lethalweapon3

After the Hawks game (and maybe dinner), check out Atlanta United's final match in their 4-game road trip. They're in the Beehive State taking on Real Salt Lake (9:30 PM Eastern, WUPA-TV, The CW channel in ATL). The game will be on The CW network (one of at least three this season, as per Dirty South Soccer) due to a programming conflict with Fox Sports. RSL is on the bounceback, having won two in a row after firing their coach early and starting out the season at 0-3-2 (W-L-T). 19-year-old phenom US-born Brooks Lennon scored the game-winner last week in Colorado, and the forward will be looking for openings to at least double his rookie goal total. While it won't change the outcome of last weekend's contest in Montreal, Leandro Gonzalez Pirez's game-changing red-card was correctly rescinded upon review by the Powers That Be committee. LGP will be available today, as will fullback Tyrone Mears, who returns after missing the Montreal game with an ankle injury. ~lw3

Wizards-Hawks Trivia, from the Hawks' Game Notes... (Fill in the Blank) "Schrӧder is the first Hawk to score at least 48 total points in his first two career playoff starts since _____ _______ in 1986." Answer found in here: http://www.nba.com/gamenotes/hawks.pdf ~lw3

#SquadGoals (Premature Offseason Edition) This series ain’t a series until somebody wins a game on the road. For the Atlanta Hawks and their fans, they’re hoping there won’t be a series until after Game 5 or Game 7. If so, that means the Hawks took care of business here at The Highlight Factory, beginning today against those oh-so-offended Washington Wizards (5:30 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL; CSN Mid-Atlantic in DC; TNT if you can stomach it). The True To Atlanta bill has come due. A regular season flavored with banging hip hop concerts, boisterous “ATL” chants, playground remodels, community outreach events, Tinder Nights, all that stuff were mere appetizers setting up the main course, to be served to us fans by our boys in Torch Red. No one is here to watch the Hawks lay down like they did on way too many occasions this season at Philips Arena. But to be True To ATL and pull off a pair of resounding victories at Philips Arena over the next few days, these Hawks have to show they can be true to one another. You’d be hard-pressed to find, in the history of American sports consciousness, a time when an Atlanta team or player was granted the upper hand in a national media-fueled war of words. Whether it’s all this talmbout “MMA”, or the suggestion that the Wizards played the best ball of their natural lives (they hadn’t) yet could only win by single digits, or that our small-ball lineups are clearly superior (it’s not), virtually everything is bulletin board material for the pearl clutchers from the District of Columbia. Every unnecessary utterance of self-praise, or of silver linings, by the Hawks has been served up like a T-ball and hit out the park by the Wizards. So, please, don’t nobody remind them of this Instagram post, back when Dennis Schröder was trying to make nice with Dwight Howard, in the aftermath of I-Thought-You-Had-Steph-Gate. “We the best DUO in the Pick & Roll !!! Nobody can stop us .. when we both play on the highest level !!!” The best duo, Dennis? O rly? Well, John Wall and his furrowed brow would like to have a word with… whoa, whoa, careful with all that gang signage there, Johnny! You wouldn’t want to re-injure your precious wrist, right? This is not merely about the former #1 pick in the league getting his gander up about every perceived slight. Wall has built up his rep over seven seasons as the fastest point guard, the most athletic point guard, the best-passing point guard, and now, the highest-scoring point guard in the East… who hasn’t won jack. Despite fits and starts, the four-time All-Star has guided his franchise to its best season in over a generation, and the teams seeded above Washington in the playoffs are looking quite shaky. He’s had to wait for LeBron to sail out of South Beach, and for whatever that was Atlanta was doing in 2015, before his Wizards could lay claim to being the class of the Southeast Division. After years of disrespect and disappointment, the path to the NBA Finals and global acclaim is finally Wall’s to blaze. And yet… who is THIS kid, standing in the way of his manifest destiny? Established contemporaries like Kemba Walker, Jeff Teague, or Goran Dragic were one thing. But this… this… BOY (pronounced “BWOAHH”, in Raleigh-speak)? This “ute” over here, with the poor-man’s Kwame hairdo? This youngster, three inches smaller, 25 pounds lighter, three years his junior, is Wall’s biggest threat to staking his claim? Oh, no, this shall not stand! Fortunately, Schröder has no designs on just going and sitting down somewhere. He remembers last year, when the 4-seed Hawks won its first two opening-round games at home, and things seemed dire for the 5-seed at the time. Then the series shifted to Boston, and by the time Game 4 came to an overtime close, the Celtics had evened the series, and fans and media alike were crafting love ballads for small-wonder Isaiah Thomas. Schröder could benefit from a little of that action, and a pair of upstaging wins could do the trick. Nevermind that the next Boston playoff victory didn’t come until last night. From the looks of things, you’d have thought the Celtics won that series. Just like, if you queried the average fan, Paul Pierce’s Wizards “won” that conference semifinal series against the Hawks in 2015. Wall has been selling, “See, the way my wrist was set up…”, to anyone who’ll listen ever since. He’s not just out to win this series, but to redeem his failures during the 2015 matchup as well. Schröder (24.0 PPG, 7.5 APG, 3.5 RPG, 1.5 TOs/game) knows this, and when Wall starts selling wolf tickets and staredowns just for doing his job, Dennis recognizes it for what it really is: desperation. When these point guards go head-to-head, there is only one Third Round Virgin on the floor. Dennis is perfectly fine playing the role of the fly in Wall’s ointment, as Wall’s endless swatting at Schröder serves to distract him from the true tasks at hand. Dennis would like to accomplish more than just getting under the All-Star guard’s skin from game to game, but he needs a lot more help than he has received thus far in this series. Hawks fans don’t need to see the “best duo” at the pick-and-roll performing today, they merely need to see a 1-5 combo for the Hawks that is at least functional on the offensive end. Howard (6.5 PPG, 5-for-11 FGs) has had his lunch eaten to this point by former understudy Marcin Gortat (14.0 PPG, 66.7 FG%, 6.0 offensive RPG, 3.5 BPG). It’s part of the reason coach Mike Budenholzer has been leaving his $25 million free agent prize to sit on his hands in the clutch. But even when the Hawks go “small”, they have been mere witnesses to Wall’s paint dimes to Gortat, the true “best duo” that is far more experienced than anything Atlanta can field. Howard was on the floor in the third quarter, when Atlanta’s starting unit gained the upper hand for the first time in this series. His presence around the offensive post in the fourth-quarter of Game 2, were he fed the ball, could have prematurely ended the day for Washington’s key healthy bigs. Dwight’s absence on the other end resulted in productive second-chance buckets for the Wizards. Whether Howard struggles for stretches or not, if he’s getting less floor time than Bazemore, the Hawks are not winning playoff games versus the Wizards or anyone else. With Tim Hardaway, Jr. at his side, with Kent Bazemore getting floor time beyond anyone’s comfort level, with Ersan Ilyasova and Mike Dunleavy, Jr. at his occasional disposal, there is no reason why Dennis (4-for-13 3FGs; 8 teammates a combined 11-for-32 3FGs) should be leading the team in three-pointers made. Inside and out, the ball has been moving better for Atlanta, allowing them to stay within shouting distance of the Wizards in the second halves. But to gain and sustain leads, it is imperative for Schröder’s shooters to produce from the perimeter. The Hawks made hay as one of the NBA’s best at forcing turnovers (15.6 opponent TOs per possession, 2nd in NBA regular season, tied with Washington). But whether it has been the starters or the reserves, Atlanta has sat back and allowed the Wizards (10.0 TO%, tied with Milwaukee as best among East playoff teams) to dissect them. Meanwhile, the Hawks have stayed true to their sloppy selves (17.0 TO%, by far the worst in the playoffs), even as Schröder has been uncharacteristically careful. Dennis will make his fair share of mistakes, as the first-year starter is apt to do. But he cannot be left hanging out to dry by his teammates while the Wizards spark Wall on fastbreaks. For all the praise he has heaped upon Malcolm Delaney this season, Coach Bud needs to show Atlanta why it was worth the trouble to stay true to him. Delaney and Thabo Sefolosha (4 combined minutes to date, all by Sefolosha) need to devour some of the playing time bestowed upon Bazemore, who was atrocious at the close of Game 2. Delaney (and perhaps you, reading this) are better on-ball defensive options than Jose Calderon versus Brandon Jennings, the backup point whose late dash helped the Wizards turn the tide early in the final quarter of Game 2’s 109-101 win. Sefolosha is purportedly healthy, and should have a vital role in evening out the turnover margin in this series. He could also do a better job defensively than Hardaway did in containing Bradley Beal, whose 16 fourth-quarter points eclipsed Millsap’s 14 third-quarter points in Game 2. Game 3 and Game 4 are prime opportunities for the Hawks to show the NBA world what being True To Atlanta is all about, and for Dennis to show why he is truly a Menace. Meanwhile, John Wall won’t make it easy to be Schröder’s Instagram foil anymore. Ain’t that right, John? High-five, up top… no, John, with your shooting hand… Let’s Go Hawks! ~lw3 View full record

For good measure, don't forget the foam tomahawk spill on I-75! http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2017/4/12/15273248/atlanta-braves-foam-tomahawk-spill-interstate I think the Aztecs warned us. Or something. ~lw3

That's my brain-fart #257 of the day! Errata City: Paul's got 3.1 deflections per game during the regular season, to Thabo's 2.9. On steals per game, Thabo's at 1.5 while Sap and Baze are at 1.3. Keef knows he don't want Dem Hands from Sap, but Paul's gotta be willing to use his hands the right way (i.e., stripping and creating loose balls, not flailing them in the air to the refs in hopes of more calls that aren't coming). ~lw3

^On that point... ENTER THE HEXADECAGON! ~lw3

“I hear you, Melo, but she’s a Honey of an O, tho!” Happy 4/19! Sure, 4/20 is right around the corner, but you’re just going to have to forgive Atlanta Hawks fans for jumping the gun, what with our short attention spans and perpetual hunger pangs. Atlanta likes our Hawks, sure. But we crave what truly gets us our high: good, intense, entertaining, compelling pro basketball. Especially whenever the NBA Playoffs roll around, we’re on the hunt for that good kush. If the Hawks put out more of that chronically synthetic crap in Game 2 (7:00 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, CSN Mid-Atlantic in DC, NBATV) like they did through much of Game 1 against the Washington Wizards, then don’t blame us hoop stoners if our eyes begin wandering off in search of Sour Diesel – not the Squawker variety, mind you, the NBA strain. To be, well, blunt about it, just watching ex-Hawks awash on other teams right now makes for some pretty good munchies. The Son of Tito hemming and hawing his way through press conferences after an 0-2 start, struggling to avoid becoming the common denominator for the last two #1 seeds that got swept out of the playoffs? Coach Fizdale flipping that spot where his wig should be, over the refs’ oddly-swallowed whistles? Jeff holding serve versus Kyrie, while Kyle mostly spectates alongside Edy and Dahntay from the bench? This is some quality ganja right here. DeMarre, with the hopes of a whole nation on his back, tilting at the beast named Giannis? Jamal once again shooting and dribbling madly to try and save his playoff team’s bacon, only this time for Coach Doc against Joe Clutch (and Shelvin, and Boris, and Coach Quin)? Zaza simply doing what he can to stay the heck out of his star teammates’ way? Don’t get greedy with that; puff, puff, pass! Our present-day Hawks, down just 0-1, have plenty of time to become Atlanta’s focal point again. But tonight, it is going to take a lot more than the first-half ATLchemy stirred up by Coach Bud ((cough, cough… sorry!)) and his crew in the series opener. During Game 1, Dennis Schröder found his second gear on offense, serving up 25 points (3-for-5 3FGs), 9 assists and just 2 turnovers. Alas, he and Paul Millsap (19 points, 5-for-7 2FGs, 9-for-11 FTs) seemed to forget there was another end of the floor, one on which John Wall (playoff career-high 32 points, 14 assists) can thrive. And aside from Kent Bazemore (4 assists, one turnover in 28 bench minutes), hardly any Hawks helped Schröder move the ball, making it easy on Washington defenders to hone in on Atlanta shooters (7-for-25 3FGs). Schröder’s starting backcourt mate, Tim Hardaway, Jr. (2-for-11 FGs, 0-for-6 3FGs) had the Wizards feeling like they won the trade deal with Kelly Oubre (11 points, 2 steals in 19 bench minutes). Hardaway’s opponent, Bradley Beal, was 2-for-11 on three-pointers alone, and got just three shots at the free throw line. Yet Beal made a difference in Washington’s 114-107 victory by contributing with other competitive facets (7-for-10 2FGs, 3 assists, 3 steals) in ways Hardaway did not. Sap (2 paltry rebounds, 1 assist, no steals) continues to seek out a decent Playoff Paul version of himself, when Regular Season Paul would do just fine. He and Dwight Howard (minus-25 plus/minus through the first three quarters) found themselves outclassed on the Verizon Center floor by Markieff Morris (21 points, 7-for-13 2FGs, 4 blocks in his playoff debut) and Marcin Gortat (7-for-11 FGs, 10 rebounds). The Wizard duo’s eight offensive rebounds effectively neutralized any chance the Hawks had to effect the outcome via the glass. Atlanta shot just 33.3 percent from the field in a low-scoring opening half, including 3-for-11 on threes. Yet the Hawks clung to a three-point halftime lead, thanks to drawing (according to Millsap) MMA-quality fouls from the Wizards and eventually sinking their free throws. Atlanta finished with 32 makes on their final 36 attempts in Game 1, including 19 in a row in the first half, after missing their first three shots. That Hawks lead could have been more impressive had Millsap not gifted Morris with three free throw gifts as the half came to a close, followed by an exchange that only worked to enliven Morris and the Wizards going into the locker room. Washington was the only team that seemed to make strategic defensive adjustments in Game 1 during the break. The hacking from Coach Scott Brooks’ squad slowed, allowing the Wizards’ starters to remain on the floor. Experiencing little pressure on the ball from Hawks defenders, Wall (15 points and 4 assists in the third quarter) and Beal (12 fourth-quarter points) began to find their flow. The Wizards over-rely on their starting five (inclusive of Otto Porter), whose 1347 floor minutes in the regular season exceeded the next-highest 5-man NBA lineup by 467 minutes. True to form, this unit’s 25.4 minutes in Game 1 is the most by any 5-man lineup so far. Yet their second-half mastery of the Hawks’ top line rendered Atlanta’s 35-15 edge in bench points (11 of those 15 by Oubre alone) meaningless. The Hawks were only able to turn the tide, down double-digits, in the first quarter when Bud and then Brooks (inexplicably) turned to their reserves. If there is one person on the Hawks’ end of the floor who is capable of decoding Coach Scotty’s offensive game plans, it’s the guy who was his small forward for six seasons in OKC. Yet Thabo Sefolosha found himself classified as DNP-WTF, even as the Wizards offense (69 second-half points) began freely picking the Hawks apart. Atlanta could coax just 12 turnovers (five off steals) out of Washington, whose players committed at least 18 turnovers in each regular-season matchup with the Hawks. Atlanta was 5-11 when they produced five or fewer steals in the regular season, 10-17 when their opponents committed 12 turnovers or less. In Atlanta’s sole victory over Washington this season, the season-opener, the Hawks gathered 13 steals, including five thefts from Sefolosha in 22 bench minutes. Rookie Taurean Prince was spirited but perhaps overutilized in his debut as a playoff starter (4-for-7 2FGs, 2-for-4 3FGs, 6 rebounds in 32 minutes). Despite his struggles throughout the back half of this season, Thabo (team-high 1.5 SPG; just behind Millsap with 2.9 deflections per game) will be needed in this series for more than just sideline pep talks. The Hawks must make their man defense and motion offense look edible to their feening fanbase in Game 2. True Believers are true believers, but if we have to wait until Game 3 in Atlanta to see sound efforts at both ends from these Hawks fresh from the locker room, we’ll be tempted to draw our NBA toke from somewhere else tonight. Our channel-changing fingers will quiver, and they know why. Let’s Go Hawks! ~lw3 View full record

How did my last-minute pregame turn out better than TNT's? #TheLibrarians Thank goodness for the Fox Sports Southeast gang. Anyway, a reminder that the T-n-T worth watching (Timmy 'n Taurean) is in the starting lineup! ~lw3

He finally got himself a bobblehead. So happy for Nipsey Russell! ((Ongoing computer issues, so here’s a condensed version. Happy Easter and Happy Passover to all enjoying the holidays!)) Offense Wins Championships! You know the not-so-old adage by now. It’s kind of a shame for our Atlanta Hawks that they come into the NBA Playoffs with the Eastern Conference’s best defensive efficiency at the worst possible time. For their trouble, Mike Budenholzer’s interior-defensive-minded crew gets to wrangle in the opening round with the favored Washington Wizards (Game 1: 1:00 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, TNT), who have finally embraced the magic of the three-point jumpshot as a team. There’s little surprise that the Wizards’ greatest-ever offensive efficiency coincides with their first division title and most regular-season wins (still not 50? Geez!) since d*ck Motta’s NBA Finalists back in 1979. Dwight Howard enters this series with all the look and countenance of Barney the Dinosaur, albeit a lot less tubby. Tall in stature, grinning from ear-to-ear, playful, lots of equally playful friends around him. He loves ATL, ATL loves him, and he bears no earthly idea just how close his game is hurtling toward extinction. But why should Dwight care about how the times are a changin’, anyway? Besides, the happy-go-lucky Howard was one of a handful of players who were on the floor in each of the past two seasons to help beat the Golden State Warriors in a conference playoff game. Two seasons ago, he tag-teamed with James Harden and carried a starting unit that featured Josh Smith AND Jason Terry back from 3-1 down to reach a Conference Finals. He was on the floor during one of the last two times LeBron James tried, and failed, to reach the NBA Finals. The Hawks are in the playoffs for the tenth consecutive season, but the crushing weight of blowout postseason losses have been a drain over the years for its fans. The common denominator throughout almost all of those years of pummeling playoff exits now dons clover green for the East’s top seed. Howard is quite familiar with those beatdowns of the past. Back when NBA fans used to seek out his jerseys, back when he could pose as Superman with barely a snicker uttered from the stands, his Magic was in Atlanta setting the NBA record for the largest margin of victory in a four-game sweep. Orlando’s 101 extra points in the 2010 conference semis eclipsed the 72-point margin LeBron’s Cavs enjoyed versus the Hawks just one season prior. Dwight was also front-and-center in 2011, when the Hawks finally pulled it together and toppled the higher-seeded Magic, then the defending conference champs, in front of a rabid Philips Arena crowd. Perhaps it was here where Howard came to discover just how True To Atlanta Hawks fans can be. He would love to feel that same unwavering support now that he wears his NBA hometown across his chest for a playoff run. Leading the NBA Playoffs in per-game rebounding, as Dwight has done in two of the last three seasons (NBA-high 13.9 RPG since 2013-14), doesn’t carry the same cachet it once did, when guys named Shaq, Ben Wallace and Tyson Chandler were in their championship heydays. But this is Playoff Dwight, and Playoff Dwight is what Atlanta has committed itself to pay for. There will be no more Hawks starting centers biding time until the closing seconds of pivotal games to make impactful rebounds. There’s one man standing in the way of Dwight Howard’s domination of the glass in this series, and that man is Dwight’s former understudy in Orlando. Similarly on the right side of 40, Marcin Gortat isn’t likely to stand in Dwight’s way the whole time. He’ll spend a lot of the time out of the paint on offense, setting screens to spring free his backcourt stars, John Wall and Bradley Beal, and occasionally popping jumpers (35.8 jumpshot FG%). Gortat will go inside to loft his nifty hook shot (61.2 FG% on hooks), or wherever the opportunity to draw fouls on Howard is greatest. Besides avoiding foul trouble, Howard’s challenges in this series include trusting his teammates, including All-Defensive Team candidate Paul Millsap, to cover the rim and avoid the urge to sag on opponents’ screens. He and Schröder will keep the Hawks competitive in this series if they keep the ball from sticking, setting sound picks, involving teammates, and making decisive plays in the flow of the offense, before Wall and the Wizards (8.5 team SPG, 2nd in NBA) can sink their teeth in defensively and spark their own transition plays (17.7 PPG off TOs, most in East). The Hawks can make an even stronger run if the resurgent bench performers, including Ersan Ilyasova, Kris Humphries (on our side, this time around) and Jose Calderon, don’t compound whatever offensive mistakes their starters make with their own. While Atlanta fields one of the older and playoff-seasoned rosters in the Eastern Conference, this postseason run for Dwight and the Hawks needs not be a Last Hurrah. The pressure is on Wall, Beal, Gortat and the Wizards, not the Hawks, to demonstrate they’re finally ready to turn the corner by overcoming the franchise that last dispatched them in their last playoff game in 2015. This series will remain intriguing so long as the Hawks treat this Hurrah as if it’s merely the first one. Let’s Go Hawks! ~lw3 View full record

sigh... Let's go ahead and change the team name to the Red Cards, why don't we? More BS from the refs, but Atlanta ALMOST held off their opponents shorthanded for the second-straight game. Just missed picking up another point within seconds of extra-time! On to Salt Lake! ~lw3

Gameday! Atlanta United is back up north and hopes to get a Canadian double-dip for MLS points by tackling the Montreal Impact, a little over a half-hour from now (1 PM Eastern, Fox Sports South). I remember the Impact from their NASL years a few seasons ago, and especially their annoying fans, flying all the way down to the Silverbacks' stadium and screeching "IMPAAAAAAAAAACT!" every time Montreal did something halfway right. Sacre Bleu, y'all! I'd build a wall strictly around those fellows, if I had my druthers. To keep Montreal (W-L-D 0-2-3) winless, ATLUTD will have to compensate for the absences of Yamil Asad (red card suspension) and Josef Martinez (injury). It's as good a time as any to get underutilized striker Kenwyne Jones going. ~lw3

I propose my Aunt Petunia's cellar for next year's draft site, in case the WNBA needs to get any cheaper. Anyhow... welcome the new Dreamgirls! 7th is the highest pick for a Lady Orange player ever. I'd have rather had Peterson, but oh well! Diamond DeShield's point guard... is this a setup for next season's draft? I'm reaching here, but so, it seems, are they. Liz Williams' former backup! Will she become her new one, too? #WatchThemWork ~lw3

Yeah, no way he leaves Kristen Ledlow hanging up here. ~lw3

Hunches for the Dream’s War Room strategies and decisions, ahead of tonight’s WNBA Draft (First Rounds at 7 PM Eastern, ESPN2, later Rounds on ESPNU): First-Round Pick (#7) – A well-sought big guard not named Allisha Gray is likely to fall to Atlanta at #7. So take whichever one that is: Shatori Walker-Kimbrough or Kaela Davis. SWK is the better shooter and defender, while Davis has superior versatility with her ability to defend small forwards. Kaela is awfully familiar with the sight lines at McCamish Pavilion, the Dream’s momentary home. Before transferring to SC as a junior, Davis became the fastest Lady Jacket to reach 1,000 career points, and was All-ACC First Team and Georgia College Player of the Year honors as a sophomore. Her transfer decision may rub a handful of Tech fans the wrong way, but they'd get over it quickly if she becomes a star on the WNBA stage. If neither is available, it’s because one of the top three point guards in the draft became available, and her first name is probably Alexis. Alexis Jones has superior size and shooting chops, while Alexis Peterson fits the traditional ballhandler and distributor role about as well as anyone in the draft. Although this is perceived to be a mediocre draft talent-wise (very few surefire first-year starters in the bunch), conference foes like Indiana and Connecticut may try to package picks and players to leapfrog Atlanta at #7. Dallas’ #4 pick and San Antonio’s #5 pick may be up for grabs. You never know what Trader Bill Laimbeer is going to do for New York (no first-rounders at the moment), but you can always count on him pulling something. Second-Round Pick (#19) – Never mind the surname; Shayla Cooper seems to fit the outspoken, assertive style of player that Michael Cooper often seeks. Other decent-sized players that could fill the bill at the 4-spot behind Sancho Lyttle with this pick include Jessica Jackson and Chattanooga’s Jasmine Joyner. If Atlanta defers going the point guard route for this round, the internationally-experienced Leticia Romero, or the never-turnover-prone Lindsay Allen, could be available by the time #19 rolls around. Third-Round Pick (#31) – There’s rarely room-at-the-inn for third-rounders on WNBA rosters, unless a pick can knock people’s socks off during training camp. Centers that could challenge for a backup spot include Lanay Montgomery, Breanna Lewis, Syracuse’s Briana Day (who has a fellow 6-foot-4 twin teammate, Bria), and Tearra Banks. If they go point guard instead here, maybe go local and choose Miah Spencer, out of N.C. State and DeKalb’s Columbia High. Her Twitter tag name is “ilovelebron_23”, but we won’t hold that against her! :-) ~lw3

I'll try, C-Viv, I'll try! ~lw3

Just a tad bit early for that, don’cha think, PG? It really wasn’t supposed to end this way for Jeff Teague and his Indiana Pacers. Traded to his hometown last June, the former Atlanta Hawks point guard and star of the 2014 Eastern Conference semifinal series was determined to show the league – and his former neophyte backup, Dennis Schröder – that he could team up with All-Star cornerstone Paul George and guide this team to a strong regular season finish, a trip to the postseason, and maybe a whole lot more. That scenario may still come to pass. But for any of that story to be told, Jeff and his Pacers must rise to the challenge against his former team, tonight, in a virtual must-win regular season finale (8:00 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, Fox Sports Indiana, ESPN elsewhere). Having finalized playoff seeding last night, Schröder will join four other Hawks (Paul Millsap, Dwight Howard, Kent Bazemore, Junior Hardaway) on towel-waving and shot-mimicking duties from the sideline. Without this victory, Indiana would need both Miami and Chicago to lose their home games (in the Bulls’ case, against Brooklyn) to secure a Reservation for 15 in the NBA Playoffs. Without this win, Teague risks having to watch Schröder and Utah’s George Hill, the latter part of last summer’s 3-team trade deal, from the comfort of his mother’s basement couch. Out of the gate, Jeff certainly struggled in his new role under coach Nate McMillan, but managed to shake out of his doldrums midway through the season, especially as a passer (career-high 7.8 APG, 7th in NBA; 8.6 APG through 5 games this month). But predictably, under McMillan’s watch, Indy has failed to exploit perhaps Teague’s greatest asset – quickness – to its advantage (98.2 possessions per-48, 18th in NBA). This, despite the unbridled athleticism and versatility of George (career-best 23.6 PPG, 46.0 FG%, and 89.8 FT%), center Myles Turner’s high-post passing skills, and Thaddeus Young’s newfound ability (38.1 3FG%, despite a nagging wrist injury) to stretch the floor with his jumpshot. McMillan was too often enamored with plodding big men (Kevin Seraphin, Lavoy Allen, Al Jefferson) and ball-stopping, clock-killing guards (Monta Ellis, recently-waived Rodney Stuckey, Aaron Brooks) sharing the floor. Collectively, even with George’s firepower, the Pacers have been mediocre in just about every category, save for getting steals (7th in NBA) and blocking shots (8th in NBA), and that’s reflective of their modest 41-40 record. The things Indiana can do fairly well, they don’t do enough. They rank fourth in NBA three-point accuracy, but 27th in three-point shot volume; second in free-throw percentage, but 24th in free throw attempts. To be fair, Coach Nate has been playing the hand he was dealt by longtime executive Larry Bird, who has worn out his welcome just about everywhere outside of French Lick. But McMillan and the Pacers are only beginning to sort things out, and it may turn out to be too late for this season. With Teague an unrestricted free agent in July, and with George likely to opt out the following summer, there could be a ton of uncertainty in Pacerland going forward, especially if this team fails to reach the postseason and win some games once they get there. Questions abound: Hoosier GM? Hoosier coach? Hoosier point guard? Hoosier superstar? With all the pressure, how has George been holding up lately? Just fine. As in, he just wants the league to fine him. Getting no whistles in his game-long jousting with Gerald Henderson, until both players were ejected with minutes to spare during the Pacers’ 120-111 win in Philadelphia on Monday, George just let the refs have it afterwards. “You all know how I feel about the officials,” George seethed, “and tonight, I really have no faith in them… (Crappy) officiating job.” That will cost him a cool 25 thousand smacks. The costly consternation still isn’t enough to eclipse the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week’s ability to carry this team on his back offensively. Averaging 33.0 PPG this month, PG-13 helped pace Indiana with 17 first-quarter points in Philly. As noted by SB Nation’s Indy Cornrows, a full third of the seventh-year Pacer’s 35+-point scoring games have come since the All-Star Break alone. Now eighth in NBA-career scoring among Pacers, surpassing our dear friend Billy Knight, George is no longer the inefficient volume-shooter from seasons past. The franchise player, and the franchise itself, are each motivated by him piling up the points at the close of the season. Due to the Designated Player Exception rules in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, some All-NBA hardware could sweeten the pot (by $70 million more dollars, as per USA Today) for Indiana to retain him in 2018. That alone could cover a lot of future fines. The Hawks are fully aware of George’s scoring prowess, as all his 34 points came during the first three quarters in Atlanta on March 5, helping convert the Hawks’ early 13-point lead into an 11-point deficit midway through the third quarter. But the likelihood of victory improves for Indy when they balance their scoring across the floor. The Pacers are 5-2 on the season when three players score at least 20 points, and 17-5 when six players score in double figures. Atlanta got their sole late-November victory on this Bankers Life Fieldhouse floor, holding George to 6-for-22 shooting (2-for-11 3FGs) and four free throws, while containing Teague and everyone aside from Ellis and Young to 10-for-33 FGs. In that game, Howard (9 O-Rebs) created the second-chance opportunities for Atlanta that the Pacers could not, so much will be expected of Turner (12 points and 14 rebounds total in two games vs. ATL; 18 points, 13 boards @ PHI) tonight, while Dwight rests. Can Lance help the Pacers dance? Almost out of desperation, the Pacers’ brass returned Lance Stephenson to the team where he built his ear-blowing rep, and he has sparked not only the fanbase, but his team as a ballhandler (3.8 APG off the bench) and even as an end-of-shot-clock gunner (5-for-7 3FGs through 5 games). The Pacers’ 4-1 run since Stephenson’s return (their sole loss 135-130 in Cleveland) has set them up well for today’s finale. Whatever Lance does on behalf of the Pacers tonight, good or bad, will at least be interesting. It’s unlikely the Hawks will have to account for Glenn Robinson III sitting in the corner this time around. With Big Daddy Dog proudly looking on, GR3 pulled out a three-point plum off the dish from the more-dangerous C.J. Miles (career-high 41.3 3FG%) at the buzzer, sealing Atlanta’s fate in the 97-96 defeat last month despite George being held scoreless in the fourth quarter. But Robinson’s sore calf will have him watching the final game from the sidelines, along with Jefferson (ankle sprain) and probably Brooks (sore knee). Last night’s 103-76 fumigation of the Hornets’ skeleton crew was as re-assuring as home finales go for Atlanta. But for the Pacers, the game tape they’d be wise to review is the short-winged Hawks’ 114-100 stunner in Cleveland last week. Even ignoring Hardaway, that game’s top scorer, Atlanta got meaningful contributions from Jose Calderon, Junior Dunleavy, Ersan Ilyasova, and Kris Humphries, upending King James on his court in what was another essential game for the home team. That quartet of Hawks should start tonight. Rookies Taurean Prince and DeAndre’ Bembry will each have their chances to keep George contained, with Mike Budenholzer including a rust-shedding appearance or two from Thabo Sefolosha for good measure. “We’re ready to come out and do whatever it takes to get this win,” George recently told ESPN Radio (1070 The Fan). “It would be a shame, especially with how we’re playing of late. It seems we’re figuring it out, we know what level we need to play at on a consistent basis and it would be a shame to throw it all away and not get this win.” Even with a pared-down roster, and with their opponents playing as full-bore as possible, tonight effectively serves as Elimination Game Practice for the Hawks (43-38). There is no pressure for its participants, other than to play hard, play smart, play well, and stay healthy. At worst, a loss tonight might scooch the team’s draft spot up ahead of Portland (Memphis’ pick), while re-confirming the indubitable genius and clairvoyance of Hotlanta, the sole Squawker who predicted 43 wins this season. But if Atlanta’s second- and third-strings can pull off another confidence-building upset, this time before a national audience, it could bode well for a team that, knock on wood, might find itself in a similar circumstance a couple weeks from now. Namely, in the District of Columbia, for Game 5 and/or Game 7. Let’s Go Hawks! ~lw3 View full record

Indeed, Spud, we're gonna be like Mary, and have a little Lamb... ~lw3

I was kinda hoping to Fear The Fro tonight, but it's all good... ~lw3

This Walker won't run... ~lw3

Here's hoping Ryan Cameron won't be too hoarse from Sunday! ~lwFor33333333333333333333333...

(No Meme Photoshopping Required.) Spoiler Days? After pulling yet another trick up their sleeve this weekend against the Cavs, there’s not much for the Atlanta Hawks to spoil tonight, aside from lotto positioning with a loss to the visiting Charlotte Hornets (7:30 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast, 92.9 FM in ATL). Although re-accommodating their division rivals this evening won’t be necessary, the Hawks have a greater opportunity to be a true spoilsport tomorrow, when they arrive in Indiana for the regular season finale. Who da real MVP, when it comes to the Hawks? It’s got to be all of you diehard fans, who have endured as topsy-turvy a season as supporters of any perennial playoff outfit should come to expect, and will be duly honored throughout 92.9 The Game’s Takeover Night. As just one instance of what you’ve put up with: Kent Bazemore steals a lousy Cavs inbound and goes coast-to-coast on Sunday afternoon, with a chance to expand the Hawks’ long-sought lead to three points in overtime… who among us did not steel our loins in anticipation of a blown open layup? And Baze almost gave us just that! Just as Paul Millsap did from close range with just minutes to go in regulation, and the Hawks down by seven. Sap did go 11-for-11 on free throws, though, he and Tim Hardaway, Jr. making just enough that Kyrie Irving’s closing heave wouldn’t matter. Whenever it gets well past time to rationally expect competency out of this bunch, the Hawks’ competitive spirit pops up, right out from the abyss. There were so many second-half and overtime moments on Sunday where Hawks fans could rightfully point and say, “that’s the game, nobody on the Cavs is incompetent enough to screw this up,” and suddenly, here comes LeBron James, asking us all to hold his beer. A bench corps that could barely score against the Nets leads the charge versus the Cavs out of a 26-point hole. Baze, Sap, even Mike Muscala making buckets, plural, in the clutch... was that real life? We’ll get to see how real this life is soon enough, as the NBA Playoffs tip off in some deity-forsaken Eastern locale this weekend. No passports will be required, as the Hawks are mathematically incapable of facing the Raptors in the opening round. But Boston, Cleveland or, most likely, Washington will find it hard to know what to expect out of a Hawks squad that hardly seems to know what to expect of itself. As per HoopsHype, who have the top two payrolls among Southeast Division teams? Pick up a Kewpie doll on your way out of the fair if you correctly guessed the Orlando Magic and these Hornets. Like the Magic, the Hornets (36-45) are officially in full whiteboard mode, and team owner Michael Jordan will continue to leave the dry-erasing duties to GM Rich Cho, whose contract option was picked up yesterday. The Hornets’ brain trust swung-and-missed on several fronts this season, managing to keep Charlotte from building on last season’s first-round exit, despite a career-best offensive effort by All-Star guard Kemba Walker. They tried to offset the departures of backcourt mates Jeremy Lin and Courtney Lee in free agency with Marco Belinelli, Brian Roberts, and Ramon Sessions. Armed with a new multi-year contract in the offseason, Marvin Williams (42.4 FG%, 35.1 3FG%) made his 2015-16 career year (45.2 FG%, 40.2 3FG%) look exactly like a career year. While fellow division foes were signing up Dwight Howard and Ian Mahinmi over the summer, the Hornets pursued the static Roy Hibbert. While their counterparts were trying to firm up their benches for playoff runs with guys like Bojan Bogdanovic and Ersan Ilyasova, Charlotte compounded their mistake by flipping Hibbert and Spencer Hawes to Milwaukee for the barely-useful Miles Plumlee. They’ll have little flexibility with their $103 million roster this summer, with eight of their top-nine salaried players returning under guaranteed contracts, plus center Cody Zeller due for a raise on his extended deal. Further, unlike Wizards fans of yore, Hornets fans haven’t been holding out hope of any hometown hoop heroes signing blockbuster deals this July. Nonetheless, His Errness is leaving it to his GM to finagle a way into contention next year. Cho will have one more season to get it done. Under head coach Steve Clifford, the Hornets’ defensive gameplan could be summarized thusly: pack the paint, don’t foul (NBA-lows for opponents’ free throws and personal fouls-drawn), force opponents into a lot of under-contested threes (NBA-high 31.9 opponent 3FGAs per 100 possessions; Atlanta foes’ 30.4 ranks 3rd), pray they miss (37.0 opponent 3FG%, highest in East), get the defensive rebound (79.7 D-Reb%, 2nd in NBA) and give the ball to Kemba. At the other end of the Spectrum Center, Charlotte’s offense can be boiled down to the ballhandler, usually Walker off the pick-and-roll (NBA-high 12.2 PPG on these plays), pulling up for jumpers, or forcing contact and drawing trips to the free throw line (NBA-high 81.5 team FT%). Further, they don’t willingly turn the ball over (11.5 TOs per game, 3rd lowest in recorded NBA history; 2.02 assist-turnover ratio, 2nd in NBA). If there’s no whistle and no easy path to the rim, they’re instructed to kick the ball out in hopes of a three-pointer from Belinelli or forwards Frank Kaminsky, Marvin, or Nicolas Batum. If they miss, get back on defense (19.7 O-Reb%, 4th-lowest in NBA) and stifle opponents’ hopes for transition scores. Roberts and Briante Weber are most likely to continue playing Kemba’s ballhandler role tonight, as Walker’s sore knee gets bubble-wrapped for the season. If Belinelli’s strained finger keeps him on ice as well, Coach Cliff will lean on Jeremy Lamb and Treveon Graham for spot duty. With Kemba and Marco playing, Charlotte won their last road game on the back end of a back-to-back (in Toronto, back on March 29, with 44 fourth-quarter points). But offensively, the sting is not the same with those guards absent from the floor. Whether they’re legitimately tanking or not, Charlotte will try to keep the pace grindingly slow, in hopes of keeping the final outcome close. Last night, without Walker, the Hornets raced to an 11-point lead in Milwaukee, and was up five points through three quarters before being “held” to 13 points in the final frame of an 89-79 loss. Atlanta (42-38) has struggled with teams that rebound well and protect the ball, and they’ve been held to double-digit scoring in all three losses to Charlotte this season, most recently 105-90 in Uptown back on March 20. With Thabo Sefolosha (groin) upgraded to questionable for tonight, a forthcoming challenge for the Hawks will be to see if their newfound bench production is sustainable and can carry forward into the postseason. In particular, Bazemore (40.5 FG% on all shots as a starter; 38.5 3FG% when he’s not) is finding a bit of an offensive groove off the bench, and can spell either Hardaway (last 3 games: 11-for-12 fourth-quarter FGs) or Dennis Schröder in a pinch. Baze has eleven steals in his past three contests, matching his tally from his prior 15 starts. Hardaway is among eight of the Hawks’ 20 most-utilized two-man units, and his only net negative in the team-scoring column is when he’s paired with rookie Taurean Prince, further tempting coach Mike Budenholzer to keep Timmy in the starting lineup going forward. The two-game Cavs series (11-for-14 FGs) has seemingly re-enlivened Muscala, and Coach Bud will need to know if he can begin relying more on the backup big man when the Hawks have to go with smaller lineups. Millsap’s return formally relocated Ilyasova, one of the few subs who struggled to score against Cleveland (last two games: 1-for-11 3FGs), to the reserves. It helps if Atlanta can establish rotations ideal for not only Ersan’s skillset, but those of backup point guard Jose Calderon. It will also be important for the Hawks to glean whatever knowledge they can from the rookies’ production over the next couple of games. Prince has only shined once in his past six starts (36.8 FG%, 1.8 APG), while DeAndre’ Bembry and Malcolm Delaney will be challenged to show what they could contribute defensively, in case they’re needed for short spells during a long playoff series. Finally, these dress rehearsals could be a final chance for Dennis Schröder and Dwight Howard to flesh out their roles and responsibilities on the floor together. The starting pillars enjoyed Atlanta’s huge comeback against Cleveland’s best players from a towel-waving position on the bench. Dwight has been Budballed (17.0 RPG in three games vs. CHA) by Zeller (15.7 PPG vs ATL, most vs. any team this season; 70.0 FG%) and the Hornets, and needs to display a different dimension to his game if he is to be useful against smaller and stretchier lineups. Atlanta is only 4-0 this season, but 3-0 in March, when Howard moves the ball and collects four assists in a game. Dennis has averaged 20.7 PPG and 6.5 APG (4.7 TOs per game) while shooting 39.5 percent on threes in his past ten games, which includes 20 points and 6 assists in Charlotte on March 20. His aversion to making poor decisions with the ball may factor into his inability to draw contact and make opponents pay at the free throw line, where he has been deadly (last 10 games: 95.7 FT%) but infrequent of late (four FTAs in past five games). His ability to dictate the pace and the action at both ends of the court may not be as essential today, however, as it could be tomorrow, against Jeff Teague in a potential elimination game for the Pacers. It’s hard to call the Hawks’ final two games a case of “fine-tuning” when very little of Atlanta’s play has been consistently “fine,” whether from minute-to-minute or game-to-game. But a hopefully healthy and spirited run could be just the momentum this team needs, no matter which opponent they might draw this weekend. The Hawks fans who repeatedly show up to cheer at Philips Arena, whether or not a major draw is in town, sure deserve a feel-good send-off tonight. Let’s Go Hawks! ~lw3 View full record

This guy says it better than I could. ~lw3

I'm just glad Russdiculous took LeBron's postgame whining off the top block on SportsCenter. ~lw3

~lw3

...well! ~lw3