| 09 March 2011
Hope is starting to fade for an Atlanta Hawks post season run. Yes, they are still in 5th place in the East, but this is only because the Heat have lost 5 games in a row and the Magic have lost 2. The Hawks have now lost 3 games in a row and have lost them badly. Hope is fading fast.
The regular season ends on April 13. That is just a little over a month away at this point. That's not a lot of time, but the Hawks still have a glimmer of hope. That hope though only exists if they start winning games. I do not believe the Heat or Magic will stay in this downward slide for long. If the Hawks keep losing and those two start winning, the Hawks post season chances are pretty much doomed. The Knicks are closing fast along with the 76ers, both teams are on winning streaks. Of course, the Celtics continue to rule the East with an iron fist currently on a 5 game winning streak. The Bulls are close behind in second with a 3 game win streak going. The Hawks only remain in 5th place due to the meltdown of the Heat and the losses of the Magic. Otherwise, they would be dropping like a rock at this point.
In the game versus the Lakers, the Hawks got in the hole early. The Lakers at one point had them down by 22. The Hawks attempted a comeback getting to within six points of the Lakers with a little over 5 minutes left in the game and then it fell apart. Hinrich put up a 3-pointer that could have cut the deficit to five points. It missed, Bryant rebounded, and Gasol scored a pair of free throws followed by a fourth 24-second shot clock violation by the Hawks. Then, with the shot clock about to expire on the Lakers, Bryant caught a deflected pass and launched a 3-pointer over Josh Smith. It was good for a 96-82 lead with 3:20 left in the game and that was the end of any Atlanta comeback. Al Horford had 17 points for the Hawks, but the team made just 39.8 percent of their shots.
The Lakers held the Hawks to 5 for 20 in the third quarter. Jamal Crawford remained in Siberia making 2 of 8 shots Tuesday, including one of five 3-pointers. The Hawks did have some highlights in the game though despite the loss. They had 16 offensive rebounds to the Lakers 13. The Hawks had 20 fast break points to the Lakers 5. Damien Wilkins, who coach Larry Drew said he was going to start playing more, made 4 of 6 shots for 10 points while playing what was generally solid defense. Zaza got on the boards with 10 rebounds. The Hawks had 5 players in double digit points including Horford, Josh Smith with 16, Hinrich with 12, Johnson with 11 and Wilkins with 10. The Hawks had 5 steals, but only 1 blocked shot on the game.
Up next for the Hawks, Friday @ Bulls, Saturday vs. Blazers, Tuesday vs. Bucks. Some tough games still upcoming. The Hawks have got to start getting some wins. Let's Go Hawks!!
