continue to get this kind of rebounding from Maggette and Morrow, then small ball might flourish once again.

    ** That’s a tough drive for Flip Murray, well defended by Morrow.

    ** And for once, it’s the opposition (Johnson) that falls asleep at the wheel and allows the back-door cut for an open layup. I was of the feeling that Johnson was going to take over the game for the Hawks, but not after that 8-0 burst — and not since JJ has missed eight of his last nine from the floor.

    ** One of the pluses of bringing Maggette off the bench is that you’re more likely to put him in a bonus situation where his player-control fouls turn into free throws.

    ** That’s a new season-high in rebounds for Maggette at 14.

    ** That 3-pointer from Bibby looked truly rancid . . . until it hit nothing but net. And then he does it again to pull the Hawks within a point.

    ** Nice quick post flash to Maggette to bring the Warriors back into a tie at 106-all.

    ** Corey Maggette diving on the floor for the steal. Assuming the Warriors hold on, he’s the MVP of this one, no question.

    ** And with that, the Warriors are at a season-high from beyond the arc (56.3).

    ** Phil Hellmuth is at the game tonight, and while I won’t say it’s a done deal — remember the Heat? — the Hawks need to hit runner-runner to extend this game.

    ** That’s a wrap, folks.

    THIRD QUARTER:

    ** Got to be able to accept the entry pass, youngblood.

    ** Nice look-ahead dish from Crawford to Randolph. Followed by an orderly 3-on-1 break orchestrated by Jackson. It’s almost like this team’s remembering how to run…

    ** Biedrins may have gotten all ball in blocking Pachulia, but you’re never going to get that call when you come from directly behind a player.

    ** And then a bad LBF for a fourth foul on Biedrins, who can get whatever he wants on Pachulia right now. Nelson’s going to risk leaving him in there, at least for the moment.

    ** Tom Abdenour is trying to take a look at Jackson’s leg, but Jackson is trying to walk off the pain after appearing to knock left knees with Josh Smith. I’ll give him credit; even when he should by all rights be on the bench, he wants to play. Period.

    ** Bob: That’s 3-3 now for Bibby in this half against Crawford, including a total blow-by on that last layup. :)

    ** Jack’s knee is really hurting him. I think Nelson’s going to have to pull him to give Abdenour a chance to check it out.

    ** FNQ: So is now a bad time to mention how Maggette just got abused by Josh Smith, allowing him to go unmolested to the hoop?

    Seriously, though, Maggette has done a good job on the boards tonight, which is where, historically, he’s killed the Warriors. And he has done a better job shooting the free throws. My point was that, if he was going to be bothered to the level that he was on Wednesday, that would really be a detriment to the Warriors’ chances.

    ** That’s a fantastic steal by Bibby, with the little flip while heading out of bounds to save the ball and start the break.

    ** I have to admit, I was looking forward to seeing Josh Smith in person for his only trip here this seaosn, and I have been pretty heartily disappointed.

    SECOND QUARTER:

    ** Nice move by Turiaf to take the foul at halfcourt on Maurice Evans, thus staving off a fast break and allowing Jackson to get himself back into the play.

    ** Joe Johnson: 12 points, zero missed shots.

    ** Turiaf’s block and Jack’s ensuing 3 finally get the late-arriving crowd into the game.

    ** I don’t think Turiaf meant to slam Marvin Williams like that, but he just clobbered him there.

    ** If Maggette’s hand is going to turn him into a below-average free-throw shooter, then the Warriors are better off just resting him and letting him get healthy.

    ** A clearly groggy Marvin Williams just left the floor and headed to the Hawks’ locker room, accompanied by the team’s trainer.

    ** A silver lining in the Warriors’ utter inability to rebound is that it means the Warriors won’t suffer any downside on the defensive boards when they switch to their 2-3 zone. After all, things can’t possibly get any worse in that area, can they?

    ** Azubuike trying to stop Joe Johnson in the post is not working, although I’m not sure the Warriors have a credible alternative.

    ** Johnson with a rare miss, and Maggette whiffs utterly on boxing out Mo Evans.

    ** I understand that Jamal has a rock-solid case — Bibby clearly raked him with his left hand — but when you get the two points anyways (thanks to rebounding machine Anthony Morrow) and are building momentum in your favor, that’s not the time to draw a technical over it.

    ** And here I was wondering if Marcus Williams had any game shorts on underneath his warmup pants, or if he was rockin’ a Johnny Neumann look.

    FIRST QUARTER:

    ** Apparently, Zaza Pachulia didn’t get the memo that Andris Biedrins can put the ball on the floor now.

    ** Nice anticipation on the steal for Anthony Randolph. And it’s deservedly rewarded by a dunk off Biedrins’ pass.

    ** That’s two turnovers and a dunk on Anthony Randolph. No sign of the hook, however.

    ** As reported by Sekou Smith, Pachulia spent most of last 48 hours either in the air or dealing with governmental bureaucracy in Atlanta as he tries to navigate the process of getting a green card. So far, he doesn’t look too tired, but with Al Horford out due to a bone bruise in his right knee, that’s an area the Warriors should be able to exploit.

    ** It looked like Randolph’s quickness took Josh Smith by surprise there.

    ** Stephen Jackson, 0-3 FG in his return so far.

    ** Joe: That’s a good question, and one that newspapers, as a whole, haven’t solved. And just for the record, my mom’s house doesn’t even have a basement.

    ** Andris did not look happy that neither Jackson nor Corey Maggette rotated to cover Pachulia, leading to that open dunk.

    ** Just as I get done poking fun at Jackson’s shooting, he knocks down back-to-back treys.

    ** It just feels like Joe Johnson (8 points, 3-3 FG, 2 assists) is biding his time and waiting to really drop the hammer on the Warriors.

    PREGAME:

    ** Sign No. 482,398,190 of how dire things are in the land of dead-tree journalism: Despite the Hawks’ 23-15 record, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, one of the 20 largest newspapers in the United States, has pulled Sekou Smith, its estimable beat writer, off this road trip for financial reasons.

    – Geoff

14 Responses to “Game No. 41, live: Hawks (23-15) at Warriors (11-29)”

  1. JoeSez January 16th, 2009 at 8:42 pm

    So how do print papers compete against guys blogging from their Mom’s basement?

    If they can’t send a reporter, what’s the diff?

  2. Bob January 16th, 2009 at 9:45 pm

    Marcus Williams sighting!! Plays the final 26 secs of the 1st half, hits a three.

    BTW, Bibby(guarded by Crawford) is 0 for 7, 1 pt.

    Joe Johnson on the other hand blows up for 21 pts. Jack, Buike, nobody can guard him.

  3. FNQ January 16th, 2009 at 9:48 pm

    Atlanta put a target on Buke from the getgo…

    Geoff are you getting swept up in all the Maggette hate too? I thought he played team D well, and drew quite a few fouls and you only mentioned him to slam his missed FT (6-8) and one defensive mishap…

  4. pboss January 16th, 2009 at 11:14 pm

    Geoff,

    I missed the Celtics game, but that was the best i’ve seen the Team play all year. That was the first game that I actually thought that these guys could actually play together. I have also drank a bottle of wine while watching the game, so I might be imagining things. What were your thoughts?

  5. Wilson January 17th, 2009 at 12:59 am

    Geoff, I know you aren’t doing a comprehensive game summary here, but to not mention Jackson’s eight consecutive misses (before his clutch jumper) and all his turnovers at crunch time is neglecting your duties. If the Warriors had lost, he would have been the reason.

  6. Bob January 17th, 2009 at 2:26 am

    Ofcourse Bibby goes for 20 in the second half after I brought up his 0 for 7 in the 1st half. heh.. typical.

  7. Chris Cohan January 17th, 2009 at 9:44 am

    Maggette: SELL HIGH

  8. FNQ January 17th, 2009 at 2:10 pm

    I’m in a dilemma here… do I blame Don Nelson for not knowing the obvious (Maggette is a premiere 6th man and his mindset changes when he starts) or do I blame Monta for putting Nellie in a situation where he either has to start a post PF/rookie (or in some cases, both) or starting Maggs?

    I’m not sure… but most can agree that Maggette looks like a completely different player when brought off the bench. When he starts, he’s complacent, and he wasn’t that last night… although there were some times where he was adrift in no-man’s land.

    I don’t know if this has been brought up yet, but does Maggs really have stamina? Yes, we can all see the dude is cut, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he can play effectively for all that long… based on his loose hammys and his history, I’d say there’s a strong case for him not being in all that great shape, stamina wise… Don’t anyone point at his #s either… again, most already know that his offensive style is to wear the other team down by crashing into them… I’m talking about defensively, rebounding, and off the ball… as the game goes on, he gets more complacent with each…

  9. M.Squared January 17th, 2009 at 4:58 pm

    The ball movement was a huge change for the Warriors in the positive. If they forget how to do this again- they should look at the Hawks who always seem to find the open man.
    Maggette looked good. 6th man is definitely his role. If he can get 6-8 boards per game- there might still be a chance to pkg him with another player or two to get a starter in return.
    Turiaf’s agressiveness was well needed. Teams are going to start worrying about him in the paint if he plays that way.
    Randolph made some defensive mistakes, but played well and should have gotten more minutes.

  10. Chris Cohan January 17th, 2009 at 6:20 pm

    Anyone advocating paying a 6th man $10 million at ANY point in his contract: GO AWAY

  11. Chris Cohan January 17th, 2009 at 6:20 pm

    Maggette sucks. So does Reggae 510.

  12. JoeSez January 17th, 2009 at 8:42 pm

    CC: Once the contracted is signed, gotta use the guy as needed. 6th man isn’t a bad way to use a guy in a rotation if he can keep the team in a game and get a win. Spurs have Ginobli.

    My beef is Maggette was signed even with a long history of injury. Who-Wudda-known?

    BTW the Spurs wanted to sign Maggette at mid-level exception. We overpaid, or maybe not since he’d never come to GSW at mid-level exception. Joe Sez get over it and use the guy same way the Spurs wanted to use him.

  13. FNQ January 18th, 2009 at 4:31 pm

    Trying to change his role based on what he’s paid is stupid… Joe has it correct… maximize value.

  14. Chris Cohan January 18th, 2009 at 9:26 pm

    Maggette is crap for us. Terrible signing as yet.
    No interest in Reg and co.’s BS made up reasoning to the contrary.

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