lethalweapon3

Stealing from Ptree Hoops' Kris Willis for the Case for POTM:http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2012/4/2/2920505/josh-smith-stats-atlanta-hawks ~lw3

Is Josh going to get an Eastern Conference POTM for March?East of the Mississippi, only LeBron and Dwight had higher "NBA efficiency" numbers for the month, and the Heat went 10-6, only slightly better than the Hawks' 11-8 (Magic went 8-7). Correct me if I'm wrong, but the only player the Heat have had to make-do without for most of last month was Mike Miller.Also correct me on this, but I think only the Bulls had more wins in March (13-3) than the Hawks among Eastern teams. I'm guessing Thibodeau gets the COTM nod for that effort as the Bulls played so well collectively without Rose and with no one player on that team putting up heavy numbers the whole month.(CORRECTION #1: Celtics had more wins and went 12-5).(ASIDE: No one other than the Mount Rushmore of LeBron, Wade, Dwight, and D-Rose has won Eastern Conference POTM in the past four seasons, including this one. In the past five seasons, the only other winners for this honor were Joe Johnson in March 2008 and Hedo Turkoglu in April 2008).~lw3

“It won’t last.” That was the whisper back when the 76ers burst out of the gate on a 15-6 swing to start the season, while division mates Boston and New York struggled to get their bearings. Going 13-17 since against a tougher schedule made the whispers get louder. And the 21-point loss at Washington last night, their sixth loss in their last nine, has amplified the doubters’ refrain to an audible pitch.The Sixers are still clinging to the top spot among teams with the lowest opponents’ field goal percentage (42%). But the Wizards (48% last night) and recent conquerors have been able to assert themselves in the paint for easier buckets (Nene and Kevin Seraphin each went 7-for-11 yesterday). Philly found themselves outmuscled 52-to-38 in the rebounding area. They’re working Spencer Hawes back into the rotation after missing over half the season while recovering from a strained Achilles. They can still rely on Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, and Evan Turner to throttle opposing wings defensively. But guards are finding ways to shoot and score over the top of the defense (Cartier Martin and Roger Mason going 6-for-11 last night from 3-point range Friday).To turn things around, Philadelphia has to find ways to draw fouls and get to the line more. Their free throw rate of 21.5 FTAs (per 100 FGAs) is the lowest by far in the league, and can’t be explained solely by their pace (Orlando has the same pace but a 30.6 free throw rate). In their last 14 losses, they had a lower free throw rate on 13 of those occasions. They’ve had a higher free throw rate just 3 times in their 23 losses this season. They were getting 19.8 shots per game through January (71%), and just 16.2 shots per game since (74%). Forward Elton Brand gets less than two shots (1.7) a night, and their most reliable shooters are the guards Lou Williams (off the bench, leading the team with 4.8 FTAs per game and 80.3 FT%) and Jrue Holiday. Williams still leads the Sixers in scoring but has been held under his 15.5 PPG average in his last three games, going to the line no more than twice. Making the Sixers take tough shots without fouling, and winning the rebounding war, should suppress their offense sufficiently to make a game of it.Ex-Sixer Willie Green turned it on late for the Hawks last night, just as he did at the Wells Fargo Center during the Hawks’ drubbing in January. Hopefully he will be able to continue finding his shots tonight.Go Hawks!~lw3

I'm a huge, huge fan of @SirFoster and know his musical talents are brutally underutilized by the masterminds at Philips. But I'm with tone and others that the organ probably needs to go. For me it's not so much the organ itself, but how it's used in the midst of gameplay. It's so bad in its ineffectiveness it literally deserves its own thread.My biggest peeve? I have to pick one? Well, the..."let's go hawks.""let's go Hawks.""Let's go Hawks.""Let's Go Hawks.""LET'S GO HAWKS.""LET'S GO HAWKS!"...three-note progression seems so self-defeating, it comes across like we're trying to simply revive them rather than encourage them. Three-notes instead of four seems like it throws off the whole rhythm. Playing it when they're down by 12 or after they've blown a decent lead, it comes across as "Wake the F@#$ Up!" And as Mets fans will note, it's doesn't rhyme and it's not remotely creative ("Fly Hawks Fly?" I'm reaching here).Other monosyllabic teams, like the Knicks last night, take over the simplistic chants with ease, and the resultant collective cry comes across as "LET'S GO HICKS!" Not a good look, not a good sound.Then, the organ speeds up its tempo for the opponents, offering them continual clues that they proooooobably might want to get a shot ready to go up soon. I can only imagine how many 24-second violations have been foregone thanks to that blasted organ.The occasional "Name that V-103 Tune" stuff is cool, might want to diversify that a bit more. But is the "Oh-oh-OH-oh-oh-ohhhhh-ohhhhh" soccer chant necessary every other time up the floor? Is that what gets kids going the whole game?I'm with using the many collegiate and high school Drum Corps that we drag out to get fans revved up at the opening of the game, only to dispatch them to seats behind the backboards with folded hands when the game starts.That's enough rant for now.~lw3

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/why-mike-woodson-had-no-eyebrows-2010-224045517.html~lw3

The scalpers’ will be in full swing tonight in the vicinity of Philips Arena. No Jeremy Lin, no Amar’e Stoudemire. But there is one name on the bottom half of the marquee that should still intrigue attendees. Of course, I’m talking about Mike Woodson. http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnIdvDWRqkQ Left largely for The Living Dead by Atlanta fans and media, after a near two-year exile, Woodson is now riding high in Manhattan with an 8-1 mark in place of the dispatched Mike D’Antoni. AJC’s article today (on The Big Chill between Woody and his Brute, Larry Drew) notes that the Knicks’ defensive efficiency has gone from not-really-that-bad to pretty-doggone-good. Yesterday’s article in Newsday expands on that, and notes that Woody is actually learning when to (not) pull the switch: http://www.newsday.c...odson-1.3632396 Relying more on defensive wizard Tyson Chandler to protect the paint and keying their transition offense has helped. But the Knicks like to cut off passing lanes and force ballhandlers to take shots. Only opponents of the Celtics possess a lower assist rate than the Knicks’, and only Grizzlies opponents turn the ball over more often. The Hawks cannot afford to get lackadaisical with the ball, either with ball handling or halfcourt passing. The Knicks turn the ball over quite a bit themselves (15.9 per game), behind only the Thunder. Even without Lin (3.6 TOs per game) on the floor, look for opportunities to convert in transition when Baron Davis (2.7), Carmelo Anthony (2.6), and Iman Shumpert (2.0) cough up the ball. They taketh away what they giveth as well, being 2nd in the league in steals per game (9.6). New York takes the 3rd most three-pointers per game (22.6), but they are the 4th worst shooters at that range (31.4%). They haven’t cooled off or improved with these shots under the Woodsonian era (25.4 per game, 74-for-229, 32.3%). It’s Steve Novak or bust, pretty much, as he is the only one making such shots regularly (a gaudy 48.2%). Over 82% of his shots are from this range. And thank goodness for that, since none of the remaining players hit more than a third of ‘em, and only one of the top seven shooters after Novak makes more than 30% (Bill Walker, go figure). They’re far more effective at the rim (5th in shots per game, shooting 64%) and this is where they’ll miss Amar’e’s presence. Tyson Chandler (75 FG%, 6th most dunks in the NBA) will get a lot of touches. In addition to Melo posting up more, keep an eye out for Landry Fields and Walker attacking the hoop as well. Ivan Johnson may be able to break the Hawks’ record for charges absorbed tonight if he gets enough minutes out there. While the Hawks seem to be the team struggling players look to in order to shake out of slumps (see Deng, Luol), thankfully the Magic and Bucks may have already shaken Iman Shumpert out of his. He shot 14-for-29 in those past two games, and the combined number of threes (7, out of 16 shots) is equivalent to his entire production from that range in February (7-for-31 in February; 4-for-16 in March before his last two games). His production will be critical to pick up the slack in scoring, assists, and rebounding in Lin’s, Stoudemire’s, and Jared Jeffries' absence. To help stop the Woodsanity, small forwards need to give Josh Smith and Zaza Pachulia help on the offensive glass. The one Woodsonian Knick loss so far (against Toronto) is the only game where New York was edged in the area of offensive rebounds (largely thanks to Raptors small forward Gary Forbes, with four). Also worth watching -- will Jonesboro's Toney Douglas escape the doghouse (originally created by D'Antoni) tonight? Or will we see even more of our old friend Mike Bibby facing off with Jeff Teague and Kirk Hinrich? Go Hawks! ~lw3

Much credit has to go to Tom Thibodeau for Chicago’s ability to stay atop the NBA leaderboard even without its wunderkind Derrick Rose. The Bulls have soldiered on, going 12-5 without their superstar, including the 5-2 stretch they’re on now while Rose is hampered by a groin injury. They’re also spent the lion’s share of the season without their starting shooting guard, free agent pickup Richard Hamilton, although Rip is reported to be available for tonight’s contest after missing much of the month with a sprained shoulder. They’ve managed thanks to more-than-adequate offense by C.J. Watson, who’s scored 15 or more points in four of his last five games, going 12-for-27 (44.4%) from 3-point range and 16-for-18 (88.9%) at the free throw line. They’ve also gotten a boost in passing from its frontcourt, particularly Joakim Noah, who led the team in assists in four of his last six games. The Bulls are proving highly effective at rebounding-by-committee, leading the league at rebounds per game, and tops by far in offensive rebounding rate, getting nearly a third of all chances. They can rely on Joakim Noah, Omer Asik, and Taj Gibson to snare offensive rebounds, as well as Carlos Boozer, Noah, and Luol Deng to get the necessary boards on the defensive end. As usual, the Hawks’ wings have to help preserve Zaza Pachulia’s, Ivan Johnson’s, and Josh Smith’s time on the floor so they won’t have to do everything inside, going outside to defend only when the Bulls’ snipers (Kyle Korver, Mike James, Watson, John Lucas) are hovering the perimeter. Jeff Teague will have to stay on whichever of these guys is hanging around the arc: the Bulls have the league’s highest 3-point shooting percentage on the road (41.3%). Deng has struggled mightily with his shots, at least since the All-Star Break, an ugly 37.7 percent (69-for-183) in that span, including 35.6% (37-for-104) since a two-game hiatus to recuperate a torn ligament in his left (non-shooting) wrist. Hamilton’s return may allow Thibodeau to reduce Deng’s floor time, particularly chasing around Joe Johnson on defense. This team doesn’t draw a lot of fouls (3rd fewest in the league), but perhaps on occasion they should, since they’re near the basement of the league in free throw percentage (72.7 percent, tied with the Hawks for 25th). Keep away the easy buckets and make the Bulls earn them at the line, especially Gibson, Asik, and Ronnie Brewer, each of whom are well below 60% on free throws for the year. Go Hawks! ~lw3

Our secret weapon in figuring out the Bucks' gameplan:http://www.nba.com/hawks/video/2012/03/27/mil032712pre42avi-2048288/index.html~lw3

You’d have thought the Bucks had a “Jeremy List” on the injured list last night. Because to hear Bucks fans tell, it, their heroes were “Listless” in a missed opportunity to rein in the “Lin-less” New York Knicks for the final playoff spot. Yesterday, the Madison Square Garden faithful had to make do without cheering on Jeremy Lin, Amar’e Stoudemire, Jared Jeffries, and Toney Douglas. This was particularly true in the second half, after the Bucks squandered a five-point halftime lead, but the problem that became evident was no one other than Mike Dunleavy, Jr. (26 points, on 5-for-6 two-point shooting and 5-for-8 three-point shooting) could buy a bucket. The megastar backcourt pairing of Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis managed only 8 baskets out of 38 shots, including a combined 0-for-9 at three-point range. Perhaps pestered by Tyson Chandler, the Bucks’ remaining starters were just as ineffective (4-for-17). The Knicks were every bit as anemic with their shooting and turnovers, but got to the free throw line almost twice as often to keep Milwaukee at bay. Their season-long stats suggest last night’s contest is their offensive modus operandi. Loft up a nearly insane amount of shots (85.7 per game, 2nd in the NBA; 4.1 more net FGAs per game, 1st in the East) early enough in the clock to keep the pace high (about 96 possessions per 48 minutes, ranked 6th in the NBA; 3rd highest pace in the East). Then, crash the boards (12.7 offensive rebounds per game, 5th most) to compensate for the inordinate number of missed shots (43.5 FG%, 6th worst). It’s like Sacramento’s style of play, except Milwaukee has much better shooters, worse rebounders, and much better passers. It doesn’t seem like the type of offense we’ve come to expect out of a Scott Skiles team, but it may be either Skiles making do with the groceries he has at his disposal, or transitioning and molding the Bucks from what he inherited three seasons ago. On the subject of rebounding, the Bucks seem to place an emphasis on the wrong end of the floor. Only the Bobcats give up more net defensive rebounds per game. It remains to be seen if Ekpe Udoh and the other big men getting increased minutes will be able to make up for the rebounding lost when Andrew Bogut got injured and subsequently traded to Golden State. It’s hard to look at the Bucks and see one of the league’s top-flight passing teams but, as of now, the team led by a coach who once rang up an NBA-record 30 assists in a game is third in per-game assists and fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio. By comparison, the Bucks were dead last in assists per game last season. About 62% of their made field goals are assisted (2nd highest in the NBA). Thanks to the trade, they now have two players (Beno Udrih at 2.9, Jennings at 2.5) among the NBA top 40 for assist-turnover ratio, and two new players that, at least early on, seem to be getting the hang of it (Udoh at 2.7, Ellis at 2.5). Ellis’ assist rate was already at a career high before he joined the Bucks. Meanwhile, team leader Jennings has substantially improved his efficiency via his ball handling (career-low turnover rate), to the extent that he was well within the orbit of guards worthy of All-Star consideration. Ideally, the Hawks will want to goad Milwaukee’s guards into playing hero-ball. Make them shoot over taller defenders when possible, and keep them from driving into the lane for dumpoffs to guys like Udoh, Jon Leuer, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, and Shaun Livingston, or kickouts to the likes of Drew Gooden, Dunleavy, and Ersan Ilyasova. Passes for short-range shots (3-to-9 feet) are Milwaukee’s forte, as nearly 50 percent of these baskets are assisted (2nd highest in the league) – and Hawks’ opponents have a similar success rate on assisted shots at this distance (about 50 percent, also 2nd highest). If successful with open jumpers, Milwaukee’s taller shooters will draw out Atlanta’s forwards, making it tougher for the Hawks’ centers to vie for the defensive rebound. As Kirk Hinrich and Jeff Teague did the other night against Washington and Utah, respectively, the Hawks’ guards will have to play close-to-the-vest defense and then help with the rebounding. Go Hawks! ~lw3

http://deadspin.com/5896551/~lw3

Charges Taken per 40 minutes (min. 20 games and 10 minutes per game):1. Jose Juan Barea 1.772. Jermaine O'Neal 1.763. IVAN JOHNSON 1.444. Ryan Hollins 1.335. DeMarcus Cousins 1.206. Ronnie Price 1.147. Kyle Lowry 0.958. Ersan Ilyasova 0.939. Derek Fisher 0.9110. Nick Collison 0.86~lw3

Top Ten Shooters from 16'-23' (min. 20 minutes and 1 FGA per game):(Source: hoopdata)1. Stephen Curry 59.0% (3.8 FGA/game)2. Steve Nash 56.0% (2.0 FGA/game)3. Jonas Jerebko 53.0% (1.6 FGA/game)4. Jared Dudley 51.0% (2.6 FGA/game)5. ZAZA PACHULIA 51.0% (1.1 FGA/game)6. Dirk Nowitzki 50.0% (5.8 FGA/game)7. Brandon Bass 49.0% (5.1 FGA/game)8. Kevin Garnett 49.0% (5.4 FGA/game)9. Kevin Durant 48.0% (4.6 FGA/game)10. Martell Webster 48.0% (1.0 FGA/game)~lw3

http://www.nba.com/2012/news/03/26/players-of-the-week-joe-johnson-kevin-durant/index.html ~lw3

Way to go, Joe!~lw3

Al Jefferson: 51 minutes, NO free throw attempts?????~lw3

^Only correction: tonight's game is at the Highlight Factory (aside: someone mentioned the NBA tries not to schedule games in Utah on Sundays, is that true?)

The Beehive State ballers are on a roll, victors of their last 6 games, and primed in March (10-4) to turn upside down a bad February where they went 4-11. Included in this six-game streak are one win at Staples Center against the Lakers, without Al Jefferson, and a home win against the Thunder two days later. The Jazz’ aggressive approach at the glass (2nd highest offensive rebounding rate) gives them 4.1 additional shots per game than their opponents, a value second only to Memphis. They are stocked with talent in the power forward position, with Jefferson’s scoring and defensive rebounding, Paul Millsap filling up much of the boxscore, and lottery youngsters Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter stepping up as needed. Unlike the last few games, the Hawks cannot fall way behind and expect to use rebounding to crawl out of their self-dug hole. The Jazz suffered a setback with the loss of starting small forward Josh Howard for the season after he needed to undergo knee surgery. But, perhaps inspired by March Madness, former Butler star Gordon Hayward may be finding his balance right on time for the Jazz. After regaining his starting spot, in the last two games he’s scored at least 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Hayward gets to the line much more often as of late and has made 46 of his last 50 free throws. The only major turd in the otherwise sparkling team chemistry right now is the backcourt situation. Veteran guard Raja Bell will continue to miss time after he and his agent sought a second opinion on a knee the team thought had healed. Frustrations with losing his incumbency as the starting shooting guard boiled over in a confrontation with Coach Ty Corbin two weeks ago, and may have something to do with this latest medical request. Corbin seems quite happy to go with C.J. Miles as a starter, and may soon turn to rookie Alec Burks, a better defender. Jamaal Tinsley is now first off the bench behind Devin Harris, a move Corbin tried to assure Earl Watson is not intended to be permanent. Watson, recovered from a sprained ankle but benched in all but three minutes of the last three games, is less-than-convinced and is reportedly consulting his agent as well. It’s the kind of wrinkle that comes with having veteran talent and depth at several positions. Both Watson and Tinsley are among the NBA’s top 10 in Assist Rate, while Utah as a team has the fourth lowest Turnover Rate. Harris was scoring less than 10 points per game before the latest Jazz streak but has been in double-figures every game since, averaging 7 assists in his last four games to boot. Sharpen up on your free throws in practice, as the Jazz will take advantage of their frontline depth to send you to the charity stripe repeatedly. Utah’s opponents are second only to Toronto in free throw rate, and the Jazz commit the second most personal fouls per game. 3-point shots are not Utah’s forte. The Jazz and the Bobcats are the only teams shooting under 31 percent, and Utah makes a league-low 3.8 treys per game, taking only around 14.5% of their shots from deep. Expect the Jazz guards and wings to drive to the cup, rather than shoot over you. Utah is one of just three teams to take more than half of their shots within 10 feet of the rim. The Hawks need to attack the rim right back, as Jefferson is not exactly a defensive juggernaut. Utah opponents make buckets at the rim at a 66.7% clip, second only to Sacramento for highest in the League. Joe Johnson and Zaza Pachulia can make hay at mid-range as well, as the Jazz give up a league-high 44.6% of field goals from 10-15 feet. Opponents haven’t figured that out, however, taking only 6.0 shots per game at this range (fewest in the league). Currently trending locally on Twitter for his resemblance to Perry Jones III, Tracy McGrady should be available tonight. Hoping Dampier will get Collins' minutes tonight. Go Hawks! ~lw3

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/56131/saints-upgrade-with-curtis-lofton-at-mlb ~lw3

Putting my Gearon gear on...The matchups on the floor matter not one iota to me with this team. The seeds don't matter much to me either, although a #3 or #4 is nice and all. For a team without even a remote sense of home field advantage, whether it's 3 or 4 potential games at home are not as important as the need for the Hawks to have one of these opponents at any stage of the Eastern Conference postseason:MiamiNew YorkBostonChicagoThat's it.The aforementioned are the only East teams in the top ten in road attendance percentage (the next highest team, ranking 15th, is Kyrie's Cavaliers). I want the top possible draws, maximizing ticket revenue and legitimate media exposure.No Orlando (been there, done that, thanks for playing), and absolutely, positively, no Indiana, no Milwaukee, and no Philadelphia. Ick.No more seven-game wars-of-attrition dragged out over a week-and-a-half in uninspired half-full arenas relegated to LifetimeTV or Bravo or the OWN network and called by bitter commentators who drew the short straws openly whimpering and snickering and taking their personal frustrations out on Josh's shot selection.Beat any of those non-draw teams in the first round and we will get, once again, "yeah, they squeaked by the Pacers somehow, who cares, did anybody watch?" Not by JimBob from Jonesboro, mind you, but from professionally paid basketball media analysts. The Hawks will wear themselves out and still won't be taken seriously, at home or abroad. Drop a series to any of these non-draw teams, and the media whoopin' sticks really come out.There is no primrose path for this team to reach a Conference Finals no matter who we play. When/if we're going to lose a series, have it be against the D.Roses and D.Wades of the world, not the D12s (we've seen that show, thank you) and definitely not the D.Grangers.Alternatively, if we're thumping people, have it happen against the ego-inflated squads and fanbases that put booties in seats and glue eyeballs to 73-inch screens. Draw both the fans who love those teams and will go home bitter, and the ones who detest those teams and will go home on cloud nine. If this franchise wants respect (and the cash that comes with it) they have to be in situations that force people to pay attention.Besides all that... you try selling Monta Ellis jerseys at the Hawks store!~"mgjr"

I'd still love to know who we're stashing Damp away for... JaCo's statline looks like the opening song for Tom Joyner's Morning Show. "0-0-0..."So good to have Marvin and Ivan back.We got the rebounding edge back just in time late and it made all the difference. Is that Kirky Kirk I see with 7 boards?Is there a shot chart a-coming for The Volume Shooter That Can't Shoot?Speaking of which, His Name Should Not Be Mentioned, but thank you and Chris Singleton for jacking up all those threes (2-for-12) tonight! Saved our bird bacon!~lw3

http://blog.sfgate.c...r-keith-benson/ http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/20120323/BAKSXF/gameinfo.html ~lw3

via @ajchawks about a half hour ago: ~lw3

Just trolling the twitterati (lousy source but still) and the latest I see is he is "questionable" along with Vlad and his bad back. Unless it changes to probable I'm guessing he won't play tonight.~lw3