So far so good. If Atlanta was looking for a spark when it traded for Kirk Hinrich, then it appears they have received just that. Hinrich made his debut with Atlanta off the bench checking in with about six minutes to go in the first quarter. Hinrich buried his first three point attempt in a Hawks uniform.
Josh Smith got Atlanta off to a good start doing damage on the interior. Smith leads the Hawks with ten points, five rebounds, and three assists. Jamal Crawford came off the bench and buried two three pointers for his six points. Atlanta has looked much sharper on offense. Lately the offense has been plagued by a reliance on long jump shots. Tonight the Hawks went inside early before kicking out for wide open jump shots. Thus far the results have been promising with the team shooting 48% from the field in the first quarter.
Another big change was on the defensive end. The Hawks forced the Warriors into 6-21 shooting in the first quarter. They have appeared much more active. The goal now is to sustain this effort for the remainder of the game.