Guard Rajon Rondo drove past a flock of Hawks during the first quarter. (Associated Press)
Another year and another early exit for the Atlanta Hawks from the playoffs. Last night, the Hawks lost Game 6 against the Boston Celtics in the first round. There are quite a few reasons that can be made as to why the Hawks lost this game and the series.
It’s almost like the Hawks, or most Atlanta teams for that matter, have bad luck. It didn’t help the team to have their owner, Michael Gearon Jr., calling Kevin Garnett a ‘dirty player.’
“We don’t get any calls, which I know everybody always hears,” he said, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “But I’ll give you a stat. Last night, we are playing this old, physical team. They are old. I know what happens when you play basketball, old guys foul. [Kevin] Garnett is the dirtiest guy in the league. We are playing Boston last night and they had two fouls the whole first half. We had five times that and we’re athletic.”
What Gearon Jr. doesn’t realize is, he gave Kevin Garnett and the Celtics extra motivation for this particular game. Garnett hasn’t played quite that hard in a while. There was an attack mode in his eyes that the Celtics wouldn’t have been able to win that game without.
Then there is the question of the terrible, and I do mean TERRIBLE, referring that took place in the last couple of minutes of the game. First off, Al Horford was given a couple of foul shots but he missed the first one…and to everyone’s surprise, he decided to make the 2nd shot. On the Hawks 2nd possession, as Williams was inbounding the ball, a whistle was blown. This was triggered by Marquis Daniels, of the Celtics, fouling Al Horford.
After reviewing the NBA rulebook, a foul by a defensive team before the ball is inbounded in the final two minutes of a game (or during overtime) results in just one free throw attempt as well as the possession.
But what most people failed to remember is, the Celtics had home court. That is an extremely precious call that has to be handled delicately. A ref never wants to make that type of decision with the game on the line for the home team.
Maybe if the Hawks would have done what they were supposed to do at home and protected their ‘Highlight Factory,’ they wouldn’t have been in this situation. Many can argue that the Hawks were given plenty of calls themselves when in Atlanta. So I refuse to use referring as the reason for losing a game. Especially when the score is that close and you’re the away team. It’s almost guaranteed that you won’t get a call like that and the Hawks team should know that.
I don’t consider the Hawks team to be bad, but let’s be honest, their ownership and decision making is extremely poor. Whenever you decide to pay a player like Joe Johnson a $118 million contract, which everyone KNOWS he didn’t deserve, you open the door to the harshest of criticism.
There is no way the Atlanta Hawks will be able to win a championship with the ownership they have. Until they start to make some smart decisions, everything will be questioned. There’s a reason a player like Josh Smith, who ignites that team, didn’t want to be apart of the Hawks anymore. Who can blame him? They paid Joe Johnson money that he didn’t earn and no other team would have paid him. In what aspect has Johnson been a leader for the Hawks? Does that team follow what he does? If you answered no to either of those questions, then he doesn’t deserve ‘superstar’ money. End of story.
Another huge problem with the Hawks team is they are extremely inconsistent. This team has all the potential to go deep in the playoffs, but they continue to fall short. One night they beat the Miami Heat and the next they lose to the Cavs. Why can’t that team who beat the Heat show up night in and night out? There is no real game-plan with this team. If you ever watch them in a huddle, some aren’t even in the circle listening to the coach. It’s like they have no respect for each other and unfortunately that rubs off on the court. While each of them have their own talents you have to learn how to play cohesively in order for your team to succeed in the long run. Best example of that was the Miami Heat last season. All the talent in the league and still couldn’t win it all because they weren’t playing as a team.
I feel for Hawks fans, because they know their team has all the potential but can’t take the next step. That can be very frustrating to sit and watch this happen every year. I will say this though, when you are extra sensitive about your team, you give leeway for people to say harsh things because they know it bothers you.
Unfortunately for the Hawks, nothing will change unless the mentality of that organization starts down a different path. Until then, you can look for the Hawks to continue to make early exits in the playoffs. This team is too talented for this though, so Hawks fans should begin praying for different ownership and better decisions made on behalf of their team.
