By John Manasso
FOXSportsSouth.com
December 1, 2010
The Atlanta Hawks have done a 180-degree turn from last season in terms of home and road performance and when they host the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, they'll be looking to improve upon a surprising 4-5 record at Philips Arena. Those five home losses are only two fewer than the Hawks had all of last season.
The good news is that the Hawks (11-7 overall) are 7-2 on the road, where they had a losing record last season. But the home record has prompted some head scratching and has included blow-out losses to Milwaukee and, most recently, to Boston on Nov. 22.
Coach Larry Drew had a hard time pin-pointing the exact cause of the sub-par home record but cited a sense of complacency that last season's home excellence would repeat itself, the distractions that being home represents, as well as failing to match the same sense of urgency with which the team plays on the road.
Following that loss to Boston, in which the Hawks trailed by 26 at the end of the first quarter, they lost on the road in overtime the next day to New Jersey. On Wednesday, they returned home and held a meeting that appears to have been at the root of the team's ability to turn things around. They have won three straight entering Wednesday night after losing seven of nine preceding that stretch.
