Jamal Crawford already got what he wanted most — a trip to the playoffs. On Tuesday, he picked up an extra reward for his unselfishness.

After willingly accepting a backup role for the first time in his career, the Atlanta Hawks guard was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in a landslide.

“You have to check your ego at the door,” the 30-year-old Crawford said. “It’s all about winning. You do what you’ve got to do.”

He had never been on a winning team until he was traded to Atlanta by the Golden State Warriors last summer. Of course, the deal came with a caveat: The Hawks wanted Crawford to come off the bench, which was quite a change for someone who had been starting his whole life, from youth leagues to the NBA.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Even after signing Dunta Robinson, the Atlanta Falcons were still focused on defense in the NFL draft.

The Falcons selected Missouri linebacker Sean Weatherspoon with the 19th overall pick Thursday night and believe he’ll make an immediate impact on a unit that was ravaged by injuries, didn’t get much pressure on the quarterback, and gave up a huge amount of passing yards.

“We were very excited to have the opportunity to take an outside linebacker who’s going to ramp up our speed, our enthusiasm, our athleticism,” general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. “In our minds, this guy is going to be a four-down player for us.”

Weatherspoon was thrilled, too.

“I’m a falcon!!!” he tweeted before his selection was even announced.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of http://www.gainesvilletimes.com

High-flying Josh Smith dominated on the inside. Joe Johnson stepped up from the outside when the Hawks needed him.

The result: Atlanta has a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series for the first time in 40 years.
Johnson took control in the fourth quarter to finish off a 27-point effort, Smith finished one assist shy of a triple-double and the Hawks ran away from the pesky but outmanned Milwaukee Bucks for a 96-86 victory in the Eastern Conference playoffs Tuesday night.

Smith played as though he’s still upset about being snubbed for the All-Star game, when teammates Johnson and Al Horford were selected but he stayed home. He’s certainly a player capable of taking control of a series in many ways, as he demonstrated with his 21 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, not to mention two blocks and two steals.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

The expectations for Jason Heyward were unfair. Analysts on ESPN actually mentioned that he could be a darkhorse candidate for the MVP this year. There was no way he could live up to the hype. 20 year olds in the Major Leagues rarely achieve much sucess and definitely not at the level that some were predicting for Heyward. Well, guess what, Heyward has lived up to the hype. Sure, he may not win the MVP award, but he is already a star who has produced in the pressure situations. Take opening day for example. Heyward’s first at bat, at home, on national television, and what does he do? He hits a line drive over the fence that is still probably traveling. Through 13 games, Heyward is hitting just a shade under .300 with 4 homeruns and 16 RBI, the same amount as the last two NL MVPs, Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard. It will be interesting to see if Heyward will be able to maintain this level of play over the long 162 game season, but I would not bet against him. Normally, veterans are a little salty towards a young phenom who shows up and gets all the hype without proving anything. This was not the case with Heyward, who endeared himself to his teammates instantly. The players have cited his maturity level and said he is one of the most composed kids that they have ever been around. These are the reasons why I think Heyward will be able to maintain his level of play throughout the season and forward. Often times in baseball, makeup is just as important as talent, and Heyward seems have both the makeup and talent to be a star in the league for years to come.

by Josh Weiner at the Sports Fan Blog Network

Rick Dudley knows a thing or two about putting together a winning hockey team from his stints in Buffalo, Ottawa, Tampa Bay and Chicago.

He’s taken on another major project with the Atlanta Thrashers, a team that has made the playoffs only once in its 11-year history and faces questions about how long it can survive in this city.

Dudley was promoted to general manager Wednesday, part of a wide-ranging shakeup in which previous GM Don Waddell was bumped upstairs to team president and coach John Anderson was fired.

Despite all the changes, Dudley doesn’t believe it will take that long for the Thrashers to become a perennial postseason franchise — and put aside that speculation about going elsewhere.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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Today’s regular-season finale for the Atlanta Hawks is more about the future.

“Win or lose, it’s important that we play well,” coach Mike Woodson says of the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. “We’re a young team still learning to win at a high level.”

Woodson led the Hawks to their first playoff appearance of the decade in 2008, taking the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics to seven games in the first round. Last season, Atlanta advanced to the second round.

The goal is to at least make the Eastern Conference finals, which could require upsetting the No. 1-seeded Cavaliers or the No. 2-seeded Orlando Magic.

Click here to read the full article – By J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today

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The first thing Bobby Cox said to me after the game was, “Don’t expect miracles now.”

And part of me felt like saying, “You mean we shouldn’t expect Jason Heyward to hit 162 homers and drive in 648 runs this season? Why not? He’s on pace to do it.” But the bigger part of me said (grudgingly), “Yeah, you’re right.”

We waited long to see what the new guy could do, and with his first swing he gave us reason to believe. But baseball, as we know, is a game of failure. The best hitters make outs seven times in 10, et cetera. And Heyward, who’s the best-looking rookie any of us has ever beheld, is nonetheless a rookie.

He won’t hit 162 home runs in 2010. He might not hit 25. (He had only 29 homers in the minors.) We — and I plead guiltier than anyone — spent yesterday falling all over ourselves to gush, but in the cold light of Tuesday morning we — and I’m talking to myself here, too — have to remember: The guy’s 20; he hasn’t yet figured out everything.

Although it must be said that the least surprised person at Turner Field on Monday was … Jason Heyward. Someone asked if he’d ever dreamed of hitting a home run as a Brave, and he almost laughed off the question. “If I played here in my home town, I’d hope I’d hit a home run in 81 games,” he said.

Click here to read the full article – By Mark Bradley of Atlanta Journal Constitution

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