ATLANTA (AP) - Atlanta Hawks coach Larry Drew knows his players are excited about the team's new up-tempo approach.
To gain his favor, though, the Hawks must commit themselves to defense.
Drew directed the team through its first practice of training camp on Tuesday, and his message was clear.
"The misconception is that you go up-tempo and you stop guarding," he said. "You don't allow the players to (let) that to sink in or even give it a thought."
Offseason moves by new general manager Danny Ferry reshaped the roster to add speed and quickness.
Ferry brought in Lou Williams, Devin Harris, Anthony Morrow and rookie John Jenkins to complement fast players already on the roster such as Jeff Teague, Josh Smith and Al Horford.
Though possibilities are exciting offensively, Drew insists that players must excel on defense if they hope to earn minutes and chances to score.
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George Hill and David West each scored 21 points and the Indiana Pacers withstood a furious Atlanta comeback in the fourth quarter, beating the Hawks 81-73 on Friday night to close out the opening-round playoff...
George Hill and David West each scored 21 points and the Indiana Pacers withstood a furious Atlanta comeback in the fourth quarter, beating the Hawks 81-73 on Friday night to close out the opening-round playoff series four...
David West scored 24 points and Paul George had 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead Indiana past Atlanta 106-83 on Wednesday night, taking a 3-2 playoff series lead.
David West scored 24 points and Paul George had 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead Indiana past Atlanta 106-83 on Wednesday night, taking a 3-2 playoff series lead.
Josh Smith scored 29 points as the Atlanta Hawks built a 17-point lead at halftime, then withstood an Indiana comeback over the final two quarters to even the series with a 102-91 victory in Game 4 on Monday night.
Josh Smith scored 29 points as the Atlanta Hawks built a 17-point lead at halftime, then withstood an Indiana comeback over the final two quarters to even the series with a 102-91 victory in Game 4 on Monday night.
