By Bud L. Ellis
It’s a pretty safe bet one tenant of Philips Arena – the Atlanta Hawks – will bring playoff action to the arena this spring.
The Atlanta Thrashers? Their hopes of reaching the NHL playoffs are slim. But a few more wins like Saturday’s 4-3 overtime thriller over Florida at Philips could ignite a much-needed late-season surge. (more…)
By Bud L. Ellis
Down two games to none in the WNBA Finals, the Atlanta Dream hope their season does not end Thursday.
The Dream, two years removed from winning just four times as an expansion team, will need plenty of home support when the series shifts to Atlanta for Game 3 on Thursday at Philips Arena. Atlanta finds itself down two games to none against a savvy Seattle Storm team that grinded out victories in the first two games in Seattle. (more…)
By Bud L. Ellis
Two new coaches will call the shots for the tenants of Philips Arena this winter.
The Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Thrashers both cut loose their coaches after the season, the Hawks firing Mike Woodson and the Thrashers letting go John Anderson.
Taking their place are Larry Drew and Craig Ramsay, two names that don’t really move the hype needle much for two franchises that could use a boost. (more…)
By Bud L. Ellis
Finishing up a 4-1 homestand in soaring fashion, the Atlanta Hawks welcomed in the NBA’s hottest team Friday night and promptly dispatched it with ease.
The Hawks’ 103-89 victory over Charlotte – which came in having won six in a row – wasn’t as close as the score indicated. Atlanta totally dominated in the first and third quarters, and would’ve won by a much larger margin were it not for short lulls in the second quarter and fourth quarter.
Five Hawks scored in double figures, led by Jamal Crawford. The leading candidate for NBA sixth man of the year, Crawford came off the bench to score 24 points, hitting five 3-pointers, with five assists and two blocked shots. Al Horford (23 points), Joe Johnson (19 points), Josh Smith and Marvin Williams (14 points each) also hit double figures in scoring, and five Hawks had four or more assists each.
Now Atlanta looks ahead to a big week, starting with a two-game Texas road swing through Houston and San Antonio. After returning to Philips Arena to play Boston, Atlanta travels to Orlando. Atlanta currently sits ahead of Orlando in the Southeast Division and just behind Boston for second place in the Eastern Conference.
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