The Blazers had revenge on their mind after the Hawks, much like last night, came from behind in the second half to beat Portland Nov. 3 when the two teams met at the Rose Garden. Last night, the Hawks used a relentless attack on the boards to close a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and eventually win it overtime. They had 15 offensive rebounds last night while outrebounding the Blazers 47-37, with 56 points in the paint. The Hawks aren't an extraordinary rebounding team, but they've got a bunch of high-energy guys who hit the offensive glass hard. Against Boston last Friday, they outrebounded the Celtics 47-29, including a whopping 16 offensive rebounds and 58 points in the paint. Those second-chance opportunities did in Boston in the fourth quarter.
Also helping the Hawks reach the Eastern Conference elite is the subtle tweaks Josh Smith has made to his game. They've finally got through to Smith that he needs to play more in control. Smith is a fantasy stud, who provides good numbers in several categories, but he often played in a manner that suggested he put himself before the team. This year, Smith has yet to attempt a 3-pointer. This means he's playing closer to the basket and has resulted in improved shooting (58.6 percent from the field) and more rebounds (career-high 8.9 rpg).
The one significant addition they did make in the offseason got very little attention. Their acquisition of Jamal Crawford from Golden State got little notice in June, but we're noticing now. He's accepted a bench role and gives Atlanta a scoring threat on its second unit it had lacked in previous years. Crawford's consistency has always been suspect, but he's reigned in his long-range attempts and is hitting at a 46-percent clip. His 6-point effort last night was his first single-digit scoring night in the last 10 games. Crawford is a scorer who can alleviate the pressure on Joe Johnson to be "the man" every night.
Next up for the Hawks is a Wednesday night meeting with division opponent Miami, who are 7-2 and a game behind Atlanta in the Southeast.