Losing takes toll on Johnson Career-best 40 points wasted vs. Bulls By SEKOU SMITH The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 01/30/06 Joe Johnson's career scoring night was marred by the one thing he has been unable to escape this season: another Hawks loss. His 40 points against Chicago on Saturday night came on a career-best 16 field goals. He missed nine shots but made 4-of-4 from beyond the 3-point line and all four of his free throws. But there was nothing satisfying about his night. The Hawks' 111-99 loss, their third in a row, made sure of that. The losing is bad enough for a player who has lost 11 more games this season than he did in the entire regular season with Phoenix last year. It's the way the Hawks are losing, Johnson said, that makes these days even tougher to stomach. "It's been ridiculous. It's been ridiculous for a while now," Johnson said, "and it really does hurt when you love to win because when you look at the opportunities we've had and the way we've just thrown them away ... that's the one thing we've been consistent at this season." The Hawks' inability to maintain their character is what's been extra frustrating for Johnson, who has split his time this season between point guard and shooting guard. He pointed to their comeback against the Bulls, when they went from a 24-point deficit early in the third quarter to a five-point deficit late in the fourth quarter. But they ran out of gas with the game on the line, and the Bulls used an 11-7 run to finish them off. "We knew at halftime we could make a run," said Johnson, who scored 32 of his points after halftime. "That's the way we've been all year. When we come out and play aggressive on both ends, we see the results we were looking for. "We came out much more assertive in the second half on both ends of the floor. I know I was being much more assertive, and my teammates were really looking for me and finding me. That, more than anything, is what helped me get it going. Now we've got to find a way to play like that all the time." Woodson praises second-half effort As embarrassed as he was at his team's first-half performance against the Bulls, Hawks coach Mike Woodson couldn't ignore their second-half comeback. "The way we competed in the second half showed me that they're still ticking," Woodson said. "Our play in the first half [when the Hawks trailed by 18 points 10 minutes into the game] was awful, but we competed in the second half. "And if we take care of business early in the season and win some of the games we let slip away, we're not even having this conversation right now. But we can't stop working. This is our livelihood. This is what we do. And as a coach I have to continue to keep pushing them and keep them ready so we can get after it every time we go out on the floor." Rim shots The Hawks have lost nine of their past 11 games heading into tonight's game against New York at Philips Arena ... The Hawks have split the season series thus far with the Knicks. ... The Hawks are 8-14 at home this season. They average seven more points at home (98.3) than on the road (91.4). 资料来源 http://www.ajc.com/hawks/content/sports/hawks/stories/0130hawks.html --

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