Thu, 29 Jan 2009 06:26:43 -0500 jasonbm76@gmail.com (Forum Index) IP.Blog 60
I noticed as early as the Hornets game that the Hawks were switching nearly every ball screen no matter what players were involved. This was fairly effective in the second half of that New Orleans game as the switching really kept Chris Paul out of the lane after he had had a huge first half. There are many options for tactics when defending screens. The Hawks are one of the few teams I have seen that switch on every screen. I believe to be able to switch all screens then you have to go back to BK's plan of having 5 guys on the court that are athletic with long arms that can defend. As you can see on many nights when the Hawks have brought a defensive intensity to the game this plan has been able to work. Many times however this has not been the case. In this Texas series we ran up on coaches that were able to manipulate the match ups. The Spurs in particular ended up with ZaZa trying to guard Ginobli on the perimeter simply by setting a high screen.

Over the next few days I am going to watch some other NBA games and I want to see their tactics on ball screens and see the differences.]]> Wed, 28 Jan 2009 11:33:00 -0500
When looking at the Hawks right now I have to admit it is hard to find anything positive to take from this. Like all tortured Hawks fans I am afraid that a rough road trip could once again put us at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and force us to have to fight just to get in. I haven't seen the consistent defensive effort on a night to night basis since the first 6 or 7 games of the season. Players like Iguodala that are shooting sub 30% from three have big nights from the outside because we don't make a commitment to guard them. Save the first half of the home opener against Philly I believe those first 6 or 7 games was the most complete basketball that we have played. Now Horford is hurt and may be out for some time and we weren't exactly intimidating in the middle to begin with.. How do we survive?

I don't have that answer? I believe with a lot of franchises Woody would be in trouble just due to the lopsidedness of the scores. Getting down by that many points questions effort and effort in my opinion is one of the things that can get a coach fired quickly. However, this is the Hawks and we are not firing Woody nor do I think we should. As a group we have to come together again. Players, coaches, everyone. They have to hold each other accountable. As individuals I think it is on Joe and Smoove. Joe has been doing a good job moving the ball around as his assist totals will back up but when it is crunch time this team needs him to come through. Whether it be hitting a jumper, making free throws, finding the open man, or getting into the paint. I think it is on Smoove now to take up Horford's stats and presence. We need Josh Smith now!! We can't wait. His rebounding and at times effort have been unforgivable. I don't want to hear that he is hurt because right now this team is hurt. It is time to step it up. We need him to be his own form of superman again.

Its gut check time for the Hawks. I want to see them bounce back but the last few years have bruised me so I don't really know how this team will respond. I will be watching every night though.


]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:36:00 -0500

Some random Basketball thoughts:

Watched the Hawks defeat the Pacers last night, during the telecast they said this was the most wins (21) the Hawks have had before Jan 1st since 1979. Is this the best Atlanta Hawks team ever?

Read a good basketball book by John Feinstein called "The Last Amateurs". I have always liked Feinstein from his appearances on the Sports Reporters on ESPN. This book covers the Patriot league as one of the last college basketball conferences that at the time all of the teams didn't award athletic scholarships. It was a very fun read especially if you like small conference basketball. I am sure I will be talking some more about this book in the near future.

Some great College Basketball games on New Year's Eve starting a noon today on ESPN2 and running I believe most of the night.

The Basketball team that I coach made up of 9 and 10 year olds open our season on Monday and I am hoping for a successful season.

Anyone out there read "The Last Amateurs"? I would love to hear some comments.]]> Wed, 31 Dec 2008 08:24:00 -0500