Hawks' grip on 8th playoff seed slipping

[HMFFL]

If the Hawks weren't feeling the playoff heat before Tuesday's debacle in Indiana, they're feeling it now.

They remain in control of their postseason destiny with a two-game lead over Indiana for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot with four games to play.

But that sense of invincibility of the past three weeks took a major blow during a 112-98 loss to the Pacers. Atlanta trailed by as many as 29 points before suffering one of the worst losses of the season.

So instead of cruising into Friday's game in New York with a chance to lock up the playoff spot, the Hawks will have to sweat it out through the weekend before their fate is decided.

"It's a setback because with that [home loss to Philadelphia last Friday] and now this, we've gone from chasing a higher seed to trying to hold on to the eighth spot," Hawks forward Marvin Williams said. "We've been here, in this position, for a while now. In order to stay here, we have to play with a sense of urgency over these last four games, and we can't afford to get complacent."

The Hawks are two games ahead of the Pacers with four to play.

The Pacers, winners of eight of their last 12 games, have a more favorable schedule, with home games against Philadelphia and Washington and road games against Charlotte and New York. Atlanta travels to New York, plays Boston and Orlando at home, then ends the season at Miami.

"They've got four games left, and we've got four games left," Hawks captain Joe Johnson said. "So there's nothing magical going on. We've got to win games, man. We've got to show up and play ball, regardless of the opponent. We have to show up and get it done, whatever the circumstances."

A Hawks victory on Tuesday would have eliminated the Pacers as a threat. But Atlanta couldn't muster the energy or focus.

"We both came out with fire in the first quarter and then we just lost it," said Hawks forward Josh Smith, who, with Johnson, had good games against Indiana. "Obviously, our defensive effort wasn't up to snuff, and that's what cost us the game, more than anything."

In the Hawks' locker room afterward, Hawks coach Mike Woodson's focus was on the Knicks.

They pose a similar threat, although they're out of the playoff picture. But they are trying to impress a new boss, former Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh, who took over basketball operations last week.

"We've got to bounce back and just put this [Indiana] game behind us," Woodson said. "We've got to move on to the next challenge."

Link

[count55]

Actually, that article has the home and road games reversed for the Pacers. The games vs. Philly & Washington are on the road, while NY & Charlotte are at Conseco.

[tontoz]

The Wizards just spanked Boston. i believe that is the third time the Wizards have beaten them this season.

[Hawks]

I just hope Philly and the Wiz still have something to play for and take those games seriously.

[Kosta]

Not to stir up anything here, but that Raps/Hawks game might end up having huge implications on the playoff picture. The Pacers could be 1 game down with 4 to go right now and could very well miss the playoffs by 1 game. As for Toronto, they could have been in the 6th seed right now and 1 game might be the difference between them playing the Magic or Pistons a week from now..

Not that any of it matters now though...

[High 5]

Not to stir up anything here, but that Raps/Hawks game might end up having huge implications on the playoff picture. The Pacers could be 1 game down with 4 to go right now and could very well miss the playoffs by 1 game. As for Toronto, they could have been in the 6th seed right now and 1 game might be the difference between them playing the Magic or Pistons a week from now..

Not that any of it matters now though...

Should have held the huge lead or showed up in OT. The Portland game for you evens out your situation, though, and I think we'll hold a multiple game lead on Indy.

[atlsun]

Not to stir up anything here, but that Raps/Hawks game might end up having huge implications on the playoff picture. The Pacers could be 1 game down with 4 to go right now and could very well miss the playoffs by 1 game. As for Toronto, they could have been in the 6th seed right now and 1 game might be the difference between them playing the Magic or Pistons a week from now..

Not that any of it matters now though...

Well lets look at it this way, its a good thing yall didnt protest.

[atlsun]

By the way Crytors fans your team did lose to the bobcats at home is that not correct? and yall should have that one right?

[Kosta]

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Should have held the huge lead or showed up in OT. The Portland game for you evens out your situation, though, and I think we'll hold a multiple game lead on Indy.

I don't disagree the Raptors choked away that game, but the end result still should have been a W, regardless of how they got to that situation or what they did after it.

The Portland game? Um, Jose's 3 pointer? Not quite, first of all it wasn't a buzzer beater shot, IIRC it was with well over a minute to go, so it didn't have a direct impact on the game heading to O.T.

Multiple game lead as in 2 games or more? Maybe, I can see Indy winning out their remaining schedule with the momentum they have, ATL needs to take care of their business...

[Kosta]

By the way Raptors fans your team did lose to the bobcats at home is that not correct? and yall should have that one right?

Yes, they should have, I'm sure there are plenty of games the Hawks lost that they should have won as well, sh-t happens.

[High 5]

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I don't disagree the Raptors choked away that game, but the end result still should have been a W, regardless of how they got to that situation or what they did after it.

The Portland game? Um, Jose's 3 pointer? Not quite, first of all it wasn't a buzzer beater shot, IIRC it was with well over a minute to go, so it didn't have a direct impact on the game heading to O.T.

Multiple game lead as in 2 games or more? Maybe, I can see Indy winning out their remaining schedule with the momentum they have, ATL needs to take care of their business...

There's no clear evidence that says he would have gotten the shot off if he had the extra .1 second. And didn't Calderon's shot come with seconds left in the first overtime? And what else would multiple game lead mean? And good night and get over it. And Raptors are a first round exit regardless.

[conleyorbust]

Actually, that article has the home and road games reversed for the Pacers. The games vs. Philly & Washington are on the road, while NY & Charlotte are at Conseco.

Yes it does. That difference is very big too because Charlotte is a mark anywhere and the Wiz and Philly are good enough teams to scare you at home.

[conleyorbust]

Not to stir up anything here, but that Raps/Hawks game might end up having huge implications on the playoff picture. The Pacers could be 1 game down with 4 to go right now and could very well miss the playoffs by 1 game. As for Toronto, they could have been in the 6th seed right now and 1 game might be the difference between them playing the Magic or Pistons a week from now..

Not that any of it matters now though...

You are right. It doesn't matter. It sucked for Toronto because the effect of the potentially bad reffing had such a blatant outcome on the game.

Of course, Horford may have touched the ball and started the clock anyway.

Look at it like this. On January 23 the Raps beat the Cs by 2 points but Paul Pierce was fouled on a layup in the second and didn't get the call. If he had, he probably would have hit those two shots and the game would have been tied in the end.

On November 4, the Hawks played the Pistons and Marvin Williams blocked a Billups Layup in the final second of the game and should have sent it to OT but the refs called a foul. Billups hit one and the game was over.

There, NBA reffing working itself out.

[Rip2137]

Joses "three" was a with like 20 seconds left in the first overtime to give the Raps a three point lead. Brandon Roy hit a three to send it into the 2nd overtime. so yeah...it affected the outcome.

[High 5]

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Yes it does. That difference is very big too because Charlotte is a mark anywhere and the Wiz and Philly are good enough teams to scare you at home.

I like it this way because they would have a better chance to beat Washington and Philly at home, now it's unlikely they'll win either of those games. Definitely not both of them.

[conleyorbust]

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I like it this way because they would have a better chance to beat Washington and Philly at home, now it's unlikely they'll win either of those games. Definitely not both of them.

Yep. If they can win out, good for them.

[reazun]

I dont think Kosta is trying to stir things up, he is just making observations. Hes not trying to be disrespectful like Rap fans were last week. So, we should calm down and not treat him like a troll. at least thats the way I see it, but yeah. That one game was important for both of us. It might have been a bad call (it probably was). However, I seriously doubt the call wouldve been reversed, but I am really tired of discussing the subject so thats all I have to say.

[evildallas]

Where bad reffing could mean a bad matchup for Toronto, I still go back to that Lakers-Warriors game were the ref fell for Derek Fisher's pull the offensive player down on top of him during the in bounds play trick that iced the game. The official who blew the call had a bad angle and the other officials could have easily told him what happened from their view and were quiet. It sealed the victory for the Lakers and the Warriors could be out of the playoffs on the conference record tiebreaker against Denver.

There are enough blown calls during the year you have to hope it all balances and the net effect is nothing.

[High 5]

I dont think Kosta is trying to stir things up, he is just making observations. Hes not trying to be disrespectful like Rap fans were last week. So, we should calm down and not treat him like a troll. at least thats the way I see it, but yeah. That one game was important for both of us. It might have been a bad call (it probably was). However, I seriously doubt the call wouldve been reversed, but I am really tired of discussing the subject so thats all I have to say.

Kosta has said his fair share of negative things about the Hawks in the past. And anyone who starts their post with "I'm not trying to stir the pot (or whatever)" is trying to stir the pot. But it's all good. At least he's more subtle than the other Raptor fans that started trouble.

[Kosta]

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Kosta has said his fair share of negative things about the Hawks in the past. And anyone who starts their post with "I'm not trying to stir the pot (or whatever)" is trying to stir the pot. But it's all good. At least he's more subtle than the other Raptor fans that started trouble.

H5, I'm devastated by these accusations, come on, I thought we were cool?

And seriously, fair share of negative things about the Hawks? Say what? Are you talking about being part of the Joe Johnson hate train for making the all-star game? Hey, to this credit he's been playing like a legit all-star for the last month plus, he just wasn't at that level when he was chosen to represent the East. I might have said a few things about Al after the T.J incident, but cooler heads prevailed. Alright, I also sported a "Where robbery happens" Phillips Arena signature, but that was all in good fun. As for any negativity towards you, you make yourself an easy target.

Contrary to your beliefs, I wasn't trying to start anything, just making a few simple observations in a respectable non troll worthy manner. At the time it didn't seem like the outcome of that game would was going to have any real impact on the playoff picture, but it's getting rather interesting now.