Houston Will Make The Playoffs

This has to be said since I bet someone $20 bucks tonight and so I can say nanny nanny boo boo and point to this blog when it comes to fruition. The Houston Rockets will make the playoffs in spite of Yao's injury. My reason for believing this is because the only team that isn't in the playoffs that could possibly make it is Denver, but they stink. They've been playing like trash lately and I just don't see the Rockets playing poorly enough or Denver playing well enough to change anything. I honestly believe the 8 teams that are currently in the playoffs in the West are the 8 teams that are going to make it. The only thing they are doing is jockeying for position.

The Rockets are still going to make a first round exit, but they will make it and that's all I care about. The only reason I care about it is because I want to be right. I lllooooooooovvvve being right!

Hawks Win

The Hawks beat the Kings tonight in Mike Bibby's first game at Philips Arena as a member of our team. He was received well by the fans tonight, bless their hearts.
They scored 40 first quarter points, then in keeping with their strategy of making the game close so the fans will stay interested, they stopped scoring in the second quarter. Then to make the game super interesting, they let Sacramento take the lead briefly right before halftime before a Joe Johnson 3 at the buzzer gave it back to them.
To make a long story short, they won 123-117. In order for this team to be successful they need to run. That's their best shot at winning games consistently. They don't have the horses to play a half court game offensively or defensively. They need to go all Golden State on the league and just run, shoot bad shots, run some more, shoot more bad shots that turn into good shots when they go in and so forth and so on...
It's not always pretty, but at least we all know what to expect from Golden State. They have an identity and that's what the Hawks desperately need. I personally would like to know what the hell to expect from these kids when they run out of the locker room.
Also, it wouldn't kill Mike Woodson to have some sort of substitution pattern. Or maybe it would. Either way, there's no rhyme or reason to his substitutions. They just don't make sense on any level. I'm not even going to get into it.
They won, so all is well I suppose.

My Patience Has Stepped Out Indefinitely

So let me get this straight, you hold the defending NBA champions to 5 first quarter points and you still lose the game.....
I promised myself that I wouldn't get worked up about games that we are "supposed" to lose anymore, but this is ridiculous. I mean, I know San Antonio is a great team, but dammit we have to learn how to finish! It's like we decided to play defense for a quarter and a half and then said to hell with it.
I'm sooo glad this road trip has mercifully come to an end. The fact that we went 1-4 wouldn't bother me if we had taken care of business on the first road trip out west when we played Denver, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix and the Clippers. We should have come back 4-1, no less than 3-2, but instead we came back 1-4. There are stretches like that which will cause us to miss the playoffs.
Expecting this team to win games they are supposed to win is not asking for too much.
You can't blow double digit leads in the fourth quarter to the Blazers or Bobcats and consistently tell the fans that your goal is to make the playoffs.
You can't lose to Indiana and or New Jersey and consistently tell the fans that your goal is to make the playoffs.
If your goal is to make the playoffs, then beat teams that you are supposed to beat!
Every team in the Eastern conference is literally still in the playoff hunt.
Washington has lost like 9 of their last 12 games and they would be the 6th seed if the playoffs started today. The point I'm trying to make is that you literally have to TRY to not make the playoffs in the East. It's not like we're playing for ping pong balls because Phoenix gets our pick regardless, so what's the plan?
I'm not even going to bother to call for Mike Woodson's head anymore, because I'm honestly tired of typing it.
If the ATL spirit doesn't care, then I guess I shouldn't either. As I've stated several times, if I don't see improvement in this team by next year, I'm going to start rooting for someone else.
I will not continue to be that diehard fan. They don't deserve it.

Hawks Win, Finally

117-110 over the Warriors.
They ran.
They won.

To Avoid Confrontation

I'll hand deliver it if they don't have the heart to do so.

Kobe Owed Us That One

Um, a 122-93 loss to the Lakers is not exactly how I envisioned the Mike Bibby era beginning............

HGH is OK

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard a little something about Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Brian McNamee, the Congressional hearings and the Mitchell Report. If you haven't, please feel free to email me and tell me how to avoid over-publicized stories because I'd really like to know. Anyway, I'm annoyed by the whole situation, but I've learned two very important things just watching the media coverage and reaction to the people involved. Andy Pettitte for some reason is looked at as this ambassador of truth because he eventually admitted to taking HGH. Everyone has been so quick to applaud him for being so forthcoming and blah, blah, blah. The only conclusion I could come to is its okay for you to take illegal steroids as long as you don't lie about it when you get caught. Every media member who b*tched and moaned about the integrity of baseball and hallowed records and other such things is seemingly on Pettitte's side. After listening to some of the congressional hearings I must admit I find Roger Clemens very hard to believe. The trainer is an unscrupulous dude as well. Andy didn't testify so they just referred to his deposition time and time again and everyone was willing to accept that he told the "truth and nothing but the truth so help him God."
Not that I think Andy is a liar, but I'm shocked at how easily everyone believes him. No one other than Roger Clemens has questioned his deposition. Roger didn't even really do that, he just said Andy misremembered a conversation. The admitted users (albeit after the fact) look like heroes all of a sudden. Am I the only one who thinks that's weird?
On to the other very important thing I've learned. Players will still use HGH. The ramifications of doing so aren't nearly as bad as some would like them to be. Basically, all you have to do if you get caught is apologize for any distractions this is bringing to your respective ball club, and have at the most 2 uncomfortable sessions with reporters. After that, its clear sailing.
If taking a shot in the rear is really the difference between a career as a minor leaguer and a Major leaguer then don't expect HGH use to dissipate any time soon. (for the record, I don't think steroids are magic, you still have to have tremendous skill) Anyway, if someone told me there was something I could take to become better at my job and make millions of dollars in the process, I'd probably try it. I got a family to feed just like Latrell Spreewell. Its not right, but I'm just saying put yourself in the player's shoes. If there was something in which your employer did not test for and it could improve your performance, you have to consider it. The money is too tempting and chances are you won't get caught. I happen to believe the playing field is more even than baseball purists want to acknowledge. I'm not saying everyone is doing it, but there's not a name that could come out that would surprise me.
As a Yankee fan I still find this Mitchell Report very sketchy considering Mitchell works for the Red Sox. You mean to tell me none of the players on that 2004 team were on steroids and took a fresh batch of them after game 3 of the ALCS.... I will never ever accept this as truth.

The NBA, where trades happen. Even in Atlanta

We made a trade, now we need to address the one other situation that's keeping this team down. I don't wanna say any names, but he's the head coach.

I Sound Like Such A Girl Right Now.

So the Hawks could have had two of the most adorable players in the league on their roster. They got one of them, but when they had the chance to get the other, they wound up with

Well, we can't win them all...........

I'd really like TNT to take away Reggie Miller's talking privileges whenever there's a camera present.

Make a Trade, Fire a Coach

Hawks blew a 14 point lead to the Bobcats.
My eyes are going to roll into the back of my head and stay there permanently.
They need to make a trade, and fire a coach.

Woody Needs a Pink Slip

I'm not going to tip toe around this, I want Mike Woodson to be made available to the job market! He's so predictable, I could set a clock to him. I'm sure other teams in the NBA have. The Hawks lost to the Detroit Pistons tonight. While you may not be surprised by this at all, they could have won this game. They fought hard to get back into it and take the lead and what do ya know with 22 seconds left down by 3, Woody draws up, or shall I say just tells the team to run the Joe Johnson iso play from memory. No need to waste marker drawing up the same damn play! Now you might be saying to yourself, Joe is the Hawks best player (untrue this season) so of course the ball should be in his hands. Well other than the fact that Joe only had 11 points and Josh had 29, I'd totally agree with you. Totally. Sports is supposed to be a release from the stresses of real life, but being a Hawks fan just adds stress to my life! It's not supposed to be this way! I hate to wish unemployment on anyone, but Woody has got to go before the Hawks fall completely out of the playoff picture.

New York Giants Win Super Bowl XLII

Wow. The New York Giants defensive line absolutely brutallized Tom Brady tonight! They hit him HARD, and then they hit him HARDER! It was just a beautiful thing to witness. I swear I was mesmerized by Umenyiora, Tuck and Strahan. I can't believe they were able to get to Tom Brady with such ease. I mean, I knew they were good, but I thought New England's offensive line was supposed to be great. They looked like highschool offensive linemen!
Eli's last drive was one for the ages! He literally does not have to win another game in his professional career and the media won't be able to hassle him about it. He's a made man. I could go on about this all night, but I don't wanna.....

Hawks Win!!!!!

The Hawks beat the New Jersey Nets tonight. There's nothing better than seeing the Nets when you're in a funk if you're in the NBA. Unless you can see Miami.........

Kwame for Pau. I wonder if Mitch had on a ski mask.

The Lakers traded Kwame Brown and Javaris Crittendon for Pau Gasol. I mean, really??? We couldn't have gotten in on this trade? It would have been nice to have Pau be a "member" of the Atlanta Hawks again. Sigh. I guess Billy and all of his genius has something better in store. Uh, yeah probably not. It never ceases to amaze me how content our owners/management are with twiddling their thumbs and hoping things will just work themselves out where this team is concerned. It hasn't happened thus far, but they have every reason to believe it will. Maybe we fans need to get on board.