“Dray, did I ever mention that you did an awesome job in ‘Shrek’?”
Happy Early Father’s Day! Almost every day is Father’s Day at Philips Arena, as opposing players are granted ample opportunities by the Atlanta Hawks to make their NBA-playing papas proud.
After leaving former Hawk Glenn Robinson, Jr. beaming with pride yesterday, it’s likely that Mychal Thompson and Dell Curry will enjoy watching their kids’ Golden State Warriors (7:30 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, CSN Bay Area in SFO) become just the latest team to son the Hawks during Atlanta’s ill-fated homestand.
Dell’s got the night off, with the Hornets game on TNT, while Mychal’s Lakers are on the road before playing in Dallas tomorrow. So maybe both should be in the building as the Splash Brothers aim to keep the nets wet at The Other Team’s Highlight Factory. Heck, it’s a good thing the son of another ex-Hawk, Wes Matthews, wasn’t around to put the lid on Atlanta (34-28) last Wednesday, after the Hawks coughed up another late-game lead.
Perhaps the spawn of former Warrior Tim Hardaway, Sr. might have a say about things before all is said and done tonight. But it’s going to take a lot more than a hopefully hot hand to make a positive difference, especially against the NBA’s best offense.
Junior Hardaway (60 points and four assists in last two losses) has done all he could offensively during this homestand to help drag his Hawks out of unnecessary holes. Perhaps too much at times, given his propensity for over-dribbling and taking desperation shots. The need to turn to Hardaway and Paul Millsap (50 points and 19 rebounds in last two games) for clutch scoring, unfortunately, has come at the expense of sound ball movement, or much legitimate movement at all. Their fourth-quarter offense has been less of a silver, and more of an aluminum lining, given how frequently the Hawks get roasted from outside.
Flat-footed transition defenders, including Hardaway, left a backpedaling Dennis Schröder out to dry as the game hung in the balance. Atlanta defenders, who need to avoid giving up three-point daggers, instead strive to compensate for their bigs by converging around the paint, going for strips in anticipation of two-point shots, and getting caught Torch Red-handed.
Atlanta foes get just 22.3 percent of their shots on layup/dunk attempts (3rd-lowest in NBA), but the Hawks must allow their quality interior defenders (Millsap and Dwight Howard, specifically) to earn their stripes without unnecessary help. Thanks (but no thanks) to swingmen distracted by stars in the paint, players like Robinson have made highlight reels out of the Hawks’ under-defended corners (40.9 opponent corner FG%, 6th-most in NBA; only team with winning record allowing over 40 percent).
Schröder (7 assists, 1 TO vs. IND on Sunday) also got little help from his teammates on the offensive end, especially early (14 team assists through three quarters vs. IND). Once renowned for their motion offense, the Hawks (1.54 assist/TO ratio, 21st in NBA) have failed to produce more assists than their opponents in each of their last nine defeats.
Tonight, they face a Warriors team that leads the league in assist-turnover ratio (2.1, only NBA team above 2.0), assist percentage (70.7% of baskets made, only team above 65) and assist ratio (21.4 assists per 100 possessions, only team above 20).
The Dubs have hardly skipped a beat in these areas even after losing Kevin Durant last week, likely for much of the balance of the regular season. Kent Bazemore, a two-way dud (1-for-7 FGs, -17 plus/minus in 19 minutes) against the Pacers, along with Thabo Sefolosha and Hardaway, must be more mindful of the drive-and-kick threats than the Globetrotter dribble shots by Curry, whose recently-wayward jumper is only beginning to thaw.
Beginning two weekends ago versus Brooklyn, and continuing through halftime of the Warriors’ visit to Madison Square Garden yesterday, Steph had gone just 33-for-102 from the field, 10-for-47 on threes. His opponents found it much easier to lay off Patrick McCaw and Matt Barnes, instead of Durant, to cover the Warriors’ greater threats.
Curry finally shed the post-All-Star rust in the second-half (7-for-11 FGs, incl. three third-quarter triples) against Derrick Rose and the Knicks, to keep Golden State (51-11) from dropping three straight for the first time since Bazemore’s squad went on a brief losing streak in November 2013. Even without KD on the floor, Curry still has Thompson (29 points, 9-for-9 FTs, 4-for-9 3FGs vs. NYK), Andre Iguodala, and Draymond Green at his disposal, to say little of Thompson (team-high 40.8 3FG%).
Even when they get beaten off the dribble, Atlanta defenders must avoid over-pursuing Warrior ballhandlers and dare them to finish their circus shots inside. On-ball defenders like Schröder and Bazemore must go over screens religiously. Golden State’s offense can remain dry if they are deprived of open three-point attempts and cheap trips to the free throw line. Due to ankle synovitis, Atlanta doesn’t have the son of Mike Dunleavy, Sr. to help keep up in a shootout.
Durant (25 points, 14 D-Rebs) was the sole Warrior capable of keeping Howard and Millsap (nine combined O-Rebs) off the offensive glass during the Dubs’ 105-100 win over visiting Atlanta on November 28. Continuous fullcourt pressure from the Hawks’ starting big men should prove taxing for former Hawk Zaza Pachulia, Green (team-high 40 minutes vs. NYK yesterday, 37.9 MPG in last four games), and David West, as well as the son of ex-WNBA player Pamela McGee.
JaVale will particularly seek to step up his game in Shaq’s place of residence. It is Dwight’s responsibility to ensure that he (65.0 FG% during ATL homestand, but just 6.7 FGAs per game) is the Hall-of-Fame-caliber center worthy of McGee’s undivided attention.
It will take a properly-disciplined Hawks defense (paging Coach Bud) to stay competitive with Golden State for four quarters and keep the game-clinching moments from becoming another family affair. Failing that, every perimeter defensive lapse is likely to cause Hawks fans to elicit nearly-incestuous cries of, “Oh, brother!”
Let’s Go Hawks!
~lw3
