Quotes, Notes, and Links: Atlanta Hawks 100 Cleveland Cavaliers 88

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Highlights

For one night, forget everything you know about high-percentage shots:

Team	FGA (at rim)	eFG%	FGA (16-23')	eFG%	3PTA	eFG%
ATL	25	44.0	22	59.1	17	44.2
CLE	21	28.6	20	70	17	44.2

One thing that differentiated those 16-to-23' two-point jumpers from those the Hawks have hoisted in seasons past? Nine of the thirteen made field goals from that range were assisted. Low-percentage shots that arise from ball and player movement are probably not quite as low-percentage as the typical low-percentage shot.

Larry Drew:

"Our guys are starting to buy into it and they are really playing together and they are playing very unselfish. If they continue to do that, they will spread the wealth among the points. The feel of it right now that I am getting from the players is they are really starting to feel good about themselves and what we are doing."

Al Horford:

"Last year this would have been a game we let slip away. We feel confident. We are going to keep working to get better. We still have a ways to go."

Drew:

"Teams are going to make runs. We held our composure. It's a sign we are growing up. A year or two ago we would have caved in."

Marvin Williams:

"Last game I wasn’t aggressive at all, and it hurts my team when I’m not very aggressive. I really wanted to come out and establish myself early."

Drew on Williams:

"I have got to put him in better situations. I want him to be more offensive-minded. With that being said, I don’t want him forcing things. I thought tonight he did a great job. When I ran plays for him he was aggressive. When ran plays for someone else, he waited until the ball rotated around to him and he knocked the shot down. But I’ve got to get him more touches."

The Human Highlight Blog on Josh Smith's defense:

Smith was brutal defensively, as he tried to rely on his superior athleticism to defend JJ Hickson. The result? 11-17, 31 points and a career high for Hickson.

Josh Smith saw it somewhat differently:

"I don’t mean to pat myself on the back, I don’t hang my head because I’m not making shots. I have so many [other] attributes to be able to help my team. I did that on the defensive and offensive boards. I was able to deflect some shots, and whenever you deflect shots early it makes teams think about coming in there."

From Cavs: the Blog, John Krolik on Josh Smith:

Josh Smith made two long jumpers in the fourth quarter, which ranks just below a light fixture falling on a point guard on the bad omen scale.

And Krolik on Al Horford:

Boy, does Horford look good. He seems to be comfortable with that 15-footer but not in love with it, which is such a big deal for young big men.

Byron Scott:

"We played against a very good basketball team that made some shots."

The heretofore hapless Detroit Pistons get next crack at the Hawks tonight in Philips Arena.