There’s no basketball, but Hawks players and employees are finding ways to stay busy and give back the the community this Thanksgiving week. Here’s what a few players are up to:

• Jamal Crawford Announces 2nd Charity Game – Crawford announced plans for charity basketball game to take place on December 15 at the University of Washington. Other NBA players who have confirmed their attendance include John Wall, Brandon Roy, Kevin Durant, and Jason Terry.  Crawford hosted a similar event back in July.
• Hawks Employees Plant Trees in Kirkwood - Hawks employees teamed up with Trees Atlanta to plant 47 trees in Kirkwood. As part of the “Threes for Trees” program, every three-pointer made by the Hawks last season resulted in a donation.
• Josh Smith Skates for a Cause - Smith participated in the “Roll Over Hunger” skate party hosted by Ludacris and Big Boi today. Proceed benefit the Hosea Feed the Hungry Foundation.

With the basketball world abuzz wondering who will be next to head to Europe, there is at least one player who is adamant about staying in the good ol’ USA. Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry commented on the lockout and where he stands on the situation. And as usual, he got his point across in typical “every sentence out of my mouth is worth of being a headline”  fashion:

“I don’t see us not having a season next year. [A] potential delay is out there, but we have to train as if there’s going to be a season. We know what we are now. We are champions. Everybody already was gunning for the Mavericks and they will be again.”

When asked about the possibility of following some of his comrades overseas, Terry staunchly refuted any such option:

“I’m not even looking. My season next year’s going to be with the Mavericks. All the money in the world couldn’t amount to being a champion and being able to defend that title next year.”

Terry is a player representative with the NBPA. The 11-year veteran was drafted in the first round by the Hawks in 1999 and played with the team through the 2003-2004 season.

Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Heat and the Mavs is tonight in Dallas. Each team features a former Atlanta Hawk point guard: Jason Terry for the Mavs and Mike Bibby for the Heat.

[Fun fact: Terry and Bibby also played alongside one another as teammates at the University of Arizona. The two led the Wildcats to an NCAA Championship in 1997.]

Terry was drafted by the Hawks in Round 1 as the 10th overall pick in 1999. He led the team in steals, assists and free throws in the 2000-2001 season and played with the team for five years before being traded to the Mavs in 2004 for Antoine Walker.

In February, Bibby, along with Jordan Crawford, Maurice Evans and a first round draft pick, was traded to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong. Shortly after, Bibby agreed to a buyout with the Wizards, giving up the remaining $6.2 million on his contract to go to the Heat for a chance at a ring. Well, now he’s got his chance.

How have the two former Hawks stacked up against one another thus far in the series?

In Game 1, Terry had 12 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist in 33 minutes compared to Bibby’s 3 assists and 2 steals in 14 minutes (he went 0-for-4 from the field).

In Game 2, Terry put up 16 points and 5 assists in 31 minutes, while Bibby had 14 points and 4 steals in 22 minutes for the Heat.

While Bibby has struggled from the field, it looks like Terry has gotten back into a groove. And just in time for the Mavs. Terry had earned a reputation as “the closer” due to his 4th quarter performances, but that role had been called into question in earlier playoffs. In Game 2, however, Dallas found itself down by fifteen with just over seven minutes to play and facing a potential 0-2 series deficit. With a flurry of eight points in just over three minutes, Terry equaled his scoring output from the first three quarters combined to fuel the team’s comeback.

Looks like Terry’s got Bibby beat so far in this series. And if “the closer” is in fact back, Dirk just may get his ring after all.