Atlanta Hawks edge out the Orlando Magic in game-6; Win the series 4-2
The Atlanta Hawks sent Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic crashing out of the playoffs in the first round, as they won a hard fought game-6 of their series. It was
a narrow victory for Atlanta, who hung tough down the stretch to secure an 84 – 81 win.
Atlanta have played a hard game this series. Struggling to control the offense of Dwight “Superman” Howard, they have concentrated on stifling his teammates. It was
more of the same from Atlanta on the night, as they controlled the back court, leaving Howards’ game high 25 points and 15 rebounds in vain once again.
Atlanta’s attack has been led by Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford in the series. The pair had an off game the last time out, but they stormed back in this game. Joe
Johnson led the Hawks with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Crawford came off the bench to hit 19 points as the Hawks soared past the Magic and into the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals - the 2nd time in as many years.
The game started at a good tempo. The Hawks started aggressively and gained advantage early on as they ended the first quarter at 23 – 18. It was more of the same
in the second as Atlanta lead throughout, by 10 points at one point.
The third quarter saw the Magic again struggle to keep pace with the Hawks, but they did not let Atlanta run away with the game. Atlanta also won the battle on the
glass, 38-31, on the night and more significantly on the offensive end with 14-7. The fact that it was 10-1 in the first half was a major reason for Atlanta’s early success.
Magic, staring at potential end to their post season run, came hard at the Hawks in the fourth quarter. They gave the sell-out Phillips Arena crowd a big scare when
they cut the lead to 2 points with an 11-3 run. However with four minutes remaining, Marvin Williams keyed a decisive 14-6 run for the Hawks which effectively put the game out of Magic’s reach.
The Magic however, refused to accept defeat and clawed back to within one point when Jameer Nelson drove to the lane for a layup with less than a minute remaining
on the clock. Crawford sank his free throws on the very next possession though, leaving Orlando trailing by 3 with 8.2 seconds remaining.
Orlando ran a perfect play but, perhaps as a fitting end to their postseason, J.J. Redick missed a wide open three that would have tied the game. Jason Richardson’s last gasp effort was then blocked
by Josh Smith as Orlando ran out of time.
Hawks coach Larry Drew paid tribute to Joe Johnson after the game, “Joe was really aggressive and I was going to ride him the whole night. He was going to will us
to this win."
Dwight Howard spoke of his disappointment after the loss,
"It's a frustrating finish. They rebounded well tonight and we didn't. J.J. had a wide open look but it just didn't go in. It's a bad feeling to let a team outwork
you and they did tonight."
His future will is in doubt now and Orlando will have a battle on their hands to keep the three time NBA defensive player of the year.
The Atlanta Hawks now move onto the Eastern Conference semi-finals where they will face the Chicago Bulls.
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