During the last week, there has been much discussion on PtR about what's wrong with the team and can it be fixed. No one has a real answer, except for We SuckTM. Even we believers in the mojo have no explanation. So when there is no logic or rational behind something, I did what every American sports fan does - I found someone to blame.
I did absolutely no research for this preview (other than that required to fill in the blanks) and haven't seen one Hawks' game this year, but it's not fair to LD to make him work while he's on vacation. Hack preview ahead.
 Atlanta Hawks @ San Antonio Spurs Where: AT&T Center - San Antonio, TX When: January 27, 2010, 7:30 PM Spurs time Watch: FSNSW (SA), SportSouth (Atlanta)
How They Stack Up
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Matchups
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 Tony Parker Jekyll and Hyde |
Point Guard I never know what to expect from Tony. Advantage: Hawks |
 Mike Bibby Point Guard |
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 Manu Ginobili Buzz Cut - Meh |
Shooting Guard Manu has been up and down this year. I know Johnson is a former Sun, but he's been playing near or at All-Star levels since coming to the Hawks. Advantage: Hawks |
 Joe Johnson All-Star |
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 Richard Jefferson Loved by All |
Small Forward At least Williams still has potential. Advantage: Neither |
 Marcus Williams Could have had Chris Paul |
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 Tim Duncan No longer DPOY |
Power Forward Smith has learned to stop chucking 3s, while improving his rebounding and assists. But I still have to give the ATS white box to Timmeh. Advantage: Spurs |
 Josh Smith Slightly athletic |
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 DeJuan Blair Rookie Calls |
Center I love Blair, but the refs hate him. Plus, Horford's stats are better. Advantage: Hawks |
 Al Horford Double Double Avg |
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 George Hill Player |
Bench & Role Players Amazingly enough, Crawford has been playing well off the bench this season. However, the bench isn't very deep, so BAM should prevail. But I've said that before. Advantage: Spurs |
 Jamal Crawford Worthwhile |
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 Gregg Popovich Bring back the Beard |
CoachThis shouldn't be a tie, but the Spurs are behind schedule, and Woodson must be doing something right, considering how the Hawks are playing this season. Advantage: Tied |
 Mike Woodson May actually be a coach |
| images via yahoo.com | ||
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Other Factors
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Intangibles |
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The Spurs have lost 3 straight at home. The Hawks are over .500 on the road. Advantage: Hawks |
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Mojo |
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I'm not sure it is possible to have less mojo than the Spurs right now. The Hawks have won 8 of their last 10 and have overtaken Orlando for the division lead. Advantage: Hawks |
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Winner: |
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I have lost all faith. We lose.
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Key To The Game
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Strength of ScheduleThis is the fourth game of the homestand, and they've all been losses. Yippee! It is after a day of rest, but I don't know that it matters. The Hawks beat Houston on Monday, with this the 2nd stop of their foray to Tejas. They've won 3 straight. That must be nice. Last Time They MetWe haven't played the Hawks yet this year, and I'm too tired to look up the last game. We probably won, back when we knew how to do that. |
Some Other ReadingHawksPeachtree Hoops - The Hawks' SBN blog. Spurs48 Minutes of Hell: Best damn TrueHoop affiliate out there. Always a must visit Spurs site. |
Where to Tune In
TVThis game will be aired by FSNSW in San Antonio and by SportSouth in Atlanta. If you have cable or satellite, you'll have to look up your individual channel. And of course, there's always League Pass for the haves. For the have nots, read on. OnlineAs always, NBA League Pass is recommended for those who are willing to pony up the cash. Most Spurs games will be broadcast there, which is especially helpful for those of us who aren't in the San Antonio area. Please don't post links to illegal game feeds in the game thread. Links to illegal feeds are not permitted on SBNation, but you can probably find them out there on the internets if you're resourceful and desperate. In fact, nobody can stop you from googling "atdhe". Or you can shoot an email asking for more assistance(with your PtR username) to poundingtherockmail@yahoo.com, and one of the admins can help you out. NBA League Pass audio is still free this year, so check it out. RadioIf you're in the San Antonio area and aren't near a TV, tune in to WOAI (1200 AM). |