ATLANTA - The Hawks keep reaping the rewards for their amazing season. .For the first time since 1980, Atlanta will have three players in the NBA All-Star Game. Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague and Al Horford are joining their coach, Mike Budenholzer, for the Feb. 15 contest at Madison Square Garden in New York.In a sense, Thursdays announcement pf the reserves felt like the Hawks (38-8) got a bit shortchanged, considering they have won 17 in a row, 31 of 33 and lead the Eastern Conference by whopping seven games. Kyle Korver was also mentioned as a possible candidate, but he wasnt picked by the coaches.Korver could still make the team, however. Miamis Dwyane Wade, picked as a reserve, is sidelined with a strained right hamstring that could keep him out through the All-Star break. If hes unable to go, Commissioner Adam Silver will name a replacement.As it stands, the Hawks will have their most players in the All-Star Game since John Drew, Eddie Johnson and Dan Roundfield made it 35 years ago.Korver said hes good either way.Its never been a goal of mine to be an All-Star, the 33-year-old said after practice Thursday. Not too many years ago, I dont think many people even thought I was a legitimate starter.There was really no doubt about Millsap, Teague and Horford, who have propelled the Hawks to a start that no one saw coming. They lead the league in victories and have the second-best winning percentage behind Golden State.Millsap, who will be making his second straight All-Star appearance, leads the team in scoring (17.2 points a game) and rebounding (8.1), in addition to averaging 3.2 assists and 1.7 steals. Viewed as more of a role player during seven years in Utah, the 6-foot-8 forward has blossomed since signing with Atlanta as a bargain-basement free agent before last season. He has made more 3-pointers in less than two seasons with the Hawks than he attempted during his time with the Jazz, which has opened up his entire offensive game.We didnt realize Paul could do this much, be this impactful, Budenholzer said.Teague will be making his first All-Star appearance. A first-round pick in 2009, he showed flashes of potential over his first four seasons but really began to blossom under Budenholzer. The point guard is averaging 17 points and 7.5 assists.Coach Bud gave me the opportunity, Teague said. All you can do is play hard for someone who gives you that kind of respect.Horford will be making his third All-Star appearance, but his first since 2011. He has endured two serious injuries since then, playing just 11 games in 2011-12 and 29 games a year ago. The 6-10 centre is averaging 15.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists, gaining confidence and minutes as the season has gone along.Its a great honour, Horford said, but at the same time were focused on the team and what we have at hand.Budenholzer and his staff already claimed a spot leading the Eastern Conference by virtue of the Hawks record, making him the first Atlanta coach to gain that honour since Lenny Wilkens in 1994.Also, second-year point guard Dennis Schroder was selected to play in the Rising Stars Challenge, which means the Hawks will be well represented on All-Star weekend in the Big Apple.We love for our players to have success and for our players to be appreciated, Budenholzer said. Theres a sense of pride. They work really hard. They do a lot of things we appreciate. If other people are appreciating them, thats a good thing.One Atlanta player who wont be in New York, backup guard Kent Bazemore, had an idea for how Budenholzer should handle all those Hawks hell have on the bench, with an eye toward the rest of the season.Hopefully coach rests em all, Bazemore said of his teammates, and runs the other guys in the ground.Budenholzer chuckled when someone told him of the plan.I may bring Kent and have him sit next to me on the bench, the coach said. Hes got some good suggestions.___Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 .com) - Sixth-seeded Feliciano Lopez was a first-round winner on Monday at the Delray Beach Open tennis event. . Lin averaged 27.3 points and 8.3 assists while leading the Knicks to a 4-0 record. The undrafted Harvard graduates 109 points are the most by an NBA player in his first four starts since the 1976-77 season, and he became the first player in NBA history to tally at least 20 points and seven assists in each of his first four starts. .J. Brennan couldnt have asked for a better debut with the Toronto Marlies.SOCHI, Russia -- Teemu Selanne scored two goals and Tuukka Rask had a 26-save shutout, helping Finland rout the United States 5-0 Saturday to win hockey bronze at the Sochi Games. Selanne, a 43-year-old, six-time Olympian, and Jussi Jokinen scored 11 seconds apart early in the second period. The Finns scored three goals in the third period against a team that lookedd like it would rather be at home. . Finland has won four medals in the last five Olympics, more than any other nation in the NHL era. Before the third-place match became a rout in the final period, it was a game of missed opportunities for the Americans. Patrick Kane couldnt convert on a penalty shot in each of the first two periods for the U.S. ' ' '
by ldh2013 » Fri Jun 17, 2016 8:58 am 
