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2010-11 NBA Season Predictions: Defensive Player of the Year Award

sasilverandblack — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:19:30 +0000

Defense is the epitome of a successful team. Without it, a team does not win, simply put. Usually there is an anchor on any great defensive team, and usually it is a big man. The Magic have the ball devouring Dwight Howard. The Spurs have the lane-clogging, shot-altering Tim Duncan.

However, there has been a new trend of shifty little men disrupting passing lanes and playing great defense using their lateral quickness. Players that have shaped the mold for their teams include Chris Paul of the Hornets and Rajon Rondo of the Celtics. These guys disrupt an offense to the point of the play bankruptcy.

Dwight Howard has won the defensive player of the year award in back-to-back seasons. He is the first player in league history to lead the league in rebounds and blocked shots in the same season twice. Better yet, he has done it in back-to-back seasons. The question is, can he do it again? There is no slowing down for this guy. I think he will win it again this year unless Andrew Bogut of the Bucks can duplicate what Howard has done. He had a solid year last year until his horrific elbow injury sidelined him for the season. Josh Smith will always be a contender to win the award, but until proven otherwise, this is Howard’s to lose right now. He is a defensive juggernaut.

Up next is my pick for the most improved player. Stay tuned.

By Josh Delp of the Sports Fan Blog Network

Hawks won’t re-sign coach Woodson

GameSetMatch — Fri, 14 May 2010 18:15:26 +0000

The Atlanta Hawks have let coach Mike Woodson go after advancing to their third straight playoffs.

Woodson’s contract had expired Monday, and the Hawks decided to go in a new direction for their coach.

Woodson’s Hawks had advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season, winning 53 games in the regular season, beating the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games before being swept by the Magic, as Orlando recorded the largest margin of victory in any four-game sweep in NBA postseason history.

The Hawks won 47 games last season, and had improved on their record every season since Woodson’s first with the team in 2004-05, when they won just 13.

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

Crawford named sixth man of year

GameSetMatch — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 18:55:45 +0000

Jamal Crawford already got what he wanted most — a trip to the playoffs. On Tuesday, he picked up an extra reward for his unselfishness.

After willingly accepting a backup role for the first time in his career, the Atlanta Hawks guard was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in a landslide.

“You have to check your ego at the door,” the 30-year-old Crawford said. “It’s all about winning. You do what you’ve got to do.”

He had never been on a winning team until he was traded to Atlanta by the Golden State Warriors last summer. Of course, the deal came with a caveat: The Hawks wanted Crawford to come off the bench, which was quite a change for someone who had been starting his whole life, from youth leagues to the NBA.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Johnson takes over 4th after Hawks dominate paint for commanding series lead

GameSetMatch — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 19:03:36 +0000

High-flying Josh Smith dominated on the inside. Joe Johnson stepped up from the outside when the Hawks needed him.

The result: Atlanta has a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series for the first time in 40 years.
Johnson took control in the fourth quarter to finish off a 27-point effort, Smith finished one assist shy of a triple-double and the Hawks ran away from the pesky but outmanned Milwaukee Bucks for a 96-86 victory in the Eastern Conference playoffs Tuesday night.

Smith played as though he’s still upset about being snubbed for the All-Star game, when teammates Johnson and Al Horford were selected but he stayed home. He’s certainly a player capable of taking control of a series in many ways, as he demonstrated with his 21 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, not to mention two blocks and two steals.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Atlanta Hawks poised for deep playoff run after flying under radar

GameSetMatch — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:53:20 +0000

Today’s regular-season finale for the Atlanta Hawks is more about the future.

“Win or lose, it’s important that we play well,” coach Mike Woodson says of the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. “We’re a young team still learning to win at a high level.”

Woodson led the Hawks to their first playoff appearance of the decade in 2008, taking the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics to seven games in the first round. Last season, Atlanta advanced to the second round.

The goal is to at least make the Eastern Conference finals, which could require upsetting the No. 1-seeded Cavaliers or the No. 2-seeded Orlando Magic.

Click here to read the full article – By J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today

Hawks are soaring higher this season

GameSetMatch — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:04:08 +0000

The Hawks, who will play the Cavaliers in Atlanta on Tuesday night and in Cleveland on Wednesday night, made the playoffs last year, but their 47-35 record did not scare any of the Eastern Conference’s elite teams.

By the time the Hawks met the Cavs in the playoffs, they had been slowed by a seven-game series against the Miami Heat and were swept in four games.

This season’s Hawks, led by Joe Johnson (21.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game), are playing at a higher level. They are 21-8 and showing no sign of drop-off.

They rank fourth in scoring and lead the NBA in point differential in their victories.

The Cavs still make their name on the defensive end of the court. They rank second in the league in field-goal percentage allowed, a fact that has contributed greatly to their four-game winning streak, three of which came at the end of a West Coast road trip.

Click here to read the full article – By George M. Thomas of Beacon Journal

Hawks tied for league’s best record

GameSetMatch — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:19:24 +0000

Joe Johnson made it two straight 30-point games, Josh Smith dominated during a decisive first-half run and Atlanta won its sixth in a row, beating Miami to reclaim a share of the NBA’s best record.

Johnson scored 30 points on the heels of a 35-point effort against Portland on Monday. Smith was all over the stat sheet: 16 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and two steals.

The Hawks (10-2) remained perfect at home and finally seemed to awaken the city of Atlanta to just how good this team might be. The first sellout of the season, 18,729, turned out at Philips Arena.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of onlineathens.com

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