Bibby No Miracle Worker

The Atlanta Hawks used to be a staple of the NBA Playoffs. From the ‘78-’79 season until ‘98-’99, the Hawks made 18 appearances in 21 years.

However, under the tutelage of such masterminds as Lon Kruger, Terry Stotts, and Mike Woodson, the Hawks have opted for a Jim Mora Sr. podium tirade (”Playoffs? Don’t talk about playoffs. You kidding me!”) failing to return since the ‘98-’99 season.

How long ago was that? Well, recently acquired point guard Mike Bibby was a 1st team all rookie, new Maverick Jason Kidd was in Phoenix, Dee Brown, Kendell Gill, and Danny Fortson each led the league in a statistical category, and the Hawks lost in the playoffs to the eventual Eastern Conference champion {gulp} New York Knicks.

For a team that has failed to make the playoffs for 9 years, Atlanta Hawks’ fans finally were supposed to have something to look forward to — a veteran point guard, who is capable of pushing the ball in the open court and distributing in transition, in Mike Bibby.

Finally, fans were going to be able to debate over who the Hawks might see in the playoffs rather than when was the last time anyone outside of the Atlanta area actually saw the Hawks play (yea, it’s bad when you debate when the last time your team was nationally televised…and no one really can remember).

Instead, Hawks’ fan (only in the Atlanta or Los Angeles areas of course) were treated to an absolutely abysmal performance Tuesday night! The LA Lakers mopped the floor with the Hawks to the tune of a 122-93 thumping.

It started bad, got worse, and stayed that way. With less than a minute to go in the first half, the Atlanta Hawks were losing by 40 points!

After scoring only 14 points and falling behind by 18 in the first quarter, the Hawks allowed the Lakers to score 41 points in the second quarter. The Hawks played NO defense, turned the ball over with regularity (a whopping 19 in the first half), and must have listened to Foreigner pre-game because they were “as cold as ice” on the offensive side of the ball.

For a team looking to run-and-gun, the Hawks managed 7 fast break points. The most impressive player was acquired over the All-Star break and his name isn’t Bibby. Instead, it was the NBDL’s All-Star game MVP, Jeremy Richardson.

Richardson, signed to a 10-day contract, was 3 of 4 from the field and drained a pair of three pointers to score 8 points in his 8 minutes of play. In fact, Richardson is the only Hawk to have an even +/- (the minutes he was on the court, the teams scored an equal number of points).

The Hawks, who I predicted before the season to make the playoffs, looked like a sure bet to accomplish the feat for the first time in ages until recently. They have now lost 5 consecutive, 7 of the last 10, and 12 of the last 16.

While they are currently tied for 8th in the Eastern Conference, unless this team gels quickly…and I mean by tonight or tomorrow…it could be back to the draft lottery for the Hawks once more.

UPDATE (2/21): I don’t feel as bad about the Lakers beat down after they defeated the Suns in Shaquille O’Neal’s debut last night in Phoenix, but the Hawks also lost their 6th straight.

The Hawks showed flashes of teamwork and cohesiveness but some questionable officiating, Ron Artest’s ability on the low block, and a lack of fourth quarter offense led to another loss.

They may be able to come together and play as a coagulated group, but they have to do so in a hurry (and score more than 17 points in the fourth quarter) or the Hawks can start making their off-season plans the same as the past eight seasons.

Shotgun Spratling

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