lethalweapon3

Schröder, Timmy, Taurean, Sap, and Dwight will be your starters for today. No birthday ballin' for Ryan Kelly, as he's the designated inactive to pair with Thabo. ~lw3

All for One, and One for All! Except for One... I hope he at least got to partake in the continental breakfast. ~lw3

“I SAID, THE KING’S IN THE BUILDING... TELL ME, HOW YOU FEELIN’?” Spoiler Days continue! There’s not much more to say ahead of today’s matinee for the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers (3:30 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, Fox Sports Ohio in CLE, NBATV everywhere else). Thanks to back-to-back, but completely different shockers against the Eastern Conference’s upper crust, the Hawks (41-38) are moonwalking into the NBA Playoffs for the tenth-consecutive season, just two seasons fewer than whatever team LeBron James graces with his presence. Victory today at the Highlight Factory would make it two regular-season series wins for Head Coach Mike Budenholzer’s teams against James’ Cavaliers in the past three seasons. It would also clinch a winning regular season record for the Basketball Club, for the eighth time in the past nine seasons. More importantly, winning serves as a confidence-building exercise for the Hawks, and their long-bemused fanbase, as they make their final push toward the postseason. The Rules of Engagement are about the same for the Hawks as they were in Friday night’s fantastical upending of The King and his subjects on his merry Cleveland court. Don’t foul; stay adhered to the three-point shooters; don’t fall for the trap of helping and overpursuing inside; catch the opponent napping in transition; keep the unforced errors down; move the ball and keep moving yourselves. Only this time, the actors will be a little different. Less Ryan Kelly and Kris Humphries (the latter probable, despite neck spasms), more Paul Millsap and Dwight Howard. It’ll be like the way soap operas do it: “The role of Perimeter Closeout Guy will now be played by Kent Bazemore.” One can only hope that the sharp-shooting exhibited by the Junior Mints, inclusive of Mike Dunleavy (20 bench points, outscoring Kyle Korver, 4-for-5 3FGs) and occasional tour de force Tim Hardaway (9-for-14 FGs, 4-for-9 on threes, 5 assists, no TOs vs. CLE), will take pressure off Dennis Schröder in his return to action. Jose Calderon (7 assists, 2 TOs vs. CLE) laid a sound blueprint for Schröder on how to distribute the rock and keep everyone involved. The Cavs struggled to keep up with so many Hawks cutting to the basket, something Schröder can help exploit this afternoon by looking for Bazemore and the Hawks’ athletic wings. It will be tough for Coach Bud to stuff the rookie genies back in the bottle. DeAndre’ Bembry accentuated the positive with yeoman’s work defending James on the interior. Also off the bench, Malcolm Delaney (8 assists, no turnovers) was sneaky good. Prince will look to bounce back after his mostly-off night (2-for-9 FGs, 4 TOs) was lost amid the madness on Friday. Keeping the youngsters involved in the offense suggests not becoming overreliant on Schröder and the Hawks’ frontcourt stars playing iso-ball. Cavs coach Tyronn Lue remains adamant that everyone aside from Tristan Thompson (thumb sprain) will be available to play, as the top-seed and homecourt advantage for Cleveland (51-28, 0.5 games ahead of Boston) in the Eastern Conference playoffs is still up in the air. That suggests Kyrie Irving is still expected to step up despite persistent problems with his sore, surgically-repaired knee. If Irving can’t go, ballhandling duties will shift toward not only James, but Deron Williams and Iman Shumpert. J.R. Smith and Richard Jefferson will be counted on to jack up more shots on Kyrie’s behalf. It’s always fun to play the Spoiler role. How ‘bout we keep this thing going for a few more days, or weeks! Let’s Go Hawks! ~lw3 View full record

Two road games, against the two reigning MLS finalists... two draws! Solid work by the new guys. That red card on Yamil Asad was a crime, tho. But the squad sure held up with just ten men on the pitch, and had a couple chances to win, too! ~lw3

"Ten long years... and if you don't know me... I'm not gon' try to prove myself no more..." ~patti

A decade of sustained semi-excellence. Congratulations, Hawks! ~lw3

**bump** ~lw3

Update: "Save Us... Spencer Dinwiddie!" ~lw3

51-45 Nets at the half. I'd much rather clinch it tomorrow on our own, but I also don't want players blowing a fuse trying to beat the desperate Cavs, either. Go Nets Go! edit: 82-75 Bulls to start the 4th. Probably time to cheer for the Wiz instead (eww), but we'll see. edit: Nets back in front w/ a minute to go in the game... DEFENSE! ~lw3

Correcting my earlier clinching-scenario statement, according to NBA.com... I'm not sure how the Bulls, by themselves, could clinch it for the Hawks (they would definitely be beyond Chicago's reach) by losing today, but we'll take it if it shakes out that way. FWIW, the Bulls are down 32-25 in the opening quarter in Brooklyn. Go Coach Kenny! ~lw3

An off-day for Hawks fans should allow a few more peepers directed Atlanta United's Way! The Five Stripes are up in Canada, and meet Toronto FC on the pitch tonight (7:30 PM Eastern, Fox Sports South). Toronto is undefeated, with one win and three draws (1-3-0) over four games, and they've allowed the fewest goals (2) among MLS sides. Only Tim Howard's Colorado Rapids have allowed fewer shots-on-goal per game so far. Striker Jozy Altidore leads Toronto with two goals and eight shots (four on-goal). ~lw3

2005 was the last time we had #31, when we "lost the lottery" to the Bucks (I REALLY wanted Bogut bad), but had the top pick in the 2nd round. ^We got ourselves this guy! Rise Up , Indeed! Players among the next ten picks we passed up on included Brandon Bass, C.J. Miles, Ronny Turiaf, Monta Ellis, and some dude from Turkey named Ersan Ilyasova. ~lw3

No more #31 Watch! Thanks to the Suns somehow tripping up the Fighting Westbrooks last night, Brooklyn secures the worst record in the league... (oh, NOW I see what Bud was trying to do the last two weeks!)... and not only does Boston have the top lottery odds, Atlanta gets the top pick in the second-round. Thanks to the Tiago deal, we get to bracket the whole second round with Pick #60 as well. On the playoffs front, the Wizards are still clinging to faint hopes of a #2 seed, so they need to keep playing well. If they take care of business tonight (7 PM Eastern), versus a heat team coming into town off a tough loss last night in Toronto, then Miami's loss clinches the playoffs for the boys in Georgia Granite Gray. If that happens, then the final three games will be all about playoff seeding, getting healthy, and screwing with Indiana and maybe Charlotte's playoff chances. ~lw3

Lakers win again! Live look in on the fanbase... ~lw3

What a difference a couple days make! Thanks to the Hawks stepping it up and the Raps tempering the heat, a tenth-consecutive trip to the Playoffs requires either of: (A) a Hawks victory in the last three games; or, (B) a heat defeat at the hands of either the Wizards or the Cavs. 9. Miami (ATL Magic Stiff-Arm Number 1) @ WAS, vs CLE, vs WAS 8. Indiana (ATL Magic Stiff-Arm Number 2) @ ORL, @ PHI, vs ATL 7. Chicago (ATL Magic Stiff-Arm Number 1) @ BKN, vs ORL, vs BKN 6. Milwaukee (ATL Magic Stiff-Arm Number 2) @ PHI, vs CHA, @ BOS ~lw3

I'm already looking forward to the 11 PM replay (Fox Sports Southeast) but what a relief, however momentary, for our play-by-play guys, Bawb 'n Holman. You could truly hear the relief in their voices tonight. ~lw3

I promise this happened: One of these creatures crossed my path on the way home (listening to 92.9 FM) as the final buzzer sounded. *file photo, not me holding it ~lw3

The Kids Are Alright! ~lw3

There you go. No letting up from Lue. ~lw3

Hey there, Atlanta, Milwaukee… I hear you guys are having a little trouble making the playoffs? My heart aches for you. Aches, I say! Facing the defending champ Cavaliers in Cleveland, our Atlanta Hawks might be pulling volunteers from the Quicken Loans Arena stands tonight (7:30 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, Fox Sports Ohio in CLE, NBATV elsewhere), to help make up for the many players who won’t be suiting up on the second half of a back-to-back. Usher, can you be True To Atlanta for just one night? The leading scorer and rebounder from last night’s bruising battle with Boston, Paul Millsap? Nope, he’ll rest that swollen knee some more. Kent Bazemore? No way, Mister Calderon, because Baze is healing up from a bruised knee. Thabo Sefolosha? Not a snowball’s chance in Cleveland. He’s just trying not to aggravate his troublesome groin while driving his new Brinks truck around town. The starting backcourt of Dennis Schröder and Tim Hardaway, Jr.? Ixnay on the laypay. Both guards are dealing with foot sprains, while THJ also has a bruised knee to boot. Thankfully, No Excuses Week is a thing of the past for the Hawks, because stealing a win tonight will be a tall order with Cleveland’s Big 3 active and likely to play. Beyond the usual suspects, Kyle Korver (NBA-leading 45.2 3FG%, 49.2% with the Cavs) has been recuperating from foot troubles and will grace us with his perimeter presence. Coach Tyronn Lue is aware that homecourt advantage for the Eastern Conference playoffs can be secured with consecutive wins over the Hawks, tonight and on Sunday back in Atlanta. T-Lue and the Cavs’ Big 3 understand that this is no time for the Cavs (51-27) to play down to their competition. Clevelan Rocks! Clevelan Rocks! Even famous native Rew Carey must have been alarmed by the lack of D exhibited by the Cavs recently. The defending champs were a horrific (for them) 7-10 in the month of March, their defensive rating for the month (113.1) better than only the Lakers in the entire league. Because of that, their net rating of -2.9 for March was not all that distinguishable from the Hawks’ -3.0, and we all know how bad Atlanta has been. To keep from going out like a lamb, the Cavs have turned things around to an extent over the past week, best exhibited by their 114-91 curb-stomping of the Celtics in Boston on Wednesday. But they’ve generally been winning games only by piling up ungodly amounts of points. On the season, Cleveland forces very few turnovers (11.5 opponent TO%, 29th in NBA) and seem more focused on getting the ball back to their stars on offense than on keeping opponents’ balls from finding their way into the net (45.7 opponent FG%, a pedestrian 15th in NBA). Despite Kyrie’s 43 and LeBron’s 38, the Cavs had to withstand a 42-point barrage from the Hawks just to prevail by five points in Atlanta back on March 3 (they surely will not miss seeing THJ, or a repeat 36-point performance from him, tonight). That same 135-130 outcome was replicated in a double-OT win over the Pacers last Sunday. All of LeBron’s 16 fourth-quarter points were needed to keep Indiana from stealing a victory after falling behind by 14 in the final quarter of regulation. Coach Mike Budenholzer’s shuffled lineup hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s likely we will see a lot more of Taurean Prince (career-high 20 points, plus 7 rebounds in 41 minutes vs. BOS) and Jose Calderon, plus former Cav Mike Dunleavy, Jr, at the outset. Rookies DeAndre’ Bembry and Malcolm Delaney are in line to get a sudden boost in floortime as well. Kris Humphries will be needed to shore up the frontline behind Howard and Ersan Ilyasova, and perhaps a cameo appearance from 15th Man Ryan Kelly could even be in the offing. This game will remain competitive for Atlanta (40-38) for only so long as as Howard can remain on the floor, without foul trouble, and exploit a Cavaliers team that has struggled to protect the rim, all the more without Tristan Thompson (sprained thumb) around. If Channing Frye struggles to hold down the pivot spot defensively, Lue may have no choice but to turn to a very green Larry Sanders to be a difference-maker tonight. The Hawks on the floor can help their center out not only by avoiding unforced errors, and getting back in transition, but by not straying from their man to help the former 3-time Defensive Player of the Year and 5-time All-Defensive Team member police the paint. That includes Ilyasova, who is normally an opponent-turnover sponge on the inside but will have to get out to defend Love, Frye, and occasionally James, keeping Cleveland’s bigs cool from outside. What about when James and Irving spring free of their man, and come barreling toward the rim in search of some highlight plays? So what? That’s just two points, if we don’t exacerbate the situation with fouls. The key for the Hawks is to avoid being exposed for open catch-and-shoot three-pointers by pretty much any Cavalier. They could even catch Cleveland when they’re at their most smug by getting the ball down the court for quick transition scores. The flashy dunks and dribbles from LeBron and Kyrie Irving are just a mirage for a Cleveland team that ranks second in three-point attempt rate (39.7% of all FGs taken from downtown) and accuracy (38.7 team 3FG%). Their teams’ 8 most-frequent three-point makers hit threes at a minimum 36 percent clip. The Hawks will likely struggle to get a leg up on LeBron and Company through 48 minutes, but that is no reason not to keep a hand up on their Cav-alcade of jumpshooters. Let’s Go Hawks! ~lw3 View full record

It's the Aughts (as per the Drexel Institute of Linguistics). With "aught" pronounced as in, "For $26.5 million, Al aught to be more than a J.A.G." Not "outs", as in, "If I boxed out like Al does, I'd be on the outs." ~lw3

Nothing Easy, but a minor achievement for the Hawks tonight included clinching their 10th consecutive season with a winning HOME record. Last time they were sub-.500 at the Highlight Factory was in 2006-07 (18-23), also the last time Atlanta fell short of the playoffs. The Hawks began their first 7 seasons in Atlanta with winning home records (1968-69 to 1974-75). Their longest streak of winning seasons at home (in Atlanta) is 15 (1985-86 to 1999-2000). ~lw3

Making His Story... I suppose all the steals made it unique. ~lw3

Revised Magic Stiff-Arm Digits... ta-ta, Charlotte and Detroit! Playoff hopes hang by a thread for each of them, but they can't overtake the Hawks anymore. It's still all up to Miami to make this clinching thing tougher on the Hawks going forward. No help from Philly or the Bucks tonight with the Bulls and Pacers, respectively. Milwaukee moves into these listings since they're back below the Hawks for the moment. (hunch losses in BOLD) 9. Miami (ATL Magic Stiff-Arm Number 3) @ TOR, @ WAS, vs CLE, vs WAS 8. Indiana (ATL Magic Stiff-Arm Number 3) @ ORL, @ PHI, vs ATL 7. Chicago (ATL Magic Stiff-Arm Number 2) @ BKN, vs ORL, vs BKN 6. Milwaukee (ATL Magic Stiff-Arm Number 3) @ PHI, vs CHA, @ BOS ~lw3

27 minutes 1-for-8 FGs incl. 0-for-2 on threes 5 rebounds 3 assists 1 block... Claptastic! ~lw3