Quotes, Notes, and Links: Hawks 109 Lakers 92

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Highlights

Recap

Team	Poss	Off Eff	eFG%	FT Rate	OR%	TO%
LAL	82.1	1.121	51.4	25	22.2	14.6
ATL	82.1	1.328	59.6	12	28.2	6.1

Per rbubp's request from the comments on the game recap, the Laker offensive numbers by half:

Lakers	Poss	Off Eff	eFG%	FT Rate	OR%	TO%
1st half	44.1	1.021	45.1	19.5	18.2	11.3
2nd half	38	1.251	59.7	32.3	28.6	16

Looking at the quarter-by-quarter numbers, the Hawks made 11 field goals in each of the first three quarters and 12 in the fourth quarter. Not turning the ball over the entire second half helped prevent a Laker comeback as well.

Mike Woodson:

"If we are committed for 48 minutes, we can beat any team in the league, I really believe that.

I was satisfied with every part of the defense. Lamar Odom, [Derek] Fisher, [Ron] Artest, Kobe -- they all had to work for their points."

Marvin Williams:

"Guys got after it. We took on the individual challenge to defend."

Mo Evans:

"There were a lot of Lakers fans, but that’s to be expected. They’ve earned that. But it was good to have our fans cheer for us by the time the game ended. We definitely are going to need that support."

Joe Johnson:

"This is our home court, man. We have to protect it no matter who we are playing."

Woodson:

"Our bench was huge again tonight. They’ve been playing extremely well and we’re going to need them to play that way the rest of the way."

Joe Smith: DNP-CD. No Mario West cameos during the competitive portion of the game. Just saying.

Phil Jackson:

"They just outplayed us. Regardless of inspiration, they beat us to balls, they were quicker to the offensive boards."

Kobe Bryant:

"They did a fantastic job. They’re playing with a lot of energy and confidence."

Pau Gasol:

"We're frustrated because we are aware of our quality. We're not playing to that quality, that potential. When things don't go the way you think they should, and you don't understand why, you get a little bit sidetracked."

Phillip at Forum Blue and Gold:

The Hawks didn’t come out of the gate and jump on the Lakers early like the Thunder did, nor did they compile a run anywhere near the 17-1 run the Hornets had against the Lakers in the game before. No, they just out worked, out hustled and out smarted the Lakers for four quarters.

Silver Screen and Roll:

What's the opposite of "peaking at the right time"? Whatever it's called, that's what the Lakers are doing.

On Land O'Lakers at ESPN Los Angeles, Andy Kamenetzky identified the same decisive moment of the game as I:

With 5:27 remaining in the third quarter, Pau Gasol, who'd been running pick and roll along the sideline with Lamar Odom, got doubled. The response was an over-the-shoulder pass to Odom, now underneath the bucket and quickly fouled by Marvin Williams just before he could get a shot up. Still, the Lakers had 14 seconds on the shot clock, a chance to set up a score.

Unfortunately, it was a score for Atlanta, as Kobe Bryant either faked a backdoor cut to the basket or was held up by Joe Johnson. Either way, LO lobbed an alley-oop pass like somebody was en route to receive it. The ball bounced off the backboard into Al Horford's hands and got transferred into Johnson's. A high screen from Horford freed up space between Kobe and the downtown stripe for All-Star Swingman. Swish. Johnson hit a triple, the Hawks went up 14 and the Lakers' inevitably losing battle just grew more uphill.

Mark Bradley:

The knock on the Hawks — even they concede the point — is that they don’t always fight as hard against the minnows as they do versus the barracudas. But soon that will become a non-issue. The Knicks and the 76ers won’t be playing beyond the 82nd game. Said Crawford, smiling: “In the playoffs you only get good teams. That’s good for us.”

And it is. When the Hawks lock in, they’re a load. The Lakers were motivated in a way great teams seldom are motivated in the 75th game of a regular season — “We tried our best,” Ron Artest would say — and it didn’t matter. The Hawks seized the lead with 1:35 left in the first quarter and never let it slip.

The Human Highlight Blog, writing at Peachtree Hoops:

Every time the Hawks have come out of the locker room this season, they merely scratched at the surface of what was possible as a team. They would have moments, quarters, even halves of what their potential is, but have often lost focus. On (47) nights this year, that has been enough. To think that, in game (74), things would be any different would indeed be outside the "picture-able".

Against the Lakers on Wednesday night, in front of over 20 thousand basketball fans, the Hawks opened up a can of "what could be" and took turns frustrating, confounding, and ultimately beating the defending champs by playing a full (48) minutes of team basketball.

Arash Markazi, ESPN Los Angeles:

The Lakers' lack of bench production is one of the biggest reasons they lost to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday and the New Orleans Hornets on Monday; L.A. has lost three of four games after winning seven straight. The Lakers' bench has been outscored by a combined 90-34 in the past two games and has made only 35.5 percent of their shots compared to 64.7 percent by the Hornets and Hawks.

Zaza Pachulia:

"Boston lost? Woo-hoo!"