Atlanta Hawks Blog – Page 59 – NBA Blog

Josh Smith shines, Hawks beat Celtics to take Game 1

The Boston Celtics lost Game 1 — and they may have lost their floor leader for Game 2.

Josh Smith scored 22 points and grabbed 18 rebounds as the Atlanta Hawks built a big lead early, then held on for an 83-74 victory over the Celtics in their opener of the Eastern Conference playoffs Sunday night.

But this one will be remembered for what happened in the final minute, not the Hawks’ blistering start. While complaining about a call, Boston star Rajon Rondo was ejected for bumping an official and faces a possible suspension when the teams meet again Tuesday night in Atlanta.

“I didn’t intentionally chest-bump him, but that’s what it appears to be,” Rondo said…

Rondo, who scored 20 points and dished out 11 assists, clearly appeared to stick out his chest to strike the official. That’s a huge no-no and will almost surely draw the wrath of NBA Commissioner David Stern…

Garnett bounced back to put up 20 points and 11 rebounds. Paul Pierce had only 12 points, going 5 of 19 from the field and missing all six of his 3-point attempts.

“For us to win, I have to be a better player,” Pierce said. “I was a really big culprit.”

— Reported by the Associated Press

Joe Johnson had another poor performance in the playoffs. It’s not as if he doesn’t know he’s going to get pressured. He handled it pretty well early (it helped that the Hawks played faster) but then Joe came out after halftime and seemed to want to go one-on-one.

“I missed a lot of wide open shots I normally make. I’m sure Game 2 will be a lot different,” Joe said. “I’m just glad guys like Jeff [Teague] and Josh was able to pretty much carry us down the stretch.”

You can’t fault Joe for missing open shots. Well, I guess you can, but that happens. More problematic were all the possessions that came to a halt because Joe was dribbling aimlessly (or, worse, getting stripped by Paul Pierce) while his teammates stood and watched.

“I look at the stat sheet and he didn’t have a typical Joe Johnson game shooting-wise,” Drew said. “Yet we still won the game. With this team, I always try to focus on the positive with things like that. He’ll watch the tape and, like everyone else, he will make adjustments. We will continue to run plays through him, put the ball in his hands and put him in position to score the ball.”

— Reported by Michael Cunningham of Atlanta Journal-Constitution Blog

Melo scores 39, Knicks edge Hawks

The New York Knicks gave center Tyson Chandler, the key to their improved defense, a day off against the Atlanta Hawks. Both teams seemed to scrap their defenses through three quarters of a shootout between playoff-bound teams.

However, it was a defensive play that decided the game when Amare Stoudemire blocked Marvin Williams’ dunk attempt at the buzzer to save the Knicks’ 113-112 win over the Hawks on Sunday.

Carmelo Anthony scored 39 points and hit the winning jumper with 1:40 left on Atlanta’s defensive miscommunication. Stoudemire finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds in his second game back after missing 13 with a sore back.

Williams scored a season-high 29 points in a rare start, but came up empty when he – and a full-throated crowd in Philips Arena – felt he was fouled…

Sunday didn’t help, and Atlanta All-Star Joe Johnson wasn’t happy about it after he spent much of the day chasing Anthony. Johnson scored 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting. Anthony was 14 for 32 as the only New York starter to shoot under 50 percent.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Rajon Rondo puts up triple-double, Celtics edge Hawks

Paul Pierce overcame a miserable shooting game with a key jumper in overtime and Rajon Rondo finished with a triple-double with 20 assists, 10 points and 10 rebounds to lift the surging Boston Celtics to an 88-86 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.

Kevin Garnett had 22 points and grabbed 12 boards before fouling out with just under 3 minutes left in OT, and Brandon Bass, who also hit a jumper in OT, scored 21 points.

It was Rondo’s 19th straight game with double digits in assists.

Jeff Teague led the Hawks with 21 points and Josh Smith had 20 with 11 rebounds. The Hawks had won eight of 11 since losing to Boston at home on March 19.

It was the Celtics’ 11th win in 14 games. Pierce finished with 14 points…

Boston guard Ray Allen was sidelined by a sore right ankle that had him out a few weeks ago. He had played the last five games after being sidelined six by the troublesome ankle.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Joe Johnson and Kevin Durant named NBA Players of Week

The Atlanta Hawks’ Joe Johnson and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, March 19, through Sunday, March 25.

Johnson led the Hawks to a 4-1 week with averages of 23.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists. Johnson hit game-tying three-pointers vs. Cleveland on March 21 and Utah on March 25, as well as the game-winning three-pointer at Washington on March 24. Johnson’s 37-point, eight-rebound effort keyed a 139-133 quadruple overtime win over the Jazz on March 25.

Durant’s 29.5 ppg ranked second in the league (Kevin Love, 33.5), his 10.3 rpg ranked ninth, and his 2.0 spg tied for fifth best in the Western Conference as he helped the Thunder to a 3-1 week. Durant, the league’s second leading scorer for the season at 27.9 points (Kobe Bryant, 28.3) tallied 40 points and a season-high 17 rebounds on March 25 in a 103-87 win over the Heat.

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Atlanta’s Josh Smith, Houston’s Goran Dragic, Miami’s Dwyane Wade, Minnesota’s Kevin Love, New York’s Amar’e Stoudemire, Orlando’s Ryan Anderson and Utah’s Al Jefferson.

Hawks beat Jazz in NBA’s first 4-overtime game since 1997

Joe Johnson scored 37 points, Josh Smith added 22 and the Atlanta Hawks ended Utah’s six-game winning streak with a 139-133 victory Sunday night in the NBA’s first quadruple-overtime game since 1997.

The four overtimes tied for the third-longest game in NBA history. It was the ninth NBA game to go four OTs and the first since Phoenix beat Portland 140-139 on Nov. 14, 1997.

Al Jefferson finished with 28 points and 17 rebounds, and Paul Millsap had 25 points and 13 boards for the Jazz before both players fouled out in the final overtime…

With 16.9 seconds remaining in the fourth OT, Johnson’s 20-foot jumper over C.J. Miles gave the Hawks a 135-131 lead.

Jeff Teague, who had 18 points and nine assists, added a pair of free throws with 13 seconds to go to make it 137-133. Johnson’s two free throws sealed the victory with 5.5 seconds remaining.

Smith fouled out with 1:57 left in the first overtime.

Zaza Pachulia, who pulled down 20 rebounds, hit a short jumper in the final seconds of the second quarter that gave the Hawks a 17-point lead, their biggest of the game.

— Reported by George Henry of the Associated Press

Hawks guard Jannero Pargo to miss a month

Atlanta Hawks guard Jannero Pargo, who missed Sunday’s game at Cleveland with what was first believed to be the stomach flu, had successful surgery this evening on his appendix at the Cleveland Clinic. He is scheduled to return to Atlanta in a couple of days, however, he will be out of action for a month.

The Hawks host Boston Monday at Philips Arena at 7:30 p.m.

Hawks trade 2nd round pick to Warriors

The Golden State Warriors have acquired a Second Round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft from the Atlanta Hawks, in exchange for cash considerations, the team announced today. The Warriors will receive the lower of two Second Round picks, either the Hawks’ pick or the Phoenix Suns’ pick (which is currently owned by the Hawks from a previous transaction).

“We’ve had multiple discussions about acquiring additional draft picks and we will continue to pursue other opportunities as we approach the end of June,” said General Manager Larry Riley. “Ownership has displayed a continued willingness to invest financial resources in the draft and, as this indicates, we will explore any opportunities that will enable us to acquire additional assets.”

In addition to the Second Round pick acquired today, the Warriors also own the New Jersey Nets’ pick in the Second Round of this June’s draft. Golden State’s own Second Round pick for the upcoming draft was traded to the New York Knicks as part of the David Lee trade and is currently owned by the Denver Nuggets.

Rondo added to East All-Stars, Durant added to 3-point contest

Rajon Rondo

A quick little character.

Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo has been named by NBA Commissioner David Stern to replace injured East All-Star guard Joe Johnson (injured left knee) of the Atlanta Hawks in the 2012 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando. This is Rondo’s third All-Star Game selection.

Replacing Johnson in the Three-Point Contest is Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, a 2012 NBA All-Star.

A lot of people thought Hawks forward Josh Smith would be named a replacement. Not just because he’s Johnson’s teammate. Smith is this season is averaging 16.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.13 blocks per game. Many people thought he was more worthy an All-Star than Johnson in the first place.

As for Rondo, for the season he’s putting up 14.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 9.5 assists and 1.64 steals per game, while shooting a terrific 48.5% from the field. Fantastic stats. Rondo has missed games due to both injury and suspension. But he is playing on an All-Star level.

Durant is a great addition to the three-point shootout. It’s a more interesting contest when stars are involved.

The 2012 NBA All-Star Game, which will air live at 7 p.m. ET on TNT and ESPN Radio in the U.S., and reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages, will be played at Amway Center in Orlando on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012.

Joe Johnson will miss 2012 All-Star Weekend

Hawks guard Joe Johnson underwent an MRI yesterday in Atlanta, and he was diagnosed with left knee tendinitis. As previously announced, he’ll miss the Hawks’ next two games (tonight in New York, tomorrow vs. Orlando).

In addition, Johnson won’t participate in this weekend’s All-Star game and activities in Orlando. He’ll be re-evaluated prior to Atlanta’s first game after the All-Star break (Wednesday the 29th vs. Golden State).

InsideHoops.com speculates that if the league wants to pick the most deserving East All-Star replacement regardless of position, it just might be Johnson’s teammate on the Hawks, forward Josh Smith. There are also some worthy guards, including Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics — though he’s missed games this season due to both injury and suspension.

First black NBA player gets honor at Atlanta Hawks game

Earl Lloyd remembers when he suited up for the Washington Capitols more than 60 years ago as the first black to play in an NBA game and wondering if he would make a good enough impression to stick around.

Lloyd and the Capitols lost the game. But he played well enough to earn a roster spot and break the color barrier in a league that had only three black players in 1950 and now features the highest percentage of African-American athletes in any of the major professional leagues.

“Before the game, I was terrified,” recalled Lloyd, who scored six points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Capitols in a 78-70 loss to the Rochester Royals on Oct. 31, 1950. “I had a fear of disappointing the people who depended on me. Luckily, letting people down was not a part of my DNA.

“I’m glad I was part of something that helped pave the way for others.”

Now, as part of Black History Month, the 83-year-old Hall of Famer will be honored for his breakthrough at halftime of the Atlanta Hawks-Miami Heat game on Sunday. The former West Virginia State standout along with six other African-Americans will be recognized at all Hawks home games this month.

— Reported by Jonathan Landrum Jr. of the Associated Press