ATL

Haha. You're definitely right, I wasn't as happy as I usually am when we won that game against the Raptors. But it worked out for the best, because if we would have lost that game, I'm not sure if we would have made playoffs and pushed Boston to Game 7. Anyway, I really hope that the league replays the game back to this. This game was probably the most rigged NBA game I have seen. The refs were giving the Cavs every call on the offensive end and the Hawks got nothing on the other end. To add in this shot clock situation, makes me really think if the NBA is somewhat rigged. The Hawks were as aggressive as the Cavs, if not, more aggressive than them but still didn't get the whistles the Cavs got. The Hawks played a lot better than the Cavs that game and they should have won that game.

I think it affects it a lot. I think Rondo in a certain extent is a good example. Rondo is touted as one of the best point guards in the NBA, and winning with the Celtics definitely boosted his place in the ranks of the best point guards in the league. I'm not trying to diss Rondo (I think? ) but I don't see how some people call him better than Devin Harris. I think if you switch the two players, Rondo wouldn't be ranked as high and Devin Harris would be a top 3 point guard in the NBA. But again, this is just an example. You can't blame the fans though, because some teams are just more marketed than other teams and that makes the players on the more marketed team more recognizable.

Here are a few of my favorites that I can remember. "In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure." -Bill Cosby "Winners have simply formed the habit of doing things losers don't like to do." -??? "Adversity introduces a man to himself." -Pat Riley "Nothing worth having in life comes easy." -Dr. Kelso from Scrubs. "Don't look down on anyone unless you are helping them up." -?? ""Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." -??

Refs missed a call. That was a backcourt on Al Horford. But I didn't see a foul on Josh Smith though.

Hawks up 3. Mavs have ball with 17 seconds left. Great game here folks. Bad offensive night for both teams and good defensive night for both teams.

Geez Cobb. Aren't you a junior in high school? I'm a senior in high school and I have yet to take it. Anyway, you shouldn't sweat your first time taking it because more than likely you will have to take it again. What school are you trying to get into anyway?

That's the nature of Florida Gator players I guess. Al Horford hates it when players talk too much. Horford probably would have done the same thing. But anyway......Lebron's an immature prick who tries to display the "good and humble" player thing, but really he's just an unsportsmanlike player. Lebron always crosses that line of having too much fun. You can dance before the game starts, but dancing during a game on the opponent's home floor in national television...that says that Lebron was taunting them. I hate Lebron. More than I do any other player in the NBA. I really don't see why people(excluding Cavs fans) who watch him like him. He's got a god given talent, but his personality just annoys the heck out of me. He just that "fake" persona that I hate.

Josh Smith got ejected during the second period and honestly, I think that's the reason why we lost the game. We had nobody that really played defense. Horford was probably the only one that even attempted to. Mike Woodson could be blamed for this loss too. As usual, he doesn't trust the bench and leaves a No D, Cold shooting, Mike Bibby on the floor when a player like Teague could have played.

I agree Cobb. Until we learn how to play consistent basketball, we're not going to go deep in the playoffs and have people consider us LEGIT contenders.

Chris Bosh in foul trouble and him not scoring one single point is just one downside of the Raptors' play this game. I really didn't expect Toronto to win this one (not trying to brag or make fun of the Raptors). They've lost four in a row. They just played a game yesterday. They play a Hawks team that had a depressing loss to the Pistons in their homecourt where they play really well. There really wasn't a sign pointing that the Raptors would win this game. I still think the defense of the Hawks could improve though. But then again, the Raptors always score pretty high each game.

Name: Will Year You Became A Hawks Fan: Since Childress got drafted Favorite Hawks Moment: All three home games I went to in the playoffs against the Celtics. Favorite Current Hawks Player: Joe Johnson Favorite All-Time Hawks Player: Joe Johnson Anything Else: Hopefully we'll SHOCK THE WORLD again soon.

How does that make sense? If the teams ahead of us improved, how does that affect where we stand? Did you mean everyone behind us has upgraded? Anyway, good signing. It's not official yet, but I'm just glad we're keeping the core we have. The one thing that we have that other teams don't is continuity. We've had the same core of players and the same coaching staff for a while now and that really bodes well for chemistry. If Marvin can somehow become more aggressive and Josh Smith gets some basketball IQ, I think we have a really good chance on improving our performance from last year.

1. Joe Johnson- Best player on the team. I love his quiet demeanor. Could play with more intensity, but he is still the best player on the court most of the time. Nice guy off the court as well. 2. Al Horford- He has a winning attitude and he's really confident about his game. He loves to win and he doesn't back down from anybody. He's consistent on what he brings on the floor. 3. Mario West- I'm a sucker for a player that hustles and gives it their all on defense. He may not be as skilled as other NBA players, but his hustle and determination makes him an easy fan favorite. 4. Zaza Pachulia- Got to have that international flavor. He's the toughest player on the court and isn't easily intimidated as we all saw when he headbutted Kevin Garnett in the playoffs. He may seem mean in the court but he's really a gentle giant outside it. 5. Josh Smith- He's frustrating to watch but when he's focused out there on the floor, he could very well be the best player on the team. I don't like his attitude and how he approaches things, but he is the most exciting player to watch on the team.

Yeah, the Hawks will get swept in the first round and lose every game in the playoffs after they advanced to the second round the year before with an injured team....sure. Great article and great read. The difference about Jamal Crawford and his situation in Atlanta is that he'll be playing the 6th man role. I doubt we would go small and put him at the two due to defense. If we have Bibby and Crawford at the starting backcourt, that could possibly be the worst defensive backcourt in the league. Crawford will play backup minutes at the point and at the two spot. I don't mean to go off-topic, but why are people already considering we won't be a top 4 seed again? Almost every Hawks fan I know, as well as myself, are projecting the Hawks to be in the same spot as last season. What has Miami done to pass us? What has Philadelphia? Toronto? Washington? Chicago? Detroit?

good offensive player. Mediocre defensive player. If he can't defend in the Euro League, I can't imagine how he'll handle the big men in the league. It's a good pickup but I don't think he should be anything other than a role player. I wished the Hawks would have signed him, but at least Hawks fans can finally see how David Andersen plays with the elite.

You're right about the J-Rich and Diaw statement. It just seemed like when that trade went down, everyone was saying that Phoenix got the better end of the deal and Charlotte could have gotten better value. Weeks later, a lot of analysts and forum members were eating their words.

Haha, I just did all 4 just now. Subscribed to the Youtube one. Followed to the Twitter one. Became a fan on the Facebook one. Added on the Myspace one.

I've never liked Lebron and his fake appearance. Whenever he smiles, it just seems fake. I never thought that I could hate someone more than I hate Paul Pierce.

How exactly are they putting a fork in the next two seasons. The way I see it, Charlotte is still a playoff contending team. They've added Derrick Brown, Gerald Henderson, and Tyson Chandler and only lost Emeka Okafor and Cartier Martin. They're still a young team and you have to think that their young players will get better. They had a bad start last season and if it wasn't for that bad start, they would have made playoffs. Emeka Okafor is not that much better than Tyson Chandler. I've been looking everywhere on nba.com and I can't seem to find where you read it.

Being a Falcons fan, I would question the move. Why pay a player that has issues following him off the field when we already have a good quarterback. When Vick was in Atlanta, I loved him. He might have been a little bit erratic when he played, but he was the most exciting player on the field whenever I get to see a Falcons game.

Again, it's a salary dump trade for the Bobcats. Emeka Okafor's contract is way too long. It's not like Charlotte takes a big step down in level of competitiveness. Chandler might not be a double double player like Okafor is, but at least he plays with more heart than Okafor does. Okafor is a great player statistically wise, but his impact on a game is overrated. This trade might not look even in paper, but I think it has potential to be a better move by Charlotte than New Orleans. Who thought trading Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley for Boris Diaw and Raja Bell was a good idea?

Don't the Mavericks have enough shooters on the team? Why not solidify the frontcourt instead of throwing money for players that they don't really need?

It's not really that lopsided of a trade. Charlotte trades a supposed to be Power Forward for a 7'0. Plus, I think Charlotte is just trying to get rid of Meka's big contract. Emeka is a better player than Chandler, but there is no way Okafor should be getting that money for the next 5 years. Chadler's contract is bad as well but it does end in two years. Plus, Charlotte gets another player that has been to the playoffs.

Good article. I agree that New Jersey could really use a player like him. He's still fairly young, athletic, and can score in the post. As much as I love Yi, he definitely needs to be coming off the bench for now until he learns what the word "consistency" means. Anyway, other teams that I think Warrick would fit in are Chicago and Milwaukee. They're in need of a low-post presence as well.

Wow, that was good. The beat was amazing. Jay-Z did okay. Kanye did pretty good. As for Rihanna, I wouldn't mind if she didn't join this collab.