Give The Hawks Credit

With two starters out again, the Hawks were able to pull off their third straight win last night and climb back to ten games over .500. F Marvin Williams and C Al Horford continue to ride the bench with injuries, wreaking havoc on the depth of this team. But Josh Smith has been on a tear the last two weeks, JJ is always solid, and Mike Bibby has taken over when they need him. This is the second stretch this season that Horford has missed multiple games, and clearly Zaza and Solo have filled in wonderfully. If we can keep this intensity up when Al and Marvin return - watch out East.

*Fun fact, let it be known that the Cleveland Cavaliers (fresh off a buzzer beater from LeBron at Golden State) continue to be unbeaten at home: 20-0. Incredible. The Hawks and their 17-4 home record are two games up on the Pistons for the 4th seed in the East.
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Bad Weekend! Hawks Fall to Magic, Sixers

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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