[Eastern Conf. 1st Round] Miami Heat vs. Atlanta Hawks

A player like Wade is the reason why I love the bball so much!

 

Neither. The Hawks are wearing blue.

 

JO is playing great!

 

Hawks got it within 11, James Jones hits a three to end the 3rd.

Miami is really hitting the three well.

 

please, do not sign joe johnson in 2010. dude is so overrated.

 

Wade has made several "elite" plays on both ends of the floor tonight.

t_mac1, JJ has the talent to be a top 6-7 player but he doesn't have the heart.

 

Tell me about it. He's got the talent, but not the aggression.

 

lol. Great minds...

 

Mike Woodson's job security is finally in jeopardy, I bet.

 

LOL, I should have refreshed it before posting.

doublebogey, I think the Hawks have to make a decision soon on Woody if they are closed out in 5 or 6. Their performance tonight is inexcusable. Every coach available would love to have that roster, so I don't think it would be hard to get a good replacement.

 

JJ is a great player, but he is not as multi-talented as Wade. When his shooting is off, his help to the team is very limited.

 

JJ can attack the rim and finish, but he chooses not to. Though you wouldn't know it anymore, the guy can also distribute the ball and make his teammates better (he did this in Phoenix a lot). I don't watch the Hawks much but it's almost like JJ has totally lost his PG skillset. When his shot isn't on, seems like he gives up. He plays well below his ability, especially when facing adversity.

 

Maybe because JO protected the paint very well today.

 

he does have the heart. i think he really cares. he's just not that good skill-wise.

he has the "physical" talent to be a great player (height, size, body...). he just doesn't have the game to back it up. there's a reason his game has stagnated for several years at a time when guards hit their prime (mid-to-late 20s).

wade is playing great. but his teammates are playing out of their damn minds, shooting lights out.

 

I'm likin' my pick right now.

Joe Johnson is one of those guys that gets called underrated so often that he's become overrated. If he is your #1 player, your probably not going to be very good.

 

"he's just not that good skill-wise". Huh? I have no idea what you are talking about. How many years have you watched Joe Johnson play? He is VERY skilled. The problem is between his ears.

I'll defer to Chuck 4 and baller4life315 who watch the Hawks regularly: Have JJ's skills eroded since joining the Hawks? Is he no longer very skilled? What do you think his problem is? I don't think skills have anything to do with it. I say he has the skillset, but doesn't have the mentality to be a superstar.

 

i have LP for the past 3 years so i've watched the hawks quite frequently.

you think he has the skills b/c he's so physically gifted. but watch him at his best, i mean he can be very good, but i have never perceived him as a player with "superstar" talent.

tracy mcgrady doesn't have the "mentality" at times, but he still was a superstar in his prime. he simply has that "talent."

can joe johnson simply "rise up" and take any shot he wants? can he simply "beat anyone off the dribble"? can he just get into one of those zones quite frequently and just destroy a team? those are superstar signs.

i mean, it's not like he's facing an all-world defense in miami.

 

I NEVER said that. Read my earlier post. JJ can attack, finish and playmake when his jumper isn't falling, but he chooses not to (at least when I watch the Hawks). In Phoenix, he played the point quite often when Nash was on the bench and was the 2nd best playmaker on the team (after Nash). JJ demonstrated handles, floor vision and passing ability. The Suns players looked to him to make big plays at key times and he was very clutch. I considered him their 2nd most important player.

There was a reason the Hawks gave him so much money. After he signed, there was (silly, IMO) talk that he might even play PG full time. "Not very skilled"?

JJ can beat most players off the dribble, others he can back down and post up. As you say, the Heat don't play defense that well. If JJ didn't lack the gumption, he could destroy them. It isn't the lack of skills that's stopping him against Miami, which is a shame.

I agree JJ never had the skills McGrady did in his heyday. Looked like he might get close, but not so.

 

i have NEVER perceived joe johnson as a potential superstar. there are some players when you watch them play and you say: that dude will be a superstar someday or he's going to be "scary" good. i just don't see that in joe EVER.

i knew he was going to be a good player with all-star potential b/c he does have game.

i simply have never seen joe johnson literally controlled an entire game and made it his own. only superstars do that. derrick rose has the "potential" to do that (is a good example since he's only a rookie).

 

Based on the playmaking he showed in Phoenix, I thought JJ had star potential. Skills weren't an issue, my concern was how he would react to being THE man after going to Atlanta. I talked him up a couple of years ago. But based on the last 2 seasons, the case seems closed. He peaked in 07 (when the Hawks were still sorry) and it's been downhill since.