No rest for the road-weary Woodson works team hard after listless loss to Kings By SEKOU SMITH The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 02/14/06 Los Angeles — Anyone in the Hawks' traveling party confused about the nature of their three-day stint in the shadow of Hollywood had things cleared up by coach Mike Woodson moments after Sunday night's blowout loss in Sacramento. "We're not sharp anymore," Woodson told his team after a listless second half against the Kings. "And the only way we can get that back is to go back to work at practice." There went a Monday that had the potential to be a day off for a team that's either worked out or played games in each of the past seven days — Game 3 of this Western Conference road swing is Wednesday night against the Lakers. So much for this past Wednesday's win over league-leading Detroit. They were outworked Friday night in Seattle and again Sunday night at Arco Arena. They were outrebounded both times and outhustled in virtually every way in the fourth quarters of both games. Sunday night, the Hawks appeared to be dead-legged; they couldn't match the Kings' energy or bounce off the floor. The Lakers game is the Hawks' last before the All-Star break, leaving 32 games to play when they come back. And that stretch begins with a rematch with the defending champion Pistons, this time in their building. "I think it's natural after [49] games that guys are going to be feeling it in their legs and whatever, but coach is right," Al Harrington said. "We have to grind this thing out. We've made too much progress lately to let up right now." Winners of five of their past eight games, the Hawks appeared to have found a nice rhythm with the win over the Pistons. They opened up well against Seattle only to be worn down by the Sonics' inside size advantage. They played the Kings nearly even (25-23) in the first quarter Sunday night but came apart in the second quarter and never recovered. After the game, Woodson said his team was physically "out-toughed" for the first time in weeks. "It wasn't even close in the second half," he said. The drain was especially evident in the performances of the Hawks' top two scorers. Harrington made just 3 of 11 shots from the floor, and Joe Johnson scored all 13 of his points before halftime. Neither of the Hawks' co-captains would use fatigue as an excuse for the team's lethargic second half. "They just outplayed us," Johnson said. "It's as simple as that. You have those sorts of nights when the other team just brings it, and you struggle to match them for whatever reasons." Now is not the best time for the Hawks to lose steam. "The bottom line is that if you are dressed and in uniform, there are certain things expected of you," Woodson said. "We can't use any excuses. We have to go to work." 資料來源 http://www.ajc.com/hawks/content/sports/hawks/stories/0214hawks.html --

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