November 20
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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It almost sounded like a novel sensation for the coach. "I feel good about our bench," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "There's times I'm playing five guys off the bench at one time, a whole new lineup." If this was a revelation, it was because a deep bench has not exactly been an advantage Woodson has enjoyed in his six years with the Hawks. Only 12 games into the season, the strength of the Hawks' deepened bench has become an obvious factor in the team's success. At 10-2, the team is off to its best start in 12 years. Said forward Josh Smith, "Having that depth on our bench, it's one of the main reasons we're so successful as a team." The Hawks will attempt to put that depth to use again ..."
November 19
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Miami Heat power forward Udonis Haslem was held out of Wednesday night's game against the Atlanta Hawks after aggravating a shoulder strain during the latter stages of Tuesday night's home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Haslem has been dealing with a troublesome left shoulder for more than a week. He aggravated the injury in Saturday's victory over the New Jersey Nets and went for an MRI Sunday, which came back negative. But he left for the locker room Tuesday before the conclusion of the loss to the Thunder. "I took a pretty hard fall last night on the same shoulder, late in the game, when I went for the shot fake on Nick Collison and I came down right on my shoulder," Haslem said. ..."
November 19
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The stakes weren't the same. But everything else seemingly was Wednesday night. Each team had its moments of utter control. The Atlanta Hawks flashed their athletic brilliance. And, in the end, the Miami Heat came up short. Meeting for the first time at Philips Arena since last season's Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs, the two teams picked up where they left off last May, in a punishing contest that, in the end, drained the Heat's spirit. This time it was a 105-90 Hawks decision, decided by keeping Dwyane Wade under control and daring anyone else to seize control. "We just have to be a little sharper," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, after his team fell for the third time in its ..."
November 19
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The Hawks won their 10th game of the nascent season Wednesday night. In 2004-05, this franchise managed 13 victories over 82 games. A team once so far down it had to improve to get lousy is now, with the same coach and same power forward, tied with Phoenix for the NBA's best record. Said Mike Woodson, the coach in question: "I'll never forget those 13 wins. I'll never forget walking into the locker room and seeing those faces, knowing we couldn't win many games." We knew the Hawks would improve. When you're 13-69, you can get no worse. But did anyone expect the Hawks to get better in quite this way? Jamal Crawford didn't. A pro since 2000, he saw those Hawks firsthand. Did he foresee that ..."
November 19
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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At some point, the Hawks will cool off. But that point wasn't Wednesday night. It was Miami's turn to be fed into the Hawks' threshing machine, which chewed up the Heat with a determined defense on All-NBA guard Dwyane Wade and a furious second quarter that helped secure the Hawks' sixth win in a row, 105-90 over the Heat. Over that span, the Hawks have won by 11 or more points five times and have held their opponent under 100 points in the past four games. "I can't ask for anything better," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "I couldn't be more proud of a group of guys that made a commitment when they came into camp this year." Using what has become a familiar pattern -- solid defense, a ..."
November 18
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The last time the Miami Heat visited Atlanta, it walked off the court for the final time in the 2008-09 season, defeated 91-78 May 3 by the Atlanta Hawks in Game 7 of the first round of the NBA playoffs. Wednesday night, the rivalry resumes at Philips Arena. Then again, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is not sure "rivalry" is necessarily the right word. "I mean, any time you play somebody in the playoffs, obviously everything gets heightened, and it went seven games and it was a very physical, intense series," Spoelstra said before Tuesday night's 100-87 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. "But I don't think it's really a rivalry until that happens two or three times in a row in the playoffs." ..."
November 18
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Rebounds don't make for great highlights. But as the Hawks have won nine of their first 11 games of the season, including their past five, rebounds and the overall play of big men Al Horford and Josh Smith have been as much a part of the team's success as dramatic 3-pointers and slashing drives to the basket. In the Hawks' five-game winning streak, Horford and Smith have a combined six double-doubles. "They've been on a tear lately," coach Mike Woodson said. "When they both are getting double-doubles like that, we can be a hard team to beat." The Miami Heat might discover that Wednesday night, when they visit the Hawks in a matchup of the teams with the two best records in the Eastern ..."
November 17
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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They played for three quarters like the same old Hawks. The 2004 model. Then they finished in a fashion that bore little resemblance to those horrid clubs of the past. The Hawks overcame an ungainly start against Portland by imposing their will in the fourth quarter and overtime in a 99-95 win at Philips Arena Monday night. "We're nowhere near close" to those Hawks of the recent past, said guard Joe Johnson, whose late-game marksmanship fueled the comeback. "Two, three, four years ago, we'd have lost a game like this." In an intriguing game for November, the Hawks revealed again that something special may be bubbling at Philips this season. Their fifth win in a row came at the hands of a ..."
November 17
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Rookie guard Jeff Teague said coach Mike Woodson encouraged him to play more aggressively. "The last couple games, I've been a little tense," Teague said before Monday's Portland game. "He pulled me to the side [Sunday] and said, 'The reason they got you was your aggressiveness and the way you play.' He said, 'Don't change. Keep playing the way you play.' " Said Woodson, "Jeff's going to be fine. I've got to find some minutes for him. He's a big part of what we're doing." In the last two games going into Monday night, Teague had made two of eight shots with one assist against three turnovers. Back in Atlanta Monday was the first time that Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden played ..."
November 16
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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A year after recording their first winning season since 1998-99, the Hawks entered the season bent on improvement. But could they have imagined this? Ten games into the season, the 8-2 Hawks have the best record in the Eastern Conference and were tied with Phoenix for the best record in the NBA as the Suns went into Sunday night's game against Toronto. Among the team's conquests are road wins at Boston, Portland and Sacramento and a home win over Denver. The start marks the team's best record after 10 games since 1997-98, when the team started 11-0. "I think we can do something special," said forward Joe Smith, the 14-year veteran who has contributed key minutes off the bench. "We have to ..."
November 15
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Hawks coach Mike Woodson pulled the right strings this week. Before the team's trip to New York, Woodson spent practice time focusing on team defense, particularly improving communication on switches. The result was two wins, notably against Boston on Friday, their first win in the TD Garden in their past seven trips, including the 2008 playoff series. The defense rose to the occasion both nights as the Hawks defeated New York 114-101 and Boston 97-86. The Celtics' 86 points tied for Boston's season low. "I think the second half of the Knicks game was solid," Woodson said Saturday night before his team's game against New Orleans. "That's what won the game. I thought the whole game [Friday] ..."
November 15
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The final score cast the matchup about right. The process to get to the Hawks' 121-98 win over the New Orleans Hornets on Saturday night at Philips Arena didn't necessarily follow convention. However, it revealed a certain mettle within the Hawks, who lead the Southeast Division at 8-2, also tied for the best record in the NBA."
November 14
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Forward Marvin Williams, stuck in a slump, put in about 30 minutes of shooting after the team's morning shootaround. Eight games into the season, Williams was shooting 41.8 percent from the floor, well below his career mark of 45 percent. Williams said he was "kind of working on my mechanics, making sure [that] when I'm shooting, it's my shot every time. That's the main thing, trying to shoot the same shot every time." It hasn't helped that Williams is shooting less than in past years, taking 6.9 shots per game this season going into Friday's game compared with 10.2 shots last season and 11.5 in 2007-08. Coach Mike Woodson was confident Williams' touch would return with more work. "I'm not ..."
November 14
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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A year and a half later, the Hawks got their win in Boston. An energetic rebounding effort, steely will and a horrid three-point night by the home team gave the Hawks an attention-getting 97-86 win at TD Garden over the Celtics. It was a cathartic victory for the Hawks, who lost all four road games to Boston in the first round of the 2008 playoffs in the seven-game series and then lost both regular-season games last season in Boston. "It feels good, either at home or away, to be able to beat a team like the Boston Celtics," forward Josh Smith said. "But to do it on their court - we had so many questions on 'Are we a good road team?' - and this was a good test for us. We were able to climb ..."
November 13
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The numbers suggest it. His coach and teammates confirm it. Hawks forward Josh Smith, whose two personal goals for the season are to make his first NBA All-Star Game and first All-Defensive team, is playing some excellent basketball. "He's been fantastic," coach Mike Woodson said. "He's improved. To me, he's managing the game better. That's important. That's the sign of a guy that's growing." Smith, who turns 24 next month, was at the heart of the Hawks' 125-100 blowout of Denver on Saturday, racking up an enviable stat line -- 22 points on 8-for-10 shooting, nine rebounds, seven assists and six blocks with only one turnover in 35 minutes. Down a starter, Denver shot a then-season-low 41.0 ..."
November 11
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Five members of the Atlanta Hawks were included on the 2010 NBA All-Star ballot, which was released earlier today. Mike Bibby, Jamal Crawford and Joe Johnson are among the 24 guards on the Eastern Conference ballot. Josh Smith is among the group at forward and Al Horford is one of 12 on the ballot at center. Voting will continue through Jan. 18."
November 11
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Al Horford fell in love with the NBA 15 years ago. He just wasn't sure the game loved him back. Like millions of young boys who grew up bouncing basketballs in their sleep, the Hawks' starting center had that childhood dream. Growing up in the Dominican Republic, he remembers stealing any glance he could at the league, but rarely seeing any hint of himself in the reflection. "When I was growing up there wasn't really one guy you could point to and say, 'He's just like me,'" said Horford, whose father, Tito, was the first Dominican-born player to play in the NBA, when the younger Horford was still in diapers. The sort of attention that international players inspire these days didn't exist ..."
November 10
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Hawks guard Joe Johnson was named Eastern Conference player of the week Monday after averaging 20.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists in four games. He shot 47.2 percent from the field in the four games. The Hawks went 3-1 in the week, beating Portland, Denver and Sacramento while falling to Charlotte. It's the fifth time in his career that he's won the award."
November 8
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The needle that hovered on empty Friday night indicated a full tank 24 hours later. Saturday night at Philips Arena, the Hawks put a walloping on the Denver Nuggets, attacking them from all angles in an eye-opening 125-100 win. It followed a 20-point loss to the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday, which was the end of a stretch of five games in seven days, three of the games on the West Coast, in which the Hawks were 3-2. "It just shows us overcoming adversity and being able to stay with it and dig out through it," said forward Josh Smith, who had a high-performance night with 22 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, six blocks and just one turnover."
November 8
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Denver coach George Karl paid Hawks guard Joe Johnson a compliment by adjusting his starting lineup Saturday night to defend the three-time all-star. Karl gave backup Joey Graham his first start of the season to guard Johnson, who entered the game averaging 21.2 points per game. "I love him," Karl said of Johnson. "He's one of my favorite unsung guys. He's efficient, defensive-minded, he loves to play the best guy defensively and likes the ball in his hands offensively. At the end of the game, he's going to be a defensive problem and an offensive problem.""
November 7
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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What is it about the Charlotte Bobcats that gives us so much trouble? It's not a divisional rivalry thing. Georgia and North Carolina are not neighboring states, so it's not that either. So what is it? Maybe it's Larry Brown. No, it can't be that, because we've ALWAYS had trouble with these guys. Then again, maybe it is, as we have one of his pupils (though I'm not sure which trait or skill his pupil latched onto exactly) coaching the Hawks. Or how about Gerald Wallace? Yeah, that's got to be it. That guy gives us trouble every single time we see him. Yet Wallace is not exactly a one-man wrecking crew, so that's not a good explanation either. Is it how the Hawks match up with the 'Cats? ..."
November 5
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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This could become a familiar formula for the Hawks this season, this multi-faceted offensive attack that keeps other teams guessing where the daggers are coming from next. One minute it's captain and All-Star Joe Johnson, the next it's sixth-man Jamal Crawford or Mike Bibby or Josh Smith and on and on. Were they to sprinkle a little defense in there somewhere, Hawks coach Mike Woodson would have to get as worked up as he did Wednesday night at Arco Arena, when the Hawks toyed with the Sacramento Kings before putting them away late for a 113-105 win. It was the second straight impressive road win for the Hawks (4-1), a team that struggled with games like these a year ago. Improved mental ..."
November 4
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Jamal Crawford said it was a big game. And he played like it, rescuing the Hawks from themselves and their usually frivolous ways on the road. Crawford took control of things in the second quarter and then guided the Hawks down the stretch to a crucial 97-91 win over Portland at the Rose Garden, their first road win of the season and their first quality road win in seemingly forever. With Joe Johnson, Al Horford, Marvin Williams and Mike Bibby laboring early and Josh Smith in early foul trouble, the Hawks (3-1) needed someone to take over with the Trail Blazers leading by as many as 12 points. Crawford didn't hesitate to assert himself, attacking the Trail Blazers from the moment he set ..."
November 2
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Another big game and another big let down for the Hawks. The Hawks lost their sixth straight game against one of the league's elite teams dating back to the playoffs last season, falling 118-110 to the world champion Los Angeles Lakers Sunday night at Staples Center. Cleveland swept the injury-plagued Hawks out of the Eastern Conference semifinals last season and they were blown out in their preseason finale last month by reigning Eastern Conference champion Orlando. Sunday night's game against the Lakers was a chance for redemption, a chance to prove that their 2-0 start to this season wasn't just a product of their ability to channel their energy and emotion in the right direction at ..."