Johnson a joy for coach, team By SEKOU SMITH The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 04/07/06 Joe Johnson wasn't at Hawks practice Thursday. He was given a well-deserved day off after the team snapped a three-game losing streak with Wednesday night's buzzer-beating win over Minnesota. If Hawks coach Mike Woodson knows Johnson as well as he thinks, there's a good chance his co-captain and leading scorer was dreaming about basketball in his sleep. "He's a throwback, man," Woodson said of the player that has carried the Hawks from last season's 13-69 record to the 23-51 mark they'll take into tonight's game against Washington at Philips Arena. "All he thinks about is playing basketball. I don't think the money plays a part in it. I know he wants to win. And I know this year has been tough. But the bottom line is he's done his part. He comes to work every day, and he's doing everything a leader is supposed to do." In this case, that means taking a day off, something Johnson has had few of during his five pro seasons. The Hawks' iron man this year, Johnson has played in a staggering 350 straight regular-season games, second only to Toronto's Morris Peterson among active players. In addition to playing every night, regardless of ailments or the pains of a grueling season, Johnson has put up All-Star numbers —- he leads the Hawks in such statistics as scoring (20.5), assists (6.7) and minutes (41.1). Johnson has been the superstar the Hawks expected him to be when they engineered a sign-and-trade deal for him last summer that cost $70 million, two protected first-round draft picks and Boris Diaw, who's had a breakout season of his own in Phoenix. The debate about whether Johnson was worth the price will rage on, but his teammates have already decided. "He's definitely exceeded my expectations," Josh Childress said. "I knew he was good, but I didn't know how good. Playing against him last year, we knew he was dangerous as a spot-up guy. I didn't get a chance to see his creative side, though, the way he makes plays for the rest of the guys on the floor. There are times when he's unstoppable because if he's not scoring, he's creating shots for everyone else." Said Johnson's backcourt mate Royal Ivey: "He really has showed and proved this season, because Joe had a lot on his shoulders, and he's handled it the way you expect stars to handle it. He's as talented a player as he is a hard worker. And he leads by example. He competes, never backs down from anything and plays hard at all times. You have to follow suit when you have a leader like that." Even when it appears that the season's grind has swallowed him up, Johnson displays a resiliency that belies his ultra-quiet nature. He shot just 5-for-12 in a loss to Memphis Sunday while battling sore feet, which have ailed him all season, and flu symptoms. But he's averaged 28.5 points (on 21-for-34 shooting and 6-for-10 from beyond the 3-point line) in the two games since, leading the Hawks to a near-upset of New Jersey Tuesday with a game-high 33 points and with a team-high 24 points in the win over Minnesota 24 hours later. He has season-highs of 57 minutes, 42 points and 17 assists and is one of just five players —- Gilbert Arenas, Allen Iverson, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are the others —- averaging better than 20 points and six assists. And then there's that streak. "Three hundred and fifty straight games?" Ivey said. "That means he's played through everything, being sick, hurt or whatever. That's heart. There's no doubt he's gained the respect of his teammates." Johnson has gained the respect of everyone that matters, his selection last month to the U.S. national team being the strongest evidence. But his breakout season will go largely unnoticed when the NBA's postseason honors are announced in the coming weeks. Johnson won't get much attention for the league's most improved award, mostly because he was so good in Phoenix last season. And spots on the 15-man All-NBA team are hard to come by for superstars on winning teams, let alone those who toil in relative obscurity on rebuilding teams. 資料來源 http://www.ajc.com/hawks/content/sports/hawks/stories/0407hawks.html --

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