Hawks Defeat The Hornets 94-72

The Hawks come out with another win on their five game road trip. This time, a win against the 4-16 New Orleans Hornets. Atlanta came out strong in the 1st half and didn't look back since despite having a 20-6 Hornets run against them in the second quarter. Star PG Jeff Teague had 24 points despite quiet nights from both Joe Johnson and Josh Smith.

The bench was also very productive. Guard Willie Green had 16 points on 6/11 shooting. Hawks big man Ivan Johnson also poured in 9 points. Atlanta had a lot of help from their three point shooting. Jeff Teague went 4/4 on his threes. Willie Green went 4/7 on three point shooting also.

Hawks' PG Jeff Teague

The New Orleans Hornets continue to look dismal after having a rough offseason. Losing superstar PG Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers was the bullet that helped the Hornets go down the drain. This is a franchise that is owned by NBA commisioner David Stern and his front office. This was a team that went to the western conference finals four years ago but has been melting year by year. Chris Paul leaving only made it worse. New Orleans is in rebuilding mode and is playing without guard Eric Gordon. They also have the toughest schedule in the league. They play Miami in their next game.

The Hawks travel to Toronto to finish their five game road trip and look to finish strong on their way back to Atlanta. Head coach Larry Drew has his team playing hard and doesn't plan on looking back. Atlanta continues to win games and wants to put themselves on the map as one of best teams in the East, and if not, the NBA.

Keep on continuing to look out for more blogs about your Atlanta Hawks and I look forward to keep on writing about them and seeing more and more Hawks victories come along the way this season. So until then, GO HAWKS!!!-Yuriy A.

Hawks Defeat The Trailblazers 92-89

It was a good night in Atlanta as the Hawks came out with a win in Jamal Crawford's return to the Highlight Factory. Hawks superstar Joe Johnson poured in 24 points and Josh Smith had added a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Hawks SG Joe Johnson

Blazers PF LaMarcus Aldridge

Portland's Jamal Crawford had 22 points and star forward LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points and 11 rebounds. Despite their 8-6 record, this is a talented Trailblazers team that has a lot of potential and that can make a run in the West. They've beaten the Lakers on numerous occasions and are playing well despite losing one of their all-star guards Brandon Roy to injuries on both of his knees that cost him to retire. A five year veteran who was unquestionably Portland's best player and it's always sad to hear that a player has to have his career cut short due to a serious injury.

After a slow first half for both teams, the Hawks ended the third quarter on a 13-0 run while Portland answered back and went on a 14-0 run to start the fourth quarter. Great shooting from Joe Johnson and great play from Josh Smith helped Atlanta take the lead back and didn't look back since. The Blazers didn't want to go away and kept on fighting but in the end it was Atlanta who was the team who got the better result.

Since Horford went down, many players have stepped up, both the starters and the bench. Sensational rookie Ivan Johnson and Zaza Pachulia, who's been with Atlanta for seven seasons, has helped fill that void. The Hawks have also had fantastic shooting from Willie Green and Vladimir Radmanovic. Tracy McGrady has also showed that he has some gas left in the tank, and is greatly contributing to this talented Atlanta Hawks team.

The Hawks improve to 11-4 and play the 10-4 Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. Atlanta continues to make a statement in the NBA and is riding a four game winning streak since all-star center Al Horford went down with a shoulder injury that will put him out for the season. Joe Johnson and Josh Smith each have improved their statistics in every category.

The Hawks take their momentum to Philly on Friday and are hoping to pull out another big win. Keep on looking out for my blogs and I hope you have enjoyed them all so far. So until then, GO HAWKS!!!!-Yuriy A

My Take On Al Horford's Shoulder Injury

Hawks Center Al Horford going for a dunk against Orlando

It now appears that the Atlanta Hawks' all-star center Al Horford is out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury. Many people have a lot of ideas as to what the Hawks should do from this point. There was always the speculation of Atlanta bringing back the hometown superstar, from the Orlando Magic, Dwight Howard, to play in his city. I think the Hawks would have to give up way to much to get him. I like the core group of players we have on our roster now.

Our bench can definitely help us in the long run. The development of rookie Ivan Johnson is going well and Zaza Pachulia, in his seventh year with the Hawks, plays with great intensity every night and his leadership is strong.  Great shooters such as Willie Green and Vladimir Radmanovic can help us in crucial situations in a game. They all helped us beat the Heat and the Bulls all in the same weak.

Filling Horford's role in the line up will be tough but if every player in that locker room shows up to play every single night then we should win a lot of ball games this year and make another huge run in the playoffs. Josh Smith is playing on another level and has greatly improved his shooting. Head coach Larry Drew has this team playing cohesively and has a desire to win.

The Hawks can play with any team in the league if they show up to play every night. At times in the season Atlanta did all that they were supposed to do to win games. Other nights they just walked down the court during turnovers and fast-breaks. Those are easy ways to lose games in this league. So the Hawks have to have that same intensity level every night.

I'm looking forward to what the Hawks do during the rest of the season. I think we will have a great record at home and have the Highlight Factory rocking. We're primed to make a big playoff run and put the NBA on notice. With or without Al Horford, we will make a statement. For Future blogs about the Hawks, please click on the link at the bottom of the article and feel free to leave comments. I look forward to writing about the Hawks and looking forward to a fantastic season. So until then, GO HAWKS!!!-Yuriy A.

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Atlanta Hawks defeat the Miami Heat, 100-92

It's been a while since I've been on here, but it's back to business. The Hawks improved their record to 4-1 with their win over the Heat tonight on January 2nd, 2012. Atlanta is the first team to beat Miami this season, giving Miami their first loss at home. We've seen the rise of young PG Jeff Teague and we saw it from him tonight. Newly aquired free agent Tracy McGrady was also a key factor in the Hawks' win.

Atlanta's top performer in the night was Al Horford with 16 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. Jeff Teague had 15 points and 5 assists. Star shooting guard Joe Johnson had 21 points. Sixth man Tracy McGrady had 16 points off the bench and went 3/3 on three point shooting. Jannero Pargo's 2/3 on 3 point shooting also helped seal the game in the fourth quarter for the Hawks. Jeff Teague got in to the paint at will and finished when he drove to the basket.

LeBron James had 28 points and 7 rebounds for Miami. Dwyane Wade had an off night with 12 points and 4/17 shooting. Chris Bosh added 19 points and 6 rebounds. Shane Battier came off the bench and added 11 points with 3/4 from 3 point shooting but it wasn't enough to hold off the Hawks' rally in the second half.

The Hawks were hungry to bounce back after a 95-84 loss to the Rockets on New Years' Eve. Atlanta started the New Year out right and continue a brutal schedule as they play at Chicago on January 3rd, play the Heat at home on January 5th, go on the road to Charlotte on January 6th, and finish it at home on January 7th against the Bulls again.

Even though the Hawks are faced with this brutal schedule, they showed they can compete with anybody with their huge win against the Heat. The development of young point guard Jeff Teague is crucial to the Hawks' success and will take them far. The bench giving the starters help and closing out games will also be a X-Factor. 6th man Tracy McGrady is proving his doubters wrong and is showing that he has a lot of gas left in the tank. Star shooting guard Joe Johnson is playing with a chip on his shoulder also quieting his doubters when they say he is overpaid and didn't deserve the contract he got in the summer of 2010. His play on the court speaks for itself.

Head coach Larry Drew is winning over  an improving Hawks team year by year and will be determined to make another run in the playoffs this year. The chemistry with the team is where it needs to be and that will win ball games. PG Jeff Teague is the player I thought he would be when we drafted him in 2009. It took him a couple seasons to develop but that's what every great PG does in this league. I'm looking forward to watching him and the rest of our Hawks play this season and what they can get accomplished. Keep on looking out for my Hawks blogs and upcoming blogs about the Atlanta Falcons trip to the playoffs. So until then, GO HAWKS!!!-Yuriy