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Hawkszone Arena Report

The Atlanta Hawks home nest is Philips Arena.  Opened in 1999, Philips is also home to the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers.

Philips Arena's design is unique from most major arenas being built today in that it features all of it's luxury suites (or money makers as insiders call them) on one side of the venue.  Stacked like opera boxes on the arena's southwest side, they create the Bank of America Club - an entirely different section of the arena only accessible suite invitees, club seat holders or people brave enough to fist the hostess a $20.

The rest of the arena is reserved for general seating.  Decent sightlines and comfort can be found here.  The only notable exception is the 200 level seating which is crowded under the overhang of the upper deck.

The upper deck itself sits closer to the court than usual thanks to the deletion of the standard suite cramming between the upper and lower bowls.  The seats at the bottom of the upper deck sideline are among the best views in the house and can be had at decent prices, but be prepared to tolerate the family and blue collar crowd which tend to inhabit the cheaper seats.  Most of these characters are more interested in nachos than basketball.

Getting tickets to Hawks games has been, no surprise, relatively easy the past few years.  If one springs for season tickets (either full or partial) they get the benefit of the same reserved seat for each game and a few perks the Hawks throw at you throughout the season.

THIS IS THE VIEW FROM MY SEATS AT PHILIPS ARENA

Single game tickets are available through Ticketmaster, the ever friendly monolithic ticket provider.  Expect to be amazed at how they tell you the only thing left is behind the basket in the upper deck even though you know the arena will be 10% full.

If you choose to get your tickets through the fine Atlanta scalping community, be prepared to deal with some of the strangest characters around.  They will act as if every Hawks game is sold out, and that you should really pay face value or more.  Don't.  Unless the Lakers are in town, never pay more than 80% of the face value and make sure the tickets are grouped together.   Walk away if they try to get tough with ya, they'll chase you down and give you your price.

QUICKTAKES  ARCHIVE

11/20/04 - I suppose Josh Childress must have seen Josh Smith's preseason dunk that was posted here late last month. So here is his entry into the rookie dunk contest.  Point taken.

11/19/04 - The ugly scene in Detroit was the culmination of many problems the NBA has quietly refused to address in recent years.  Players who too often behave like thugs, fans who incessantly taunt players from mere feet away and the toleration of on the court violence have finally become front page news.  Both the fans and players who engaged in assaults in the Palace should be prosecuted criminally. The league should act swiftly and fairly in handing out fines and suspensions to it's players; while at the same time letting thier lawyers loose on those asshats in the stands.

11/13/04 - Apparently the Hawks players have nicknamed center Predrag Drobnjak "P-Diddy".  This is simply strange and I doubt he understands it anymore than I do.  Speaking of Drobnjak, I hear he can grow an entire beard in 24 hours - just a rumor.

11/7/04 - Wasn't there a lot of talk about how "defensive minded" new head coach Mike Woodson was supposed to be.  That might still be true, but it was sure hard to tell based on the defensive performance of the Hawks during thier opening road trip.

10/29/04 - If Josh Smith continues to make plays like this one, he will certainly be the steal of the 2004 NBA Draft.

10/29/04 - When Hawkszone called for a change in the Hawks television broadcasting crew, we were politely calling for Bob Rathbun to be released to pursue his career in commenting Wednesday night Braves games and Middle Tennessee State Women's Volleyball.  Instead, we lose Mike "Stinger" Glenn.  On the plus side, Grant Long is joining the crew.  If he puts only half the effort he put into playing forward for the Hawks, he should do fine as an analyst.

10/22/04 - The new ownership apparently took note of a couple of annoying things about the Hawks setup in Philips Arena.  Ever since the Hawks took nest in Philips, the lighting was always to bright in the seating area and the sizable red skirts of the court always made it look isolated.  In response, the more theater like lighting that was used during the All-Star game 2 years ago is being implemented and the skirts of the court have been changed to a nice glossy black.  The little things that make a difference...

10/14/04 - The radio spots playing in Atlanta for the Hawks are refreshingly different from those in years' past. Instead of making fun of themselves they are portraying an aggressive, take no crap, nothing to lose attitude. Nice change.

8/24/04 - So Eric Dampier really, really didn't want to be a Hawk.  I will now continue to not care.  He was clearly over-valued (Knight's offer was only slightly less insane than the Knicks) and you can be assured in 2 years no one will even recognize his name.

8/24/04 - Now that the Hawks roster more closely resembles a potentially competitive NBA team, it may be time to for Hawks fans to start considering season tickets.  It may not pay off this year, but if Knight's plans work out (and that's a significant if) Hawks tickets might once again be a tough ticket.   The Hawks website isn't that helpful, so you might just want to give the office a call. 

8/12/04 - It is somewhat troubling to see Bob Sura and Travis Hansen quietly escape the Hawks roster in the last week at a time when our backcourt still looks questionable at best.  This leaves Tony Delk as the only proven commodity at point and leaves our backcourt scoring in the hands of novice talent.  The situation is reminiscent of many Babcock era "lapses" in personnel management.