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Atlanta Hawks vs Memphis Grizzlies
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- Bradford D. Gillens
Gasol's Buzzer Beater Keeps Hawks Winless
By: Bradford D. Gillens — I Light Media
The crowd inside of Philips Arena was electric. PA Announcer and V-103 FM Radio personality Ryan Cameron even got into the act, standing up from his seat and getting the crowd involved shouting, "Come on ATL, make some noise, it's time for a win." And for a brief moment there it seemed as if the basketball gods were going to smile on the Hawks organization. With less than 5.0 seconds, Grizzlies guard Bobby Jackson shot a jumper that hit the front of the rim and bounced off, much to the joy of the crowd, but as quick as they could taste the Hawks first victory of the year, it was snatched from their lips as Grizzlies' center Pau Gasol gathered in the loose ball and laid it in the bucket with 0.2 seconds remaining to give the Memphis Grizzlies a thrilling 85-84 win over the Atlanta Hawks Saturday night at Philips Arena. The win was the fourth of the season for the Grizzlies and a major bounce back victory after losing to both Boston and Cleveland after starting the season 3-1.
"I saw the game clock running out and knew I didn't have time to take a comfortable shot, so I just tried to get it there as quick as possible, says Gasol of his game winner. "If we'd lost it would've been a bad ending to the road trip. Luckily, the ball bounced our way tonight."
The Grizzlies had four players in double figures, led by Shane Battier with 22 points and five rebounds followed by Gasol with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Jackson chipped in 17, including 13 in the 3rd quarter, and swingman Eddie Jones rounded out the scoring with 14. As for the Hawks, they definitely played one of their best games of the season, but once again, just couldn't find a way to get over the hump. "I think we put up a great fight," says Hawks guard Joe Johnson. "Unfortunately for us, we just got a bad break." The Hawks had a chance to increase their lead to three with about 10 seconds left after center Za Za Pachulia was fouled, but Pachulia missed both free throws setting up Gasol's winning basket.
Leading the Hawks in scoring for the fifth straight game was guard Joe Johnson with 17 points and a career high 12 assists. The Hawks bench, led by Josh Smith's 14 points and 10 rebounds outscored the Grizzlies bench 42-8.
"That's how they (the bench) gotta play," says Hawks Head Coach Mike Woodson. "If our starters are playing well, and our bench guys come in and do their part the bench players come in and do their part, then we become a unit and probably start winning some ballgames."
The Hawks drop to 0-6 on the season, and 0-3 in the confines of Philips Arena. When asked how much of a difference this was from coming from a national championship program to this situation, Marvin Williams said, "It's definitely tough. I'm used to winning and a lot of the other guys are as well, but as long as we continue to play hard, we'll be O.K."
Next up for the Hawks is a three game road trip that includes games at San Antonio, Dallas, and New Orleans/Oklahoma City before returning home on November 23 to host the Boston Celtics.
"We're a young team", says Johnson. "We just gotta stick together and eventually, we'll be able to overcome and get some wins."