Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

GAME 31: Atlanta Hawks (22-8) @ Cleveland Cavaliers (19-14)

The Cavaliers returned home to try and revenge their humiliating loss yesterday against the Hawks. And boy did they get their payback... Less than 24 hours after defeating the Cavaliers by 40 points, the Hawks had one of the worst games of the year losing by 30 points to Cleveland.

"I don't know what happened," head coach Mike Woodson said, "We looked like one of the best teams in the league one day and one of the worst teams in the history of the league the next. This shows us that we still have things to work on and at least the good thing about this loss is that we have gathered better intelligence by seeing what makes us break at what points."

Tonight, the POTG and breaking point of the Hawks was SF LeBron James (26 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl). It could also be that SG Joe Johnson (11 pts, 1 ast) was in foul trouble throughout most of the game. Johnson also shot only 4-for-17 through the night.

This was one of the worst games of the Hawks so far this season. It seemed like the only ones who came to play were SG Jamal Crawford (22 pts, 3 ast) and C Al Horford (13 pts, 8 reb).

Scoreboard	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Total
Cavaliers (20-14)	35	34	23	33	0	125
Hawks (22-9)	23	23	29	21	0	96

Next Game: The Hawks have capped their month of December off with an embarrassing loss. Now, they will look to start the season off on a win that will tell the league that they are in fact the real deal. On New Year's Day, the Hawks will be given the opportunity to play against the Knicks in the Philips Arena. The Knicks are 12-20 this season and are 3-7 in the past 10 games.

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

DECEMBER WRAP-UP

Players of the Month:
East: SG Dwyane Wade (MIA): 30.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 6.8 APG, 2.8 SPG, 2.2 BPG, 53% FG
West: PG Chris Paul (NO): 25.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 8.7 APG, 2.6 SPG, 50% FG

Rookies of the Month:
East: SG Terrence Williams (NJ): 10.8 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 41% FG
West: PG Stephen Curry (GS): 16.5 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.0 BPG, 44% FG

HAWKS	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	MPG
Mike Bibby	10.9	2.1	6.0	1.0	0.2	48%	30.1
Jeff Teague	6.0	0.9	2.6	0.4	0.0	46%	12.2
Joe Johnson	21.3	3.5	4.5	0.8	0.4	43%	34.4
Jamal Crawford	16.3	2.5	4.5	0.8	0.2	47%	25.5
Maurice Evans	4.2	1.5	0.5	0.5	0.1	51%	12.5
Marvin Williams	12.0	4.7	2.1	0.8	0.6	39%	30.8
Josh Smith	13.6	8.1	2.5	1.2	2.1	56%	32.3
Joe Smith	3.0	2.7	0.1	0.2	0.4	56%	9.9
Othello Hunter	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0%	0.0
Al Horford	13.4	11.2	1.1	0.8	0.6	60%	33.0
Zaza Pachulia	5.2	4.7	0.6	0.2	0.6	53%	16.4
Randolph Morris	1.5	1.3	0.3	0.2	0.1	47%	3.5
Jason Collins	0.3	1.1	0.2	0.1	0.4	11%	4.1

Southeast	Southwest	Northwest	Pacific	Atlantic	Central
Hawks (22-9)	Spurs (19-11)	Thunder (20-12)	Lakers (22-9)	Celtics (19-12)	Cavaliers (20-14)
Heat (20-10)	Hornets (17-13)	Trail Blazers (19-15)	Clippers (20-12)	Nets (19-13)	Pistons (14-18)
Magic (19-13)	Mavericks (17-15)	Nuggets (17-15)	Kings (13-18)	Raptors (17-16)	Bucks (12-18)
Wizards (15-15)	Grizzlies (16-15)	Jazz (16-16)	Warriors (13-18)	Knicks (12-20)	Bulls (12-18)
Bobcats (14-16)	Rockets (11-22)	Timberwolves (9-25)	Suns (9-24)	76ers (9-23)	Pacers (12-19)

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

GAME 32: New York Knicks (12-20) @ Atlanta Hawks (22-9)

The Hawks started the new year off with a bang as they blew out the New York Knicks 116 to 89. The Hawks were off to a slow start, but thanks to SG Joe Johnson (34 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk), who was later named the player of the game, and SG Jamal Crawford (27 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast), the Hawks came away with a satisfying win tonight. For Crawford, it was a chance to "get back" at his former organization as he played for them almost a year ago.

Scoreboard	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Total
Hawks (23-9)	23	34	31	28	0	116
Knicks (12-21)	29	25	22	13	0	89

Next Game: The Hawks go to Miami for their next game. The Heat have been rolling as of late as they have been 7-3 in the last 10 games, and sit right below the Hawks in the South East conference. They are 20-11 so far this year.

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

GAME 33: Atlanta Hawks (23-9) @ Miami Heat (20-11)

The Hawks squared off against their southeast rival Miami Heat. The game proved to be an entertaining one as the Hawks came out on top early, but the Heat proved to be fighters as they came up to tie the game many times during the game. SG Joe Johnson (24 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk) came up as the hero of the game while SF Marvin Williams (22 pts, 6 reb, 1 blk) came up as the next most valuable player of the game. PF Josh Smith (14 pts, 14 reb, 1 blk) came up with a great night on the boards along with C Al Horford (10 pts, 15 reb).

The Hawks did a great job defensively shutting down one of the best scorers in the game. SG Dwyane Wade (15 pts, 4 reb, 8 ast) was held down to his season low. PF Michael Beasley (26 pts, 9 reb, 5 ast) proved to be a tough player to defend for the Hawks, however.

Scoreboard	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Total
Heat (20-12)	15	35	19	23	0	92
Hawks (24-9)	23	27	32	17	0	99

Next Game: The Hawks fly back home to Atlanta to face off what is possibly the hottest team in the NBA today. The New Jersey Nets are 21-13 and have been 9-1 in their past 10 games. The Nets are lead by their PG Devin Harris (30.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 7.2 apg, 2.1 spg) and ROTY contender SG Terrence Williams (11.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.5 spg, 1.0 bpg).

[kessthemess]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

You put Knicks, not Hawks...?

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

You put Knicks, not Hawks...?

Oh yeah, sorry I forgot to edit it. Thanks for the heads up.

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

GAME 34: New Jersey Nets (21-13) @ Atlanta Hawks (24-9)

In what appears to be one of the best games of the year so far, the New Jersey Nets squared off against the Atlanta Hawks. The two teams are labelled as "heavyweights" of the league because of their performance and downright dominance so far in the season. This particular game ended in a heartbreaker for the Hawks as the open shot taken by SG Jamal Crawford (9 pts, 5 ast) with 1.6 seconds left on the clock could have won the game for his team, but he missed it. SG Joe Johnson (22 pts, 4 ast) passed the ball off to Jamal shortly after being double teamed.

C Brook Lopez (28 pts, 9 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk) was named the player of the game for his outstanding performance. The matchup at the center position was a fun one to watch tonight as C Al Horford (20 pts, 11 reb) also had a solid performance.

PF Josh Smith (14 pts, 7 reb) is committing himself to a goal. He says, "Coach Woodson wants us to step it up on defense. I'm not so sure about his 20 pts a quarter goal, but for me, I'm aiming to be an All-NBA 1st Team Defensive Player or maybe even Defensive Player of the Year. I'm planning on racking up 5 defensive stat totals - steals or blocks - every night to get to that goal." The number 5 is what Josh Smith wears on his back every night.

Scoreboard	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Total
Hawks (24-10)	27	32	19	28	0	106
Nets (22-13)	24	25	29	29	0	107

Next Game: The Hawks stay in Atlanta but face off against the tough Boston Celtics. The Celtics are 21-12 so far in the season and have been 8-2 in the last 10 games. This will be another tough game for the Hawks, but one could only imagine that they would be even more motivated to win this 'rival' game of theirs after the heartbreaking loss against the New Jersey Nets. The Celtics' PF Rasheed Wallace (8.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.4 bpg) is nursing a broken finger but is still being cleared to play.

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

GAME 35: Boston Celtics (21-12) @ Atlanta Hawks (24-10)

The Hawks suffered another very disappointing loss. It was another very good game as the Hawks and the Celtics battled it down to the very last shot. The Hawks had no answer for SF Paul Pierce (34 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl) and PF Kevin Garnett (22 pts, 17 reb).

SG Joe Johnson (23 pts, 10 ast) and SG Jamal Crawford (21 pts, 2 ast) led the Hawks in scoring tonight. Joe Johnson had the chance to tie it up with a couple seconds left on the clock but missed a wide open three point shot. PF Josh Smith (20 pts, 11 reb) has yet to fulfill his "5 promises" where he said he'd have 5 defensive stats of blocks and/or steals. Tonight, Smith recorded 3 steals but 0 blocks.

Tonight, there were many boo's and hollering from the fans. Certainly they are disappointed about this loss and the previous loss against the New Jersey Nets. Both came down to the wire only for the Hawks to lose. The Hawks will look to bounce back in their next division rivalry game tomorrow against the tough Orlando Magic.

Scoreboard	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Total
Hawks (24-11)	30	31	20	24	0	105
Celtics (22-12)	31	17	29	33	0	110

Next Game: The surely worn down Atlanta Hawks will go on a rough trip to Florida as they face off against the tough Orlando Magic. The Magic are 22-14 and have been 7-3 in the past 10 games. This marks the third consecutive team the Hawks had to face who have more than 21 wins and have been on a tearing streak. The Hawks lost to the other two... will they lose against their southeast rival Orlando Magic? Tune in next time to find out...

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

GAME 36: Atlanta Hawks (24-11) @ Orlando Magic (22-14)

The Hawks put on another show tonight - except this time it was on the road. When the #1 and the #2 teams in the Eastern division faced off, many fans knew what they were in for - a very good game.

SG Joe Johnson (21 pts, 3 ast) was the Hawks' leading scorer but the true player of the game, the player who also won that award tonight, was none other that C Al Horford (12 pts, 12 reb, 4 ast, 5 stl). Horford went head to head against C Dwight Howard (15 pts, 21 reb) and still came away with a pretty good stat line.

Among Atlanta's bench, SG Jamal Crawford (20 pts, 6 ast) and PG Jeff Teague (12 pts, 4 ast) stuck out tonight... PF Josh Smith (13 pts, 6 reb) and his "5 promises" aren't progressing much as he only recorded 1 steal tonight. Maybe he should look into achieving a couple blocks per game before he makes a ridiculous goal like that?

Scoreboard	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Total
Magic (22-15)	28	29	29	27	0	113
Hawks (25-11)	37	31	26	24	0	118

Next Game:The Hawks get to have a rematch with their former opponent in yesterday's game, the Boston Celtics. This time it will be in Boston. The Celtics are 22-13 (8-2 in the past 10 games) so far in the year... making this the fifth consecutive 20-win team that the Hawks have to face off against. So far it has been the Heat (W), Nets (L), Celtics (L), and Magic (W). The Hawks have to keep their momentum going even if it is a tough schedule for January.

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

GAME 37: Atlanta Hawks (25-11) @ Boston Celtics (22-13)

The Hawks cruised to a win against their tough division rival Boston Celtics. The Celtics were out-toughened as C Al Horford (17 pts, 4 reb) dominated them in the paint to put many of their star players in foul trouble. PF Kevin Garnett (4 pts, 8 reb) was held to only 17 minutes of play thanks to Horford. SG Joe Johnson (21 pts, 5 ast) led the Hawks in scoring, but it was PF Josh Smith (16 pts, 9 reb, 2 ast, 5 stl, 1 blk) who really led this team to victory. Achieving his "5 Promises" for the first time since he promised it, he stole 5 steals and recorded 1 block.

The Hawks got their revenge tonight. The Celtics were certainly beat down in their home court. The battles in the East are starting to heat up, but the Hawks still remain on top.

Scoreboard	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Total
Celtics (22-14)	22	20	26	22	0	90
Hawks (26-11)	35	30	34	27	0	126

Next Game: The Hawks face off against the Washington Wizards at the Phillips Arena. The Wizards are 16-20 so far this season but have been going downhill as of late as they have a 2-8 record in the past 10 games. Their C JaVale McGee (2.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.5 bpg) is out for 4-6 weeks after breaking his toe during a game.

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

GAME 38: Washington Wizards (16-20) @ Atlanta Hawks (26-11)

The Hawks battled the struggling Wizards today and many fans expected a blow out... the game was anything but that. SG Joe Johnson (14 pts, 3 ast) struggled tonight, but luckily SF Marvin Williams (25 pts, 6 reb) was ready to step up. However, the POTG award went to SG Jamal Crawford (19 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk).

PF Josh Smith (10 pts, 6 reb) recorded 2 steals but 0 blocks. Smith also allowed PF Antawn Jamison (25 pts, 23 reb) to dominate the game. Smith is struggling on defense, and he has yet to fulfill his promise of "becoming a better defensive player". After the game, Smith stated that he is going to scrap the "5 Promises" gig and instead worry about shutting down his opponent regardless of how many steals or blocks he has at the end of the game. We'll see how that goes next game.

PG Mike Bibby (0 pts, 6 ast) struggled throughout the night, and head coach Mike Woodson stuck his rookie PG Jeff Teague (15 pts, 5 ast) in the game early, and the results were very satisfying. The Hawks were down 23 points in the first quarter when Woodson decided to go with his rookie point guard. When the quarter ended, Teague had already recorded 9 points and the Hawks were only down by 12 compared to the large deficit of 23.

Scoreboard	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Total
Hawks (27-11)	18	33	29	25	0	105
Wizards (16-21)	30	22	28	24	0	104

Next Game: The Hawks stay at home to face off against the Phoenix Suns who are 13-26 and 6-4 in their past 10 games.

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

GAME 39: Phoenix Suns (13-26) @ Atlanta Hawks (27-11)

There was an upset in the NBA yesterday, and it happened in the Philips Arena in Atlanta. The Hawks were trumped by the Phoenix Suns who absolutely dominated the Hawks on offense and on the boards. SF Grant Hill (24 pts, 14 reb) and SG Leandro Barbosa (23 pts, 5 ast) were the lead scorers but it was the POTG PG Steve Nash (20 pts, 3 reb, 17 ast) who really took him the gold as he made 6 out of 6 three point shots.

The Hawks were surprised to find the Suns fighting back, and when they finally decided to step it up, it was too late. C Al Horford (20 pts, 15 reb) had a magnificent night, as did SG Joe Johnson (31 pts, 5 ast).

Scoreboard	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Total
Hawks (27-12)	29	19	33	27	0	108
Suns (14-26)	28	31	19	38	0	116

Next Game: The Hawks will face off against a tough opponent in the Oklahoma City Thunder. They are 24-15 so far in the season and are 6-4 in the past 10 games.

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

GAME 40: Oklahoma City Thunder (24-15) @ Atlanta Hawks (27-12)

The Hawks blew away the Thunder fast and early. With the help of C Al Horford (16 pts, 9 reb) and POTG PF Josh Smith (30 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk) the Thunder's best players in SF Kevin Durant (12 pts, 3 reb) and SF Jeff Green (18 pts, 7 reb) were put into foul trouble. Josh Smith was 12-for-13 on the field and shot 60% (6/10) from the FT line.

Scoreboard	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Total
Hawks (28-12)	32	32	26	29	0	119
Thunder (24-16)	24	26	23	25	0	98

Next Game: The Hawks will stay at home to face off one of the league's worst teams. The Sacramento Kings are 13-27 and have not won a single game in the past 10 games.

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

GAME 41: Sacramento Kings (13-27) @ Atlanta Hawks (28-12)

There was a blowout in Atlanta as the Hawks beat down on the Kings to earn their 29th win of the season. PF Josh Smith (19 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl, 3 blk) had, arguably, his best night of the season as he did every thing on the court whether it be offense or defense.

The Hawks were out in front for most of the game, so the bench got to see a lot of play. SG Jamal Crawford (6 pts, 4 ast) was surprisingly held to just 3-for-10 on the court. A bright spot in the benchplay was rookie PG Jeff Teague (11 pts, 11 ast). Teague also recorded 5 rebounds and has really been improving this season.

Scoreboard	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Total
Hawks (29-12)	32	26	42	24	0	124
Kings (13-28)	22	19	16	20	0	77

Next Game: The Hawks will stay in Atlanta to face off against the 21-19 Bobcats. The Bobcats have a record of 7-3 in the past 10 games, and they have no injuries to report.

[mattlanta]

Re: Reporting from the Highlight Factory (Atlanta Hawks - 2K10)

I hope no one minds that I cut down on the analysis of the upcoming games. I'm still trying to figure out a more elaborate style of recapping the games instead of just names and numbers. If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to chime in.
For now, I'll just post the final scores and the top 3 performers on each team...

GAME 42: Charlotte Bobcats (21-19) @ Atlanta Hawks (29-12)

PF Josh Smith - 32 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals
SG Joe Johnson - 24 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists
SG Jamal Crawford - 16 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists

PF Boris Diaw - 22 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal
SG Raja Bell - 21 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
SF Gerald Wallace - 12 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists

Scoreboard	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Total
Hawks (30-12)	32	21	24	27	0	104
Bobcats (21-20)	22	14	22	26	0	84

Next Game: The Hawks will start their two-game road trip in Houston as they go up against the 19-21 Houston Rockets. The Rockets have amassed a record of 8-2 in the past 10 games.