lethalweapon3

Somewhere on Marietta Street right now, a kid is tugging at his parent's skirt, "Mama, Blake didn't dunk like he do on TV. Do we get our money back?"~lw3

That bank 3 reminded me of the Jamal 3 last year vs Orlando... it was like a liver punch nobody saw coming.~lw3

NBATV, we need a BIG ad for Joe Johnson.

Couldn't find him the answer for Quiz #2 as a Clipper, so instead here he is during happier times in New Jersey: Lester "The Molester" Conner (yes that was his nickname, probably doesn't sell quite so well these days). ~lw3

There's your quiz answer for #1... ...good old Vlad Rad. ~lw3

The Clippers are not just holding out hope for their first-ever NBA division crown. For homecourt advantage in Round 1, the Clips have to win one of their final two games. That win would either be here at the Factory or tomorrow night at Madison Square Garden, against a Knicks team that has a slim shot of avoiding both Chicago and Miami in the first round (“slim” as in, “Magic have to lose to Bobcats slim”). Otherwise, they’d have to hope Orlando trips up the red-hot Grizzlies to avoid starting their playoffs at the Grindhouse. They’d much rather get homecourt out of the way here. Griffin has been seething for weeks (at least since being upended in New Orleans last month by Jason Smith) that refs are not calling aggressive fouls against him, hacks mostly designed to avoid getting Mosgov’d (or is that Perkins’d?). It’s become a tiny bit of a distraction for him, and it’s affected his scoring on the road. His last road game surpassing 20 points on the road was back on March 22 against those Hornets. Since that game, Griffin is averaging 7.4 free throw attempts a game at Staples but just 4.6 free throws at home. It’s not like he’s helping himself avoid Hack-a-Blake anyway; Professor Griff’s shooting a woeful 52% at the line for the season. Despite solid free throw shooters in Chris Paul, Mo Williams, and Nick Young, Griffin and DeAndre Jordan (53%) are dragging the Clippers down to 68% as a team, next to last in the league. Break out the Thundersticks! His last technical foul, which would have been No. 12, was rescinded today, lessening the possibility of a one-game suspension if he gets T’d up tonight. That whole “Lob City” thing? Well, about 54% of the Clippers baskets at the rim are assisted, a proportion that ranks 11th. The Hawks by comparison make nearly as many shots at the rim, and 56% of those are assisted (ranking 7th). Meanwhile, instead of “Lob City”, the Men from Tinseltown are earning a new metropolitan meme: “Flop City”. http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvQM5VYJokw http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev1M1AYQR3s http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbDQII7PhW0 http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq_nj5K43qM They’ve been ridiculed for going down like a Shakespearean Caesar, with only the slightest hint of contact from opponents to be found. The most recent laugher involved Reggie Evans absorbing a phantom two-piece in the chest from little Greivis Vasquez. Only Michelle Duggar finds herself on her back more frequently. If they’re going to be so dependent on charge calls, they need somebody who can do it right… might it be the Clippers offering Ivan Johnson an offer sheet this summer? Ivan is up to 3rd in the league in charges drawn (1.3) per 40 minutes. All that Hollywood drama is not appearing to draw extra thumbs up from the refs – 21.3 personal fouls per game is equivalent to the fouls called on their opponents, each ranking 5th in the league. You haven’t seen Young at Philips in a little while. The former leading scorer for the Wizards (16.6 PPG), who last played the Hawks on Dec. 28 (21 points) is now the sixth leading scorer among active Clippers (10.2 PPG). Trying to compensate for the production lost when Mr. Big Shot (Chauncey Billups) went down in February, Young is bit restless, relying on the three-point shot that is not his forte (44.6% of all FGAs as a Clipper, versus 33.3% of all shots as a Wizard). He’ll return tonight after a brief bout with the flu, along with Caron Butler (hip). Marvin Williams should have a little easier defensive assignment against Butler. You wouldn’t know it by focusing on recent games, but the Hawks’ per-game turnovers (13.2) are third-fewest in the NBA, ahead only of the Clippers (12.3) and the Sixers (10.7). We may very well see a polar-opposite game from Sunday’s contest against the Knicks, which thrive on helter-skelter action all over the court. Chris Paul handles the ball tremendously well – his 2.1 turnovers per game equals Jeff Teague’s, but has 9.1 assists per game versus Teague’s 4.9. Paul does get as aggressive as Teague does with the fouls, with as many fouls per game (2.4) as most active starting point guards. Teague must not sit back and allow Paul to dictate the Hawks offense for him, as a few crafty drives to the hoop and compelling CP3 (the league-leader in steals) to help double-team others in the paint might help limit Paul’s time creating havoc on the floor. Go Hawks! ~lw3

http://www.nba.com/nets/tickets/splash.htmlWell, that love affair didn't last much longer...#hellobrooklyn~lw3

No blathering from me yet, but here are two quick quiz questions:Quiz 1: The Clippers are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2006. That year, who led the team in 3-point shooting percentage (min. 1.0 3-point attempt per game), while ranking third on the team in rebounds per game?Quiz 2: The Clippers’ offensive rating is the highest since 1993. That year, do you have any idea who led the team in free throw percentage, at nearly 95%?~lw3

The lights go out on NBA basketball in Newark as the New Jersey Nets take their final bow in the Garden State. Dave D'Alessandro of the Star Ledger provides a pretty good eulogy of the Brooklyn-bound ballers, particularly the bullet points under "LET THE BLUNDERS BEGIN" of their eras of mostly haplessness, uphill climbs, and bad luck, between 1976 and 2004. http://www.nj.com/nets/index.ssf/2012/04/dalessandro_nets_are_leaving_a.html What are your favorite memories of Hawks-Nets games (T-Lue's buzzer-beater game did the trick for me), and of the New Jersey Nets years in general? I always cheered for them as NYC's metro-area's underdogs as a kid... until they upset my Sixers in the playoffs in '84! lol ~lw3

With the Magic starring in "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead" and losing tonight to the Nuggets, it looks like 4 vs. 5 is all set(two games left for ATL and ORL with the tiebreaker). Homecourt is all that's left to shout over.Go Hawks!~lw3

This'll cheer ya up a bit, from 2008-2009... http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJUy1aDLbGI from the YouTube description by "The New Content": ~lw3

So it sounds like it oughta be ASO bumper music FTW! I vote for "Rite of Spring".~lw3

Having listened to that thing today, one thing I know for sure is that calling that music "Country" would have to be insulting to country music fans anywhere. It's Muzak. The twang in the last 3 seconds is the only thing remotely country about it.~lw3

~lw3

Blue and lime throwback night FTW! Or at least the mustard and reds!~lw3

Marvin: (sighs) "Not Rock Paper Scissors again..." LD: "One, Two, Three, Shoot!" Season ticket rep: "Helllllllllllp Meeeeeeeeeeee..." SkyHawk: "Welp, this will have to do until I get my nose back..." "Sometimes I dream... that he is me..." Kid: "I have a question. What does AWK stand for?" Kid: "Momma, will I look like Pops by the time the Hawks get to the Conference Finals?" Mom: (awkward pause) "Ummm, no son, you probably won't look like him at all..." Dad: (to himself) "Don't look to the right. Don't look to the right. Don't look to the right..." ~lw3

"Up next... on Dancing with the Subs..." ~lw3

"Georgia Tech University." Sigh. Read the d@&m signs! LOL http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2012/04/kg_pierce_likel.html So, it sounds like we really have to win now... ~lw3

It’s just not fair, I tell you. Rajon Rondo goes on a Stockton-esque swing with 23 consecutive games of double-digit assists, then misses Wednesday’s game against Orlando with a sore back. Who but Paul Pierce would step up in Rondo’s absence with a career-high 14 dimes, not to mention 29 points in a tight Celtics victory? Pierce is being relied upon to shoot more (nearly 15 shots a game, including over 4.5 threes per game) than he has at any time in the storied Three Amigos era. With his higher shot volume, though, and his greater reliance on shots near the perimeter, his field goal percentages have plummeted, down from nearly 50 percent last season to 44 percent so far. On the upside, as the Magic learned Wednesday, his assists are about as high as they’ve been since KG, Ray, and Rondo joined him in Beantown. (whoops, won't matter... apparently no Pierce and no KG tonight either. Will they suit Doc up?) It will be interesting to see if the Hawks’ approach to fire away at the three-point line will continue. They’ve lobbed up 20 or more three-point attempts in their last six games, compared to just one in the previous seven. Meanwhile, Boston is still nearing recorded NBA-lows for opponent 3-point field goal percentage (30.5%), but were blistered by Mike Woodson’s Knicks on Tuesday, absorbing 14 first half three-pointers from a New York squad that finished 19-for-32. Who might play the roles that J.R. Smith did early, Carmelo Anthony did during the middle of the game, and Steve Novak did late in the Celtics’ last undoing? Lost within that barrage was the fact that Tyson Chandler and the Knicks shot nearly 55 percent on two-point shots as well. The Celtics, who also give up an NBA-low 42 percent in overall field goal percentage, were able to tighten the clamps on Ryan Anderson and J.J. Redick on Wednesday, holding the Magic to 6-for-24 from three-point range. But Boston still gave up 56 percent inside the arc, to bangers like Big Baby, cherry-pickers like Jason Richardson and streakers like Von Wafer. Finding the right offensive balance will keep the Hawks at least within striking distance, if not ahead, by the final quarter. Jeff Teague’s aggressive play on drives will be crucial for drawing defenders in and getting players open at the rim and around the arc. Getting more second chances on offense will make a difference as well. The Celtics remain dead last in offensive rebounds (just 7.8 per game, 20% offensive rebounding rate). Since getting nine more offensive rebounds (15-6) in the process of edging the Hawks on April 11, Boston has managed fewer offensive boards than their opponents in each of the last five games, including 17 by the Dwight-less Magic versus their 3 rebounds on Wednesday. They’ve had fewer offensive boards in 18 of the last 20 games. Ryan Hollins has not come along quickly enough to make an impact, so the Celtics are adding journeyman Sean Williams to the roster in time for tonight’s game. Go Hawks! ~lw3

(to date) Highest year-to-year improvements in winning percentage, among returning playoff teams:1. Pacers +.194 (37-45 in 2011, 40-22 in 2012)2. HAWKS +.060 (44-38 in 2011, 37-25 in 2012)3. Thunder +.055 (55-27 in 2011, 45-17 in 2012)4. Grizzlies +.036 (46-36 in 2011, 37-25 in 2012)5. Knicks +.020 (42-40 in 2011, 33-29 in 2012)6. 76ers +.016 (41-41 in 2011, 32-30 in 2012)7. Heat +.014 (58-24 in 2011, 44-17 in 2012)8. Bulls +.002 (62-20 in 2011, 47-25 in 2012)~lw3

Somebody else please correct me, but I don't think Horf is a southpaw shooting-wise, so I don't think it's his "shooting shoulder." His jumpshots are a little set-shotty, though, so he'll need to be comfortable with both.~lw3

http://blogs.ajc.com...fid=blogs_hawks ~lw3

Aside: stealing from good ol' Wikipedia about FS South (or, why they don't just call it FS Atlanta already)... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Sports_South ~lw3

Also, we should note that yes, this is Atlanta, but the draw to the team (what little there is) comes from people all over the Southeast, far beyond I-285, including folks that came of age with the Hawks as the only rational geographic NBA option in the days before someone finally thought Florida, Charlotte, and Memphis franchises were a worthy idea. So you will have fans from Macon, Augusta, up near Chattanooga, even over near Birmingham, that will tap their toe to that thing without even noticing.And the Southeast's varied musical tastes didn't exactly begin and end with crunk, certainly not when the Hawks started building its fanbase in the 1960's. You've got jazz fans, gospel fans, country fans, R&B fans, blues fans, hip hop fans -- with Atlanta as a regional centroid of almost all that action for decades. I'd probably be just as likely to turn down the volume if they intro'd 82 NBA games with Gladys Knight or Soulja Boy as I would if they went with Zac Brown Band or the Indigo Girls. It'd be like, "yeah, it's Atlanta, I get it. Now get on with it!"Whatever the sound they choose, for me it's merely the whistle that announces, "good, the chatter is over, it's just about time for the tip-off." FS South could find a catchier 15-second ditty, sure. I doubt the folks over in Midtown that work on production have that thing on their ITunes either. But it's probably not worth the national FS Net mothership's time and energy to regionalize it for everybody's teams. Ergo, Muzak for All. I wonder if every FSN-aired team's "Final Take" and "Plays of the Month" background music the same as well (probably is).~lw3

I should have referenced some of FSN's less country-fried NBA affiliates (http://msn.foxsports.com/home/page/fsn), like FS Detroit. I doubt they intro with the smooth stylings of Motown (or Eminem for that matter). Neither, likely, is PrimeTicket / FS West in California using Beach Boy music at the start of the Clipper games. It's probably that same ol' twang for all NBA broadcasts across the countr -- er, nation, without regard to our varied regional aural preferences. The video changes, but the intro probably doesn't.~lw3