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  • Wizards at Hawks

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    lethalweapon3

    WallTanked2.jpg

    Where Tanking Actually Works!

     

     

     

    First things first: “SERIES!”

    Alright, in all “SERIES!”-ness, it’s time to move on. The Atlanta Hawks have been faring quite well in back-to-backs. After enduring a late onslaught last night from Anthony Davis and the referees, they put their Big Boi pants on and flew away from the Pelicans. Atlanta looks to sweep their third of 18 back-to-backs this season with a Saturday night win at the Highlight Factory, against the Washington Wizards (Note the earlier weekend time -- 7:30 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast, CSN Mid-Atlantic).

    The Hawks (6-1) were 31-11 on back-to-back games in 2014-15, including a pleasant 19-3 during their romp between Thanksgiving and the All-Star Break. They were 14-7 on the back-end games, and their resilience during tight stretches of the NBA schedule has become a hallmark of reigning Coach of the Year Mike Budenholzer and his staff.

    “Release the Korveraken!” Kyle Korver unearthed last night with a torching display from downtown (8-for-8 FGs, 4-for-4 on threes), plus he kept the Pelicans on their toes with interior shots and defensive hustle (7 defensive rebounds, 3 steals). The tag-team with Thabo Sefolosha on back-to-backs has been working wonders so far. Yet Korver suggested he’ll try to coax Coach Bud into keeping him active with his hot hand versus Washington (3-2). Both Kyle and Thabo, along with Mike Muscala are listed as probable ahead of tonight's game. In this four-game regular-season division series, the Hawks and Wizards won’t meet again until a home-and-home in late March.

    Oh, did somebody just say “SERIES”? Paul Pierce is no longer around to save Washington’s bacon every night. The Wizards must have had some intimation that Paula was Going Back to Cali, because they spent much of the offseason trying to strengthen their depth at the wing, behind Bradley Beal (team-high 25.0 PPG, 50.0 3FG%) and Otto Porter (11.4 PPG, 18.8 3FG%). General manager Ernie Grunfeld traded to acquire rookie Kelly Oubre from Atlanta and Jared Dudley from Milwaukee, both using future picks. Then the Wiz signed Gary Neal, and occasional Nets playoff hero Alan Anderson, during free agency.

    It all might eventually work out. But first, they need their new additions to get healthy and put in some meaningful minutes in the rotation. Anderson needed preseason ankle surgery and will be out for a couple more weeks. Dudley, who’s enjoyed a pleasant outing or two at Philips Arena in the past, has appeared in the last four games, but needs patience after summertime surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back.

    As a result, it’s hard to grasp the prospects for success of a team that finished 2014-15 just a couple games shy of the Eastern Conference Finals. One minute, Washington is pressed to squeak by Orlando in their season opener. The next, they’re turning on the jets to dust upstart Milwaukee on the road in the fourth quarter. One minute, they’re staring down San Antonio in the clutch, Beal’s 3-point dagger making the Spurs blink. The next, they’re struggling just to keep up with Boston, who made quick work of the Wizards last night in a 118-98 rout at TD Garden.

    Are the Wizards genuinely primed for a serious run at the NBA Finals in 2016, or simply trying to keep a good store out front, in hopes 2016 free agency will feel like a Homecoming?

    The personnel moves thus far leave the sense that Washington’s doing the latter, laying out gossamers in autumn to catch one very big grasshopper in the summer. They’ve granted themselves flexibility in accommodating Beal’s next big contract, recently reaching mutual agreement not to offer a multi-year extension. Plus, they’ve got a couple deadwood contracts soon to expire. The most obvious evidence for the Wizards’ long game, however, is the fluidity with which they’re staffing their starting forward positions.

    Former Kardashian rental Kris Humphries started for a spell early last season, while Nene was recuperating from injury. Now, from the start, he has essentially swapped places with Nene, who backs up Marcin Gortat and sets up an intriguing battle of the Brazilian Blahs with the Hawks’ Tiago Splitter. Nine months from now, there’s a good chance one of these two will be starting for the hosts in Rio.

    Nene is another casualty of the Budenholzer Effect, wherein teams are scrapping Land of the Lost frontcourts in favor of quickness and stretchiness at the power forward position. This evolved typology gives Hump (3-for-4 3FGs last night at Boston) the leg up over Nene to offset the Millsaps and Georges of the world. Whenever opposing teams are getting over the Hump, Porter can slide over from the 3-spot and give it a go.

    The Tim Hardaway, Jr. Coincidence Tour continues, with Oubre (also a Jr.) paying Atlanta a visit. Since getting draft-night traded by the Hawks to the District in three-way exchange for a future 1st and a pair of 2nds, Oubre got his first significant regular-season floor time (3-for-5 2FGs, 0-for-4 3FGs, 3 fouls in 14.5 minutes) last night in Orlando.

    While the 19-year-old’s hasn’t made a huge impression on the court, so far, he did make an impression of Marky Mark off of it. His sideline celebratory self-grab (not really Cassellian quality) in response to Beal’s game-winning shot versus the Spurs got caught-on-tape. After his costly Big Beal Dance ($15,000 fine), Oubre’s hoping to pay the Wizards back for his youthful indiscretion, in the form of improving play on the floor.

    Oubre, despite his inexperience, is maybe the best defensive option the Wizards can find off the bench. From Nene to Dudley, to Drew Gooden, to Ramon Sessions, to Neal, to Garrett Temple, to DeJuan Blair: if there’s more than one of these guys on the floor together, and they’re not burying shots, it’s “Bar the Door, Katie!” out there. The Wizards can’t really turn to a second unit to hold serve, so it’s up to Wittman to do some strategic platooning to give his starters decent rest.

    The Hawks (season-high 73.2% of FGs assisted @ NO; 73.0% vs. Nets) put the Pelicans on slow-boil for much of Friday night’s action, dropping New Orleans from 1st to 6th in pace on this early stretch of the season. Replacing the Pellies atop the pace rankings was Boston, who conspired with the speedy John Wall and second-place Washington (105.2 possessions per-48) to run each other ragged yesterday.

    It remains to be seen whether the Wizards will come in tonight looking weary, after a full night running to the perimeter in vain after Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk (combined 40 points, 6-for-9 3FGs). Or if, instead, it’s the pace-and-space Hawks who look spaced out after tackling a second high-paced team in as many nights. Al Horford and Paul Millsap will do their part to keep the Wizards bigs grabbing their own shorts.

    Atlanta’s cause will be furthered tremendously if they can get a repeat offensive performance out of Dennis Schröder. The Menace balanced his uncanny ability to blow by everyone to the hoop with sharp perimeter shooting (3-for-4 2FGs, 3-for-4 3FGs) and wise decisions with the basketball (5 assists, 1 TO). Schröder’s strong play meant Jeff Teague (5-for-16 FGs, 8-for-10 FTs, 7 assists, 3 TOs) didn’t have to do too much on his own, ahead of tonight’s matchup with Wall.

    Both Teague and Schröder have to keep up the defensive pressure, make smart decisions on screens, and disallow Wall (19.2 PPG, 13 assists and 1 TO vs. SAS, 8 TOs @ BOS) and Ramon Sessions piling up points on drives and fastbreaks. Washington’s 22.6 fastbreak points per game rank only behind Golden State’s 24.3. Wall intends to take better care of the rock against a Hawks team whose 22.0 PPG off turnovers ranks second in the East, behind the Boston team that felled the Wizards last night.

    Schröder brought to six the cast of Hawks that reached double figures last night, including all five starters for the second time this season; Mike Scott was one point shy of making it seven. As Bob Rathbun notes, the Hawks had 20 games in 2014-15 where their starters each tallied at least ten points, leading the league.

    Meanwhile, offensive imbalance hasn’t served Marcin Gortat well. His in-game field goal attempts have maxed out at nine through five games, after getting double-digit shots in 38 games last season. Washington would do well to get Gortat (5 assists, season-high 10 points at Boston) more post touches, and not just against Atlanta. Both teams rank last in the league with 9.0 second-chance points per game.

    When the outcome of the game is in distress and the Bat-signal goes up, one team looks almost exclusively to a pair of guards to answer the call. The other, well, looks every bit like a Basketball Club should.

     

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3


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