Playoff preview for young team By SEKOU SMITH The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 04/14/06 Coaches around the league are sweating every detail, even more so than usual, players are fighting for rebounds as if their lives depend on grabbing them and fans who casually observed their favorite or local teams for months are now watching intently. "It's playoff time," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. His team, though, will miss out on the postseason —- the second straight year during his tenure, and the franchise's seventh consecutive playoff miss. That doesn't mean the Hawks' final four games, starting with tonight's date with Southeast Division rival Charlotte at Philips Arena, can't have that playoff zeal. Wednesday night's loss to Chicago had everything found in playoff basketball, complete with several near skirmishes and an ejection for Josh Childress for swinging at Chicago forward Andres Nocioni. Additional punishment for Childress could be handed down by the league today. Woodson said he doesn't mind intense games like the one the Hawks played against the Bulls. He'd just rather be on the winning side. "It goes both ways," Woodson said of the physical play late in a season. "We made a bunch of hard plays on the ball. We played hard, we battled and you've got to like games like that." You've got to love this time of year, even if your team isn't headed for the playoffs. Because this is the time of year that team's establish identities and make statements to the rest of the league as to what they can expect to deal with in the future. "The games get rougher, tensions are heightened and every shot, rebound and loose ball seems like the most crucial one of the season," Hawks forward Josh Smith said. "We play hard and we're not going to back down from anybody. We're not going to fold up because someone is being physical." That's what made the altercation between Childress and Nocioni with just 2:33 to play Wednesday night such a startling sight for the Hawks. Far from the Hawks most physical player, he didn't hesitate to fire back after Nocioni caught him across the jaw with an errant elbow. "We might be young but we're tougher than you think," Hawks point guard Royal Ivey said. "That [Chicago game] was one of the most physical games we've played in a while. It was a battle. But we went out there as a unit and made it clear that we weren't interested in anything but winning. "People can say that it was a must-win game for the Bulls because they are fighting for a playoff berth. But it was just as much of a must-win for us. We're treating every game like a playoff game and we've been doing that for a while now." That's music to Woodson's ears. It also reinforces the message he delivered to them after the Bulls game, where the Hawks' 20 turnovers were turned into 20 points in a 96-90 loss. Every little thing matters when you're talking about competing for a playoff spot. "That's one of the things I told my guys in the locker room," Woodson said. "This was like a playoff game. So next year, if we're able to get over the hump and get into the position to play playoff basketball, this is what it's going to be like." 資料來源 http://www.ajc.com/hawks/content/sports/hawks/stories/hawks0414.html --

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