Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 107, Pistons 101

Auburn Hills, Mich. –This was similar to the Milwaukee game: Awful start, great finish. “I wish it could be a little earlier,” Josh Smith said. “I would rather have the lead than try to claw back into it and do it the way we did it. But a win is a win. I’ll take it.” The Hawks did it behind Joe Johnson’s 28 points after halftime. There are times when Johnson doesn’t have it and focuses on drawing doubles and swinging the ball. This time, he just kept doing his thing until he found his rhythm. “The second half I just wanted to be aggressive,” he said. “It was do or die. We had to put up or shut up. Guys came out and made big plays and gave ourselves a chance in overtime. I just wanted to validate that and be aggressive and make plays not only for myself but my teammates.” For the second time in three games Larry Drew didn’t take Joe out after halftime (Josh didn’t get a break, either). “You ha...