Hawks Break Houston Hearts

Smith's buzzer-beating tip lifts Atlanta to 105-103 win

Jason Friedman
Rockets.com Staff Writer

Houston - The “Hickory High” Rockets deserved better.

Employing the exact same never say die attitude as their cinematic doppelgangers from “Hoosiers” and crashing the boards as if their lives depended upon grabbing every loose ball, it seemed downright cruel that Houston should ultimately lose on the game’s final rebound.

Yet that’s exactly what transpired as Atlanta’s Josh Smith - stifled and burdened with foul trouble throughout much of the contest – flew through the air and tipped home a Mike Bibby miss with .7 seconds remaining, thwarting an inspired Houston comeback while simultaneously helping the Hawks keep their perfect home record intact with a heart-pounding 105-103 victory.

“It was one if those bang, bang plays,” lamented Houston Head Coach Rick Ademan. “Chuck Hayes ran out to challenge Bibby and the ball came off perfectly for Josh to put back in.”

Smith’s buzzer-beater ruined a furious Rockets’ rally which saw the club claw its way back from a 10-point deficit with just 2:07 to play. Prior to that bucket, Houston had outscored Atlanta 11-1 over the game’s final two minutes, with Carl Landry (18 points, 8 rebounds) tying the game by calmly converting a pair of clutch free throws at the 5-second mark.

After an Atlanta timeout, the Hawks inbounded the ball to Bibby who pulled up and misfired from 18 feet. But as Adelman alluded to, Hayes had slid over to help Aaron Brooks keep Bibby out of the lane and when the missed shot cruelly bounced perfectly off the rim to a soaring Smith, the high-flyer had no trouble tapping it home for the winning score. Left with no timeouts, Shane Battier then fired the ball down the length of the court where it was intercepted by Joe Johnson, ensuring there would be no more miracles on the night.

“We put ourselves in great position at the end to win the game, but we didn’t get it done,” said Brooks. “They’re a great team and tough to beat here. Despite the great effort we put out tonight we’re still 7-6.”

The disappointment evident in Brooks’ answer revealed the fact that the Rockets found no solace in merely coming close to knocking off the team with the NBA’s best record. And to be sure, Houston’s performance was by no means perfect as the team’s errant shooting stroke (42% from the field, 32% from three) left the club vulnerable to occasional stagnant stretches like the one which allowed Atlanta to post 13 straight points during a pivotal fourth quarter run.

But the fact that the Rockets even had a chance to win was testament to the unbelievable effort every single player provided Friday night. Houston amassed a whopping 20 offensive rebounds on the evening, 11 coming in the third quarter alone, allowing the Rockets to record an astounding 29 second-chance points. And in what's become a rather commonplace occurence this season, Houston's bench production was once again off the charts, outscoring the Atlanta reserves 44-24.

Those who have been following Houston closely this season know the Rockets’ work-rate is nothing new. Nonetheless, it remains interesting to hear opponents rave once they witness Houston's seemingly endless energy in person.

“You have to give that team a lot of credit, man,” said Hawks’ Head Coach Mike Woodson. “They came out and battled from beginning to the end.”

"That was a scrappy, scrappy team and they played very physical," added Atlanta guard Jamal Crawford.

Of course, the Rockets would opt for a win over mere flattery every day of the week. Those compliments surely do nothing to numb the pain they’re feeling right now. But though the Hollywood ending eluded them this time, it’s not hard to believe that their exemplary efforts will be rewarded with a fantastic finish much more to their liking soon enough.

It worked for Hickory High. It will eventually work Houston, too.

QUOTES

Head Coach Rick Adelman: “This was a tough loss. We battled back from a late deficit, but the fourth quarter cost us. We were up six points and then they went on a 12-0 run to take the control of the game. We just hit a bad stretch and couldn’t battle back and they made a play at the end. I thought we had a very stagnant offense and they took advantage of it. They got some key offensive rebounds in he fourth quarter that really hurt us. Even though it was a loss I think we did some things well, we just have to be more consistent in the future.”

(On the last play of the game) “It was one if those bang, bang plays. Chuck Hayes ran out to challenge (mike) Bibby and the ball came off perfectly for Josh (Smith) to put back in.”

Aaron Brooks: “We put ourselves in great position at the end to win the game, but we didn’t get it done. They’re a great team and tough to beat here. Despite the great effort we put out tonight we’re still 7-6.”

Luis Scola: (On Josh Smith’s shot) “The last play was a big play. Big time players make those plays. He got the ball and put it back in, it was a great play. It was pretty close game the whole game. We fell down by ten but then we fought back. We got back in the game but, Josh Smith made a big play at the end.”

Head Coach Mike Woodson: (On second chance points): “You have to give that team a lot of credit man, I think they came out, they battled from beginning to the end. We had probably our worst game in terms of rebounding the basketball. The team got a lot of second chance points that they converted into buckets. But we hung in there, we made the plays down the stretch. Bibby had a great look and Smoove followed it up and was able to bring it home.”

(On the last play): “It was designed for Joe and I thought that they would probably double and play him hard going towards the sideline where we had him going. Then Bibby came off the pin down and caught the ball. He really had a good look and he made a really good offensive move with the dribble and shot a little 15 foot jump shot that just rolled off and Josh Smith was there to clean it up.”

(On Marvin Williams): “Phenomenal. It was good to see Marvin break out into a big time game. I thought he was solid from beginning to the end. He had a big tip-in dunk coming down the stretch as well but he played solid all the way through the night.”

“He had looks early and he made them. We went to him and he continued to make them. He rebounded the ball, probably his best rebounding night for us and he scored and we needed every bit of it.”

Jamal Crawford: (On losing the lead late) “Well, we didn’t get stops when we needed to. They’re a scrappy team and they play hard until the very, very end. We had a couple miscues, myself included. We came out with a win and that’s all that matters.”

“It feels good. Against Portland we couldn’t make any shots and we still won the game. Tonight that was a scrappy, scrappy team and they played very physical and we still came out with the win, so I think we can take the best of what people have to offer.”

Josh Smith: “My man and Bibby’s man stayed glued to him, and all I want to do is just crash the boards. Just in case he missed, I was there for the put back.”
(On the final play): That’s all that matters to us. It doesn’t matter how many minutes I play, it just matters about that last shot. It was big win for our team and it gave us another win.”

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