The Atlanta Hawks have not only lost three straight, fallen to 7 games behind the Orlando Magic in the Southeast, and slipped into fifth place in the Eastern Conference (half a game behind Detroit), but they've also lost Al Horford to a knee bruise - indefinitely. He will miss at least three games. Tuesday the Hawks will have to make due against Amare and Shaq as they head to Phoenix. Then its off to play the Clippers and Warriors, two teams the Hawks should beat.
Its been a rough week for Hawks fans as they dropped two to the division-leading Magic, in two very similar games. Wednesday night the Magic jumped up by as much as 21 until the Hawks courageously fought back to get within 4 - then time ran out. Friday night there was no comeback as the Magic jumped up by as many as 38, putting a very frustrated Hawks team away early. Orlando currently holds the #2 seed in the East, behind Cleveland.
Horford's absence was certainly felt when the 76ers pushed hard inside to overtake the Hawks on Sunday. High-flying Andre Iguodala and former Yellow Jacket Thaddeus Young pushed around the depleted Hawks front-court, while on their way to a fourth straight win. Philly improves to 17-20, good enough to be tied for the 8th seed (finaly playoff seed). Whether the Hawks can stem this losing streak will hinge on whether they can replace Horford's presence and production down low. That means Zaza, Solo and J-Smooth stepping up to crash the boards, block shots, and play physical basketball against superior big-men like Shaq, Amare, Marcus Camby, and Andris Biedrins. More to come from the Hawks road trip later this week.
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