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    lethalweapon3
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    heat, heat, heat, Magic, Magic, Magic, heat, heat, heat, heat, Hawks, heat. The NBA’s Southeast Division banner has escaped the Sunshine State just one time since its 2004 inception. But meeting tonight, both the Atlanta Hawks and the Washington Wizards (8:00 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, CSN Mid-Atlantic in DC) are eager to double that number of instances. That’s especially true of the visitors to the Highlight Factory.

    As you’ve read here plenty of times before, Washington (25-20) has gone the longest of any NBA franchise without being able to say they’ve ended their regular season at the tippy-top of their division. Their last team banner of any kind was raised after the 1978-79 season, when the then-Bullets, defending league champs, were shot from the Central to the Atlantic Division and went 54-28.

    Somewhere along the way, having been treated to Moses Malone, Bernard King, Chris Webber, Rod Strickland, Michael Jordan, Gil Arenas and, now, four-time All-Star John Wall, Wizards fans would like to at least have something rafter-worthy to put on display.

    Things weren’t looking too hot in The District when this season started. The Hawks and Wizards each gained their first wins of the season from one another, Atlanta prevailing 114-99 at home in the season opener, Washington eight days later coming out on top in a wayward-shooting 95-92 affair at the Verizon Center.

    But the Wizards, under the watchful eye of new head coach Scott Brooks, could only win two of their first ten games. Wall was limited by a minutes restriction after off-season double knee surgery, while Beal missed a few November games, causing fans to question the sagacity of giving Wall’s oft-injured sidekick a five-year max deal last summer.

    “The Wizards are Dead, and Ernie Grunfeld Has Killed Them,” screeched the pall-bearing Deadspin back in December, when Wall’s career-high 52 points were not enough to keep his team from losing at home to Orlando and dropping to 7-13 on the year (12th in the East).

    Yet both stars returned and are, to hear them tell it, in a good condition as ever. They also got a long-awaited boost from fourth-year forward Otto Porter, whose career breakout comes complete with an NBA-best 45.6 3FG%.

    These days, not much more is asked of Porter when he gets the ball on offense, besides shoot it through the net. Otto’s 6.2 TO% ranks sixth-lowest in the league, his 58.6 2FG% ranks 9th, and his 64.2 true shooting percentage ranks second in the East, behind Bebe Nogueira’s 69.9% and just ahead of dunk-master Dwight Howard’s 63.6% (4th in NBA).

    After years of failed development by Wizard draft picks and prospects, Porter has all of D.C. feeling like the cherry blossoms are out early. By most accounts, Wall (career-highs of 23.1 PPG, 82.4 FT%, 49.8 2FG%; NBA-high 2.2 SPG) is enjoying a career year. So, for that matter, is Beal (career-highs of 21.9 PPG, 2.7 3FGs per game, 3.6 APG, 81.6 FT%), shaking out of a recent shooting slump with 31 points to help beat the Celtics on Tuesday.

    Fellow starters Markieff Morris (January: 4 double-doubles, 16.6 PPG, 48.8 FG%, 37.0 3FG%) and Marcin Gortat (8 double-doubles in last 15 games; 11.4 RPG, 9th in NBA) have been rejuvenated. Now the Wizards sit just 1.5 games behind Atlanta, and would love to overtake the Hawks (27-19) in the division and conference standings before the All-Star Break arrives.

    “The opera ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings.” That was the rallying cry for the middle-of-the-pack Bullets during their 1978 run to the NBA Championship, granting the District their first pro sports title in 36 years. It could just as well have been articulated by Bob Rathbun in the minutes before Atlanta’s improbable 119-114 comeback win in the Windysfunctional City.

    The closing moments of Wednesday’s contest was much like the climaxing tropes of action flicks, where miraculously triumphant heroes coolly drift away from the scene, unflinching as the carnage left behind explodes into the sky.

    Jimmy Butler said, quite reductively, “When you win, there’s no problem,” in the aftermath of the nuclear Bulls’ team meeting today. By contrast, credit should go out to Brooks and Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer, and both of their teams’ veteran players, for finding ways to hold steady through the downturns in the season, even after the occasional disappointing performances and finishes pop up.

    At least in the Hawks’ case, any misgivings uttered to the media, social or otherwise, about players have been thoroughly aired out in the locker room and are understood to be applied collectively and inclusively. There is plenty of “we”, and not much “they”, when things aren’t going as planned.

    While the Wizards had to collapse and tank for a couple seasons just to get their hands on a four-time All-Star, the Hawks simply needed a general manager willing to find Paul Millsap’s doorbell. Atlanta’s stalwart power forward brings not only the production on the floor (career-best 18.0 PPG and 3.8 APG), but the ideal demeanor and candor off it.

    Want to know his personal gripes about Dwight, or Al Horford, or Kent Bazemore, or Dennis Schröder? You’ll never find them on Snapchat. “He’s still Paul,” Budenholzer told the AJC pregame when asked about his leadership, “It’s all relative. But I would say he’s significantly more vocal.”

    Wall and Beal, meanwhile, have patched up their behind-the-scenes beefs, and are even back to crowing about Best Backcourts in the East again. With their starting unit rock-solid, all the Wizards need, now, is some sense of a pulse from the reserves.

    Washington’s bench remains the second-worst in the league (-6.9 Net Rating), ahead only of Bitterdelphia’s. Wizard reserves turn the ball over a ton (15.6 TO%, 3rd-highest in NBA), while they struggle on the glass (74.7 D-Reb%, 24th in NBA, improving only as Brooks uses Morris at the 5-spot in the second unit) and from outside (33.3 3FG%, 25th in NBA).

    While Atlanta has just two starters averaging over 30 minutes per game (Schröder barely over that line at 30.7 MPG), the Wizards rely on all five starters (Morris the lowest, with 31.9 MPG), to long-haul it every night. That includes 32-year-old Gortat at 34.8 MPG, the second-highest per-game stint among non-All-Stars above age 30 (Dwight’s 29.4 minutes rank 14th).

    Brooks would love to rely more upon Marcus Thornton and Jason Smith, but they’re unsteady, or on youngsters Kelly Oubre (5-for-9 3FGs in past two games) and Tomas Satoransky, but they’re not quite ready.

    Hawks fans rightfully grumble about the perpetual unavailability of Tiago Splitter, or the under-utility of Mike Scott and the rookie wings. Yet you, reading this, have logged only 14 fewer NBA minutes than Ian Mahinmi, Washington’s four-year, $64 million free agent prize. Mahinmi got into one game back in November before going back on the shelf with knee soreness. (Double-checks… yes, Grunfeld is still punching in). Despite all of that, there is one backup guard from last season the Wizards are likely to never ask back.

    “I Was The Leading Scorer of The Bench (40) Games and The Best 3PT Shooter On The Washington Wizards And The Contracts My Fellow 2nd Unit Members Received…” Such began the Facebook post of one Gary Neal this past July, as he and other free agents were scoping out new deals with NBA teams, before rattling off annual-value offers he felt he deserved, too.

    Neal (9.8 PPG, 41 3FG% in WAS) seemed to have built up an adversarial relationship with several Wizards, past and present. CSN Mid-Atlantic cited “selfish” accusations directed his way, from players and coaches alike, for allegedly stat-padding at the expense of the team. One unnamed Wizard felt, “I should have punched him out,” after feeling shown up by Neal during the season, while another responded, when asked about the Facebook post: “Terrible teammate. All about himself.”

    Neal, coincidentally, is on day #10 of his 10-day contract with a Hawks team (62.5 assist%, 6th in NBA) that is very rarely all about themselves. It’s tough to glean from 18 minutes of action (0-for-7 FGs, 4-for-4 FTs in two games) whether he’ll gain another 10-day stay, or if the Hawks will look another way (Lamar Patterson, anyone?).
    Perhaps Neal has improved his teammate persona, or maybe the Hawks just want to deny Cleveland access to another “playmaker” for a couple more weeks. In any case, Neal’s presence tonight is likely to engender some animosity. Along the Wizard sideline, the reception could get cold like Minnesota.

    Perhaps inspired by tonight’s halftime performer, Hawks wings Thabo Sefolosha and Kent Bazemore will hope to help Dennis Schröder (team-high 24 points and 9 dimes @ CHI on Wednesday) get Wall repeatedly stuck in a bubblegum trap. Neutralizing Wall’s impact not only involves forcing the ball to other Wizards to make plays, but keeping maybe the speediest All-Star baller alive from piling up points in transition (5.8 fastbreak PPG, 5th in NBA).

    Whether it’s in transition or in the halfcourt, Atlanta defenders cannot afford to get stagnant. Without proper rotations while double-teamng the ballhandler, outlets to Beal, Morris, and Porter could have the Hawks playing from behind once again, as was the case here versus the Clippers and in Chicago.

    If the Hawks’ starting guards and wings prove up to the task, and if Howard and Millsap can give Morris and Gortat fits around the rim, then it will be up to Atlanta’s deeper bench to be the difference-maker in tonight’s game.

    Junior Hardaway kicked off his 2016-17 campaign with 21 points to topple the Wizards back on October 27, and it would be good to get him going early and often, after recent subpar offensive performances at Philips (last 4 home games: 7.5 PPG, combined 13-for-37 FGs, 3-for-17 on 3FGs). An early spark could be critical for a Hawks team that has enjoyed a first-quarter lead just once in its last ten home games (before last Saturday versus Chicago, go back to December 7 versus Miami).

    Hardaway want 6-for-11 in Chicago, subbing for Sefolosha and making key plays during the Hawks’ 41-point fourth-quarter flourish. Offensively, the Hawks could use more than Wednesday’s combined 3-for-11 shooting from reserves Malcolm Delaney, Kris Humphries and Junior Dunleavy. Even against Washington’s shaky subs, Coach Bud is unlikely to deploy Scott or the rooks unless he has a decent lead, so Kris and the Force MD’s will need to hold serve if they want to help keep the starters rested. Mike Muscala (ankle) remains questionable.

    Atlanta’s 13-9 home record is the worst among the Top 7 teams in the Eastern Conference; Washington’s 6-14 away-game mark is the worst among the East’s Top 14. Whichever of these two teams turn those records around, starting tonight and continuing through the balance of the season, is likely to be the standard-bearer in the Southeast Division moving forward.

    Sorry, Florida. I know you want this title for life…

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3

    lethalweapon3
    “We both had to lead a Funky Bunch!”

     
    Hey, Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg, are you ready to receive your gift?

    Those familiar with these gamethreads are familiar with my Coach Bud Gift Theory, in which I posit that the head coach of the visiting Atlanta Hawks (8:00 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, CSN Chicago), reasonably secure in his current circumstance, lays off the gas and grants beleaguered colleagues a chance to pad their disappointing records with a win or two, especially when such opposition comes into the contest significantly shorthanded.

    The CBGT hypothesis is supported by the recognition that some of Atlanta’s worst defeats are often accompanied by an uncharacteristically slow game pace. The Hawks’ record when they play below-average tempo (11-13) isn’t disastrous, while spacing the floor and shooting the ball well tends to help pump up the winning side of the ledger.

    But then, you see some of those losses: by 15 points to a Lakers team without Russell or Randle, an 18-point deficit to the Pelicans that only seemed to widen once Davis got hurt. Deficits of 44 points to a Raptors team that started out the year a meager 8-6, and 36 points to a Pistons team that was having a tough time getting to .500. Two losses, over a span of six days, to a T’Wolves squad that was billed as up-and-coming but had already been fading out of playoff contention.

    And then, you look at the precarious position these opponent’s coaches are in. First-time coaches, and first-year veteran sideline managers struggling to make their mark, plus longer-tenured coaches on at least a warming, if not raging-hot, seat. Only then do you wonder if the jig is filled with helium.

    The first half of Monday’s 115-105 letdown to the Clippers wasn’t terribly different from the road flop in Detroit just last week. To be fair, falling behind 58-40 at halftime to an L.A. team missing Chris Paul and Blake Griffin (the latter returning one night later, just in time to watch his team blow a 19-point lead to the Embiid-less 76ers in Philly) is kind of a marked improvement from the slouchy 42-18 first quarter against the KCP-less Pistons, who were again falling out of playoff contention.

    Stan Van Gundy and Doc Rivers should be sending Hallmark cards Bud’s way any day now. Each have been given a chance (two, in SVG’s case) to right their respective ships. It’s courtesy of a Hawks team (26-19) that, is playing right at, if not above, expectations, when one looks purely at the record and the standings, even with all the presents Santa Bud brings to the arena.

    Hawks fans willing to reject CBGT rightfully see it as an excuse for listless and sloppy play, particularly on the defensive end of the floor when their own shots aren’t falling. A consistent theme in these defeats involves the Hawks (sliding down to 11th in pace, still 3rd in the East) allowing themselves to be ground into a tempo amenable to their opposition.

    Suddenly, as the game slows down and the Hawks stop forcing the issue, struggling shooters like Marco Belinelli, Tobias Harris, Jamal Crawford, and Austin Rivers (5-for-10 3FGs vs. ATL on Monday) find their sea legs, and precious few comebacks by the Hawks, no matter how spirited, prove to be enough. That’s especially the case when the toasted Hawks swingmen, like Thabo Sefolosha, Kent Bazemore and Tim Hardaway, Jr. (1-for-6 FGs vs. LAC), aren’t matching the energy and production from the outset.

    A heaping of congeniality from Coach Bud’s Hawks would be right on time for the Bulls (23rd in pace) and Hoiberg, perhaps the most side-eyed coach in the league right now. Chicago (23-23) is aiming for their third-straight win, but they enjoyed some Referee’s Delight late in Saturday’s 102-99 edging of the Kings, and managed to find a team even more moribund than they were in Orlando last night.

    Before those two victories, the Bulls had dropped five out of seven, including last week’s 102-93 loss in Atlanta (Coach Bud tried to offer up some fourth-quarter bait, but the Bulls couldn’t bite hard enough). Much like Rivers, Hoiberg is pulling levers behind the curtain, in hopes his current rotation might be a consistently winning one.

    You’ll forgive the good people of Marquette University for feeling a bit more chipper than usual. Their men’s college hoops team knocked off top-seeded Villanova last night, and while their fans were storming the floor in Milwaukee, alums Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler went on a theft spree down in O-town. The pair combined for ten steals in their 100-92 win against the Magic, Wade’s seven steals plus 21 points the most by any player aged 34-years-or older since Boston’s Dominique Wilkins (as per Basketball-Reference) way back in 1994.

    Wade, Butler and the Bulls hope Dennis Schröder (5 TOs, one first-quarter assist and one second-quarter assist vs. LAC) will be as gracious with the basketball as Elfrid Payton (8 TOs vs. CHI) was yesterday. It was a case of too little, too late in the second half against the Clippers, but it was more effective movement and pinpoint passing from Schröder, Hardaway, and Paul Millsap (combined 18 assists, 3 TOs vs. LAC) that had the Hawks masquerading Monday’s outcome as something like a true contest, Atlanta crawling within five points of L.A.’s big lead on several occasions.

    Shot-jackers like rookies Denzel Valentine (2-for-8 3FGs @ ATL last Saturday) and Paul Zipser, Nikola Mirotic (0-for-5 3FGs @ ATL), Doug McDermott (4-for-6 3FGs @ ORL) all come off the bench for Hoiberg, whose Bulls rank dead-last in perimeter accuracy (31.6 3FG%), and not much better inside the arc (47.0 2FG%, 29th in NBA). He’s turning to young Jerian Grant (3.5 assists, 1.8 TOs per-36) to help initiate the offense, ahead of marginalized point guards Rajon Rondo and Michael Carter-Williams.

    Whether it’s Butler or the backups, Grant needs to find open-and-ready shooters somewhere on the floor. That’s if he intends to bounce back from a disappointing run (no assists in 20 minutes) in Orlando, his fifth time in six starts for the Bulls where he finished with two-or-fewer assists. Either that, or he needs to initiate contact on drives and get to the free throw line (95.2 FT%). Going 5-for-5 on fourth-quarter freebies versus Atlanta’s backups, Grant’s clock-stopping offense helped slow Saturday’s contest down and monumentally turn the tide for Chicago.

    Robin Lopez and the Bulls would greatly appreciate the charity of early foul trouble from Dwight Howard. His first called foul on Saturday came with the Hawks up 43-15, the second and third personals assigned to him with Atlanta already up 76-46 in the third quarter. Comparatively, Bud sat Dwight on Monday when the center collected his second foul early in the first quarter. The Clips were only up 13-12 on the poor-shooting Hawks, but even with a tentative Howard back on the floor in the second quarter, the seeds for a rout were sown.

    If Lopez struggles against Howard again, look for Hoiberg to turn to Cristiano Felicio (team-high 10 rebounds in 20 minutes vs. ORL), whose high pick-and-rolls helped the Bulls offense get off the ground yesterday. Like the Clippers, the Bulls hope to exhaust the Hawks’ backup big options, with Mike Muscala (sprained ankle) still questionable to play, Bruise-illian Tiago Splitter nowhere to be found, and Kris Humphries (9 rebounds in 20 minutes vs. CHI) occasionally over-utilized of late.

    Before getting DNP’d after six minutes of burned-out first quarter action against the Clips, Hump recorded 15+ minutes of play in the four prior games for the first time since his days with the Wizards in December 2015. The extra rest should serve Kris well tonight, in relief of Howard.

    With coaches’ votes already in, nothing Millsap does tonight will bolster his candidacy for a fourth-straight All-Star nod, the most since Joe Johnson logged six consecutive appearances from 2007-2012. Only Nique’s 9 and Lou Hudson’s 6 were longer runs.

    It’s likely that lower-performing bigs in higher-favored NBA locales (or Indiana) would earn some votes, especially if supposedly serious coaches delegate the task to assistants. Seeking a “true center” on the roster, players like Howard may vulture away a few key votes, particularly if coaches wish to reward Atlanta for getting back to above-average status. Nit-pickers may look discerningly at Millsap’s career-low 47.9 2FG% and choose to look elsewhere. But as one might expect, there is no NBA luminary that cares less about a possible snub than the Paul-star.

    “Whatever happens, it’s not about that,” Millsap shared with the AJC earlier in the week. “It’s about this team, and getting this team where it needs to be.” If he gets the honor once again, it will be more about representing his team more than himself. “A lot of teams have done great and should have guys in there,” he said, casually including his Hawks in the mix.

    Whether a trip back to his native Louisiana is in the cards or not, expect Millsap to continue his integral role in forcing stops and boosting the Atlanta offense. Getting inside scoring (5 dunks in 42 games, 40 in 81 games last season; career-low 25.7% of FGAs within 3 feet) is harder than it has been in the days when Bandwagon Al roamed the prairie. But the always versatile forward has offset those struggles by emerging as a reliable distributor (career-high 3.9 APG; Atlanta-low 2.2 TOs per game).

    Millsap’s ability to keep Taj Gibson occupied should open up the Hawks’ offense early and often tonight. That is, if Coach Bud is not in such a giving mood. His floor general, Schröder has to keep the heat up high on the Bulls’ point guards, and must not allow his teammates to lumber up the floor in transition.

    Atlanta is a much spiffier 15-6 when they play games at-or-above their season-long average pace. In those six losses, none were by more than seven points, and none have occurred since Russell Westbrook’s Thunder hung on to outlast the Hawks back on December 5. Since that date, only one of those uptempo victories came against a team with a .500 or better record, and that was Chicago last weekend. High-paced ball is competitive ball for the Hawks. Anything less is charity.

    You remember the old adage, “Defense Wins Championships”? That saying is quickly becoming as anachronistic as “Hang Up the Phone”. Just five years ago, when Rondo was the NBA’s leading assist-maker and Howard the leading rebounder, there were just two Eastern Conference teams, and six NBA squads overall, allowing triple-digit scoring averages. Those were the days when bigs, point guards and top-tier scorers (like Wade) didn’t need to add a steady jumper to their repertoire, when coaches could thrive playing Grindhouse halfcourt ball.

    That sun has set. Now, there are only three NBA teams holding opponents below 100 points per game, and even the Grizzlies are a mere 0.6 PPG away from reducing the number of teams to two. Offense is in, as LeBron James continues to suggest to his higher-ups, his in-name-only GM straining to feed him “playmakers” the way Seymour feeds his Venus flytrap. Defensive specialization, meanwhile, is quickly being left to the withering Sefoloshas, Gibsons, and Tony Allens that remain in the NBA world.

    As it pertains to offensive bars for winning NBA games, “110” is the new “100.” The message to offensively dormant teams like the Hawks (24th in NBA with 102.9 O-Rating; 96.7 in losses, 28th in NBA) and the Bulls (19th in O-Rating, 24th this month) is abundantly clear: these days, if you’re not scoring, you’re not trying. Chicago is 9-0 when they hit the 110 mark, and 16-3 (with one loss coming 115-107 in Atlanta back in November) when they score at least 105. Atlanta is 13-2 when getting to 110 points, Monday’s 115-105 loss dropping them to 18-4 when they reach at least 105.

    Whichever of the Bulls or Hawks establishes their offensive groove at the beginnings of quarters and halves will find themselves not only victorious tonight, but better suited to compete come playoff time… if that’s what they wanna do. (Am I doing this right, LeBron?)

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3

    lethalweapon3
    “Great game, Mike. Hey, maybe you’ll compete for titles like my Hawks, someday? Who knows?”

     
    Atlanta Hawks fans at Philips Arena for tonight’s meeting with the Los Angeles Clippers (7:30 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, Fox Sports Prime Ticket in La-La-Land) may be able to tell their grandkids they were there, when three of their team’s best-ever point guards graced the hardwood at the same time.

    No, there are no jokes forthcoming about Chris Paul, Atlanta’s would-be 2005 NBA Draftee, who will sit out for the next month or so following surgery for a thumb ligament torn last week. I’m not even jesting about Sam Cassell, the current Clipper assistant and former Florida State star who had to watch his college teammate, Doug Edwards, get plucked by the Hawks nine picks before him in 1993.

    Since coming on the scene in 2013, Dennis Schröder (6.2 APG this season) has assisted on 33.6 percent of Atlanta’s field goals when he is on the floor. That’s the highest assist percentage in franchise history, and he’s just getting warmed up. He has already compiled 1,031 assists, midway through his first full season as an NBA starter. If all goes well, he’s got at least four more guaranteed years to go under the watchful eye of pace-pushing coach Mike Budenholzer.

    Knocking on wood, 857 assists from now, Schröder will surpass Armond Hill (5.2 APG as a Hawk), the current Clippers assistant coach who helped guide neophyte head coach Hubie Brown’s Hawks through the late 1970s.

    Hill was taken with the 9th pick in the 1976 Draft; if the Hawks had waited until the second round, they could have gone after the late Dennis Johnson, taken one spot after Atlanta chose Bob Carrington. But I won’t quibble with the past, because 2,836 assists from now, Dennis would surpass Armond’s boss, a player the Hawks drafted almost exactly 30 years to the day before him, as Atlanta’s all-time leader.

    Perhaps the best draft work in Hawks history transpired over the course of three years. In 1982, the team traded with Utah to keep Dominique Wilkins in Georgia. In 1984, they stood pat and took Kevin Willis (John Stockton went five picks later, but I promised I’d stop). Having traded away their 1983 first-rounder (who would become Derek Harper… there I go again) back in 1979 for Terry Furlow, the Hawks’ first selection arrived in the second round, in the form of Glenn “Doc” Rivers.

    Building up his NBA rep by serving as Nique’s steady caddie for many seasons, Rivers (6.8 APG in Atlanta) eventually hung up his sneakers with a Spurs team, well-video coordinated by Budenholzer, in 1996, and has had fortune shine upon him in his subsequent career.

    Within four seasons, he would become the NBA Coach of the Year in his first try as a head coach, directing a Magic team led by Darrell Armstrong, John Amaechi and no-name Ben Wallace to a 41-41 record. First in Orlando, then in Boston, Doc built up a rep as an affable coach who simply couldn’t get his teams over the hump. This, after eight consecutive seasons without producing a second-round playoff team.

    Fate would smile upon him, though, in at least two inconceivable ways. Just before he could be canned in 2007, Minnesota decided that, yes, Al Jefferson, Gerald Green. Theo Ratliff and flotsam would be enough to hand over Kevin Garnett, before the athletic forward could fully pass his prime. Doc and the Celtics rode cagey KG and friends to the NBA championship.

    Before that ship could sail, in 2013, Danny Ainge swung a deal shipping Doc to the Clippers, a move that allowed the coach to inherit two potential Hall of Fame players: Chris Paul, and Blake Griffin. Like KG, CP3 was a superstar that could coach the team himself, if needed. A third stroke of luck came the next year via TMZ-leaked audio, leading to an ownership shakeup that granted Rivers even more power as a team executive, fully in charge of basketball ops.

    With Paul and Griffin in tow, Coach Doc helped the Clips eclipse the blinding shine of Kobe’s Lakers in L.A. But he has not been able to make a dent in the Clippers’ quest for championship greatness. Four seasons into his Clipper tenure, Doc is back to being perceived as an affable coach who simply can’t get his franchise over the hump, in this case, to at least the Western Conference Finals.

    Which brings us to tonight’s challenge. Besides having to soldier on without Paul (6th in NBA for Net Rating, 3rd for Assist/TO ratio), the Clippers (29-16) have been without Griffin (arthroscopic knee surgery) since December 18. While he insists he’s ready to go, the temptation is to sit Griffin out tonight, in advance of the back end of this road back-to-back in Embiid-less Philadelphia tomorrow. But the minute the power forward steps on the court, L.A. will have, by far, their team’s best available passer. After their most recent performances, it’s reasonable to suggest that Rivers and the Clippers cannot afford to wait much longer.

    Beyond Hawksquawk gamethreads, a two-game slide is not normally cause for concern. After all, L.A. outlasted visiting Oklahoma City last week, even after Paul exited the game late in the first quarter, to win their seventh-straight.

    But the Clips sure have been streaky, even with Paul around. That winning streak was preceded by a six-game losing skid, including a Christmas Day lump-of-coal from their housemate Lakers. Last Thursday, Karl-Anthony went to town on the Clippers with 37 points to help the Wolves steal one at Staples Center. Then, kick-starting a five-game road swing in Denver, the Clippers were breathless at high altitude. One of the league’s worst defenses (stop me if this sounds familiar), the Nuggets held L.A. to 98 points, while scoring 123 themselves.

    Looking ahead, the good news is the Clippers get a four-day break after playing the Sixers on Tuesday. The bad news? That rest precedes a trip to Golden State. This run of away games is part of an arduous stretch that includes 10-of-11 games on the road, broken up only by a visit next week from the Warriors. Flights to Boston, Toronto, Charlotte, and Utah await. To go into the All-Star break, they’ll conclude with Schröder and the Hawks at Staples, and they’ll kick off the back half of the season in Oakland once again. All of this, without CP3.

    This upcoming slate doesn’t appear to ease up for Los Angeles until early March. In the meantime, things could go very sideways with a spate of bad losses, and that could imperil the coaching status of not just Rivers, but other former Hawk luminaries on the staff, namely Hill and Mike Woodson. Even with their stars back, a 4-or-5-seed in April spells a titanic first-round clash ahead of pending doom versus a likely-rested Warriors club. An even lower seed would be unfathomable to owner Steve Ballmer, and maybe untenable. But a 6-or-7-seed might be the only rational path to the long-awaited conference finals for Paul and Griffin, who could each opt out and hit the exits this summer if they choose.

    Tonight, needing a spark of momentum, the Hawks’ all-time assist-maker could stand to catch a break from the most likely candidate (Schröder) to be Atlanta’s future banner-holder. In any case, what Rivers needs even more is some sense of composure and resolve from the key remnants on his roster. That includes his son, guard Austin Rivers. That includes a roster loaded with experienced veterans. And that especially includes Doc’s max-contract, All-NBA 1st Team center.

    Without Paul around to order him to crash the glass and own the paint, DeAndre Jordan came thoroughly unglued during the third quarter in Denver. As the Nuggets widened the 8-point gap into the twenties, Jordan seemingly wanted out of the game. Rivers would not oblige, so Jordan reacted with three quick fouls, the last one an egregious whack at Nikola Jokic’s arm that earned him a technical, and the rest of the night off.

    Whichever of the starting centers in tonight’s matchup, Jordan (NBA-high 69.0 2FG%, 64.0% of FGs are dunks, NBA career-leading 67.2 FG%; 34.6 D-Reb%, 3rd in NBA) or Atlanta’s Dwight Howard (31.1 D-Reb%, 6th in NBA), brings less histrionics and more end-to-end production to the court today puts his team in good standing over the course of 48 minutes.

    With continuously thin rebounding options coming off the bench, Howard must avoid early foul trouble. Plus/minus-wise, Dwight is -38 on the season (14 games) when he piles up four or more personals, +49 (25 games) otherwise.

    The Clippers have an array of experienced bigs to turn to, including the floor-stretching Marreese Speights (39.4 3FG%) and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (39.1 3FG%). Paul Millsap has to trust that Howard can hold his own keeping Jordan off the offensive glass, stepping out of the paint to make catches-and-shots from three-point territory tough on the Clipper forwards.

    Three early fouls by Austin in Denver had Papa Doc scrambling, turning to Raymond Felton more than he’d like. Jamal Crawford (25.4 FG% since Dec. 28, 1-for-20 3FGs in past 7 games) and J.J. Redick are not at their best when they’re relied upon as ball-movers, but that’s what the Clippers need when Austin cannot stay on the floor.

    Backcourt options aside from Rivers should continue to struggle tonight to keep up with Schröder, who remains a cunning passer (9 assists, 1 TO vs. PHI this past Saturday) even when his shot is occasionally off-kilter, and Kent Bazemore (7-for-12 FGs vs. PHI; 41.0 January 3FG%), who continues to seek out his offensive comfort zone while meeting Coach Bud’s defensive demands.

    Dennis averages 4.8 APG and 2.8 TOs/game on the season when he shoots below his season-average of 47.1 FG%, values that have improved to 5.9 APG and 2.6 TOs/game this month. Schröder also contributed on the defensive end with a pair of steals in the win over Philly, and should continue those efforts tonight to match Rivers’ attempts at steals and deflections. Baze and Thabo Sefolosha need not sag on L.A.’s struggling perimeter shooters, and must make Crawford and Redick (36.1 3FG%) put the ball on the floor and drive inside in search of offense.

    The Clippers want to stem their downward momentum now, not waiting for Griffin and Paul to get back up to speed. If they struggle now, and in a couple weeks, with teams like Atlanta, Budenholzer may find himself taking queries, from Hawks point guards of the past, about the availability of assistant seats between him and the Hawks point guard of the present and future.

    Rise Up! And Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3

    lethalweapon3
    “I call this dance move the ‘Joel Embiid’!”


     
    Remember those times the Atlanta Hawks could just bring their B-game to the table, and still run said table on most nights against the Philadelphia 76ers? Well, hopefully, you enjoyed those games, because those days appear to be tabled for the foreseeable future.

    Nobody’s chanting “fo-fi-fo” up in the City of Brotherly Shove just yet, but the Sixers arrive in Atlanta for tonight’s game (7:00 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, CSN Philly) having won eight of their last ten, including last night’s thrilling 93-92 comeback win at home against Portland. That’s the best string of Sixer success since the outfit led by Jrue Holiday and Andre Iguodala broke into the 2011-12 season with an early 9-1 run. By comparison, they were 7-24 before this latest stretch, 10-72 all last season.

    It’s not just patsies, either, that Philadelphia (15-26) is pheasting on. This past week, the Sixers took out visiting Toronto and knocked off the Bucks in Milwaukee. Last week, they fumigated the Hornets at home, one week after putting a late scare into their old rival Celtics in Beantown.

    For long-middling franchises like the Hawks, winning ten out of 12 doesn’t cause anyone around town to start planning parade routes. But for a team as historically miserable as the latter-day 76ers, these days, it’s as if the Mummers never left South Broad.

    2016 #1-overall pick and soon-to-be-rookie Ben Simmons placed an exotic pet cat atop his head for an Instagram earlier in the week, and just that simple act has spawned a flurry of #RaiseTheCat tweets among Philly’s Pheline Phaithphul. Need we mention that Simmons has yet to play a regular-season game? All that town needed to go paws-itively cat-crazy is the most magnetic personality since Allen Iverson to finally make an impact on the floor.

    Back in October, Joel Embiid was in just his second game as a pro, when the Hawks obligatorily pasted the Sixers, 104-72. Yet he was thrilled with what he perceived as a dominant performance (14 points, 2 blocks, 2 rebounds in 15 minutes) versus former All-Stars Dwight Howard (2 points, 3 blocks, 7 rebounds in 19 minutes) and Paul Millsap. “Everybody has flaws,” Joel not-so-humble-bragged to the Philadelphia Inquirer, “I thought I took advantage of that by attacking (the Hawks’ bigs) and creating fouls. I got the shots that I wanted.”

    Such paltry contributions don’t excite Embiid anymore. He’s become a per-minute-MVP candidate, for turning around Philly’s fortunes while remaining on a team-mandated 28-minute restriction. 22.9 PPG, 2.5 BPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.1 SPG, and nearly one made three-point shot per game would be a dream for most starting NBA bigs, to say nothing of these averages Embiid produced in his past 15 appearances (in just 26.8 minutes/game).

    There are also 3.8 turnovers per game in those abbreviated stints, but hey, this is Philly, and at least he’s trying. Beyond just the highlights and the numbers, Embiid has emerged as the NBA’s premier social media magnet, building legions of fans awaiting his next tweet or Instagram post. Whether it’s flowering praise upon longtime crush Rihanna, bottling Shirley Temple drinks for a city that needs, if nothing else, sugary beverages, or revealing he and Johnny Football were summertime pals, Joey Basketball is taking the NBA world by storm, off the court as much as on.

    Sixers coach Brett Brown is certainly happy to still be along for the ride. His former boss, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, rarely reveals many “joys in life,” but one of them apparently is “to watch (the 76ers) win basketball games, because if there’s any team that deserves it, it’s those guys,” he told ESPN.com.

    “They’ve had it really tough for all the obvious reasons,” Coach Pop explained, “and there’s nobody in this business that is more positive, and more day-to-day upbeat than Brett Brown.” The signs that Brown had something simmering even without Simmons has been evident for a couple months.

    When the Hawks raised their record to 9-2 on November 16, they were the Eastern Conference’s most defensively-efficient team (95.1 D-Rating, 2nd in NBA), and despite combusting every now and then, they remain so (102.5 D-Rating, 5th in NBA). But in the games since that November 16 date, it’s the Sixers – yes, the Sixers – who have boasted the most efficient defense in the East (103.4 D-Rating, 5th in NBA since 11/17).

    Coincidentally, Embiid began stringing consecutive games together, even more so by mid-December with just 2 DNPs in Philly’s last 17 games (4th in team D-Rating since 12/14). Sixer opponents have shot just 46.9 eFG% in January; only Atlanta’s next opponent, the L.A. Clippers (46.3 eFG%) has been better.

    It’s just been a matter of the 76ers’ offense finding a way to catch up, and T.J. McConnell has helped in that regard. He has averaged 7.1 APG (2.1 TOs per game) in his last 20 games (8.1 APG in January; 2nd in NBA for Assist Ratio this month), and Philadelphia is 8-2 with McConnell as a starter. Helping cut down on the mistakes keeps Philly (still NBA-worst 17.2 January TO%) in contention by eliminating the runouts at the other end of the floor.

    McConnell can dish out lobs to Embiid, but he is also feeding the Sixers’ second-leading scorer well. Ersan Ilyasova arrived along with another future protected first-round pick from OKC in exchange for Jerami Grant back in November, and Philly Phans will start calling him “E.I.” if he keeps sinking jumpers.

    The ninth-year forward is averaging a career-best 15.3 PPG as a Sixer, including 2.2 threes per game. He has ebbed this month (35.3 January 3FG%), but he has been balancing that offense by crashing the glass and scoring more efficiently around the rim (career-high 65.7 FG% within 3 feet).

    Compensating for Ilyasova, Robert Covington’s jumper is beginning to reappear (41.7 3FG% last six games; game-winning contested 3FG last night vs. POR), while rookie forward Dario Saric has been putting some big plays together.

    The Sixers built up their confidence by coming back to win last night while Embiid was on-and-off and finally off the floor after hyperextending his knee. He was left behind in Philly for scheduled rest, but the spirited 76ers should still be a tough out in tonight’s contest without their current franchise rookie star.

    Right before finding their defensive groove, the Sixers visited Philips Arena on November 12, Embiid again a scheduled DNP. Even without him, Philadelphia sprinted to a 27-23 first-quarter lead, led by Saric’s seven points. Then Atlanta turned on the jets along the way to a 117-96 win. The trio of Tim Hardaway, Jr., Kyle Korver, and Dennis Schröder sank half of their 20 three-point shots, while Dwight Howard and Kris Humphries (combined 23 points and 20 boards) pummeled Jahlil Okafor and the Sixers’ frontline around the glass.

    A ton of Philly’s turnovers involve either Embiid (5th in NBA for TOs per game; 3rd in TOs per 36 minutes) experimenting, or teammates desperately trying to feed him the ball. They’ll miss his impact on the floor, but his absence should help them keep Atlanta from piling up easy buckets in transition. The Hawks’ 17.4 points per-48 off turnovers ranks second in the East, while the 17.6 points the 76ers allow ranks as the second-worst in the conference.

    This will be a chance for Nerlens Noel, who contended Mason Plumlee’s would-be-game-winner at the rim to seal the victory last night, and perhaps Okafor to shine, or at least to showcase their skills for other teams.

    Inactive until mid-December, Noel enjoyed 20+ minutes of playing time in consecutive games for just the second time this season. Those minutes came courtesy of the sudden mid-game absence of Embiid, along with continued ankle soreness for Okafor (season-high 26 points last Saturday @ WAS). Noel’s opponents have shot just 40.8 FG% (2nd-best in NBA, min. 4.5 opponent FGAs) on shot attempts he has defended, a value that compares favorably with the favored Embiid (39.6 defended FG%, 1st in NBA).

    Similarly marginalized after a rocky rookie season, Jahlil was DNP’d in seven of the last ten games, including the last two Sixer games. If he doesn’t play, Brown will likely turn to Richaun Holmes. Despite limited minutes, the second-year big has more points and rebounds versus Atlanta than against any other team. All of these frontcourt players know their playing status is in jeopardy with the pending arrival of a healthy Simmons.

    The long-tanking Sixers actually have an incentive to keep winning. Besides Embiid’s insistence on carrying this team into the postseason, Philadelphia also has a pick-swap option with the Kings, thanks to the summer 2015 deal that relieved Sacramento of Nik Stauskas. The Kings just lost Rudy Gay for the season, have lost four straight and seven of eight, and now sit perilously (0.5 games) in front of Philadelphia in the NBA standings.

    Atlanta will need much more out of their bench players than they presented in last night’s 102-93 roller-coaster ride versus Chicago. Hardaway’s near-halfcourt buzzer-beater to close Atlanta’s 35-13 first quarter mattered much more than it should have. The reserves allowed the Bulls to stampede back from 30 points down, at the start of the fourth quarter, to within 5 in the closing minutes, forcing coach Mike Budenholzer’s hand in making Millsap and Dennis Schröder 25 points on 11-for-14 FGs vs. CHI) re-lace their shoes.

    If the Hawks’ starters, led by Schröder (70.7 FG% last 3 games), Howard and Millsap, take care of the ball and defend well enough through three quarters to build a sizable lead, coach Bud will turn to once again to the other Mikes (Scott and Dunleavy, with Muscala still out), plus 10-day pickup Gary Neal and rookies DeAndre’ Bembry and Taurean Prince, and expect they won’t again turn a laugher into a thriller. Scott (4 assists in 21 minutes), particularly, must provide a stronger defensive presence around the paint and take some pressure off Humphries, while Prince must make better decisions with the ball in their hands.

    Philly doesn’t really need Embiid to compete for 48 minutes tonight, but they’d much rather save up their budding big men to face Dwight and the Hawks in the playoffs. Wait, did I actually type that?

    Rise Up! And Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3



    lethalweapon3
    “Hey, coach, I left you a gift over there. It’s a necktie!”
     
    All of our Atlanta Hawks have passed the final stage of the Bad Loss Protocol, and are cleared to participate in this evening’s matchup with the Chicago Bulls (8:00 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL; WGN in CHI) at Philips Arena.
    To be declared free from the acute effects of CTH (Chronic Traumatic Hawkaflopathy), each Hawk must achieve acceptable marks during the following diagnostic tests:
    No signs of derisiveness (like bellies sore from laughter) directed toward the teams ranked above them in the standings. Yes, the Cavaliers got their doors blown off at Golden State, the Raptors suffered The Wrath of Embiid, and the Celtics were knocked off by the same Knicks team that Atlanta edged in New York just days before. But that’s no reason to get smug, especially when there are desperate rivals, like the Pistons and Bulls, expecting to come out and play like their hair is on fire.
    No indications (like scraped palms and knees) that they’re fine with playing at, or below, the level of lesser-achieving competition. Squeaking past a New York team without Kristaps Porzingis, the Hawks waltzed into Detroit’s palace self-satisfied with their 9-1 run, especially with the knowledge that the opponent’s top perimeter scorer and wing defender, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, would be sitting out. Whether the Bulls’ leading rebounder, Taj Gibson (sore ankle, but probable), enters the proceedings today should be of no consequence whatsoever to Atlanta (24-18).
    No strained necks from constantly looking over their shoulders at what the Thursday Night punditry has to say, or neglects to say, about the team and its key contributors. As the Falcons can attest, if they’re waiting for the Heath Evanses of the world to come around, they have the wrong goals in mind. 42-18 is only a favorable score when the Falcons are winning at the Georgia Dome, not when the Hawks are helping the Pistons drub them in the first quarter.
    No sour dispositions from fretting over who got voted, or eventually makes it, into the All-Star Game. All the good people of Stankonia were insufficient to get Dwight Howard more fan votes than Turkey’s Ersan Ilyasova (thanks to fans a bit too sugar-high from Shirley Temple drinks). Meanwhile, human lunchpail Paul Millsap has lived a charmed All-Star existence for the past several seasons, and Kyle Korver received a mysterious late bump from Ohio (blame the voting machines, or the Russians) to pull ahead of Dennis Schröder. But dwelling on such petty affairs sets up the Hawks to get steamrolled by a highly worthy All-Star starter in Jimmy Butler (career-highs of 24.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 4.8 APG).
    This Butler is truly doing it, putting together a campaign that rivals, if not exceeds, the cherished MVP season of Derrick Rose from 2010-11. Jimmy Buckets is, at once, Chicago’s best hope as a clutch shooter and a defensive wing stopper. And Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg is, slowly, figuring out how best to utilize him.
    Everyone outside of West Madison Street could have anticipated that the Bulls, with free agents Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo sharing the starting backcourt, would struggle as a team shooting the ball accurately and getting stops. Indeed, the starters, inclusive of Butler, Gibson, and Robin Lopez, rank last in the league with a 47.4 eFG%. Even with backups included, the Bulls take the fewest threes (20.3 3FGAs per game, two fewer than 29th-ranked San Antonio), and make the fewest (31.7 3FG%, last in NBA).
    Chicago is saved from being dead-last in true-shooting (52.5 starter TS%, 29th in NBA) only due to the starters’ propensity for drawing shooting fouls (18.7 starter FTAs per game, 4th in NBA) and hitting them (80.6 starter FT%, 7th in NBA even with Rondo, who now sulks from the bench). Aside from Butler’s routine heroics of late, Chicago has been able to rely on second-chances (NBA-highs of 29.5 O-Reb%, 16.2 second-chance PPG, +4.8 net second-chance PPG) when opponents fail to box them out.
    Opposing guards, meanwhile, have had field days against the Bulls, averaging 40.7 field goals per 100 possessions (3rd-most in NBA). Similar to the Hawks, Chicago’s saving grace is that their opposing guards rarely earn trips to the free throw line (19.4 opponent FTAs per game, 2nd-fewest in NBA; Atlanta’s 19.7 ranks 3rd). The 99-98 loss to Dallas at the United Center on Tuesday was made possible by the Bulls’ inability to contain Deron Williams and J.J. Barea on drives, or to account for three-point shooters, like Seth Curry, or Wesley Matthews in the closing seconds.
    Replacing the erratic Rondo in the standard lineup (+1.9 net points per 100 possessions) with momentary Hawk Jerian Grant (+27.5 net points per-100), or the ball-dominant Wade and Gibson with Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic (+22.1 net points per-100), have been a boon for the Bulls’ offense.
    However, Hoiberg has turned lately to Michael Carter-Williams, who struggles like Rondo offensively but at least puts in some effort on defense, and German rookie Paul Zipser, who must be living off his preseason exploits, in place of Gibson.
    Atlanta can immunize themselves from Butler’s recent late-game dominance (10.0 4th-quarter PPG in January, 2nd in NBA) if they neutralize the things the Bulls do well, from the opening tip. That includes rebuffing Lopez on the offensive glass; denying Butler, Wade and MCW space to roam inside while depriving them of trips to the charity stripe, deflecting bailout passes and getting out to properly contest the few pseudo-reliable shooters Hoiberg trots out (Mirotic, McDermott, Denzel Valentine, Bobby Portis, and Isaiah Canaan).
    All of that requires overcoming the final symptom of onset "CTH": players with sore hands from sitting on them, waiting on their teammates to get on the floor and provide the necessary spark. As an example, the Hawks offset the brilliance of Butler (39 points, 4-for-9 3FGs, 7 assists, 6 steals) and Wade (25 points, 10-for-17 FGs, 5 steals) back on November 9 with a highly-balanced effort at Philips Arena.
    In that game, eight Atlanta players scored in double figures, including former Bull Thabo Sefolosha with a stunning 8-for-9 FGs off the bench. The team shot a collective 50.6% from the floor, including 45.0% on threes, while sinking 22 of their 27 free throws. Howard (18 points, 10 rebounds, incl. 6 O-Rebs) rendered Lopez’s board-crashing (one O-Reb) ineffective. Solid offensive starts, like the 35-27 opening quarter exhibited against Chicago in November, obviates the indignity of Millsap lobbing threes (1-for-5 3FGs @ DET) in futile efforts to diminish unnecessary blowout margins.
    Inspiring the Hawks to play their A-game from the tip shouldn’t be as hard as it seemed on Wednesday night in Auburn Hills. All it takes to avoid yet another unsettling bout of "CTH" is to find somebody on the coaching staff willing to “tell the truth”, before it's too late.
    Let’s Go Hawks!
    ~lw3
    lethalweapon3
    It’s never too early to take up a second career!

     
    The Atlanta Hawks are right near the top of the NBA… in one key category.

    The Bulls’ flop last night to Dallas dropped the Hawks into a tie with the Spurs (10-6), and 1.5 games behind the mighty Warriors (12-5), among the NBA’s best records versus teams at-or-above .500. Wins over Cleveland, the Spurs, Toronto, the Rockets, Pacers and Bucks, plus near-misses against the likes of the Celts and Warriors, suggest the Hawks (24-17) deserve the small cushion they’ve gained above the rest of the playoff pack, halfway through the NBA season.

    What has kept that first-round-homecourt margin from getting any larger has been Atlanta’s underwhelming record against the lower rungs of the league. Versus teams like tonight’s hosts, the Detroit Pistons (8:00 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, Fox Sports Detroit), only the Bulls’ record against sub-.500 teams is worse (among the East’s Top 11) than Atlanta’s 14-11.

    The good news is, the Hawks have not dropped a game to a team with a losing record since collapsing in Minnesota back on December 26, and five days before that to those same Wolves at Philips Arena.

    Beginning with December home victories over the (at the time, with a winning record) Knicks and Pistons, Atlanta has rattled off seven-straight against the league’s current lower tier. But as the Dwight Howard-less Hawks showed against the Porzingis-less Knicks in New York on Monday, the Hawks still have their work cut out for them before they can fully rebuild consumer confidence in their competitive product.

    Speaking of confidence, normally, a “vote of confidence” from a team owner is a dreaded sign of bad things to come. But Tom Gores’ thumbs-up for coach/exec Stan Van Gundy just feels different. “I have full confidence in Stan,” Gores told reporters at halftime of the Pistons’ 102-97 win over the Lakers at Staples Center on Sunday, Detroit bookending their 5-game West Coast road trip with victories.

    “We are having a hard time, and Stan and I are very real about that,” the Detroit Free Press reported Gores as saying, “but we also know that we have a great group of guys. We believe they’ll work through this. We’ve hit a bump in the road and that’s what success is about, you gotta work though it.”

    Detroit is carrying the third-highest salary load in the NBA, albeit due to past mistakes. They’re eighth in guaranteed salaries next season, and top-ten in guaranteed salaries for the three seasons after that. Yet, at 19-24, they stand at 10th in the East, last in the Central Division, and two games behind those 8th-seeded Bulls. Things were expected to trend upward with the arrival of star guard Reggie Jackson, but it has decidedly not been the case (8-14 since Jackson’s return).

    Conversely to Atlanta, the Pistons hold a 6-16 mark versus current break-even or winning teams, the last W coming at home against LeBron-less Cleveland back on December 26 (before that? The 121-85 blowout in Millsap-less Atlanta, way back on December 2). Despite the playoff push from just nine months ago, Piston fans don’t seem terribly enthused. Their average attendance at the cavernous suburban Palace of Auburn Hills ranks 28th out of 30 NBA teams.

    Yet, as it pertains to Stan Van’s status, file it under “What else are ya gonna do?” Gores knows that Van Gundy, who fumed throughout December as things went haywire, cares deeply about his team’s on-court effort.

    “This isn’t the YMCA, this is the NBA,” zinged Van Gundy to the Detroit News and reporters pregame, when asked about the team’s defensive intensity. “This is high-level basketball; you’ve got to play it hard, aggressive and smart. It’s not enough to say they’re trying hard.” Gores is willing to let the man who cut bait on Joe Dumars’ disastrous Josh Smith contract work through the back end of Smoove’s buyout, which concludes this season.

    The Pistons have a few walking-wounded struggling to play as well. Logging the most minutes-per-game on the team, guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (40.4 3FG%) strained a rotator cuff early in the Pistons’ blowout loss in Oakland last Thursday, and the 23-year-old ironman will miss his third-straight game. Mega-rebounder Andre Drummond (NBA-high 36.1 D-Reb%) and his frontcourt mates Jon Leuer (out) and Aron Baynes (active) are each dealing with varying knee maladies.

    Detroit’s adversities should bode well today for a rested Howard, assuming he gets plenty of post touches and runs the floor. Dwight matched Drummond’s 15 rebounds, in five fewer minutes, during the 105-98 win on December 30 that nudged the Hawks back above .500 for the season.

    There was a time, up until around 2011, when Howard shot 59-60 percent on free throws consistently. Now he’s trending upward again toward that area (65.4 FT% in last 15 games), making it tougher for opponents to defend him around the rim without giving buckets away.

    Having to defend Howard straight-up specifically makes it harder for Drummond (team-high 1.5 SPG) to toil as an eager help defender. Once defensive ace Paul Millsap (January: 13.4 second-half PPG, 1st  among East PF/Cs; 52.2 second-half FG%) and Dennis Schröder (28 points, 13-for-16 FGs @ NYK on Monday) inevitably find their offensive grooves, and the pace picks up, it becomes harder for Jackson and Tobias Harris (combined 12-for-31 FGs @ ATL on Dec. 30) to keep up.

    Detroit is the league’s most reliable defensive rebounding team (80.0 D-Reb%). The wall-building Pistons are, somewhat amazingly, more adept at one-and-done whenever Drummond (79.2 team D-Reb% On-Court; 82.2% Off-Court) takes a breather. This suggests it’s crucial for the Hawks to execute well in setting up, and delivering, first shots during its possessions.

    Tim Hardaway, Jr. is 7-for-22 on field goals in two games this season versus his father’s current employer, going 2-for-8 (0-for-3 3FGs) back on December 30 as he watched Kyle Korver (22 points on 7-for-13 shooting) carry the day offensively. But he came alive once again in the fourth quarter on Monday to hold off the Knicks, 108-107, matching Schröder with 9 points in the final frame. He’ll find less defensive pressure on him with KCP out-of-action.

    Detroit has been cuddling, snuggling, and petting for well over 100 games. Yet there are finally signs their tireless work on their Hatchimal is paying off, as second-year forward Stanley Johnson may at last be breaking out of his offensive shell. SVG granted Johnson significant playing time in the past 3 games, and he has responded by going 5-for-9 on threes (26.4 3FG% prior 40 appearances) and tying a career-high with 6 assists in L.A. on Sunday.

    That’s not quite enough to make Stan Van a Stanley-stan. But with KCP still injured, Johnson’s the most reliable defensive wing the coach has in the stable, and he can help prop up the league’s best defense in transition off turnovers (NBA-low 13.1 points per 100 possessions off TOs).

    If he keeps this up, Johnson will push “KST” test subject Marcus Morris (41.2 FG%, lowest since rookie season) further down in Van Gundy’s rotation. Possibly sensing a flame under his butt, Mook put up a team-high 23 points (incl. 4-for-8 3FGs), playing in all but five minutes during Detroit’s win in Los Angeles.

    While not exceptional against the Knicks (12-for-32 team 3FGs), the Hawks’ three-point accuracy on Monday met-or-exceeded 37.5 3FG% for the seventh time in the past eight games (43.1 team 3FG% in January, 3rd in NBA behind the Spurs and Celtics’ 43.4%). Before January rolled around, Atlanta’s 32.6 3FG% ranked 29th. Even Kent Bazemore (42.4 3FG%) is showing signs of life… at least, beyond the arc (41.1 2FG%).

    With the ankle injury for Mike Muscala, Coach Mike Budenholzer was compelled to turn to Kris Humphries to relieve Millsap and Howard. Kris’ 3-for-3 triples and team-high seven boards in 24 minutes helped get Atlanta over the proverbial Hump in New York. Expanding contributions from Mike Scott, Mike Dunleavy, and Taurean Waller-Prince would also help improve flexibility for Coach Bud’s rotation of bench forwards, at least until Muskie returns.

    Schröder and the Hawks have benefitted from the improving play of backup guard Malcolm Delaney (last 9 games: 51.8 FG%, 4.6 APG, 1.9 TOs/game; 37.4 FG%, 2.6 APG before). The rookie currently ranks 5th among all NBA players (min. 15 minutes/game) with a 98.0 D-Rating, a value that was especially good (91.2 in October/November, 2nd in NBA) before the team’s November/December nosedive.

    While NBA.com stats are always sketchy in this area, his high rating suggests Delaney (5 assists and 2 steals @ NYK) and his teammates are doing something right. Another solid two-way effort by Delaney versus Pistons reserves Ish Smith (13 assists @ ATL in his last start on Dec. 2) and Beno Udrih could help the Hawks gain a decided advantage. Atlanta is 11-4, with just one loss (Boston) since November, when he collects four or more dimes in a game.

    Last month, it took consecutive home wins over the Knicks and Pistons to get Atlanta back on track. This time around, a two-game parlay would extend the Hawks’ road streak to six (most since the 12-game magic during December/January of 2014-15) and earn the team its 14th road win on the season, potentially tops in the Eastern Conference. Relying just a little more upon a player once self-identified as Superman could have the Hawks looking up, up, and away from the bottom half of the East.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3

    lethalweapon3
    “Excuse me, sir? Hi! By chance, have you seen Derrick Rose anywhere around here?”


     
    The arc of the regular season is long, but it bends toward playoffs for the Atlanta Hawks. Aiming for their ninth victory in their past ten games, they swoop into Madison Square Garden on the observed MLK Day holiday to take on the New York Knicks (1:00 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, MSG Network in Gotham, NBATV everywhere else). At least, the ones that bother to show up.

    Whatever you do, don’t look down! The tier below the Hawks (23-17) in the Eastern Conference has morphed from a Crab Barrel to a Musical Chairs show. From 2.5-3.0 games below Atlanta, you’ll find five teams, including division rivals Washington and Charlotte, within a half-game of one another.

    If the East’s Top 4 hold firm, one of those playoff hopefuls will find themselves watching the postseason from home. Atlanta can stay above the fray if they continue pulling off wins on the road. A win today in Manhattan would move the Hawks into a tie with those annoying Celtics for the Eastern Conference lead, with 13 away-game victories.

    Below the “Musical Chairs” tier has formed the “Look Out, Here Come the Sixers” tier, and the Knicks (18-23) have taken up residence there. New York has lost ten of its last 12, including a 102-98 overtime defeat at Philips Arena back on December 28. They flew back home after getting waylaid in Toronto, the Raptors building up a 38-point third-quarter lead before letting off the gas pedal and winning 116-101.

    Derrick Rose going AWOL last week has taken over almost all the headlines (Mama Rose has relocated to NYC, so all’s well on that front). Following a hit-piece blog post from Phil Jackson ally Charley Rosen, Carmelo Anthony is offering hints that he’s willing to revisit his no-trade clause if the Zen Master (who has himself taken an odd vow of silence) wants him gone. And coach Jeff Hornacek is threatening to rearrange some more deck chairs on the Knicks’ ship. But an even more press-stopping issue for the Knicks is the problematic Achilles of the team’s future headliner.

    Kristaps Porzingis began feeling soreness during the Christmas Day loss to Boston. After struggling with his interior play in Atlanta (3-for-9 2FGs, 5 TOs on Dec. 28) and New Orleans, the lanky Latvian was held inactive for three games. Four games after that, his hampered mobility suffered a recurrence, and he was DNP’d in the Knicks’ past two contests.

    “They (the medical staff) want to make sure I’m good, 100 percent healed before I step on the court,” Porzingis said, as reported by the New York Post, “We don’t want this to happen again.” Allowing his heel more time to heal would be ideal. Unfortunately, the Unicorn’s replacement in the lineup, Lance Thomas, caught the business end of Jonas Valanciunas’ elbow yesterday, suffering an orbital bone fracture and concussion symptoms.

    Still, Porzingis will sit out today, making things even tougher for the Knicks up against Atlanta’s formidable frontline of Dwight Howard (17.0 PPG, 20.0 RPG, incl. 7.5 O-Rebs/game, vs. NYK this season) and Paul Millsap (Hawks-high 11 combined assists, zero TOs vs. NYK in 78 minutes).

    Joakim Noah (14 points and 16 boards @ ATL) is similarly soldiering on, despite a sore right shoulder (left-shoulder surgery ended his last season with the Bulls, around this same time). If Noah also cannot go, Hornacek will rely more heavily upon space-eater Kyle O’Quinn and up to four rookies: Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Maurice Ndour, Marshall Plumlee, and the turnover-prone Willy Hernangomez (NBA-high 54.3 FG% among rookies).

    No matter the combination, the Hawks’ bigs (without Mike Muscala, who is back home healing an injured hoof from Sunday’s game) are capable of exploiting a Knicks team that focuses on the offensive boards (4th in O-Reb%, largely due to ranking 27th in 2FG%) much more than the defensive ones (29th in D-Reb%).

    In Moose’s absence, coach Mike Budenholzer needs to look more toward not only Kris Humphries, but the underutilized Mike Scott. Both players will need to be present around the defensive glass to help limit the wayward-shooting Knicks to one-shot possessions.

    Anthony (42.6 FG%, lowest since his 2003-04 rookie season) will try to show he’s playing inspired ball on MLK Day in MSG. But the Knicks could use more than the one-dimensional offering provided by Melo yesterday afternoon: 18 points, one rebound, one assist, one block, one free throw.

    If only to showcase him to potential trade-deadline suitors (pending the clause waiver), Melo remains a lock in the starting lineup, no matter how bad things get. The more likely shakeup among the starters would involve supplanting Courtney Lee (2-for-9 FGs @ TOR on Sunday) with former Hawk Justin Holiday (17 points, 3-for-5 3FGs in 26 bench minutes @ TOR).

    Rose (45.2 FG%, best since his first All-Star season in 2009-10) is not only back in the locker room, but is trying to feign leadership by puppeteering his head coach. “I told (Hornacek) he has to be on us hard about defense,” Rose told the Post this weekend after practicing for the Toronto game. “Like, beat it in our heads where we get tired of hearing him talk about it.”

    While it’s nice for Rose to encourage his coach to find his inner Thibodeau, the point guard struggles to lead by example on the floor, and his primary backup Brandon Jennings isn’t doing any better. New York is surrendering the most points per game (108.3, 6th-worst in NBA) since 1988-89; the only Eastern Conference team allowing more resides one borough to the south. Ron Baker helped resuscitate the Knicks in the final quarter yesterday, and the rookie guard may be eating into both Rose’s and Jennings’ floor time in the near future.

    Nonetheless, Rose has returned, so now all that’s left is for Atlanta to figure out where Dennis Schröder’s game has gone. Dennis struggled in his last appearance at MSG (0-for-8 FGs, 3 assists in 21 minutes of the Hawks’ 104-94 loss on Nov. 20), but lit up the Knicks with 27 points on 11-for-21 FGs back home in December.

    Struggling mightily in the past two games (5-for-19 combined FGs, 9 assists, 6 TOs) after a solid road trip, Schröder could use a dominant performance today to shake off the cobwebs. With the Knicks’ injury-saddled frontcourt overly focused on the offensive side of the ball, Schröder should be able to break out in transition to break out of his slump.

    Hawks fans enjoyed a cameo appearance yesterday from Kent Bazemore, whose 24 points (4-for-7 3FGs) fell one short of his season-high. Baze’s confidence can remain high today if he’s focused defensively on the Knicks’ guards, and not switched onto lengthier forwards like Anthony and Kuzminskas.

    Expecting consistently-good performances out of Bazemore and the Force MDs – backup guard Malcolm Delaney (9 assists, 2 TOs in 26 minutes vs. MIL on Sunday), and newcomer sharpshooter Mike Dunleavy, Jr. (20 points, 4-for-5 3FGs vs. MIL) – may be a bit too much to ask at this stage. Thus, it’s crucial for Atlanta to get Schröder and former Knick Tim Hardaway, Jr. (0-for-3 3FGs vs. MIL; 0-for-7 FGs vs. NYK on Dec. 28) going strong from the outset.

    A solid first half from the Hawks’ starters and a spirited second half from the bench crew would go a long way toward keeping the Knicks (3-19 when losing after three quarters) submerged, and have their fans looking to find ways to enjoy the remainder of the holiday. For everyone on and off the floor, it’s a day on, not a day off.

    Have a Wonderful MLK Day! Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3

    lethalweapon3
    “Oh, deer…”

     
    A Wisconsin team arrives in Atlanta, and loses on a Sunday in January. Hopefully, that will be the case not only once, but twice, this month, beginning with the Atlanta Hawks emerging victorious in this Sunday matinee with the Milwaukee Bucks (3:00 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL; Fox Sports Wisconsin in MKE).

    There remain plenty of close friends up and down Atlanta’s roster, but keeping one’s enemies closer continues to be a challenge for the Hawks (22-17). On Friday night, they fell behind to Boston by 15 points in the first quarter (before crawling back to tie in the second, down 4 at the half). Similarly, Atlanta slipped behind by 20 in the third quarter before knotting things up in a wild finish.

    Dennis Schröder struggled to control the tempo (third-lowest game pace this season for Atlanta), and Dwight Howard was unable to help the Hawks build a rebounding advantage (50.0 Reb% vs. BOS), setting the stage for the heroics to come from Isaiah Thomas in the final quarter. For a game that wound up excitingly even, Atlanta’s players and coaches placed themselves behind the 8-ball early and too often.

    It’s always tough to keep a team featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo at arm’s length. But the Hawks don’t want a repeat of their game in the Badger State back on December 9, when Atlanta fell behind by 20 at halftime and had to claw back to win, 114-110.

    The month before, here at Philips Arena, Atlanta (without Howard or Thabo Sefolosha) blitzed the Bucks with a bench-fueled 31-9 second-quarter advantage, and held an 18-point lead in the third quarter, but needed to hang on when Giannis (26 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists @ ATL on Nov. 16) and Jabari Parker (25.0 PPG, 3.0 SPG vs. ATL this season) repeatedly brought Milwaukee back within a couple scores of the lead. A little less turbulence with be preferable today before the Hawks head north to meet the Knicks tomorrow.

    The steady presence in both contests versus Milwaukee was Paul Millsap (22.0 PPG, 61.5 FG%, 11.0 RPG, 1.5 TOs/game vs. MIL), who had his hands full keeping Giannis (5.0 TOs/game vs. ATL) and Parker in check. Keeping Milwaukee’s star forwards busy defensively should free up Dennis and Dwight for bounceback performances today.

    It’s likely Schröder won’t have to endure any Yo Mama snaps from Matthew Dellavedova today. Delly (37.2 FG%) has been known to grate on opponents on the court with his play more than his mouth, but has ceded his starting point guard spot to a rookie, Greater Atlanta Christian alum Malcolm Brogdon.

    Brogdon’s offensive poise has caught up with his assertiveness on defense, quickly gaining the confidence of coach Jason Kidd. As of now, the second-round draftee out of UVa is leading all rookies in Win Shares, scoring (9.2 PPG) and assists (6.3 APG as a starter, plus 14.0 PPG, 95.8 FT%, and 5.1 RPG) while committing just 1.5 turnovers per game.

    With Brogdon taking over at the point, the Bucks (20-18) have won 5 of their last 7, including a win in San Antonio without Giannis around in the clutch. Schröder must rely on pick-and-roll action to screen Brogdon out of plays and exploit Milwaukee’s shakier defenders, particularly Parker, ex-Hawk Jason Terry, swingmen Tony Snell and Mirza Teletovic, and foul magnets John Henson and Miles Plumlee.

    Malcolm Delaney (17 points and 6 assists, 1 TO) had a productive game versus Boston, and will again be challenged today to make Delly rely more on his shooting (7-for-21 FGs vs. ATL) than his distributive skills (8 assists in 18 bench minutes in the Bucks’ 116-108 win vs. MIA on Friday).

    The Bucks thrive on interior scoring (NBA-high 50.1 paint points per-48), meaning that Howard (23 minutes vs. BOS) must be active stemming Milwaukee’s offense without falling into early foul trouble. Dwight has not blocked 2 or more shots in a game since the Hawks beat the Bucks back on December 9.

    Burned repeatedly by Boston, Atlanta is the only NBA defense allowing over 50.0 eFG% on pick-and-roll ballhandler plays (51.6 opponent eFG%, 47.4 opponent FG%). But Dwight and Dennis will get a reprieve playing a Milwaukee team that applies these plays infrequently (12.8% of plays, 4th-fewest in NBA) and shoots just 42.1 eFG% (4th-lowest in NBA).

    In the battle of the Moose, Greg Monroe (10.8 PPG, Bucks’ only double-digit-average scorer aside from Giannis and Jabari) seeks to wear down the Hawks with post moves and mid-range shots. Also playing off the bench, Atlanta’s Mike Muscala, whose three-pointers helped the Hawks turn the tide in Milwaukee last month, must counter by stretching the floor on offense while getting stops and sparking transition with rebounds (five D-Rebs in 54 minutes vs. MIL) on defense.

    Tim Hardaway, Jr. struggled at the outset in Milwaukee in December, but just like on Friday, came through with big buckets in the final quarter, providing 20+ points for the third time in his past six games (58.3 3FG% in that span). If Atlanta does a better job of contending through the first three quarters, the wing combo of Sefolosha and Hardaway should be sufficient to help the home team pull through today.

    The Hawks (22-17) need to keep their distance from the Bucks (1.5 GB) in the standings, not on the floor. Stifling interior defense plus better closeouts along the perimeter should be enough for the Hawks to get the job done, and to discourage cheese-headed Wisconsinites from desiring a return to downtown Atlanta anytime soon.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
    lethalweapon3
    “And, in 2017, I’ll pillage your rebounders, too, Atlanta!”

     
    The greatest enemy to the Atlanta Hawks franchise is in town this weekend. By any legal means necessary, this man MUST be stopped.

    “How about bringing the @ ATLHawks to Seattle!!!!?” That was Cincinnati-born, Richmond-raised, Seattle-spoonfed Russell Wilson in 2014, butting his nose where it didn’t belong, during the very height of Deng Fever plaguing our beloved basketball team, tweeting from 2,635 miles away. Oh, great. Why not call them the @ SEAHawks once they get to the Emerald City, Russ?

    “#Supersonics I vote yes!” Nobody even asked you, you sponge-haired freak! The second-highest-rated QB in NFL history (the top-rated QB ever arrives here the following week) forgot that he needed to stick to football. For that, his reprimand will be getting Vic-timized on Saturday, as his season draws to a fitting conclusion – once again – in the Georgia Dome. Ciara, please, come get your boy!

    Right down the street this weekend – tonight, in fact – there’s a Sea-Tac native who, likewise, could stand to learn a lesson about meddling in Atlanta Hawks affairs. He’s easy to find if you look down, as he’s rocking a Seachickens hoodie around town today.

    The star of the visiting Boston Celtics (8:00 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL; Save Yourself the Agony in BOS; ESPN everywhere else), Isaiah Thomas had been whispering sweet nothings in the ear of Al Horford, ever since the longtime Atlanta pivot interrupted his winter break to head to the 2016 All-Star Game. Then, Isaiah swooped in during free agency and helped GM Danny Ainge (I hope his finger still hurts) pry him from the pragmatic Hawks’ clutches.

    Here’s what this coup was supposed to do. It was supposed to kneecap the team that ultimately punked Thomas and the upstart Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. Their ploy was to move the Hawks out of the way, for good, clearing the path for Boston’s ascension back into championship relevance. Further, Horford’s presence was supposed to woo Kevin Durant away from OKC, forming a Superteam that could rival contenders like, oh, say, the Warriors.

    Theoretically, acquiring the top PF-C in the free agent class was supposed to make the Celts a more serious rebounding team. And, with Horford joining forces with Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart, Jae Crowder, and ATLien rookie Jaylen Brown, Boston could formally seize Atlanta’s place as the top defensively-efficient team in the East. Farewell, Atlanta, good luck with your fire sale. Look out, Cleveland, here we come!

    Add a $26.5 million big man and stir, that was the grand plan in Beantown. A few months into the season, how is that working for them?

    The pre-Horford Celtics of 2016 finished with 48 wins. The Horford-infused Celtics of 2017 (24-15) are currently on pace for… 50 wins! Wow, quelle différence! LeBron is quaking, I’m sure.

    The 2016 Celtics finished the regular season sixth in total rebounds per game, but 26th in D-Reb%. They added Al, and they’ve somehow managed to get even worse: 25th in team RPG, dead-last (30th) in D-Reb%. Gee, do they miss Jared Sullinger that much? Perchance, they’re still waiting for Durant to arrive?

    Boston’s leading per-game defensive rebounder? No, don’t look at Al (5.3 RPG), nor Kelly Olynyk, nor Amir Johnson, nor Jonas Jerebko, not Tyler Zeller. Try on Avery Bradley (5.9 RPG) for size – at 180 pounds, the lightest player (Thomas included) on the Celtics’ roster. Unfortunately, he has been out recently with a strained Achilles, and is not available for tonight’s game. Celts fans are self-assured that Bradley’s injury in Game 1 of last year’s postseason series with Atlanta was the difference between winning and losing.

    Without Bradley or Zeller (sinus infection) around, Toronto had not one (Jonas Valanciunas, with 23), but two (DeMar DeRozan, with 13) players enjoying career-highs in rebounds, as the Raptors stormed past the C’s on Tuesday night. The only other NBA team with under a 74.0 D-Reb%, besides Boston? You guessed it. Toronto.

    The next night, despite Boston prevailing at TD Garden, each of the Wizards’ five starters, and bench man Jason Smith, wrested at least two offensive boards away. Among the Celtics’ frontline, further shorthanded without Johnson (ankle, questionable for tonight) around, only Crowder could muster a physical response. But the reaction only came after the game, and was a bit too on-the-nose.

    When it comes to defense, the Celtics are indeed making history… just, not in the way they anticipated. Their team defensive rating (105.8 opponent points per 100 possessions, 20th in NBA) is presently the storied organization’s worst since the 15-67 squad coached up by M.L. Carr back in 1996-97. Yes, the rock-bottom team that had its bosses assuaging fans: “Relax, we’ll be good again soon. Rick Pitino is coming to fix everything!”

    After Boston started out its first seven games with the league’s worst defensive efficiency (112.3 D-Rating), all it took was an uptick in December (not long after Horford returned from concussion protocol) for a writer for Celtics.com to declare, in his article’s title, “C’s Becoming Elite Defensive and Rebounding Team.”

    No, not “Lite”… not “Effete”… “Elite” was no typo. Such scribbles are emblematic of an organization, from Ainge to Tommy Heinsohn and right on down, that makes its living blowing smoke up gullible people’s patooties. Their logo does wink at you while gnawing on a pipe, though, so no one can say they weren’t warned.

    Clawing their way out of their mid-season malaise, during Atlanta’s current winning streak (since Dec. 28) the Hawks have produced a league-best 96.1 D-Rating, something few individuals paid to write about such things outside of the ATL has bothered to mention. In the same period, those “Becoming Elite” Celts have bested only the Kings, Nuggets, and Pistons with their 111.8 D-Rating (27th in NBA).

    $enor Horford… what do you have to say for yourself?

    “I need to get rebounds when I can,” stated Horford as quoted in the “Elite” Celtics.com article, probably nasally, “but my priority is to box my man out, and make sure we hold the team to one shot.” While the Horford-less Hawks allow 13.6 second-chance points per-48 (8th-most in NBA), they score 14.1 (6th-most in NBA) themselves. And the Horford-full Celtics have given up 13.9 (5th-most in NBA), outscored on that basis by 1.9 points per-48.

    It’s all scheme, you see. The “Elite” author explains that Boston coach Brad Stevens wants his big men to clear the lane by boxing out… so that the Guards (which explains Bradley, to a lesser extent Smart) can swoop in and grab the boards themselves. On a per-36 basis, there are 10 Celtics averaging between 4.9 and 6.1 defensive rebounds. Al insists he’s following the directives of not only his current coach, but his former one, too.

    “I remember that Bud in Atlanta was like, ‘I don’t care if you get two rebounds. I just want you to box out and our guards will figure it out. We need them to be great at rebounding for us to be a good team.’” Even if that’s a mild exaggeration (was Korver ever close to “great” at rebounding?), might it be that Al Horford’s replacement on the Hawks isn’t Dwight Howard after all, but Mike Muscala? Is Moose Al’s power animal, or vice versa?

    Super-sibling Anna Horford has her brother’s team diagnosed. “…The C’s need a true center. We need Al at the 4,” she tweeted a couple weeks ago, laying to rest where La Familia Horford’s perceptions lie about his willingness to play to his size in the post. Anna expounded, “Adding some more height/solid backup would help tremendously.” Maybe another $26 million or so should be budgeted toward this expense. What do you say, Coach Brad?

    “It’s a good question,” Stevens said to the Springfield Republican before the Wizards game. “I’ve said it all year, we’re not going to win many rebounding battles. If we can manage it, then we have a chance to win.”

    Little defense, little rebounding, few problems. Right, Coach Brad? “If we’re the same in April as we are now, we’re in trouble,” foreboded Stevens, before Tuesday night’s loss to the Raps.

    Professional pundits, where are the alarm bells? Records don’t matter, right? If you can’t make stops, can’t board, can’t fathomably beat Cleveland or Toronto (0-4 versus those two clubs this season) in a series, aren’t you supposed to be “blowing it up”? Isn’t that how this works? Doesn’t somebody out there need Olynyk, or Amir, or Bradley, to fashion themselves a serious contender for LeBron’s crown?

    Instead of a hot stove in Boston, ESPN is pushing Stevens as a hot candidate for the All-Star Game (T-Lue can’t coach it, per rules, so it’s up to a mid-season race for second place in the East). “That would be big,” said Thomas (28.2 PPG and 90.5 FT%, 4th in NBA), the Mighty Mouse with the mightier mouth, said to ESPN prior to Tuesday’s game. “Not just for (Stevens), but for this organization and the direction we’re going in. Hopefully, we can make that happen for him.”

    Stevens draws a lot of praise, just for quickly making Boston playoff-relevant again. The fourth-year coach senses, though, that more important than some mid-season honor is avoiding another first-round washout this spring, especially at the hands of hardly-hyped teams like the Hawks. Without at least a series victory, anything Stevens sells will wind up smelling like his initials. The burning question, then, is, how far can his self-made All-Star point guard carry this flawed team?

    “Right behind Westbrook and Harden” is where Isaiah says he sees himself among the MVP contenders. Defense allegedly wins championships, yet Thomas (437th out of 437 players in Defensive Real Plus/Minus, as tabulated by ESPN without much fanfare, and Player #436 is not even close) knows that his best defense – his only defense – is a hella-good offense (8th out of 437 in Offensive RPM).

    Isaiah (110.2 D-Rating, 3rd-worst in NBA w/ min. 30 minutes per game) is wagering that his ability to score and draw fouls off dribble penetration (NBA-high 10.1 PPG off drives) while assisting on three-point shots (Celts 3rd in 3FG attempts per game) is more than enough to outweigh the decidedly negative impact of his presence on the defensive side of the floor.

    Thomas can posture and pose about his animosities toward the marquee lead guards in the East. But there is undoubtedly one, and only one, point guard whose face he has pinned to a dartboard somewhere.

    Thomas (24.2 PPG but 39.5 FG% in 2016 Playoffs) was supposed to be the only gnat on the floor during last year’s playoff series with the Hawks. Yet here he was in Game 3, frustrated, swatting Dennis Schröder across the head after the backup guard scored another layup against him. The refs acted blind to that, but not when Dennis retaliated with a hip check on the next possession, T’ing up both guards. Isaiah would be punished with a Flagrant-1 later by the league. “If he doesn’t slap me in the head, we’ll be fine,” quipped Dennis during pregame warmups. Don’t let Jae “boop” you, either!

    2016 was supposed to be Thomas’ playoff coming-out party, and were it not for Schröder, the Hawks might very well have obliged.  Instead, Dennis closed out Game 6 in Boston with a flourish of plays at both ends, and all a flummoxed Thomas could do is front when his season came to a screeching halt. “We’ll meet you in the back,” Isaiah warned Dennis after the game. “We” who? You and your secret pal Al? “In the back” half of next season?

    Whether shooting or passing off drives, there is relatively little difference between Thomas’ and Schröder’s effectiveness. Where Thomas stands out is in how much more frequently he draws whistles from the refs. Dennis (7.9 PPG off drives, 5th in NBA) draws personal fouls in just 8.2 percent of his drives, 2nd-lowest among the NBA’s 25 most-frequent playmakers on those plays, leading to 1.8 fewer free throw attempts per game than Thomas (fouls called on 15.0 percent of his drives).

    Schröder (20.0 PPG, 41.7 3FG%, and 6.6 APG during 7-game win streak; 19 points, 10 assists, no turnovers vs. BRK) is fully capable of beating Thomas incessantly off the dribble, drawing help and finding open teammates.

    Toronto’s Kyle Lowry hung out on the perimeter when Thomas got lost on Tuesday, burying 5 of his 6 three-point attempts to go along with 9 assists. On Wednesday, the Celtics helped Thomas with John Wall (4-for-21 FGs), but the Wizards point guard still dished out 10 assists while committing just one turnover. Get a bead on Thomas, and as Jeff Teague might say, it’s “Too Little, Too Late” for Isaiah.

    Brown (ankle) and Johnson will each try to go tonight, providing Horford some reinforcements at the forward positions. In any case, Stevens might continue to start Jordan Mickey at center and leave the starting 4-spot to the desirous Horford, who ought to have a decent-sized dossier on Paul Millsap by now. Sap, conversely, has seen Ye Olde Jab Step enough times to know not to bite.

    Millsap’s field goal shooting is at a career-low 43.7 FG% (including a pedestrian 47.6 2FG%). But that’s somewhat to be expected, given his newest starting frontcourt mate lives and thrives in the lane, drawing defenders further inward. Even alongside Howard (7.3 post touches per game, 3rd in NBA; 0.99 points per post touch, best among 5 most frequent NBA players for post touches), Paul’s 17.6 PPG remains the best in the past three seasons, plus he’s passing the ball more confidently than ever (career-high 4.0 assists per-36; Hawks-tenure-low 2.3 TOs per-36).

    On top of that, Paul’s arguably more effective as a two-man tandem defensively alongside Dwight (league-best 95.1 D-Rating as a two-man lineup; +7.4 Net Rating; Millsap and Thabo Sefolosha’s 95.2 ranks 2nd) than he was in the past three seasons with Al (100.3 D-Rating in 2015-16; +4.4 Net Rating). Boston’s top 2-Man pairing is Horford and Crowder (+5.8).

    Whichever frontcourt starter doesn’t draw Horford should be capable of feasting against Mickey, Jerebko, Olynyk, or the injury-slowed Johnson. The C’s can only switch and help but so much, given the need to provide cover for Thomas. Dominating the boards will be crucial against a Celtics team that is 12-0 when they snag more than 49% of the available rebounds.

    On offense, spreading Atlanta’s bigs onto each side of the floor, and having Tim Hardaway, Jr. (62.1 3FG%, 17.2 PPG in January) and/or Muscala (5-for-9 January 3FGs) chipping in with some perimeter shots off the bench, would provide a cornucopia of options to help the Hawks’ point guards excel tonight. Outscoring Isaiah is not as important as out-producing him as a distributor and a defender.

    Building up a cushion through three quarters will prove useful when Thomas shows up for his end-of-game (NBA-high fourth-quarter 9.8 PPG) stat-padding. Directing Isaiah, as a ballhandler, toward the sidelines, and keeping him from picking up cheap shooting fouls, will make things simpler for Atlanta at closing time.

    There will be plenty of green representation in the Philips Arena stands tonight, especially Boston clover green, and Seattle neon green, egging on Isaiah and the Celtics. But on 70s throwback night, the only greens that matter are lime and volt.

    The Hawks (just 10-7 at home) benefited from a spread-out schedule over their past ten games (21 days), versus a mostly struggling array of opponents. While the upcoming games are more home-friendly, the next ten games are condensed into 16 days. They’ve won enough of late to earn themselves a bubble in the conference standings, but a win tonight would go a long way toward helping the Hawks climb up a tier, and further away from the Eastern Conference Crab Barrel (5th through 11th seeds) that’s 2.5-to-5.5 games behind them.

    Boston, meanwhile, is eager to get a win for Not-so-Big Al, and desperate to avoid slipping into the barrel themselves. You can count on any of Thomas, flop-meister Marcus Smart, or the Villa Rican villain, Crowder, instigating in hopes of some retaliation that thins Atlanta’s ranks, either to beat the Hawks tonight, or to induce suspensions that might cost the Hawks a game or two in the standings. Atlanta’s players are experienced enough against this outfit, hopefully, to know not to fall for any Celtic shenanigans.

    Based on current trends, even with Horford having moved to Boston, even with Thomas magnifying himself, even with Ainge hoarding a truckload of draft picks, thanks largely to the improving play of Schröder, it’s really Atlanta’s Future that’s looking bright. Wouldn’t you concur, Russ?

    Speaking of Dennis the Menace... Hey, Mister Wilson! I’ve got a novel idea for you. Since you seem so concerned, once your fellow Sea-hag Isaiah shoots his way into a big-money contract, how about you pair up with him, and buy out Wyc Grousbeck and company? I’ve got just the perfect name when you poach an NBA team back to the Pacific Northwest. The Seattle Sea-eltics! I vote Yes!!!!

    Rise Up! And Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3

    lethalweapon3
    “This Barclays Center sure is a nice place, eh, Dennis?”


     
    So, what did your team get by parting ways with Joe Johnson?

    Meeting tonight for the first time this season, both the Atlanta Hawks and the host Brooklyn Nets (7:30 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, YES Network in NYC) have had their destinies significantly shaped, for better or worse, by the July 2012 trade featuring the plainest-named star in the NBA.

    Paying what was, then, a ginormous salary agreed to previously under the Atlanta regime, Brooklyn squeezed three-and-a-half seasons, and one Paul Pierce-fueled postseason series victory, out of the 7-time All-Star (just one All-Star appearance as a Net).

    Back in that fateful summer of 2012, Atlanta could not have conceived that the swap options Brooklyn offered would not only prove useful, but occasionally teeter toward a lottery pick. Brooklyn could not have foreseen that the season before they would buy Johnson out of his contract, it would be the Hawks, not the Nets, going eye-to-toe with LeBron James in the Eastern Conference Finals, dispatching Joe Cool and the Nets along the way.

    Neither of the Duke-alum general managers who agreed to the 2012 blockbuster deal would have predicted that, by 2017, they would each be distant memories in their respective NBA locales, largely for reasons that have nothing to do with this mega-deal.

    Here we stand, Hawks and Nets tipping off at the Barclays Center, and the man who defined these teams’ histories over the course of the past decade is coming off the bench in Salt Lake City. That leaves us fans to ponder: what is left in Joe Johnson’s wake? Who are Joe’s legacies?

    Well in Atlanta’s case, for starters, we got full seasons and playoff contributions from DeShawn Stevenson and Johan Petro. Anthony Morrow stuck around for a cup of tea, then was dealt for a late-season run by the Kobe-stopping Dahntay Jones. All of them, including Jordan Farmar and the troubled Jordan Williams, were off the roster before training camp preceding the the 2013-14 season.

    There was also some cap space engendered by the Joe trade, and signed into it were two shooters, Lou Williams, and Kyle Korver. There was also a 2013 first-rounder. Atlanta shipped that pick, Shane Larkin, as part of a three-team draft-day deal and received a haul that included China’s future statue, Jared Cunningham, along with picks that became Bebe Nogueira and Mike Muscala.

    For a couple months, Brooklyn teased the Hawks with the prospect of a 2014 swap for a lottery pick, before Joe resorted to All-Star mode and made the Nets look decent again. Before becoming a Sixth Man of the Year winner, Lou was sent to Toronto in the summer of 2014, along with Bebe, for the opportunity to waive John Salmons goodbye.

    In 2015, the Hawks nearly had the best of both worlds: a number-one conference seed, and a chance to secure a seat in the draft lottery. Alas, this time the Nets tantalized all the way until the final game of the season before their playoff berth was clinched. Receiving Atlanta’s spot, Brooklyn selected Chris McCullough. The Hawks swung yet another three-team, draft-day deal, using their selection of Kelly Oubre and converting it into the Knicks’ Tim Hardaway, Jr., plus a 2019 second-rounder from Washington.

    Last week, Korver begat the retiring Mo Williams, a dragged-kicking-and-screaming Mike Dunleavy, Jr., and a top-ten protected first round pick in 2019, all arriving from Cleveland. Including that plus two future recruits to Hawks University (a 2017 second-rounder from Brooklyn; the 2019 pick from the Wiz), Atlanta has two legacies to the Joe Johnson deal that remain on the floor tonight: Hardaway, and Muscala.

    For whatever their flaws, Hardaway and Muscala have become integral contributors. Timmy (last 4 games: 19.3 PPG, 59.4 FG%, 65.4 3FG%) even more so, now that the Hawks have sent Korver packing. With the departures of Korver and Ryan Kelly, Moose becomes Atlanta’s best bet at hitting the occasional shot from the 3-point arc (team-high 44.8 3FG%), at least until Dunleavy gets back up to speed.

    At the other end of the floor, what does Brooklyn have to show for itself, after buying out Joe last February? Quite a bit, at least numerically, if you count McCullough plus the cap space created from the buyout.  That flexibility allowed the Nets to bring in Sean Kilpatrick and the since-jettisoned Henry Sims, undrafted free agents, in the back half of last season.

    The roster was also repopulated around centerpiece Brook Lopez, with free agents including Luis Scola, Justin Hamilton, Randy Foye, Joe Harris, and the since-dispatched trio of Greivis Vasquez, Yogi Ferrell and Anthony “Bustin’ Rebel” Bennett.

    With owner Mikhail Prokhorov looming above the franchise, the Nyets can’t possibly be the Nyets without spending a few extra rubles. The team swung-and-missed on offer mega-bucks sheets for Tyler Johnson and Allen Crabbe in the summer, and again in mid-season while making a play for Donatas Motiejunas.

    They also brought into the fold lunchpail forward Trevor Booker and hair-gel-aficionado Jeremy Lin to serve as starters during the Nets’ transition. Lin, however, has struggled with a hamstring strain, and he’ll miss his 25th game (7th in a row) tonight. Booker injured his hip during Brooklyn’s 105-95 Sunday matinee home loss to the 76ers, their 10th defeat in the past 11 games, and his status for tonight remains up in the air.

    To top off the teardown-and-rebuild, the Nets elected to follow the lead of Joe’s current employer, and pluck a Mike Budenholzer disciple off the Atlanta Hawks’ bench. After concluding his final playoff run with the Hawks, Huntington native Kenny Atkinson returned to the island he once geographically shared with NYC’s biggest borough. Joining forces with Brooklyn’s newest general manager, Spurs-Guy Sean Marks, Coach Kenny remains effusive in praise for his former boss.

    “Fantastic all-around coach,” Atkinson said of Coach Bud during his introductory presser, “really taught me about building a program and building a culture on and off the court.” As Hawks fans know, Atkinson is not in the mold of the freak-out, panic-button, antacid-swilling win-now taskmasters to whom the league once grew accustomed. Patience is literally Kenny’s virtue. After watching the products of Hawks U., Atkinson’s brass are willing to wait for Nets Community College to grow into something bigger under his and Marks’ watch.

    After years of being sold on champagne dreams with Riunite on Ice talents, Brooklynites these days know the deal. Still, Nets fans have seen enough to know which players they want to see more, and less, of on the court.

    They’ll hand you a Coney Island dog, with relish, if you would take Bojan Bogdanovic (35.8 3FG%) off their hands. Defensively, he and Kilpatrick formed the “Bad and Bojie” duo at the wing spots, a problem Atkinson is trying to ameliorate by replacing SKil with Harris (also 35.8 3FG%) in the starting unit.

    Rookie Caris LeVert is not your Casanova, but fans would prefer seeing more of Hardaway’s former Wolverine teammate, who was acquired in the dealing of Thaddeus Young to Indiana. There’s a little less desire to see 2015 draftee Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, whose jumper remains wayward as he also seems lost with respect to his defensive assignments.

    Lin’s perpetual absence has forced the Nets to go with youth at the point. New York City’s least absent point guard is Isaiah Whitehead, a Brooklyn native and a second-round rookie out of Seton Hall. As his team-high 2.9 APG shows, he’s still figuring this whole thing out. Third-year pro Spencer Dinwiddie got some D-League seasoning and, with his contract newly guaranteed, should expect to see more time bringing up the ball in Brooklyn.

    Like Paul Millsap in the first year of his Hawks tenure under Atkinson’s eye, Lopez just started seriously shooting the rock from outside this season. Already, B-Lo is Brooklyn’s most accurate perimeter shooter (36.4 3FG%), most recently going 3-for-7 for 9 of his 26 points against Embiidelphia. Brooklyn will simply hope that his newfound floor-spacing will distract Atlanta’s Dwight Howard and open things up for the Nets’ offense inside.

    Also getting the jump-shooting big-man tutorial is backup center Justin Hamilton (34.3 3FG%, 2-for-4 3FGs, 16 points off the bench vs. PHI). Lopez is a continual trade target, and if the Nets pull the trigger on a deal, it seems they’re content with letting Hamilton ride out the remainder of the season as a starter.
    Either Hamilton (shifting Lopez to the 4-spot) or the lightly-used Scola will start if Booker cannot go today, although Nets fans would like to see more of the young and lanky McCullough. Ivan Johnson doppelganger Quincy Acy was brought in on a ten-day today, replacing Bennett, and is available to play.

    Brooklyn may not be winning ballgames, but it’s not from a lack of trying. Much of their league-low 8-28 record is attributable to their woeful road mark, a league-worst 1-17 away from Barclays. Never mind that, you see, the way their future draft pick control is set up… Suffice to say, there is little benefit to tanking.

    Thanks to the deal the old regime made with Boston, the Celtics get the Nets’ lottery slot this spring. The Hawks (21-16), though, cannot afford to screw with the Celts’ lottery odds. They need a seventh-straight victory to keep Boston (23-14, in Toronto tonight) close in the standings and set up a semi-titanic clash back in Atlanta on Friday night.

    Atkinson, like Budenholzer, is imploring his team to push the tempo, and these Nets are running (NBA-high 104.1 possessions per-48), even if it’s full-speed into a brick wall on most nights (NBA-high 16.6 TO%). On the good side, they are listening when Atkinson, drawing from his Mike D’Antoni roots, warns them not to fall enamored with mid-range shots (7.6% of offense, 2nd-lowest in NBA behind Houston).

    Masterful ball control from Dennis Schröder (20.2 PPG, 40.0 3FG%, 6.0 APG, 3.0 TOs/game during win streak), and on-ball pressure defense without fouling the Nets (18.2% of offense from FTs, 7th in NBA), should be sufficient for Atlanta to set the tone early tonight.

    Stifling defense from Millsap (NBA-best 99.1 D-Rating, min. 20 games and 25 minutes/game) and Dwight Howard (100.5 D-Rating, 2nd to Rudy Gobert among starting centers w/ same criteria) should keep Lopez and the Nets out of the paint (45.1 PPG-in-the-paint, 7th in NBA), and more reliant on perimeter shots (31.4% of offense from 3FGs, 6th in NBA) contested by Atlanta’s wing defenders. Hawk opponents have hit on just 31.5% of their three-point attempts during this win streak.

    Neither team should expect the former star, Joe Johnson, to be watching from afar. He’s prepping for Korver, LeBron and visiting Cleveland tonight. Besides, he’s just striving to be the best guy named Joe coming off Utah’s bench these days.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3

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