Hawks want more than spoiler's role By SEKOU SMITH The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 03/24/06 Josh Childress isn't particularly fond of the idea of playing the "spoiler" this time of year, but what else is there for an NBA team that's been long out of the playoff picture? Sure, the schedule says there are 16 games left. The second-year Hawks forward sees more than that, though. He sees numerous opportunities to vanquish the postseason dreams of foes still teetering on the bubble. It's the Hawks' own brand of March — and soon to be April — Madness, if you will, a chance to spoil the night and perhaps the season of any team they face between now and their April 19 season-ending game in Cleveland. "Our goal is to win nine of these last 16 games," Childress said Friday afternoon after the Hawks wrapped up their preparations for tonight's game against Western Conference power Dallas at Philips Arena. "So whatever we have to do to win nine — fight, scratch, claw or whatever — that's what we're willing to do. "Now In addition to that, we want to be the playoff spoiler for a lot of other teams. Last year we did it to Minnesota. You hate to do it. But we can't have guys looking on their schedule and seeing the Hawks and feeling like they've got an easy win coming. We have to make sure guys leave here and leave the floor every night wondering what happened to them." This plan was hatched rather unceremoniously; the coaching staff issued a challenge to finish the season with a bang. The perks of such a finish were immediately obvious, nine more wins would give the Hawks at least 30 wins, a significant milestone for a team that won just 13 games last season. "It's a psychological thing," Hawks co-captain Joe Johnson said. "You've got to play with a purpose in this last month. You lose your last 10 games and that's all anybody remembers when you break for the summer and when you get back to camp in the fall. But if we win our last five or say even our last seven in a row, that carries over into the summer too and gives you a totally different perspective. "We have some goals, for sure. Having those goals help keep everything in perspective. Because you don't want guys lagging around this last month just because we can't make the playoffs. It's not just 16 games or the last month for us, it's about a whole lot more than that. We're talking about laying the foundation for something bigger than that." Hawks coach Mike Woodson is still sick that his team isn't involved in the playoff discussion. Not even a post-practice celebration for his 48th birthday, complete with cake and ice cream in the players' lounge, was enough to shake the feeling of 'what could have been' had his team taken care of business early in the season. "You just wish you could get back those nine or 10 games early (during a 2-16 start) that you gave away because if you could, we're right there with four other teams fighting it out for one of the sixth, seventh and eighth playoff spots," Woodson said. "But it's out there, the challenge to finish strong. And I just think it's something that these guys have to do in order to make sure we have the right kind of carryover into the summer and coming back for camp. "Because if we do what we're supposed to do this summer and put some other pieces in place, there's no reason we shouldn't be playing for a playoff spot this time next year." 資料來源 http://www.ajc.com/hawks/content/sports/hawks/stories/0325hawks.html --

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