February 4
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The Hawks are down to one healthy center and must step up their ongoing search for help at the position. Jason Collins had an MRI on his sprained left elbow Friday. The team is waiting on the results of the test for a better indication of how much time Collins will miss. However, coach Larry Drew ruled Collins out for Saturday's home game against the 76ers. "Right now they are calling it a real bad sprain," Drew said. "We'll see if there is other damage." Collins was injured in the first quarter of Thursday's blowout loss to the Grizzlies. His arm was pinned by the Grizzlies' Dante Cunningham while on the floor going after a loose ball. An X-ray was taken, and the injury was ruled a"
February 3
Memphis Commercial Appeal
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The Grizzlies were due to end a funk on two fronts and, yes, that included winning at Philips Arena. Offensively impaired for several games, the Griz broke out of a scoring malaise Thursday night and won in Atlanta for the first time since 2005 with a 96-77 victory over the Hawks. "It's been rough," Griz forward Rudy Gay said after scoring a game-high 21 points to go with six rebounds and three steals. "This feels good because we're playing together. We know what we want.""
February 3
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The Hawks coach even issued a warning to his team, but it didn't help. Drew feared a letdown against the Grizzlies after his team's recently completed 4-1 road trip had them tied for first in the Southeast Division and second in the Eastern Conference. The letdown came in a big way Thursday night in a 96-77 loss at Philips Arena. "They are a team that is scrappy," Drew said before the game. "They've got guys that just get after it. Those types of teams in the past have been problems for us." The Hawks held a seven-point lead early in the first quarter. It was gone before the end of the opening quarter. By halftime, the Hawks trailed by 10, 53-43."
February 3
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Joe Johnson will have to wait another week to see if he is named to the NBA All-Star team. The Hawks guard was not one of the five Eastern Conference starters, as determined by fan voting, announced by the league Thursday night. Johnson is a strong candidate to be named to his sixth consecutive All-Star team when the reserves are announced Feb. 9. Johnson has made every All-Star team since 2007. He leads the Hawks in scoring at 19.1 points per game, 16th in the league. Johnson is seventh on the Hawks' all-time scoring list. He had scored 9,898 points playing for the Hawks entering Thursday night's game."
February 2
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The Hawks met Thursday with a representative for center Kenyon Martin, according to a person with knowledge of the team's thinking. Martin, 34, averaged 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds in 48 games for the Nuggets last season. The 11-year veteran signed a one-year deal to play in China with Xinjiang during the NBA lockout last summer. He is eligible to return to the NBA following the Chinese season in several weeks. Martin has reportedly been offered a contract by the Heat. ESPN recently reported that he is also interested in signing with the Clippers, Spurs and Knicks, along with the Hawks and Heat."
February 2
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Hawks players were given the day off Wednesday, a reward for a just completed 4-1 road trip. Take a deep breath. It's a brief respite as the team opens a four-game homestand Thursday against the Grizzlies. The Hawks will also host the 76ers, Suns and Pacers over the next seven days at Philips Arena where they are 8-1 this season. The homestand also presents a chance for the Hawks (16-6) to avenge two of their losses, defeats at the 76ers and Pacers earlier this season."
February 2
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Much of the discussion about Joe Johnson's season has focused on his offensive surge since Al Horford went down. And rightly so: In 11 games without Horford, Johnson has averaged 21.2 points per 36 minutes with a 55.9 true shooting percentage (by the way, his 54 percent TS mark for the season ranks fifth among shooting guards playing 30-plus minutes). With Al sidelined, Joe has made 87 percent of his free throws and 40 percent of his 3-pointers and has eight games of 20-plus points and two with 30 or more. Like all things Hawks lately, those numbers come with the caveat of competition: Since Al went down, the Hawks have faced just three opponents ranked in the top half of the league in"
January 30
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Hornets Coach Monty Williams admitted before Sunday night's game he made a mistake by not pushing harder for New Orleans to re-sign shooting guard Willie Green once the NBA lockout ended last December. Green instead signed with Sunday's opponent, the Atlanta Hawks. And Williams could have hoped that the Atlanta training staff wouldn't have been so successful in rehabbing a rolled left ankle that drove Hawks' starting point guard Jeff Teague off the floor in Atlanta's win at Detroit on Friday night."
January 30
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Slow start? Not this time. The Hawks got off to a sizzling beginning against the Hornets – a game they never trailed – en route to a 94-72 victory Sunday. The Hawks fell behind in their past two games, a loss to the Spurs and an overtime win over the Pistons, but they would have none of that in the Big Easy. Except for a second-quarter lull, the Hawks made it look almost too easy."
January 29
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Coach Larry Drew said starting point guard Jeff Teague is day-to-day with an ankle sprain suffered in Friday's OT win in Detroit. Teague participated in practice Saturday. "He was out here getting some shots up," Drew said. "He's moving around on it pretty good. They are still treating it. It will be a day-to-day decision." *Drew played Kirk Hinrich, in his second game since returning from shoulder surgery, with 3:48 left in the third until the end of the game. Hinrich told MC that he was "gassed" following the effort. Drew said he was ready to play Jannero Pargo but that he decided to utilize his timeouts to rest Hinrich. "I was prepared to play Pargo after Jeff gave me the nod that he"
January 28
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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All signs suggested the Pistons should have been pushovers for the Hawks. Detroit is near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings while the Hawks are near the top. The Pistons are among the worst offensive teams in the NBA, are even worse on defense and their once-intimidating home building lacks life because of all the losing. But lately at The Palace, the Pistons seem to drag the Hawks down to their level. It happened again Friday night until the Hawks recovered for an improbable 107-101 overtime victory over Detroit. "It's an unbelievable win," Hawks coach Larry Drew said. "It was just a gutsy performance. We were dead in the water, I thought." The Hawks overcame a six-point"
January 27
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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During training camp Hawks captains Josh Smith, Joe Johnson and Al Horford called on the team to add another center to bolster its undersized front line. The Hawks had Horford, an All-Star center, solid backup Zaza Pachulia and 7-foot specialist Jason Collins. But the captains said the Hawks needed another big man, whether it be an athletic shot-blocker who can run the floor or a rugged defender and rebounder in the post."
January 24
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Some times the shots are just too enticing for the Hawks to pass up. Their opponents back off and beckon them to launch jump shots. The Hawks oblige, without regard to time, score or the quality of those shots. The Hawks didn't exactly kick the habit on Monday at Milwaukee. They got away with it, though, thanks to All-Star guard Joe Johnson and forward Josh Smith."
January 24
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Kirk Hinrich says he will practice tomorrow in San Antonio. If all goes well, he plans to play Wednesday at the Spurs. "I'm excited," he said. "It's just a matter of how sore it will be the next day [after practice]." Once Hinrich is activated, the Hawks will have to make a roster move. The candidates to be released are Ivan Johnson, Donald Sloan, Jannero Pargo and Jerry Stackhouse. Chances are it won't be Ivan so probably one of the guards will go."
January 23
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Too bad the Hawks don't get frequent flier miles. They are about to embark on a five-city, nine-day road trip that will cover nearly 6,000 miles. It's one more oddity of the NBA's compacted schedule this season. The north-south alternating excursion begins in Milwaukee on Monday, goes to San Antonio, Detroit, New Orleans and ends in Toronto on Jan. 31. Three of the legs cover at least 1,000 miles. "The way I'm looking at it, the one area where we've got to grow as a team is we have to be able to play out on the road under abnormal conditions," coach Larry Drew said. "Certainly, this schedule is very abnormal. We are not the only team that is faced with it. Every team is faced with it. It"
January 22
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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During the NBA lockout, the Hawks leadership used the time to go antiquing. The franchise absolutely fell in love with the patina of the former All-Star. The urge to redesign around that theme grew overwhelming. Wouldn't a couple of those vintage players just look fabulous on the bench? So the team reached back to the first round of your 2001 NBA Fantasy League draft to find some role players for the 2011-12 season. When they uncrated Tracy McGrady and Jerry Stackhouse, the Hawks were following through on a deliberate plan to season their roster."
January 22
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Facing harsh criticism from their head coach, the Hawks started strong and finished stronger Saturday night. The Hawks used decisive runs to end the first half and start the second en route to a 121-94 victory over Cleveland at Philips Arena. One day after a 14-point loss to Philadelphia, in which Larry Drew said his team "quit" in the second half, the Hawks responded — with a season-high point total. It was just as the coach hoped."
January 21
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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As far as Hawks coach Larry Drew is concerned, this loss wasn't about missing Al Horford as much as it was an indication that his team still hasn't shed its bad traits. Philadelphia buried the Hawks after halftime Friday night to send them to a 92-76 defeat, their first in five games since Horford was lost to injury. The way it happened, with the Hawks failing to respond to Philadelphia's blitz, left Drew fuming about the effort. "It got tough for us in the third quarter and we quit," said Drew, who was visibly upset after meeting with his players and assistant coaches. "That's what happened." The Hawks led 47-39 at halftime and 51-44 early in the third quarter. Then the Sixers buried them"
January 20
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The Hawks have passed a series of increasingly difficult tests following the loss of Al Horford. A bigger challenge is now before them. In a battle of division leaders, the Hawks (11-4) travel to Philadelphia (10-4) for a game Friday night. It's a game that will challenge the Hawks, especially without the scoring, rebounding and defense of Horford. The 76ers rank third in the NBA in scoring average (101.0), second in points allowed (87.4) and first in point differential (plus-13.6). The game also is on the road, where three of the Hawks' four losses have come."
January 20
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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C-Viv filling in for Michael Cunningham as he makes his way to Philadelphia for Friday night's battle of division leaders – the Hawks (11-4) vs. the 76ers (10-4). I will have a preview of the matchup later. I wanted to share one of the interesting things coach Larry Drew said after Thursday's practice. Asked about areas the Hawks need to improve upon, even during this stretch of four straight wins and seven of eight games, Drew pointed to the start of the second half in games. He said it has been an issue this season, as it was last season."
January 19
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The Hawks no longer have the luxury of leaning on a player such as Jamal Crawford, who regularly came off their bench for two seasons to provide an offensive spark when they sagged. Crawford, a league Sixth Man Award winner with the Hawks two seasons ago, was back in town Wednesday night with his new team, Portland. Now when the Hawks need a jolt, they try to get it not from one player but from several candidates on the bench."
January 18
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
columnist Jeff Schultz
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A curious thing has happened since Al Horford's pectoral exploded: The Hawks' season hasn't exploded along with it. They have won three straight. Granted, Charlotte, Minnesota and Toronto are somewhat like the last three ingredients listed on the wrapper of a QuikTrip microwave burrito. They make you think, "Huh? What's that?""
January 18
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Eventually the opponents will get tougher, and the Hawks will take to the road. Maybe that's when they no longer can patch the hole created by Al Horford's injury as they have during their current three-game winning streak without him. By then the Hawks might discover they can't keep their Eastern Conference playoffs streak alive at five years while missing their All-Star center. That's not the way the Hawks see it. "If you look at the East, it's pretty much wide open," Hawks forward Tracy McGrady said."
January 17
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Josh Smith wouldn't let the Hawks fall behind early – or late. Smith keyed decisive Hawks' runs in the first and fourth quarters en route to a 93-84 victory over the Raptors in Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee at Philips Arena. Smith scored a game-high 28 points, two off his season-high, in the win. He scored 10 points during a 12-2 Hawks' first-quarter run, in which they turned a six-point deficit into a 15-11 lead. They would never trail after his dunk during the run. Smith also scored the Hawks' first six points of the fourth quarter after the Raptors had pulled within two points at 73-71."
January 16
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Forgive Ivan Johnson if he doesn't know exactly who he is playing against. It didn't matter to the 27-year-old rookie when he was in training camps with the Hawks trying to make their roster. It doesn't matter now when he's making an impact at the NBA level. "My thing is, I don't really watch basketball so I don't know who anybody is," Johnson said after sinking two free throws with 4.6 seconds left to give the Hawks a 93-91 victory over the Timberwolves Saturday. "So when I match up against them, they are a regular player. I know the major players like LeBron [James], Kobe [Bryant], [Dwyane] Wade but all the extra ones I don't know. Even if I did know them, I'm not going to be afraid. We"
January 15
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Hawks coach Larry Drew said the team is not in a hurry to make a roster move to fill the void left by the loss of two-time All-Star Al Horford. Horford will miss three to four months with a torn pectoral muscle in his left shoulder, the team announced Thursday. He has yet to have surgery. Drew said Saturday morning that the team will continue to evaluate the situation. "There is nothing been discussed [about a roster move]," Drew told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Right now we are still in the evaluation stage because we are [at home] for another three games."
January 15
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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It didn't start well for the Hawks. It sure ended well. Ivan Johnson capped a dramatic comeback with two free throws with 4.6 seconds remaining as the Hawks defeated the Timberwolves 93-91 Saturday night at Philips Arena. Ivan Johnson has become a man of little words but big deeds. The Hawks used a 24-2 run, including two 3-pointers from Willie Green and one each from Vladimir Radmanovic and Jeff Teague to erase an 18-point deficit. After a battle back-and-forth over the final quarter, Ivan Johnson was fouled after he rebounded a Josh Smith miss and sank the final two points. "There is really nothing special to it," Ivan Johnson said. "I'm here to work hard, every day, every game, every"
January 14
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Questions remain on how the Hawks will handle the loss of Al Horford. With the two-time All-Star lost for three to four months with a torn pectoral muscle leadership must answer: -- Who will fill Horford's role and minutes? -- Will the Hawks make a roster move? -- Can the coaching staff keep the team on track for a fifth consecutive playoff appearance, the loss compounded by a compacted NBA schedule? The Hawks learned of the severity of Horford's injury hours before Thursday's home game against the Bobcats, a blow Josh Smith termed "devastating." Joe Johnson and Smith will be counted on to pick up much of the loss of Horford, on and off the court. Horford, fourth on the team in minutes,"
January 13
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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If the Hawks still want to make the playoffs they have to handle struggling opponents such as Charlotte, especially at home. And without center Al Horford, Josh Smith and Joe Johnson are going to have to have a lot of nights like this. Facing Charlotte hours after they learned Horford could be out for the season, the Hawks leaned heavily on Johnson and Smith while blowing out the Bobcats 111-81 on Thursday night at Philips Arena."
January 13
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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In one instant, the vibe around the Hawks shifted from the possibility of contending for an Eastern Conference title to simply cobbling together enough victories to qualify for the NBA playoffs. That's the impact of the torn left pectoral muscle suffered by Hawks All-Star center Al Horford. An MRI on Thursday confirmed the tear, and Horford said he plans to have surgery that would sideline him for three to four months. Under the most optimistic time frame, Horford would return near the end of the regular season and be ready for playoffs. But if Horford needs the full four months to recover he essentially would be out for the playoffs."
January 12
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The Hawks say Al Horford will miss 3-4 months with a torn pectoral muscle suffered during last night's 96-84 loss at Indiana.. Horford is to get a second opinion on whether to proceed with the surgery. Under the most most optimistic time frame, Horford would return in mid-April. Atlanta's final regular-season game is scheduled for April 26. "It's disappointing news," Hawks co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. said. "Al is a big part of our success. Hopefully he will be back by the playoffs. The tough part is we have been playing hard and playing well. We will have to try to get through it. We're a veteran team and we have to find a way.""
January 12
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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It was going to be tough for the Hawks to score against the Pacers even with all of their scorers on the floor. With three of them unavailable because of injuries, the Hawks couldn't muster enough points to keep up with Indiana. The diminishing depth, Indiana's physical defense and the relentless schedule all tested the Hawks' resolve Wednesday night. They tried to overcome all of that, but eventually faded to a 96-84 defeat at Indiana."
January 11
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Jeff Teague is just 23 years old and only recently took on a major role for the Hawks, so all of these games and minutes lately should be no problem, right? "I guess," Teague said, smiling, after he logged 42 minutes during the Hawks' 106-101 victory at New Jersey on Monday night. "I'm still human." The Hawks have played a schedule that can tax the bodies and minds of any age. The game at New Jersey was their sixth in eight days and one of 10 over the first 14 days of the season."
January 10
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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For the Hawks, a rest day means boarding a plane for yet another city and another game. The Hawks didn't play Sunday, only their fourth day without a game in 13 days. They had five games from Monday through Saturday last week. Under those circumstances, fatigue might have been a bigger concern than the struggling Nets on Monday night, but Hawks coach Larry Drew went all out to beat New Jersey 106-101 for their third consecutive victory."
January 9
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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If the Hawks made a couple more of what are among the highest-percentage shots in basketball, they'd be 8-1 and the talk of the Eastern Conference. Yet they didn't make those free throws, and so they aren't getting all the plaudits. Still, the Hawks did more than just survive a difficult schedule to start the season. Atlanta posted a 6-3 record over 12 days with a couple victories against East contenders Chicago and Miami."
January 8
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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This is what the Hawks can look like when they are focused and determined. It also helps when they make shots, get steals and run the floor. The Hawks concluded their toughest stretch of the season with an exclamation point, pounding Eastern Conference-contender Chicago 109-94 on Saturday night at Philips Arena."
January 7
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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After two potentially demoralizing losses, there was only thing the Hawks could do immediately to make it better. Beat the Bobcats. "We need to have some kind of sense of being mad and wanting to take it out on somebody else," Hawks forward Josh Smith said. "This will be the game to do it." They needed yet another overtime period, but the Hawks did it. They pulled away in overtime to beat Charlotte 102-96 on Friday night. The Hawks had lost to Miami in triple overtime Thursday night at Philips Arena. That was two days after they blew a 19-point lead and lost at Chicago. So when Charlotte's Boris Diaw missed a 3-point try, and Joe Johnson dribbled out the clock, the Hawks were happy to get"
January 6
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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A few hours before the Hawks played host to the Heat on Thursday, Larry Drew wasn't buying it. "We ain't falling into that [trap]," Atlanta's coach said. Hawks center Al Horford also didn't want to hear it. "We know they are both going to play," Horford said. "That's the way it's going to be." So the Hawks prepared as if LeBron James and Dwyane Wade would play. It turned the Heat's two stars didn't suit up because of injuries, but instead of taking the chance to beat up on Miami's skeleton crew the Hawks thought they could take it easy."