Atlanta
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
Antoine Walker hoisted more shots than the top two Knicks combined but he was 0-for-3 from downtown and shot only 39 percent overall as he watched his Hawks fall to the Knicks 104-88. The Knicks outscored the Hawks every quarter even though the top two scorers on the game were both Hawks (Walker with 20 points and Al Harrington with 19). An ugly loss that a little machinery can wipe from the collective memory of basketball fans everywhere.
It wasn't the three-point shooting so much that was the difference. Both teams were horrible from beyond the arc. Atlanta converted on just 1 out of 12 while New York was little better, hitting 2 out of 12. The Knicks, in fact, had both fewer field goal attempts and field goals made than the Hawks. The difference was the free throws.
The Knicks spent their evening sinking shots from the charity stripe. They hit 30 out of the 38 tries the refs gave them. Meanwhile the Hawks were virtual strangers at the line, finding themselves on the business end of it only 16 times, and being so surprised to be there they only hit nine of the attempts.
The Hawks were also outrebounded 55-36. They had a few advantages, such as a few more steals, and a few less turnovers, and even one more block than the Knicks, but the fouls, which were not a mistake but simply the only thing the Hawks could do against a stronger frontline, dropped them in the end. Every Hawk who played double-digit minutes committed at least one foul.
That's it. It's over. Forget this game. There may be many more like it during the season but each time you just have to forget it. What else can you do?
NEXT GAME
The Hawks (2-8) are hoping the Heat (8-4) will be blinded by their new bright yellow jerseys. What other hope do they have? They had a weak frontline before and have now probably lost yet another center. It would be okay if they were going up against another small team, but they are facing the most dominant big man in the game today! The game starts at 7:30pm and will be broadcast on the Sunshine Network, WPXA, and NBA League Pass. Tickets are still available at Phillips Arena.
TEAM NOTES
The All-Star nominations are out, and Hawks players Antoine Walker, Al Harrington and Peja Drobnjak are on the ballots. Want to see them in the 2004-05 All-Star contest? Don't forget tocast your votefor your favorite players now.
The Atlanta Hawks will begin a new chapter in franchise history on Wednesday, Nov. 24against the Miami Heat at Philips Arena, when the team dons their second road uniformsin a game for the first time. The unique on-court look incorporates yellow as the primary color, with black trim, and in lieu of the traditional “Hawks†across the front of the jersey, the club has added “Atlanta†emblazoned in red. The Hawks will wear the jerseys at four home games and some select road games during the 2004-05 season.
INJURY UPDATE
Chris Crawford(torn ACL) is out for the season and on the injured list.Kevin Willis(shoulder strain) is also on the injured list.Donta Smith(lower back strain) is also on the injured list. Given last night's injuries toRoyal Ivey(strained right knee) and Predrag Drobnjak(sprained right ankle), Smith might find himself on the active roster, depending on the severity of the new injuries. An X-ray on Drobnjak was negative.
Karen Rosen ofThe Atlanta Journal-Constitutionwrites: After shuffling the Hawks' starting lineup by changing his shooting guard Tuesday night, Mike Woodson never dreamed he'd find himself a point guard short by the end of the first half and a center down by the buzzer.The Hawks (2-8) not only lost 104-88 to the Knicks (5-5), they also lost Royal Ivey, who strained the medial collateral ligament in his right knee early in the second quarter when he bumped knees with former Hawk Nazr Mohammed while cutting through the lane. Center Predrag Drobnjak, who had played 17 minutes, then sprained his right ankle early in the fourth quarter. An X-ray was negative.
Frank Isola ofThe New York Daily Newswrites: A formal introduction was long overdue, and early in the fourth quarter of the Knicks' 104-88 victory over the Atlanta Hawks last night, Brewer introduced himself to New York in a way most players only dream about. Brewer's first basket with his new team was an emphatic dunk over Boris Diaw that brought the crowd to its feet and was the one spectacular highlight of a ho-hum game the Knicks had in the win column by halftime.
Greg Logan ofThe Greenwich Timewrites: Knowing the Hawks might have the weakest front line in the league, Marbury directed the offense to his big men, Mohammed and power forward Kurt Thomas.By halftime, Thomas (12 points, 11 rebounds) and Mohammed (18 points, 14 rebounds) had totaled 28 points and 16 rebounds as the Knicks took a 52-43 lead.
Ira Winderman ofThe South Florida Sun-Sentinelwrites: The Hawks have lost six of the past seven regular-season meetings overall but have won four of the last six played in Atlanta.The team has been revamped to the point where guard Boris Diaw, at 3.7 points per game, is the returning Hawk with the highest scoring average against the Heat last season. Diaw and center Jason Collier are the only players on the active roster who were with the team last season. Atlanta also is playing on the second night of a back-to-back, coming off Tuesday's game in New York. The Hawks enter 1-3 at home. Forward Chris Crawford (knee), center Kevin Willis (shoulder) and guard Donta Smith (back) are on the injured list.
Tim Tucker ofThe Atlanta Journal-Constitutionwrites: Already a tough sell in Atlanta because of the Hawks' five consecutive losing seasons, the NBA might have become a tougher sell as TV viewers were barraged with replays of Friday's ugly brawl in Detroit. "I can't buy enough media to contradict the image of our game that was portrayed all weekend long, even though it had nothing to do with Atlanta or our players,"said Bernie Mullin, president and CEO of Hawks owner Atlanta Spirit.