Following another listless effort against the Indiana Pacers in Game 2, as Coach Larry Drew scoured through his bag of alchemy tricks desperate for a strategy that would make his Atlanta Hawks look like worthy postseason contenders, Josh Smith’s NBA BIG ad probably gave him all the ideas he needed.

“BIG PASSION,” beckons Drew’s understated forward from the TV screen. It turns out Smoove was on to something. Now, tonight at Philips Arena, playing big and with passion before a raucous and favorable crowd can give the Hawks the postseason edge they’ll need to even up their series at two apiece.

Playing BIG at the forward and center positions worked to the Hawks’ decided advantage in Game 3. Paul George (16 points on 4-for-11 shooting, 7-for-8 free throws) and David West (18 points) got their obligatory buckets. But Josh Smith, and Ivan Johnson off the bench, made that task significantly tougher. Johan Petro also made sure Roy Hibbert got off to yet another wretched start.

More importantly, the Hawks did a better job rotating off the double-team of George and disrupting passes when he and Hibbert tried to give up the ball. That resulted in horrendous shooting nights for the Pacers’ perimeter players (27% shooting, including 4-for-25 on threes) and beaucoup turnovers (22, compared to a mere 10 assists) that created many of the transition baskets Highlight Factory fans have learned to love.

Playing with PASSION sparked the type of leadership and aggressiveness Hawk fans are coming to expect from its most stable player. Al Horford literally suggested he needed David West’s attempt at a bulldog slam (and his teammate Jeff Teague’s bold mimicry of a steel chair shot in response) to propel him to his 26-point and 16-rebound domination of the Pacer defense. A few good cheap Pacer fouls will have Horford fully out of Bruce Banner mode once again, and Roy Hibbert viewing from the sideline.

Horford (55.8 FG%) and Smith (52.6 FG%) are 4^th and 6^th in shooting percentage so far in these Eastern Conference playoffs, and that’s with Chicago’s Nate Robinson in unconscious mode. The Twin-Mid Rises must be fed the basketball persistently (often, by one another) and exploit their success until Indiana’s frontline proves they can adjust. Smith had a team-leading six assists despite being hampered by foul trouble in Game 3, and will be motivated by the desire to make every possible “Final Game at Philips Arena as a Hawk” a winning one.

It’s hard to tell whether paternal hopeful Petro will be primed to start once again. His absence would make it incumbent on Johnson to bring his heart and hustle into the fray from the jump, especially to make David West work hard on both ends of the floor. West will undoubtedly try to get under Ivan’s skin, at least until he finds it just might be reptilian. Ivan must not fall for the reindeer games from either West of Tyler Flop Bro. He and Horford (9 combined offensive rebounds) kept the Hawks at par on rebounding until Game 3 was out of reach for the Pacers.

The Pacers would do well to consider going bigger as well, specifically when Hibbert has to sit. Hansbrough was pretty much along for the ride when trying to stick with Horford in Game 3. Coach Frank Vogel has inexplicably held Ian Mahinmi in the doghouse (16.5 MPG this season, 8.5 total minutes this series), and tonight would be as good a time as any to deploy him, if for nothing more than to sop up fouls his critical players are currently absorbing.

As bad as Atlanta has been shooting the ball (Devin Harris 2-for-11 in Game 3; Jeff Teague 4-for-15; starters 0-for-8 on threes), that’s to be expected given Indiana’s defensive approach. Atlanta’s 30.4% shooting on three-pointers in this series is just slightly below the league average (31.6%) and a shade below Indiana’s opponents during the regular season (a league-low 32.7%).

But the Hawks’ perimeter shooters paled in comparison to the ineptitude of Indy’s George Hill, Lance Stephenson, D.J. Augustin, Jeff Pendergraph, Orlando Johnson, and Ben Hansbrough (2-for-30 combined) in Game 3. Indiana will need a couple of those guys to get open and thaw out tonight, as Kyle Korver (2-for-3 on threes) and Anthony Tolliver (2-for-4 on threes) did in brief spells for the Hawks in Game 3.

Indiana will also try to get the game back into their comfortable halfcourt crawl by fouling perpetually. The Hawks have to punish that strategy, when blessed with the kindness of a ref’s whistle, by taking their time and sinking their free throws. The Hawks are leaving 9.33 points per game on the table off of missed free throws, and sooner or later those can make the difference in the outcome of a playoff game. Play with passion, but with focus, too.

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3