Joe Johnson had 20 in the 4th quarter

Image details: Boston Celtics v Atlanta Hawks – Game Three served by picapp.com

You must admit it.

You did not see this coming.

Atlanta has taken both of their home games and now the series with the Boston Celtics is tied at 2 to 2.

Game 5 is back in Boston.

So how did Atlanta do it?
Well, it may have started with the trade for Mike Bibby.

Oh, you want to know what happened in the game?

After starting the game on a 16-3 run, the Celtics cooled down as Atlanta secured a 97-92 home win in Game 4 on Monday.

On an off night for rookie Al Horford, Joe Johnson and Josh Smith combined for Atlanta’s final 34 points. Johnson led the way with 35 points and six assists, while Smith chipped in 28 points, six rebounds and seven blocks.

source

This is a Hawks team that now believes that they can win. Sure, the Hawks know that Kevin Garnett is a great player, and so is Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, but they can be beaten!

The game was still close going into the fourth quarter when Joe Johnson took over and left the Celtics wondering what happened.

The credit for this Atlanta stunner goes largely to Johnson, who took control in the final quarter. After Smith’s jumper put the Hawks ahead to stay 81-79, Johnson scored nine straight points to keep the Celtics on the ropes.

The knockout came when Paul Pierce drove to the hoop and left it short, then tumbled over a cameraman alongside the basket. When the Boston star finally climbed back to his feet, he had a look of disbelief—which pretty much sums up the way the Celtics are feeling about this series.

source

You have to wonder if any Boston fans bought game 5 tickets. They had to be sure this series would be over in 4 games.

NBA Basketball special comment Will Atlanta win this series? No, but they have acquired a huge dose of confidence and experience that has to pay dividends.

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Mike Bibby will bring shooting and poise to the Hawks

On the surface, most fans are saying, “So what.”

Mike Bibby gets traded from one under .500 team to another under .500 team.

But there is more here than meets the eye.

In the Western Conference, to be under .500 is to be out of the playoff race. In the Eastern Conference, only 5 teams are above .500. That is right, only 5 teams.

Atlanta is still in it.

The Hawks played my Pistons the other night in a nothing pre-All-Star-time game and took Detroit down to the wire.

Now admittedly the Pistons were having a tough time staying interested in that game and needed a Rasheed Wallace referee blowup to get excited, but Atlanta was busy showing off young talent at the same time.

You have a team with Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, Josh Childress, Al Horford, Marvin Williams and, lo and behold, no point guard. That is until now.

Hawks coach Mike Woodson said Bibby, acquired from the Sacramento Kings for four players on Saturday, will provide scoring help for Joe Johnson. Atlanta’s All-Star shooting guard often faces gimmick defenses because he’s the team’s only outside shooting threat.

“There’s another option now,” Woodson said. “It’ll be like a one-two punch in the backcourt.” source

And Sacramento?

Don’t kid yourself about these deals. Sacramento picked up a bunch of expiring or almost expiring contracts and probably nothing more. They just want cash space in the off season to pursue players.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Can Mike Bibby ignite the Hawks?

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From ESPN Insider David Thorpe, he gives you his top 10 rookies in the NBA.

My comments will follow some of the rookies.

Here are my Top 10 rookies six weeks into the season:

(Previous rank in parentheses)

1. Kevin Durant, Sonics (2)
Finally takes over the top spot on the strength of blocking at least one shot in five straight games. That’s the stuff we’ve been waiting for. He’ll always put up scoring numbers because of his role in the offense and his talent, but engaging in the “effort” categories is most critical to his growth.

Kevin is awesome. Too bad he is on the Sonics. Saw him play my Spartys in college. The Spartans prevailed with mostly Ramar Morgan, current star of the MSU Spartans guarding Kevin. Kevin was a load. Shooting 3’s and driving to the hoop. MSU was lucky that it was early in Kevin’s career. He will be a special player his entire career.

2. Al Horford, Hawks (1)
Fouls kept him from playing much versus Dwight Howard, but he’s grabbed 10-plus boards in every other game in December. The play with T.J. Ford should not reflect poorly on this classy young man — no one will be happier upon Ford’s return than Horford.

Al played high school ball just down the road from MSU at Grand Ledge High School. His father was Tito Horford, a 7′ pro player in his own right. Al first decided to go to UM in Ann Arbor. MSU was busy pursuing Goran Sutan from Lansing Everett. Al then decommitted from UM and went to Florida.

3. Jamario Moon, Raptors (4)
Moon seems to be riding the rookie roller coaster down for a spell, with just six points and eight boards in his past two games. But he still plays good D.

4. Corey Brewer, Wolves (NR)
Anyone who records 18 boards, five assists and four steals in one game deserves a top-five ranking. Plus, Brewer has added rebounding totals of 11 and nine since then … from the small forward position.

5. Glen Davis, Celtics (NR)
He’s now the rookie PER leader and a solid option off the bench for the mighty Green.

6. Juan Carlos Navarro, Grizzlies (3)
Riding the same coaster as Moon, Navarro has four points in his past two games after a streak of seven double-figure scoring outputs.

7. Yi Jianlian, Bucks (9)
His numbers are down, but he’s still a steady producer most nights.

This guy is the Yao of the future. There is no doubt.

8. Jeff Green, Sonics (10)
Playing OK in limited minutes; seems ready for more PT.

9. Joakim Noah, Bulls (8)
“Noah does as Noah is,” which means you get the same thing from him every night — he goes full speed ahead and is totally invested in the team’s success.

What you call a plus player. Always working.

10. Sean Williams, Nets (5)
Has lost some time in the rotation. He has to understand that his opponents know his game a bit now, so he has to bring more.

There you have it the top 10 NBA Rookies.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Who is your favorite rookie?

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Greg Oden says – Hey, what about me?

Last year Roy won the ROY, that is Brandon Roy won the Rookie of the Year award.

But Jorge Garbajose, the 6′ 9″ forward for the Raptors almost won the award. It took a broken leg in March to stop him.

This year there is a new crop of potential ROY winners. Here are the Top Ten impact rookies according to Marty Burns of SI.com.

1. Luis Scola, Rockets

He is a 6′ 9″ forward that at 27 years of age will find himself along side TMac and Yao. Luis won’t get the ball enough to win rookie of the year, but should make a big splash just the same.

2. Kevin Durant, Sonics

Your intrepid author has talked a lot about Kevin and he has to be the front runner for Rookie of the Year. His team is too weak to really do anything, but Kevin will have a heavy impact.

3. Al Horford, Hawks

Horford went to High School just down the road from me in the shadow of Michigan State University. Tom Izzo took Goran Suton instead of Al, although that may have been Al’s decision, who knows. Al’s father played in the pros. His name is Tito Horford. Al proved his worth with the Champion Florida Gators. Unfortunately the Hawks are not very good and they will need Al immediately.

4. Al Thornton, Clippers

With Elton Brand sidelined by an Achilles heel injury, this 6-8 power forward from Florida State should get an opportunity to play. So far he looks more than up to the task. As of Wednesday he was averaging 18.7 points (on 48.9 percent shooting) and 5.7 rebounds in 29.2 minutes per game. source

5. Juan Carlos Navarro, Grizzlies

La Bomba played for 5 years in Europe, was actually drafted in 2002, but this is his first year in the NFL. He is a 6′ 3″ guard from Spain.

6. Mike Conley, Grizzlies

Supposed to provide the zip to the Grizzlies offense, Mike was often the one Buckeye breaking down the defense to feed the hungry Oden. He could end up playing alongside La Bomba.

7. Marco Belinelli, Warriors

This guy had 37 points in a summer league game and now plays in the Warriors bizarre wide open offensive system. Marco is a 6′ 5″ guard from Italy

8. Joakim Noah, Bulls

Another Gator contributor found just the right team for his banging style where he should be able to complement Big Ben. Joakim’s 6′ 11″ frame will be needed on the Bulls.

9. Yi Jianlian, Bucks

The 6-11 Chinese phenom has the potential to make a big impact, especially since he’s probably really 22 or 23, as opposed to his listed age of 18. But he’s been up and down in preseason, and the Bucks already have Charlie Villanueva at the power forward position. With the Bucks seeking to return to the playoffs, the guess here is that Yi finds himself in the same limited role as Law. source

10. Acie Law, Hawks

Acie Law is being compared to Chris Paul and that is a complement to anyone, but the 6′ 3″ guard is caught up in a logjam at guard for the Hawks with a coach that has to win or be fired.

There they are the Top Ten Rookies according to Marty Burns at SI.com

A little closer to home for your intrepid author there may be dark horse in Rodney Stuckey of the Pistons, although he just broke his non-shooting hand and is out for 6 weeks. Rodney has shown the ability to score and finish plays.

Keep an eye on these guys as they are the future of the NBA.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Which rookie is your favorite?

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