Josh Smith won't get the trip to the All-Star Game he earned, but he did leave his mark on the Orlando Magic before the league's stars head to Central Florida for the league's annual mid-season showcase.
Smith led the Hawks with 22 points and 12 rebounds to help the shorthanded Hawks snap a three-game losing streak and head into the break with a much-needed win before their mini-vacation.
The fact that they finished off with their former Southeast Division tormentors only made the evening that much sweeter for the Hawks, 20-14 and one of three teams in the division (along with the Magic and Heat) with 20 or more wins at the break.
"We understood the importance of this game," Smith said. "They dominated us for so many years; we wanted to try to be able to return the favor. We know each other's systems extremely well, so it's just all about trying to outplay them."
That the Hawks could do it without the services of Joe Johnson, who is out until after the All-Star break, speaks volumes about the resolve of a group whose intestinal fortitude has been questioned many times throughout this season.
One thing that cannot be questioned anymore, however, is the merit of Smith's All-Star candidacy. Once again, with the Hawks struggling to put a legitimate starting five on the floor at the beginning of this game, Smith carried them.
NOTES, QUOTES
-Hawks coach Larry Drew envisioned some tough times for his team when they returned from a 10-day Western Conference road trip, knowing full well that there might be a little post-trip fatigue his team would have to deal with upon its conclusion.
With his fears realized and the Hawks struggling to finish off the pre-All-Star portion of the schedule, Drew was more than happy to see his team rebound from their struggles with a win over the Magic.
"It's a great way to end that streak. I think coming into this game a little shorthanded, didn't know what I was going to get from the team, particularly after last night in New York" Drew said. "But coming off that 10-day road trip was a concern of mine. But I thought our guys came out at the start of the game and just displayed energy right at the very get-go. We came in at halftime and spoke about the fast-break points, I think we had 21 at half.
"To me it was just a tale of two halves. We played with a lot of energy in the first half, but in that third quarter, we didn't play with the energy we did in the first half. But we played hard enough to where we held on."
-If the Hawks have learned anything in this shortened and condensed NBA season, it's that they have to be prepared for the rigors of games coming at them in short order on a regular basis.
Now that they've had 34 games to adjust to the accelerated pace, they'll be ready to deal with it better after the break, especially when they are struggling.
"It's always tough when you're losing games," Willie Green said, "but this season you've to have a short memory, and put it behind you knowing that another game is coming real soon, try to collect your thoughts and go out there and put out a better effort. (Thursday) was a good example of how well we can play together."
QUOTE TO NOTE
"We had some guys that really played well and really stepped up. I thought Josh Smith was really good (Thursday) down in the block, and made a couple of shots from the perimeter. Vladimir (Radmanovic) came off the bench and hit a big three. I thought Willie Green made some timely baskets. Jannero Pargo got in a zone in that first half. I thought overall our guys really responded, particularly after coming off this 10-day road trip." -- Hawks coach Larry Drew, praising his crew after their bounce-back win over the Magic.
