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lethalweapon3

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Blog Entries posted by lethalweapon3

  1. lethalweapon3
    [center][url="http://www.basketsession.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/tyronn-lue-david-blatt-lebron-james-nba-new-york-knicks-cleveland-cavaliers-850x560.jpg"][img]http://www.basketsession.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/tyronn-lue-david-blatt-lebron-james-nba-new-york-knicks-cleveland-cavaliers-850x560.jpg[/img][/url][/center]
    [center][b][i][color=#FF0000]“Look at me... Look at me... I’m the coach now.”[/color][/i][/b][/center]


    [color=#FF0000]If anyone, Tyronn Lue certainly recognizes the feeling anytime he’s getting stepped over. After doing his part as a lead guard to help the Atlanta Hawks crawl out from the bottom of the NBA barrel, during his fourth season with the Hawks, playoff-contending Atlanta decided to go in a different direction – specifically, sending T-Lue plus flotsam in a different direction at mid-season.[/color]

    [color=#FF0000]The 2008 trade to acquire a more accomplished Mike Bibby touched off the start of eight consecutive playoff appearances for the Atlanta Hawks, leaving the discarded Lue behind as a faint memory from an eight-season playoff drought. Playoff run #8, the most successful of the bunch, could conclude tonight for Atlanta at Quicken Loans Arena, the site for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals (8:30 PM Eastern, TNT, 92.9 FM in ATL). And Tyronn Lue will have much more than a frontcourt seat.[/color]

    [color=#FF0000]While Bibby has been spending his post-career time getting booted out of high school games, Lue worked his way up the NBA coaching ranks, and is now the lead assistant for David Blatt’s Cleveland Cavaliers. A future head coaching prospect, T-Lue’s hoping the next “step” will be the NBA Finals, Cleveland’s first since 2007. And there is no better way for Lue to savor that accomplishment than to witness a sweep of the Hawks tonight.[/color]

    [color=#FF0000]Just a couple seats away from T-Lue will be Larry Drew. As head coach, LD took the Hawks on three postseason voyages, and began the arduous departure from iso-heavy, low-BBIQ hoops that circumscribed the earlier part of Atlanta’s modern playoff era. However, with the Hawks mired in the middle, Drew rarely received credit for the effort to incorporate more motion, fullcourt running and passing into the Hawks’ gameplans.[/color]

    [color=#FF0000]Accolades didn’t generally come to Atlanta until after Drew’s contract expired, the coach subject to an amicable, albeit somewhat involuntary, parting of ways as Hawks GM Danny Ferry cleared the way for his Spurs bud, Mike Budenholzer. Coach Bud would take the table LD set and created a cornucopia worthy of an NBA Coach of the Year Award. Drew would come to find his ouster from Atlanta was only the second-biggest screwjob of his coaching career.[/color]

    [color=#FF0000]Larry would find himself a victim of The Buddy System once again last summer, unable to finish the job he started in last-place Milwaukee as its new owners bucked him to clear a pathway for Brooklyn’s Jason Kidd. Drew has certainly landed on his feet, though, and now sits one win away from the NBA Finals. It’s a life of runs, and as far as LD’s concerned, you can bet there’s a sense of urgency to run off his former employer tonight.[/color]

    [color=#FF0000]Having successfully derailed the best-laid plans of Kyle Korver and Al Horford in the last two contests, the Cavs’ whipping boy-turned-hero Matthew Dellavedova has 18,500 screaming reasons not to want to experience Game 5 in Atlanta. He’ll bulldoze whoever he has to in order to steamroll any notion of a Hawks revival tonight.[/color]

    [color=#FF0000]His NBA home city awash in acute societal strife, LeBron James was willing to do what it took to turn the attention away from matters of justice and give Cleveland something worth cheering about. And that he did on Sunday… barely. James had a career-defining performance in Game 3. Yet once he got the ball rolling after a 0-for-10 shooting start, his Cavs needed every last drop of greatness he could muster just to eke past a Hawks team suddenly missing both Korver and Horford, in overtime.[/color]

    [color=#FF0000]James understands that this Atlanta team, while down 3-0, is not one to be trifled with. He’ll do all he can as a scorer, a rebounder, a passer, and a defender, to make sure the conference title celebration begins tonight, and not two, four, or six days from now. The Cavs have been missing another star in Kyrie Irving for the past two games as well and, at the risk of looking ahead, the more time they get to recuperate and strategize for a tough Western Conference opponent, the better.[/color]

    [color=#FF0000]All of the aforementioned members of the Cavs have good reason to secure the series-clinching victory, specifically tonight. Just because it’s what Cleveland wants, though, doesn’t mean Atlanta is obligated to hand it to them. [/color]

    [color=#FF0000]Never mind that it might hurt too much to do it, but DeMarre Carroll surely isn’t willing to take a knee. Everyone had lapses during the 114-111 OT loss on Sunday, and DMC (4-for-12 FGs in Game 3) is eager to make amends for the occasional missed floater and layup that could have made the difference in steering the series mojo back in Atlanta’s favor.[/color]

    [color=#FF0000]JYD’s on-floor defensive leadership will be vital as the Hawks seek not only to render LeBron’s NBA 2K15 cheat-code performance negligible once again, but to close out on perimeter shooters. He, Kent Bazemore and the Hawks’ big men must also box out the cherry-picking Cavalier big men and eliminate the prospect of tip-outs from missed Cav field goal attempts. Perhaps James’ most consequential boxscore stat in Game 3 were eight offensive rebounds, giving his team a decisive edge in second-chance points that Carroll and the Hawks must work together to wipe out.[/color]

    [color=#FF0000]Like Carroll, Paul Millsap is about to get some very nice financial offers this summer. And, like Carroll, he doesn’t care one whit about that. Both forwards feel what they have to offer is integral to the continued rise of the Hawks, whether it’s as a starter or in a handsomely-paid bench role down the line.[/color]

    [color=#FF0000]The two-time All-Star power forward can whet the appetites of GMs everywhere all the more with a strong finish to this year’s playoff run, one that would allow people to forget that he’s shot a paltry 42.7 2FG% over the course of the last two postseasons. Aside from the need for better defensive rebounding and finishing in the clutch, Millsap’s ability, along with Jeff Teague’s (combined 20-for-20 FTs in Game 3) to draw trips to the free throw line and shoot them accurately will continue to be important in Game 4.[/color]

    [color=#FF0000]Whether passing, defending, driving, or shooting, Teague (30 points, 7 assists, zero TOs in Game 3) has to make winning plays, unlike the heave at the close of regulation in Game 3 that took the Cavs off the hook. Shelvin Mack (3-for-7 3FGs) bedeviled the Cavs with the occasional three-point shot in Game 3, helping his teammates make up for the loss of Korver on offense. But Mack’s defensive shortcomings set the floor for the play of Dennis Schröder (3.5 minutes of Game 3 action) tonight.[/color]

    [color=#FF0000]The Hawks will need point guards that remain active, assertive, and productive all over the floor. Atlanta cannot look up at the end of the night to find itself out-assisted by a Kyrie-less Cavs team for the fourth-straight game and expect to win the contest as well.[/color]

    [color=#FF0000]Mike Scott’s rebounding off the bench was laudable, if not much else. For Scott to have a critical role in Game 4, he must defend well and be ready to make good things happen whenever the ball comes his way. If he’s listless for any stretches, he’ll return to the pine in favor of Mike Muscala. With backs to the wall, the bench players (Pero Antić included) will get a short hook after any lapses, so long as the starters stay out of foul trouble.[/color]

    [color=#FF0000]Having cast aside the four-decades-plus Hawks Hex, the new “Hawks Have Never” mantra involves never having won a game in the Eastern Conference Finals. With Horford back and his head screwed back on straight following a solid 7-for-10 shooting start to Game 3, the Hawks have every reason to believe they can push this series back to Atlanta for Game 5, delaying Cleveland’s gratification at least a tad bit longer.[/color]

    [color=#FF0000]Let’s Go Hawks![/color]

    [color=#FF0000]~lw3[/color]
  2. lethalweapon3
    “If this doesn’t scare Teague out of the paint, nothing will!”



    Any True Believers still left around here?

    There won’t be terribly many snooping around Quicken Loans Arena for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals tonight (8:30 PM Eastern, TNT, 92.9 FM in ATL), not after the Atlanta Hawks disintegrated at home by allowing LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to dictate the pace and style of play over the course of two games. There will be even fewer TBs now, considering a Krucial Komponent of Hawks basketball is now out of Kommission for the playoffs.

    The Hawks are left not only to wrangle with the Seth Rollins of the league, but also his J&J Security associates. Thanks to Matthew Dellavedova’s Australian Rules Basketball play, Kyle Korver’s severely sprained ankle will sideline him for the remainder of the postseason, and with that, fading hopes for a first-ever trip to the NBA Finals have been shelved. Al Horford had to be helped off the floor in Game 2, and the valiant DeMarre Carroll’s mobility was clearly hampered by the knee injury he sustained in Game 1.

    No matter how disappointing his postseason performances have been, Korver (35.5 playoff 3FG%) had been arguably the best strategic decoy since Terrell Owens’ tenure with the Cowboys. His threat of the home run ball opened up doubles and triples all over the floor for Atlanta along the quest to the team’s first-ever ECF. But the Hawks have not recouped the benefits of all the attention draped onto Korver.

    While Kyle was merely 4-for-10 on threes in two games against the Cavs, his teammates have managed to shoot just 6-for-39 against Cleveland and 31.5 3FG% for the entire playoffs. By comparison, the cavalier J.R. Smith’s teammates are 13-for-41 from downtown, still bad but twice as good as Atlanta. Korver’s defensive activity in the postseason (4.9 defensive RPG, 1.4 SPG, 1.1 BPG) got easily overlooked as well, and it will be up to Kent Bazemore to fill the void on that end of the floor.

    Atlanta was psychologically crumbling well before the physical shortfalls kicked in, though, and that is largely due to the superior coaching strategies coming from Cleveland’s sideline. The Hawks have been attacking Cleveland’s defense as if it’s still being directed by Mike Brown. But first-year NBA coach David Blatt became a legend at overseas power Maccabi Tel Aviv by designing defenses that compelled opponents to settle for the shots they didn’t want. The Hawks begrudgingly took 17 two-pointers outside the paint in Game 2, connecting on just 3 of them.

    Grant Blatt a player-coach in LeBron James (30.5 PPG, 8.5 APG) who’s using high pick-and-rolls and dribble penetration to get any shots his team wants, and it becomes too much for even healthy teams to overcome. Having a superstar is nice, but it’s infinitely better when said star can make tough shots, take care of the ball, defend, and keep teammates actively involved throughout the game. Thus far in this series, LeBron is checking off all the boxes.

    While LeBron is aptly attacking the Hawks like wounded animals and pulling apart their defense like BBQ pork, Jeff Teague (5.0 APG, 40.0 FG%) and Paul Millsap (26.3 FG% this series, 8.5 PPG, 1.5 offensive RPG) have thus far failed to take every strategic advantage they can get from the absences of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, respectively.

    Tristan Thompson has contained Millsap to this point in the series, but he and Timofey Mozgov, while better athletic options than Nene and Gortat, cannot withstand 35-plus minutes of assertive pace-pushing from Sap and Horford (0-for-3 FGs outside the paint in Game 2). Atlanta’s frontcourt All-Star duo must establish a dominant full-court role to shake the Cavs’ defense out of their comfort zones.

    There is little pressure on Blatt to utilize Irving until the Cavs are in a position to clinch. In any case, it’s incumbent on Teague, Dennis Schröder, and Shelvin Mack to penetrate and find their frontcourt mates in positions to catch and score swiftly, via shots or drives. The point guards are at their best when they put their floor mates in the ideal position to succeed.

    Carroll will be in better condition to stick with James for longer stretches, allowing Mike Budenholzer to use Baze more as a roving perimeter pest, cooling off shooters like Smith and Iman Shumpert before they find a hot hand. He’ll need to hit some shots as well to keep Cleveland’s defense (Shumpert, in particular) from doubling down on the Hawks’ top threats.

    Somewhere in Northeast Ohio, the order has gone out for wine-and-gold confetti, enough to fill up an arena floor in time for Tuesday. Despite being mired in a two-game hole, the Hawks have two opportunities to make Dan Gilbert's confetti purchase a sunk cost. Atlanta can force LeBron and his merry henchmen to try clinching a trip to the NBA Finals somewhere away from the Q. Perhaps the Hawks could even give the Cavs two chances to advance... back Down South.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  3. lethalweapon3
    “You trying to get the pass?”



    A Stay of Execution. That’s not what’s happening in the literal sense with these Atlanta Hawks, at least not yet. They’re hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight in the Eastern Conference Finals at the Highlight Factory (8:30 PM Eastern, TNT, 92.9 FM in ATL) for what hopefully is not the final time this season.

    Things were looking dire late in Game 1, Atlanta down by double-digits in the final five minutes when their Playoff MVP, and LeBron Impeder, DeMarre Carroll went down with what looked to be, for him and his team, a catastrophic knee injury. While former editions of the Hawks would have crumbled like a CGI building near the San Andreas Fault, this group pulled together and played inspired ball in Carroll’s absence, right up to the final minute of play. Now, Hawks fans need to see execution from their top-seeded team on both ends of the floor all night, execution that was non-existent for way too many stretches of Game 1.

    Execution wasn’t evident in Game 1 when Cleveland took advantage of the Hawks’ lack of persistent motion on offense. The Cavs neutralized Atlanta’s pass-starved offense by shielding Jeff Teague (10-for-18 2FGs) and Dennis Schröder’s teammates and daring the static duo to try scoring on drives down the lane, or at least take ill-advised perimeter heaves (1-for-9 combined 3FGs) early in the shot clock. Execution was obviously flawed on defense, whenever Woodyball reared its head and the point guards found themselves switched onto James in isolation around the elbow.

    Execution to get Kyle Korver (2-for-4 3FGs) simmering from long-range never materialized, leaving the door open for Cleveland’s J.R. Smith to go circa 2009 Nuggets-era on Atlanta, burying the Hawks with eight go-for-yours threes on 12 attempts. While Smith’s teammates shot just 2-for-14 on threes, Korver’s associates (2-for-19 3FGs) were of little help, either.

    Execution wasn’t obvious around the rim, as Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov had few problems getting offensive rebounds around the Hawks’ frontline, and Atlanta failed to make them pay at the other end (9 fastbreak points). Korver had to lead the way for the team in defensive boards (7) while Carroll was occupied on James.

    Execution was crucial at the charity stripe, but the Hawks missed six freebies and were unable to capitalize on the Cavaliers’ seven misses. Execution was needed, but never transpired, when LeBron sat with two quick fouls and the Hawks up seven in the first quarter, the Hawks making just one field goal in the final three minutes while Cavs coach (and today’s birthday boy) David Blatt preserved James. The Cavs thoroughly controlled the tempo as the Hawks took a postseason-low 77 shot attempts and gathered playoff-lows of 37 player rebounds and 19 assists.

    Execution evaporated on the game-clinching play, when the Hawks needed another stop for a chance to get themselves back within a bucket of the lead. Paul Millsap was locked into James way too far out from the rim, and when James came thundering off the pick, rolling right down Peachtree and a little ways down Whitehall for the game-defining slam, the Hawks on the floor were left looking at one another: “I thought you had him!”

    The good news is Carroll’s knee injury turned out not to be as serious as it first looked. With a knee brace strapped on, DMC’s status for Game 2 is similar to that of Cavs guard Kyrie Irving, whose balky knee issues have the Cavs turning to Matthew Dellavedova (0-for-6 FGs, 3 assists) and Iman Shumpert (1-for-7 FGs, 2 assists) when LeBron is unable to put matters in his own hands.

    12 player turnovers by the Cavs (just six Atlanta steals) and 30 defensive rebounds by the Hawks is insufficient to get Atlanta’s transition game up-and-running. Game 2 must feature significant pressure on Cleveland’s ballhandlers, and more deflections of predictable passes to James and Smith. Communication and box-outs are vital for Al Horford, Pero Antić and the Hawks’ frontcourt, as they can’t get caught watching the flight of the ball with Thompson and Mozgov lurking about.

    Whether or not Carroll gets green-lighted for Game 2, Millsap will have to make better decisions with his positioning while guarding James in the halfcourt, and must communicate better with Horford whenever his man is coming off screens. Mike Budenholzer effectively deployed Kent Bazemore late in the game and insists on giving LeBron “different looks,” but those looks cannot include his point guards getting backed down toward the paint off James’ frequent iso-dribble. Bazemore’s length and athleticism gives him a better chance of being disruptive, and he’s likely to get the start in place of DMC.

    Korver must get better touches, and those can come by way of his backcourt mates’ drives, Horford’s and Antić’s dribble-handoffs, and hockey assists. Even if Kyle has to get a few spot-ups and contested shots up, this is no time to leave his missiles in the silos.

    Taking an 0-2 series deficit into title-starved Cleveland would feel like a literal Stay of Execution for Atlanta. It’s time for the Hawks to show they can do a little executing of their own, too.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  4. lethalweapon3
    “It’s only my jumpshot that’s regressing!”



    So… now that we’re all here…

    Falcons fans, think back to where you were in 2009 when, for the first time in its 44 seasons, your favorite football team went over .500 for the second-straight year. Or how about in 2011, when the Falcons reached the playoffs in back-to back seasons for the first time in 46 years. You were probably in front of a TV, somewhere? Hi-def, maybe?

    You likely don’t recall exactly where you were in either of those instances. So how about January 1999, when the Falcons went up to mighty Minnesota and won its first-ever trip to the Super Bowl? That moment when you had to adjust your antennae because the sure-as-rain Gary Anderson missed his fourth-quarter field goal, but Morten Andersen nailed his in OT? It’s probable you remember the exact seat you were sitting in, the first person you hugged, when the improbable happened.

    Any baseball fans out there remember that Summer of ’69, when the Bravos secured the National League West division on the strength of Rico Carty’s sac-fly and 46-year old Hoyt Wilhelm shutting down the Reds? The team that made Atlanta’s maiden voyage into the NLCS, getting swept by the Amazin’ Mets despite the best efforts of Hammerin’ Hank?

    Or perhaps, Joe Torre’s streaky ’82 club when they clinched the NL West in Dale Murphy’s first MVP season, starting the year with a MLB record 13-0 start but needing help from the Giants to hold off the Dodgers on the final day, before suffering a similar fate as the ’69 club at the hands of Bruce Sutter and the Cardinals? Do you recall where you were when the Bravos clinched the division? Not so much?

    Those were times in the ATL when just pulling off division titles sufficed as a big friggin’ deal. Yet if you were at least of teenager age by 1991, you probably have a great tale to tell about where you were and what you did the moment When Sid Slid to put away the Pirates. If you were of drinking age, you remember the very brand of the beer you cried into when Atlanta finally earned a trip to the Fall Classic.

    Becoming consistent contenders can be fun, winning division titles a little better, and winning the whole shebang is way better. But there’s something truly memorable, downright magical, about the moment your team finally reaches your sport’s ultimate championship round -- the moment your team becomes impossible for the world to dismiss out-of-hand as a perennial also-ran.

    With LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in town, the Atlanta Hawks come into Game 1 of these Eastern Conference Finals (8:30 PM Eastern, TNT, 92.9 FM in ATL) knowing that somewhere, in their huddle, there could be a Sid Bream just waiting for his big moment to arrive.

    Atlantans have Cleveland to thank for at least having a 1995 title parade to look back upon. Clevelanders would really like to move beyond 1964, when the Browns brought the city its last pro championship. But when he proclaimed a stunning return to Northeast Ohio last summer, James really tried his best to pump the brakes on the notion that 2015 will be The Year.

    “I’m not promising a championship,” he warned in July while announcing The Decision Part Deux. “We’re not ready right now. No way. Of course, it will be a long process, much longer than it was in 2010… I know that I’m going into a situation with a young team and a new coach (David Blatt).” But after being boosted by a pair of mid-season trades, James (who’s prevailed in his last four ECFs) and Cavs fans recognize there’s no time quite like the present.

    Before he established himself as the de facto player-coach, much like Richie Guerin did in an official capacity the last time the Hawks reached the NBA’s Final Four, James declared, “I will be the old head. But I get a thrill out of bringing a group together and helping them reach a place they didn’t know they could go.”

    After dispatching the Celtics and Bulls, the Cavs come into Atlanta with the postseason’s most potent offense (108.2 postseason O-Rating), and it seems they’re figuring out the defensive side of things, too (98.8 postseason D-Rating; 3rd in conference semis after the Warriors and Hawks; league-best 44.7 opponent eFG%).

    The loss of Kevin Love to an injured shoulder, and the lingering issues with Kyrie Irving’s knee have brought Tristan Thompson and Iman Shumpert to the forefront to relieve the All-Stars. Thompson is arguably the best offensive rebounder in the game right now (4.0 O-Rebs per game vs. CHI), and keeps Cleveland’s possessions alive whenever their shooting gets off-kilter. Thompson’s ability to crash the glass makes it easier for Timofey Mozgov to go after everything in his vicinity (2.2 playoff BPG) on defense.

    In the backcourt, Shumpert brings the defensive intensity that Irving cannot. Meanwhile, Matthew Dellavedova has proven helpful as a pest, and J.R. Smith’s gambling (team-high 1.8 playoff steals per-36) has paid off so far. Smith’s +9.3 plus-minus leads the Eastern Conference among active postseason players, ahead of Kyle Korver’s +6.6.

    Defensively, it’s essential that the Hawks treat Kyrie like an extra shooting guard. Jeff Teague and Kent Bazemore have to put Irving (3.3 playoff APG; 1.6 TOs/game) in situations where his best option is to give up the rock, rather than finding open jumpers (45.7 3FG%, 57.1 catch-and-shoot FG%) and open lanes to the hoop.

    Until Irving proves himself as a capable floor leader, LeBron (7.9 playoff APG, 4th in NBA) adequately serves that role. Atlanta will strive to spread James thin as Cleveland’s primary help defender, distributor, and help rebounder, in addition to their go-to perimeter scorer (4.8 playoff 3FG attempts per game, 14.6 3FG%) at the end of the shot clock.

    By keeping LeBron hyperactive all over the floor, he’ll create opportunities (NBA-high 4.6 playoff TOs per game) for the Hawks to capitalize in transition, and to find an open scorer between DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap. LeBron’s in-game tallies will continue to impress the TV broadcasters, but box scores alone won’t win championships.

    DMC (team-high 17.1 playoff PPG, 52.4 FG%) will have his hands full with James, but now the feeling is mutual, and the Junk Yard Dawg’s ability to space the floor and drive to the hoop makes it difficult for LeBron to leave him open to compensate for other Atlanta mismatches on the floor. Whichever of James (2.9 playoff personal fouls/game) or Carroll gets in early foul trouble puts their opponents at a considerable early advantage in each game of this series.

    Staying true to their ball-movement philosophy in the playoffs, the Hawks have the league’s top-two active leaders in points per-48 created via assist, in Teague (25.8) and wunderkind Dennis Schröder (24.5). Individually, or together, they are each capable of pushing the Cavs (NBA-low 92.9 playoff pace) out of their plodding tempo, forcing Cav ballhandlers and defenders into making costly mistakes. With smart decision-making, both players can create havoc for Cleveland defenders, as post passes to Millsap and pick-and-pop with Al Horford should be available all night.

    Horford and Millsap took advantage of a slow-footed Nene and Marcin Gortat in the past series, in part, by crashing the offensive glass, and they could become a problem for Cleveland, one of the subpar defensive rebounding teams in the postseason (74.9 D-Reb%; 15.6 opponent second-chance PPG, 4th-most in playoffs).

    Blatt will try to offset that action by getting an energetic Mozgov involved in runouts early in the game, forcing Atlanta’s big men to get back quickly. It was an offensive wrinkle that worked well against Chicago, despite Joakim Noah’s league-high 4.0 O-Reb average during the semis.

    Of the things Cleveland misses most by Love’s absence from the lineup, transition offense is among them (6.9 playoff fastbreak PPG, next-to-last in NBA). Still, the Hawks’ bigs need to collaborate to keep James and Mozgov from picking up steam on the open floor.

    Hovering over all of this is the spectre of en fuego Korver (35.0 playoff 3FG%). If the league’s leading three-point shooter during the regular season stops defying the Law of Averages and reappears for stretches, it will be tough for the Cavs to keep up over the course of a seven-game series. Shumpert can keep up but gets easily flustered when Korver heats up. Blatt may deploy a rested Shawn Marion to help out along the perimeter if Shumpert and Dellavedova don’t suffice.

    Cleveland was held to double-digits in their two losses to Chicago; in 19 of their last 20 regular-season losses, the Cavs failed to score more than 100 points in regulation (the exception being the Hawks’ 109-101 home win back in late December). LeBron might get his 40-and-whatever, Kyrie his 30. But where will the other 30-plus points be coming from to help Cleveland keep up?

    There’s plenty of room for a breakout game among Atlanta’s bench players. In Cleveland’s last visit to the Highlight Factory, the Cavs found themselves slowly eroding a 17-point first-quarter lead. But as Cavs assistant Larry Drew knows, it’s a game of runs, and by the fourth quarter, it was Schröder (4 of his 8 assists) and Mike Scott (5-for-6 FGs) running the Cavs out of town. Scott now has competition from the well-deserving Mike Muscala for playing time, but has the potential to make up for what’s been an underwhelming playoff run thus far.

    When Teague sat out of the mid-December game in Cleveland, Schröder ably sliced-and-diced (10 assists, 1 TO), and the Cavs are still trying to find the license number of the (Shelvin) Mack Truck that went 6-for-6 on them from three-point range. Pero will be up to his usual Antics, probably getting a few long-range bombs each game, but his ability to win battles for boards in the post against the likes of Mozgov and Thompson will be crucial to give Horford the rest that he’ll need.

    Although it took a few more seasons to win it all, “The Giants Win the Pennant!” is the lasting call that nostalgic sports fans remember. When it’s time to take that “Shot Heard ‘Round the World,” who gets to be the Hawks’ Bobby Thomson? Take care of business at home, starting tonight, and Atlanta may soon find out.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  5. lethalweapon3
    “PEACE OUT! So, Nene… you’re still, like, driving this thing, right?”



    “Series!”

    The Atlanta Hawks aren’t so brash to assume their skin-of-their-teeth Game 5 victory was enough to seize the momentum, once and for all, in this conference semifinal with the Washington Wizards. After all, Game 6 (7:00 PM Eastern, ESPN, 92.9 FM in ATL) is back in the Wizards’ house, Washington’s star John Wall appears to be all the way back, and the Hawks needed heroics from Al Horford just to win a pivotal game at home.

    But the half-full view suggests the Hawks played some of their worst basketball of the season on Wednesday, scored a postseason-low 82 points, turned over the ball a franchise postseason high 25 times as a team, and still came up on the W side of the ledger when the final horn sounded.

    These players know that better execution on offense and some screw-tightening on defense will help them go at least one level farther than they’ve ever personally gone before. They also know Washington won’t go quietly into the night in an elimination game on their home floor. Whether it’s one game (as Horford has demonstrated) or a playoff series, if these Atlanta Hawks want it, they have to go get it.

    Technically, Paul Millsap’s been to this promised land called the Conference Finals before. He got a good taste of elite success as a rookie coming off the bench, behind Carlos Boozer, in the 2007 Western finals for Utah, with San Antonio assistant Mike Budenholzer scheming to slow his roll over the course of five games. Kyle Korver’s been near this mountaintop as well. After his Bulls dispatched the Hawks to reach the 2011 Eastern finals, he was lightly used by Tom Thibodeau (go figure) in favor of Ronnie Brewer and Keith Bogans, as Chicago fell in five games to LeBron James and fellow upstart Miami.

    But that’s it, as far as experience goes (put your hand down, Austin Daye). No Hawks player that shows up on the Verizon Center floor tonight has experienced a major role in clinching a trip to a Conference Finals for their team. Paul Pierce most certainly has, and the Wizards forward will do all he can to remain a thorn in Atlanta’s side. It’s the Hawks’ job to extract him.

    How badly will Korver and Millsap want it, tonight? They’ll need to be far more efficient on offense than they were on Wednesday (combined 7-for-19 FGs, 1-for-8 3FGs, three assists and nine turnovers). Millsap (25 points on 9-for-15 FGs, nine rebounds) put the lid on the road against the Nets in Game 6 of the quarterfinals, he and Korver (20 points on 6-for-8 3FGs) putting on a stunning display (facilitated by Jeff Teague) in the first and third quarters to sap the will out of Brooklyn.

    How badly will Teague (seven turnovers in Game 5) want it, tonight? The opportunities for him to capitalize and seal up the series while John Wall was out of action are foregone, but it’s all for the better. Many observers are already crowing that the Hawks might only win this series because of Wall’s absence. It’s time for them to be convinced that Atlanta won this series because of Teague.

    How badly does… well we don’t even have to ask in regards to DeMarre Carroll, do we? After carrying this team offensively for six consecutive playoff games (22.0 PPG, 62.0 FG%, 56.3 3FG%), DMC has cooled in the past three (9.7 PPG, 36.7 FG%, 22.2 3FG%). The Hawks need both Carroll and Korver to get better shots and connect. Just as important will be his (and Teague’s) ability to lead the transition defense.

    With Wall back to key the break, Washington pulled a fast one early in Game 5 on runouts, and outscored the Hawks 25-20 on fastbreaks, often leaving Korver on an island defensively. The Hawks’ starting forwards have a decided quickness advantage over the Wizards, and it’s critical that Atlanta exploits it by picking up the pace in Game 6.

    How bad does Al Horford want it? While we’ve looked askance at Hawks Basketball since 2008 as the Joe and Josh era, it was Horford’s introduction to the roster that has got Atlanta into the postseason ballpark for the first of eight consecutive seasons. Our first and our last (to date) playoff victories during this tenure come on the shoulders of Horford coming through in the clutch.

    Keeping Al zeroed-in at mid-range, out-working Marcin Gortat on the glass is crucial tonight, as is his and Teague’s ability to out-master Wall and Gortat with the 1-5 pick-and-roll. A victory tonight can help redefine the Horford Era of Atlanta Hawks basketball.

    How badly do our bench guys want it? It all comes down to defensive intensity for the reserves, as Mike Muscala (62.5 FG% this series) and Kent Bazemore (53.3 FG% this series) have begun to feel a groove on the other side of the ball. Mike Scott will likely get significant minutes spelling Millsap after being DNP’d the past two games. Will he show up prepared to box out on defense and help close out the series with some deadeye shooting?

    As Teague deferred late in Game 5, Dennis Schröder (7 assists) played a valuable role setting the table for some big shots in the final quarter, and even helped defend Washington’s wings. Schröder merely has to avoid the bad habit of dribbling his way into traps on his drives and know his passing-lane options before he goes gung-ho at the rim.

    Millsap and Horford have been more than capable in this series of minimizing Nene and Gortat’s effectiveness in the Wizard halfcourt offense. Atlanta’s wings, therefore, need to do a better job of closing out on the perimeter and avoid getting so enmeshed in the paint that they cannot recover. Paul Pierce’s would-be-game-winner in Game 5 would have been symbolic of this issue for Atlanta, but it’s noteworthy that in that game, Pierce’s teammates were just 1-for-11 from deep.

    They’ve toiled away all season long, and now the Hawks can make history for themselves and their starving city tonight. There’s no need to wait for Sunday, a day that can be better used prepping for a visit from LeBron and company, instead of hosting the Wizards a third time. An unprecedented franchise achievement, a chance to go for even greater glory, and an opportunity to create a whole new legacy. For the 2014-15 Atlanta Hawks, all of it is right there for the taking, tonight.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  6. lethalweapon3
    “Stepping out the lane to contest Horford? Bah! That’s for the birds!”



    Will the Atlanta Hawks join the 82nd percentile tonight? According to ESPN Stats, when teams are tied at two game apiece in best-of-seven NBA Playoff series, the team that takes Game 5 has gone on to win the series (in either Game 6 or 7), 81.7 percent of the time. Will the top-seeded Hawks take care of business tonight at the Highlight Factory against the Washington Wizards (8:00 PM Eastern, TNT, 92.9 FM in ATL)? Or will they remain satisfied with being known as an uphill-climb kind of team?

    The probabilities get much bleaker for teams that come into Game 5 down 3-1. So, it took a now-or-almost-never situation on the road in Game 4 to squeeze the best all-around playoff performance we’ve seen out of the Hawks’ point guards. Together, Jeff Teague and Dennis Schröder directly contributed 16 of Atlanta’s 30 assists and just three of the Hawks’ 13 player turnovers. Their ability to sustain that level of play and contribute a bit more on the defensive end should allow the Hawks to continue playing much of the game from the front.

    While Teague’s offense remained a mixed-bag around the rim in Game 4 (5-for-11 within five feet of the goal), he maintained possessions after drawing contact and made the Wizards pay at the free throw line (6-for-7 FTs), keeping pace with Wizards guard Bradley Beal (8-for-9 FTs). Jeff also sunk a pair of crucial three-pointers, including a vintage Teague Time shot in the closing minute-and-a-half to grant Atlanta the necessary breathing room for victory.

    Schröder will also want to shake off the yips in the paint (2-for-7 FGs within six feet in Game 4), but he remains the NBA playoff leader with 16.6 points-per-48 on drives to the hoop (LeBron James is second among active players at 12.9). Thus far, Will Bynum (12.2 per-48 on drives through 3 playoff games) has proven much more effective than Ramon Sessions in counterbalancing Schröder’s offensive attack.

    While most everyone looks at John Wall’s imprint on the game as a scorer and a passer (league-high 12.6 playoff APG), what Washington may be missing most from his wrapped hand are his steals (1.7 regular-season SPG, 8th in NBA) and deflections. Atlanta’s pass-heavy attack has them blowing away the conference semifinal field with a 2.44 assist/turnover ratio (Chris Paul’s Clippers are a distant 2nd, with 1.77).

    Staying True to Atlanta by adhering to the ball-sharing philosophy, the Hawks’ 72.8% of field goals assisted, and 20.2 assists per 100 possessions are well above everyone. Without Wall’s disruptive presence, there’s no reason the Hawks can’t improve on those values in Game 5.

    Dennis also hit a crucial three-pointer in the fourth, he and Teague connecting from a spot on the floor (the corner) where Kyle Korver has been shielded the whole series. Atlanta’s coaching staff must concoct more effective screen plays, and demand better timing from Atlanta’s ballhandlers, to get Kyle daylight where he’s most effective (54.1 corner 3FG% in regular season, 29.4% in playoffs).

    As Korver struggles to contain Washington’s top offensive threat, and as DeMarre Carroll comes into Game 5 nursing a hip pointer, one can expect more of Jeff Teague and reserve guard Kent Bazemore splitting defensive duties on Beal.

    Atlanta reaches its defensive nadir when it fails to stay home against the Wizards’ top perimeter threats (Pierce, Beal) and when they do not shut down lanes for the most predictable driving guards (Bynum, Sessions). Until Korver’s offense thaws, Paul Pierce has taken over the top postseason spot with 10.4 catch-and-shoot PPG, hitting on 52.8% of those shots (55.1% on threes) compared to Korver’s 43.5%.

    Perhaps smelling himself a bit after his Game 3 heroics, Pierce nailed his first four treys, but could not do enough defensively to keep Atlanta (59.1 first-half team FG%) from building a double-digit first-half lead, largely on the strength of a conga line to the basket for assisted layups. When Atlanta cooled off in the second half (34.9 team FG%) of Game 4, so did Pierce (1-for-3 3FGs).

    Cover your eyes, Mike Budenholzer! In the second round of the playoffs, Al Horford and Paul Millsap are 4th and 7th, respectively in the league for offensive rebounds per game. Nene found a bit of an offensive pulse back home in Games 3 and 4, but he and Marcin Gortat have seemed to lack synchronization for most of this series, excepting perhaps while Millsap was fighting the flu.

    Until Washington’s bigs can demonstrate an ability to make Atlanta pay in transition, the board-crashing will and should continue. Atlanta was held to just 10 fastbreak points in Game 4, but the Wizards couldn’t produce enough of their own (15 fastbreak points) to make a difference.

    Larry Drew is not on the opposing sideline, yet, so there’s no reason for the Hawks to look so hapless on defense coming out of timeouts. In Game 4, the Wizards scored either a basket or free throws after every one of the first eight timeouts where they gained the initial possession. Those included two quick-strike Wizard scores that took all of five seconds off the clock during the final 70 seconds of action.

    The ninth chance came when Paul Pierce clanked a wide open (courtesy of a WWE-style screen from Nene) three-pointer that could have tied the game with six seconds left. That play took less than three seconds to unfold. Coach Bud continues to make Raggedy Randy look strategically competent, and as long as that continues, the Wizards will remain in contention in the series, with or without Wall.

    The past month has been just as much the Ref-offs as the Playoffs, where close calls or non-calls can tip the outcome of the game. Atlanta can’t afford a close-to-the-vest game in the fourth quarter where an untimely travel call, a "blarge," or a bovine-scatological Flagrant-2 ruling could shift the momentum in the Wizards’ favor. So focus and precise execution are paramount factors for the Hawks throughout this contest.

    Game 5 is a pivotal point in the NBA Playoffs, and Atlanta did what it needed to do to get its homecourt advantage back. Do the Hawks want to be in a “Win and Don’t Come Home Unless It’s Game 1” situation on Friday night? Or would they prefer the “Win or Don’t Even Bother Coming Home” scenario? The ball, like the odds, is in their court.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  7. lethalweapon3
    The last time Paul Pierce had mad hops.



    Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Here Lies “Playoff Teague.” We hardly knew ye! R.I.P. 2011-2015.

    Playoff Teague was on life support back in 2013, when his inability to find his way to the cup rendered him ineffective in the final four games against the third-seeded Pacers. Then, when all seemed lost, he found new life in 2014, terrorizing George Hill and Paul George while almost throwing top-seeded Indiana completely off their game. A full return to the guy who, in his first go-round as an accidental playoff starter in 2011, fearlessly went tit-for-tat with reigning MVP Derrick Rose is, alas, not to be.

    It’s now 2015, Anno Dominique. And with the opportunity to reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in Atlanta Hawks history there for the seizing, the team’s All-Star point guard has been faltering, as a scorer, a floor leader, and a defender, most recently against the likes of Ramon Sessions and Will Bynum in a pivotal Game 3 defeat.

    Aside from his assist-making, Teague’s vital signs (35.9 FG%, 26.1 FG% and 11.1 3FG% in his last four games) are strikingly close to those from his 2013 postseason. Starting with Game 4 of the conference semifinal series, tonight in Washington against the reinvigorated Wizards (7:00 PM Eastern, TNT, 92.9 FM in ATL), the Atlanta Hawks have at least two more chances to make the revival of Playoff Teague either an irritating myth, or a triumphant Tale from the Crypt.

    Most playoff pundits were not ready for Wizards head coach Randy Wittman outmaneuvering Dwane Casey and Toronto in the playoff’s opening round. What everyone was wholly unprepared for was Dandy Randy’s ability to outduel the reigning NBA Coach of the Year at the outset of the next series, particularly with his star point guard unavailable for most of these contests.

    There’s one player who got up off the mat to take advantage of his opponent’s incapacitation, and that was not Jeff Teague. Instead it was Nene, encouraged by teammates and his coach to rediscover his post play in Game 3 (7-for-9 FGs), as the Hawks’ Paul Millsap proved unable to produce his own version of The Flu Game (2-for-6 FGs off the bench).

    While Bradley Beal (8 assists, 5 TOs in Game 3) and Sessions (six assists, three TOs in Game 3) continue to adequately fill in the Wizards’ passing gaps with John Wall out of action, Pero Antić (0-for-4 FGs in 15 woeful minutes) was ill-equipped to step into the under-the-weather Millsap’s shoes as a rebounder, a help defender, and a defense-worthy perimeter threat.

    An NBA “veteran” solely by virtue of tree rings, Antić got the starting nod ahead of Mike Scott and Mike Muscala (5-for-8 4th-qaurter FGs), two frontcourt players who would later spark the Hawks’ dizzying comeback. Atlanta was led in the final frame led not by Playoff Teague, but by Dennis Schröder (16 points and four assists in the 4th). Nine games into the postseason, Atlanta’s ability to turn things around with its bench corps was a welcome surprise on Saturday, its 17-0 fourth-quarter run bringing the game to a deadlock in the final seconds of the game.

    Wittman knew he could turn in the clutch to Paul Pierce, the 37-year-old professional troll who’s wilier than any coyote, to put the team on his fake-injured shoulders. Meanwhile, Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer was indecisive about how best to guard Pierce, eventually selecting the relatively diminutive Schröder to D him up instead of the Hawks’ playoff MVP, DeMarre Carroll. As a result, it has been Coach Bud who is being questioned routinely about his coaching strategies, while the perpetually witless Wittman is left only to address concerns about the readiness of his starters.

    Millsap insists he is feeling better and ready to return to the starting lineup for Game 4. Without an efficient power forward by his side, Al Horford seemed to go through the motions until it seemed to be too late in Game 3 (6-for-13 FGs, 10 rebounds, 4 assists). Horf insists this time he, and his trusty jumpshot, will be sweeter.

    The Wizards forced a ton of well-defended jumpshots in Game 3 from the Hawks, who were 0-for-11 on the left side of the rim, below the elbow, beyond 10 feet (Washington went 5-for-11 on FGs in this area of the floor). Horford’s mid-range offense was virtually non-existent until the third quarter, and he and Pero allowed Marcin Gortat to enjoy a relaxing day along the baseline and around the rim (6-for-7 FGs and 3 blocks).

    Kyle Korver (2-for-4 3FGs) could not muster a single shot attempt from the corners, and it’s Budenholzer and Teague’s task to get their prime three-point threat decent looks. Combining Teague’s struggles, Horford’s reticence, and Millsap’s illness, Korver (TOs on 37.5% of Game 3 plays) is darting through screens and coming up the court only to be met by a cavalcade of Wizard defenders.

    At the other end, Korver’s and Carroll’s desire to overcompensate with interior help defense has left a ton of 3-point opportunities for Washington, and it’s a fortunate thing that Beal, Pierce, Otto Porter, and Sessions (combined 8-for-24 3FGs in Game 3) were unable to capitalize.

    Teague knows that 5-for-9 shooting within five feet of the rim, and 0-for-6 shooting outside of that zone, would not get the job done against Jordan Crawford, nevermind Sessions or Wall. He also knows (or should know, by now) that composure is essential. The technical foul he drew by sniping at Beal after a vengeful foul wiped out the momentum the Hawks’ starting unit built in the third quarter to bring their self-imposed deficit back within single digits.

    Now that Beal and “Lucky Shot” Pierce know they can get under the bristly skins of Teague and Schröder, they’ll do all they can in Game 4 to psychologically defuse the Hawks’ offensive gameplan. How will Atlanta’s point guards respond? Teetering between assertiveness and recklessness is a tricky balance, but it’s what a top-seeded NBA team needs out of its lead guards in order to wrest control of a playoff series back in its favor.

    The Wizards aren’t the only team in town nudging a 1-seed toward the abyss. On the ice, the President’s Cup-winning New York Rangers found themselves in a conference semifinal hole, down 3-1 against the mid-tiered Washington Capitals, and needed two skin-of-their-teeth victories to force a Game 7 back home. On the hardwood, will the Hawks need to show similar gumption, or at least quash their weary road play to avoid the need for a Game 7 in Atlanta?

    Despite the blistering comeback effort by the reserves, the Hawks did not deserve to win Game 3 of the series. Thanks in large part to the soul-crushing Pierce, they did not. Will Atlanta deserve to win this series at all? Now is the time to prove it, and time’s a wastin’. The dirt is still fresh and loose enough for a hand to rise from Playoff Teague’s grave.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  8. lethalweapon3
    “You watching, Teague? Do it just like this…”


    On the second lap of these NBA Playoffs, the Atlanta Hawks find themselves racing neck-and-neck around the turn, but against a team that now knows it needs a pit stop to either repair or replace its engine. Having dropped Game 1 at home, the Hawks know that the road to its first-ever Eastern Conference Finals must include at least one victory in Washington against the Wizards (5:00 PM Eastern, ESPN, 92.9 FM in Atlanta).

    The Hawks were on the floor the last time folks in the DMV enjoyed a conference semifinal victory in their house. Unfortunately for them, that was Game 7 way back in 1979, then the opening round for the Bullets along the path to return to the NBA Finals. Since then, Washington lost both semifinal home games to Boston in 1982 and Miami in 2005, and dropped all three home games to Paul George and the Pacers last season. While they’re still eager to win the series, Washington wants to get off this particular schneid really bad.

    If you went solely on the recent national media rundown of debilitating injuries sustained in the playoffs, you might never discover the starting All-Star center on the number-one-seeded team in the East had to trudge through his opening-round series following a dislocation of the pinky finger on his shooting hand. For better or worse, this second-round series with the Wizards will be defined by the non-displaced wrist fractures on John Wall’s non-shooting hand, and how Washington adjusts without him on the floor going forward.

    Wall, who reportedly clashed with his team medical staff about the severity of his swollen wrist before finally getting a third opinion, will do everything within reason to get back on the floor soon. But the nature of the swelling and an uncertain timetable for recuperation makes it unlikely he’ll be teaching people how to Dougie anytime soon, nevermind gracing the Verizon Center floor in a striped jersey for Game 3.

    If there’s a “winner” among anybody in the aftermath of Wall’s injury, how about Randy Wittman? An underwhelming series conclusion and a lack of improved results from 2014’s 4-1 second-round playoff exit might have imperiled Wittman’s job status going into next season, at least if many Wizards fans had their druthers.

    But now, with Wall’s up-in-the-air status, everything’s free and easy from here on out for the Wizards’ coach, who signed a two-year guaranteed contract extension after last year’s run anyway. Win another playoff game, or two, or three, with these superstar-shorthanded Wizards, and Wittman can ensconce himself as a franchise cornerstone for years to come.

    Taking that into consideration, would someone kindly advise Randy to calm TF down? Normally bristly and terse with the media any time the subject of injuries comes up, the coach found himself at Witt’s end on Friday, snapping at reporters seeking elaboration on the Washington Post article suggesting a “clash” between Wall and the medical staff over the status of his wrist prior to Game 2. Condemning the WaPo article as a “flat-out lie,” Wittman excoriated the Wizards beat writer before doing his best Drew Rosenhaus impression. Next question!

    All of the attention on 5-seed Washington has taken virtually all of the scrutiny off the top-seeded Hawks. What’s left of the critique has mostly been placed on Atlanta’s backcourt play. Jeff Teague has been steady as a passer (7.5 APG and 2.0 TOs/game this series), but his shot selection and accuracy (26.9 FG% vs. WAS, 3-for-12 shooting in Game 2) have left much to be desired. He has yet to shine in this series, with or without Wall’s presence on the floor.

    While Teague is dishing dimes, it is his job to be the floor general Atlanta needs to keep offensive movement from getting stagnant. In Games 1 and 2, Hawks perched along the perimeter line seemed to be the offensive order of the day every time Washington was permitted to charge back into the game.

    It is also Jeff’s job to exploit his teammates’ floor-spacing capabilities by finding lanes to the hoop and scoring efficiently once he gets there. He was just 2-for-6 on shots at the rim before floating in a stat-padder at the close of Tuesday’s 106-90 win. Missed opportunities allowed the Wizards to remain within single digits of the lead for all but the closing minutes of the game. Being focused and proficient on drives can get Washington’s bigs and other help defenders in foul trouble. (Buckle up, though! As a note of caution, Joey Crawford is working today’s game.)

    Hampered by his ankle instability in Game 1, Teague has begun to contribute on the defensive end by helping with the rebounding (five defensive rebounds in Game 2). But much of Atlanta’s celebrated January success began with Teague hounding one opposing lead guard after another into submission, as they tried to bring the ball up the floor and set up teammates, and that aspect of his game has been mostly absent at the outsets of both the first- and second-round series.

    It will be particularly important for Teague to keep Ramon Sessions from working up an offensive lather, as the starting replacement for Wall did in the third quarter (ten points) of Game 2. Among Washington’s starters, Sessions, Bradley Beal, and Paul Pierce will serve mostly as distributors-by-committee in Wall’s absence. It will be simpler to induce turnovers out of the Wizards when Sessions and Beal (7 assists, 3 TOs in Game 2) aren’t able to penetrate, especially when they have to dump the ball into Nene and Marcin Gortat (seven of the Wizards’ 16 player TOs in Game 2).

    The onus is not all on Teague, though. While Jarrett Jack (+18.5 net rating) and Ramon Sessions (+13.1 net rating) have enjoyed some of the best net efficiencies in the postseason thus far, much of that is reflected in the struggles of Dennis Schröder. The second-year pro’s net rating of -11.9 in the postseason still ranks last among all remaining NBA players averaging a minimum of 15 minutes of game time.

    A lot of that struggle hasn’t been solely his fault: until Game 2, his fellow reserve Kent Bazemore (2-for-2 3FGs) was an offensive non-entity while Mike Scott (DNP-CD’d in Game 2) continues to struggle, and he’s been held in perhaps too long at times while Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer rests Teague . But Dennis (no steals since Game 2 vs. the Nets) must make more considerable defensive efforts. Like Jeff, Schröder contributed with the rebounding in Game 2 (5 defensive boards). But he also must disrupt the Wizards’ ball handlers before they can build up a head of steam toward the paint.

    Schröder has made strides by protecting the ball on drives and drawing trips to the free throw line, tying Paul Millsap’s team-high of six FT attempts in Game 2. Dennis has also cut back on the costly turnovers (8 assists, 1 TO vs. WAS) that marred his play in the Nets series (20 assists, 16 TOs vs. BKN).

    The Hawks’ point guards and bigs have to help diversify Kyle Korver’s range of attack along the perimeter. One of the biggest defensive successes thus far for the Wizards is keeping Korver from killing them from the corners. Korver is shooting just 7-for-22 from deep so far, and is exactly 1-for-1 on the corner shots.

    Kyle is one of just three NBA players (Khris Middleton and Devin Harris) to make at least half of their three-point attempts from both the left and right corners during the regular season. Yet seven of Kyle’s 11 Game 1 three-point attempts were above-the-break to the right, and eight of his 11 attempts were above-the-break on the left of the rim in Game 2. It’s easier to defend Korver’s bombs when you have a sense where on the floor they’ll be coming from.

    Korver was tremendous, however, in keeping Beal inefficient as a shooter in Game 2. Beal went just 1-for-8 on shots while Korver was defending him, 7-for-15 otherwise. Korver has to continue to properly contest shots without committing silly fouls.

    Expect to continue to see lots of touches for Al Horford (+16.5 net rating, 3rd-best in NBA during second-round; 3.25 assist-turnover ratio, best in NBA second-round among non-guards) and Paul Millsap. Horford’s mid-range shot was sour on the left side (0-for-3 FGs) but sweet on the right (4-for-5 FGs) in Game 2, and his ability to stay out of foul trouble (unlike Gortat) kept the Hawks at a competitive advantage. While his own shot remains off-center (12-for-33 FGs vs. WAS), Millsap is discovering he can get whatever he wants against the inactive Nene (2nd-lowest net rating in NBA second-round).

    Not fearing the inability to get back on defense in transition, Millsap has at least four offensive rebounds in both games of this series and, despite some occasional sloppiness, has joined forces with Horford (13 assists in two games vs. WAS) as frontcourt distributors (five or more assists in Millsap’s last three games) the Wizards can’t match. If Nene remains stuck in neuneutral, Wittman may turn more to Drew Gooden, who is a subpar defender but can at least get up shots to keep Washington competitive.

    Like Millsap, upcoming free agent DeMarre Carroll can’t help but recognize the Playoffs can become the Payoffs when you step up your game. No other NBA teams can have opponents clamp down on their four most All-Star-caliber starters and rely on their fifth starter to lead the way, victoriously, in scoring. Carroll is doing just that (team-high 18.9 playoff PPG, 55.6 FG%, 46.5 3FG%, 80.8 FT%) and still providing the gritty defensive effort the Junk Yard Dawg is known for.

    DMC’s the one Hawks player physically capable of slowing the rolls of both Pierce and Otto Porter (each 50.0 FG% and 15 points in Game 2; 7-for-11 3FGs), who are doing all they can to keep the Wizards in this series. Beyond trying to get Carroll into foul trouble, Wittman may consider going small by shifting Pierce to the power forward spot, akin to Joe Johnson’s occasional role on the Nets.

    The stretch-four role for Pierce (+13.2 points per 100 possessions during the regular season, according to the Washington Post) caught Toronto off-guard in Game 1 of their series with the Wizards. Atlanta will see more of Rasual Butler and Will Bynum (DNP-CDs in Games 1 and 2) if Washington goes small to try and pick up their pace and add shooters to the floor.

    The majority of critical eyeballs are placed on the Wizards, viewers wondering who will step up at home now that Wall’s playing status is shaky for the foreseeable future. It’s up to the Hawks to keep the critical attention on their underdog opponents for the remainder of this series. Any more Atlanta lapses leading to Wizard victories will pump up the hopes of a Willis Reed-ish return by Washington’s star point guard.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  9. lethalweapon3
    “On second thought… I probably should've left John Wall in the game...”



    Sorry to burst your bubble, top-seeded Atlanta Hawks, but you have to burst the Washington Wizards’ bubble. Tonight, preferably.

    Down 1-0, the Hawks can’t afford to put up a Stinko de Mayo and then explain it away with “Welp! It bees like dat sometimes.” “We got good looks, they just didn’t go in,” and “We just didn’t make shots,” are explanations quite suitable for wheelchair basketball tryouts. But these were familiar refrains from Hawks players and staff alike, after this NBA team fumbled away a 12-point Game 1 lead in the second half at Philips Arena.

    “We’ll try to make our layups this time!” isn’t a catchphrase that will draw ravenous fans to the Highlight Factory, the scene for Game 2 (8:00 PM Eastern, TNT, 92.9 FM in ATL) of this second-round playoff series. The Wizards are on a roll with five consecutive playoff victories, and need the wind taken out of their sails in advance of the three-day layoff that precedes Game 3 back in the District of Columbia.

    After a Kyle Korver three-pointer widened the Atlanta lead to 12 in the opening moments of the third quarter of Game 1, successive blown shots from point-blank range by Korver, Jeff Teague, and Al Horford proved infectious. Nine consecutive misses by Atlanta, and heady all-around play by John Wall, allowed the Wizards to narrow the deficit. Eight more blanks on Atlanta field goal attempts to open the fourth-quarter helped the Wizards coast to the front.

    Late foul trouble by Horford rendered the Hawks ineffective on defense against Marcin Gortat (seven Wizard points via his offensive rebounds). As Atlanta tried to compensate by crowding around the paint, the end of the game proved to be Wall Time, as John Wall either scored or assisted on Washington’s 15 points in the closing seven-and-a-half minutes, largely due to effective dribble penetration.

    Meanwhile, Teague went 1-for-5 on shots and contributed no assists during this critical stretch. He and Dennis Schröder have to use their quickness to take Wall’s drive-and-kick game away and force more turnovers from the Wizards’ All-Star point guard (13 assists, 2 TOs). The Wizards committed just seven TOs in Game 1, and just three of those turnovers came by way of Atlanta steals (none by the Hawk guards) , negating Atlanta’s trademark transition offense.

    The Hawks once could rely on Randy Wittman to coax his Wizards into a cavalcade of inefficient long-rage two-point jumpers. Not so much anymore. The Wizards got just 18.5% of their offense in the regular season beyond the three-point line (4th lowest in NBA). They’ve flipped the script so far by upping that percentage to 28.6% (5th highest in NBA Playoffs) during the postseason.

    On their way to a sweep (and ample time to prepare for the next round), Washington put the Raptors on slow-boil by hitting six, then ten, then 12, then 15 triples in the series, the latter amount the most they’ve made in a game all season. They made nine in Game 1 at Atlanta, including a back-breaking open corner shot from Otto Porter that just about put the game away.

    Reserves Porter (10 points, 11 rebounds in Game 1), Ramon Sessions and Drew Gooden (2-for-3 3FGs, 4-for-4 FTs, 12 points and 5 boards) know their roles in the playoffs, and that is to help with the rebounding and hit uncontested shots to take some pressure off of their starters. The Hawks have to raise the degree of difficulty on Paul Pierce and the Wizard shooters by contesting (without fouling, it bears repeating) players camping out in the corners and from the top of the arc.

    The only Washington starter to finish on the positive side of the plus-minus ledger, Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 28 points, but much of that contribution came with the help of five drawn shooting fouls (8-for-10 FTs). He was his usual inefficient self on the floor (7-for-17 2FGs), but outshined Kyle Korver (3-for-11 3FGs), whose shots mostly came in desperation to try and break the Hawks’ recurring dry spells. Beal (ankle) and Wall (wrist) suffered injuries during the game, but played through them and are unlikely to have trouble running the offense in Game 2.

    DeMarre Carroll was en fuego in the first half (7-for-9 FGs), but the Wizards adjusted in ways Atlanta did not, and open shots were harder to come by for JYD (1-for-4 FGs in the second half). Washington tenderized four of the Hawks’ starters into aggravations of old injuries in the first half, and when the second half began the lineup, infused throughout the game with bench players until the very end, could not regain their rhythm for any significant stretches.

    The Hawks claim a desire to be more “aggressive” in Game 2, by setting up more shots around the rim (and, one presumes, making them). But against a team as stingy as the Wizards are in ceding points-in-the-paint, the haymaker layups and floaters have to be preceded by body-blows from their big men outside the paint.

    Horford and Paul Millsap (32 combined points; 29 rebounds, 12 offensive) were just 1-for-13 outside the paint in Game 1. While the duo tried to compensate by making the passes their floor leaders could not (15 of Atlanta’s 27 assists; 7 of the Hawks’ 12 TOs), their unique ability to use their range to draw Washington’s bigs outside was non-existent in Game 1. Both guys need to get it going to make things simpler for their colleagues on the floor in Game 2.

    Coach Mike Budenholzer often looks as if he’s out to prove he can win games with one arm tied behind his back -- an arm he’s personally tied down himself. While it’s unrealistic to expect the Hawks’ starters to go 40-plus minutes together, until it’s proven otherwise, Coach Bud can only rely on the backups to keep opponents at bay for very short stretches.

    Budenholzer was immediately questioned in the postgame presser for Atlanta’s starting five on the floor together for just 18 minutes of Game 1. Teague’s first-quarter ankle re-aggravation necessitated the entry of Dennis Schröder, who was tremendous (two close-range buckets, an offensive rebound and assist) in the final four minutes of the first quarter. But none of Atlanta’s bench corps were effective beyond the opening quarter, facilitating the Wizards’ erosion of the lead. It was a scenario similar to Atlanta, occasionally, in the prior series with the Nets– the starters dominate the pace and the action, but only get back in together once it’s time to wrest it all back.

    Coach Bud perhaps waited too long to re-insert five-foul Horford, replacing an increasingly overwhelmed Pero Antić, as the outcome hung in the balance, just as he probably waited until it was too late to foul in the closing minute of the game, when Wall’s dish to Gortat sealed the deal for Washington. While it is admirable to entrust one’s players to beat the odds, and Game 1 is the best time for experimentation as any, there’s no need for Houdini tactics from the sideline when there are playoff games to be won.

    While he rarely ever admits adjustments, expect Coach Bud to quietly shift to longer stints for his Big Five and shorter, more strategic roles for the Hawk reserves in Game 2. On this Cinco de Mayo, there are just five Hawk gringos capable of breaking the Wizards’ magical spell. Well, four, plus Al Horford.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  10. lethalweapon3
    “Seriously, Paul? We just tipped off!”



    As Rakim once said, “It’s been a long time.” As Staind once crowed, “It’s been awhile.” As Sam Cooke crooned, “It’s been a long time coming.” Is a change gonna come? For the teams meeting in today’s second-round affair at the Highlight Factory, the Atlanta Hawks and the Washington Wizards (1:00 PM Eastern, ABC, 92.9 FM in ATL), a trip to the NBA’s version of the Final Four seems eons ago, from a time when people endeavored to be the answer on the Soul Train Scramble Board.

    The last time the Atlanta Hawks enjoyed a chance to play for a berth in the NBA Finals, they were in the Western Division, way back in 1970. As for Washington, the last time they reached an Eastern Conference final, they were the borderline-non-PC Bullets, defending their conference crown in 1979 before the demise of Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld (and the rise of the Celtics) short-circuited any chance to develop a basketball dynasty.

    The preseason favorites to claim the Southeast Division following the departure of LeBron James from South Beach, Washington (46-36) acquired veteran thorn-in-the-side Paul Pierce, got a career-best season from their former #1 pick, point guard John Wall, and wound up with the most victories since that 1978-79 Bullets team won 54 games.

    And yet the Wizards still finished 14 games behind division champion Atlanta, who managed a franchise record for victories (60-22) and caught the league off-guard with four All-Star talents and a protégé extraordinaire as a coach. Both teams now have a chance to do away with spotty decades-long legacies and earn a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. But to get there, one has to one-up the other. It’s the Hawks with homecourt and a leg-up going into this series, winners of three straight head-to-heads against the Wizards before resting starters in the April 12 matchup.

    We’ve put Brooklyn in the rear-view mirror, but here’s a tidbit just in case you’re still a bit mad about that lost chance at a 2015 lottery pick. Know that while Hawks fans were hoping to keep the Nets out of the playoffs on the final day of the regular season, a few days before, the Wizards waltzed into Barclays Center, elected to give Wall and injury-riddled forward Nene some rest, and lost 117-80 to a Brooklyn team that was thrashed in Washington 114-77 in February.

    Wizards coach Randy Wittman has enough to deal with from Atlanta’s distinctively skilled starters without the prospect of a top-ten draft pick thrown into the mix. So Wall-less Washington allowed the Nets to dish out a season-high 29 assists, put up a season-high 42 fourth-quarter points, and hold the Wizards to a season-low 14 first-quarter points. If the Wizards handled their business in Brooklyn, the Hawks would likely have that lotto pick in hand.

    Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer ain’t mad, tho. Coach Bud sat all his starters two days later in D.C., allowing John Jenkins, Dennis Schröder, and Mike Muscala to cut their teeth against the Wizards’ top line. Despite building up a 25-point lead on the Hawks’ reserves in the middle of the third quarter, Washington could not keep Jenkins, Schröder, and Mike Scott from whittling the lead down to nine in the fourth, forcing Wittman to keep starters Wall, Bradley Beal and Marcin Gortat in the game until the very end to avoid a Washington-monumental collapse.

    It’s taken five seasons for Wall (career-high 10.0 APG, 2nd in NBA) to fully stake his claim as the second-best passing guard in the NBA. But when it comes to accumulating turnovers, it’s hard to tell whether Wall has reached his ceiling. That’s particularly true against the Hawks, who repeatedly disrupt the speed demon despite otherwise impressive stat lines this season (21.0 PPG, 9.8 APG, 5.3 RPG, 49.2 FG%, season-high 7 3FGs vs. ATL). One can only hope to contain John Wall and, so far, Atlanta has done exactly that.

    Wall averaged a whopping 5.6 turnovers in his first three matchups against Jeff Teague (21.7 PPG, 54.5 2FG%, 7.0 APG, 2.0 TOs/game vs. WAS) and the Hawks, then put a rotten cherry on that with ten turnovers against the Hawks’ second-stringers in April. Wall knows precision is essential against a Hawks team (18.3 regular-season PPG off TOs, 4th in NBA) that thrives off of transition opportunities, particularly given his relatively lead-legged teammates don’t always do the best job of getting back on D.

    This series features the two leading teams in assist ratios in the East this season (Atlanta’s 19.7 per 100 possessions, Washington’s 18.3 per-100). Yet despite an impressive four-game sweep of the Toronto Raptors last week, only the Bulls have a higher turnover ratio in the postseason than the Wizards (14.8 TOs per 100 possessions). The Hawks will be eager to deflect and disrupt the Wizards’ passing game and to get out on the break.

    Key to the series will be the relative execution and defense of the 1-5 pick-and-rolls. Both the Hawks’ Al Horford and the Wizards’ Gortat lead the playoffs with 5.0 PPG as the roll man on P&R possessions, the Polish Hammer benefitting even more from Raptor fouls and And-1 calls during Washington’s first-round series. While Gortat and Nene bedeviled the hack-happy Jonas Valanciunas and Amir Johnson in the opening round, they’ll be dealing with a far more experienced and mature frontcourt in Atlanta.

    Schröder will try to bounce back after a disappointing effort versus Brooklyn by improving his execution of the pick-and-roll. 53.3 percent of his playoff possessions have involved being the ball handler off of screens (3rd most in NBA; Teague’s 52.4% ranked 6th), but nearly a quarter of those possessions (22.5%) resulted in turnovers. Schröder struggled with Jarrett Jack in the opening round, and will have to do a better job staying in front of Washington’s Ramon Sessions.

    Mike Scott also had an underwhelming series, and will need to keep the Wizards’ Drew Gooden off the three-point line and the offensive boards. Gooden was 0-for-11 on 3FGs coming into this postseason, but hit half of his 14 three-pointers against Toronto.

    Horford and Paul Millsap’s early shooting touch will be crucial in keeping the Wizards’ bigs from entrenching themselves around the rim. The Wizards allowed the fewest points during the regular season (39.5 per 100 possessions) from the painted area. Atlanta’s interior shot atempts may not come primarily from the initial penetration but from cuts that come after kicking the ball out. Horford’s 1.64 playoff points per possession off cuts to the hoop leads all remaining NBA players.

    DeMarre Carroll has been arguably the biggest X-Factor to this point in the playoffs, and he’ll continue to have his hands full with what is essentially the Flava Flav of the Wizards. Paul Pierce (14-for-24 3FGs vs. TOR) draws so much attention with eccentricities that the wily vet frees up his teammates all across the floor. Pierce will do what he can to get the Junk Yard Dog in the kennel with foul trouble.

    Getting Kyle Korver and Carroll to sit would make it hard for the Hawks’ perimeter game to get going, but it would also force matchup issues for Atlanta whenever Otto Porter comes off the bench. The second-year forward struggled to break the rotation in the past two seasons, but broke out in the first round with the third-most floor time of any Wizard (58.8 2FG%, 5-for-10 3FGs in 32 minutes/game).

    Despite just one day off after clinching their opening-round series, the Hawks will have plenty of time to rest after their two-game homestand with the Wizards, given three days off before the scene shifts to D.C. To make things easier on the back end of this series, it will be important for the Hawks to hold serve for the opening games at home.

    Let’s Go Hawks!
    ~lw3
  11. lethalweapon3
    “Oh, No! We suck again!”



    “You heard Deez is going fishing?”
    “Deez? Deez Who?”
    “Deez Nets!”

    I’m at Ruby Tuesday (don’t judge… I had the salad) and my buddy orders the Mega-Super-Duper Colossus Burger or whatever it’s called. The thing comes out like a Big Mac on HGH: big juicy double-decked patties, cheese bubbling out between the fluffy buns and pickles, onions and lettuce hanging out everywhere.

    My friend advises the server: “Ma’am, sorry, take this back. My burger’s not DONE.” About five minutes later: same burger patties, a little more scorched and sizzling with new toppings. My table partner is not impressed. “Ma’am… this burger’s still not DONE. You know, DONE… like on the menu?”

    The lightbulb goes off in the server’s head, and on the third try they get it right: same exact burger, but with a giant steak knife jammed through the middle. Now, it looks friggin’ delicious. It’s DONE.

    The Atlanta Hawks have thrice taken care of business in their first-round series with the Brooklyn Nets, but their fans have not yet seen enough to whet their postseason appetites. There are several things left to do to sate Hawks fans’ hunger, but the overarching goal is a convincing road clincher in Game 6 (8 PM Eastern, Fox Sports South, ESPN) at the Barclays Center. Hawks fans hope the Nets are just the appetizer, not the main course, and a strong finish to the series tonight would make that abundantly clear.

    With apologies to the Nets’ former minority owner, Hawks fans aren’t looking at these dudes, we’re looking past them. A forced Game 7 back in Atlanta on Sunday would grant the Washington Wizards an additional 2-3 days of rest and preparation for the second round. The Hawks have seen more than enough of Joe Johnson and company, and there’s no need to wrangle with these cats for more than 48 additional minutes. Sunday needs to be about John Wall, Paul Pierce, Marcin Gortat, et al., and in order for that to happen, Friday needs to be about every Hawk player working together to outduel every Net Lionel Hollins can throw out there.

    Hollins has done everything he’s needed to do, guiding the Nets ever-so-barely into the playoffs and then keeping them competitive while winning just enough to get his bosses three games of home playoff revenue. All things considered, he’s certainly in a better spot heading into the summer than his Atlantic Division champion colleague Dwane Casey. But Hollins knows he’s still got a shot to cement his legacy as a professional Number-1-Seed Killer, and a two-game sweep of Mike Budenholzer’s Hawks would seal that deal for him.

    Jarrett Jack and Alan Anderson gave the Nets productive minutes off the Nets’ tight bench in Game 5 (16-for-24 combined FGs). The duo and ironman Joe (44 minutes average last three games) allowed Hollins to rest ineffective starters Deron Williams, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Thaddeus Young at the close of Game 5, looking ahead to tonight’s elimination game.

    For the Nets’ Big 3, this is pretty familiar territory. Two seasons ago, they had their backs to the wall 3-2 against Joakim Noah, a still-green Jimmy Butler and the Bulls in Chicago. Last year, without Lopez, Joe and D-Will were down 3-2 and facing elimination in Game 6 at home against a hungry Raptors squad. On both occasions, the Nets prevailed, holding their Game 6 opponents to a combined 39.5% shooting. And last season, they went on to survive Game 7 on the road. Suffice to say, yes, this is still an 8-seed. But these aren’t the Milwaukee Bucks coming into a Game 6 at home.

    The wild card for the Nets is what condition Lopez will be in on one day of rest. Averaging almost 40 minutes in this series (most among any NBA playoff centers), Brook finally succumbed to fatigue in Game 5 (4-for-13 FGs, 3 rebounds in 39 minutes).

    Perhaps benefiting most from the extra days of rest prior to Games 2 and 3, Lopez ebbed just as Atlanta’s Al Horford (10-for-17 FGs; 15 rebounds, 5 offensive; 20 points, 2 steals, 2 blocks) rediscovered his mid-range jumper and played his best game of all-around Bawse-ketball since beating the Nets in Brooklyn back on April 8 (24 points on 11-for-20 shooting). “He was gassed the last two games,” Hollins noted of his big man. Yet Lopez knows he’s one loss away from at least four more months of rest.

    Hollins is likely to damn-the-torpedoes and use Mason Plumlee (21.3 minutes/game in regular season; 8.2 per game in this series) to give Lopez valuable recovery time in the second quarter. The Nets know they’ll be subject to Hack-a-Plumlee (49.5 regular-season FT%, 2-for-8 FTs this series), but they’re also aware they can extend the game while this strategy is going on. Brooklyn can offset the impacts of Plumlee’s free throws by relying on Young (3.2 O-Rebs/game this series) to crash the offensive glass on second shots.

    The Hawks’ bench mob continued to be less-than-productive in Game 5. It would be good to see Mike Scott get his giddy-up back, but being on the floor for the Nets’ first three three-pointers of Game 5 (cutting a 15-point second-quarter lead down to six) had him galloping back to the pine in all of two minutes. Kent Bazemore has been atrocious as a shooter (1-for-25 3FGs in his last 11 games) since going 3-for-3 versus the Nets back on April 4, but at least he has an understood role as a short-term defensive stopper. Finding ways to be beneficial on the floor has been an ongoing struggle for Scott and Dennis Schröder.

    Schröder (5.5 TOs per 36 minutes, most in NBA Playoffs ahead of Jack’s 4.9; 40.5 FG%) has spent more time trying to establish his own offense than that of his teammates. Dennis will again be the primary point guard off the bench, but if he turns the ball over a couple of times in short order, Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer needs to treat Game 6 like an elimination game. Coach Bud should turn to Shelvin Mack (3.2 regular-season assist/turnover ratio, 8th among NBA guards) to control the ball the rest of the way for the Hawks’ reserves.

    Until Game 5 (8 assists, 2 TOs), Jeff Teague (3.9 TOs per-36, 7th most in Playoffs) hadn’t been much better in terms of ball control. But after two early fourth-quarter flubbed passes, right as the Nets started riding Jack, Bojan Bogdanovic and Johnson to narrow Atlanta’s double-digit lead, Teague Time showed up.

    The final seven minutes of Game 5 had Atlanta’s All-Star point guard finding Horford open for a pair of buckets, connecting with Paul Millsap for a triple, hitting one himself, stealing the ball from Williams, converting a layup and a floater, and finishing his free throws to put the game on ice. The same intensity and focus from that stint needs to be there from Teague throughout Game 6. If his ability to control the pace of the game and the ball is on-point, no amount of shot-bombing will allow the Nets to keep up.

    Going forward, anyone fouling the Nets players beyond the 3-point arc (including lightly-used Mirza Teletovic) should be flogged. No more errors of commission! DeMarre Carroll was a godsend in the first half (19 of his 24 points) of Game 5. Yet he and Kyle Korver must force tough shots and, when they’re not closing on Brooklyn’s shooters, must get into position to keep the Nets’ possessions one-and-done. And they must do all of that without fouling. Brooklyn thrives on second-chances and padding their points with the clock stopped.

    Millsap has seen his offensive production decline in each of the past four games (19, 18, 16, 10 points) despite an uptick in floor time. His shooting efficiency (41.5 FG%) is actually a bit better than his past two playoff seasons, but it’s still nowhere near where the All-Star forward wants to be.

    Sap must make more decisive moves in the post. Much of his offense in 2014 against the Pacers came from drawing fouls and getting free throws (8.0 FT attempts per game, 80.4 FT%), things that haven’t come as easy so far in this series (2.4 FTAs/game; 1-for-4 FTs in Game 5). The Nets have no shot-blocking threats when Lopez (12 of Brooklyn’s 17 blocks this series) is sitting or drawn out of the paint by Horford or Pero Antić, so Millsap must go up quickly on post-up touches, and not waste possession time putting the ball on the floor.

    Both the Nets and the Hawks will come into Game 6 hungry for a momentous victory. Whichever team shows up on the floor playing like they could use a SnickersTM will be the one wearing long faces after the final whistle. Will the Hawks be done-in on the road once again? Or will they look like a 1-seed that knows how to get it DONE?

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  12. lethalweapon3
    “Brace Yourself, Deron. Summer is Coming!”



    Oh, now you’ve gone and done it, Atlanta Hawks! Blow a double-digit second-half lead on the road, and now the GAPPs (Ghosts of Atlanta Postseason Pasts) are out in full force. That's not your "True to Atlanta" fans haunting you with "Boo!"... that's the GAPP band!

    The Brooklyn Nets are back in the ATL for Game 5 (7 PM Eastern, SportSouth, TNT, YES Network) and have proven they’re not yet ready to eliminate themselves from this first-round series. If the good people of Gotham and their many sympathizers around here are suddenly partying like it’s 1999, there’s good reason.

    Back in May 1999, the Hawks, in their decades-long quest just to reach the Eastern Conference Finals, just caught a break. Thanks to Allan Houston’s last-second lucky floater, Atlanta wasn’t going to pay a visit to Alonzo Mourning’s mighty top-seeded heat in Miami. Instead it was the New York Knicks, who needed to win their final game of the regular season just to squeak past Charlotte for the lowly 8-seed. Even better for Atlanta? Those Manhattanites were on their way to the Georgia Dome.

    Laid out on a platter, here was Dikembe Mutombo’s golden opportunity to etch himself permanently into Atlanta sports glory, a chance for cigar-puffing Lenny Wilkens, then the winningest coach in NBA history, to redeem his own tainted legacy around this town, an occasion ripe for Steve Smith and Mookie Blaylock to guide this franchise where no Atlanta team had gone before. And they all could start by getting the job done against the team from the league’s biggest market, a team that squeaked their way into the 8-seed, a playoff position that had never before resulted in a trip to the NBA Finals.

    Instead, with the whole world watching, a young reclamation project named Marcus Camby was coming off the bench and swatting and dunking all over the place. Latrell Sprewell scored so easily and so often his kids got tubby. Smitty couldn’t find the rim, and Mookie made Charlie Ward look like the second coming of John Stockton. Just one of the Hawks shot above 35 percent for the series (Deke, barely) and after blowing Game 1 at home, Atlanta could barely crack 70 points thereafter, getting swept in grandiose, humiliating fashion.

    A man who was going to be best known as the dude who once choked his coach would become a savior and the soul of his city. A man who was going to be remembered, on his way out the door, as the guy who played the role of Mourning’s ankle weight during a playoff brawl, would become a man who’s always ready to offer up a hot take about everything under the sun, fully confident that someone out there gives a crap about his opinion. The world came to know what a Van Gundy was, had second thoughts about who Spree was, and embraced the Knicks – Spike Lee’s Knicks! – as America’s Darlings. Thanks in large part to the Atlanta Hawks, the Knicks gave Patrick Ewing one last shot at an NBA title. What could have been story of the Hawks got reduced to a line in the story of the ’99 Knicks.

    The certain tale of the dismantling of the once-proud Knicks got delayed, preceded by the breakup of the mediocre Hawks. It would take 12 more years before Hawks fans could even experience the momentary glee that comes attached to a conference semifinal game victory.

    Atlanta is the perennial backdrop opposing teams and players rely upon to redefine themselves and their checkered histories. You’ve had an underwhelming season, you say? Go visit the Falcons, Hawks, Bravos, or Dream in the postseason… and a couple weeks later, refresh your Wikipedia page. 16 years after the ’99 Hawks melted away under the bright lights of the biggest city, the winningest and most lauded team in Atlanta Hawks franchise history is threatening to become part of the “along the way” sentence in the enthralling tale of the Amazin’ Nets. You heard that right: thanks to the Hawks, the highest-salaried luxury-taxpaying 8-seed in NBA history is on the verge of becoming America’s Cinderella.

    Downward destinies for opponents always seem to take a U-Turn once they run into Atlanta. Game 5 provides a third-consecutive opportunity for Mike Budenholzer’s crew to take that “U-Turn” sign and turn it into a “straight-ahead.” It’s going to take a far more concerted effort not just on the floor, but along the sideline, to make the types of decisions that stop 14-3, 18-0, 18-2, 13-3, and 22-6 runs by the Nets in the past two games from occurring again.

    As was the case during that squandered 2014 playoff opportunities versus Indiana, Coach Bud’s personnel decision making and reluctance in using timeouts are rightfully being brought into question. If reserves Pero Antić, Kent Bazemore, and Dennis Schröder (and Mike Scott, before Game 4) aren’t making plays to hold hard-fought leads, can Mike Muscala, Elton Brand and Shelvin Mack conceivably do much worse? Can just stopping the clock to diagram a different strategy help a little? Nets coach Lionel Hollins has gotten away with a tight roster rotation thus far because Budenholzer isn’t giving him much reason to make adjustments.

    Brook Lopez drew his fourth foul and, after a pair of Schröder free throws, the Nets found themselves down by nine late in the third quarter of Game 4 while Lopez had to sit. Where was Al Horford’s awareness when he drew his fourth foul moments later, trying to thwart a Nets break when Schröder turned the ball over? Why was Schröder still in there coughing up the ball while Teague sat with just one foul on the books in a must-preserve game? Teague Time instead became a frenetic scramble (3-for-3 2FGs, one game-tying assist, one steal, but three missed free throws and three turnovers) in the final minutes of regulation as the Hawks scratched and clawed to get their blown lead back.

    The Hawks built up much of their rep during the regular season on tough transition defense, but that aspect came unglued in the second half of Game 4. As that was becoming obvious while most of the starters were back in and clinging to the lead, where was a timeout to stop Brooklyn’s momentum and readjust before the Nets could swing the game back in their favor?

    A team that thrived on controlling the rock and winning the battle of points-off-turnovers all season long could only squeeze nine player TOs out of Brooklyn in Game 4, losing the points-off-TOs battle 26-16 and all but neutralizing the gains made by dominating points-in-the-paint (60-44, a gap that could have been widened if not for seven missed bunnies in the fourth quarter). Unconscionable unforced errors (by Jeff Teague, Al Horford and Pero Antić in the first half; Schröder and Teague in the second) repeatedly gave the Nets new life. Displaying poor poise and worse focus, the Hawks set the table for Deron Williams’ rainbow shots at the ends of shot clocks to actually matter.

    Desperate to somehow make himself relevant again, Williams spent the lion’s share of practice prior to Game 3 lofting shots from the corners. And yet here was D-Will, wide open as the Verrazano Bridge, in the corners lofting shots in the opening quarter and rekindling his confidence. Atlanta’s inability to close out on perimeter shooters, after missed rebounds and steals, has been a glaring hallmark of these bruising Brooklyn runs, and Thabo Sefolosha isn’t doing any Antoine Tyler impressions to bail the Hawks out.

    Because he did what he was supposed to do, John Wall is sitting back and enjoying a full week of scouting Teague, his fellow All-Star point guard. The Wizards star may get to add another half-week to that time off. And the only way things could get conceivably worse for Wall is if he winds up having wasted time analyzing the wrong guys. Brooklyn’s Jarrett Jack leads all playoff participants with a league-worst 7.6 turnovers per 100 possessions, yet Teague (6.4 TOs per 100, 4th-most in NBA) and Schröder (7.0 TOs per 100, 2nd-most in NBA) are right on his heels. It’s time for the Hawks’ floor leaders to make the plays needed at both ends of the court and lead their team into the second-round.

    Aside from arguably Game 2 in Atlanta, Al Horford has not had a superior matchup against Brook Lopez in this series. The troubles with his pinky finger may have made Horford’s bread-and-butter jumpers problematic instead of automatic (1-for-5 FGs from 10 feet out in Game 4), cascading into issues for his teammates in the halfcourt offense. But he is making the right play by getting inside and finishing (7-for-8 FGs within five feet in Game 4), and that Al-gressiveness must continue over the next two games.

    On Tuesday night, Dan Uggla laid out the blueprint for Joe Johnson: wait for the opposing Atlanta team to choke away a nice lead, then inscribe your name onto the long list of former Atlanta players who return triumphantly to the town where they inked their unfulfilled big-money contracts. Like Uggla, Joe is still Joe (33.3 FG% and 25.9 3FG% this series), but he knows all it takes is one big game, or at least one huge play, to deflate Atlanta’s spirits.

    The Hawks cannot afford to bail Johnson (5-for-16 FGs, 5-for-5 FTs in Game 4) out with free throws, as DeMarre Carroll did when the Hawks were up 9 in the third and about to put the Nets on ice. Carroll and Millsap, meanwhile, must take advantage of the opportunities provided by Johnson and Thaddeus Young. The forwards must finish decisively around the rim and cease pleading with officials for calls when their own shots aren’t going in, as the latter wastes precious time the Hawks need to defend in transition.

    The Hawks can continue to put playoff outcomes in the hands of Joe, Deron, Jack, Brook, and the referees, and simply hope those folks don’t become the story at the conclusion of Atlanta’s magical carpet ride. Or, the Hawks can keep the ball and their destiny in their own hands and strategically seize the playoff momentum, once and for all. Atlanta’s postseason ghouls aren’t going away by themselves. Unlike their forerunners, these Hawks have to show the heart, smarts, and determination to exorcise the GAPPs from this town. Game 5 is as good a time as any to start some rebuking.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  13. lethalweapon3
    “We are all safe from Jeff Teague! Hooray!”



    Okay, so this is nobody’s idea of a Fo-Fo-Fo type of playoff team. Even Moses Malone could agree with that.

    Still, whenever a number-one seed is beaten in an NBA playoff game, it’s supposed to be when they’re bested by another team while playing at their best themselves. Rasheed Wallace diagnosed the clinical term as “sunshiningonadogsasseritis.” The cure for that temporary condition is to stop playing like a dog yourself, lest you find yourself getting dogged out by fans and media.

    The Atlanta Hawks take on the Atlanta Hawks at Barclays Center this evening (7:00 PM Eastern, Sportsouth in ATL, NBATV) hoping to widen their playoff series lead to 3-1 while the Washington Wizards kick back and await the series outcome. No, there’s no misprint, and no, there aren’t two additional refs joining the festivities today. Atlanta will be accompanied on the herringbone floor by the host Brooklyn Nets, of course. But now that an initial postseason loss hangs around their neck, the Hawks will be playing 5-on-10 on the floor, for at least the next 40 minutes of playoff hoops.

    They’re playing against the knowledge that, the last time an Atlanta Hawks team won a playoff series, they needed a guy currently on the opposite end of tonight’s sideline to pour on 23 points just to get his team up to 84 for the night. On that late April 2011 evening, Al Horford shot just 3-for-9 from the field, finishing the series with a 12.0 PPG average in a deferring role while Jason Collins did the dirty work at starting center. That spring evening, starting point guard Kirk Hinrich got injured, forcing Larry Drew to reluctantly turn toward Jeff Teague, who was granted all of nine minutes in the Orlando series… but not during the Game 6 clincher. Four years later… is there a closer in the house?

    These Hawks are playing against the awareness that they have the best regular season road record in franchise history, but that this record was built upon a 16-1 stretch from Thanksgiving through MLK Day, with a much healthier and sprier crew in tow. They haven’t enjoyed a double-digit road win since having to come back from seven points down midway through the fourth quarter just to beat Orlando back on March 25. Since beating back the Raptors and Bulls on back-to-back nights in January, Atlanta has just two away-game wins (the Nets on April 8, and the post-Knight-trade Bucks) under their belts against playoff competition.

    The Hawks don’t want people to believe they think they can simply cruise at Philips Arena to moonwalk into The Finals. But to dispel that notion, they have to show they know how to knock others off in their buildings. Three months removed from being Road Warriors… is there a closer in the house?

    Right now, the Hawks don’t just need guys to finish games, they need players who know how to finish shots around the rim. The Hawks went 1-for-17 on shots contested by the Nets’ Brook Lopez in Game 3, bagel-for-8 around the rim. They were an atrocious 3-for-10 within five feet of the rim in the opening quarter, as Brooklyn raced ahead at the start of a game for the first time in this series, building a quick double-digit lead.

    It took two quarters for Atlanta to climb up the water spout and retake the lead. But when Brooklyn’s 18-0 deluge ensued, the Hawks missed five attempts within two feet of the rim, Mike Scott instinctively following a missed layup by Dennis Schröder to stop the bleeding. With the game still in hand, Teague came in for Dennis Schröder and promptly missed a freebie, lost the ball, and blew two layups in succession, the last three events spanning all of 19 seconds. That’s not exactly Teague Time.

    Teague (team-high 15.0 PPG, on 39.0 FG% shooting) remains a threat to drive, but not to finish. Until he does, Brooklyn will take its chances shielding his teammates awaiting kickouts, settling for rebounds while Jeff plays wallball with the glass.

    Meanwhile, B-Lo has lately found himself more concerned with the nuances of time travel than with his opponent at the 5-spot. Horford (two second-half attempts in the paint in Game 3, benched with five minutes left in the 4th quarter) failed to redirect his offensive attack when his mid-range shots weren’t falling (0-for-7 FGs beyond the rim). With these senior Hawks out of focus, Lionel Hollins and the Nets were able to sink their teeth deeply into Atlanta’s perimeter game.

    Kyle Korver (1-for-8 FGs, 0-for-5 3FGs in Game 3) came off screens and repeatedly found at least one 6-foot-8-plus Brooklynite waiting for him; there was no need to cluster around the rim since the Hawks weren’t making baskets and no one aside from Paul Millsap (17 rebounds, 6 offensive) were threats to do anything with second chance opportunities. Without Horford’s mid-range game at a functional level, Brook Lopez can simply sit back on defense and flail in the vicinity of approaching Hawks while trying to stay out of foul trouble.

    The Nets didn’t exactly sit back and let all this face-flattening by the Hawks unfold. They eliminated Atlanta’s advantage with turnovers in Game 3, coaxing a series-high 15 out of the Hawks while committing a series-low 15 themselves. They also got far better shot opportunities for Bojan Bogdanovic (7-for-13 FGs; 11 first-quarter points), spreading Atlanta’s defense out the way they’re accustomed to doing to others. Brooklyn got Joey Crawford’s crew to work the whistles to their advantage as well, drawing four additional personal fouls and getting to the free throw line eight more times.

    Jarrett Jack continued to exploit his veteran and size advantages over Schröder, combining four assists with four defensive rebounds over a 3.5-minute span of Brooklyn’s decisive second-half run. Jack surprised by excelling without feeling compelled to jack shots, and Atlanta defensively has granted him ample room to create however he pleases.

    While Dennis must conduct better ball movement and on-ball defense, his deficiencies in this series can be offset by Jeff Teague thoroughly outplaying Deron Williams (1-for-8 FGs in Game 3, but six assists and just two TOs). That aspect of the series needs to become crystal-clear if the Hawks intend to finish this series this week. Teague may not even get that opportunity, if Jack soon takes over the starting role from D-Will, who is now suffering from a back issue and severe tendinitis, among other things. Joe Johnson (29.4 FG% in Game 3 but 16 points, 10 boards and five dimes) is dealing with tendinitis, too, but Atlanta’s inability to force him to play the full floor has made things easier on him.

    Brooklyn could misconstrue Atlanta’s continuously sliding shot percentages (43.0 FG% Game 1, 38.9% Game 2, 35.6% Game 3) as a function of their own adjustments and strategies over the course of the series. The Hawks are getting all the shots they need, specifically at close range, to bury Brooklyn. But three games into the playoffs, they’ve yet to find closers capable of shooting them with focus and confidence.

    Teague and Horford have to cease waiting to find out who those closers are. Until they do, the Hawks are merely playing themselves. No one will take the Hawks seriously until at least the Nets have to.

    Is there a closer in the house? No, not you, Joe Johnson, go sit down somewhere.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  14. lethalweapon3
    “So, which one of you three is Curly?”



    Oh, you big teases!

    Those hungry for style points while watching the Atlanta Hawks tame the Brooklyn Nets in this opening round series have come away disappointed so far. “Where are the mudhole footprints?” ask the bellyachers. They peer at the final deficits, and suffice to say, they are not entertained.

    Never mind that the Nets, who have oodles more postseason experience than either 6-seed Milwaukee or 7-seed Boston, have led in this series for barely over five of the 80 minutes of basketball played. Total.

    Never mind that the Bucks have held a lead in their series with Chicago for an average of 15.75 minutes, the Celtics 11.1 (14.9 through the first two road games) even while Cleveland cruised through Game 3 in Beantown. That an 8-seed is left hanging around at all is conduct unbecoming of a 1-seed! (They may not want to see what the Warriors have to do just to fend off those pesky Pelicans.)

    Another distinguishing playoff feature you’ll note as the scene shifts to Game 3 in Brooklyn (3 PM Eastern, SportSouth, TNT) is that the Cavs and Bulls… well, let’s just say their fanbases travel well. LeBron or D-Rose makes a bucket and the arena explodes… the opposing team’s arena. Jeff Teague goes bonkers at Barclays and… meh! The Hawks won’t be propelled by a rabid, friendly crowd this afternoon to encourage them to pull through. The good news is the attendees aren’t all that souled out with the team in white-and-black, either.

    Brooklyn basketball is, at its conceptual core, a fashion device. People aren’t so much fans of the Nets as they are proud to rep BROOKLYN, or whichever NYC borough’s team is the default flavor-of-the-month. Whether it’s Jay-Z, or Mikhail Prokhorov, or Deron Williams, BROOKLYN is something easy to flaunt on your chest for as long as it’s in $tyle… and just as easy to abandon when it’s not. Show out in black-and-white, practice that depressing BROO-KLYN drone, and you’re in the in-crowd -- for as long as the Nets are on the floor looking good, too.

    Once the Nets players psychologically check out, though, the fans will follow in short order. One of the Hawks’ goals in Game 3 is to give attendees ample reasons to spend their afternoon checking their phones for Saturday nightlife action. “Where the party at? ‘Cause it sure ain’t here!”

    When he’s not balling out on the floor, Pero Antić could do his best Stefon impression and offer up some postgame tips. Pero gave Atlanta eight points late in the third-quarter of Game 2 and added a couple nice defensive stops to help the Hawks build up a winning cushion. For Antić, Kent Bazemore and Dennis Schröder, the late-third-quarter surge was a clear adjustment from the middle of the first half, as an early first-quarter double-digit lead eroded by the middle of the second.

    Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer would love to phase in all of his top reserves, including Shelvin Mack and Mike Scott, so long as they’re playing effectively together on both ends of the floor. Aside from Schröder (10-for-20 FGs in the series), the bench mob is shooting just 10-for-31 from the field and have struggled to keep Nets reserves Jarrett Jack, Alan Anderson and Mason Plumlee (23-for-33 FGs in series) from finding the hoop.

    Scott (1-for-7 FGs in Game 2), in particular, must find a way to defend effectively or he’ll find his minutes deferred to Mike Muscala, who has yet to appear in this series. Bazemore (1-for-5 FGs in Game 2) bounced back in the second half and was entrusted for the final clinching plays, where his closeout forced Williams off the 3-point line for a missed mid-range shot from the baseline, and his shielding D-Will from the hoop on the final Nets’ drive had him in position for the rebound of Jack’s blocked shot from the corner.

    The top-seeded Hawks have not had to necessarily fire off all cylinders to come away with victories, while it seems the eight-seed Nets need to be literal perfectionists just to be in the conversation. Atlanta hasn’t shot above 43 percent in any quarter since the opening stanza of Game 1, and the offense tends to stall when they’re not creating transition baskets, or when the guards try to go-it-alone with halfcourt isolation pull-ups.

    Atlanta has piled up 17 assisted buckets in Games 1 and 2, but just eight in the fourth quarters, and virtually every time they expanded their lead beyond ten points, it happened on the strength of an assist. Ball movement remains a crucial component of keeping the Nets under foot for the remainder of the series.

    The Hawks also seem to be pulling the chair on Brooklyn, comfortable letting the players least capable of turning the tables to go off.

    Joe Johnson has taken the most shots in the series but is a combined -21 in plus-minus while shooting 36.4 FG% from the field (21.4 3FG%), despite the apparent ease with which he occasionally backs DeMarre Carroll into the paint. Joe’s better off passing the ball (9 assists, 1 TO) out of the double team to capable shooters (not you, D-Will), and to Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young. Jarrett is living up to his surname, and is even plus-10 on plus-minus, but he’s a good bet to give the ball away when he’s unable to create his own shot (five assists and a series-high 9 TOs in 45 minutes).

    Underlining the chair-pulling Budenhustle we’ve witnessed through two games, Brooklyn is shooting an NBA-high 52.3 2FG%, and only a hopelessly broken Portland and Milwaukee are shooting the ball worse than Atlanta’s 40.8 FG% so far. But no one other than Memphis (Portland 84.5 PPG) is holding their opponents to fewer points per game than Atlanta, Brooklyn averaging just 91.5 PPG while leading for under 6.5 percent of the series.

    Keeping the Nets’ shooters cool from the perimeter (28.3 3FG%, second-worst in NBA) helps. Coach Bud is fine with Johnson and Jack killing their own clock with heavy-dribbling forays from the perimeter toward the paint. If the Itches (Bojan Bogdanovic and the rust-shedding Mirza Teletovic) cannot get it going from long-range soon, Hollins may roll the dice with longer stretches for Alan Anderson (2-for-3 3FGs).

    Neutralizing Brooklyn’s rebounding edge helps. Young and Lopez are getting their share of putbacks (8.0 O-Rebs per game). But to the credit of the Hawks’ swingmen (Korver and Carroll averaging 12.0 D-Rebs per game), no other Brooklynite has collected more than one offensive board.

    Winning the turnover battle helps, the Nets’ trio of Jack, Young, and D-Will (21 of Brooklyn’s 33 TOs) turning the ball over once fewer than Atlanta’s entire team (22 team TOs). Hollins’ best option is to get the ball to Lopez early and often, relying on simple dump-ins to the post in a two-man game if Atlanta continues taking away their 1-5 pick-and-roll.

    It’s not that Brooklyn is playing like a joke… they’re simply not in on the joke yet. Atlanta dropped four of their final five road games, but their last win was right here on the Barclays Center floor, playing without Pero and fending off a desperate Nets fourth-quarter rally to escape with a 114-111 victory. Keeping the Nets guessing the punchline for 40 more minutes will have them in a 3-0 hole, and their fans snooping around for the next hot thing. "How soon do the Islanders get here?"

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  15. lethalweapon3
    “What did the four fingers say to the face?”



    Time to dish out another dose of Southern Hospitality! The Atlanta Hawks are Back for the First Time, hoping to build a 2-0 lead in their playoff series with the Brooklyn Nets (7:00 PM Eastern, SportSouth, NBATV outside ATL) tonight at the Highlight Factory. Fans will have plenty reasons to Stand Up; hopefully, most of that action will be induced by the Hawks’ play on the floor.

    Chris Bridges knows what it’s like to be persistently comin’ for that Number One Spot… and, more importantly, what it takes to stay there. The star of Fast and/or Furious Whatever, seeking to nail down his fifth-consecutive #1 rap album, the man better known as Ludacris will be Disturbing tha Peace tonight (in a good way, Thabo!) by serenading the Philips Arena crowd with a selection of his hits spanning over 15 years.

    After dropping Game 1, the Nets got two days to hang out in Atlanta, where gangstas roaming and parties don’t stop ‘til eight three in the morning. They’ve had ample opportunity to regroup, and their Game 2 adjustment will come with a more aggressive approach toward Atlanta’s ballhandlers.

    At the risk of being perhaps too dismissive (“It’s not like we’re talking Stephen Curry,” he quipped), Nets coach Lionel Hollins was correct in his postgame commentary that the focus cannot be solely on stopping Kyle Korver. It’s not that Korver was able to make five uncontested treys, a postseason career-high gained largely on spot-ups and dribble-hand-offs. It was how easily he received the ball, and how the Nets continued resorting to panic mode once he did, that were greater issues.

    Brooklyn’s guards were mostly passive participants during critical junctures of Game 1. Atlanta’s Jeff Teague and Dennis Schröder combined for just 5 assists (eight of the Hawks’ 14 turnovers), but still made more than half their shots (11-for-21 FGs) and looked like John Stockton relative to the Nets’ lead duo of Deron Williams and Jarrett Jack (10-for-19 FGs). Just four of Brooklyn’s 18 assists came from this pair, who must be more proactive in feeding Lopez (17 points, 14 rebounds) inside.

    D-Will and Jack must be more disruptive with the Hawks’ passing lanes that lead to shooters like Korver and DeMarre Carroll, who were at times so open they could pop J’s on a handstand. As the Nets failed to learn from Atlanta’s last game-clincher in Brooklyn, Korver may wind up leading the Hawks in assists (team-high 3 assists and 21 points) if multiple defenders continue to ignore opponents cutting to the hoop to make a run at him.

    Joe’s got foes in different Area Codes, but Johnson will gain a few more in the 718 if he doesn’t help counteract the Hawks’ perimeter activity. While the boobirds in the stands didn’t completely shake this Money Maker, Joe missed several open shots from downtown (0-for-6 3FGs) and also clunked three of his eight free throws while the Hawks shot a scintillating 21-for-22 from the charity stripe. Like Williams and Jack, Johnson seemed satisfied with a spectator role on defense – we’ll just try to outscore the Hawks – by the time the fourth quarter arrived, and that has to change if the Nets have designs on evening up this series any time soon.

    Paul Millsap (2-for-11 FGs in Game 1) will be able to Throw Dem Bows around the paint with greater ease, now that he’s taking off the protective shoulder pad and shooting shirt for Game 2. Donning the kinesiology tape that worked wonders for John Wall yesterday, Sap will be able to knock the perceived rust off of his all-around game. He can start regaining his rhythm by being a more assertive rebounder on both ends of the court, particularly taking Thaddeus Young (7-for-15 2FGs, 10 rebounds, but 4 TOs) out of his comfort zone.

    If you got some scrub forward trying to break your hand, Al Horford, whatcha gonna do? Kyle’s nose, Paul’s shoulder, Al’s finger. When you’re on top, it seems like everybody wants to extract a pound of flesh and/or bone. But while Horford nurses his Pinky, it’s The Brain that benefits his team most on the floor. There’s no need to Act a Fool and try to win playoff games single-handedly.

    Among players with more than 70 regular season games under their belts and averaging over 20 minutes/game, Horford’s 7.3 turnovers per 100 possessions ranks 5th fewest among all playoff participants. While pundits were praising Lopez’s productivity during the halftime break (9 points and 9 boards, before getting hopelessly deprived by his own teammates), Horford kept right up with him (8 points and 8 rebounds, 3 offensive) and generally benefitted from a superior supporting cast.

    Al’s ability to set the table for his offense (17.8 assists per-100, 5th best among NBA centers), even without touching the ball (107.6 Offensive Rating, 6th among NBA centers), is without peer when one considers the ability to minimize costly turnovers. Except for the ill-advised occasions when he’s trying to gallop fullcourt with the ball on the break, he’s as composed and sound a playmaker as you’ll find at his position.

    When you have a whole team intent on playmaking at both ends, you need as many hands on deck as possible but, unlike some teams, you don’t need one player to be The Man. Nine of the ten Hawks that played in Game 1 registered at least one assist; nine of the ten (shot-struggling Mike Scott the sole exception) took at least one three-point attempt; and seven of the ten managed at least one steal. “This is what we’ve done all year,” Kyle Korver reminded the media postgame. “We’re not just one person on this team. We’re not playing Hero Ball.” Make a note of it, TNT!

    Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer seemed satisfied with his dual-point-guard sets featuring Teague, Schröder, and even Shelvin Mack, whom Bud praised explicitly in post-award commentary on the radio yesterday. The lead guards could stand to show a little more Runaway Love by expanding on the advantage in fastbreak points enjoyed in Game 1 (15-4).

    The Nets want Atlanta’s guards to get bogged down in an iso-heavy halfcourt battle of wits, as it puts Brooklyn in its best position to succeed. Even when well rested, Brooklyn’s big guns cannot keep up with their opponents fullcourt, and Atlanta’s speedier guards need to exploit that. When they move, the Hawks move. Just like that.

    Coach Bud did note that starting and ending transitions needed better focus. Atlanta’s bigs white-flagged on offensive rebounds too easily (11 between Lopez and Young), while the failure of supporting players to box out got Markel Brown on the highlight reel. There were several consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter where Brooklyn failed to get a shot-on-goal (turnover or blocked shot) and Atlanta failed to finish on the subsequent runout. Tighten up that focus and the door is no longer cracked open for the Nets.

    After being nagged by the postgame media, Hollins will grant Brown, who started as the 2-guard, much more than the paltry five and a half minutes of time he logged in Game 1. But Brown must avoid silly turnovers and make defensive stops. Otherwise, Hollins will turn again to Jack, who gives (five turnovers in under 17 minutes) as much as he gets (5-for-8 FGs, 3-for-3 FTs) but had success getting inside on Schröder.

    If Lopez going for 20-and-20 doesn’t do the trick, Hollins may choose instead to get involved a land war with Asia, and try keeping up with the Hawks’ perimeter shooters by unearthing Mirza Teletovic in this game. Whether it’s Teletovic or Bojan Bogdanovic, they must contribute on defense to be fully effective. Korver ran circles around Bogdanovic in Game 1 to help lead the Hawks in scoring.

    My coach bad! My coach good! My coach do stuff your coach wish he could! If there’s anyone who despises distracting accolades amid an NBA season more than yours truly, it’s Budenholzer, whose tireless work (along with Steve Koonin) helped keep the Hawks’ value propped up for ticket-buyers and billionaire franchise purchasers alike, all season long, and now everyone is reaping the benefits.

    Bud will informally accept the Red Auerbach Trophy, before a wildly appreciative crowd, with as much humility and rapidity and humanly possible. Then he’ll get down to the brass tacks and strive to demonstrate, once again, why he’s earned such an honor.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  16. lethalweapon3
    “DAGGER!”



    Oh. It’s You.

    Pardon us Atlanta Hawks fans for not trumpeting the arrival of your Brooklyn Nets, Joe Johnson, just in time for Game 1 in this opening round of the NBA Playoffs, here at the Highlight Factory (5:30 PM Eastern: GET DOWNTOWN EARLY!, SportSouth, TNT, YES Network). We trust you can find your own way back to the floor.

    Most Hawks fans were hoping Joe and his underwhelming supporting cast would be watching the playoffs from the comfort of their own brownstones. But now that these guys are here, the top-seeded Hawks might as well make them useful.

    Joe Johnson has been money… but not always in a good way. The highest-paid active NBA player has become an afterthought in NBA circles yet, conspicuously, ol’ Josephat seems fine with that. Johnson’s scoring contribution (14.4 PPG) is his lowest in 2003, and it has declined even more (12.6 PPG, 43.4 FG%) since the All-Star Break (10.8 PPG, 41.6 FG% in April). The only factor that has been on an uptick has been his rebounding, and that’s only because Nets coach Lionel Hollins insisted on using Joe as spackel for the mid-season hole they created at power forward.

    His presence on the Philips Arena floor today serves as a reminder of what the Hawks were doomed to become in perpetuity, prior to Danny Ferry’s summertime heroics in 2012. We’ll never know for sure whether Jeff Teague and Al Horford would ever reach new heights, individually and collectively, in Atlanta, running into similar season-ending outcomes three seasons in a row while joining Hawks fans as spectators for Joe Johnson’s Dribblympics. But we have a sense that we know the answer.

    Still, some of the highest decibel-readings ever recorded at Thrillips involved Joe lofting a dagger jumpshot as the guy who thought he was defending him wonders how he wound up sprawled out on the floor. When games get close late, the Nets still turn to Joe Jesus to save them. DeMarre Carroll will have a crucial role in keeping Johnson off the low block and rendering him not much more than a well-contested jumpshooter, and do that without piling up fouls. If the Hawks can build up a sizable cushion by the middle of the fourth quarter, Joe will grab his towel and his moneybags and find himself a seat.

    While it’s cozy to think that Mike Budenholzer holds a considerable coaching advantage coming into the series, this is not Hollins’ first rodeo. The Nets’ head coach was running the show back when the 2011 Memphis Grizzlies became the last playoff team to knock off a 60-win team in the opening round. Their victim was a 61-21 San Antonio Spurs team, the #1 seed in the West ably assisted by Budenholzer.

    Coach Bud’s Spurs would get a measure of revenge in the 2013 Conference Finals by sweeping the Grizzlies, prompting new ownership to can Hollins in order to search for a new flavor of vanilla. But if any NBA coach has the blueprint for upending top seeds, it is Hollins, who also starred on an 1977 Portland roster that had never made the playoffs yet swept the #1-seed Lakers in the Western finals before winning it all.

    The keys to that 2011 series upset for the Grizzlies, who themselves had never won a single playoff game before, involved stealing Game 1 on the road, then holding serve back home for Games 3, 4, and 6. Hollins turned to Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol to exploit an inexperienced Tiago Splitter, a retiring Antonio McDyess, and a futile Matt Bonner, all of whom tried in vain to help Tim Duncan keep pace. Mike Conley and Tony Allen blanketed the perimeter and held the NBA’s top three-point shooting team to just 29.3 3FG% through six games, including the Spurs’ Manu Ginobili, who was hampered by an injured elbow.

    Hollins unleashed Greivis Vasquez when he needed a jolt of offense in the deciding Game 6, as Conley sat with foul trouble. Relative unknown Sam Young also found whatever shots he wanted against San Antonio, prompting Budenholzer to insist a defensive stopgap at small forward (like soon-to-be rookie Kawhi Leonard) was crucial to contending in the future.

    The Hawks, fortunately, do not have the same fatal flaws that Spurs team possessed. Instead of a committee, Atlanta has a well-rested All-Star in Paul Millsap at the power forward slot. Millsap has struggled to find his shot during shortened stints in his last three games. Still, Sap is ready to atone for his disappointing conclusion (as a shooter) to the 2014 series with Indiana, after the Hawks had backed the top-seeded Pacers to the wall in five games. Thanks to that series, backup bigs Mike Scott (returning after a late-season back injury) and Pero Antić have prime-time playoff experience under their belt.

    Coach Bud also has a defensive ace at the 3-spot in Carroll, who is proving he cannot be left unguarded on the other end of the floor (last 9 games: 16.1 PPG, 58.3 FG%, 42.1 FG%). Instead of a hobbled Ginobili, Atlanta has Kyle Korver. Like Bonner in 2011, Korver is the league’s leading three-point shooter (49.2 3FG%; NBA-high 69.9 TS%). Unlike Bonner, Kyle is no slouch when it comes to team defense. Even without reserve Thabo Sefolosha, the Hawks have the defenders necessary to blanket Johnson no matter where Hollins deploys him.

    In lieu of a 35-year-old Tim Duncan that was looking very much his age as that series wore on, Coach Bud can look to a fresh All-Star center in Al Horford, who must be chomping at the bit for a return to the postseason after missing 2014’s near-magical run. Al’s scoring is at a season-high 17.5 PPG this month, and that’s with rest thrown in (season-low 27.3 minutes/game in six April games).

    Horford usually makes good reads against the Nets’ Brook Lopez. This season, Al shot 60.7 FG%, while averaging 17.8 PPG in the four-game season series. After joining Williams in Hollins’ doghouse, Lopez has been stupendous in the second-half of the year, averaging 21.1 PPG, 9.4 RPG, and 2.1 BPG since getting his starting gig back last month.

    Bropez (4.4 PPG as roll man, 3rd in NBA) and Thaddeus Young will certainly fill up the boxscore in this series. Their challenge is to thwart Horford’s mid-range mastery (48.4 mid-range FG%, 3rd in NBA w/ min. 5.0 attempts), Millsap’s ability to score virtually anywhere on the floor (51.3 2FG%, highest since 2011), and both Hawks’ ability to blow past slow-footed defenders on the way to the hoop.

    Jeff Teague won’t be hounded by a guard with the defensive chops of Conley. Instead, he and Dennis Schröder will deal with the more lax efforts by Deron Williams and Jarrett Jack to keep them out of the paint. Whether it’s staring down Derrick Rose or giving the Pacers fits, we’ve seen enough Playoff Teague over the years to know Jeff recognizes the postseason is the time to elevate his game and his team.

    As effectively as he took the reins last postseason (19.3 PPG, 95.0 FT%), against Brooklyn, Teague should easily eclipse the 39.3 FG% and 5.0 APG efficiencies he had against the 2014 Pacers. Schröder (12.2) and Teague (10.6) are 1st and 3rd among the league’s playoff participants in scoring per-48 on drives to the hoop. Both guards should be effective in beating their man off the dribble and getting where they need to be on the floor to spark the Hawks offense.

    He’ll join Johnson in the $20 million club in 2015-16, but this is D-Will’s last, best chance to shed the label of D-Idn’t as it pertains to his Nets legacy. Williams has shot just 40.7 FG% and averaged 6.8 APG in three postseason series with Brooklyn, a far cry from his headier days with Millsap and Korver in Salt Lake (45.8 FG%, 40.2 3FG%, 9.6 APG) when Hall of Fame honors seemed within reach.

    The New York Daily News notes that in the clutch, the last two postseasons D-Will has shot just 13.3 FG%, 0-for-7 on threes. That’s not exactly Teague-Time quality. Once an automatic All-Star, this series could be Deron’s last time to shine… or tarnish.

    Need an X-Factor in this series, Brooklyn? Here’s a Mirza! Teletovic (team-high 1.6 3FGs/game) will seem like a breath of fresh air for the Nets, following surgery to address blood clots in his lungs back in January. He’s listed as out for Games 1 and 2, but has been practicing with the team. Alan Anderson will play after missing the final couple weeks with an ankle sprain, and guard Markel Brown returns as a defensive stopgap after falling ill with the flu. But Teletovic is the guy with the ability to work in tandem with Bojan Bogdanovic and keep the floor spread for the benefit of Lopez and Young.

    As a sixth man, Young had a role in toppling a 1-seed, joining forces with Elton Brand to upend a suddenly Rose-less Bulls team that had gone 50-16 in 2011-12. His most impactful game against the Hawks this season didn’t come while wearing a Brooklyn jersey. Thad was moved to small forward by Flip Saunders in January as the Timberwolves went tall from the 2-through-5 spots.

    Theoretically, it forced Korver into a position to either play tighter man defense (at the time, against Andrew Wiggins) or switch up with Carroll and deal with Young. In either case, using Young to go big made Kyle less able to help the Hawks as an extra rebounder.

    That ploy still didn’t stop the Hawks offense from getting the shots they wanted, but they did struggle defending Young (26 points, 11-for-14 2FGs, 7 assists, 4 offensive rebounds) around the rim. Hollins could go a similar route during the game by inserting Mason Plumlee, Cory Jefferson, or Earl Clark at the 4-spot, thereby shifting Korver onto either Johnson or Young. But those Nets have to at least be better than Young at defending Millsap, who enjoyed a season-high 15-for-16 day shooting free throws (28 points, 15 rebounds) against Brooklyn back on January 28.

    This series will be high-scoring, but Brooklyn’s contention prospects revolve around the Nets’ ability to make stops. Since the Trade Deadline, among playoff teams, only the Mavs’ opponents shot better on the floor than the Nets’ (51.3 opponent eFG%, 6th-worst in NBA), and only the Raptors’ opponents have scored more efficiently (105.6 points per 100 possessions, 8th-worst in NBA).

    If the Hawks commit a gaggle of unforced errors, or the Nets make the effort to try disrupting the Hawks’ pinpoint-passing game, a tight turnover margin will keep Brooklyn within shouting distance. In the two 20-plus-point blowouts against Brooklyn this season, the Hawks committed 16 fewer turnovers combined. In the other two games, including the Hawks’ three-point win in Brooklyn on April 8, Atlanta committed a total of two more TOs. Brooklyn has to do much more than hope the Hawks miss and wait for the rebound.

    Taking care of the ball themselves is also crucial for Brooklyn. Since the Trade Deadline the Hawks have feasted off of turnovers (19.2 PPG, 3rd-most in NBA, up from 17.9 PPG pre-Deadline). Including two losses to the Hawks, Brooklyn is 4-15 this season when they commit more than 16 turnovers in a game. Kent Bazemore will have an important off-bench role in rattling Brooklyn’s cage, and Atlanta’s bench mob must finish scores in transition.

    Will the Nets’ lead guards wrest control of the game tempo, protect the ball and set up anything other than ill-advised iso plays? Will Brook Lopez crash the offensive glass but also be mindful of the need to get back on defense? Can they find someone able to keep Korver and Carroll cool from the perimeter? If they do those things, will they keep the game close enough to turn the ball to Joe Johnson for heroics in the clutch? In any case, will Joe even care?

    It’s Playoff Time! Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  17. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - Bulls

    By lethalweapon3,

    “Now, that’s what I call a DEEP dish!”



    Onto The Last One!

    For Chicago Bulls fans, tonight’s regular season finale at the United Center with the Atlanta Hawks (60-21) brings a bit of a conundrum. Beat the Hawks, and their Bulls lock themselves into the 3-seed in the “OMFG LEBRON!” sub-bracket of the Eastern Conference Playoffs, taking on Jason Kidd’s fear-inducing deer in the opening round. Chicago (49-32) might prefer to land in what’s perceived as the kinder, gentler sub-bracket that’s headlined by Atlanta, perhaps getting an early shot at vengeance against the 5-seed Wizards.

    Toronto’s walkthrough with the Hornets (nice scheduling, ESPN!) kicks off one hour earlier, and the Raptors (48-33), who STILL have yet to ever win 50 games, should have no problem getting franchise-setting win number 49 tonight. The Atlantic Division leader would win a tiebreaker for seeding against the Central Division runner-up. So, the likely Raps victory will put the 3-seed ball in the homecourt of the Bulls. If they want their road to the Conference Finals to come via the Wizards and the Hawks/Pacers/Nets (…okay, fine, the Hawks), Chicago has to find a way to play possum and fall short, against a Hawks team that has nothing of significant value to gain from winning.

    The Bulls prevailed in their last three games to put themselves in this position. More importantly, they seem to have gotten over the yips with home games in the second half of the season. Through February, the bad-Celtics, bad-Pacers, bad-Jazz, bad-Magic, shaky-heat, and bad-Hornets all hung losses on the Bulls’ horns in their house. Since then, Chicago’s gone 8-2, winning six home games in a row to lock down homecourt in the first round.

    Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has elected to sit Joakim Noah for the… ha! Just kidding. I mean, c’mon now, this is Tom Thibodeau we’re talking about here! The only ones that saved Noah’s tender knees and hamstring from a 35-minute outing tonight were GM Gar Forman and Basketball Ops VP John Paxson. Management and Thibs have been in a perpetual tug-of-war over the need to preserve Joakim (capping his minutes at 32) for the postseason, even forcing Thibs to sit him in fourth quarters while games hang in the balance.

    If they could find a hangnail on Derrick Rose (last 3 games: 29.7 minutes/game 10.7 PPG, 3.3 TOs/game, 23.5 FG%, 15.4 3FG%), management would shelve him tonight, too. The primary starting-five for the Bulls (Rose, Jimmy Butler, Mike Dunleavy, Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol) are 16-5 when they’re starting together. The benching of Noah will bring Taj Gibson back to the top line to play alongside Gasol, and head-to-head against the Hawks’ Paul Millsap, in his first game back his injuring his shoulder 11 days ago.

    We won’t see Kirk Hinrich in uniform tonight, either, as The Captain is nursing a hyperextended knee. We will get to see two entertaining point guard matchups.

    Jeff Teague, who is looking to make up for that missed bunny at the close of the home finale versus New York, will go against Rose. Along the way to a 17-point, 11-assist night (3 steals, 3 blocks, 2 turnovers), Teague had Rose looking silly at times during Atlanta’s 107-99 cruise over the Bulls back during their January romp. Rose shot 14-for-43 (4-for-17 on threes) during his two meetings with the Hawks this season.

    Dennis Schröder (14.0 PPG in his last two appearances) did not play in that contest, and after resting against the Knicks he’ll have a fun time against Chicago’s Aaron Brooks. Each should provide a spark of offense for their teams once the game starts grinding down. Schröder will have to keep working on his defensive chops and force the Bulls into turnovers. He’ll tie his season-long drought at seven games if he does not record a steal tonight.

    Al Horford doesn’t know whether he’ll be tangling with Brook Lopez or Roy Hibbert this weekend (…okay, fine, Hibbert). But for as long as he and Millsap are in, he should have his way offensively against Pau Gasol. Pau is a renaissance man, an All-Star at age 34, enjoying his best offensive season since 2011 (18.5 PPG, 11.8 RPG), and he’s doing that in Chicago, no less.

    The Bulls are far better offensively with Gibson-and-Gasol (106.9 O-Rating) than they are when Noah is doing that point-center thing no one understands (103.2 O-Rating Gasol-Noah, 97.3 Gibson-Noah). But he can get exposed against active centers, like Horford, that make him play the fullcourt, leaving defensive fixtures like Gibson (playing despite a sore shoulder) abandoning their man to help. Although he shot 0-for-4 on threes in the January meeting, Millsap’s ability to keep Gibson honest by hovering near the perimeter keeps Chicago’s defensive coverage spread thin.

    Gasol made up for Rose’s inefficiencies in January with 22 points and 15 rebounds against Atlanta. But that was more than offset by Horford, whose 22 points all came from the field (11-for-13 2FGs). The Bulls contracted their defense to deal with Horford and Jeff Teague’s relentless forays into the paint, opening things up for Kyle Korver (7-for-9 3FGs), a nightmarish cover for Butler and Dunleavy.

    Keep an eye out for our old friend Nazr Mohammed, who will get to play in his 1000th NBA game tonight whenever he appears. Thibodeau will also begrudgingly (does he do anything any other way?) unleash his rookies off the bench. Chris Vivlamore reports that over a hundred Creighton alums are on hand to cheer on their Bluejay alums, Atlanta’s Korver and Bulls rookie Doug McDermott. McBuckets probably isn’t so sure he caught a break getting traded to the Windy City from Denver on draft night.

    While it seems Thibs’ restraints were about the only thing that kept sixth-man Nikola Mirotic from getting Rookie of the Year hardware, a greater problem is a months-long shooting slump that Mirotic is slowly starting to shake off. The man called Three-kola is connecting on just 31.7% of his three-point shots and 30.5% on two-point jumpers all season. Those shots look even worse since January 1 (31.2 FG% from 8-feet-out).

    Stats-wise, though, the rookie has been Chicago’s most effective defender (team-best 99.8 D-Rating), which is probably why he gets the scant minutes (20.0 per game, ninth-most on the roster) that lotto-pick McDermott doesn’t.

    Offensively, the Bulls’ secret-sauce is their ability to draw contact and get trips to the free throw line. Their 26.2 free throw attempts per 100 possessions are the most in the East (3rd in NBA), while their 78.2 team FT% also ranks third in the league. Butler, Chicago’s leading scorer (20.0 PPG) and Mirotic are among just eight active NBA players averaging 20+ minutes who get at least 27% of their points off of free throws. Every starter aside from Noah make 80% of their free throw shots, as do Brooks and Mirotic.

    Chicago is 15-5 (3 OT losses, no losses since January 29) when opponents are called for at least 25 personal fouls, a mediocre 17-15 when foes foul under 20 times in a game. The Hawks have to keep the clock running on the Bulls. They must contest the Bulls outside the paint, but need to hold their defensive positioning to avoid blocking calls, and must not get caught reaching for swipes on ballhandlers.

    The Hawks have a chance to finish the season giving up the fewest points in the Eastern Conference. Their 97.2 opponent PPG is just behind Indiana (97.1) and neck-and-neck with the heat (97.2) and Bucks (97.3). I trust Atlanta is perfectly fine with letting the Pacers try to secure that top-spot tonight.

    In any case, the Hawks do want to finish strong defensively as they head into the postseason to face either Indiana or Brooklyn (…okay, fine, Indiana). Sefolosha’s defense will be missed against his old team (4 steals @ CHI on Jan. 17). But Millsap, in his return, will make defensive cohesion simpler, compared to the patchwork job The Mikes (Muscala and Scott, the latter out to rest his back and forearm) provided during his absence. With the starting unit back together, tonight should be a fun, pressure-free conclusion to the regular season, if not much more.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  18. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - Knicks

    By lethalweapon3,

    They’ve had their Phil.



    17 seconds left, tie game. Tim Hardaway, Jr. collects the pass from the top of the arc after an offensive rebound. Hardaway backs up and drives left, springing free from a confused Elfrid Payton as the Magic’s interior defense sags. Sensing an opening, Hardaway, who shot 3-for-15 from the field to this point, lofts up a 25-foot bomb. This one goes swish! The Knicks are gonna win!

    And the fan reaction, from back home from Manhattan? “BOO!”

    The poor, poor New York Knicks can’t even win for winning these days. In olden days, Spike Lee would be on Twitter imploring ATL’s many New York sympathizers to pack Philips Arena to the gills and chant his favorite team onto a chest-puffing victory. Today, those same sunny-day Knick fans are more likely to keep their butts at home. From the basements of mothers’ dwellings all over town, they’re on their knees praying the Hawks bother to show up for their own home finale (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, MSG Network) and save the Knicks from themselves.

    Junior’s game-clincher helped the Knickerbockers wind up in a literal tie with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the worst record in the NBA (16-64). If that holds through Wednesday, the Knicks will have gone from holding the clear-cut top lottery odds to being subject to a tie-breaking coin flip with the Wolves later this week. New Yorkers have their eyes on four top-tier draft options, and are now freaking out over the possibility that their Knicks will squander their shot at any of them. Because now, somehow, the players want to go out on a winning note.

    “I’m not worried about (lottery implications). I’m worried about the win,” Hardaway boasted to Newsday after earning the victory in Orlando on Saturday, without so much as a hint of self-awareness. “I hope we win the rest of these games.” Tim, literally, wants the Knicks to improve the harder way. After fooling themselves for the better part of two months, Phil Jackson and the Knicks management don’t seem to share Hardaway’s sentiments.

    Andrea Bargnani was left back in NYC with an illness, presumably obtained while watching his teammates playing from the bench. Melo exited stage left at mid-season with a knee injury, but not before enjoying some hometown All-Star Weekend shine. J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert were sent packing for Cleveland in January. Amar’e Stoudemire was granted a mercy waiver in February, just what Samuel Dalembert received the month before, while Jose Calderon was shelved for the season with an Achilles strain. The only veteran that was playing halfway decently for the Knicks, trade-deadline newcomer Alexey Shved, broke a rib in March and won’t be back.

    All of that makes Jason Smith (7.8 PPG) the highest-salaried Knick on the floor today, and mid-season pickup Langston “Go For Yours” Galloway (11.6 PPG and 39.1 FG%; 4-for-16 @ ORL on Saturday) the highest-scoring one.

    These players don’t grasp the concept of throwing in the towel merely to enhance the likelihood of the Knicks acquiring their certain replacement via the draft. They recognize that New York City remains a high-profile location to audition for next season’s NBA gig. If they can’t make it there, there’s still 29 other teams that may have their eye on them. So, flawed as they are, they’re out playing to win. It’s up to Knicks coach Derek Fisher to stop them.

    Fisher is trotting out a lineup of Cole Aldrich at center, Galloway and Hardaway (April: 9.2 PPG, 28.6 FG%) at the guard spots, and Smith and former OKC Thunder backup Lance Thomas as the forwards. If there’s any doubt about Fisher’s directive from management to do whatever he can to tank, Aldrich had a career-high 19 points and 14 rebounds in Orlando, but that included 16 points and 10 boards at the half, 14-and-7 in the opening quarter, before D-Fish started to rein him in.

    Cole slew the Magic at the start, but he was about the only thing either team had going for them in the first half. The Magic and Knicks managed just 15 points between them in the second quarter, the lowest cumulative scoring for a single quarter in shot-clock-era NBA history among two teams. Almost 210,000 quarters of NBA regular-season basketball were played before the Knicks and Magic took everyone back to the days of peach baskets and set shots. There were 105 missed field goals on Saturday, and only Orlando’s own offensive ineptitude (35.7 team FG%) gave the Knicks (37.8 team FG%) a shot at winning a ballgame.

    If the Knicks get to play against any conventional starters tonight from Atlanta (60-20), coming in on the second night of their final back-to-back this season, it will likely be a fleeting experience. The Hawks’ starters have few items left on the docket, aside from maybe knocking some of the rust of off Paul Millsap, who’s missed the past three games to rest his mildly sprained and bruised shoulder. As Paul is active tonight, he could get a final regular-season run in with Al Horford, Jeff Teague, DeMarre Carroll, and Kyle Korver. The other four starters sat out of yesterday’s 108-99 loss in Washington.

    Realistically, the Hawks’ top line can’t glean much more from scrimmaging with the Knicks than they can running the practice floor with their own bench corps. John Jenkins (season-high 17 points and 3 steals @ WAS), Dennis Schröder, Mike Scott, and Shelvin Mack didn’t shoot the ball or defend Washington’s starters terribly well in the opening half yesterday. But they adjusted very well at halftime and caused palpitations for fans of the Wizards (66 first-half points, 42 in the second half). The reserves’ poise in elevated minutes, largely against teams jockeying for playoff position, has been commendable.

    Look for Schröder (8-for-13 FGs against NYK in November)and Kent Bazemore (DNP vs. NYK in prior 2 meetings) to lead the offensive charge for the Hawks, particularly in the second half, to offset the scattershot Knick guards. On the heels of his first subpar game in over a week, look for a bounceback performance from Mike Muscala, although both he and Austin Daye contributed four assists against the Wizards. After six consecutive appearances with less than 20 minutes of floor time, Pero Antić (2-for-3 3FGs, 7 rebounds in 18 minutes@ WAS) may get a lot of floor time tonight. Hopefully, he won’t see all that New York Blue and feel compelled to lie on the floor.

    A victory in the home finale tonight would raise the homecourt-advantaged Hawks' record to 36-5 in their own building, matching the franchise records set at the Omni by the 1993-94 and 1996-97 teams. Winning won't be a priority for the Hawks tonight, but beating New York at any time of the year feels good.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  19. lethalweapon3
    Nene, Hilarious!



    The Brooklyn Nets are perilously close to falling out of the playoffs and into the lottery. The Atlanta Hawks are tantalizingly close to benefiting from that misfortune, via the drafting of a lottery prospect.

    Sorry, Hawks fans. Randy Wittman doesn’t share your enthusiasm.

    The head coach of the Washington Wizards (6:00 PM Eastern, CSN Mid Atlantic), today’s host for our Hawks, Wittman has a hard enough time as it is keeping his team consistently competitive now. If he remains at the helm next season, how is he supposed to handle not just Orlando, not just Charlotte, not just (probably) Miami, but the Southeast Division champions getting a dip in the lottery pool, and Washington unable to join in the fun without a major trade?

    A win today at the Verizon Center would make this year’s edition of the Wizards (45-34) the most successful team in the DMV since d*ck Motta’s 1979 NBA finalist Bullets. Still, at least ten Wizards are likely to be returning under contract next year, and going into the postseason they look as collectively flawed and streaky as ever before. Wittman and GM Ernie Grunfeld know they can do little more at this stage with their own team. But they could screw with Atlanta’s chances to obtain a future blue-chip competitor via next month’s draft lottery.

    That could be a reason why Wittman willingly accepted star point guard John Wall’s assertion that he needed a second-straight game to rest, as the Wizards prepared for a Friday night game in Brooklyn. Wall had been averaging 14.8 APG, in his last four appearances, but also has been shooting just 41.1% on field goals while committing 5.5 turnovers per game. Wall insists this was all his idea, but we know better.

    Wittman and Wall were even willing to risk losing out on a chance to secure first-round homecourt advantage, something Washington hasn’t enjoyed since Elvin Hayes and those defending-champion ‘79 Bullets squeaked by the Hawks in a first-round Game 7, along the path to another NBA Finals. Washington didn’t need homecourt to reach the second round last year, Wittman reasons, so why sweat it now?

    Doing his part to keep Brooklyn above the 8-seed line, Wittman’s team wound up getting blasted by the Nets, by 37 points. Gortat had 21 points and 16 boards, but he could not stop Brook Lopez (14 first-quarter points, 26 for the game) in isolation. Once the Wizards’ defense coalesced around the rim, Brooklyn’s Bojan Bogdanovic (6-for-6 on 3FGs) and Jarrett Jack (5-for-6 FGs) came off the bench and made them pay. The supporting cast around Bradley Beal (24 points, 3-for-4 FGs) and Gortat shot a combined 25.0 FG%.

    When the Wizards fall behind, they resort to the white flag quickly. Eleven of their 34 losses have come by deficits of 17 or more. They’re not just getting drubbed by decent teams like Atlanta, Toronto, Golden State (twice), and Cleveland (twice). They’ve folded up the tent against Sacramento, Minnesota, Detroit, and… surprise… Brooklyn (twice).

    Washington dropped five in a row after the All-Star Break. Less than two weeks later, they started a five-game win streak before losing four straight. The blowout loss to the Nets concluded a four-game winning streak for the Wizards. It’s been a dizzying ride in D.C.

    This should be a high-scoring affair between this month’s two best shooting teams, the Hawks connecting on a league-high 52.3 FG% and the Wizards trailing at 50.7%. Washington is at their best when they pound the interior with drives from Wall plus the duo of Nene and Gortat, and at their worst when they settle for inefficient long-twos (25.6 mid-range attempts per game in April, 5th in NBA).

    Washington’s 16.0 3-point attempts per game this month (just 3.4 per game from the corners) are ahead of only Minnesota. Paul Pierce’s scoring has declined every month since December (6.5 PPG in his last two games), and it’s time for the Wall and the Wizards’ ballhandlers to get Pierce and fellow senior baller Rasual Butler (each 38% three-point shooters) going. None of the Wizards backcourt bench players are shooting above 43 percent from the floor, leaving Wittman to turn to guys like Drew Gooden (0-for-8 FGs vs. the Nets on Friday).

    A free-wheeling offensive game will work well to Mike Scott’s strengths. The Virginian’s last trip to the Phone Booth had the Wizards chasing him all over the court, pouring on 17 points (12 in the fourth quarter) and 8 rebounds (4 offensive) in 22 minutes off the bench. He and Mike Muscala will fill in ably for Paul Millsap (shoulder), but must keep Nene, Kevin Seraphin, Kris Humphries and Drew Gooden away from the glass.

    Atlanta would do well to continue attacking the Wizards’ interior defense, especially if they’re missing Nene, who re-twisted his ankle on Friday after missing the prior three games and is questionable to play today. Apparently the Hawks are not exactly clear on the concept of “restricted area,” blowing away the field this month with 77.5 FG% on shots around the rim. On the season, the Wizards were among the stingiest in ceding points-in-the-paint (38.3 opponent PPG, 2nd-fewest in NBA), but they’ve slid lately (45.6 opponent PPG in April, 12th-most in NBA).

    Teague laid the blueprint for Dennis Schröder back on November 25, scoring seven times on shots in the paint and drawing copious trips to the free throw line (28 points, 12-for-14 FTs). The Hawks have no need to settle for mid-range shots, where Wizard foes are shooting a league-low 26.7 FG% this month.

    Hawk guards have to continue to apply pressure and get double-team support on Beal and Wall, who combined for 12 turnovers during the Wizards’ 106-102 home loss to the Hawks on November 25. Wall, whose trying to play today despite a swollen ankle (oh, NOW he wants to play) dished out 9 assists and committed just two turnovers to help the Wizards erase a 16-point deficit before faltering in Atlanta on February 4. Trade-deadline acquisition Ramon Sessions filled in for Wall on Friday and shot poorly against the Nets (1-for-7 FGs) but managed to make productive passes (10 assists, 1 TO).

    While there is very little left for Atlanta to achieve in the regular season, a victory for the Hawks in Washington’s home finale would complete a four-game season-sweep of the Wizards and establish a franchise-best 13-3 in-division record (Larry Drew’s 2011-12 Hawks finished 11-3 in the Southeast). Hawk starters are likely to play today and enjoy some rest in tomorrow’s home finale against the Knicks.

    If all goes well in the first-round of the NBA Playoffs, two of Atlanta’s final three regular season games are against possible second-round opponents. To that end, Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer will keep his postseason gameplan strategies and adjustments close to the vest. If Wittman doesn’t have a clue, there’s no reason to hand him any today.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  20. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - Hornets

    By lethalweapon3,

    “I just checked with Johnny's Hideaway. Last call in Atlanta is at 2:30.”



    60! It’s a nice, round number.

    There are no big cheers for a 359 dunk. “59 Minutes” would be an incomplete news program. Nobody is rushing to the cinemas to see “Gone in 59 Seconds.” Nobody cares how long it takes for a racecar to go “from 0 to 59.”

    Nobody ever looks back fondly on “Nine” numbers – maybe 69, but that depends on the context. And nobody wants to look back on that time the Atlanta Hawks won “almost” 60 games. We’d much rather round down.

    Hawks fans have never seen their team win 60 games in a single season, and there’s no certainty they’ll have a chance to see it again. Although they’d much prefer a 59-win season that concludes with a championship trophy in the NBA Playoffs, it’s not an either-or proposition. It will be intriguing how the Hawks (59-19) get to 60 over the next four games, starting with tonight’s matchup at Philips Arena against the Charlotte Hornets (SportSouth in ATL, Fox Sports South in CHA; If You’re Reading This, TAKE MARTA If You’re Headed to the Game Before It’s Too Late).

    Thabo Sefolosha would be kicking himself right now, were it medically sound to try that. To the people who are huge fans of ESPN’s Real Plus/Minus stat, both of them know that Thabo (25th), Paul Millsap (28th), and Thabo’s What-is-Love dancing buddy Pero Antić (102nd) are the top-three Hawks when it comes to Defensive RPM. Not having that trio at coach Mike Budenholzer’s disposal made it tough to keep playoff-starving Brooklyn at bay for four full quarters on Wednesday night. Shutting down teams with offensively-skilled wings will become that much more difficult in the postseason with Sefolosha now out of the picture.

    Yet for now, there’s a silver lining: the Hawks have four zero-pressure games left to recalibrate before the Win or Go Home games tip off. They built up this gaudy record exactly for the convenience of playing out these kinds of scenarios: What if our power forward goes down with a bum shoulder? What if a key bench player slips on a banana peel, or something, and is done for the season? What if we shoot 4-for-25 from deep? Can we STILL win games? So far, the answer has been in the affirmative.

    They’ve been able to pull it off, lately, because DeMarre Carroll has emerged to complete the offensive quintet in Atlanta’s formidable starting lineup. Over the past six games, he’s shooting 69.8 FG% and 48.0 3FG% while averaging 18.7 PPG. Opponents once satisfied with periodically scoring against Carroll now have to figure ways to outscore him by shutting him down, too. No more hiding weak defenders on #5, or leaving him open to tend to some other Hawk with a hotter hand.

    Couple that with his trademark defensive effort, and Atlanta is now 43-0 on the year when DMC finishes a game with a plus-minus of zero or higher. Coincidentally, his top plus-minus effort came against these Hornets (+28) at Philips back on November 29. With Sefolosha done for the season, Carroll will have to work for longer stretches to contain opposing swingmen. But there’s never any doubt that the Junk Yard Dawg is up to the task.

    It’s Elimination Practice once again for the Hawks. After crippling the Suns and the Nets’ postseason chances, Atlanta gets a shot at terminating a division rival’s fleeting postseason hopes tonight.

    With their Tragic Number down to 2, Charlotte (33-45) has been looking like the Horridnets, ready to kickoff their summer break early. Their spirits were artificially inflated with a 115-100 home win over the Hawks two weeks ago, when Budenholzer sat all the starters. Since beating Detroit on April 1, they’ve scored just 74 points against the Pacers, 91 against the Sixers, 45 second-half points in Miami, and then 45 points through three quarters at home against the Raptors. Talk about buzzkill.

    Much like Lance Stephenson on occasion, the Hornets haven’t been playing with a full deck. Lance jammed his toe in Miami (without the assistance of either Crockett or Tubbs, Thabo!) on Tuesday night, and will watch this game from courtside. Cody Zeller (sore shoulder) and Michael-Kidd Gilchrist (ankle) have missed several games due to injury. They’ll continue to sit, as will centerpiece center Al Jefferson, who is succumbing to chronic knee soreness. “They’re not close,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford advised the media a couple days ago, and with the sun setting on postseason hopes, there’s a strong likelihood one, or all, of this quartet has played their last game this season.

    With the starting frontcourt and Stephenson unable to go, if this game remains competitive for long stretches of the evening, that will be because of whatever guards Kemba Walker and Mo Williams bring to the proceedings.

    Walker (career-high 17.9 PPG, career-low 1.7 TOs/game) remains brutally inconsistent with his shooting (FGs in last 5 games: 7-for-13, 1-for-9, 11-for-21, 7-for-20, 5-for-13). And after a nearly error-free stretch during the week of the game against Atlanta, his solid playmaking has evaporated as well (last four games: 12 total assists, 10 turnovers).

    Kemba is bending over backwards to insist Clifford’s job shouldn’t be in jeopardy. “He’s a fantastic coach,” he told the Charlotte Observer recently. “I’m 100 percent behind him… It hasn’t been the best season for us this year, but he is definitely not to blame.” Whether Clifford indeed gets the blame (and the Dunlap Axe) this offseason may depend on whether Walker can prove, through these final games, that the Hornets’ offense is not hopelessly dysfunctional. Against Toronto, he led the way with 15 points, but no one else on the Hornets (34.6 team FG%) could manage more than 10.

    Mo Williams came to Charlotte intending to be the offensive spark that would get the Hornets back over the hump; at age 32, he’s a 2015 unrestricted free agent gunning for that last multi-year paycheck. He’s putting the ball in the bucket (17.8 PPG in Charlotte) but terribly inefficiently from the floor, his 39.0 Charlotte FG% equivalent to Kemba’s for the season. Mo’s 6-for-9 shooting on field goals against the Half-Hawks on March 28 is the only one of the past ten games where he’s eclipsed 38 percent shooting.

    Atlanta defenders like Jeff Teague (4 steals @BKN on Wednesday) will need to stay in front of Kemba and Mo, and not allow them to create offense with the clock stopped. Both Hornets get a significant chunk of their offense from the free throw line, where Kemba makes 83 percent of his shots and Mo over 89 percent.

    Forcing the Hornet guards to give up the rock will put pressure on Gerald Henderson, Marvin Williams, P.J. Hairston, Bismack Biyombo, Jason Maxiell, and Jeff Taylor to catch and finish, while forcing those guards to take wild shots will keep them crashing the offensive boards and less capable of impeding Atlanta’s transition plays.

    Marvin (0-for-5 vs. TOR, but team-highs of eight D-Rebs and two steals) has done yeoman’s work in spots, but his inability to approximate what Josh McRoberts brought the Hornets last season is a notion that’s hard to duck. Henderson (9-for-10 shooting vs. ATL on Mar. 28) will spend less time relaxing on offense and an inordinate amount of time chasing Kyle Korver through a forest of screens. Rookie Noah Vonleh is finally getting some attention (1-for-7 FGs in 23 minutes vs. TOR on Wednesday), and it’s hard to assess whether his rawness at this late stage says more about him or about Clifford and his staff’s developmental work to this point.

    The Hornets struggled to stop even the Hawks’ backup corps during Atlanta’s March visit to the Cable Box. The fill-in starters (Dennis Schröder, John Jenkins, Kent Bazemore, Mike Muscala, Elton Brand) shot 49.1 percent from the floor and produced 21 assists (11 from Schröder, not even counting Shelvin Mack’s eight dimes) while turning the ball over just seven times. Muscala (18 points, 10 boards, 2 blocks @CHA on Mar. 28) will feel right at home playing the Hornets again, and has accorded himself well replacing Millsap in the starting unit.

    Mike Scott’s offensive spark against Brooklyn (20 points, 3 O-Rebs) was sorely needed, but he’ll need to continue making defensive plays so teammates don’t erode his playing time. The D-gional Manager produced a steal in four of his last six games, compared to just two in the previous 12.

    Al Horford (11-for-20 FGs @BKN) got all but two of his field goals around the rim, and should continue to feast in that area tonight, compelling the depleted Hornet frontcourt to send him to the free throw line. If Antić plays for the Hawks tonight, hopefully he’ll find himself in the right places at the right times. He’ll have to keep Biyombo from having lob parties around the rim, and should not hesitate to take three-pointers that will surely be open, or at least make good decisions on offense with the ball at the perimeter.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  21. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - Nets

    By lethalweapon3,

    “DUMMM-DAA-DUM-DUM...”



    “DRAG NETS!”



    First shot-clock-era NBA team to LOSE their initial playoff round after finishing the regular season in first place?

    The Hawks! St. Louis, that is.

    In 1959, the defending NBA champions were still smelling themselves a bit when the Minneapolis Lakers, led by fresh-faced rookie Elgin Baylor, came to town. Even in an eight-team league, the Lakers looked to be out of it in February with a 19-31 record, before going on a 14-8 run to finish in second-place of the West Division. The Lakers carried that momentum into the initial round (then called the Division Semifinals) where they beat the Pistons 2-1 before facing the Hawks, who enjoyed an opening-round bye after leading the West with a 49-23 record.

    Seven-game series were 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 at the time, and the home teams held serve until Game 5, when Baylor’s Lakers toppled the Hawks 98-97 at Kiel Auditorium, setting up the coup de grace in Game 6 back in Minnesota. The Hawks could not overcome the loss of ex-Laker point guard Slater Martin, the league’s oldest, shortest and most championship-seasoned player, who broke his fibula after drawing a flagrant foul in Game 1. Thanks to a star turn by Baylor, Minneapolis earned their final trip to the NBA Finals, where the Lakers would meet the Celtics on the first of many occasions.

    First NBA team to win over 55 games and LOSE their initial playoff round?

    The Hawks! Still St. Louis. For the moment, anyway.

    1968 was the swan song for the Hawks in Missouri, as they were making their final title trek before packing up and flying South for forever. Playoff series had the saner 2-2-1-1-1 style by then, but as Kevin Hart would say, “You see, the way my playoffs were set up…” Top-seeds like the Hawks played third-seeds, while #2-seeds drew #4-seeds. That would change to 1-versus-4 and 2-versus-3 two seasons later.

    The 1967-68 Hawks were 56-26 and on top of the six-team Western Division. This time, the “Arch enemies” they drew were the San Francisco Warriors, who did the reverse of the ’59 Lakers. They started out 37-23 before going full possum by losing 16 of their final 22 games.

    Despite losing to this same team in the Western finals the prior year, the Hawks underestimated the Warriors, and were done in once again by Jeff Mullins, a Hawks draftee who became a three-time All-Star after St. Louis cut him loose years before in an expansion draft. The Warriors put the defensive screws to Jumpin’ Joe Caldwell, the Hawks’ third-leading scorer reduced to 5.3 PPG over six games, and they never looked back after stealing Game 1 in St. Louis. Perhaps the Warriors saved the Hawks from a pasting in the next round, by a now-33-year-old Baylor and the now-L.A. Lakers.

    If all goes well in 2015 for the #1 seeds, the Hawks will finally get a chance to avenge that 1968 series defeat and the hands of the Warriors. But first things first: they have to get out of the first round. And nobody would gain greater schadenfreude out of bumping the Hawks out of the first round than Joe Johnson.

    Joe and the Brooklyn Nets have got work cut out for them, though. They’re in the 7-seed spot but must continue winning just enough to squeak into the postseason. Despite getting pasted by the Atlanta Hawks just days ago, a payback win at Barclays Center tonight (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, YES Network) would go a long way toward locking a playoff spot down, and perhaps adding a little trepidation that this is not a team the Hawks will want to see again.

    As of just two weeks ago, Brooklyn amassed as many home victories (12-20) as the Magic and the Sixers. That was before five straight wins on the herringbone floor, knocking off the Cavs, Lakers, Pacers, Raptors, and a Trail Blazer team that rested three frontcourt starters. Now, with Mikhail Prokhorov watching his investment live for the first time since November, the Nets (36-41) have a single-minded goal: try not to become the most expensive lottery team in NBA history. Until now, Prokhy couldn’t bear to watch, either.

    Last night, the elimination-destined Phoenix Suns spent more time trying to get under people’s skin than trying to put a ball into a hoop. The Hawks shot just 4-for-25 from downtown, turned over the rock about a dozen times in the first quarter, drew a bunch of technicals… and still turnt out the Suns 96-69. Key to the victory was a spectacular team defensive rebounding display, a season-high 46 D-Rebs, led by Kent Bazemore’s eight, and Mike Muscala and Mike Scott’s six apiece.

    Mere hours later, Thabo Sefolosha and Pero Antić spent last night tripping the light fantastic in Gotham, eventually finding out what happens When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong. In their place, Kent Bazemore will get yet another boost in floor time, as will Muscala at the 5-spot, while Elton Brand will have to do what Dookies do, and cut down the Nets. Austin will have his Daye on court as well. John Jenkins perhaps had a foreboding sense of dread, and stayed back in Atlanta to deal with an illness.

    The Hawks’ recent misfortunes sound good to Johnson (1-for-10 FGs vs. POR on Monday), and to Brook Lopez. Joe doesn’t intend to be held to 1-for-5 shooting (four points and three assists in 20 minutes) as he did during the 131-99 blowout in Atlanta last Saturday, and B-Lo (32 points on 15-for-25 FGs vs. the Blazers) doesn’t plan on settling for 11 points and six boards.

    But both veteran leaders, along with Deron Williams (10-and-5 @ATL; 24-and-11 vs. POR), have to represent themselves defensively first and foremost, or coach Lionel Hollins will give them all another quick hook. Bojan Bogdanovic, Jarrett Jack, and Thaddeus Young (20-for-33 shooting, in a losing cause @ATL last Saturday) can dominate the offensive end of the floor as easily as the Nets’ Medium Three can. What Hollins wants to see are stops, and if Brooklyn’s relying on Markel Brown to provide them at critical junctures, they’re in trouble.

    Atlanta had little problem getting the passes and shots they wanted against Brooklyn on Saturday, ringing up 40 assists and sinking almost 60 percent of their shots while turning over the ball just 12 times. That was without Paul Millsap (shoulder) for most of the game, and without any contributions from Dennis Schröder (toe). Even without that duo, the Hawks scored 50 points-in-the-paint versus Brooklyn, consistent with the 52 they hung on the dysfunctional Suns last night with Dennis back in the fold. The Nets have been ceding 23.3 buckets per game in the paint (5th most in NBA) since March 1.

    Al Horford and Muscala should continue attacking Lopez and Young inside, forcing either fouls or help from Net teammates that can open up the perimeter. With another dominant display from Jeff Teague (8-for-12 FGs, 17 points and 8 assists in 23 minutes) and Schröder, and some bounceback shooting from Kyle Korver, Coach Bud’s pregame speech can be a lot like the guy bellowing at Chris Copeland on the sidewalk: “Y’all gon’ be a’ight, man.”

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  22. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - Suns

    By lethalweapon3,

    “So, Eric… how’d your Cats make out last weekend?”



    Elimination Practice!

    It will be just about a wrap for the Phoenix Suns if they lose tonight to the Atlanta Hawks (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, Fox Sports Arizona) at the Highlight Factory. The most successful regular-season franchise in NBA history without a single NBA title (55.2 Win%) will have gone five seasons without a postseason shot at championship glory. If they grant the winningest franchise in NBA history without a single championship their 2600th victory and the franchise-record 58th win for a season, Phoenix will have to cheer on San Antonio for a stay of execution from the Thunder.

    It’s been a season in phlux for PHX. After letting a late lead to the Hawks slip away at home back on March 13, Jeff Hornacek’s crew ran off four straight wins, including impressive victories on back-to-back nights at Houston and versus Dallas. But then followed five consecutive losses, and a streak-busting 87-85 home win versus Utah (nearly blowing a 13-point second-half lead) did little to instill confidence toward a final playoff dash.

    Injuries have also taken their toll as the Suns (39-38) have set down the stretch. Center Alex Len broke his schnoz against the Hawks in March and remains sidelined. Trade-deadline acquisition Brandon Knight missed that game with an ankle sprain, and will likely be shut down for the season as he tries to heal his heel. Backup guard Marcus Thornton is likely to miss tonight’s contest as he’s been recovering from a sprained toe.

    Sparked by an embarrassment of riches with offensive-minded lead guards, the Suns finished below 90 points in five of 54 games prior to the All-Star Break. After wheeling and dealing to reduce the number of ballhandlers, their offense has short-circuited seven times in the past month alone, including the 96-87 loss to Atlanta on March 13.

    One could almost get around those paltry numbers among the dredges of the Eastern Conference; not so much without a sound defensive strategy out West, something Phoenix hasn’t had since at least the Scotty Skiles years. The good news is since March 1, the Suns’ 99.5 defensive rating has been the 5th best in the league. In that time, opponents have shot just 33.2 FG% in the paint outside of the restricted area (second-lowest in NBA, behind Nerlens Noel’s Sixers) and just 31.8 3FG% (6th-lowest in NBA) above-the-break.

    Unfortunately, Phoenix’s 94.3 offensive rating since March 25 has been worse than everyone, save for the Knicks, and the lack of reliable shooters has been obvious (25.9 3FG%, worst in NBA over the last ten days). While Eric Bledsoe tries to mimic Russell Westbrook to the best of his ability, only the Thunder possessed a lower assist-percentage (49.8%) in that time.

    At least for now, this is definitively Bledsoe’s team, for better or worse. After he and the Suns dragged each other through a summer-long restricted free agency impasse before agreeing to a five-year, $70 million deal, it’s a little early for the hybrid guard to be experiencing a regression in production already, particularly after the trade departures of Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas.

    On the season, Bledsoe’s shooting from the floor is down (33.6 FG% on jumpshots) from the half-season of his contract-year in 2013-14, and it has been markedly worse away from home (29.8 road 3FG%). His assists are up a tad from last season (career-high 27.4 assist percentage, up from 27.0), but so are his turnovers (18.2 turnover percentage, up from 17.8). Mini-LeBron is at his most effective when he’s around the rim for dunks, layups, and rebounds, and drawing foul shots (career-high 80.3 FT%). Phoenix is 12-4 when Bledsoe grabs at least 8 boards.

    For the Hawks (57-19), Jeff Teague (8-for-12 FGs, eight of Atlanta’s 40 assists vs. BKN on Saturday) ought to be relentless creating havoc in the paint off screens. Teague should try to get Bledsoe into foul trouble early, given Bledsoe often struggles to heat up in the first half. The Suns are 3-12 when Bledsoe gets called for at least four personal fouls in a game, and if he sits, Hornacek will have to turn to Archie Goodwin and D-League pick-up Jerel McNeal. Teague shot just 4-for-13 back on March 13, but rang up nine assists while turning over the ball just once.

    Baze and Boz! Kent Bazemore (5-for-6 FGs @ PHX) will likely have fun courtside today with new Hawks signee Lake Bozman, a kid who has shown plenty of heart. On the court, Bazemore was credited with hounding Bledsoe (7-for-12 FGs, but seven turnovers, four in the final quarter) last month as the Hawks blotted out the Suns with a 31-14 fourth quarter advantage. Starting guards Bledsoe and P.J. Tucker (12 combined TOs, 10 assists) wound up registering more turnovers than the entire Hawks team (11 team TOs) by the end of the game.

    Paul Millsap led the way for the Hawks in Phoenix last month, with team-highs of 23 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 steals. Mike Scott’s toe had him sitting for the first time this season due to injury, but he played nine minutes Saturday during Atlanta’s resounding home win over Brooklyn after missing 11 games. While Millsap takes at least a couple games off to rest his sore shoulder, it will be interesting to see whether Scott works on his offensive play in the post against the Morris Twins, or if instead he’ll be satisfied with target practice from the perimeter.

    Scott is shooting just 17.1% on treys since the All-Star Break. So while he works to get back up to speed, Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer may continue to delegate The Threegional Manager’s duties to yet another Mike. With extended minutes in his last five games, Mike Muscala has hit Plinko on five of his seven threes.

    With Sap out, the Hawks will need both Muscala and Scott to fight for rebounds and make defensive stops against the Morrii (13-for-25 combined 2FGs, 40 points and 13 rebounds vs. ATL on Mar. 13), keeping the centers from having to overcompensate in rotation. Scott has just three blocks all season long, but Atlanta’s 15-2 this season when he gets at least one steal. Moose had double-digit rebounds in road losses to Charlotte and Detroit, but didn’t grab one in 19 minutes against the Nets on Saturday.

    It’s safe to assume Goodwin has this game circled on his calendar. His nine second-quarter points helped the Suns take back the lead last month against the Hawks. But in the second half, he took exception to Dennis Schröder’s Pippen-esque staredown after he fell trying to stop a fastbreak jam. The brief kerfuffle drew a double-technical as the Hawks seized the momentum and left Goodwin looking at a Badloss. This Archie wants Dennis to stifle himself.

    Schröder went through a full practice yesterday and returns today after missing a couple games with a toe injury. Coach Bud may reduce the animosity by keeping Dennis’ minutes limited and continuing to roll with Shelvin Mack off the bench. Mack is working his way out of a shooting slump (career-low 39.9 FG%) by going 10-for-16 and combining double-digit scoring with solid passing (11.0 PPG, 4.0 APG, 4.0 RPG, 1.5 TOs/game) in his last two appearances.

    Brandan Wright has shot the ball and rebounded well in Len’s absence (67.5 FG%, 16.0 PPG and 8.5 RPG in four starts), lessening the need for Hornacek to look to Markieff (last 12 games: 17.8 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.4 SPG) to hold the fort in the pivot. But aside from Wright’s shotblocking as a helper, he continues to struggle staying with his man on defense.

    Al Horford should find little problem getting open mid-range shots, courtesy of his guards’ forays into the Suns’ interior. But he will also want to force Wright to defend him in the post and draw trips to the free throw line. Horford has taken five free throw attempts in his past eight games. He should be well-rested after having played just 44 minutes in the previous seven days.

    Oh, there you are, Gerald Green! One season after averaging a career-high 15.8 PPG, Green’s shooting, all-around play and confidence have diminished, and he has been benched with regularity by Hornacek (seven DNP-CD’s since the All-Star Break, including vs. ATL last month). On Saturday, though, he saved Phoenix’s bacon against the Jazz with his first 20+-minute game in over a month, coming off the bench and putting in most of his team-high 24 points (10-for-17 FGs) on dribble-out-the-clock isolation jumpers.

    Green’s obsession with proving he’s “not just a dunker” often distracts him from focusing on the roles Hornacek desires of him on the floor. Gerald feels he has the Green-light early in the game and must jack shots (1st quarter: 49.0 3FG%, 31.3 2FG%; 2nd quarter: 29.7 3FG%) before he gets benched. So Green may draw Thabo Sefolosha and DeMarre Carroll early in the game to keep him cooled off.

    Hawks generally don’t fly far without good wings, and Carroll has been pretty good lately. He was nominated for conference Player of the Week after averaging 17.7 PPG and shooting the lights out (72.4 FG%, 50.0 3FG%), including his 20-8-5 tally against the Nets where he sunk 4-of-5 from downtown while helping to keep Joe Johnson a non-factor. The Hawks’ spacing has made it difficult for opponents to figure out what to do around the perimeter with JYD, who has mastered his runner off drives to the paint. Carroll’s shooting 55.8 FG% in-the-paint and 47.7% on jumpers up to ten feet from the rim.

    Whichever of Kyle Korver (6-for-9 3FGs in his last two games) or Carroll that isn’t hounded by Tucker should have a field day getting open shots, especially if Markieff can’t sag off of Muscala or Scott to help. Korver will want to help on the interior with the defensive rebounding to keep the Suns to one-and-done possessions. Atlanta is 22-1 (the one loss being to Boston’s Evan Turner at the buzzer) when Kyle gets at least five defensive boards; they’re 34-4 when he gets at least four.

    The road to a championship involves finishing off teams whose backs are to the wall, taking opponents’ must-win games and turning them into losses. Today and tomorrow, the Hawks will benefit from the practice of taking on teams like the Suns and Nets and doing their part to conclude their seasons earlier than they'd like.

    Win One for Lake! And Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  23. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - Pistons

    By lethalweapon3,

    “We’ll just trade for John $@%#*^ Wall!”



    They’re not dead yet!

    Okay, fine, they’re dead. Suffering two ten-plus-game losing streaks in a season is usually enough to do any team in, even in the Eastern Conference. Despite a 4-1 run of late, the Detroit Pistons (28-45) sit 4.5 games out of the final spot in the playoff race, with three other teams on the waiting list ahead of them and just nine games to go.

    So stick at least a spork in them, if you wish. Just don’t try to convince them yet.

    The Pistons host the Atlanta Hawks in their Auburn Hills palace tonight (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, Fox Sports Detroit). If Stan Van Gundy’s club comes out of the next three games still in playoff contention, they get a four-game homestand followed by games that won’t mean much to the Cavaliers and Knicks. The last three games played at the Palace involved victories over the Grizzlies, Bulls, and Raptors. And those games were won without Detroit’s second-leading scorer and rebounder.

    Charley Rosen's idol Greg Monroe has missed the past seven games with a strained knee, and will likely miss tonight’s game as well. But “The Other Moose” still intends to play out the string this season once he recuperates, despite the risks of getting re-injured before he can become a top free agent prize this July. While SVG has flowered praise upon Monroe and openly expressed a preference to retain him for next season, he has one eye on Paul Millsap, a player in his All-Star prime whose lunchpail qualities make him the embodiment of what the Pistons like to think they once were.

    In Monroe’s place, there’s Anthony Tolliver. The Man From Kickapoo still dwells around the perimeter (career-high 4.1 3FG attempts/game in Detroit), shooting 34.3% on threes since arriving in mid-season from Phoenix. But the 6-foot-8 forward is also finishing around the rim like never before (61.1 2FG%), and the former Hawk’s hustle on defense, however misguided, has enamored Van Gundy into making him a Pistons staple. Joel Anthony (1.0 BPG in 7.8 minutes/game), don’t hang it up just yet. You’re part of Stan’s core, too.

    "Those guys are model guys,” crowed Van Gundy recently about the duo, “which not only helps our team but those are the kind of guys – and Caron (Butler) we've talked about all year – that we want our young guys around and observing and understanding this is what professionalism is." Like Tolliver and Anthony, Butler is a “set the tone” guy for Van Gundy. Tayshaun Prince and Cartier Martin, too. They provide examples for the yung’uns about what to do… and at times, what not to do… on the floor.

    “Caron Butler, starting NBA player” is still a thing. He’s been shooting the ball well (52.3 FG% in last nine games) in short stints, and although the recently starting small forward gets a quick hook if he’s not producing early, he’s good for going off on some unsuspecting team about once a month. It’s not clear what the Bulls ever did to him, but the Wisconsin native dropped 20 points on Chicago in each of the past two months (both Piston wins).

    Reggie Jackson longed to be handed the keys to an offense full-time. Now he’s got them, at least for another few weeks. The restricted free agent-to-be certainly did not arrive in the Motor City looking to be anyone’s short-term rental. After some early struggles, he’s putting up the numbers (17.5 PPG, 8.5 APG, 5.2 RPG in Motown) to help him make the case for a contract match this summer. Keeping him around for 2016 would involve SVG, somehow, jettisoning the injured Brandon Jennings ($8.3 million expiring next season), lest he risks Detroit becoming like Phoenix without the cactii.

    Andre Drummond continues producing the empty calories associated with monstrous rebounding nights. On Sunday, he shot 14-for-17 and nabbed 14 rebounds to go along with his career-high 32 points, but largely for naught, as the Pistons lost on the road to shorthanded Miami. He’s exceeded 20 rebounds four times this month, and Detroit’s 1-3 in those games. The Pistons are 0-3 this season when he has collected more than ten offensive rebounds in a game.

    The absence of Monroe makes it imperative that someone else in the frontcourt steps up such that Drummond is not looking stranded beneath the rim. Monroe and Drummond are 1st and 2nd in points in the paint this month, so the offensive void has been hard to replace. Also, despite Dre’s exploits the Pistons’ 73.8 defensive rebounding percentage this month (7th-lowest in NBA) is just marginally better than Atlanta’s.

    As formidable as he is, Drummond can’t rebound the shots that go in. So he needs somebody in the frontcourt to help him stop Udonis Haslem from enjoying a double-double in the first half. He needs someone in his backcourt to challenge shots so a freshly knee-fluid-drained Dwyane Wade doesn’t go for 40. He needs somebody off the bench to restrain rookie James Ennis from a career-high 16 points. All of those things transpired in Sunday’s 109-102 loss, a game where Miami lost Luol Deng and Mike Beasley to injuries in the first half.

    Perimeter defense needs to be stellar for the Pistons against DeMarre Carroll and Kyle Korver. Korver showed last night that going cold for 32 minutes means little when he can roast the net like Martha Stewart in around sixty seconds. Despite a February swoon, Korver’s 67.6 true shooting percentage this month ranks 4th in the league. Carroll (63.3 March TS%, 16th in NBA) re-asserted himself defensively, and got virtually any shot he wanted amidst the Milwaukee trees on the way to a team-high 23 points. Both players kept Atlanta’s offense flowing all night by contributing five assists and committing one turnover each.

    For Atlanta (56-18), this game should have a similar feel as the Charlotte game from Saturday, especially if Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer rests some starters again. Unlike Milwaukee (league-high TO% this month), Detroit has the league’s lowest TO% this month, just ahead of the Hornets, and have given up the fewest fastbreak points (9.1 per game, only NBA team allowing less than 10 in March).

    Coupled with Detroit’s plodding pace (5th lowest since All-Star Break), opponents have managed to steal the ball away just 5.8 times (fewest in NBA) per contest in March. The Piston offense has a different feel without Jennings, Josh Smith, D.J. Augustin, and/or Monroe around to bobble the ball away, so transition buckets for the Hawks will be hard to come by. In the January 9 meeting at The Palace, when Tolliver and Caldwell-Pope sparked a furious second-half rally to fall short by three points, the streaking Hawks managed just three steals and forced a season-low seven turnovers from the opposition.

    Still, Drummond’s offensive rebounding efforts become a liability when teammates fail to slow down opponents at the other end off of missed shots, especially Georgian guards Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jodie Meeks (combined 8-for-26 shooting, 5-for-16 on threes @ ATL on Jan. 19).

    Especially when Al Horford and Pero Antić get box-out help, Millsap (10.2 March in-the-paint PPG, 11th in NBA), Carroll, Kent Bazemore and Thabo Sefolosha can help Atlanta open things up downcourt by shedding their man and either getting open or setting up open shooters. Their collective offense should help compensate for the loss of Mike Scott, who saved the Hawks’ bacon during the nationally-televised MLK-Day Game with 20 points off the bench.

    Horford’s mid-range jumpshot (4-for-9 2FGs) reappeared early in the Hawks’ win over Milwaukee on Monday, and he’ll be an ideal halfcourt go-to guy with Drummond camped in the interior. Al’s scoring has been at its highest this season on zero-days rest (17.1 PPG), as well as against Central Division opponents (17.7 PPG). In their last meeting with the Pistons, Horford dissected Detroit’s D with seven assists and just a single turnover. The one-time Michigander also put up 19-and-16 in the Hawks’ last visit to the Palace, but he may want to atone for a bunch of missed fourth-quarter shots and free throws that could have iced that game earlier.

    Jackson will provide little defensive resistance to Atlanta’s point guard corps, down one man as Dennis Schröder is back home checking out a toe he dislocated last night. Jeff Teague (career-high 61.8 restricted-area FG%; 0-for-6 2FGs vs. MIL on Monday) must continue to attack the rim, especially on pick-and-rolls, but has to demonstrate better body control so he doesn’t soak up offensive foul calls like he did repeatedly last night. Teague and Bazemore can force Drummond (3.5 March personal fouls per game, 5th in NBA) into foul trouble without diving directly into him.

    Shelvin Mack (career-low 38.4 FG%; 21.4 FG% in last 5 games, but 4.6 assist-turnover ratio) could use this game to work on shot selection and form. Van Gundy may turn to rookie Spencer Dinwiddie to try disrupting the Hawks’ passing attack from the point position.

    Prevailing tonight in Detroit would help these Hawks not only clinch at least a tie in the win column with one of its former teams, but also surpass another of its forerunners in another category. A 57th win would match Dominique’s storied 1986-87 team for regular season wins. The strike-shortened 1998-99 Atlanta Hawks went 15-10 (60.0 win%) on the road, and a 25th road win would make this year’s group the franchise’s most successful ever away from their own nest.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  24. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - Bucks

    By lethalweapon3,

    Point, guards!


    As “Fernando Lamas” might put it, “It’s not whether you win. It’s how you look!”

    It’s important for Hawks fans, especially the happily-paying ones filling up Philips Arena the rest of the way, to feel engaged by the home team. Winning will be cool, too. But keep us entertained, please!

    Coming out on top in the remaining five home games, including tonight’s affair with the Milwaukee Bucks (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, Fox Sports Wisconsin), is a worthy goal, considering that Atlanta winning every home game over the next few months would bring the NBA Finals to at least a Game 7. Further, being able to peer at the standings at the regular season’s end and finding a 60-ish-win Hawks team atop the East sure would be swell.

    But more important is to see The Good Guys staying competitive with visiting opponents over the course of 48 minutes. Building up confidence and momentum as the Hawks head toward the playoffs’ first round is something the fans want to see, from one player to the next, from one play to the next.

    “Looking good” was something the eggnog-logged Hawks did not do the last time the Bucks traipsed into Philips Arena after Christmastime, coach Jason Kidd fitting the Grinch role to a T. The 107-77 pasting by Milwaukee was the Hawks’ worst showing in their home building all season, shooting just 4-for-23 from three-point land while coughing up 22 turnovers, including 15 steals by the long-limbed Bucks.

    Lethargic defense didn’t help either, as the Bucks shot 50.6% from the field, featuring Jared Dudley’s perfect game (10-for-10 FGs, plus a team-high four steals) off the bench. Including Saturday night’s deliberately-shorthanded loss to the Hornets, Atlanta is 3-11 when they allow opponents to make half of their shots. Hawks fans don’t necessarily need to enjoy a win tonight, but they do deserve to see winning plays on both ends of the court.

    It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Milwaukee winds up being that first-round opponent for Atlanta. The Bucks (36-37) have won just three of their past 16 games, a slide that commenced with a home loss to Atlanta back on February 22. They’re looking at a Magic Number of 6 to clinch a postseason spot, and need to go 6-3 to finish with a winning record for the first time since Scott Skiles’ 2009-10 crew bedeviled the Hawks in the first round. Bucks fans know the 15-67 team from last season is a distant memory, but they’d like to top off this season with a playoff cherry.

    Since prevailing in Toronto back on February 2, Milwaukee hasn’t pulled off a win in their past ten road games. That streak includes a triple-OT defeat in Brooklyn (boo!) in their last away game on March 20. If these Bucks can’t win away from home, is there a point to making the postseason as a lower seed?

    Kidd has no interest in answering such shortsighted questions. He is out to remind people that his team has come a long way, and still has a long way to go no matter how this season ends. "It's something much bigger than that, that you guys are going to have to wait and write about," he advised Chicken-Little reporters recently. "We're here to build something, not to do something in six months. There's a bigger picture. We feel we have a core here that will be around for a long time and have success."

    Still, after getting blown out by Golden State and Cleveland during last week’s homestand, Kidd knows he could use another victory in a top-notch opponent’s house to springboard his team into the final weeks of the NBA schedule.

    The Bucks have won two of their past three. But one victory required a spirited 24-9 fourth-quarter comeback and a Khris Middleton buzzer-beater to fell an injury-hampered Miami team. The other required Ersan Ilyasova to go bonkers with a career-high 34 points to outpace the Pacers. Nagging injuries to veteran players haven’t helped matters. Dudley’s back hasn’t done right in the past two weeks, and he’ll sit out tonight after trying to play in the last two games. O.J. Mayo will give it a go despite having been hampered by a hammy strain for over a month.

    Even with the depth-depleting injuries, it’s hard looking at the Bucks and not pinning their recent struggles on Michael Carter-Williams, the point guard who supplanted Brandon Knight on a stunning Trade Deadline Day. The Bucks’ leading scorer (13.4 PPG with Milwaukee) remains scattershot with his jumper (27.2 jumpshot FG%; 36.8 March FG% and 2-for-15 on threes this month).

    But while MCW has been inconsistent from game-to-game as a passer (no double-digit assist tallies in 16 games, Milwaukee is 5-11 in those games), his assist-turnover ratio (5.4 APG, 3.3 TO/game) remains on-par with what Knight produced (5.4 APG, 3.2 TO/game) for the Bucks. Kidd is hitching his reputation to the idea that Milwaukee has the right floor general to lead his core into a bright future, if not the 2015 Playoffs.

    MCW comes into today’s game hoping to provide inspired, and not distracted, contributions on the court. He flew to ATL after attending yesterday’s funeral in Massachusetts for his influential grandfather. In three games against the Hawks as a Sixer, Carter-Williams made 51.5% of his shots and averaged more rebounds (8.3 RPG) than assists (7.0 APG). He also turned the ball over a bunch (5.7 APG), including a season-high nine turnovers during an ugly game in Atlanta back on December 10.

    Jeff Teague will probably play measured minutes during tonight’s contest, along with the other starters that sat out Saturday’s game in Charlotte. Whether it’s Teague, Dennis Schröder, or Shelvin Mack, Atlanta’s point guards have to keep Carter-Williams operating from the periphery of the Bucks’ offensive end. To neutralize his offensive talent, the restricted area should be just that for MCW. On offense, Schröder and Mack have struggled finding the hoop (7-for-22 combined shooting vs. Charlotte on Saturday), but continue carving up defenses with their passes (19 combined assists and 3 turnovers on Saturday).

    With a post-All-Star offensive rating (96.0 points per 100 possessions) that’s worse than anybody aside from the Knicks and Sixers, the Bucks are only in games if they can find somebody with a hot hand and get him the ball. Usually, that go-to guy has been Middleton (17.6 post-All-Star PPG; 42.7 3FG% and 87.5 FT%). His shot gets hot-and-cold from one game to the next, but when he’s on he keeps the Bucks in the ballgame.

    It’s a similar deal with Ilyasova, who shot just 1-for-10 FGs versus Golden State two days after his career scoring night. Ilyasova (career-high 18.0 points per-36, but career-low 65.2 FT%) has bounced back after a wretched 2013-14 season, and has transformed from a pull-up shooter to more of a catch-and-shoot player, but lacks Middleton’s defensive aptitude. He should be easily exploitable by either of Paul Millsap or DeMarre Carroll.

    In his last seven games, Millsap has scored 20.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.7 BPG and 1.9 SPG while shooting 51.8 FG%, 46.4 3FG%, and 90.0 FT%. Sap led the way with 23 points and 16 boards in Milwaukee last month, and was arguably the only Hawk that showed up to play during the Bucks’ last visit to Atlanta (22 points, 8-for-10 FGs, 10 rebounds).

    The Bucks have the league’s highest turnover ratio (17.0 TOs per 100 possessions) since the Break, which can’t bode well against the Hawks team that leads the NBA post-All-Star with 18.0 opponent TO% while tying in the East with 19.1 points off turnovers.

    The Hawks want to have Giannis Antetokounmpo (post-Break; 1.1 SPG, 1.4 BPG, team-high 7.4 RPG), Middleton and John Henson spending more of the energy on their hoofs cleaning up the Bucks’ goofs, rather than attacking on offense. Both the Bucks and tomorrow’s opponent, the Pistons (10.4 post-All-Star opponent fastbreak PPG, fewest in NBA) will put the efficacy of the Hawks’ transition offense to the test.

    Forced once again to do way more than originally planned, Zaza Pachulia continues to come through for a team in desperate need for a positive veteran presence. He longed to get starter’s minutes for years in Atlanta and now, for the past two seasons, he’s got them, albeit by circumstance. The former Hawk has started in the last 17 games. While his overall shooting percentage this season is down from his Hawks heyday, since the All-Star break he’s shooting 47.5 FG% and 89.1 FT%, while averaging 3.5 offensive rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.

    Zaza’s trademark hustle remains on full display. He saved a missed shot headed out of bounds as time was expiring, and his heave from the corner set up Middleton’s moonshot over Miami last week, ending the Bucks’ six-game skid. Al Horford and Pero Antić will have their hands full keeping Z-Pac away from the ball at either end.

    There’s a tiny bit of draft “strategery” associated with beating the Bucks. Atlanta’s second-round draft pick this summer goes to Milwaukee, courtesy of last year’s draft-day trade for 48th-pick Lamar Patterson, who toils away in Turkey. A few more wins by Atlanta would stick Milwaukee with the next-to-last (59th) pick in the second-round. Barring trades, the Hawks could pick at up to 11 spots ahead of the Bucks, thanks to the Lou-and-Bebe trade deal with Toronto. As demonstrated by Shelvin Mack, Mike Scott and Mike Muscala, the Hawks love developing second-rounders. As exemplified by starters Millsap and Kyle Korver, they also love rewarding them when they pan out.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  25. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - heat

    By lethalweapon3,

    No worries, Joe. These chainz here? They’re already bought and paid for!



    By 2007, virtually everyone acknowledged Tauheed Epps could flow like few others in the Southern Rap genre. A former scholarship athlete at Alabama State, the six-foot-five homie could still hoop a little, too. Yet, as rival and colleague rappers made power moves up the Billboard charts, his rap career arc plateaued, for years.

    Part of the issue for Epps stemmed from an inertial response to the need to personally transform. Doomed to become a career “guest-appearance” rapper and never the top-biller, Tauheed finally heeded some sage advice, and it began with this: his stage handle “Tity Boi” has got to go.

    It’s 2015, and this Tauheed Epps is different. Yeah, he’s different. His revised and airwaves-friendly“2 Chainz” moniker allowed him to move front-and-center among the biggest names in the hip hop game, platinum-album artists who now plead to “guest appear” on his tracks.

    On top of that, 2 Chainz is not only blasting on the radio, he’s all over your TV set, too. You can find him on cooking shows offering up crab cake recipes, hanging out with talk-show talking heads, debating everything from weed legalization to Starbucks, and chillin’ out on the reg with bigwigs like Steve Koonin. 2 Chainz is gettin’ money! Where u been?

    By 2010, virtually everyone knew the Atlanta Hawks had what it took to make it to the playoffs every single year in perpetuity… and not do a heck of a lot more. While rival teams (like the Miami heat) made power moves up the NBA standings, the Hawks’ competitive arc stagnated, for years.

    Part of Atlanta’s issue involved inertial responses to the need for the management, the coaching staff, and the players, to transform. Doomed to deflating first- and second-round postseason exits every spring and never reaching championship-contention strata, the Hawks finally heeded some sage advice, and it began with this: “Iso-Ball” has got to go.

    It’s 2015, and these Atlanta Hawks are different. Yeah, they’re different. Clever coaching, selfless passing, sharp shooting, and a little frenetic defense thrown in, and guess what? You in first place! You in first place! A weekend back-to-back sweep would ensure the Hawks stay there, too.

    Joining the Hawks’ Playaz Circle tonight in the Highlight Factory will be none other than 2 Chainz himself. College Park’s Finest (simmer down, Josh) will perform the pregame, halftime and postgame concerts during the Hawks game, which coincidentally, features a guest appearance by the heat (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, SUN Sports). Hopefully, he won’t pull up to the scene with our ceiling leaking.

    There’s a nip-and-tuck race as the final spots in the East are up for grabs. Will Miami be fresh as hell… with the Nets watching? Last week’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week might have some say in the matter. Dwyane Wade went Vintage Mode last week by averaging 24.5 PPG and 2.25 SPG while shooting 53.2 FG% as the heat won three of four, including 32 points to top his former running mate LeBron and the Cavs.

    D-Wade ought to be well-rested after sitting out Wednesday’s win in Boston with a sore knee, although he was held out of practice and is listed as questionable today. Not many teams would relish an opportunity for a first-round skirmish with Cleveland. But Wade, coach Erik Spoelstra and the heat would have much to gain with any victories they could pull off in such a series.

    Still, signs suggest a turbulent road may be ahead. After the Hawks, and the Pistons at home on Sunday, next week features two nationally-televised games versus the red-hot Spurs and Cavs, then a back-to-back road series at Detroit and Indiana.

    Miami (33-38, 2.5 games ahead of 9th-seed Indiana) has won four of its last six. They haven’t lost a game by more than ten points in over a month, including last month’s 93-91 defeat at the hands of the Hawks (who rested DeMarre Carroll, Al Horford, Jeff Teague, and Pero Antić) at Biscayne Bay. Yet Miami will need all hands on deck just to come out of the following week above the 8-seed line and… no lie… it’s not looking too hot for the heat right now.

    On Tuesday night, Miami broke Milwaukee’s fall after mega-rebounder Hassan Whiteside (24 boards and 6-for-8 shooting vs. ATL on Feb. 28) lacerated his hand on the rim while trying to block a shot, requiring ten stitches and at least a couple more weeks to heal. Chris Andersen also flew the coop in the second half, due to a calf injury. The heat could not withhold Milwaukee’s three starting frontcourt members from each registering double-doubles, as the Bucks capped off a 24-9 fourth quarter with a Khris Middleton three-pointer at the buzzer for victory.

    Whiteside and Birdman both missed the next day’s game in Boston, leaving Coach Spo, who already was fielding a short rotation, to start Luol Deng and Udonis Haslem (38 minutes) upfront. Haslem’s floor time on Wednesday was the most he logged since the Nightclub Game in January 2012, when the heat (sans LeBron and a Kleenex-clutching Wade) fended off the Hawks in triple overtime.

    The heat found themselves hanging on once again in the 4th, this time at TD Garden. They survived a 24-11 run by the Celtics in the final quarter after having built up a 22-point lead and watching Boston whittle it down to five with under a minute to go. If that trend keeps up tonight, it could be the inverse of the Hawks’ win in Miami, when the heat went on a spirited 38-29 run in the fourth quarter to put a scare into the shorthanded East leaders.

    Haslem did the best he could under the circumstances in Boston (12 points and 12 boards). But the heat are fresh out of rebounders, coming into tonight’s contest as the only NBA team averaging fewer than 40 rebounds (38.7) on the road... and that’s with 25-plus games of a starting Whiteside in the mix.

    Paul Millsap (25 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks, 1 TO in 36 minutes @ ORL on Wednesday) will have ample opportunity to wreck shop inside with Whiteside out and a limited, at best, Andersen in the middle for Miami. Whichever of Millsap or Carroll doesn’t have Luol Deng (8 TOs vs. ATL on Feb. 28) attached to them should find ample opportunities to get to the hoop. Miami’s normally slow-pace (especially pre-Dragic), plus the presence of shotblockers, have kept opponents from getting lots of interior looks. But if Wade isn’t around to gobble up the shot clock and Whiteside and Andersen sit, tonight’s contest should be a lot more open and free-wheeling, to coach Mike Budenholzer’s liking.

    Facing Miami’s depleted frontcourt, will Al Horford be ballin’ so hard, he’ll deserve an And-1? Al has now gone through four full games without earning a single free throw, the longest stretch for him since January 2013. A fifth-straight game would make it the longest charity-stripe drought in his eight-year career. Coach Bud could no longer bite his tongue the last time the Hawks weren’t getting calls at home, and got tossed in disgust after Horford got hacked by two Spurs without a call. What will happen if similar miscarriages of justice happen again tonight? Referee, with the whistle… hold that tech!

    They got a big U.D., so Spo will call on Big U.D. Fully aware of the depth chart issues, however, Haslem is going to do his best to keep his hands to himself (or at least straight up in the air) against Horford, leaving the dirty work to Mike Beasley, Walker and Deng to gamble for strips and charge calls. If Pero Antić rebounds, draws charges and plays as superbly as he has in stints over the past three games (63.2 FG%), Miami really has no answer for him.

    Jeff Teague will sit this game out after going all Plastic-Man with his ankle during Wednesday’s win over the Magic. While the injury wasn’t too severe, as Teague got taped up and donned some new kicks before scoring nine fourth-quarter points on Orlando, it’s a smart play as the Hawks head into a four-games-in-five-nights stretch. Teague’s absence will give Dennis Schröder more valuable time with his hand on that steering wheel.

    If Wade is a no-go for Miami, that should bring Mario Chalmers back up to the starting unit and shift Goran Dragic to the 2-spot. Atlanta’s guards, including Schröder, Kyle Korver, and Kent Bazemore, have to keep The Dragon (last 15 games: 17.3 PPG, 53.8 FG%, 34.3 3FG%) from breathing fire in the paint. Hawks defenders must keep Mario Chalmers (5-for-13 vs. ATL on Feb. 28) and Henry “Don’t Call Me Bill” Walker content with settling for contested jumpers.

    Walker was 4-for-8 on threes against the Celts on Wednesday, but a head-shaking 3-for-16 (Yuck!) from the floor against Atlanta back in February. The Hawks will want to keep an eye on rookie guard Tyler “Funky Music” Johnson, who injured his ankle against Boston (5-for-8 FGs) but is expected to come off the bench tonight. If any perimeter guys do heat up for the heat, Thabo Sefolosha and Carroll will swap their defensive assignments with Korver.

    John Jenkins was sneaky-good in the February matchup, dropping three triples in the second quarter plus helping out on the boards with a team-high seven defensive rebounds in just 21 minutes off the bench. With Schröder soaking up the majority of minutes at the point while Teague rests, look for Coach Bud to call Jenkins’ number a few times tonight. That will be especially the case if Shelvin Mack (0-for-7 FGs in 12 minutes @ MIA on Feb. 28) lays another egg while spelling Schröder.

    Ask them what they do and who they do it for, and the Hawks will tell you they play their hearts out for the ATL faithful who believe in what they’re seeing. Merely looking at the standings and putting a middle finger up to their competition won’t please fans that expect to see gutsy efforts from all of Atlanta’s players as they head toward the playoffs. After a disappointing showing during their last home game on Sunday, the Hawks want to show a capacity crowd that they won’t fall victim to complacency – that they, like their headliner act tonight, can stay TRU to Atlanta.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
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