[外電] No defense for the lowly
No defense for the lowly
By SEKOU SMITH
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/29/06
Charlotte — Before the final seconds ticked off the clock at
Bobcats Arena, Hawks coach Mike Woodson adjusted his glasses
and cocked his head to the side so he could make sure he was
seeing the score on the massive jumbotron hanging over the
floor right.
Bobcats 65, Hawks 60 it read.
And that was at halftime.
Not exactly the type of lockdown defensive effort a team on a
four-game losing streak can expect to ride to victory on the road.
Such is life these days for the Hawks (21-48), owners of just
one win in their last 10 games and losers of five straight after
Tuesday night's humbling 125-117 defeat at the hands of the
equally inept Bobcats, who are still below the Hawks in the
standings with their 20-52 record.
"Our commitment to try to defend now is awful, it's awful,"
Woodson said. "It was ridiculous."
The final dagger was Raymond Felton's 3-pointer with 31.2
seconds to play for a 122-117 lead after the Hawks squandered
a chance to take the lead on the previous possession with an
offensive set that ended with an ill-advised free throw line
jumper from Zaza Pachulia that barely kissed the front of the rim.
"They made all the big plays down the stretch and we didn't,"
said Hawks co-captain Joe Johnson, who finished the night with
a team-high 35 points. "We didn't run our offense at the end of
the game the way coach had it drawn up and we paid for it."
The Hawks' southern hospitality on the defensive end is bordering
on ridiculous these days. They stepped aside repeatedly as the
Bobcats sprinted through the lane for easy layups and dunks,
proving that the Hawks don't just accommodate the league's elite
in that manner.
Gerald Wallace, the least heralded of the three Wallaces playing
in the NBA, torched the Hawks for a career, franchise and
arena-high 41 points on an assortment of layups, dunks, put backs
and hustle plays that typified the Hawks' defensive effort this
night.
Wallace made 17 of the 22 shots and fueled a maniacal offensive
effort from the Bobcats, who have won six of their past 13 games.
"He looked like (the Piston's) Rasheed and Ben (Wallace) out
there tonight, he looked like an All-Star because our defense
left the building" Hawks co-captain Al Harrington said. "I don't
know what to say about it. If we just play a little defense we
win the game."
Were it not for Joe Johnson's 22 first half points, including a
4-for-6 showing from beyond the 3-point line, there's no telling
how bad things might have been at halftime.
Josh Smith chased a triple double before finishing with 20 points,
14 rebounds and eight assists. Al Harrington (16 points, eight
rebounds), Josh Childress (16 points) and Marvin Williams (14
points) all finished in double figures for the Hawks, who host
Indiana tonight at Philips Arena.
But there can be no statistical silver linings after a loss like
this.
"We're not even trying to defend," Woodson said. "It's awful. We
have to get some type of defensive presence back because we're
not defending like we were a month ago. You're not going to beat
anybody in this league giving up 125 points. Nobody."
資料來源
http://www.ajc.com/hawks/content/sports/hawks/stories/0329hawks.html
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