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lethalweapon3

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  1. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - Nets

    By lethalweapon3,

    “Uh, how is it you say, uh… Buyer’s Remorse?”



    For the Atlanta Hawks, tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets (8:00 PM, 92.9 FM “The Game”, ESPN) is crucial. It has huge significance beyond potentially matching last season’s win total, moving within percentage points of NBA-leading Golden State ahead of next week’s contest, and stretching the franchise’s longest-ever winning streak to 17.

    Why, you ask? Well…

    The Notorious A$G isn’t the sole NBA ownership unit seeking buyers for their franchise. Russian gazillionaire Mikhail Prokhorov rode in like a bare-chested prime minister on a horse to facilitate the Nets’ relocation to Brooklyn from New Jersey, entrusting GM Billy King to spend Prokhorov’s money on players, with few strings attached.

    His Prok-lamation was to pay enough cash to field a perpetual NBA championship contender, while encroaching more aggressively into the massive New York market on the Knicks, much like the Clippers are finally doing in L.A. The Nyets have been big spenders but big money losers, as the league’s highest luxury taxpayer, and the less-than-luxurious play on the court isn’t helping revenues at all.

    Prok’s investment did generate a multiple-scale windfall in five years. But his desire to continue competing has declined as swiftly as ruble values and oil prices, and already he’s snooping around for a way out. Mikhail’s still got political ambitions, too, and nobody in Moscow wants to see an attack ad that goes: “Would you trust your nation’s economy to a man who’s spending almost a quarter-billion dollars on Deron Williams and Joe Johnson?”

    Now, Atlanta cannot compare to Gotham’s media market and the revenue potential it entails. But for a prospective NBA owner remotely interested in the product on the floor, looking at the comparative styles of coaching and play, the general management capacity, the rosters and cap space flexibility, there’s enough there to make one think, “Hmmm. You know what?” A strong performance by the Hawks on national television tonight might be enough to sway just the right person to Buy Low.

    You need another reason? Okay, then.

    You never know what a GM might pull with his back to the wall. By December 2007, then-Sixers-GM King, who once drafted-and-traded Thabo Sefolosha to Chicago for Rodney Carney, was one year removed from trading franchise face Allen Iverson in exchange for Andre Miller, Joe Smith, and 2007 1st-round draft picks which became Jason Smith and Herbert Hill.

    The writing was already on the wall for King in the 2007 offseason, when he brought in free agent Calvin Booth to prop up a stale 76ers roster that had a bored Kyle Korver (career-low 35.2 3FG% at the time) and Lou Williams coming off the bench behind Willie Green. Just one day after a December home loss to Joe Johnson, Al Horford and the upstart Hawks dropped Philly to 5-12, King was handed his walking papers.

    It’s likely that a possible Nets buyer will not want to carry all the baggage that “The Other BK” and Prok brought to the borough. Accordingly, the Nets’ shoulda-been-Big-Three (D-Will, Joe, and Brook Lopez) have all been shopped in recent weeks. It’s also probable that a buyer will want to know what Prok is going to do about his GM, so King may pull some major moves in a desperate attempt to prove he’s worth his stock. Another road drubbing on national TV may be enough for King and the Nets to grease the skids.

    Coach Lionel Hollins isn’t going anywhere: he’s already their fourth coach in the past three seasons, and since he’s locked down for up to $20 million over the next three seasons, the last thing the Nets’ brass needs is another sunk cost. Deliberate tanking doesn’t do much good, either: Brooklyn’s first-rounders are beyond their control (for various reasons… let’s not go there) until 2019. So the only place for King to turn is to the players. Is there a crazy GM somewhere out there willing to take one of their big ticket ballers, or The Big Ticket himself, and/or some combo of lower-tier players in exchange for draft picks Brooklyn could control sometime before the next presidential administration?

    Last January, the Hawks had opportunities on both sides of the Atlantic to keep Brooklyn mired in the doldrums of the East, and failed. They let Joe have his way in both games as he sparked their season turnaround, while Korver could not buy a bucket as the Hawks’ season began to spiral. Who knows if another loss to the Hawks would have put King in a full-panic, fire-sale mode back then? Who knows what instability his maneuvers, with one foot out the door, might engender?

    You think there’s another reason, don’t you? Of course you do.

    Deron Williams was once the back end of a popular local refrain that doomed Atlanta’s BK seven years ago: “We could have had Chris Paul and…!” The five-time Eastern Conference All-Star, who hasn’t been back to the contest since the Nets relocated from Jersey, may soon be joined on Brooklyn's roster by the guy Billy Knight preferred, Marvin Williams. Meanwhile, Atlanta seems to be just fine settling with Jeff Teague, whose name is likely to be among tomorrow’s invitees to the mid-season classic.

    The coaches’ votes for All-Star reserves are already locked in as of noon yesterday, so there’s no way Teague (98.1 defensive rating, 3rd among NBA point guards), Paul Millsap (1.8 SPG, 2nd among NBA frontcourt players), Horford (2.8 Assist-turnover ratio, 11th in NBA, 1st among NBA centers), and Korver (73.8 true shooting percentage and 9.2 catch-and-shoot PPG, 1st in NBA) can sway their opinions with strong performances tonight. What they can do is make it tougher on America’s TV viewers and prognosticators (like tonight’s ESPN color analyst Jon Barry) to downplay the quality of their candidacy.

    Not enough justification? Fine!

    You’ve got to beat your conference opponents while they’re down. Brooklyn (18-26)’s last two road games resulted in a nationally-televised 39-point beatdown in L.A. (by the Clippers) on Thursday and a 35-point drubbing in Salt Lake City (by the Jazz) on Saturday. Last week marked just the fifth time in NBA annals that a team lost consecutive games by 35 or more. Not even Joe and Woody’s playoff exits were that bad.

    While the Nets have lost eight of their last ten games, Deron’s been out for weeks with a fractured rib. Euro-prize Mirza Teletovic had to exit stage left with dangerous blood clots in his lungs. Joe’s been mumbling about tendinitis, “real bad in my right knee and my left ankle,” and it’s hard to imagine the Nets’ leading scorer (15.7 PPG) is playing possum, having shot 32.2 FG% and averaging 10.3 PPG in his last seven appearances.

    Lopez probably has headaches from the constant drone of Hollins in his ear, directly and via news reporters, recently the recipient of a “lazy” accusation after failing to chase after a loose ball. The third of the top-20 highest-salaried NBA players rocking a Brooklyn jersey, B-Lo has Hollins starting him about once a week. Meanwhile, Kevin Garnett (7 blocks in 35 games this season) doesn’t have a headache from headbutting Dwight Howard last month, but the 38-year-old did draw a one-game suspension for it, mixing it in with his weekly DNPs.

    The good news for the Nets is they got some rest, to the extent escaping Mother Nature’s wrath and bussing to Philly for a flight to Hartsfield-Jackson qualifies as “rest.” Winter Storm Juno spared Brooklyn from getting snowed under at home against Portland on Monday, turning Atlanta’s expected one-day rest advantage into a one-day disadvantage.

    The Nets will try to try to keep up offensively with a cavalcade of in-the-paint jumpers, hook shots, and putbacks. Led by Johnson (48.5 2FG% from 3-10 feet; just 20.2% of 2FGs assisted) and Bropez, the Nets make 7.0 in-the-paint shots per game (outside the restricted area) at 46.1 FG% per game, both figures leading the league.

    Jarrett Jack (18.9 3FG%, worst in NBA w/ minimum 65 attempts) will try to live up to his surname, but the Nets have been the league’s worst three-point shooters this month (26.3 January 3FG%). Bojan “Don’t Call Me Bogdan” Bogdanovic (29.9 3FG%), Alan Anderson (32.4%), and Sergey Karasev (30.6%) haven’t fared much better this season from long range. Jack is far more dangerous on long twos, shooting 46.3 2FG% beyond 15 feet from the rim.

    Hollins will be counting on Johnson to keep the pace low (93.86 January possessions per-48, 4th lowest in NBA) to keep Atlanta’s multifaceted offense from pulling away. He’ll also look to Dunk Contest participant Mason Plumlee (59.4 FG%, 3rd in NBA; 11.8 O-Reb%) and Jerome Jordan (7 O-Rebs vs. LAC last Thursday) to produce second-chance opportunities.

    Still, this remains a chance for the Hawks to keep ninth-seeded Brooklyn submerged in the conference standings. The Nets come into tonight’s contest just a game-and-a-half behind seventh-seeded Miami and 1.5 games ahead of tenth-seeded Boston. They’re just seven games behind resurgent fifth-seed Cleveland, but just five games in front of down-in-the-dumps 13th-seed Orlando.

    Thanks to 14 second-quarter points from DeMarre Carroll, the Hawks beat the breaks off Brooklyn back on December 5. It was a 98-75 victory that could have been much bigger had Carroll’s teammates not missed nine of their 24 free throws and shot 39.4% from the field. Still, it was enough to stymie a Nets squad then shot just 37.5 FG%, including 3-for-18 on threes, virtually everyone cold aside from Lopez (20 points, 7 rebounds in 27 minutes). On defense, Carroll will be depended upon to keep Joe cool.

    Teague should be able to cut down the Nets by deploying his speed against slow-of-foot opposition to get to the bucket, both in transition and off of well-placed halfcourt screens. He and Dennis Schröder were both Brooklyn Deckers in December, each shooting 5-for-9 while combining for 10 assists and 7 steals (4 by Schröder in just 18 minutes).

    No Hawks fans care to see this particular crew of playoff-tested Brooklyn veterans get healthy and restore their self-confidence in advance of the postseason. The Nets overcame a rabid playoff-starved fanbase and the second-biggest GM verbal faux pas of 2014 to take out higher-seeded Toronto last season. If we had our druthers, we’d much rather face the Celtics in April, thank you.

    Is that enough rationale? Alright, sure, just one more.

    This is one time where Johnson may genuinely care what the Philips Arena fans are thinking. If recent rumors gain steam, Atlanta’s former franchise face may become a six-times-per-year division opponent for the Hawks. Injuries and all, Joe is eager to show everyone tonight, before a national audience and a packed Highlight Factory house, he’s still got it. And by “it,” I don’t just mean over $25 million in guaranteed salary.

    Big victories during the past month in Chicago and Washington haven’t propelled the Nets to greater glory in subsequent games. But a win in Joe’s old stomping-the-ball-into-the-ground grounds could be just the ticket to inspire the Nets and pull away, once and for all, from the lottery pack.

    Atlanta certainly doesn’t want that. For reasons that should be obvious by now.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  2. lethalweapon3
    “Zach’s going to Minnesota? HA! Sucks for you!”



    Harlan. Garnett. McHale. Ollie. Love. Is there ever a Kevin that sticks around up there?

    The Winter of Our Discontent is well into its 11th year up in The North Star State. The silver lining for the long-suffering fans of today’s guests at the Highlight Factory, the Minnesota Timberwolves (6:00 PM Eastern, SportSouth, Fox Sports North, 92.9-FM “The Game”), is one Kevin, Kevin Martin, is still there! For the moment, anyway, as the trade deadline is less than a month away. The sharpshooter might even play today after having missed most of this season with a wrist injury.

    Despite enduring so many losing seasons without a playoff payoff, there remains something called “Minnesota Nice.” Minnesotans are a pragmatic bunch by nature, so there’s no better NBA market for teams that need fans willing to wait, even if it’s longer than anyone rationally planned. You need more time for your ankle to heal, Ricky Rubio? Go right ahead, there’s four more seasons left on your new $56 million contract extension. What’s the hurry, Kevin Martin? Bah, an extra month of downtime to heal that wrist is nothing. It’s not as if it’s going to take, like, 11 years or anything!

    The T’wolves reached the Western Conference Finals in 2004, and Kevin Garnett and coach Flip Saunders led the way. It was a long time coming after GM Kevin McHale’s Joe Smith debacle hackjobbed the team’s ability to grow. But Coach Saunders struggled the next season, and by midseason he was replaced by McHale himself. While Saunders found his way to conference-finalist Detroit, GM McHale went back upstairs and finagled his way through coaching stints with Dwane Casey and Randy Wittman, along the way giving his Celtics buddy Danny Ainge a sweet deal to free up Garnett.

    Wittman gets canned early in 2008-09, and at owner Glen Taylor’s behest, downstairs comes McHale again. By the end of that season, GM-Coach McHale is gone for good (we think) and Wittman shows up in D.C. to replace… Coach Flip Saunders. Rubio and a murder of point guards get drafted by new GM David Kahn, but the teenage star would have to wait two seasons for a Euro-buyout. A few Kahn-niving maneuvers here by the new GM, a cold-shoulder contract there by owner Glen Taylor, and within a couple years’ time there’s another Kevin (Love) looking for a way out. Kahn’s gone by 2013, and he’s replaced by… GM Flip Saunders!

    Rick Adelman arrived in 2011 from Houston (Who else? He was replaced by McHale) to replace Kurt Rambis, who replaced McHale in 2009. But Adelman decides he’s getting too old for this gerbil wheel and retires in 2014. GM Saunders conducts an exhaustive search for a replacement and announces it’s… Coach Flip Saunders! Saunders flips Love out of Minnesota for two of Cleveland’s number-one-overall picks. But Coach Saunders struggled the next season, and by midseason… hold up, what year is this, again?

    Perhaps the most comforting news for Wolves fans is that Andrew Wiggins’ first name isn’t Kevin (admit it, though: “Flip Wiggins” would be pretty cool). The struggle was real for the soon-to-be-20-year-old rookie in the first month of the season (11.6 PPG, 40.1 FG%, 67.5 FT%, 1.0 APG, 2.3 TO/game). But now the top-overall draft pick has taken charge of the Minnesota offense and the Rookie of the Year race, averaging 20.1 PPG on 46.4 FG% and 81.4 FT% in January. He’s also becoming more adroit as a ballhandler, averaging 2.7 APG and just 1.9 TO/game this month.

    He struggled on Friday night in a 92-84 home loss to the Pelicans, and hasn’t broken 20 points in his past three games. But Wiggins’ career-highs of 31 points, eight defensive rebounds, four three-pointers and three blocks on January 17 in Denver helped thwart another losing skid for Minnesota, who had dropped 15 straight before topping the Pacers earlier that week. Fans of the Wolves (7-35) have not been treated to a home W since December 10. They’re fine waiting, though.

    Wiggins’ in-season development was impeded largely because he has yet to have a stable core of veterans surrounding him. Besides Rubio and Martin, center Nikola Pekovic has been spending more time at the Mayo Clinic trying to get treatments for his bothersome ankle. He’s back, but it will take time for him to get up to, um, speed. Forward Thaddeus Young was granted bereavement time off after the passing of his mother, while swingman Corey Brewer was traded in December for second-year guard Troy Daniels. Rubio, Brewer, Young and Pek were the opening-day starters. Chase Budinger’s return after missing much of last season has been negligible, although he did contribute eight fourth-quarter points to make the last loss against New Orleans interesting.

    Wiggins is blessed to have an All-Star guard dropping him dimes, however. What, you forgot about All-Star Mo Williams? Mo Williams won’t let anyone forget about Mo Williams. If you need Mo Williams (12.5 PPG, 6.4 APG, 40.4 FG%) to drop an NBA-season-high 52 points (check that… yeah, it still is) just to beat the present-day Pacers by nine, your season’s not going terribly well. But for one more day, he’s the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week because of it. Wiggins’ presence (and Rubio’s absence) has resulted in a passing rejuvenation for the always exuberant Williams (38.4 assist percentage, 10th in NBA).

    Just based on floor experience, The New Teen Wolf (Wiggins) is literally a hardened veteran already, relative to the rest of his teammates. 2013 number-one-overall Anthony Bennett was an early-season surprise but regressed just as quickly. Sophomore wing Shabazz Muhammad (13.7 PPG and 48.8 FG%) is a candidate for Most Improved Player, but he’s out recovering from an oblique strain.

    A strong D-League prospect, guard Zach LaVine was pressed into the starting point guard spot until recently due to all the injuries. Possessing unbridled athleticism, LaVine’s a thrill to watch if you’re not actually trying to win basketball games right now. Bennett (knee) and LaVine (elbow) are both questionable for today’s game. Reserve small forward Robbie Hummel still tries hard. Little Big Dog Glenn Robinson III, a 2014 second-rounder, is even less ready for primetime. Wayfaring second-year center Miroslav Raduljica is under his second 10-day contract.

    One young gun who is working out for Minnesota is center Gorgui Dieng, the very definition of a skilled rim protector (1.7 BPG, 8th in NBA) and a board crasher (12.5 O-Reb%, 10th in NBA; 8.4 RPG, 19th in NBA). Saunders unveiled Dieng at power forward during Friday’s game against New Orleans (14 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists), bringing in Pek off the bench to allow the pair to match up with Anthony Davis and Omer Asik. Unibrow struggled with his shot (9 for 23 FGs) against Dieng but still finished the day with his requisite double-double. Flip remains intrigued by the duo’s Twin Tower potential and may go to them early today to see how they will fare against borderline 2015 All-Stars Al Horford and Paul Millsap, as well as Pero Antić.

    Saunders’ experimentation may result in a squeezeplay for Young, the power forward who failed to grab a rebound in 31 minutes Friday’s loss to the Pelicans. If Dieng works out well at the 4-spot, Saunders may put his GM hat on and shop the 76er refugee up until the trade deadline. Young (1.8 SPG, 10th in NBA) also had no steals in his past two games, but he’s always a threat to force turnovers, something Atlanta (36-8) will want to avoid if they expect to put the Wolves away early.

    All of the moving parts, injuries, and inexperience never bodes well for a team defense, and Minnesota is no exception. The Wolves are the only team whose opponents are hitting nearly half of their shots (49.4 opponent FG%, worst in NBA; 38.4 opponent 3FG%, 2nd worst in NBA). Accordingly, they give up a league-high 107.4 PPG, although a reduced pace has allowed them to hold their last four opponents below that average.

    Dieng isn’t simply the last line of defense around the rim, he’s the only dot, as Minnesota’s opponents make an NBA-high 18.9 field goals in the restricted area, at a league-high 66.8 FG%. For all his length, Pekovic (career 0.6 BPG and 5.4 defensive rebounds per-36) isn’t likely to ameliorate the defensive problems in the Wolves’ interior (league-high 47.4 opponent PPG in the paint).

    The Wolves’ cushy interior and lax perimeter D could make for a fun day for the Hawks’ bench corps. Atlanta continues to try to feed Mike Scott (40.7 FG% on shots from 3-10 feet) in the post, but he must convert with better efficiency. Scott shot 2-for-9 on two-point field goals in his last two games, and the Hawks will want to see more of the emoji-tatted guy who went 7-for-9 on twos during the MLK Day victory against the Pistons.

    Dennis Schröder’s shot wasn’t falling against OKC, but Dieng and Wiggins’ likely Rising Stars Game teammate showed tremendous poise as a ballhandler against the Thunder’s aggressive guards. He’s averaged 4.8 assists and just 0.8 turnovers over 17.4 minutes in the past four games.

    Thabo Sefolosha should be in a more relaxed mood after successfully defending Kevin Durant and Thunder guards in his brief stints, and he and Kent Bazemore will be ready to score off of T’wolf turnovers. There is no way Pekovic will divert from camping out in the paint, so perimeter shots will be like three-point free throws for Antić.

    While the Hawks starters, many of whom are still making their case for an All-Star nod, won’t take Minnesota likely, they will strive to build as sizable lead as possible to allot second-half minutes for Minnesota native Mike Muscala. The Pride of Roseville has only seen double-digit minutes against Philadelphia over the past couple months. Moose is a tried-and-true Minnesotan, though, so he won’t mind the wait. No rush.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  3. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - Thunder

    By lethalweapon3,

    [June 2015] “So, Russell, now that it’s over, what did you think of the Hawks’ execution in this series?”



    “You can get with THIS. Or you can get with THAT. I think you’ll get with THIS… for this is where it’s at!”

    Mike Budenholzer’s Atlanta Hawks are flying high, making their push toward a successful homestand and a high-profile All-Star break. So it’d be way too premature for him to get all Black Sheepy with the free agents of the summer of 2015, never mind the summer of 2016, when Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, tonight’s visitors to the Highlight Factory (7:30 PM SportSouth, FoxSports Oklahoma), will be looking to break the bank.

    But don’t tell the fine people of the District of Columbia and its surrounding environs. They’re pulling out all the stops to entice the reigning MVP home to the DMV – not this year, no, next year. Wednesday night’s OT-thriller between the Thunder and the hometown Wizards was a KD-schmoozefest among the fans in Washington’s stands: KD2DC banners, “Wall-Durant 2016” posters, jerseys, T-shirts. The local news photoshopped him in a Wiz jersey for a fourth-quarter weather update on the replay screen. It was as sad a spectacle as a 2012 Hawks-Magic game at Philips Arena.

    But the Wizards’ front office is right there with the fans. This past summer they plucked a guy from the University of Maryland’s basketball team – the LADY Terrapins – to serve as the team’s player development assistant. What was on David Adkins’ resume that jumped off the page for the Wizards? Assistant hoops coach at Montrose Christian Academy – that’s right, he coached Durant in high school. They’re letting it be known, now: they want Kevin Durant to face the Hawks six times a year in their Bullet-esque unis, starting in 2016.

    Budenferry won’t resort to making Durant’s grade school cafeteria monitor the Hawks’ chief of team nutrition, or anything like that. If the Hawks’ brain trust elects to market their team to the league’s marquee under-30 player, whenever that time comes, they’re confident they’ll have a system and a player development approach that speaks for itself, or at least a lot louder than whatever that is Randy Wittman and Ernie Grunfeld are doing. “You can get with THIS…”

    The past week began with the Thunder stopping the red-hot (but Bogut-and-Iguodala-less) Golden State Warriors’ eight-game streak at The Peake, and it continued with a marvelous East Coast swing. OKC put up a franchise-record 79 points in the first half in Orlando on Sunday, expertly handled the remains of the heat in Miami (despite a woeful three-point shooting performance) on Tuesday, before Durant and his not-always-merry band received a hero’s welcome at The Phone Booth the next night.

    Oklahoma City could only muster 38 first-half points in D.C., but forced OT on the strength of Durant (34 points) and his trusty sidekick Russell Westbrook (32 points), a combined 18-for-21 on free throws. As KD was double-teamed, the Wizards’ Bradley Beal bestowed the final gift of the evening, clearing a BWI-style runway for Westbrook’s game-winning layup in OT.

    Before the season started, tonight’s game was to be a mere pit stop between Durant’s Homecoming and his nationally-televised head-to-head with rival LeBron James in conference-favorite Cleveland on Sunday. Atlanta was not supposed to be the first-place team gunning for a franchise-record 15th straight NBA win. And OKC (22-20, 9th in the West) was not supposed to be so far back in their conference standings, not before injuries to Durant, Westbrook, and multiple role players derailed the season’s start.

    The top six seeds in the West are juggernauts, the 8th-place Suns (winners of four straight themselves) refuse to set, and the 7th-place Spurs are, well, the Spurs. Durant knows it will take a gargantuan effort from his team to breach the postseason, and a momentous victory in ATL on the Thunder’s third game in four nights would be just the propellant they need.

    As the Thunder made their glorious trek to the 2012 Finals, Durant knew he had a defensive wizard by his side, tightly guarding the perimeter so he wouldn’t have to, starting in virtually every game of his OKC career. Durant and Thunder coach Scott Brooks now turn to second-year-man Andre Roberson (98.0 defensive rating, 22nd in NBA among players w/ 30+ games and 15+ MPG) to hold the fort.

    Meanwhile, left for dead by OKC after the 2014 Playoffs, Thabo Sefolosha has moved on to a reserve role in Atlanta behind DeMarre Carroll. And the 30-year-old is providing, if not his best all-around month of basketball ever, certainly his most efficient. It’s not only his defensive prowess that’s on the uptick (95.6 defensive rating, 9th among NBA players; 1.7 SPG in January, just behind Carroll’s 1.8). Sefolosha’s shooting (7.8 PPG on 50.0 FG%, 42.9 3FG%, 83.3 FT%), rebounding (5.0 RPG, 1.1 offensive) and his 3-to-1 assist-turnover ratio this month are comfortably above what anyone has come to expect lately.

    If January’s production is closer to the trendline Hawks fans can come to expect out of Thabo, under contract through 2016-17, the Swiss Mister will serve as a great selling point for Durant when he’s looking at prospective teams’ plans for an NBA player entering his 30s under their watch. It’s a compelling approach, certainly better than the cast of “Kevin Durant, This Is Your Life!” the Wizards are cobbling together.

    Budenholzer’s concerns are certainly not about any of that, not tonight, not this season. Rather, he’s figuring out how to bring Sefolosha off the bench to keep Roberson (18.9 FG% on jumpshots, 17.8 3FG%, 2-for-21 above the arc) out of the paint, and how to sag him off Roberson to help defend the MVP who said Sefolosha “always believed in me, always gave me confidence”.

    Thunder forwards Durant and Serge Ibaka are both able to spread the floor with their three-point shooting, in Ibaka’s case a career-high 40.8 3FG% to match KD. And thank goodness for that, because the guards aside from former Hawk Anthony Morrow (37.7 3FG%; 42.3 career 3FG%, 4th among active NBA players) are wretched in that department.

    Westbrook’s 23.9 3FG% (13.3% in January) is the worst among any of the league’s top-scoring backcourt players, and his starting backcourt mate shoots it even worse. Plus, it’s safe to say that’s not newcomer Dion Waiters’ forte (26.1 3FG% with OKC) at all. At full strength, the Thunder takes as many three-point attempts (25.4 in January) as the Hawks, but shot a paltry 31.0% from that range so far this month.

    Ibaka (3.6 3FGAs per game, up from 0.7 last season) gets a little too enamored with his newfound range at times and must attack the basket more to enhance the Thunder’s offensive efficiency. Air Congo is on pace for just 61 dunks this season after 118 last year. OKC is playing at a high pace (101.3 possessions per-48 in January, 2nd in NBA). So the three-time All-Defensive first-teamer Ibaka (2.2 BPG, 3rd in NBA) is probably taking the Smoove approach, parking himself above the arc to preserve energy so he can get back quicker to the other end of the floor. With help from Kendrick Perkins, Steve Adams and KD, Ibaka and the Thunder rank second in the league in defensive rebounding (78.4 D-Reb%).

    Brooks will throw a diverse array of defenders at Paul Millsap, who wasn’t needed for heavy lifting on offense during the Hawks’ blowout of Indiana on Wednesday. Brooks will have Ibaka and Adams to deal with Sap in the paint, Durant and Roberson coming out to help along the perimeter. Millsap may not have a huge scoring day, but may get a lot of touches as he positions himself to either spread the floor or draw extra defenders inside, freeing up his teammates for assisted shots.

    It is likely the outcome of this game will hinge on the defense of two likely All-Star point guards, and their backups. Westbrook is, at once, a whirling dervish and a wrecking ball, a tightly-wound ball of yarn interweaving magnificence with insolence. Right behind KD (25.5 PPG) for 4th in the NBA in scoring (25.1 PPG), Russ now leads the league with 2.3 SPG, and gets the third most free throw attempts in the league (8.6 FTAs/game; 80.9 FT%).

    The Thunder bigs will run HORNS sets and lots of screens to try and free him up inside. But Jeff Teague (92.3 January defensive rating, 3rd among starting NBA point guards) has done a surprisingly masterful job working through screens, and especially defusing point guards at halfcourt before they can get any momentum going toward the hoop.

    Reggie Jackson filled in capably as OKC’s go-to guy (20.2 PPG and 7.8 APG as a starter in November) while Westbrook and/or Durant were sidelined, but his patience has worn thin in a reserve role since their returns to action. Averaging just 10.0 PPG this month, Jackson is looking for a bounceback game after shooting 0-for-6 in a season-low 14 minutes in Washington.

    Jackson, Waiters, and Westbrook will strive to push the Hawks’ lead guards into turning the ball over, pressuring them fullcourt and channeling them into the waiting arms of Durant and Ibaka. In the case of Teague (2.2 TOs/game during the latest win streak, under 4 TOs in 21 of last 23 games), that effort has been akin to drawing blood from a turnip. But OKC will definitely look to fluster Atlanta’s Rising Star point guard, Schröder, into coughing it up and creating runouts for their stars.

    Dennis (11.8 points per-48 on drives, 1st among active NBA players and just ahead of Westbrook’s 10.5) has been stingy of late as well, committing just three turnovers in his last four appearances. But he’ll have to be craftier on defense as well, as he’s made just two steals in his last seven games.

    2015 KD soared above Marcin Gortat on Wednesday, and on the way up, surely, he couldn’t help but notice the Wizards’ center is already on the decline with nagging foot problems and nearly $50 million owed to him over the next four seasons, tethered to a $65 million star point guard with a fairly predictable floor game. Why would 2016 KD get with that, when he could conceivably pal up in free agency with the guy who was drafted right after him, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week with four healthy limbs who’s on track to snatch away Gortat’s All-Star reserve spot?

    Al Horford (18.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 6.2 APG, 76.5 FG% in his last five games) and the Durantula, re-joining KD’s old buddy Thabo with the stillmatic Kyle Korver, and a point guard on the rise who doesn’t snap at reporters while donning absurd outfits? Plus, cap space and a diabolical mad scientist coaching them all? What’s not to like? “You can get with THIS…”

    Of course, that’s all assuming Budenferry will entertain Mr. Durant when that time comes to talk turkey. In the meantime, it's still 2015, and while Durant gives Wizard fans a taste of what they’ve been missing, the Hawks are showing him, and many others around the league, what they may have been overlooking.

    “You can get with THIS. Or you can get with THAT. I think you’ll get with THIS… for this is kinda phat!”

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  4. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - Pacers

    By lethalweapon3,

    “This city needs me!”



    Is Mike Budenholzer pulling off a Long Con on the whole NBA?

    After defeating the Detroit Pistons on MLK Day, Coach Bud moved to within one victory, ideally tonight at home against the Indiana Pacers (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, Fox Sports Indiana), of securing a midseason gig that no “experts,” no pundits, no bloggers, no game thread preview writers, anywhere, expected him to have. And yet, fools like yours truly run fresh from Philips Arena following Monday’s 13th straight victory, one short of the franchise record, and head straight for the boxscores.

    Did the Hawks actually fail to snare an offensive rebound in the entire first half? Did we allow Detroit to grab a whopping season-high 61 rebounds, including 20 on the offensive end? Gee willikers, imagine if we got just half of those boards… we could have won by double digits! Wait, wut? Don’t trouble me with facts, I’m on a soapbox here!

    What, pray tell, will happen when the Big Bad Boogie Men of the Postseason show up and snatch our wittle basketball away from us? Teams like… Indiana? Okay, well then how about Washington? Or… gasp!... Chicago? Perpetual victory wins power rankings and Vegas odds, sure. But how can we convince, say, a guy who ate his way into a career as The Round Mound of Rebound, that rebounding doesn’t win championships? (Don’t tell him to count the rings on his fat fingers, that’s not nice.) How do we get guys like Two Buck Chuck to go all-in on the Hawks Bandwagon if we’re looking at our opponents every time down the floor like, “Welp! We gave it our best shot, so enjoy your little rebound! No, really, we actually did give it our best shot. See, we pass up good shots for better ones, so…”

    The media can’t figure it out either, so for answers after the Detroit game they ran to Budenholzer, who was as ohgoshdarnit as anyone. ''I covered my eyes sometimes when the ball went up to the rim,'' Coach Bud offered up as a response sugar-dusted with meekness. At times, it looked like the Hawks on the floor saw-no-evil too.

    But Coach Bud is the guy who can sit down with a bunch of flashy, self-centered guys at the poker table and awshucks his way to walking out with everybody’s money. It takes a while before people realize it’s not just dumb luck. What good is it for one to gain all the basketballs in the world but lose the game? Stan Van Gundy and the rest of the NBA are struggling to sort that quandary out.

    Including all three games against the Pistons and both games played so far against the Pacers, the Hawks are 20-2 on the season when they tally LESS than eight offensive rebounds… 16-0 when they snag LESS than six of ‘em. Bud tipped his hand a little immediately after his cover-your-eyes remark: ''Our guys are fighting. It's not for lack of effort... We're prioritizing transition defense and getting back.'' Bud’s not covering his eyes to cower – he’s humblebragging that he can win plenty of games like this with his eyes closed. It’s about more than passing up good shots for great shots; for Budenholzer, it’s more important to pass up great offensive rebounds for good defensive positioning on the other end on the floor.

    That showed up in Detroit’s 12 first-quarter points, their lowest offensive output in any quarter this season, as Andre Drummond nearly matched that number in rebounds (11 first-quarter boards). That showed up in the Pistons making just 29 of their 82 shots (35.4 FG%, 25.7 3FG%), as the meager leads they could were canceled faster than you could say, “Sorority Sisters.” Greg Monroe had 20 boards, Drummond 18. Yet no one on the Pistons roster compiled more than 16 points (the Hawks had 2 such players) or 5 assists (Atlanta had 4 players) on the day. It’s as deflating as a Foxboro football to expend all that energy “beating” the Hawks on the glass for naught.

    It shows up in Atlanta zipping past Indiana and several other teams this past week for the top per-game defense in the NBA (96.3 opponent PPG). Hawk foes connect on just 43.5% of shots (lowest in the East, 4th-lowest in NBA) and barely a third of their three-pointers (2nd-lowest in the East) even as they shoot a league-high 26.1 shots per game desperately trying to keep up with Korver and Kompany.

    It shows up in the Hawks ceding the 4th-fewest points in the paint, and the 3rd-fewest fastbreak points, despite the second-most second-chance points. All of this while Budenholzer keeps dishing out “credit” to the guys on the other end of the sideline for their stellar rebounding efforts. This is what Three-card Monte looks like when it’s being played on the hardwood.

    High-rebounding opponents keep looking at the Hawks’ fly trap and see nothing but a picnic table cover. Coach Frank Vogel and his Pacers (45.4 RPG, right between Detroit and Chicago in the East) have been victimized by The Budenhustler twice already this season. In November, Roy Hibbert and Luis Scola each had double-doubles as Indiana held Atlanta to their season-low 3 offensive rebounds, attempted ten more three-pointers than the Hawks… and lost, by 10. Just over one month later, the Pacers held the Hawks to six O-Rebs, earned seven more field goal attempts… and lost, by 16.

    Not flailing away amidst the behemoths for fleeting second-chance opportunities keeps Hawks center Al Horford (6-for-9 FGs, 7 assists; 6 rebounds, all defensive; no personal fouls and one turnover in 34 minutes vs. DET on Monday), the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, on the floor to do the things he does best. Averaging a career-low 1.8 personal fouls per game, he’s a different kind of beast at the pivot, and only now is Coach Bud really utilizing him to achieve his ends.

    The Hawks were best able to stretch the lead with The CatALyst (+20 plus-minus) on hand versus Detroit, his fifth consecutive game registering at least a +15, a value he exceeded just once in his previous 35 contests this season. Atlanta’s 23-1 when Horf (22.5 PPG and 56.3 FG% in two games vs. the Pacers) finishes the day with a positive plus-minus, undefeated in those games since mid-November.

    Of course, Indiana (97.9 offensive rating, 2nd-lowest in NBA; 50.7 TS%, 3rd-lowest in NBA) still sorely misses Paul George, who’s up and dunking now but will remain wisely sidelined for the remainder of the season. But there’s another starter who’s been missing time intermittently that the Pacers could use tonight. Point guard George Hill has been out since January 1 with a groin strain. Without either one available to hold the fort for Indy (15-28), losers of their past five games, it has been Peanut Butter Jelly Time for a different backcourt/swingman opponent almost every night.

    James Harden torched ‘em for 45 last Monday. Gerald Henderson got his groove back during a 80-71 overtime snoozefest last Saturday. Brandon Jennings’ 37 points helped Detroit edge Indiana last Friday. Mo Williams walks into the Fieldhouse averaging 11.0 PPG and drops 52 on the Pacers last Tuesday. The week before that, Tony Wroten comes off the bench for 20-and-9 to give the Sixers just their 7th win of the year. The Pacers needed OT just to overcome Avery Bradley’s 23. Klay Thompson hangs a 40-spot on them while Steph Curry is “held” to 21-and-15.

    That's all a good sign for Kyle Korver, Mr. 50/50/90. It’s also shaping up to be a nice bounce-back game for the Hawks’ leading scorer Jeff Teague, after struggling with his shooting touch (9-for-31 FGs, 1-for-9 3FGs) in head-to-head matchups with Brandon Jennings and Derrick Rose. To be fair, Jennings wound up the worse for wear, shooting just 1-for-10 against the Hawks. Teague has totaled just ten turnovers in his past six games while averaging 9.0 APG and clearly agitating the league’s most lauded lead guards.

    Teague averaged 23.0 PPG on 60.0 FG% and just 1.0 TOs/game in his two meetings with Indiana, both times with Hill out-of-action. Hill practiced yesterday and may return tonight for the Pacers (6.0 team SPG, 2nd-lowest in NBA). If not, as Teague and Dennis Schröder blow by the likes of C.J. Watson (starting despite playing with foot problems) and Rodney Stuckey, Vogel will need one of the Pacers in the frontcourt to disrupt their forays into the lane.

    That person ought to be one of David West or Solomon Hill. But Budenholzer’s pace-and-space-in-your-face offense dictates the Pacer forwards will need to stay home against Paul Millsap (team-high 20 points, 3-for-6 3FGs vs. Detroit) and DeMarre Carroll, who’s also looking to get back on the good foot offensively (4.5 PPG, 3-for-12 FGs vs. CHI and DET).

    As it is, Vogel will lean instead on Hibbert (6.0 block percentage, 3rd in NBA), Ian Mahinmi (missed a month with a torn plantar fascia; 14 rebounds, played entire fourth quarter at center @HOU on Monday) and Lavoy Allen, in hopes the Hawks’ guards will depend a lot less on their passing wizardry and more on giant-killer shots.

    Coupling their post defense with frenzied board-crashing on the offensive end, the Pacer post players should create enough extra rebounds and opportunities to keep Indiana in contention tonight.

    Maybe. Ain’t that right, Coach Bud? Quick... cover your eyes!

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  5. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - Pistons

    By lethalweapon3,

    “Free At Last! Free At Last! Thank Godalmighty… We’re Free At Last!”



    – Stan Van Gundy, December 2014




    “I May Not Get There With You… but I Want You to Know… We Will Get to the Promised Land!”



    – Danny Ferry, September 2014



    As impressive as the Atlanta Hawks have been on the road these days, it’s easy to overlook that they have also built the best home record (16-3) in the East, second-best in the NBA. Armed with the best regular-season start in team history, the Hawks return to The Highlight Factory before a national audience to kickstart a seven-game homestand, part of a stretch of nine-out-of-ten games at Philips Arena. While Mrs. John Battle (Regina Belle) croons to the MLK Day crowd, the Detroit Pistons (2:30 PM Eastern, ESPN) and the conference’s other purported pre-season contenders are eager to make it like it was, the way it used to be.

    The arc of the post-Smoove universe is long, but it bends toward winning. The Pistons (16-25) and the hobbled Charlotte Hornets are both hard-charging toward playoff contention, coming into this afternoon’s games just one game behind the Brooklyn Nets (“THE FIRST RULE ABOUT DRAFTSWAP IS…?”) Detroit is on an 11-2 tear since parting ways with Josh Smith, the sole losses coming at home to the Hawks, 106-103 back on January 9, and the Pelicans this past Wednesday. While the Pistons have mostly disappointed this season at the Palace, they’re the only would-be-lottery team with a .500 record (10-10) away from home.

    Greg Monroe (at least 10 boards in eight of his last 10 games) and Andre Drummond (12.9 RPG, 2nd in NBA) have been making themselves at home under opposing teams’ rims, as the Pistons lead the NBA with 47.1 RPG, 12.9 offensive, in away games. The Pacers forgot about Dre, whose tip-in of a high-off-the-glass layup attempt by Brandon Jennings (37 points) gave him his 16th rebound (10th O-Reb) of the evening, handing Detroit another road win on Thursday to zip past Indiana in the Central Division basement. There was no need for last-second heroics the next night, as Monroe and Drummond’s combined 28 rebounds were enough to subdue Philadelphia back at Auburn Hills.

    Pero Antić was rested on Saturday and missed the January 9 game in Detroit as well. He can help Horford and Paul Millsap moderate the activity of Detroit’s big men by inducing turnovers, but has been less effective as a rebounder (9.3 rebounding percentage) relative to last season (13.1 Reb%). If boxing out becomes an issue and Antić struggles to hold up his end, Elton Brand may prove to be a superior option.

    Drummond was apparently sickened by “The Dominican Bird Flu,” checking himself out as Al Horford hit three consecutive shots in the second half of the Hawks’ 106-103 win in Detroit on January 9. Horford (19 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists) took a 19-point first-half lead that Drummond (2-for-6, 4 points and 5 rebounds in 17 minutes) helped narrow, and promptly re-expanded it to a nauseating 20. The miracle cure was apparently the Brooklyn Nets, who Drummond (14 points, 6-for-9 shooting, 9 boards in 28 minutes) astutely handled the very next night.

    Amid a four-game-in-five-nights string last week, the Hawks’ five starters individually led the NBA in net rating (Horford, Kyle Korver, Jeff Teague, DeMarre Carroll, and Paul Millsap, in that order), and the two hottest shooters in the league were Horford (127.4 offensive rating and 84.4 FG%, 1st in NBA; 86.2 true shooting percentage, 2nd in NBA) and Korver (125.3 O-rating, 2nd in NBA; 95.4 TS% and 66.7 3FG%, 1st in NBA). Drummond understands there are no defensive rebounds to nab when the ball keeps falling into the hoop.

    For the Drumroe machine to be effective, Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy knows he needs somebody outside the paint to force tougher shots and turnovers from Korford. Getting the duo to sit with early foul trouble could work out even better. The 33-year-old Korver’s 33.1 minutes per game is second-highest on the team, and his league-leading 3FG% shoots up to 56.7% when he logs more than 35 minutes. Horford has exceeded three personal fouls just twice all season and just once since the third game of the season.

    Kyle Singler and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, in particular, have to play better defense at the wing positions, and can’t get caught up simply trying to keep up with Atlanta’s efficient shot-making. KCP’s offense against Atlanta on January 9 (20 points, 4-for-16 3FGs, 8-for-23 FGs) amounted to throwing stuff at the glass and seeing what sticks. Despite shooting 3-for-6 on threes (16 points, five assists) in his last outing against the Hawks, Singler’s shooting has declined (39.4 FG%) since being moved into the full-time starter spot and probably needs to drive more. If the Piston starters fail to slow down Al and Kyle, that responsibility may fall onto Gwinnett County native Jodie Meeks (six steals vs. Philly on Saturday) and former Hawk Anthony Tolliver.

    The momentum in Detroit ten days ago turned on the introduction of 3-and-OMG-is-that-D specialist Tolliver (15 bench points, 3-for-6 3FGs) to the fray. He seemed to be one of the few Pistons who had any clue what the Hawks were doing. Before his sixth foul with 17 seconds to go, Tolliver’s ten second-quarter points kept the game from becoming a complete laugher, while his timely second-half blocks of Paul Millsap and Horford brought the Pistons as far as he could carry them while Drummond sat.

    Melo, KD, Stack, Mercer, Jennings. That’s Brandon Jennings’ opinion of the All-Time Starting 5 at Oak Hill Academy, as told recently to SneakerWatch.com. While his self-inclusion in lieu of Rondo is understandable, are there any questions what he thinks of his former Piston teammate as a small forward at any level? Jennings has picked up the offensive slack, or at least the usage slack, following Smith’s involuntary departure. Since then, Detroit is 8-0 when he takes more than 15 shots, 6-0 when he makes 20 or more points. Teague (three blocks and three steals at Chicago) and Dennis Schröder (rested ankle on Saturday) must persistently frustrate Jennings (25.0 PPG, 48.5 3FG% and 93.3 FT% last week) into drawing fouls and giving up the rock.

    Shelvin Mack will be one less arrow in the quiver for Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer, as he’ll get some downtime for a calf strain. Detroit’s bench mob helped bring the Pistons back to par with the Hawks by game’s end ten days ago, and the Hawks will need a concerted fullcourt effort from Schröder, Antić, Kent Bazemore, Thabo Sefolosha (12 points, 5-for-5 FGs at Detroit on Jan. 9) and Mike Scott to keep the Pistons at arm’s length.

    For over 45 years, Hawks fans have had a dream, occasionally deferred, that in 2015 may finally be forming into reality. With their conference rivals watching with rapt attention from below, and with national audiences and local skeptics watching as closely as ever before, the next several weeks in Atlanta will be another prime opportunity for the Hawks to demonstrate the content of their character as they march toward postseason glory.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  6. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - Bulls

    By lethalweapon3,

    “I’m done tryin’ to check this Teague guy. How ‘bout you get out there and give it a try?”



    Ole!

    At last check, Tom Thibodeau still leads Mike Budenholzer in the number of vowels in his surname. But virtually no one had Coach Bud one-upping Thibs in the NBA standings, never mind at his own game, this late into the season.

    Coach Bud’s Atlanta Hawks (32-8) soar in from Canada for a Saturday night tilt with Thibodeau’s Chicago Bulls (8:00 PM Eastern, SportSouth, WGN), hoping two sweep a four-games-in-five-nights road trip ahead of a seven-game homestand. No matter the outcome, tonight's game will conclude the greatest first-half of an NBA basketball season that any Atlanta Hawks team has experienced.

    And it’s not only the Hawks’ perch atop the Eastern Conference standings that has surprised lately. It’s the Hawks whose 99.7 defensive rating ranks Top-5 in the NBA (96.1 in January, 3rd in NBA), not the Bulls (102.1 defensive rating, 11th in NBA). And Chicago has really been slouching on that end of the floor (104.4 in January, 24th in NBA), particularly at home, where the Bulls have dropped three of their last four and are a mediocre 12-9 at the United Center.

    On Wednesday, Derrick Rose discovered his long-range jumper (6-for-9 3FGs), including one basket he nailed from Skokie to end the half. But his 32 points weren’t enough to keep John Wall and the Washington Wizards from zooming past the Bulls with 62 second-half points.

    Two nights before, the Bulls allowed the most points in a home regulation game during the Thibodeau era, 120 points (63 in the first half) to an Orlando Magic team that came into the game with a 13-27 record. The Bulls unlocked Victor Oladipo’s All-Star mode (33 points) while Nikola Vucevic (33 points, 11 boards) was a nightmare for Pau Gasol around the rim all night.

    The week before, the Utah Jazz (61 second-half points) roasted the Bulls by 20, in the Windy City. And they needed virtually all of Gasol’s vintage 46 points and 18 rebounds just to top the Milwaukee Bucks by eight. Bulls opponents have been shooting field goals this month at a 47.6% clip, the 5th highest in the NBA. The team the Hawks blitzed yesterday, the Toronto Raptors, have only been slightly worse (48.9 opponent FG% in January).

    It gets rougher for the Bulls (27-14) as last season’s Defensive Player of the Year, two-time All-Star center Joakim Noah, sprained his ankle in the first half against the Wizards, and is unlikely to play tonight after missing Chicago’s 119-103 win last night in Boston. On the strength of Rose’s 29-and-10, the Bulls were able to pull away in the second half, but not before the 13-25 Celtics put up 58 first-half points on them.

    Aside from drawing technical fouls as he did last night in Boston, Noah will only be able to watch in street clothes from the sideline as perennial DPOY nominee Taj Gibson and Gasol wrangle with his fellow Gator alum. Al Horford has a chance to earn his second Conference Player of the Week award this season after averaging 21.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 7.5 APG on a downright absurd 88.9 FG% in his past two games. When Noah’s ankle issues forced him to miss the Bulls-Hawks meeting in Atlanta last month, Horford had 21 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists while Atlanta’s defense contained Rose (6-for-21 shooting, 0-for-7 on threes) to a season-low 86 points.

    Gibson and the Bulls’ forwards will have to take turns helping Gasol with Horford, both in the paint and out on the wings. But they’ll have to recover quickly to cover Paul Millsap, who had 17 points and 8 rebounds in the Dec. 15 game, a gritty 93-86 Hawks victory that made ten-wins-in-11-games seem impressive at the time. Kyle Korver’s 4-for-8 three-point shooting in that outing helped keep the Bulls at bay.

    On defense, Chicago (NBA-high 6.7 blocks per game, 8.1 BPG in January) will be swiping at anything and everything that comes into the paint, but Gibson must avoid foul trouble. On offense, the Bulls must find ways to get the ball to Gibson (15 points and season-high 17 rebounds @ATL in December, but five personal fouls) in the low post. Opponents shoot 56.0 FG% around the rim with Millsap in the vicinity (3rd highest opponent FG% in NBA, min. 7.0 attempts per game).

    The Hawks will have even more defensive help than they had in their last meeting, as Pero Antić missed the December game while fighting the flu. Antić can also help the Hawks spread the floor on the offensive end, something the Bulls cannot say as they’ve been missing swingman Mike Dunleavy since January 1 with a sprained ankle. Rookie Doug McDermott remains out after arthroscopic knee surgery in December.

    “Psssssssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhh…” Did you hear that? That’s the sound of the air fizzling out of Jimmy Butler’s MVP candidacy. Dunleavy’s absence has forced Butler (22 points, 8-for-17 FGs, 9 rebounds at Atlanta in December) to become more of a sharpshooter than a basket-attacker, drawing fewer trips to the free throw line. He’s gone from 21.7 PPG before January to 16.9 PPG this month on 39.3 FG%, a percentage bolstered only by his shooting 10-for-19 against the lowly Celts last night. On the plus side, Butler has his steals (2.8 January SPG) and assists (3.8 January APG) on the uptick.

    Dunleavy’s injury and Butler’s scoring downturn is putting more pressure on Rose to prove he’s the worthy All-Star people expect him to be. He knows he’ll need a huge night if he’s going to avoid watching Teague (20.1 PPG and 8.3 APG in his last ten games; 13-for-24 FGs in his last two games) in the ASG from home. Rose missed his last five shots in Atlanta as the Hawks pulled away, but his postgame commentary showed was more concerned with the way the Bulls started. ''We put ourselves in the hole. We should have had the lead a long time ago,” Rose said. “Don't get me wrong, they're a great team. But we should have made sure we came out a little more aggressive at the beginning of the game.”

    Proving themselves to be more than mere sideline novelty acts, Kent Bazemore (10 points, 3-for-3 FGs) and Dennis Schröder (9 points, 4-for-6 FGs, 4 assists) led an Atlanta bench corps featuring six separate scorers shooting a collective 61.9 FG% against the Raptors last night.

    As for Chicago, Thibs needs strong bench scoring to take some of the pressure off of the starters, and Aaron Brooks (43.1 3FG%; 10.9 PPG, highest average since 2009-10) is happy to oblige. But Thibodeau hasn’t had the same success he’s had in the past (Korver, Nate Robinson, Dunleavy, etc.) getting notoriously subpar defenders to improve their efforts on the floor. He’s alternating Kirk Hinrich and Tony Snell into the starting lineup largely based on which one he feels is more likely to help the Bulls make stops.

    Thibodeau is also turning more to Nikola Mirotic, the 2011 draft-and-stashee who is now in the lead in the race for Rookie of the Year. But Mirotic shot just 1-for-7 in Atlanta last month and is shooting a paltry 32.8 FG% (21.9 3FG%) this month. Thibodeau is trying to corral Mirotic’s energy, so that the 23-year-old Montenegrin doesn’t lose control on drives to the rim, and that he doesn’t lose his own man scrambling to help on defense.

    Butler is convinced the 4th-quarter screw-tightening against Boston is the key to success moving forward, particularly if they can start out games that way against red-hot teams like the Hawks, who have exceeded 100 points in their last five games, seven times in their last eight. "We play like that for 48 minutes, getting stops, teams won't score 90 points,” Butler said, “and damn sure won't score 100."

    That remains to be seen.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  7. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - Celtics

    By lethalweapon3,

    Boston’s newly-approved jersey patches.



    Can Evan Turner defend point guards to save his life? We’re about to find out.

    As it is, it’s hard enough for Turnstile Turner to stay in front of anybody without the added challenge of inserting one of his feet in his open mouth. That was the situation last month when Kyle Korver’s 24 points (6-for-7 three-point shooting) left him with a case of Bitter Beer Face in the postgame locker room. With the Atlanta Hawks coming to town to visit his Boston Celtics (8:00 PM Eastern, SportSouth, CSN New England) and the prospect of a full evening with Dennis Schröder and a rested Jeff Teague on the horizon, E.T. may very well wish to Phone Home.

    Holding the starting point guard seat warm for rookie Marcus Smart, Turner is finding himself in this newfound predicament thanks not only to his big yap but to Trader Dan. It’s not so much that Celtics GM Danny Ainge is trading players away for new talent as it is he’s dissolving them into thin air.

    Western Conference clubs are seemingly trading with one another via Boston (13-23). The Celtics’ franchise face, leading passer and leading rebounder Rajon Rondo moved on to Dallas last month. The haul of bodies Ainge received back included Jae Crowder, Jameer Nelson, and Brandan Wright, the latter a young player with shotblocking and offensive rebounding poten -- oh, wait, he’s already gone to Phoenix. Meanwhile, Vitor Faverani got himself a one-way ticket back overseas.

    Boston’s leading scorer, Jeff Green? He’s now in Graceland after a three-team deal last week with the Grizzlies and Pelicans. In return, Ainge acquired Austin Rivers, who is about to test his father’s patience once he’s dealt to the Clippers, and Tayshaun Prince, who may actually suit up with a green “$” as his uni number while Ainge negotiates a buyout deal.

    Nelson (22.0 FG% in six Boston games) essentially declared, “Get Me Off This *&^#% Roster, or I’ll Shoot!” and Ainge has obliged, sending him to Denver this week for Nate Robinson, one of the former Celtic pieces who brought Green here back in 2011. Robinson brings back fading memories of the championship-contention days of Celtic yore as he -- whoops, holdat! Ainge just bought out Nate, too.

    So, Boston’s net haul since they last played the Hawks? Rondo, Faverani and Green out; Crowder, three future protected first-round picks and one second-round pick in.

    You can best believe Trader Dan isn’t done wheeling and dealing, certainly not with a deadline still over a month away, guys like Brandon Bass and Marcus Thornton essentially hanging out with their expiring contracts, and more future draft picks and prospects out there for the taking.

    What about the remnants on Boston’s roster, especially those likely to hit the floor tonight for second-year head coach Brad Stevens? Even the young players aren’t immune from getting that tap on their shoulder. The only Celtic who seems to be “safe” this season is Gerald Wallace with his immovable $10 million per year contract.

    Avery Bradley got himself a nice four-year contract extension during the offseason. But with only modest defensive (0.9 SPG) and shooting numbers (34.3 3FG%), is the 6-foot-2 guard a mainstay, or merely a stopgap? The same can be asked of Turner, whose per-36 steals and blocks and shooting percentages (career-high 37.0 3FG%) are improved, but not enough to raise anyone’s eyebrows.

    Jared Sullinger (27 points and 10 boards vs. New Orleans; 9-for-17 shooting, 8-for-9 FTs) did a nice job offsetting Anthony Davis in Boston’s home win on Monday. But while he has vastly improved his conditioning over last season, is Sullinger the kind of big man Stevens projects as a long-term option for his fast-paced offense (98.1 possessions per-48 post-Rondo, 3rd in the East)? Jae was bae (22 points on 9-for-14 shooting, 4 steals) for Stevens against the Pelicans as well, in just his third start for Boston. But despite the praise provided by Ainge and Stevens coming in from Dallas, the right offer could have the Villa Rican Crowder heading out of New England within a month or so.

    Kelly Olynyk (58.0 2FG%, 6th in NBA, but just 34.9 FG% on jumpers) was not brought into the fold with the mindset that he’d be a foul machine (3.6 PF/game, 3rd among active players). Tyler Zeller (64.3 TS%, 6th in NBA) has vastly improved his offensive game, but does he project to be the long-range answer at the 5-spot? For Stevens, Ainge, and the Celtics’ brain trust, their true answers may arrive via the next six years of draft choices.

    “You can’t dig a hole and come out of it.” Atlanta head coach Mike Budenholzer could have just as well been referring to the challenge Hawks opponents have been facing. As Bob Rathbun has noted, and following Philadelphia’s phutile efforts last night, the Hawks (30-8; nine straight wins) are now 25-1 when they obtain a double-digit lead in any game this season (Atlanta went up 16-6 during November’s double OT loss in Charlotte).

    But on that December night, Coach Bud’s commentary followed a game in which the Celtics raced to a 53-30 lead with seven minutes to go in the first-half, Rondo dishing out his nine of his season-high 19 assists along the way. The Hawks gave up 42 points to Boston in the first quarter alone. “I think it speaks to the resiliency of this group,” Budenholzer remarked, “but you can’t keep doing it.”

    Shooting 61 FG% by halftime and up 66-50, the big margin left Celtics players feeling like their logo, fat and grinning, but wholly unprepared for the offensive onslaught that would ensue. The Hawks went on a 20-5 third quarter tear, led by Korver and Al Horford, then used a combination of defensive pressure from DeMarre Carroll and offense from Schröder (ten 4th-quarter points) to seize the lead for the final time early in the fourth. Kent Bazemore’s runout off a hectic defensive rebounding effort and layup in the closing seconds sealed the deal for Boston’s eighth loss in their last nine games, perhaps setting the stage for Rondo’s departure from Beantown.

    When the Hawks have been able to coast in the closing quarter, it has come from earning trips to the free throw line (7.8 4th-quarter FTAs/game, 2nd most in East) and taking care of business once they get there (79.1 4th-quarter FT%, 3rd in NBA). If they’ve fallen behind, the Celts will rely on pressure defense from Bradley and ball-control from Smart and Turner (6.0 4th-quarter A/TO Ratio post-Rondo, 12th in NBA) to try to pull themselves close. Since that December 2 game, the Hawks’ 3.8 fourth-quarter TOs per game are the fourth-highest in the league. Even since Rondo’s departure, Boston’s 24.5 APG ranks 6th-highest in the NBA, including a league-leading 6.9 APG in the final quarter.

    Should it come down to a close game in the clutch (last five minutes of games, ahead/behind by five points), the Hawks can always turn to the steady hands of Horford, who enjoyed his first career triple-double and season-high ten assists at Philadelphia yesterday. Al’s 11.0 clutch-situation A/TO ratio currently leads all NBA players, guards included.

    The record to date shows that Korver’s defensive rating in clutch situations (94.8 defensive rating, 23 games, net rating plus-23.8) dwarfs that of Turner’s (117.1 defensive rating, 13 games; net rating minus-18.6). If his own life depended on it, could Turner do anything about Teague’s 5.9 fourth-quarter PPG on 56.6 FG% and 91.5 FT% shooting? Or Schröder and Teague’s drives, effective enough to place both among the NBA’s top-5 in per-48 scoring? Or even Korver’s 4.1 PPG on an NBA-high 68.2 3FG% in the fourth-quarter? Thankfully for Turner and the Celtics, such questions are merely supposition.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  8. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - 76ers

    By lethalweapon3,

    Another Road Warrior Hawk.



    Along the path to their first (and last) NBA Championship, the St. Louis Hawks pulled off eight-straight wins away from their nest over a 21-day stretch in December 1957 (including “neutral site” games). The run concluded with a victory in Dallas over a Minneapolis Lakers team that featured Erik Spoelstra’s father, before the Hawks lost a few days later by just two points... in Philadelphia. Is past prologue?

    Away from home 57 years later, the Atlanta Hawks have been flying high for awhile, victors of their last eight road games. But the Eastern Conference leaders will have to endure an East Coast road-trip that spans four games over six nights before returning home for the MLK Day Game. This trip will include a pair of “trap games”, beginning tonight with the Philadelphia 76ers (7:00 PM Eastern, SportSouth, CSN Philly). The fire-sale Boston Celtics awaits the Hawks’ arrival tomorrow night.

    The Hawks always seem to catch the 76ers (7-29) just as Philly’s starting to smell itself a bit. The Hawks had to slow the Sixers’ roll back on December 10, as Philadelphia was coming off its first two wins of the season over the course of its previous three games, with three days rest in between. Now the Sixers host the Hawks with two days’ rest after pulling off three wins in their last four games, all thrilling (for them, at least) victories within the closing seconds of each game.

    A Tony Wroten jumper with ten seconds remaining did in the LeBron-less, Kyrie-less, lifeless Cavaliers a week ago. Then the Sixers pulled off wins on back-to-back nights for the first time in over a year. Nerlens Noel dunked a game-clincher on the Nyets with three seconds to go in Brooklyn last Friday, and the next night the Sixers hung on for the final ten seconds to prevail after Michael Carter-Williams made a layup. None of those opponents have played remotely as well as Atlanta lately, but if it comes down to the final minutes, the Sixers will damn the torpedoes and ditch the tank job.

    Outside of San Antonio, there is perhaps no NBA coach who better understands what Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer is trying to put together than Philadelphia head coach and former Spurs assistant Brett Brown. He was given the chance to become The Man Who’s Sitting Next to the Man when Coach Bud flew the Spurs’ coaching coop for Atlanta. Instead, Brown accepted Sam Hinkie’s offer to manage a reclamation project in the City of Brotherly Shove. His charges have the “pace” part down (99.1 possessions per-48, 4th-highest pace in the NBA), but don’t have the talent (90.6 PPG, 29.9 3FG% and 41.1 FG%, last in NBA) necessary to adequately “space” the floor. Brown’s affable demeanor takes some of the media heat off of him as he coaches up a team designed to fail, but a few wins every now and then help him instill confidence in the Philly Phaithful.

    Sixer games are an intentional slopfest, a lot of wild back-and-forth with occasional highlight-reel-quality play from their up-and-coming stars. In Atlanta, the 2-19 Sixers never held a lead but played the Hawks as close to the vest as possible and for a full half. Then Philly repeatedly pulled within ten points before the Hawks could pull away in the final quarter for the most headache-inducing 16-point win of the year.

    Between the 5:30 mark in the third quarter and 8:45 in the fourth, the lurching Hawks made just one field goal, half of the Sixers’ two in that stretch. The teams totaled three field goals in the opening and closing minutes of the first three quarters and the start of the fourth. Opponents’ sense of disbelief that they’re not blowing out the JaKarr Sampsons of the world by halftime adversely affects their play, working to the 76ers’ competitive advantage.

    The Spirit of ’76 might not be so high without the boisterous efforts of one of their biggest followers – namely, rookie K.J. McDaniels’ mother. Shawn Chapman-McDaniels comes to Sixer games to cheer on her son’s team as loudly as possible. Check that… to cheer on her son as loudly as possible, to the extent where she’s audibly booing and screaming from the sidelines whenever her jumping-jack of a kid isn’t receiving passes from teammates. Booing in Philadelphia is like “y’all” in Atlanta, so the Alabama native fits right in, but she traveled to an Orlando game and was nearly escorted out.

    Chapman-McDaniels was not let in on the Sixers’ ulterior motives, and eventually let her feelings be known in no uncertain terms on Twitter, earning her quite the following. K.J., his teammates, and the McDaniels clan has “suspended” Mom from Twitter, even betting her money, until she can prove she can bite her tongue for a full week. Yet her unwavering “attytood” has become not a distracting spectacle but a team-bonding effect on Philly’s sideline. If she’s at tonight’s game, you’ll know.

    While showing some sense of a pulse on the court, the Sixers have been quite the busy beavers in their front office since falling in Atlanta back in December. Their leading scorer from that contest, Alexey Shved (13 points off the bench)? He’s been Shvedded, off to Houston for Ronny Turiaf (who was also discarded), some 33-year old Eurostiff (ce n’est pas tu, Ronny!) who will never see an NBA floor without a press pass, and a future second-round pick.

    Brandon Davies was also sent packing, to Brooklyn, in exchange for Jorge Gutierrez (they dumped him, too), Andrei Kirilenko and (in a small nod by the Nets’ Billy King to the Hawks’ front office) a swap-rights option for second-rounders in 2020. Brett Brown’s post-trade coffee klatch with Andrei apparently didn’t go as smoothly as planned: Kirilenko refuses to report to the team, while Philadelphia has suspended him without pay.

    Malcolm Lee was picked up a week before the Hawks game, played for a couple minutes, and was promptly dropped like he wasn’t hot the next day. Ronald Roberts was yo-yo’ed before finally getting waived to make room for a young Turkish import, forward Furkan Aldemir. His mom, it’s believed, does not wish to be known as “Mother Furkan”.

    That 33-year-old Eurostiff whose name isn’t worth finding out? He was shipped to the Clips for cash and our old friends Cenk Akyol (you remember Cenk, don’t you? He earned us some pocket change and a nice meal with Antawn Jamison at last year’s trade deadline!) and Jared Cunningham. Didn’t know Cunningham was with the Sixers? No worries: they cut him loose, too.

    Philadelphia GM Sam Hinkie’s credo is probably, “The Trick is Not Minding.” The net results of his presto-change-o magic? Aldemir, straight cash, minor picks, and the right to slide all up in AK-47’s DMs. None of that pseudo-player movement, though, has impacted the 76ers’ near-respectable 7-12 run after an 0-17 start to the season. The Sixers’ recent winning ways have also happened without Hollis Thompson, who was starting at 2-guard but returns tonight after missing almost a month with a respiratory infection.

    Philadelphia collected a season-high 12 swats against Indiana on Saturday, and the Hawks got rejected a team-high 10 times by the Sixers in December. Philly depends on the windmill-length arms of Noel, Carter-Williams and McDaniels to make stops, and on their collective youthful energy to beat teams down the floor for fastbreak points (15.0 per game, 2nd in East behind tomorrow’s opponent, Boston). The 76ers’ 17.9 PPG off turnovers is right behind Atlanta’s 18.1 (2nd in East), so protecting the rock and bigs getting back on defense will be paramount for Atlanta.

    Better movement away from the ball and distracting cuts to the basket should help Atlanta open up shooters around the perimeter. Kyle Korver was dogged by Sixer wings in December but still ended the day 5-for-7 from three-point country, matching Paul Millsap’s team-high 17 points. Pero Antić (3-for-5 3FGs on Sunday) had no pressure launching shots against the Wizards, but he will have to be decisive tonight as won’t be given time for his patented jumpfakes against Noel.

    Dennis Schröder (2-for-3 3FGs) was immensely confident at the close of Sunday’s big win over the Wizards, but could not walk away from 2-for-11 shooting inside the arc. If they can get defenders at their backs on drives, Schröder (2-for-9 FGs vs. Philly in December) and Shelvin Mack could have big offensive outings to offset Philly’s MCW and Wroten. Jeff Teague, Millsap, and DeMarre Carroll will all be resting tonight, allowing Schröder, Thabo Sefolosha and Mike Muscala (whose contract for the rest of the season was fully guaranteed last week) ample time to shine in the starting lineup.

    The Hawks will also want to improve on the 69.2 FT% (on just 13 attempts) they shot in December versus Philly. Solid free throw shooting by the Hawks was a key difference between the satisfying conclusions in the Memphis (82.6 team FT%) and Washington (83.3%) games and the hang-on-to-your-hat finish in Detroit (66.7 team FT%) last week. Even with a slimmer lineup, the Hawks won’t want their chance for an unprecedented ninth-straight road win to turn into a nail-biter.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  9. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - Wizards

    By lethalweapon3,

    CROWD: “Up in the sky!” “It’s a bird!” “It’s a plane!”



    CAPTAIN POLAND: “I don’t know, guys. That might just be a pierogi wrapper.”


    Remember before the season started? How Dion Waiters, of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Bradley Beal, of today’s guests at the Highlight Factory, the Washington Wizards (3:00 PM Eastern, SportSouth, CSN Washington) were bickering back-and-forth over whose team had The Best Backcourt in the East? That was real cute.

    Waiters has since been dispatched to the prairie, working to earn his way back into the starting lineup, only this time alongside Russell Westbrook instead of Kyrie Irving. While Beal is beginning to find his shooting touch, he’s been hot-and-cold ever since missing the start of the season with a fractured wrist, leaving a lot of the heavy lifting to John Wall. And while Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan should have waded into that discussion from the jump, there’s another duo that has emerged as a strong contender for Scariest Backcourt in the East, if not the best.

    Jeff Teague’s net rating (offensive minus defensive rating) of +10.3 points per 100 possessions ranks as the highest among all Eastern Conference players. Third place belongs to his backcourt partner, Kyle Korver (+9.7), and in second place is a former Atlanta Hawk, Lou Williams (+9.9). Teague and Korver are mastering Mike Budenholzer’s offense and now have the Clevelands and Washingtons and Torontos of the world looking up at them, the Hawks (28-8) three games ahead of the Bulls, Raptors, and Wizards (25-11), entering this afternoon’s action.

    Wall has held up his end of the Best Backcourt bargain. He prevailed for the first time in his matchups with fellow #1-overall pick Derrick Rose on Friday night, putting in 12 assists to go with 16 points and just 3 turnovers. The leading vote-getter at guard in the East for the All-Star Game has notched at least 10 points and 10 assists in an NBA-high 21 games. Rose has talked openly about the rivalries with Rose and Irving, all first-overall draft picks, which are sure to last a lifetime. But right now, there is at least one contemporary in his own division Wall ought to be paying attention to as well.

    Wall (17.4 PPG, down from 19.1 in his first All-Star season in 2013-14) is shooting a career-high 45.7 FG%, but he has not yet found his range (29.9 3FG%), and he has not exceeded 20 points since the Wizards trounced the Knicks on Christmas Day. And the East’s premier point guard sensation (10.3 APG, 1st in NBA, 2.1 SPG, 2nd in NBA) has suddenly found himself having to share some accolades with the East’s reigning NBA Player of the Week.

    As Rajon Rondo has moved on to Dallas, Wall now leads the East guards in points per-48 created by assist (32.7). But sandwiched between him and the Wizards’ Andre Miller in second place is Teague (26.1). While Wall’s ball handling skills help him get into the paint with ease, Teague makes 4.8 more forays to the basket on drives than Wall, producing 3.3 more team points per game. In the East, only Philly’s Tony Wroten and Atlanta’s Dennis Schröder score more on a per-48 basis via drives than Teague.

    Wall has a superior assist-turnover ratio (2.8 A/TO, to Teague’s 2.5). But in clutch situations (last 5 minutes of games or overtime, ahead or behind by no more than 5 points) it is Teague (3.5 A/TO) who leads starting PGs in the East, while Wall finds defenses clamping in on him (1.7 A/TO). Back on November 25, Wall had 13 assists but seven of Washington’s 20 turnovers as Atlanta feasted on the Wizards’ sloppy play. Teague had only 3 assists as he rested while Shelvin Mack took over, but he did not turn the ball over once in the second half while pouring on 18 of his 28 points (12-for-14 FTs) in a 106-102 “upset” in the Capitol City.

    Beal has buried seven of his last ten treys, and is shooting a career-high 47.7 3FG% (5th in NBA), including 57.1% in his last five games this month. But as much as Wall struggles to shoot outside the perimeter, Beal is also maddeningly inefficient inside the arc (40.3 2FG%, a 3-year career-low). It is hard for coach Randy Wittman to diversify the Wizards’ offensive attack when his backcourt scorers have limited ranges. While Beal and season surprise Rasual Butler (49.6 3FG%, 3rd in NBA) help the Wizards lead the league in three-point shooting (39.7 FG%), their team’s 15.5 attempts are next-to-last in the NBA. Coming off his third back surgery in four seasons, wingman Martell Webster has returned but has struggled to get up to speed.

    The Hawks have to play strong defense at the mid-range, where the Wizards shoot 30.6 attempts per game (2nd most in NBA), keeping Paul Pierce and Nene from heating up. They also have to keep Marcin Gortat (52.7 FG%, 5th in East) and Kris Humphries off the offensive glass.

    The Wizards are able to rely on strong defense to stay ahead of the game on most nights. Atlanta leads the league in assists and faces a Washington team whose opponents produce a league-low 17.9 APG. Nene and Gortat keep the interior closed, and Paul Pierce helps short-circuit drives for the Wizards, whose opponents collect an NBA-low 38.1 PPG in the paint. The Wizards’ frontcourt will try to force Atlanta into iso’s and force one-and-done possessions, given the Hawks produce an NBA-low 10.6 second-chance PPG.

    Al Horford’s and Paul Millsap’s expanded range can help offset the Wizards’ mid-range attacks, also opening up the middle for what, for now, looks to be the Scariest Backcourt in the East.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  10. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - Pistons

    By lethalweapon3,

    He’s always envisioned his name up in the rafters. What a banner year!



    “And a Child From Georgia Shall Lead Them…” Stan 12:22

    Even after all the good tidings and cheer of the past several weeks, the Atlanta Hawks can only boast of having the second-most joyous fanbase in all the NBA right now.

    Their hosts tonight, the Detroit Pistons (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, Fox Sports Detroit) have rattled off seven impressive victories in a row. None of their victories before Christmastime, when the Pistons were 5-23 and pushing the Sixers for the league’s cellar-dwelling spot, were by double-digits. Six of their last seven wins have been by 10 or more points, the exception being a thrilling last-second comeback over the defending NBA champs in San Antonio. And who would’ve guessed a key difference-maker for Detroit would not be a guy from Collipark, but from the opposite end of the Atlanta ‘burbs?

    The Pride of Norcross High, Jodie Meeks raised eyebrows and cackles as one of the first signings of the 2014 free agent summer, parlaying a D’Antoni-fueled breakout season into a contract for $19 million guaranteed spread out over three years. Meeks then had to shut things down early in the preseason due to a back injury, missing most of the fustercluck that ensued over the next two months and leaving the Pistons to turn to Kyle Singler as their sole reliable perimeter shooting threat (emphasis on “reliable.” I’m terribly sorry, Cartier Martin).

    Detroit prevailed in their first two games once Meeks returned, only to slide back toward the abyss with four consecutive losses. Pistons GM/Head Coach Stan Van Gundy was faced with some dilemmas. How could he get Meeks going in an offense where one or two guys persistently dominate the ball? At the same time, how could he rekindle the spirits of frontcourt bookends Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond, former franchise faces that seemed to be flaming out? How could he awaken a once-proud Piston fanbase that only fills up 62 percent of their Palace at Auburn Hills, the lowest mark by far in the league, just six seasons removed from season-long sellouts?

    To begin solving those issues, Van Gundy made his next big maneuver, a very expensive one. And by all measures, it was a masterstroke, one that suddenly places SVG squarely in the running for this year’s We Know We Can’t Give It to Danny Ferry So Here’s Your Executive of the Year Award.

    Most everyone with a conscience sensed the pairing of the Pistons and Mr. Smith would work out not much longer than Andi and That Other Josh. Still, no one expected that Stan would dare push that Un-Dumars button in the middle of the season. And not many anticipated that the residual set of Piston players would prove themselves to be competent, much less competitive, never mind occasionally dominant.

    Suddenly, reserve guard Meeks (13.8 PPG, 3rd on the team; 47.1 3FG%) is going 9-for-11 on threes against the Magic. Suddenly, leading scorer Monroe is giving them 27-and-18 against the Mavs in Dallas, followed in scoring by backup guard D.J. Augustin’s 26. Suddenly, Drummond is playing defense again, blocking 5 shots in Cleveland followed by back-to-back 20-plus rebounding efforts. Suddenly, Brandon Jennings isn’t playing like he’s starring on the AND1 Mixtape Tour, putting 35 points up on the Kings before driving for the game-winning layup to upend the Spurs in their house.

    The Pistons (12-23, 2.5 games behind the 8-seed in East) are now spacing the floor, swinging the ball around to one another, sharing floor time, making big buckets, forming bleeping walls, high-fiving, smiling, cheering, hugging, dancing. Pistons fans are shattering long-dormant local TV ratings. And it took one Smoove Move out of the Great Lakes State to break open the dam. They were once painfully predictable in their overreliance on a couple flawed players, and now? “Everybody puts in a contribution,” Van Gundy says, “and that’s why we are playing well right now.”

    Just about every analysis of the Pistons has to be measured in the “A.J.” (After Josh) era. You could also do like Bob Rathbun and euphemistically refer to this phase as the “A.T.” era. That’s because SVG also swapped second-year forward Tony Mitchell to Phoenix for Anthony Tolliver, illustrating that Van Gundy’s issue wasn’t so much about power forwards jacking threes as it was the individual who was doing it with impunity.

    Since directing Mr. Smith to make like Eminem and Lose Himself, Detroit leads the East with 107.9 PPG and 40.7 3FG%. On the other end of the floor, the A.J. Pistons led the conference with 36.3 defensive RPG, and their 9.9 SPG ranked behind only the pick-pocketing Hawks (11.1 SPG, thanks to 17 steals against usually-stingy Memphis) and the Bucks. They’re also defending the perimeter well, opponents hitting threes at just a 30.5 3FG% clip (20.9% from the corners) while scoring just 92.9 PPG (3rd fewest in NBA).

    Van Gundy has been keeping Jennings’ floor time short (career-low 28.4 minutes per game; under 31 minutes in each of last 15 games) in hopes of getting more efficient performances out of his 25-year-old lead guard. Jennings had just 9 points on 2-for-6 shooting, two assists and four turnovers before hyperextending his thumb in the third quarter of Detroit’s 99-89 loss in Atlanta last November. The injury caused him to miss three games, including two losses against Milwaukee, his former team. Since he last played Atlanta, Jennings has committed more than three turnovers in just one game, and on no occasions in his last 15 games.

    Augustin (4-for-17 shooting vs. Atlanta in November) was no less erratic, as the point guard pair shot a combined 1-for-10 on three-pointers against the Hawks while leaving the passing duties mostly to Smith (team-high 5 of Detroit’s paltry 12 assists). But the Pistons drew enough personal fouls and made the most of their trips to the line (23-for-24 FTs; leading scorer Smith had no attempts) to whittle away Atlanta’s 19-point lead by the early part of the final quarter.

    But as demonstrated in Wednesday’s win over Memphis, the Hawks showed confidence and poise, trusting that their offense will arrive in bigger waves than their opponents. That was no different as Atlanta closed out the fourth quarter against Detroit in November with a 25-15 run. Piston guards could only watch as Jeff Teague had his way with a season-high 28 points (12 in the paint, 8-for-8 FTs) along with 6 assists. Following two disappointing losses, the Hawks showed themselves that good defense (37.3 Piston FG%, 19.0 3FG%) and ball control can overwhelm opponents enough to offset a bad long-range shooting day (20.8 3FG%). Atlanta (27-8, 2.5 games ahead of Chicago atop the East) rose above .500 for probably the final time this season, and hasn’t dropped two-in-a-row since.

    While much was ballyhooed about his three-point shooting, Smith’s 40.7 2FG% (a team-high 25.8% of attempts being long-twos) sunk the Pistons to 29th in the league in two-point accuracy (45.8 team 2FG%), a crying shame on a team with talents like Drummond and Monroe. The team’s effective field goal shooting was dead-last in the league (45.8 eFG%) with Smith; the “A.J.” era Pistons rank 3rd with 54.5 eFG%. With the floor better spread now, Drummond must continue to roll to the basket and Jennings and Monroe must cut to the rim without the ball, trusting their teammates to reward them.

    While his younger brother makes news for the wrong reasons down in Gainesville, Michigan native Al Horford has a chance to be the Local Boy Makes Good story of the day. Against Detroit’s huddled frontline in November, Horford tallied just two rebounds in 32 minutes, but plopped-and-fizzed his way to 14 points on 7-for-12 shooting, including a halftime buzzer-beater and a layup to seize the lead for good in the fourth quarter. After struggling with his shot against Marc Gasol and the Grizzlies until the final quarter on Wednesday, Horford can pile up points at the Palace tonight by beating Drummond down the floor in transition.

    While the A.J. Pistons are 2nd in the league in three-point accuracy over their last seven games, most of that has come from Jennings (2.6 3FGs per game, 42.9 3FG%) and Meeks, whose 2.9 threes per game since cutting Smith loose (58.8 3FG%) are as many as Kyle Korver’s (41.7 3FG% in that span). Starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has shot just 9-for-28 on threes in that time, starting small forward Kyle Singler 6-for-20, and the remaining cast (Caron Butler, Jonas Jerebko, Tolliver, Augustin) haven’t been much better (26-for-70). Even Meeks has cooled off a bit (7-for-17) in his past four games.

    That will make team rebounding important for the Hawks, particularly as Horford and Paul Millsap vie to keep Monroe (4.0 O-Rebs per game post-Smith, 3.0 on the season) and Drummond (NBA-high 5.6 per game post-Smith, 5.0 on the season) away from the offensive glass. Despite Drummond (16 rebounds, 7 offensive), Atlanta posted a 74.5 defensive rebounding percentage against Detroit in November, and are 15-2 when their D-Reb% is 75% or higher. Atlanta is also 23-2 when opponents’ effective field goal percentages fall below 52.5%. Horford will have adequate reinforcements at center with Pero Antić, whose 13 points against Memphis matched his season-high from two days before, and Elton Brand, who returns from bereavement leave.

    Both the Hawks and Pistons have been feasting lately on teams that seem to under-scout and underestimate them. Atlanta would be making a mistake by looking past the Pistons ahead of a Sunday afternoon home game versus division-rival Washington. Securing their team-record eighth-consecutive road win against a rejuvenated Detroit squad before a reenergized crowd would be the most impressive victory ever by a conference leader against a 12-23 opponent.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  11. lethalweapon3
    “I’d appreciate if you’d sign it, ‘To my biggest fan! With love, Pau’…”


    What happens when you and your supervisor Swipe Right on one another? Or on the same person? Or when said person turns out to be the boss’ significant other? Hawkward!

    Many a dilemma may be faced among participants during Tinder Night, as well as Bring Your “Boss” Night, at Philips Arena. But the odds are good that, someday, there will be a lovely story to share when lil’ Kyle Jeffrey Something-or-Other asks Mommy and Daddy how they first met.

    While hundreds of attendees will be carpal-tunneling their thumbs swiping away on their IPhones in search of their Tinderonis, the Atlanta Hawks are on the prowl for their sixth-consecutive victory tonight, against the Memphis Grizzlies (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth in ATL, Fox Sports South in MEM). The Hawks have shocked the world in many ways lately, perhaps none more so than the way they’ve been bossing around the Western Conference. They’re going for their ninth-consecutive victory against a Western team tonight, and if that’s not some kind of team record (discounting the “Western Division” days of the ‘60s), it ought to be pretty close.

    While the Hawks were the NBA love story in December, albeit largely unrequited until January, the Grizzlies (25-9) were that in November, sprinting out to a magnificent 15-2 start under coach Dave Joerger, like Atlanta’s Mike Budenholzer in his second season at the helm. They’ve been a seesawing 10-7 in the weeks thereafter, a five-game streak loaded with overtime victories followed by a four-game skid, followed by a 4-1 stretch marred only by a 29-point defeat in last Saturday in Denver. They come into Atlanta today after a Monday walkthrough with whatever’s left of the New York Knicks.

    Memphis’ defensive intensity has slipped, from 97.8 opponent points per 100 possessions through November 30 to 106.0 since. SB Nation’s Grizzly Bear Blues notes in their game preview that much of the slippage can be traced to playing better perimeter-shooting teams. Opponents shot 33.1% from deep (8th-lowest in NBA) through November and 39.0% (3rd-highest in NBA) during the games in December and January. So Tony Allen and Courtney Lee, both in the starting lineup, will have their hands full with Kyle Korver and former Grizzlie rookie and fan fave DeMarre Carroll.

    Memphis lives up to their “Grindhouse” name by toiling away in crowded spaces around the rim, their 47.1 in-the-paint PPG second only to New Orleans. Just 18.9 percent of their shots have been three-point attempts (3rd-fewest in NBA).

    That gritty philosophy, however, does not translate into trips to the free throw line for opponents. Coupled with a low pace-of-play, Grizzlie opponents get just 20.8 free throw attempts per game (3rd-fewest in NBA).

    Led by the strong court awareness of Mike Conley, the Grizzlies (13.1 TO%, 5th-lowest in NBA) give up a league-low 13.2 PPG off turnovers to opponents. Their assist-turnover ratio of 1.82 ranks third in the league and is just ahead of Atlanta’s 1.75. Conley will control the offensive set until something opens up inside, or if Gasol gets open from mid-range. If worse comes to worse, he has become a pretty good long-range sniper himself (44.2 3FG%, 8th in NBA).

    With Conley, Allen, Lee, and even Vince Carter, Memphis has waves of backcourt defenders able to provide pressure on ballhandlers and disrupting the setup of opponents’ halfcourt plays. Jeff Teague and mayonnaise lover Dennis Schröder must avoid turning the ball over in large volumes.

    With New Yorkers tuning out on hoops altogether, can we go ahead and relocate the All-Star Game to the Gasol family driveway? If voters have their way, Marc and his elder brother Pau are all but certain to face off in February as ASG starting centers. And Marc certainly deserves the fan love after a torrid run through mid-December that placed him squarely in the middle of MVP-contender discussions. Big Spain has transformed from a mere catalyst to putting the offense squarely on his back (team-high and career-high 26.4% usage rate), pushing the 20 PPG barrier after six seasons without surpassing 15 PPG.

    Like many a Tinder user, the Grizz don’t allow for a second chance to make a first impression. Only the Pacers allow more second chance points than Memphis (11.1 PPG). While Tinder may disagree, opposites attract, and the Hawks are on the other end of the spectrum (14.8 opponent second-chance PPG, 2nd in NBA). 2012-13’s defensive player of the year has slipped a little with his defensive edge, particularly without Zach Randolph (knee) available. He remains a crafty passer (1.5 assist-turnover ratio), although not quite as slick as Atlanta’s Al Horford, whose 2.2 ratio ranks 1st among NBA starting centers.

    Gasol will further cement his MVP footing if he can help figure out the defensive riddle at least until Randolph (11.4 RPG, 6th in NBA), who is expected to miss tonight’s action, returns. Memphis has plugged in Jon Leuer and birthday-boy rookie Jarnell Stokes at turns in the starting lineup in place of Z-Bo, but Tayshaun Prince played well in New York and may get his spot back. Either way, the Memphis frontline will have to find someone capable of slowing Paul Millsap, who has scored 20+ points in four of his last six games, particularly keeping him from making hay at the free throw line.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  12. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - Clippers

    By lethalweapon3,

    “WHOA! And then Antić set that pick, and then Teague crossed ‘em up like THIS!...”



    “Alright, Carmelo… on this play you’ll back Davis deep into the post and then kick it out to Kyle. No, to Korver, not Lowry. LeBron! I’m counting on you to break-up the lobs from Curry to Blake. Pau, come out and set this screen here to spring Jeff loose in the paint. Yes, you Pau, not Paul...”

    Few have ever pondered aloud what schemes Mike Budenholzer might conjure up as the Eastern Conference’s All-Star Game coach. But now that the Atlanta Hawks (25-8) are here, a game and a half ahead of everybody else in the conference, such thoughts are no longer pie-in-the-sky. Western Conference contenders would greatly prefer Tom Thibodeau to be the guy running the East’s top players into the ground for a week, and so they’re quietly pulling for their Los Angeles Clippers (10:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, Prime Ticket) to thwart the Hawks’ six-game road winning streak.

    Bud’s Bunch has no immediate plans to court any of the league’s finest cola-sneakers-and-videogames salesmen to come join them in the 404. For those local NBA fans obsessed with megastar-quality talent, there is no better way to attract those guys than to have many of them huddled around the gentleman with the Pac-Man-logoed polo shirt holding the clipboard, the reigning Eastern Conference Coach of the Month blowing the whistles during their All-Star workouts. In the meantime, if any locals want these superstars to come to the ATL, they could always invite them over their house to watch what has been, lately, some stellar Hawks basketball.

    The most consecutive away-game victories an Atlanta team has ever posted were seven. The initial edition of the Atlanta Hawks went on a seven-game road tear in December 1968-January 1969 before falling short in Philadelphia on a Billy Cunningham jumper with two seconds left. The law firm of Wilkens, Willis, and Wilikins also ran off seven-straight road Ws between November and December 1993, beating the crumbling Celtics in crumbling Boston Garden before finally losing on the second night of a road back-to-back in Madison Square Garden to the eventual conference champs.

    To get to seven, Budenholzer hopes to rely once again on the growing leadership and confidence of the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. Jeff Teague led the entire conference with 23.7 PPG, including one clutch shot after the next to one-up the Kyrie Irvings and Damian Lillards of the world. Teague also tacked on 8.3 APG and 2.7 SPG, both 2nd-most in the East for the week, while shooting 54.3% from the field and not turning the ball over once in a seven-quarter stretch. All of that during a week where the Hawks went 3-0 and compelled a lot of people to finally pull up a chair and take notice.

    It is likely Chris Paul is watching a lot more game tape of Teague than he planned at the outset of the season. Teague came off the bench during the December 23 meeting at Philips Arena, allowing Dennis Schröder some valuable learning experience against CP3. Schröder was on the floor as the Clippers ran off 17 straight points in five minutes to seize the lead before the end of the first half. Teague entered late in the third quarter, and a ten-point Clipper advantage was flipped into a four-point Hawk lead by the early portion of the fourth. Teague spelled a flustered Schröder again after Paul narrowed Atlanta’s nine-point lead to three, and Jeff and the Hawks’ frontcourt controlled the ball well enough to close the game out. Atlanta had no turnovers in the final seven minutes of the game, a factor that Paul (2.0 SPG, 4th in NBA) will need to change tonight.

    The Clippers (23-11) have won three in a row, albeit not against a Murderer’s Row of opponents (Utah, the Knicks, Philly) during their ridiculous 9-game holiday homestand. Before that, they lost three of their previous four: a Christmas Day win over Golden State being the sole non-blemish, but followed by a 110-98 home loss to Toronto. Fending off rumors of locker-room discord, the Clips need to compile as many impressive victories as they can before going back out on the road, where they’ve lost five straight.

    They have the feel of a team where roles are compartmentalized to the max. Everybody knows which guy goes for buckets, who drops the dimes, who’s the sharpshooter, who’s the rebounder, who’s the rim-protector, who’s the wing-stopper, who’s the energy guy off the bench. For a team so effusively praised for its Tinseltown excitement, especially considering the alternative, the Clip Show is pretty predictable.

    One guy who could help shake things up for L.A. is Spencer Hawes, who blinded many viewers over the holiday season but could reopen some eyes as a long-range-shooting threat and a supplemental rebounder. The seven-foot backup pivot missed the December game at Atlanta but claims to be feeling better after resting a bruised knee. Hawes (career-low 41.7 FG% and 0.8 O-Rebs per-36; 6.3 PPG, 33.3 3FG%) will need to make a bigger impact as a passer and rebounder if his jumper isn’t falling.

    The Hawks have been able to rely on somebody to make big waves off the bench, and unlike the Clippers (hi there, Jamal Crawford), it’s usually a different player from one game to the next. After Thabo Sefolosha stepped up in Portland (season-high 13 points, game-icing four FTs at the end of the game), watch for Mike Scott to be Atlanta’s Man of Mystery tonight. Scott played just under four minutes against the Blazers, going 0-for-3 FGs, and is due for a big game after struggling with his shot for much of the past four contests (32.0 FG%). He’ll get more floor time if he shows more of a presence defensively as well. The last recorded block, and only block, of the season for the 6-foot-8 forward came 22 games ago, against the Wizards in late November.

    The Clippers picked their poison in Atlanta, and it was DeMarre Carroll (season-high 25 points, 5-for-6 3FGs, 10 rebounds) as Matt Barnes and the Clippers turned their attention toward Kyle Korver, who went 4-for-7 on threes anyway. Carroll has gone 0-for-9 in his last three games from long-distance and 2-for-18 in the last five, but ought to find his LAX runway clear once again as Korver (3-for-4 3FGs in the second half at Portland) grabs the spotlight at Staples. Kyle had 17 points (3-for-3 3FGs) in L.A. last March, as the Hawks’ furious 4th quarter rally fell short, losing 109-108.

    With their three-point bombing reputation, Atlanta has effectively goaded their opponents to abandon interior shots, trying to keep up with the Hawks instead beyond the arc. That was illustrated in Portland as the Blazers relied on contested threes and mid-range jumpers to try to climb out of the hole. Opponents make an NBA-low 28.0 2FGs against Atlanta on 58.0 two-point attempts per-game (3rd-fewest in NBA). And while they’re hitting inside-the-arc at an above-average 48.0 2FG%, that value is boosted by putbacks (11.4 opponent O-Rebs per game, 6th most in NBA) and still pales in comparison to the Hawks’ 51.1 2FG% (4th best in NBA).

    Atlanta won’t find such a cushy interior as they found when they rung up a season-high 64 points-in-the-paint on the hobbled Trail Blazers. At least, not so long as DeAndre Jordan (31.8 D-Reb%, 2nd in NBA; 2.3 BPG, 3rd in NBA) has something to say about it. Clippers coach Doc Rivers will do all he can to preserve Jordan (15 points, 11 O-Rebs and 11 D-Rebs at Atlanta in December) for the long haul, because when he gets in foul trouble the defensive options at center (Big Baby Davis, Hawes, Ekpe Udoh) aren’t strong. Los Angeles is 11-3 when Jordan finishes a game with no more than two personal fouls. In Atlanta, the Hawks’ pivotal run against the Clippers began in the third quarter after Jordan was whistled for his third foul.

    Lob City really isn’t scoring much inside the perimeter if it isn’t coming from lobs, putbacks, or mid-range shots from Blake Griffin (6.6 FGAs from 16-24 feet, 2nd only to LaMarcus Aldridge, but just 38.7 FG%). 32.5 percent of their shot attempts are for three, which places them only behind the insanity going on in Houston (41.1% of FGAs for 3-pointers). Paul must find ways to get his bigs (yes, including Jordan) more shots inside the paint. The Clips’ 35.2 PPG in-the-paint are the 3rd fewest in the NBA, behind only Miami and New York, an unacceptable value given their personnel.

    Does Mike Muscala have anything more to prove? While also coming through with the requisite sideline hijinks alongside Kent Bazemore, the Bucknell Beastie Boy is hitting 61.3 FG% in limited action, well above the 42.5% from his rookie year. The 2013 second-rounder’s scoring, offensive rebounding, assist-making and defensive stats have improved on a per-36 basis from last season. His partially-guaranteed contract becomes fully guaranteed if he’s on the roster when the Hawks meet the Grizzlies on Wednesday.

    Any maneuver from Budenholzer, the acting GM, to release Muscala could be a signal of plans to bring up Adreian Payne full-time, or to make room for some other move for a veteran as other teams waive players and the trading deadline nears. In any case, if Muscala appears at all tonight, expect him to play like a Moose possessed.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  13. lethalweapon3
    "I see you, Mr. Teague. I'm gettin' your popcorn ready!"


    In what could be an NBA Finals Preview, the Atlanta Hawks face the… wait a minute! That is not how this is supposed to go!

    Fickle ATLiens and NBA fans alike are glancing at the win-loss columns and standing on their heads to make sure they’re looking at them right: maybe that’s why they’re called “standings.” Carmelo and the Knicks in the basement of the Eastern Conference? Jeff Teague and the Hawks at the top? Check the forearms of sports fans around town for pinch marks, because a lot of people have to be convinced they’re not dreaming.

    R. Kelly’s “Bump N’ Grind” was slow-jamming the airwaves the last time the Hawks were perched atop the East this far into the season, at the end of a fateful 1993-94 regular season with Danny Manning momentarily leading the way. I don’t see nothin’ wrong with a lil’ six-game road streak, but to do that the Hawks (24-8) need to keep the good vibes rolling tonight against a Portland Trail Blazers team (10:00 PM Eastern, SportSouth, CSN Northwest) that’s been pretty darn good in their own right.

    Following a litany of missteps and bad breaks over the years, Portland was in a similar spot as the Hawks last season. Former Hawks coach Terry Stotts was Dead Coach Walking coming off of a 33-49 season that included 13 straight losses to close out 2012-13. Then the Blazers offense suddenly gelled around second-year guard Damian Lillard and a rejuvenated LaMarcus Aldridge, rattling off 11 straight wins in November 2013 and a 20-2 run that extended into December.

    The Blazers never looked back, building a 54-win season and a momentous upset of the Rockets in the playoffs before falling in the second round to the eventual NBA champs. Now, Stotts is hoping to nail down half of last season’s victory tally tonight against the team that canned him back in 2004. Portland (26-7, 1 game behind Western 1-seed Golden State) has had three days of rest and watched the Hawks (24-8, a half game ahead of Toronto in the East) defeat the Jazz in Salt Lake last night.

    It’s reasonable to suggest that no NBA team was more successful against the teams Mike Budenholzer fielded in 2013-14 than the Trail Blazers. Portland was the only NBA team to defeat the Hawks by double-digit deficits in all of their matchups last season (102-78 in Portland, 100-85 in Atlanta). They were notable as the team that ganged up on Kyle Korver to thwart his record-shattering Threak. The Hawks shot a season-low 33.0 FG% (14.8 3FG%) last March in Portland, and were only marginally better back home a few weeks later (40.5 FG%, 18.2 3FG%) while Korver and Pero Antić sat out with injuries.

    The Blazers’ competitive philosophy is, essentially, no one is allowed to do to them what they do to other teams. Portland’s aggressive wing players (Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum) shoo anyone and everyone off the three-point line (opponents’ 17.7 attempts per game, 2nd-lowest in NBA; 5.2 opponent 3FGs and 29.1 3FG%, lowest in NBA). Foes are shooting just 29.1% on threes above-the-break with Batum on the floor.

    Meanwhile, Matthews (7.6 3FGAs per game) and Lillard (7.1 per game) rank second and fourth, respectively, in three-pointers shot, with the former (40.2 3FG% for Matthews) leading the league in made treys. They hope to neutralize the Hawks offense, in part, by keeping Korver off-balance all night.

    The three days of rest for Portland were particularly helpful for the recuperation of Aldridge (22.9 PPG, 8th in NBA; 10.7 RPG, 7th in NBA; 7.2 TO%, 9th-lowest in NBA; career-high 1.3 BPG and 46.9 3FG%), who had missed a few games around Christmastime while dealing with a respiratory illness. LMA had 25 points and 16 rebounds at Atlanta last March 27, but shot 1-for-13 FGs at home versus the Hawks on March 5.

    Among the top prizes in the free agency period this summer, Aldridge will engage tonight in a mid-range shooting duel with Al Horford. Aldridge hits an NBA-high 4.7 mid-range field goals per game, and while Horford takes about half as many, he has been hitting them with better accuracy (46.5 mid-range FG%) than Aldridge (41.1 mid-range FG%).

    The Blazers have been hurting on the rebounding end as starting center Robin Lopez remains out for another 3-5 weeks healing a broken hand, and backup Meyers Leonard remains questionable with a shoulder strain. The Hawks rested Pero Antić against Utah and he’ll be available to help seal off the interior and keep Atlanta from falling behind in the rebounding battle. Replacement starter Joel Freeland (13.0 RPG in his last 3 games) and Chris Kaman are holding the fort in Lopez’s and Meyers’ absence.

    Paul Millsap shot poorly last night from the field but has been earning trips to the free throw line lately and making the most of it. Going 29-for-31 in his last five games has pushed Millsap’s free throw percentage above 70 percent. He’ll be particularly useful in forcing the action on the interior against a Blazer team that gives up 45.5 points-in the-paint per game (6th-most in NBA) and 14.1 second-chance PPG (4th-most in NBA).

    Jeff Teague (7.0 APG, 10th in NBA) carried the Hawks offense last evening and hopefully will have enough in the tank to go up against Lillard (21.9 PPG, 10th in NBA), who's eager to show why he deserves a hard-to-get Western Conference All-Star bid. Teague, Dennis Schröder and a rested Shelvin Mack should be able to run out on the Blazer guards to key fast break opportunities.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  14. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - Jazz

    By lethalweapon3,

    “…and IIIIIIIII-i-IIIIIII-i-IIIIIIIIII…”



    With tonight’s hosts for the Atlanta Hawks, the Utah Jazz (9:00 PM Eastern, SportSouth, ROOT Sports Rocky Mountain) well on their way to another losing season, the predictable NBA fan tweets are flooding in. “Let’s send a tuna fish on rye Utah’s way, and get Derrick Favors!” the typical bright idea goes. “You just know he’s itching to get out of there!”

    What people don’t understand is the 23-year-old South Atlantan is friggin’ thrilled living and playing in Utah. Just starting the first year of his four-year contract extension with the Jazz, Favors spent his summer working out in Provo, volunteered to work out with the summer league team, and is not looking to make a beeline out of the Beehive State just to get involved in a new mess with somebody else.

    “The main thing I like about Salt Lake City is that it’s peaceful,” said Favors after he signed his extension in 2013. “It’s not loud with a lot of stuff going on. You can go home and get peace of mind. I hope to make this my home and I hope to retire here.” If Derrick does change NBA addresses anytime soon, it won’t be because of his demands.

    Favors (9-for-11 FGs at Atlanta on Nov. 12, career-highs of 15.6 PPG, 55.0 FG%, 1.5 APG) serves as an ideal good-soldier for new Jazz coach Quin Snyder. As does Gordon Hayward, who was more than satisfied to return after the Jazz matched Charlotte’s offer sheet in the offseason. Their patience and confidence allows the former Hawks assistant to toil, experiment, and foster a roster that peacefully goes out and competes hard despite typical odds working against them. Plus every once in awhile, they can pull off a quiet palace coup.

    Such was the case over a week ago when the Jazzmen swung into the Grindhouse and surprised the Grizzlies, finishing off a 3-3 road trip on a high note. They also gave the Clippers all they could handle on Monday, before graciously bowing out with a 4-point defeat at Staples. Beating the reeling Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday has Utah (11-21) coming into tonight’s game having won three of their past four games.

    The biggest impediment for Snyder’s crew is no one in the backcourt can seem to get it going for a significant stretch on offense, whether it’s Trey Burke (36.1 FG%, 30.8 3FG%), rookies Dante Exum (40.4 FG%, 35.1 3FG%), Rodney Hood (31.3 FG%, 28.6 3FG%), or Joe Ingles (38.8 FG%, 25.4 3FG%). To compete nightly, the Jazz may want to shift swingman Hayward (19.2 PPG, 45.8 FG%, 38.9 3FG%) to the 2-spot full-time and go with a bigger starting lineup.

    The Jazz’s most deadeye scorer, by default, was Alec Burks (40.3 FG%, 38.2 3FG%, team-high 22 points at Atlanta on Nov. 12), but now his injured shoulder is sidelining him for the season. Paying a $42 million extension that kicks in next season, the Jazz weren’t going to take any chances aggravating Burks’ shoulder any further in what is essentially a season-long team-building exercise under Snyder.

    Former summer league standout Ian Clark may find himself with more time to shine in Burks’ absence, along with undrafted free agent pickup Patrick Christopher. Burks was also Utah’s top perimeter defender, so Snyder will have to decide who among Hayward or Hood can help keep Kyle Korver (17 points, 10 boards, 6 assists, 4-for-7 3FGs vs. Utah on Nov. 12) cool.

    Hayward and the wayward Jazz shooters will put a lot of pressure on the Hawks to keep Utah’s big men off the offensive glass, most notably Rudy Gobert (15.5 offensive rebound percentage, 3rd in NBA), Favors (8.3 RPG, 16th in NBA) and Enes Kanter (12.2 O-Reb%, 17th in NBA). Despite being the latest representative of France for Vince Carter’s posters, Gobert’s two-way energetic activity (7.3 blocks per 100 possessions, 1st in NBA) is putting pressure on Kanter to maintain his starting spot full-time.

    Korver’s defensive rebounding was tremendously helpful during the November 12 home victory against the Jazz, while Al Horford was still getting up to speed. The presence of Horford was missed in their win against Cleveland this past Tuesday, but he’s over his brief illness and will play, as will DeMarre Carroll, who is over his hydration issues and will be needed to help cover Hayward and help rebound. Carroll and Mike Scott missed the November game against the Jazz.

    A former Jazzman like Korver, Paul Millsap had a complete game against Utah in November, posting season-highs of 30 points and 17 rebounds to lead Atlanta (23-8) to their third-straight win. Millsap and Horford should still have fun schooling Favors around the post, and pulling him and Kanter out to defend while opening up driving lanes for Atlanta guards.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  15. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - Cavaliers

    By lethalweapon3,

    “…featuring one layer for each time a referee swallowed his/her whistle…”



    For LeBron James, today begins the second of many years of telling people he’s 29 years old.

    The Atlanta Hawks look to be party-poopers as LeBron celebrates his 30th birthday in the ATL with his Cleveland Cavaliers (7:30 PM, SportSouth, Fox Sports Ohio, NBATV).

    You’ll forgive the Cavs for not being in the most festive of moods, especially after getting deluged by a free-at-last-feeling Pistons squad during a déjà-vu blowout loss at home just two nights ago. Cleveland could have been on a three-game slide were in not for Tobias Harris (c’mon, Tobias, help us out for once!) trolling LeBron out of “chill mode” hibernation on Friday.

    After that Pistons loss, plus after his team fell flat on Christmas Day against the Miami team he left behind, James comes into tonight’s affair more interested in avoiding another blowout than blowing out candles. Poppin’ Cris at a pregame party at Vanquish nightclub probably wouldn’t go over so well this time.

    The bad news, for anyone entering your fourth decade of life on Earth: there are things you cannot do as effortlessly as you once did. The good news is it usually takes until you’re halfway through your 30s before you begin to figure that out. In James’ case, his 25.2 PPG is already the second-lowest mark of his career. The presence of Kevin Love (17.1 PPG) and Kyrie Irving (20.2 PPG) serve as partial explanations, but LeBron’s 48.8 FG% and 74.3 FT% are his lowest shot percentages since 2007-08.

    He’s been satisfying himself with the return to a small forward role, shooting 4.5 three-point attempts per game (2nd most in his career). And while embracing his role as the premier passing forward in the game (7.6 APG, 9th in NBA), James’ 3.8 TOs per game represents a career-high.

    Most noteworthy to the naked eye is LeBron’s diminished ability to truck his way to the rim in the halfcourt. Deadspin dissected his game to note that he’s shooting 47 percent on drives to the hoop, down from 63 percent last season with Miami. Dunks represent a career-low 5.7% of his scoring diet, down from 10.1% just last season and a career-high 10.9% the season before that.

    His 0.6 offensive rebounds per-36 are also a career-low, but with the pec-ripping Anderson Varejao out of action for the season after an Achilles injury, James will be pressed to help replacement starter Tristan Thompson (16.2 O-Reb%, 2nd in NBA) create second chance opportunities and putback points on the board for his club. James had just his third double-digit rebound tally, and first in over a month, on Sunday (10 boards, 9 defensive) versus Detroit. He’s also gone his past 19 games without grabbing at least two offensive rebounds.

    Atlanta’s Big Payback in Cleveland on December 17 (16 three-pointers made against the Cavs, eclipsed by the Pistons with 17 last Sunday; 127 points, 64.5 FG%, and 36 assists) compelled LeBron to engage Kyrie Irving in a postgame tutorial on how to impede the likes of Dennis Schröder (10 points, 10 assists, 1 turnover) and Shelvin Mack (6-for-6 3FGs, career-high 24 points). Kyrie’s effort to keep up on Christmas Day with Dwyane Wade (31 points on 33 combined shots, 1 turnover) proved futile. Irving returns to action tonight after missing the past two games with a bruised knee, but in addition to Schröder and Mack, on this occasion he’ll have the Hawks’ leading scorer and passer to deal with.

    Jeff Teague (25 points at Milwaukee) took Saturday’s game by the antlers, grabbing five rebounds (four in the final 90 seconds) and sinking eight free throws in the fourth quarter while forcing three Bucks turnovers, including a crucial steal just as Milwaukee was making their final stand.

    The Hawks are hoping to reward the packed Philips Arena crowd (the fans cheering on Atlanta, anyway) with a stronger effort than their egg nog-fueled flop against the Bucks last Friday night. A victory tonight would conclude Atlanta’s December with a 14-2 mark, the winningest full month of Atlanta Hawks basketball since… well, since almost ever. Smitty (the employed one) and Deke led Atlanta to a 14-2 record during January 1997 and 13-2 in November 1997, while Nique’s Hawks went 13-2 in March and December 1987.

    Since people are doling out season-trimester awards these days, why not add on the calendar-year honor of Atlanta Sports’ Man of the Year, and hand it to Mike Budenholzer? The Hawks’ head coach refuses to allow untimely injuries, blowout losses, rough losing streaks, postseason shortfalls, brutal PR snafus, and/or intra-office strife to define his ballclub.

    Through it all, the best indicator for NBA players second-guessing whether Atlanta Hawks basketball is right for them is a fully content roster playing unselfishly and above even optimists’ expectations, and Coach Bud’s staff has been instrumental in making that happen. Budenholzer’s Hawks Cycle schema has his team in better shape for the foreseeable future than any of the other professional franchises in town. No new-stadia hype necessary.

    The top shooting team in the Eastern Conference (52.4 eFG%, 56.3 TS%, 4th in NBA) doesn’t even need to shoot well every night just to win games. The Hawks went from a season-low 46.9 true shooting percentage during a blowout loss to the Bucks in Atlanta to an even worse shooting performance (45.8 TS%) the next night in Milwaukee. Yet the Hawks pulled out another road victory, their fourth-straight and eighth in their past nine away from home. What changed?

    One difference was that the Hawks, the league’s least proficient offensive rebounders (20.9 O-Reb%), effectively crashed the boards once they recognized the iron was still unkind. The 33.3 O-Reb% at Milwaukee was the 2nd highest percentage by the Hawks this season. The other factor was that they didn’t compound their problems with sloppy execution (season-high 21.1 TO% vs. Milwaukee in ATL; 10.1 TO% at Milwaukee). Teague’s command of the offense (7 assists, 2 TOs) had a little to do with that. So was the sound passing from post men Al Horford and Paul Millsap (7 combined assists, zero TOs).

    Shaq likes calling it “Barbeque Chicken!” whenever he spots an exploitable advantage in the post. Horford (10-for-14 FGs) and Millsap (7-for-11 FGs) thoroughly enjoyed the savory, tender defensive efforts of Love and Varejao two weeks ago, allowing the Hawks to blow the Cavs game wide open.

    Opponents shoot 60.9 FG% against the Cavs on shots at the rim when Love is in the vicinity, the highest against any NBA player watching six or more at-rim shots go up. To be a contender going forward with this roster, Cavs coach David Blatt needs LeBron to be a full-court player, crashing not only the offensive glass but helping Love and Thompson disrupt the Hawks as their skilled bigs mill about the paint.

    Like Love, Millsap cedes a lot of buckets at the rim (57.2 opponent at-rim FG%, 5th most w/ min. six opponent FGAs per game), but at least Mayhem PM is active with his hands (career-high 2.0 SPG). Cleveland’s Thompson (team-high 0.9 BPG) will be occupied between coming out of the lane to deal with Horford’s mid-range majesty (47.3 mid-range FG%, 4th in NBA w/ min. 6.0 FG attempts) while scurrying back for help defense. Unless LeBron sags off the perimeter to help inside, Love may find himself stuck on Millsap Island once again.

    One guy who may not have received the “You’re in Your 30s!” memo is Kyle Korver, now “down” to an NBA-high 51.5 3FG% while also contributing career-highs of 3.1 APG and 93.8 FT%. Just 1-for-4 on FGs in two games against the Cavs, Korver is likely thrilled not having to deal with the long arms of the Bucks for awhile (3-for-13 3FGs in his last two games) and is a probable beneficiary of James’ need to shift back toward the paint tonight.

    Cleveland will try to Kounter Korver with Mike Miller, who went 7-for-8 on threes in his first start of the season against Brooklyn following the Cavaliers’ disastrous loss to Atlanta, but has gone just 6-for-19 in the five games since. Matthew Dellavedova and Shawn Marion will be sprung from the bench to try and keep up with Korver weaving through screens.

    Dion Waiters (21 points off the bench vs. ATL on December 17) remains a defensive detriment (106.7 opponent points per 100 possessions; 3rd most among non-Knick Eastern guards; Kyrie’s 4th at 106.3) and a wayward long-range shooter (10-for-29 3FGs in his last 10 games), limiting his ability to play with the first unit. He’s been most dangerous against the Hawks when he is helping distribute the ball (12 assists and one turnover in two games vs. ATL), but whatever successes he’s had shooting the ball have been empty calories.

    As usual, the Hawks must limit Cleveland’s trips to the free throw line, and not just Birthday Boy, but also Irving, Love and Thompson, the latter with a free throw rate that exceeds James’. Atlanta is 16-2 when the ratio of made free throws to field goal attempts for opponents falls below 20 percent. As is typical of a LeBron-led team, Cavs’ opponents draw an NBA-low 18.1 personal fouls and 18.2 free throw attempts per game, giving Cleveland a decided advantage. Only once this season have the Cavs won a game without taking more shots than their foes from the charity stripe.

    Teague and the Hawks must dictate a high tempo and compel LeBron (playing with a sore quad) and the Cavs to run end-to-end for 48 minutes. The Hawks can maximize their chances for victory by playing sound perimeter defense (Cavs 8-for-30 3FGs vs. Atlanta in December; 19-for-31 in November) without fouling, keeping their scorers off the free throw line, and sealing off the runout transition plays that are the Cavs All-Star trio’s bread-and-butter. If all that works out, Hawks fans can conclude the game by serenading LeBron off the floor with the second stanza of the “Happy Birthday” song: “How Old Are You?”

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  16. lethalweapon3
    “Oh… you shouldn’t have!”


    The Hawks were perhaps in too jolly a mood after getting to spend some of the holidays at home following an impressive winning streak. After being such gracious hosts for Coach Jason Kidd’s Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night, hopefully the Bucks will return the favor tonight (8:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, FSN Wisconsin) in America’s Dairyland.

    To those ready to hand Mike Budenholzer the unofficial honor of Eastern Conference Coach of the Year, Jason Kidd would like to have a word with you. Say whatever you will about his summertime defection from Brooklyn to join his owner-pal in Wisconsin, but it’s hard to argue with the notion that Kidd placed himself in a far better situation right now.

    While the Nets continue to wobble, his young Bucks (15-15) are still looking good as a playoff contender in the East. After goring the Hawks without Larry Sanders (flu) on Friday, outscoring Atlanta in all four quarters, a sweep tonight would help Milwaukee surpass their entire 2013-14 win total. Kidd’s striving to keep spirits bright despite a spate of injuries that might still imperil their postseason hopes.

    John Henson is playing through an ankle sprain, and Ersan Ilyasova has been out for the course of the month after a rough collision earned him a concussion and a broken nose. Yet the unkindest cut to date for Milwaukee was the loss of their rookie star for the season. Jabari Parker was arguably the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year while averaging 12.3 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 1.2 SPG while shooting 49.0 FG% (58.9% in December), until an ACL tear 12 days ago disrupted his, and his team’s, progress.

    But Kidd won’t allow his team to cave in, besting one of his old teams in Phoenix that night, keeping close against contenders like the Blazers and Clippers, and then flying into ATL the day after Christmas to trounce the Hawks by 30. The Bucks used their length to repeatedly press Hawks’ point guards Jeff Teague and Dennis Schröder (1-for-9 FGs) out of Plan A in Atlanta’s halfcourt offense, and to make shots for Kyle Korver (1-for-6 3FGs) and DeMarre Carroll (0-for-5 3FGs) much more of a challenge. They were prepared to pounce anytime the Hawks’ bigs (five frontcourt assists, 11 TOs) looked to pass the ball.

    You can pretty much put the long-named and even longer-limbed Giannis Antetokounmpo at any of four positions on the floor. And while you can’t expect good shooting (18.8 3FG%; 2-for-10 FGs last night), you can expect a highlight-per-minute out of the Greek Freak.

    Summer acquisition Jared Dudley, O.J. Mayo, and Khris Middleton are all helping to fill the void. Dudley (24 points, 10-10 FGs, 4-4 3FGs) did indeed do right on Friday by etching his name in the annals of NBA history last night, as the first player to shoot perfectly on at least 10 field goals including a minimum of three triples. Middleton was the sole Buck that struggled yesterday, but the second unit including Middleton, Dudley, Mayo, Henson and NBA FT% league-leader Jerryd Bayless outpointed Atlanta’s reserves 54-27, ensuring no Hawk players could come off the bench to seize the momentum.

    The injuries in Milwaukee’s frontcourt has placed senior leader Zaza Pachulia (14 points, 8 boards, 3 steals last night, starting in place of Sanders) into the familiar situation of being pressed for more productive minutes than he ideally should be receiving. He’s appeared for 20-plus minutes in each of the Bucks’ last 11 games, after doing so for just seven of the first 16. While his floor time is still down from last season, when he filled in admirably for Sanders, the 30-year-old is now in his fourth-straight season averaging at least 20 minutes. While his trademark offensive rebounding is down, Z-Pac (3.4 assists per-36) has been useful in Kidd’s passing game, contributing at least two dimes in his last seven games. He’s also picking off passes well (career-high 1.5 steals per-36). His three steals helped contribute to an uncharacteristic 22-turnover day by the Hawks, the first this season where Atlanta turned it over at least 20 times.

    When Jeff Teague’s 2013 offer sheet was matched by Atlanta, Milwaukee settled on former Piston Brandon Knight as a stopgap measure. Like Teague, Knight (18.0 PPG, 5.3 APG) has more than rewarded the Bucks as their leading scorer and passer. Under Kidd, the fourth-year guard has made greater strides defensively (career-high 1.3 SPG and 4.1 defensive RPG). He can still be erratic (3.4 TOs per game, 10th most in NBA), but much of that issue can be attributed to the collective inexperience of his teammates (17.0 team TOs per game, 2rd most in NBA).

    But the Bucks still a scrappy bunch, scoring 18.6 PPG off of 16.6 turnovers per game (3rd most in NBA) and pounding in 45.0 PPG in-the-paint (5th most in NBA). They’ll overextend often enough to pile up foul calls, however (23.1 personals per game, 3rd most in NBA; 25.8 opponent FT attempts per game, 4th most in NBA). While Atlanta’s guards must match Knight’s and Bayless’ assertiveness in getting to the free throw line, Paul Millsap (22 points on Friday, 8-for-10 FGs) and Al Horford will have to drive more to the rim, drawing contact and and-ones to help the Hawks reignite their offense. Adreian Payne got 13 minutes in his NBA debut yesterday evening, but with Pero Antić’s continued absence, look for more of Mike Muscala and Elton Brand tonight.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  17. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - Clippers

    By lethalweapon3,

    They’re the reason for a really fine season.



    Nothing endures like the legacy of an assist.

    So declares the President and CEO of the National Bureau of Assists. Yet it’s not only Cliff Paul’s long-lost twin brother’s team, the Los Angeles Clippers (24.5 APG, 5th in NBA; league-high 1.94 assist-turnover ratio), who has taken his principle to heart. It’s also the team they’re visiting tonight, the Atlanta Hawks (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, PRIME), who are waltzing into this merry season on top of that other NBA with 25.8 assists per game, 67.6% of field goals assisted, and 19.7 assists per 100 possessions.

    It’s that sharing-is-caring philosophy that has vaulted the Hawks to a 15-5 in-conference record, tied for the best in the East, plus a 5-2 record against the vaunted West. That latter mark was bolstered by two impressive victories in the Lone Star State over the past three days, the first Texas two-step (prevailing in both Dallas and Houston in the same season) by the Hawks since 2009-2010, a season when current Clippers assistant Mike Woodson was losing his eyebrows on the Hawks sideline and Josh Smith was making his final stab at on-court sanity.

    A fifth-straight win over a Western Conference opponent tonight would be the Hawks’ fifth-consecutive victory and 13th in their past 14. Outlasting the Clippers, who are headed back home for a Christmas Night game against the top-seeded Golden State Warriors, would make it impossible on Christmas Day for the talking-head TV pundits, and the crazy relatives beside the egg nog bowl, to dodge the question they’ve all evaded for nearly a month: What’s Gotten Into the Atlanta Hawks?

    Meanwhile, nearly two months into the NBA season, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and the high-profile Clippers (19-9; 6th seed in the West) remain on the hunt for what one might call a “signature” victory. They crawled out of a 14-point hole to top Portland at home early in the season, bested the KD-less Thunder after Russell Westbrook broke his hand early in the game, and won a road game in Houston (meh, who doesn’t do that these days?) against a Dwight Howard-less Rockets squad. Beyond that, there’s not much in their win column that anyone would deem impressive. Might the Hawks be kind enough to giftwrap them a big win in advance of their primetime Christmas matchup? And who knew the Hawks might be the NBA team in such a position?

    Following a nine-game winning streak of their own, L.A. has won just three of their past seven games, and lost each of their past four road contests. The full-squad Spurs tenderized the Clippers last night with a 125-118 win in regulation, the first loss for the Clips this season (11-1) when they’ve scored at least 110 points. Former Hawk and head coach Doc Rivers relies heavily on his starting unit, and Paul, Griffin, Jordan and J.J. Redick delivered with a combined 77 points on 51.8% shooting. Three members of that quartet (excepting Paul) exceeded their average floor time of 30-35 minutes per game.

    The problem for Rivers is he has to keep a short rotation for a bench squad that, besides ex-Hawk Jamal Crawford (34.5 FG% and 22.6 3FG% in last 7 games), is a scrappy bunch, at best. The Clips are the only NBA team whose bench averages under 10 rebounds per game (9.8 team RPG) and under 2 offensive rebounds per game (1.2 team O-Rebs/game). Center Spencer Hawes has been sidelined with a bruised knee, and whenever either of Griffin or Jordan has to sit, the pickings are slim.

    Rivers hasn’t gotten enough of a read on book club manager Ekpe Udoh to entrust him with major minutes. Glen Davis (4 steals last night) did his letter-best against San Antonio, working with Jordan Farmar and Crawford to erase a 17-point deficit, but the Clippers had no real answers for Manu Ginobili (19 points and 10 assists) or Boris Diaw (23 points in 25 minutes) when that duo came off the bench. Largely due to the lack of power from the bench options, belying the Clippers’ attention-getting frontcourt starters are a paltry 36.3 points-in-the-paint that ranks 28th out of 30 NBA teams.

    Pero Antić (4-for-6 3FGs, questionable for tonight with a sprained ankle) and perhaps ex-Clipper Elton Brand will have pivotal roles in helping steer things defensively in the Hawks’ favor, particularly doing their part to help Al Horford (17 points, 8-for-13 shooting against Dallas) and Paul Millsap (12 rebounds and 7 assists on Monday) stay out of foul trouble against Griffin and Jordan. Mike Scott was used sparingly against Dallas but can work with Dennis Schröder (career-high 22 points in Dallas) to help build an offensive advantage over J-Crossover and the Clippers’ reserves.

    Right before the Mavericks made their last stand on Monday, Dallas tried in vain to get under the skin of DeMarre Carroll (three-straight double-digit scoring games), earning the Hawks one missed technical free throw. Undoubtedly, Matt Barnes, whose entire NBA raison d’etre is to troll, is scheming to sell wolf tickets to the Junkyard Dawg. Barnes knows he can give his team a chance if can help get the opponent’s glue-guy unglued. Barnes will also be switched up onto Kyle Korver (18 points, 3-for-6 3FGs at Dallas) on occasion, particularly if Redick struggles to keep up from the outset.

    No more Chuck Woolery Collection outfits for Jeff Teague, who is a go for tonight’s action. Atlanta’s leading scorer and playmaker could provide the steadying presence the Hawks lacked last night in the final quarter against the Mavs. Similar to Schröder going up against his childhood idol last night, many Hawks fans fondly recall Jeff Teague’s coming-of-age games against his Wake Forest alum and seven-time All-Star. Like the November 2012 game, where Teague led the way with 19 points and 11 assists to help the Hawks prevail over the Clippers for the team’s fifth-straight win.

    It’s hard to fathom that for all his accolades, CP3, the superstar and TV insurance pitchman, will reach age 30 in 2015 with a decade of basketball under his belt and as many Conference Finals appearances as his Demon Deacon protégé. Both Teague (16.8 PPG, 36.9 assist percentage, 58.8 TS%, all career-highs) and Paul (NBA-high 4.2 offensive win shares, career-high 60.1 TS%) are having fine seasons, yet only one leads a team presently playing above and beyond expectations.

    Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours! Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  18. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - Mavericks

    By lethalweapon3,

    “I never lose! Right before I do, I always yank the release lever at the bottom.”



    Everything’s bigger in Texas, even road victories, and midseason trades. Coming off a confidence-boosting victory in Houston, their second-straight road win without their leading scorer and passer, the Southeast Division-leading Atlanta Hawks hope to keep the good vibes rolling against the Dallas Mavericks (8:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, Fox Sports Southwest), a team that has enhanced its own championship prospects in a Rondo-bout way.

    Mark Cuban was in Manhattan on Friday evening to help sing “We’ll Meet Again” to Stephen Colbert, but he could just as well have been crooning to Jameer Nelson, Brandan Wright, and Jae Crowder. Those players were flipped, along with a pair of draft picks and a trade exception, in order to welcome uber-passer Rajon Rondo (10.7 APG, 1st in NBA), and 2014 second-rounder Dwight Powell, to the Big D. Cuban knows what Rondo, maybe by default the happiest Oak Hill Academy product in or around the NBA, is capable of accomplishing when he has legitimate tools around him, and isn’t left to hammer away on his own.

    Rajon’s shot (40.4 FG% last two seasons, 3-for-11 FGs in his Maverick debut) had not been falling in Boston since he went out with an ACL tear back in January 2013. But now that he’s amidst a starting lineup with super-scorer Monta Ellis (21.2 PPG; 47.4 FG%, highest in six seasons), hassle-HOF Dirk Nowitzki (6.6% turnover percentage, 6th-lowest in NBA), free agent pickup Chandler Parsons (2.2 3FGs/game, 14th in NBA), and the ever-efficient Tyson Chandler (67.6 FG%, 3rd in NBA; league-high 58.8 career FG%), Rondo may never have to leave his feet to shoot a basketball again.

    Previously, Dallas was blessed with a bevy of shoot-first, drive-second, pass-last small guards, guiding a Mavericks team that’s effective on pull-up shots (45.7 pull-up eFG%) but ranks just 20th in assisted field goals (56.9% assisted FGs; Atlanta’s 67.7% leads the league). That corps included J.J. Barea (117.5 offensive rating, 2nd in NBA) and ex-Hawk Devin Harris (career-high 40.4 3FG%), along with Nelson and Raymond Felton, who awaits activation after a four-game suspension for something in New York that would probably earn him a plaque in Georgia. Now with Rondo in tow, Dallas can keep pace on offense with the passing-oriented teams in the league. That includes the reigning catch-and-shoot kings, the Hawks.

    Atlanta’s 34.6 PPG and 43.5 FG% on catch-and-shoot attempts leads the NBA. While both Dallas and Atlanta have taken an equivalent number of three-pointers (20.8 attempts per game, tied-2nd in NBA) on catch-and-shoot possessions, the Hawks’ 39.4 3FG% ranks in the top-10 while the Mavs’ 35.2% ranks in the bottom-10. Rondo cannot help with the “shoot” part, but he’ll certainly create better catches.

    In one of the most Rondoesque games of his recent career, Rajon piled up a season-high 19 assists (a career-high 14 in the first half) and tacked on 12 rebounds in Atlanta on December 2, but accompanied that with a season-high seven turnovers while sinking just one of his eight shot attempts. The Hawks coolly evaporated Boston’s 23-point first-half lead and handed Rondo’s Celtics a fifth-straight loss, helping kick the trade wheel for the 2015 unrestricted free agent into high gear.

    Atlanta’s Jeff Teague (hamstring) remains doubtful for tonight’s game. But Dennis Schröder acquitted himself well in his last outing against his mentor. Schröder put in ten of his momentary-career-high 15 points in the fourth quarter as the Hawks surged ahead of Rondo and the Celts. It was perhaps the first time Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer felt comfortable allowing Schröder to close out a close basketball game as the lead guard, allowing Teague to rest.

    As for Dallas, the biggest mystery is the extent to which Rondo (1.7 steals per game, 13th in NBA) will alleviate a tenuous, at best, Mavericks defense. Dallas’ 104.8 opponent points per 100 possessions is the 10th worst defensive rating in the Association and the third-worst among probable playoff teams. The Mavericks do force a lot of turnovers (16.9 opponent TOs/game, 2nd-most in NBA; NBA-high 20.6 PPG off TOs), but if opposing teams manage to get a shot off, it’s pretty much over.

    Only the Knicks have a worse defensive rebounding percentage than the Mavs (71.5 D-Reb%, 12.2 opponent O-Rebs per game, 2nd-most in NBA), and only New York’s opponents hit three-pointers with better accuracy than Dallas’ (38.8 opponent 3FG%, 2nd-highest in NBA; league-high 9.4 opponent 3FGs per game). Plus, the Mavs don’t get back well, giving up a league-high 15.9 fastbreak PPG (Atlanta opponents’ 9.2 PPG is the lowest).

    Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle is not terribly interested in becoming the next Doug Moe, and he’s going to depend on Rondo to be dialed-in to slow some of the league’s premier point guards, particularly their fellow competitors in the wild West.

    At least for now, Dallas’ defensive aptitude as a team rests as heavily as ever on the spindly legs, and injury-prone feet, of the sneaker-swatting Tyson Chandler, especially with Wright (6.7 blocks per 100 possessions, 2nd in NBA) now sipping chowder with Crowder in Beantown. This season, opponents’ offensive rebounding went up from a mediocre 25.9% to a horrific 32.8% whenever Chandler has had to sit.

    Thabo Sefolosha (2.0 O-Rebs per-36, 1st among Hawks with 15+ minutes/game) and DeMarre Carroll (1.4 O-Rebs per game, 2nd on team) are each capable of helping Atlanta’s big men crash the boards while still getting swiftly back on defense to quell fast breaks, particularly against the Mavs. Dallas will lean heavily on Norcross High alum and ex-Teague teammate Al-Farouq Aminu to go from chasing Kyle Korver around to rushing inside to help regain possessions. Parsons played that role on Saturday, snaring a season-high 11 rebounds in a home win against the intentionally-shorthanded Spurs, who shot just 23.1% on threes.

    Parsons struggled out of the gate with back problems and perhaps a deferential attitude, but he’s come around in his past six games, shooting 57.3% on the floor while averaging 23.2 PPG to relieve Nowitzki and Ellis of the offensive load. Parsons is likely to switch up with Ellis to deal with Korver until Aminu subs in. Whichever of DeMarre Carroll or Korver draws Ellis (season-high 38 points vs. San Antonio on Saturday) on offense will want to receive passes around the blocks, drawing Maverick help for Monta and opening things up across the floor.

    The mid-range game, adroit screening, and high-post passing of the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, Al Horford (18.7 PPG, 60.5 FG%, and 5.0 APG in his last 3 games), is creating quite the quandary lately for otherwise noteworthy defensive bigs, whether it’s Dwight Howard, Anderson Varejao, or Taj Gibson. Meanwhile, Al’s regaining confidence wearing out post “defenders” like Kevin Love and Pau Gasol. Situated among the former category, Chandler will be inclined to camp out at the rim until the first couple of Dirkminican mid-range shots drop, after which he’ll need someone to hold the fort while he comes out of the paint to defend Horford and break up pick-and-rolls.

    The 7-foot-1 Chandler gets to hang around the top of the True Shooting ranks (70.5 TS%, 3rd in NBA) by hanging around the opponent’s rim for dunks, layups and putbacks. Just 1.2 shots per game come from Chandler beyond 3 feet of the rim, where he shoots just 30.3 FG%. Meanwhile, 6-foot-7 Korver (74.4 TS%, 1st in NBA) gets to top the True Shooting charts by being not only the man @ATLHawks3 calls THREEZUS, but FREEZUS as well.

    Only Memphis’ Courtney Lee is hitting three-pointers with greater accuracy than Korver’s 53.9 3FG%, while only the Bucks’ Jerryd Bayless surpasses Kyle’s 96.3 FT%. Korver unseated the incumbent (former U.S. Rep. Tom McMillen) with his 49th consecutive free throw make to help seal the victory in Houston on Saturday. Leading the way with 22 points against the Rockets, Korver’s Hawks are 14-4 when he scores at least 11 points, and 17-4 when he connects on at least two 3-point shots.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  19. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - Rockets

    By lethalweapon3,

    “Killing them softly with my voice, killing them softly…”



    They’re no longer seen as the ‘Y’, among vowels.

    After dispatching the media-heralded Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers in consecutive games, the 18-7 Atlanta Hawks are not, anymore, the “oh, yeah, them, too, sometimes, maybe” team among the shortlist of Eastern Conference contenders. To fully disassociate themselves with the East’s also-rans, though, they have to do something more.

    Beat some more teams from the Western Conference. Occasionally, top the really good ones. Preferably, outperform them in their buildings.

    The Hawks get some bites at that apple before racing the L.A. Clippers back here from Texas for a game on Tuesday. The East’s third-seed gets Monta Ellis and the Mavs on Monday night, and tonight they get the West’s 4-seed: Dwight Howard, James Harden and the Houston Rockets (8:00 PM Eastern, SportSouth, CSN Houston).

    A few weeks ago, first-place Toronto similarly dusted Cleveland, by 17, at the Q, with DeMar DeRozan and buoyed by a career-high 36 points from our old friend, Lou Williams. Most of Toronto’s gaudy 7-2 out-of-conference record has come from a strong homestand, primarily against the patsies of the West. The Raptors hung on to beat the Suns at home, and pulled away in Toronto from a Grizzlies team that was shorthanded because of the flu. But they have yet to pull off a major victory west of the Mississippi, their two wins coming against a Demarcus Cousins-less Sacramento and free-falling Utah. They get a big Western road trip going next week.

    Southeast Division-leader Washington is 6-1 against the West, including a big win to stem the Clippers’ winning streak last week, but all of those wins have come at the Verizon Center. Their road conquests to date haven’t exactly been a Murderer’s Row: Orlando (twice), the Knicks, Indiana, Milwaukee, and Miami last night. They’ll follow Toronto’s path with a West Coast swing the following week.
    In Atlanta’s sole West Coast road challenge so far, they were about an ounce of sanity from Pero Antić away from ending their 17-year hex in San Antonio. After making a big splash in Cleveland on Wednesday, tonight, the Hawks will get all they can handle out of a guy who may deserve to be the frontrunner for MVP.

    Terrence Jones (nerve issue in lower leg) has missed significant time, Dwight Howard has recovered after undergoing a PRP procedure in his knee, Patrick Beverley sat out for weeks with hamstring issues, and free agent pickup Trevor Ariza (14.1 PPG, 36.4 FG%, 33.7 3FG%) has played about as poorly on offense as the last time Houston acquired him. Were the Rockets (19-6) about to allow other teams to take their place in the Western Conference standings? Not by the hair of James Harden’s chinny-chin-chin.

    The league-leader in scoring (26.7 PPG, #1 in NBA), and a near Top-10 passer (6.7 APG, 2nd among NBA non-point guards), Harden has carried this team on his back, and kept them among the league’s elite, as well as any other NBA superstar. To the surprise of no one, Harden bulldozes his way to the charity stripe, with a league-high 32.5% of his points coming off of free throws. Without a point guard that’s strong on offensive execution, it’s Harden who is pulling off coach Kevin McHale’s pick-and-roll-heavy offensive schemes.

    But what is perhaps the most impressive element of The Bearded One’s play this season? He’s apparently committed not to have anyone produce another YouTube mix of his notoriously lackadaisical defensive efforts. His 1.9 steals per game ranks seventh in the league, and that’s part of what has James Harden – James Harden – now in the league’s Top-20 for defensive rating (min. 15 min/game and 20 games played).

    For kicks-and-giggles, guess who’s #1 in the NBA for defensive rating, with those qualifiers included? Your friend, and mine, Atlanta’s Pero Antić. Also in the Top-20 list? Thabo Sefolosha. Somebody seems to know what they’re doing.

    Who is keeping Paul Millsap’s spot warm at the top of the league ranks in steals per game? Corey Brewer (2.3 SPG, #1 in NBA), who comes in from the cold in Minnesota to buttress a beleaguered Houston bench corps. With Harden, Ariza, Beverley, and now Brewer grasping at every loose ball in and around Clutch City, and with Howard (2.5 BPG, 2nd in NBA) swatting away any scorers that manage to make it into the paint, the Rockets will look a lot like the Sixers defensively, except with actual NBA-quality talent.

    Opponents of the Rockets must expect a high-paced affair featuring gobs and gobs of turnovers. Unlike the laissez-faire approach in the Cavalier backcourt, Dennis Schröder (4.0 TOs per 100 plays, 3rd most among NBA backups, likely to start for Jeff Teague again tonight) and Shelvin Mack will be dealing with a dogged defensive-minded player in Beverley who will be pressing all the way up the court. On the good side, the Rockets will give it right back to you, as demonstrated most often by Harden (4.2 TO/game, 2nd in NBA), and Howard (3.2 TO/game, 2nd among NBA centers).

    Only the Sixers have a higher turnover ratio than Houston’s 17.5 TOs per 100 possessions, and only the Sixers, Bucks, and Brewer’s old team, the Timberwolves, produce more steals per-48 than the Rockets (8.8), the Hawks not far behind (8.6 steals per 48 minutes, 6th in NBA). Conversely, Houston gives up the most points off of turnovers (18.7 opponent PPG off TOs, 4th most in NBA) of any playoff contender. Guess who leads the NBA in the percentage of his own points off of turnovers? There’s that man again – Sefolosha (27.3%). Whichever team is controlling the ball and executing their offense more like a well-oiled machine will be the team with the lead.

    Howard has shown no signs of slowing down (22.7 PPG, 14.0 RPG, 3.3 BPG in his last 3 games) after his knee procedure, but he did take some time out of Thursday’s home loss in New Orleans to relieve pain in one of those giant gears he calls his shoulders.

    The Rox take 41.3% of their shots from beyond the 3-point line, and no other NBA team, not even the Hawks (30.9% of FGAs are threes, 5th in NBA) have more than a third of their shots from that distance. While the Rockets aren’t glaring-red-hot from that range (34.1 3FG%, 18th in NBA), perimeter defense by the Hawk guards will need to be tight, as Al Horford and the Hawks’ frontcourt will have their hands full holding Howard and the Houston bigs (28.7 O-Reb%, 2nd in NBA) off the glass.

    Horford (60.4 FG% last three games) was a nominee for Player of the Week last week, and he’ll have another shot at it again if he can stay at-par offensively with Howard for his third-straight 20-plus scoring effort. Al won’t have the joy of a cushy defender like Kevin Love waiting in the paint, but his mid-range game has been strong enough that it will put Howard in a pick-your-poison position of either stepping out to challenge Horford or staying at home to help Donatas Motiejunas with Paul Millsap and the Hawks’ paint cutters. Atlanta is now 18-1 (the one loss to Charlotte in OT) when Millsap finishes his night with a plus-minus of zero or better, 0-6 otherwise.

    Depth was a big issue for Houston coming into the season. Injuries pressing unseasoned reserves (Motiejunas, undrafted rookie big man Tarik Black, Isaiah Canaan) into major action has exacerbated the issue, leaving guys like new-daddy Jason Terry (2.0 3FGs per game, 40.6 FG%) and rookie forward Kostas Papanikolaou in heavier-than-ideal rotation. Brewer’s 10.5 PPG (41.8 FG%, 19.5 3FG%) with Minnesota wasn’t strong but it’s good enough for a Rockets backup corps that scores 21.4 PPG on 36.4 FG% and 61.0 FT%, all NBA lows. The first points for a non-starting Rocket against the Pelicans on Thursday came with just five minutes left in the third period, and there were no free throws attempted by Rocket reserves the entire game.

    Brewer will be particularly helpful for the bench defensive efficiency, which based on hoopsstats.com metrics has been worse than everyone’s other than Cleveland’s reserves. Mike Scott (15 points against the Cavs on Wednesday) and Mack (career-high 24 points and 6-for-6 3FGs on Wednesday) have the potential to be major difference makers again tonight.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  20. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - Cavaliers

    By lethalweapon3,

    “The game, it has magic, you know you can catch it, if you let the refs take control...”



    Tonight, we return to the scene of the crime: Quicken Loans Arena, where it seems like everyone within a mile of Lake Erie got a three-point shot up against the Atlanta Hawks. LeBron James, Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving, Shawn Marion, Dion Waiters, Joe Harris, James Jones, Will Cherry, Usher, Elka Ostrovsky, Nick Gilbert, Bone, Thugs, Harmony…

    In all, 19 three-pointers were drained by the Cleveland Cavaliers (7:00 PM Eastern, SportSouth, FSN Ohio), including the first 11 in a row on the way to a 71-43 first half blowout on November 15. Only Matthew Dellavedova (back from an MCL sprain) and South Dakotan shoe-dropper Mike Miller (in for just two minutes; available tonight after missing time with a concussion) were unable to pile on.

    Three-point carpet-bombing isn’t necessarily Cleveland’s forte, though. On the season, their shooting (22 3FG attempts per game, 15th in NBA) and accuracy (36.0 3FG%, 13th in NBA), unlike LeBron’s surprise announcement this past summer, hasn’t been much to write home about. The very next game, they took nearly as many attempts (29) as they did against Atlanta (32), but shot just 34.5 3FG% and fell at home to the then-reeling Nuggets.

    Still, the Hawks game helped the Cavs (14-9) right their ship and prompted Clevelanders to search elsewhere for the most-overhyped professional athletes in town. The Hawks (17-7; 33.4 opponent 3FG%, 6th lowest in NBA) will want to do all they can (short of fouling, we hope) to keep from experiencing some early déjà-vu tonight.

    As The Rock would inquire of random jabronis, “Do you like… PIE?” If so, Dennis Schröder is your kind of guy. Despite a recent swoon (9-for-35 FGs in last four games) as defenders adjust to his drives, Schröder’s NBA-created Player Impact Estimate (PIE) of 14.0 ranks 8th among NBA guards (2nd among all NBA reserves, min. 15 MPG) and remains slightly ahead of Jeff Teague’s 13.6 for tops on the Hawks.

    Will we get to see Schröder’s first NBA start tonight? The prospects are looking pretty good, as Teague will probably sit this one out to rest a strained hammy. If so, Dennis will be just the guy to give Kyrie Irving fits on offense, while Shelvin Mack (3.1 assist/turnover ratio, 10th among NBA reserves, min. 10 MPG) serves as a change-of-pace ball-control option off the bench. Schröder is also less likely to fall (literally) for Uncle Drew’s many dribbling tricks.

    The Cavs take 20.0 FGAs per game on catch-and-shoot plays (3rd fewest in NBA) and the 16.1 team miles traveled per 48 minutes ranks only ahead of the Clippers. Instead of a complex motion offense, in the halfcourt they seem to place emphasis on getting to their designated spots on the floor and delivering the ball to their predetermined playmaker, crashing the glass (27.1 O-Reb%, 1st in the East; Tristan Thompson 16.4 O-Reb%, 1st in NBA) when they’re not getting the shots they planned.

    That predetermined playmaker isn’t necessarily the point guard. Irving is averaging a career-low 5.2 APG, but any guard would be fine with that, what with LeBron (7.8 APG, 5th in NBA) firing cross-court passes for strikes and Love lobbing the ball down the court on outlet passes as precisely as anybody wearing orange-and-brown -- a league-high 18 “touchdown passes” as described by ESPN using STATS SportVu data (passes off defensive rebounds that travel at least 20 feet and lead to fastbreak baskets). James has 5 himself. The Hawks might catch another break, though, as Love missed today’s shootaround due to flu-like illness and is questionable for tonight’s action.

    When the Cavs’ Big 3 are not crashing the glass, they’re just fine crashing into whoever’s in front of them. They’re the only trio of teammates in the NBA’s Top-25 for free throw attempts per game, leading a Cavalier team that gets fouled on 3.1 more occasions per game than their foes (2nd most in NBA), resulting in a league-high 7.0 freebie attempts per game.

    DeMarre Carroll missed out of the November game with a groin injury, and while he’s had a penchant lately for losing track of his man along the baseline, he won’t have that same issue tonight with James (25.6 PPG, 2nd in NBA) constantly looming to make big plays. He’ll be needed to take some of the defensive pressure off of Paul Millsap and keep James from scoring 11 points before the fourth minute of the game, as was the situation in November. Pero Antić will be back to help seal the interior, but we may see a continuation of expanded floor time from Elton Brand, who has been a superior defensive rebounder.

    Only Minnesota, the Lakers, and Philly allow opponents to score points in the paint (44.3 in-the-paint PPG, 2nd most in the East; 13.2 at-rim FGs per game, 2nd most in NBA) with greater proficiency than the Cavs (55.7 in-the-paint opponent FG%, 4th highest in NBA; 56.2 at-rim opponent FG%, behind only Atlanta’s 57.0% and Minnesota’s 56.7%).

    Both Paul Millsap and Al Horford can open things up for their teammates by drawing James’ attention away from the perimeter. Horford ran circles around Pau Gasol during Atlanta’s victory over the Bulls on Monday, and he should have similar success playing keep-away with Anderson Varejao by beating him repeatedly down the floor (preferably, without the ball). Millsap, meanwhile, should have little problem working around either of Love or Tristan Thompson on halfcourt sets.

    Sap should not be surprised to find hound dog Dellavedova switched up on him around the perimeter and elbows. LeBron’s favorite hustle guy, the 6-foot-4 Delly has been seen guarding Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis. Still, that switch probably means there’s a mismatch on the floor somewhere worth exploiting.

    When James comes to help, that opens up opportunities for Carroll (5-for-18 3FGs in his past four games) to shake out of his funk. Kyle Korver (4-for-8 3FGs versus Chicago) will be blanketed by Marion (career-low 42.9 FG% and 5.3 PPG). For defensive purposes, The Matrix has maintained the starting 2-guard spot in place of Waiters, who has worked out better as an occasional offensive spark off the bench.

    On perimeter shots, whether made or missed, the Hawks wings must get back on D to help blunt the Cavs’ runouts. Particularly with his chasedown abilities, Teague’s presence would be missed on a Hawks team that still gives up the fewest fastbreak points in the league (9.1 opponent fastbreak PPG).

    One commonality that raises the cream above most of the Eastern Conference crop is an ability to play at-or-above .500 on the road. The Hawks (5-5 away from Philips) can help their own cause tonight by avoiding silly fouls, as they want the clock to continue running out on the Cavs. Atlanta resorts to 5.2 additional personal fouls per game on the road, allowing opponents playing from behind the opportunity to keep the game close at the end.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  21. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - Bulls

    By lethalweapon3,

    “Sorry, Benihana. My hibachi steak wasn’t grilled to perfection, so…”


    Despite the coming uptick in the competitive quality of the NBA schedule, the Atlanta Hawks may catch a break once again when the Chicago Bulls (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, CSN Chicago) charge into Philips Arena seeking to match their season-high four-game winning streak. That’s not just because do-it-all center Joakim Noah is doubtful to play as he continues to fight a pesky ankle sprain.

    Accompanying the Central Division-leading Bulls (15-8) today will be the usual menagerie of Second City carpetbaggers and NBA jersey-chasers filling the arena seats. The red-clad roadies have been quite satisfied with their team, as Chicago boasts the most road wins (11-3) in the league, save for Golden State.

    Yet many coming to the Highlight Factory primarily to cheer on The Youngest MVP in NBA History may come away moderately disappointed this evening. Thus far, these are the contributions of Derrick Rose (17.0 PPG, 4.9 APG) on the second night of back-to-back games for the Bulls: DNP-ankle sprain; 4-for-10 FGs, 13 points and seven assists in 31 minutes, DNP prior game; DNP- two ankle sprains; DNP-hamstring strain; two points in 10 minutes before leaving game with hamstring strain; 5-for-12 FGs, 15 points and five assists in 28 minutes.

    Rose wasn’t exactly balling out of control last night (14 points, 6-for-14 FGs in 27 minutes) as the Bulls turned to an en-fuego Mike Dunleavy (19 third-quarter points) and its airtight defense (35.0 opponent FG% on Sunday) to stymie Luol Deng and the heat in Miami. Maybe he was just saving himself up a little. But it’s certainly within the realm of possibility that Chicago’s most impactful player won’t be on the floor much tonight.

    Wait, check that. Jimmy Butler IS playing tonight. Jimmy Buckets played his tail off in the preseason, including one 20-point fourth-quarter bonanza (where have you gone, Jarell Eddie?) topped by (stop me if you’ve heard this one before) a buzzer-beater to topple the Hawks. Then, while Rose nursed his injuries, Butler went on to earn Eastern Conference Player of the Month for November, serving up 21.9 PPG (49.8 FG%) in a Thibodeauian 39.3 minutes per contest. The fourth-year swingman passed up a four-year, $40 million contract extension offer at the outset of the season and now is playing the way a prime 2015 free agent target should.

    Jimmy’s October Surprise notwithstanding, Butler (29.1 3FG%) and Rose (30.5 3FG%) are just occasional threats outside the perimeter. But their abilities to draw contact and pile up points at the free throw line, when Rose is healthy, pushes them up toward the top of the ever-popular Best Backcourts in the League discussions. Butler has taken more free throws (30) in just the past four games than a certain NBA center ( ) has taken all season (26). In the three-game stretch to conclude his award-winning November run, Butler drew 45 trips to the free throw line.

    While has ill visions of Tobias Harris’ buzzer-beater dancing in his head, among an array of strategic errors during Saturday’s loss in Orlando, he has no time to dwell upon them. JYD and Thabo Sefolosha have to show sound defensive posture and spacing to minimize Butler’s forays inside and draw offensive, not defensive, foul calls. Same deal with the Hawk guards defending Rose for however long he appears tonight. Rose has had a propensity to settle for jumpshots (career-high 5.5 3FGAs per game) rather than drive to force the action (career-high 52.0 2FG%; 59.8 FG% within 10 feet), particularly when no one appears to be open. The Bulls’ 6.9 team PPG produced from Rose drives are lower than those of (11.4 Hawks PPG) and (7.4 Hawks PPG).

    Whether Butler is, indeed, the most impactful Bull this season is debatable, and that’s not even including Rose or Noah in the mix. Veteran free agent newcomer Pau Gasol is pulling off that most-difficult phenomena of being obscured by one’s little brother, despite an otherwise MVP-candidate-caliber stat line of 19.0 PPG, 11.9 RPG (2nd in NBA), and 1.9 BPG (7th in NBA). He’s getting it done on the interior as Taj Gibson and Noah have taken turns sitting with injuries.

    NBA opponents take the most shots at the rim against Gasol (11.0 at-rim FGA per game), but shoot just 45.2 FG%, a percentage bested only by usual-suspects named Howard, Ibaka, Cousins, Hibbert, Bogut, Dalembert, and Duncan. It remains to be seen if 34-year-old Gasol is going to hold up all season long, particularly if Noah continues to miss time. But for now, Pau seems pleased-as-punch to be far away from the morass in Kobetown. On offense, Gasol will want to draw Al Horford on post-ups, perhaps forcing Mike Budenholzer’s hand to turn toward ex-Bull early in the contest, especially with (flu) questionable for tonight.

    Under Tom Thibodeau, the Bulls’ defensive M.O. is to chase opponents off the three-point line and hound them into settling for mid-range shots. Butler and Gasol are on the floor when opponents shoot mid-range shots (around 21 FGAs per game) more often than anyone else in the league; largely by consequence, Noah and Dunleavy are in the Top-15 for that category. While the Bulls allow the 3rd-most shots in the league, opponents are shooting just 43.3 FG% (6th lowest in NBA) as they shoot a league-high 27.4 mid-range FGAs at just 39.0 FG%.

    Conversely, only 18.3 opponent shots per game (2nd fewest in the league) come from three-point territory. The Bulls all but cut out the corner shots (NBA-low 3.3 opponent 3FGAs per game) and allow just 35.2 3FG% above-the-break. They also don’t risk defensive breakdowns by gambling for steals (6.2 steals per-100 possesions, 4th fewest in NBA).

    Any success for the Hawks (16-7) tonight will come as a direct result of discipline and patience, directed by Atlanta’s point guards in setting up the plays they want, not the ones the Bulls want them to settle for. Executing fewer plays near the end of the shot clock will help keep Chicago’s defenders guessing and not just digging their hooves in.

    Defensive anchor Gibson will be all over (3-for-12 FGs and 9 points but 4 offensive rebounds on Saturday; 23 points on 7-for-15 shooting on Friday), but he and Horford can rack up assists getting the ball back to their guards and wing players; Sap by backing in and kicking the ball outside, Horford by dishing the ball to cutters from the high post. Some deft passing back to Millsap in the paint could keep Gasol and Gibson's heads on a swivel. Horford of course must play stronger around the rim (6.5 PPG in-the-paint), but he must also force Gasol into playing a fullcourt game by beating him down the floor on the break.

    Another poor shooting night from long-range is to be expected, especially after the Hawks shot just 33.3%, 31.0% and 29.6% in their past three games against the Sixers and Magic. Still, being persistent with drives and cuts in the paint early can soften up the Bulls for the knockout kickouts later in the game.

    Hawk shooters have been succumbing to pressure to seal the deal with well-contested long-range jumpers late in the game; Atlanta shoots a tepid 33.8 3FG% in fourth-quarters (13th in NBA), compared to 38.0 3FG% (5th in NBA) in the earlier segments in the game. Take out former Bull and would-be-Magic-game-savior ’s downright insane numbers (73.1 fourth-quarter 3FG%!), and it’s been an even bleaker picture for the Hawks. Butler will do his best to try and blanket Korver, but whichever Hawk draws Dunleavy and/or Tony Snell should be able to get around them and get open – just keep driving and avoid settling for Chicago’s desired mid-range jumpers.

    When the Hawks tend to freeze up is generally when the Bulls like to sharpen their horns. By inserting reserves Aaron Brooks (44.8 3FG%, 12th in NBA) or Kirk Hinrich for hot-handed firepower along with Dunleavy, Chicago shoots 39.5 3FG% (3rd in NBA) in the final quarters of games. (season-high 10 points on 4-for-5 FGs at Orlando) has been gaining the trust of Hawks’ staff to play longer stints and later in games, and he’ll be needed to help Teague patrol the perimeter. Stretch-four rookie Nikola Mirotic (35.7 3FG%) will also mimic Atlanta's on offense to the best of his ability. Thibodeau’s ability to stretch the floor will be further enhanced once his fellow rookie Doug McDermott returns in a month or so after arthroscopic knee surgery.

    Questionable A$G surveys aside, Hawks CEO Steve Koonin could not care less why anyone comes to Philips Arena for an NBA game. With the Bulls, Clippers, and Cavaliers in town before the end of the calendar year, what Koonin does hope is that the in-arena atmosphere coupled with quality competitive play on the floor will eventually be enough to flip some on-the-fence attendees, along with a few watching from home. Armed with lessons-learned from what felt like an extended preseason for Atlanta (15-4 since November 8, but just one win vs. an above-.500 team), impressive play against the NBA’s marquee teams, like the Bulls, could have some non-Hawk fans returning again soon, wearing red for a whole different reason.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  22. lethalweapon3
    “And I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know… wait… Regis, I forgot... what is it that I know?”



    Feast on the East! The Atlanta Hawks arrive at the back end of their home-and-home affair with the Orlando Magic (7:00 PM Eastern, SportSouth, FoxSports Florida) with the most wins (13-4) against Eastern Conference opponents, including at least one win over each of the conference’s Bottom-9 teams. At least for a day, the Hawks (16-6; 11-1 in their last 12 games) can share the same record as the top team in the East, the lauded Toronto Raptors, with a win in O-Town tonight.

    With a daunting uptick in the schedule beginning on Monday, the Hawks would like to keep positive momentum toward an 11th straight victory, at home versus Chicago. But Atlanta can’t look past a Magic team that held its own against them for three quarters last night; a slip-up today will raise questions of whether they were caught looking past tonight’s opponents.

    The Magic (9-16) are eager to please their home fans after dropping six of their first eight games at the Amway Center. Head coach Jacque Vaughn would also like to avoid the basement of the Southeast Division, as Orlando’s 1-5 in-division record keeps the bottom-dwelling Charlotte Hornets (6-16) nipping at their heels.

    It will help the Magic tremendously to widen their rebounding advantage if center Nikola Vucevic (18.9 D-Reb%, 12th in NBA) can play after having missed six games with a back strain. If Vooch cannot go again, Vaughn may try to bolster the frontline by finally dusting off Andrew Nicholson (8.4 minutes/game, 33.3 FG%), a sizable power forward whose confidence is almost gone following a promising 2012-13 rookie season.

    Vaughn tried to preserve his starters as best he could on Saturday night, but Willie Green and three other Magic reserves (7 combined points on 3-for-21 shooting; 3 assists and 6 turnovers) were generally ineffective. Their overreliance on the starting lineup to force stops and make plays had most of them in foul trouble by the end of the game, ill-suited for Atlanta’s onslaught that finally arrived late in the second half.

    Atlanta’s Al Horford certainly can put more pressure on the Magic frontline to stay out of foul trouble. He got the Hawks started on good footing last night with eight points in the first-quarter, but without more post-up opportunities he’s having a hard time getting whistles. When he does get the ball on the low block, he spends too much time setting up his maneuvers, holds the ball too low, and often turns the ball over. More immediate and decisive moves will help him get it going on the interior, and earn the referees’ attention. Last night’s game was the 11th for Horford without a single free-throw attempt; in 29 appearances of his short-circuited 2013-14 season, Al got to the line in 25 games.

    As demonstrated last night, the Magic are simply not experienced or skilled enough to outlast opponents in a purely back-and-forth halfcourt contest. A team as youthful as the Magic (lead guards Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton, in particular) should be using their athleticism to get out on the break (10.7 fastbreak PPG, 22nd in NBA) more often than they do. Orlando’s 13.4 PPG off turnovers is next-to-last in the league, and the Magic mustered just three fastbreak points against the Hawks on Friday, further lowering Atlanta’s league-low points-allowed on the break (9.4 opponent fastbreak PPG). Orlando could certainly use an energetic boost from forward Mo Harkless, who has been doghoused, like Nicholson, for some reason.

    The Hawks shot a season-low 37.2 FG% and still prevailed, thanks in large part to a defensive clamping-down on Magic ballhandlers that began in the mid-third quarter after Orlando stretched their lead to 11, and an uncanny sense of patience and trust that their perimeter shooting will eventually come around.

    Kyle Korver and most of the Hawks reserves (Dennis Schröder, Elton Brand, Mike Scott, and Thabo Sefolosha) failed to shoot well, but hustled enough on defense to help turn the tide in Atlanta’s favor as Paul Millsap and Horford (40 combined points and 15 boards) carried the day at the other end. Filling in mostly for Pero Antić (out tonight as well, with the flu), Brand’s showing and trapping the Magic on pick-and-rolls were especially instrumental. Past editions of the Hawks would routinely concede, “It just wasn’t our night,” after going 1-for-15 from deep, no matter who they were playing; this group finished last night’s contest by hitting eight of their final 11 three-point attempts.

    It’s hard to tell for sure whether it’s merely an anomaly -- or instead, some combination of mad-scientist coaching, fervent defensive stretches, and a conga line of inferior opponents -- but Atlanta is now 7-1 when they shoot below 44 percent from the field. That’s the same record they hold in games when they shoot over 50 percent.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  23. lethalweapon3
    “Hey, Elfrid! Medusa called…”



    The Chicago Bulls, who arrive at Philips Arena on Monday, own the most road victories (10-3) in the Eastern Conference this season. But guess who’s sitting in second place in that category? How about tonight’s opponents, the Orlando Magic (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth, FoxSports Florida)?

    Orlando’s spent a lot of time away from the Magic Kingdom so far this season, a league-high 16 games. And, truth be told, they’re pretty good in the black unis and white pinstripes, sporting a 7-9 record compared to just 2-6 at the Amway Center, where the Hawks (15-6, 10-2 at home) and Magic meet up again tomorrow evening.

    It’s their success away from home that’s kept Orlando (9-15, 9th in the East) from making a voyage to the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Coaching up a roster with just four players boasting more than three NBA seasons under their belts (including our old friend, Willie Green), ex-Hawk Jacque Vaughn is in the sweet spot for retaining his job -- the outer end of the lottery, where every win pads his resume and every loss can be chalked up as a “learning experience.”

    But for Bradley Beal’s heroics at the close of Wednesday night’s 91-89 thriller, the Magic probably should be at 3-5 at home. Beal scored a layup on a lob from Andre Miller to cap a 7-0 run by the Wizards in the closing minute. After another “One to Grow On,” Vaughn’s crew hops back on the plane, hungry for their third consecutive road victory after wins in Utah and Sacramento. They’ve been pulling those wins off without their leading rebounder, Nikola Vucevic (11.7 RPG, 4th in NBA; questionable with back spasms, gametime decision), turning to efficient big men Kyle O’Quinn and Dewayne Dedmon to hold the fort. A Steph Curry three-pointer in the closing seconds kept Orlando from pulling off an upset at Golden State back on December 2.

    Atlanta’s Kyle Korver is stroking the ball so well from the perimeter (5-for-7 3FGs against the Sixers) that he knows he doesn’t even have to sink buckets to be an offensive threat every night. As displayed against Washington (0-for-4 FGs) a couple weeks ago, Kyle can simply be a decoy and the Hawks (8 wins in a row, 10-1 in their last 11 games), when healthy and sane, can still come out on top. So, who holds the active Threak in the league right now? Why, it’s Evan Fournier (40.8 3FG%)! The third-year Frenchman, who the Nuggets discarded to Orlando to re-acquire Arron Afflalo, has nailed at least one trey in each of the past 29 games.

    There isn’t much ball motion in Orlando’s offense (19.4 APG, 28th in NBA). On Wednesday, the Magic’s assist tally was just half of Washington’s 26. Vaughn has been preferring to go with a dual-shooting-guard starting lineup, featuring Fournier and second-year-guard and part-time crooner Victor Oladipo.

    Since Oladipo’s return from a facial fracture he suffered in preseason practice, he and Fournier have shared the top backcourt billing at the expense of rookie Elfrid Payton, who’s in the NBA’s Top-20 for assist percentage (30.4%) and Top-10 for steal percentage (2.9%). The Amadeus-coiffed Payton will have to improve his shooting touch all over the floor (38.2 FG%, 25.0 3FG%, 46.8 FT%), before Vaughn is challenged to find a spot on the top line for him. But absent Payton or Luke Ridnour on the floor, it is Iso-Heaven out there.

    The Magic guards work in collaboration with stretch-four Channing Frye to space the floor out and allow either for drives by the guards, pick-and-pop shots by either Frye (6.9 catch-and-shoot PPG, 8th in NBA) or Vucevic, or post-up opportunities for Vucevic (11.1 in-the-paint PPG, 8th in NBA). Oladipo, Payton, and Fournier are each among the league’s Top-40 drivers, but only Fournier (46.4 FG% on drives) shoots above 40% when they do.

    When none of those options are in play, the Magic can ditch the ball to forward Tobias Harris and hope for the best. And the best is actually what Harris has been giving them. The 2015 restricted free agent leads the team with a career-high 18.7 PPG and ranks 12th in the NBA with a 43.6 3FG%, way up from 28.0 3FG% in his first three seasons. Among the NBA players averaging 35+ minutes per game, Harris (48.1 FG%) and Vucevic (50.7 FG%) are both among the top-5 in field goal percentage.

    Among players with more than four catch-and-shoot attempts per game, Vucevic’s 51.2 FG% ranks him 3rd in the league behind Kyle Korver (56.6%) and Anthony Davis (51.7%), just slightly ahead of Al Horford’s 51.6%. While his back is improving, if Vooch can’t go, they’ll look to Dedmon (NBA-high 17.8 O-Reb%) and O’Quinn to crash the boards against a Hawks team that has been improving on the defensive glass during their streak (74.0 team D-Reb%, up to 15th in NBA).

    The 76ers’ commitment to steals and blocks (albeit at the expense of rebounding) made forays into the paint pretty miserable for Hawks’ small guards Jeff Teague, Dennis Schröder, and Shelvin Mack, a combined 5-for-21 FGs on Wednesday. K.J. McDaniels played a big role in the Taming of the Schro, who was blocked on three occasions. The guards will find the interior to be a little less turbulent against a Magic defense that produces just 6.6 SPG (21st in NBA) and 3.6 BPG (29th in NBA), although Payton and Oladipo will do their part to try and keep them out.

    Even with the disastrous game in Cleveland thrown in, the Hawks’ perimeter defense has been pretty sharp (33.5 opponent 3FG%, 9th lowest in NBA). It remains to be seen whether it’s merely a fortunate string of intrinsically clunky-shooting teams Atlanta has been facing, but foes have had a tough time getting their heaves to go in the nets with guys like Thabo Sefolosha (31.8 opponent 3FG%), DeMarre Carroll (33.3 opponent 3FG%), and even Korver (31.6 opponent 3FG% above-the-break, although 42.4% from the corners) on the floor.

    JYD has been helpful patrolling the perimeter, but he’s been paying the price as his team gives up an NBA-high 11.2 second-chance PPG when he’s on the floor. He’ll need his frontcourt mates to continue to improve on boxing out while the shooting guards must provide more help securing the boards on the interior. Sefolosha did just that in an otherwise offensively futile effort on Wednesday against Philly, contributing a team-high eight defensive boards in just 20 minutes off the bench. The Hawks are 9-2 when they concede less than 10 offensive rebounds in a game, one of those setbacks being the double-OT loss in Charlotte.

    Philadelphia’s 18 turnovers (including 4 steals from Schröder, 3 apiece by Korver and Carroll) also boosted Atlanta to 8th in the NBA with 15.0 opponent TOs per game. Atlanta is 13-1 when at least 8 percent of opponent possessions end in a Hawks steal, the one loss being a two-point defeat in San Antonio.

    Mike Scott is probably tiring of chicken noodle soup and herbal tea by now, and hopefully he can pass on Grandma's surefire remedies to Pero Antić, who takes his turn dealing with the flu as he misses at least tonight's matchup. Scott's scoring punch was sorely missed during the Hawks’ muck-it-up-fest with the Sick-sers on Wednesday. Scott hasn’t logged 20 minutes in a game since helping trounce the Hornets on November 29, but he’s shot 61.2 FG% in his last six appearances.

    Pero's interior defensive wizardry will be missed, his perimeter pump-faking not so much. But due to his ailment, Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer won't be pressed to find more minutes for the other Money Mike. Mike Muscala helped put the Sixers to bed with 5 offensive boards, three assists, and 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting in 19 minutes of action on Wednesday. Balancing floortime for young bigs Scott, Muscala, and (eventually) Austin Spurs star Adreian Payne is a good problem for Coach Bud to have.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  24. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - 76ers

    By lethalweapon3,

    Whoa, hope that’s not Hanno Möttölä’s kid! How about we not invite him to the game today?


    It’s time to play, once again! “Who… He… Play For?”

    Drew Gordon. Orlando Coleman. Yonel Brown. JaKarr Sampson. Malcolm Lee. Damien Wilson. Robert Covington. Jordan Jones. Jerami Grant. Nigel Pruitt. Henry Sims. Brandon Davies. Kendrick Ray. Hollis Thompson. Delbert Love.

    Which of these cats are on the roster of the Philadelphia 76ers (7:30 PM Eastern, SportSouth -- “WELCOME BACK, BOB AND NIQUE!” -- CSN Philly), today’s visitors to the Highlight Factory… and which ones hoop for the Fightin’ Owls of Kennesaw State?

    Discerning Shinola from the other stuff is tougher. Hopefully, in the same amount of time it takes you to figure it out, the Atlanta Hawks (14-6) will have dispatched any notion that the Sixers might match the 3-7 Owls in basketball victories tonight.

    Brett Brown and Mike Budenholzer flew the San Antonio Spurs’ coaching coop for head NBA jobs following the 2013 NBA Finals. Both second-year coaches are earning praise throughout the league, albeit for vastly different seasons.

    Budenholzer has been building cohesion, competitiveness, and confidence on a 14-6 team that’s just one game out from the top of the Eastern Conference and seeking their eighth-straight win for the first time since Lenny Wilkens’ crew rattled off 11 victories to kickstart the 1997-98 season (one player on the losing end of Atlanta’s 11th win back in 1997, with the Wizards? Hawks assistant coach Darvin Ham).

    Building off a combination of decent rest periods and disappointing competition, the Hawks are not only #1 in the Eastern Conference shooting the basketball (47.5 FG%; top seven scorers shooting above 45%), they’re also up to Top-5 in the East for making stops (44.8 opponent FG%, 11th lowest in NBA, 4th in NBA East; 34.0 3FG%, 9th lowest in NBA, 2nd in NBA East; 14.9 opponent TOs/game, 8th most in NBA, 4th in NBA East; 99.0 opponent PPG, 11th lowest in NBA, 5th in NBA East). With differing sets of players stepping up to lead the way on any given night, Coach Bud’s patented “I Just Watched 2 Girls 1 Cup Face” appears on the sideline only when his Hawks’ 20-plus-point leads get chopped in half.

    Meanwhile, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ has been the best way to depict the frank but affable Brown, who is totally down with the struggle in the City of Brotherly Shove. He’s helping ensure his 2-18 Sixers’ intentional ineptitude endures, by taking the motley crew around Nerlens Noel and Michael Carter-Williams and running them absolutely ragged. Philly runs at the third-highest pace (97.4 possessions per-48) in the league, which would be fine if they had enough talent who knew what to do with the ball once they beat their opponents down the floor.

    The Sixers rank dead-last in three-point accuracy (29.9 3FG%) and free-throw accuracy (66.4 FT%), while also committing a league-high 17.4 turnovers per game. Euroleague star Dario Saric is another season away (at least) while Furkan Aldemir is getting wooed to come over from Turkey and get the "Furkan A!" jokes rolling. Would-be rookie center Joel Embiid is chasing Rihanna while long-injured vet Jason Richardson is chasing relevancy. You'd have better success running a vegan sandwich shop across the street from Pat's and Geno's. Yet Brown remains pragmatic, with a smile, satisfied with taking whatever highlights and victories (moral or otherwise) he can squeeze out of this bunch on the road to the next lottery.

    Carter-Williams isn’t here to hear about which of the above players might or might not beat Kent State, never mind Kentucky. Rather than hearing about tanking for 82 games, the NBA’s biggest Ellen DeGeneres fan would much rather you notice his improvement as a passer. He’s up to 5th in the NBA with a 42.1 assist percentage. Behind MCW and Tony Wroten (doubtful with a knee sprain), the team that ranks last in scoring (92.0 PPG) leads the NBA with 21.4 PPG on drives. Jeff Teague and the Hawk defenders must keep MCW in front of them and compel him to shoot the ball, a matter he’d also rather not talk about (27.5 FG% on jumpers; 23.9% beyond 10 feet).

    Brown has been trying to make-do without a backup lead guard while Wroten and Alexey Shved were out with injuries. He spelled MCW recently with 6-foot-9 forward JaKarr Sampson, a move which proved to be disastrous (or, if you’re smelling what the Sixers are cooking, delightful). Shved will give it a go after missing the last three games with a hip flexor. He did put up 18 and 19 points on the Mavs and Spurs in his last two appearances, but he may have trouble keeping up with the Hawk guards on the other end.

    Teams that are similarly sloppy will find Philadelphia in their rear-view mirror. The scrappy Sixers steal the ball a league-high 10.2 times per game and produce an NBA-high 17.5 turnovers per contest, leading to 18.9 PPG off turnovers (3rd most in NBA). Assuming Wroten (1.9 SPG) is a no-go, the Sixers will try to funnel opposing ballhandlers toward the lengthy arms of Noel, one of just 12 active NBA players (including Atlanta’s Paul Millsap) averaging at least one block and one steal. Noel will be a great test for Jeff Teague, Dennis Schröder and Shelvin Mack, who all need to make effective decisions in the paint while trying to get around MCW and the Sixer guards.

    There’s a strong likelihood that a Sixer will win Rookie of the Year in back-to-back seasons, following MCW… and I’m not just talking about Noel. Also in the one-block, one-steal club is swingman K.J. McDaniels (1.5 BPG), the second-rounder who passed up Philly’s standard-issue four-year contract (last two years unguaranteed) for a one-year deal. That makes the Clemson product a restricted free agent this summer, and he’s doing all he can to up his value, one highlight-reel block and dunk at a time. McDaniels had to send a poor lady some flowers after a violent preseason shot rejection ricocheted off her noggin in the stands – no word on whether she could actually smell the gardenias.

    Brown, in turn, won’t let McDaniels sniff the starting lineup, sticking with “the program” by going with Hollis Thompson (38.4 FG%) and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (39.6 FG%, 23.9 3FG%) instead. If K.J. does get an early call, he’ll lay off of fellow Birmingham native DeMarre Carroll and try to use his athleticism and defensive aptitude to keep ex-Sixer Kyle Korver from going off.

    Philly’s three-point defense hasn’t been too bad (34.1 3FG%), but it’s the interior that has been a sieve (51.6 FG%) as Noel gets spread out too thin covering for his frontcourt teammates. Paul Millsap struggled on Monday against the Pacers but should have a field day working in tandem with Al Horford (season-high 25 points vs. Indiana; 6-for-6 FTs!). With Mike Scott under the weather and out-of-action, Atlanta can use an offensive spark from any of Mack, Thabo Sefolosha (4-for-7 FGs vs. Indiana on Monday), Mike Muscala and ex-Sixer Elton Brand.

    Philly’s feeling froggy after getting their two wins (over Minnesota and Detroit) in their past three games. Plus, they come into this game rested up after a three-day layoff. Since spotting Boston a 42-30 lead five games ago, Atlanta has outscored opponents by an average of 25.75-18.75, and another early pounce should be enough to dampen the Spirit of ’76.

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
  25. lethalweapon3

    Hawks - Pacers

    By lethalweapon3,

    When Larry Bird tells you the ink has dried on that new multi-year contract extension. #VOGELFACE


    Is seven a lucky number? As the Atlanta Hawks prepare for the host Indiana Pacers (7:00 PM Eastern, NO LOCAL TV, FoxSports Indiana) in the quest for their first in-season seven-game winning string since November 2009 (that one punctuated by a last-second Josh Smith putback – at the rim, no less! – to edge the Rockets), the brake-pumpers are out in force. Beyond the fact that the Hawks have played most of their games at organ-friendly Philips Arena, are pretty healthy overall, and have had just five contests so far against Western Conference opponents (just one against a Top-8 team), their strength-of-schedule (average winning percentage of games played – 42.5%) is the lowest in the NBA.

    Still, perhaps uncharacteristically, this edition of the Hawks has been aptly knocking down whatever the schedule puts in front of them. None of the circumstances that have befallen Atlanta’s opponents, particularly injuries, are the Hawks’ fault. Maybe least of all the situation with the Pacers, the reigning Eastern Conference regular-season champions that have found themselves lacking in talent and, even with some veterans returning, bereft of offensive firepower (97.5 points per 100 possessions, 27th in NBA).

    Of course they’re missing Paul George (leg) and, to a lesser extent, Lance Stephenson (free agent departure). They certainly had no reason to believe they’d be missing Rasual Butler, a training camp signee by the Wizards who is filling up the buckets (17.1 PPG in his last six games, 54.5 3FG% on the season) right now. George Hill (knee, quad) has been absent all season, while David West (ankle), Roy Hibbert (knee, ankle), Rodney Stuckey (foot, wrist), C.J. Watson (foot), have all missed time. And now they’ll make do without backup center Ian Mahinmi, who tore his plantar fascia and will miss at least another month. 88 player games have been missed, and counting.

    Running headfirst into Indy (7-13, losers of their last four) is a Hawks team with an NBA-best defensive rating (92.0 points per-100) during the course of their winning streak. Atlanta held their last two opponents, Brooklyn and Denver, to below 40 eFG%. Indiana will try and keep up with Chris Copeland, the forward who tried in vain to keep the Pacers competitive with 21 points (6-for-11 on threes) in Atlanta on November 1, a 102-92 Hawks victory. Led by Jeff Teague’s 25 points, Atlanta kept Indy at bay despite shooting just 7-for-20 (35 3FG%) in the game.

    Hibbert and the Pacers have been hanging in games by rebounding like crazy (52.8 rebound percentage, 2nd in NBA), going 4-2 on the season so far when they register at least 50 boards, but 0-10 when the rebounding percentage falls below 53 percent. Last Friday night, they put a scare into DeMarcus Cousins-less Sacramento on the road, but still couldn’t out-board the NBA’s top rebounding team, done in by an offensive putback by Carl Landry in the final second of overtime. The task gets much tougher for Roy Hibbert and company without Mahinmi around. Pacers head coach Frank Vogel will depend on extended minutes for Lavoy Allen (team-leading 12.7 rebounds per-36), but he’ll also need Luis Scola and the wings to help out as well to limit Atlanta’s chances, and maximizing their own (15.9 second-chance PPG, 2nd in NBA).

    The game will mark the return of Hawks players with semi-star turns from the 2014 Playoff series to Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indy native Teague (19.3 PPG in the series) made Evan Turner look exactly like a guy who couldn’t defend to save his life, while Mike Scott (5-for-6 on threes in Game 5) giddyup’d his way to 17 points in helping turn the series back in Atlanta’s favor for the final time. Vogel has just about given up on ex-Hawk Donald Sloan (DNP-CD last two games) as a starter, and has been turning to score-first guard Stuckey instead.

    Either way, the Hawks should be capable of passing circles around the Pacers, who had no player with more than 3 assists against Sacramento. West, Stuckey, Copeland, and the C.J.’s will have their work cut out trying to slow down and keep up with the East’s third-best offense (106.8 points per 100 possessions) and top shooting team (47.3 FG%).

    Let’s Go Hawks!

    ~lw3
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