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As expected, Atlanta Hawks guard Jamal Crawford won the 2009-10 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.
He deserved it. Crawford’s scoring off the bench was a huge part of Atlanta’s success this year.
The team finished with a 53-29 record and the #3 seed in the Eastern conference.
For more info on the award, with voting results and the guys that finished behind Crawford, click here.
The Hawks a very good team — but they’re not great. During the regular season, the Bucks were playing close to the level the Hawks were before losing center Andrew Bogut to injury. Yet the Bucks are showing big-time pride and stepping up to put some scare into Atlanta.
The AP reports:
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Carlos Delfino scored 22 points with six 3-pointers and the Milwaukee Bucks pulled off their second straight playoff surprise, beating the Atlanta Hawks 111-104 Monday night to draw even in the first-round series.
Brandon Jennings scored 23 points and John Salmons added 22 for the Bucks, who survived a fourth-quarter surge led by Atlanta stars Joe Johnson and Josh Smith. Now the Hawks head home for Game 5, desperately needing a win to stave off a surprising challenge by a team missing its best player, injured center Andrew Bogut.
Johnson scored 29 points, reserve Jamal Crawford had 21, and Smith had 20 points and nine rebounds.
The Bucks finally started getting to the free throw line and the made the most of it, hitting 28 of 32.
Sekou Smith of the official NBA site reports:
A car smashed into the team bus while it was stopped at a light near the Bradley Center. Hawks VP of Public Relations Arthur Triche said that no one in the team’s traveling party was hurt. But they did have to exit the bus and either walk back or cab it back to the team hotel.
“We all got a jolt this morning and we didn’t need any coffee or anything else to get it,” Triche said by phone later. “But everyone is fine and we hope that the driver and whoever else was in the car are fine as well.”
Playing without center Andrew Bogut, the Milwaukee Bucks looked to be in trouble, and still are, but they stepped up strong to the plate Saturday and rocked Atlanta.
The AP reports:
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John Salmons scored 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting and the Milwaukee Bucks never let up after a hot start in a 107-89 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.
The Bucks shot 68 percent in the first quarter and 51 percent for the game following a three-day layoff and were never seriously threatened after building a 19-point, first-half lead.
Atlanta still leads the series 2-1 after two double-digit victories at home, when the Bucks looked overmatched without the injured Andrew Bogut.
But veteran Kurt Thomas had eight points, 13 rebounds and four stitches, rookie Brandon Jennings added 13 points and Milwaukee proved that the Hawks may have to “Fear the Deer” after all.
Joe Johnson scored 25 for Atlanta. Game 4 is Monday night in Milwaukee.
Milwaukee led by as many as 28 in the fourth as the Hawks shot 39 percent for the game, and only once did Atlanta appear poised to make a run.
Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (via blog):
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“There’s pretty much nothing to do,” Josh Smith said (about the city of Milwaukee). “Miami has some really good restaurants. I never really did anything in Milwaukee. I would be happy to just find a restaurant. I’m not bashing the city but I’ve never actually did anything in Milwaukee so I really don’t know what is around there.”
By now Hawks PR Man Arthur Triche, seeing where this was headed, had creeped in to try and break up the party. But, Smoove being Smoove (”I don’t care!”) he wasn’t stopping.
Someone picked up on the Noah thread and asked Smith if he’d be taking any vacations in Milwaukee.
“Would you go there?” Smith asked. “Everybody knows there ain’t nothing to do in Milwaukee, man. Everybody knows that, (even) the people that live there.”
The AP reports:
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Joe Johnson took control in the fourth quarter to finish off a 27-point effort, Josh Smith finished one assist shy of a triple-double and the Hawks ran away from the pesky but outmanned Milwaukee Bucks for a 96-86 victory in the Eastern Conference playoffs Tuesday night…
Smith is certainly a player capable of taking control of a series in many ways, as he demonstrated with his 21 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, not to mention two blocks and two steals…
“He’s one of those players that can control the game without calling plays for him,” said John Salmons, who led the Bucks with 21 points…
Johnson also led the defensive effort against Bucks rookie star Brandon Jennings, who followed up a 34-point performance in Game 1 with just nine points on 3-of-15 shooting.
The AP reports: Led by Joe Johnson and getting production from all their key players, the Hawks blitzed the Bucks before halftime, survived a lackluster showing over the final two quarters and held off Milwaukee 102-92 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference series… Milwaukee made a game of it led by Brandon Jennings, who scored 34 points in his playoff debut… Joe Johnson scored 22 points, Mike Bibby added 19 and the other Atlanta starters also were in double figures. Crawford put up 17 points in the first postseason appearance of his 10-year career.
Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:
The Los Angeles Lakers are in town on Wednesday.
That doesn’t mean they have to feel welcomed.
Feel free to boo Kobe Bryant. Go ahead and goad Pau Gasol. Let Lamar Odom know there will be no Southern hospitality for the Lakers at Philips Arena.
It seems Hawks fans may need to be reminded, so Hawks coach Mike Woodson will do so. The marquee teams and stars who’ve visited Philips Arena this season have been too warmly received for Woodson’s tastes.
“It shouldn’t be that way,” Woodson said. “There [are] enough people in this city to support the Hawks. I think we are a fun team to watch. We’ve grown definitely over the years, from the time we started to where we are today.
“Sure, I’d like to see more people in their seats and rooting for our guys.”
Instead, the Hawks have seen fans root for opponents in their house.
Ken Sugiura of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:
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Through Wednesday’s games, forward Josh Smith was the only player in the NBA averaging at least 15 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists per game. Since being left out of the All-Star game, a season-long goal of Smith’s, he has been playing arguably the best basketball of his career.
Said Woodson, “He’s playing so much better right now, it’s a joke.”
Woodson said he will write letters to fellow coaches urging them to vote for Smith for the All-Defensive team, just as he wrote to Eastern Conference coaches to make the case for Joe Johnson, Al Horford, Jamal Crawford and Smith for the All-Star team. Woodson said he had never promoted his players in this way until this year.
Said Woodson, “Because we’ve never been good enough.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:
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A week after the Philadelphia 76ers’ Allen Iverson announced he was leaving basketball for the rest of the season to be with his sick 4-year-old daughter, the star’s wife filed for divorce in Fulton County Superior Court.
In the divorce petition filed on Tuesday, Tawanna Iverson said her 8 ½-year-long marriage to the guard was “irretrievably broken.” In the petition, Tawanna Iverson asked for temporary and permanent custody of their five children as well as child support and alimony.
She did not ask for a specific dollar amount.
The children range in ages from 17 months to 15 years.
QUICK REACTION FROM INSIDEHOOPS.COM
This is just not Allen Iverson’s year.
In basketball, he hurt his own reputation by making it clear to the world that he’s more focused on his own individual basketball game than he is on being a part of a team, resulting in barely any squads wanting to sign him even though he was clearly more talented than the majority of free agents who were available at the time.
Of course, Iverson was always an individual force on a court. A scorer, who didn’t typically set teammates up do to any sort of special play-making ability, but certainly made their lives easier simply by drawing so much defensive attention. He was also a one-man wrecking crew who could drop 30 on anybody. He also dragged a 76ers squad into the finals that had no business making it that far. He did amazing things on a basketball court.
But, at this point in his career, his refusal to even consider coming off any team’s bench was a bad look.
The Grizzlies-Iverson experiment didn’t go well, and the team has looked very good since it ended.
He was OK on the 76ers but didn’t really help them. They’re not hot without him, though, so that’s not really on him.
But now, actual sad personal stuff: His daughter reportedly has health issues. And now his wife is calling it quits, seemingly at a rough time.
Regardless of his refusal to accept that he’s best used as a supporting scorer and no longer a foundation to build a team around, I have to root for Iverson in his off-court issues clearing up.
And as for Iverson the basketball player, it would be cool to see him latch onto a team next season, actually help them, and go out on a positive note.
— Jeff