Oct 08 2009
Hawks Top Hornets in 1st Preseason Game
The Atlanta Hawks get a win in their first preseason action of the year. Despite allowing the New Orleans Hornets to go over the century mark on the scoreboard, the Hawks held on to win at home at Philips Arena in Atlanta. Marvin Williams was easily the story of the game and his superb defense was the difference in Atlanta’s victory Wednesday night. Marvin only played in 19 mintues, but managed to get 4 steals in his limited time on the floor. This may be the year for Marvin Williams and we may see his smooth outside stroke become a staple for this young Hawks team.
The Hawks did get outscored in both quarters in the 2nd half, but it was their dominance in the first half that got them the 108 to 102 win. All eyes was on one of the newest Hawk Jeff Teague. He didn’t disappoint in his first appearance as an Atlanta Hawk and he led the team with 19 points and also had the most time on the floor for the Hawks with 33 minutes. The NBA 3 point stroke isn’t quite there yet, but he does look like an NBA player out there. Jamal Crawford failed to score in his Hawks debut as he went 0 for 4 from the field in limited action.
The game started with a slam dunk from Josh Smith. After winning the tip, it didn’t take long for Smith to find his way to the hoop and throw one down for the home crowd at Philips. The Hawks would go on to win the first quarter with 32 points to the Hornets 24 first quarter points. It got worse for New Orleans in the 2nd quarter and the Hawks really shut the door on them before halftime. As the teams went to the locker rooms for the half, the Hawks had full control of the game leading 62 to 36. Things got much tighter in the 2nd half, but this was the Hawks night and they did manage to hold on for the win.
The leading scorer for the Hornets was Bobby Brown with 23 points. Superstar Chris Paul added 20 points and David West chipped in with 16 points for New Orleans in their losing effort. Marvin Williams 4 steals was the highlight of the game and Jeff Teague’s offensive performance was a close 2nd with his 19 points. Al Horford and Josh Smith had solid performances as both players managed to get into double digits. The Hawks backcourt of Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby were no shows in Game 1 for the Hawks and hopefully these issues get fixed quick. Since Joe Johnson is gone after this year and Mike Bibby is getting up there in age, there is really no need to try and get either player involved too much in the gameplan each game. The Hawks must focus on their youth and learn to work with these guys, so this team can make a deep run into the playoffs this year and for many years to come.
Well only 1 game down and 6 more preseason games to go for the Atlanta Hawks. Can’t make too much of a fuss after only 1 preseason game, but hopefully the strategy does change in Game 2 of the preseason schedule. The Wednesday performance against the New Orleans Hornets was too much like last year’s team and coach Mike Woodson must change it. I won’t jump to conclusions now, but Woodson is treading on some shaky ground in Atlanta with a team that is capable of making it to the Eastern Conference Finals.
