01-19-2009, 06:49 AM
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Hoops Madness
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Join Date: May 2006
Location: ATL
Posts: 1,558
Rewards: 1,316
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Raptors & Hawks 1/19/09
Raptors & Hawks under 198 3 units
After winning nine of its last 10 to conclude December, Atlanta has a 2-6 mark in 2009 and has dropped five of its last six heading into Monday's game. A lagging defense can take most of the blame as the Hawks have allowed 100 or more points in six of their last eight games, including Friday's 119-114 loss at Golden State to wrap up a three-game road trip. They have held the Raptors to less than 100 points in two meetings, but have split those games, winning 110-92 at home on Nov. 7 and falling 93-88 in Toronto on Nov. 28. Starters Marvin Williams (concussion) and Al Horford (knee) will be in street clothes today. Toronto, which has lost five straight, has experienced its share of injuries and had only nine players available for Sunday's 117-113 loss to visiting Phoenix. Armed with a compelling set of numbers and video evidence, Hawks coach Mike Woodson made the case for change to his team at the end of Sunday’s practice. “If we play defense and play together, we’ll be fine,” Woodson said, his voice a tad softer than yelling but close enough to make his point. “But we have to make that commitment the same way we did to start this season. We can’t look around for somebody to bail us out. And it doesn’t matter who is out there on the floor. It all starts with every guy in this huddle making that commitment.” “We have to do the same thing. We have to get back to making a point of locking teams down and hold teams under 100 points and win games. That was the case early on this season and, for the past few games, it hasn’t been.” It should be easier to get back into that defensive mode we were in to start the season,” he said. “We should want to be locking people up now. That’s when the good teams step their game up, right around the halfway point of the season. You know it has to go up even more after the All-Star break. “So we have to be able to lock in from the start of games to the end. And it has to start now. Because if we think we’re going to win games without playing great defense, it’s just not going to happen.” “We have to do the same thing. We have to get back to making a point of locking teams down and hold teams under 100 points and win games. That was the case early on this season and, for the past few games, it hasn’t been.”
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