HorfordMustang

We'll probably lose a game in the NBA finals, but that just means we can close it out in Phillips

This may be hubris, but I think the score doesn't indicate how badly we beat them by. We missed quite a few open looks in the first half, and they had some shots go in that shouldn't. We were twenty points better than them this game. In the end, the Thunder's ISO ball selfishness was their undoing. You can't win like that anymore.

Maybe the media will start to believe now! Franchise winning streak and we aren't done yet!

No one can stop this team!

Can't believe this awful three point shooter is stroking it against us. That won't last.

We took their best shot and missed a bunch of open shots and we lead anyways. Team ball >>> me ball

We're just missing open shots. They are chucking. If this keeps up we'll have the lead soon enough.

Great article, but what is with the myth that we do not have great talent? We have a legitimate case for 3-4 all stars on our roster right now. Players like Al and Paul, could be on bad teams like the Knicks and putting up the gaudy numbers they were capable of if they so chose to; is that what it takes to get recognition as an A talent? They could do exactly what Kevin Love did on the Timberwolves for years. Our guys play great defense which is half the game, while supposed A-talents like Love do not. And Jeff. Look at the difference between him and the all star starter this year Kyle Lowry. Lowry scores two more points a game, but needs more minutes and shots to do it, and is an overall worse shooter. That's why Jeff has the higher PER and plays the role of the distributor better by averaging a higher assist percentage. Jeff could take three or four more shots a game like Lowry and put up better scoring numbers while hurting the team if he wanted to; is that what it would take to get him recognized? If talent is being defined as who looks like the better ISO ball extraordinaire then I guess we don't have talent, but i'll take what we have any day over that. Bud looks like a genius so far... but I am not ignorant enough to think that he could take a roster that truly only had mediocre talent on it to a 35-8 record halfway through the season. No could could. Popavich had great talent on his teams. Jackson had amazing talent. Carlisle had talent. No one is putting together 1st place teams and championship contenders without talent. We have great talent.

Player, perhaps. Of course no one is in LeBron's class on this team. There really isn't anyone in the league that is. Even though he won't win MVP he's still the undisputed best player. But after that? Well, Irving has proven to still be a me first guy who would rather shoot than pass and at best is a very inconsistent defender. Teague has taken a leap in ability while completely buying into the team ball concept, which is why he has many more assists. And when he does shoot, he actually has a higher TS% than Irving! Teague is also a much craftier defender and a pest in the passing lanes. I would take Jeff over Irving without a second thought. And as for Kevin Love? He is a one way player who pads his rebounding stats night after night. And he's having his worst shooting season now since he's been in the league, save for that season he only played 18 games. What he will get you on the offensive end will almost be undone by his bottom tier defense. Millsap and Horford are making much bigger impacts these days than Love. And Kyle versus JR Smith... is that even a discussion? Certainly not in my mind. Moreover, our bench is filled with impact players still while theirs features players who would not even crack our 12 man rotation.

I believe we will have to play Cleveland in the playoffs this year, whether ECF or the semis. LeBron seems to have regained his athleticism during all those games he sat out, and they seem to be benefitting from the roster additions they made. I'm thinking they will end up the two or three seed and we will see them in the conference finals. But as San Antonio showed last year, he can't beat an actual team playing unselfishly at the highest level by himself. He will get his 28/8/8 against us, but the rest of their roster is green and their two so called stars have never even played in the postseason, let alone made a deep run. We can frustrate them into bad shots and demoralize them on the other end with our ball movement the way the Spurs did to the Heat. I think we would win that series in 5 or 6 games at most.

Bulls seem to have a nasty habit under Thibodeau of overexerting their starters in the regular season, with them either injuring themselves or running out of gas during the playoffs. Jimmy Butler, averaging the most minutes this season close to 40. Was near the top in minutes last year too. He has not been the defender he once was because of this. Now Gasol is playing 36 minutes a game... that too is unsustainable. These guys will yet again be worn out come April. They will not be able to keep up with our ball movement and fast breaks even if they got to us.

Good gracious, that lineup would win at least 70 games.

He is not a team player, and I don't think ever has been. A huge red flag is his insistence to post up constantly when he's never been very efficient doing that, as well as his refusal to play the pick and roll game more often despite being much more efficient. Although he is better on defense this year than the last two, he is not the player he used to be and I imagine will continue to decline in that regard. I don't think he would ever buy into a system like Bud has implemented here. We would hear whining about his role quite soon. He would not make the team better with his attitude, and I imagine we'd actually be worse off. And of course, the way he has conducted himself in his personal life is quite a red flag as well...

I would welcome his signing even at his age. He has the reputation of someone who keeps himself in fantastic shape so I don't think we'd have to wait long at all for him to acclimate. If he's willing to except a 5-10 minute type of roll off the bench, give effort, and buy into the system, which I think he absolutely would, then his experience could be invaluable. As well as the example he sets for the younger guys. However, I believe he will ultimately prefer to play with his buddy LeBron, and there is little chance of luring him away from that opportunity. Thankfully, although he would be a benefit, he is certainly not a need.

Hello. Looks like this is the place to make the first post? I used to follow professional football only, until I moved to Atlanta in 2008 and the Hawks won my heart. My very first NBA game I went to in person was that thrilling fourth quarter comeback win against the Celtics in the team's first playoff home game in quite a few years. Needless to say I became a fan quickly. Over the next few years I went in person to about a dozen games a season. Tickets were relatively inexpensive back then compared to this season I imagine. Even though it seemed more often than not that their were more fans of the opposing teams -- especially lakers -- in the building, it was still very fun. Sadly I had to move up north in 2012, so no more home games in Phillips. I was quite disgusted with the league after they let LeBron and his pals conspire ahead of time to form a superteam, and to be honest that took a big hit on my enthusiasm for the NBA and I lost interest to a degree. Seeing the Spurs dismantle them with unselfish team basketball last summer to the point they broke up was very meaningful in my mind, and now that the top teams in the league, including Atlanta, seem to be very much unselfish and team oriented again, my interest has piqued back up big time. I am very glad that the Hawks has been rebuilt in recent years into a team first type of franchise that plays fundamentally sound ball with lots of passing and unselfish play. A breath of fresh air compared to the Woodson years in which Johnson or Smith were going ISO most of the time. Though I do appreciate those guys for the winning seasons and playoff series wins they had. I am very fortunate that my favorite player when I first started watching was the rookie Horford, who has been a cornerstone on the team the last several seasons and is still thriving today. Of course much credit goes to Budenholzer for the remarkable system he has built, and Ferry for building the team even though he stepped into a situation with several bad contracts. I look forward to discussing the team and the league with you all.