[外電] Rock of Cages
Rock of Cages
The Hawks know — and the NBA is finding out — that there may not be anyone more reliable than Joe Johnson.
By Jon Cooper
He is quiet and unassuming, yet Joe Johnson always seems to be on
the scene when there's trouble and something needs to get done.
Unlike Clark Kent, however, Johnson doesn't run into a phone booth
to transform himself into Superman. The Hawks' super hero doesn't
leave the floor long enough to find a phone booth or any place
else to change.
After a dynamic debut season in Atlanta, his fifth in the NBA,
that saw him lead the team in points (20.2 ppg), assists (6.5),
steals (1.3), games (82), minutes played (a franchise-record 3,340)
and three-point field goals made (128, 46 more than Salim
Stoudamire who was next on the team), then a summer spent making
and the U.S. National Team and winning a bronze medal at the 2006
World Championships, Johnson is far from satisfied and raring to
go heading into the 2006-07 NBA season.
"I thought this summer he played as well as I've seen him play
and I thought he played great for us last season," said Head
Coach Mike Woodson. "So we're all expecting big things out of Joe
this year."
It's doubtful, however, that Woodson's, or anyone else's,
expectations can meet Johnson's.
"I worked at all aspects of the game but more on my shooting,"
said Johnson, who last season shot .453 from the field, the
second-best mark of his career, and .356 from three. "I'm not
going to play on the ball as much this year so I tried to work
on my off-the-ball skills, like coming off picks, and just having
a lot of stamina on defense."
Making sure that Johnson, who last season broke NBA Hall of Famer
Bob Pettit's 42-year-old franchise record for minutes played, has
enough gas in the tank following his busy summer was a priority
for Woodson.
"[We tried] not to burn him in camp," said Woodson of Johnson,
who was third on the team in minutes played (29.1) during the
recently completed preseason but still led the Hawks in scoring
(20.7 ppg). "Joe's a pro. He knows when he can go and can't go
and I understand that from a coaching standpoint. When he tells
me he needs to shut it down a little bit and back off then I let
him do that. If I don't push the issue some I know he'll continue
to work no matter what and I don't want that because I know
exactly what he can do as a player."
Thanks to his summer playing with USA Basketball, the rest of the
world knows, too. Johnson was fifth in scoring (7.3 ppg) for the
bronze-medalists, despite playing only 18.8 minutes per game.
While his playing time and production weren't what he's accustomed
to being part of the games was invaluable.
"As far as the roles that I played, it was different but I
managed," he said. "I had a lot of fun. I met a lot of different
people, saw a bunch of different new things and most important
was the experience that I got from playing with those guys."
While his eyes were opened, he wasn't just happy to be there. He
expected to earn an opportunity to play alongside the NBA's top
young superstars like Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Paul,
Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard and others.
"It's never been a second-guess in my mind," said Johnson. "I've
always wanted to compete at that level. It's just about getting
a chance. I got that chance and I tried to make the most of it."
While Johnson's most publicized work during the summer came on
behalf of his country, some of his most important work came
closer to home, specifically his home of Little Rock, Ark.
After the Worlds, Johnson again sponsored the Joe Johnson
Celebrity Golf Tournament, which benefits the William E. Thrasher
Boys and Girls Club and he footed the electric bill for Little
Rock Central High School, his alma mater.
"There is a summer league that we play in back home and they had
no AC in the gym," Johnson recalled. "It was grueling, guys were
passing out. So I thought that was the least thing I could do,
put some AC in there.
"I try to do what I can for the city of Little Rock," he added.
"Any time something comes up or there's anything I can do to
help, they know I'm always there."
Beginning Wednesday Johnson will be there for the fans of
Atlanta, as he'll do his best to get them reacquainted with the
feeling of winning. While he's a good bet to represent Atlanta at
All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas, what would be his first All-Star
appearance is secondary to getting Atlanta to a bigger stage in
April.
"Our main goal right now is to make the playoffs," Johnson said.
"We have to come out and play hard and want it every night.
"I definitely think we're going to pick up right where we finished
off last season," he added. "The additions of the big guys we got
and Speedy Claxton, I definitely think they're going to help at
both ends of the floor. I think this may be the year for the
Atlanta Hawks."
資料來源
http://myurl.com.tw/2gnk
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