Dejay

I told you that the Bucks would respond in the same manner Indiana did late in the season when Nate Dogg returned. I wasn't at all surprised that they started off fast and held on to win. But I also believe that that was their best card played without Giannis. I dare them to repeat that performance here because IMHO, I really don't think that they can unless Mr. Miyagi's ghost pays a visit to Giannis's locker before Game 6. Besides, assuming Trae comes back to abuse the Bucks' drop coverage on PnRs (again), Lopez is not going to have all of that extra energy to spend offensively as he did last night. If (better yet when) that happens, they're in trouble; a lot of trouble. Spend your chances until all of them are spent. The Bucks won three games but so did the Sixers. It's not over until they win four. Could they? You bet. Will they? Not this Saturday...

Agreed, the Bucks will come out guns blazing, just like the Pacers did late in the regular season when they had all of that internal mess going on with the head coach and Nate making his return. The Hawks will have to match and exceed their intensity and execute all 48 minutes and then some to get a win tonight...

Yup. It was Brandon Marshall (that's the wide receiver I mentioned earlier) who copped by saying that all of them in the national media had it wrong about the Hawks all this time. Admitting that with cameras rolling would be akin to getting a child to admit not doing his homework and facing the music instead of just saying that the dog ate it while continuing to act as if nothing's wrong...

I'll give it a shot... The sports hate for this city goes back a long way. You have Ted Turner's initial start as an owner of the Braves and even managing the team for a game. You have Rankin Smith and his family (aka the Clampetts) owning the Falcons and running that franchise into the ground. Losing not one but two NHL teams due to poor ownership (see Flames, Atlanta) and negligent ownership (see Thrashers, Atlanta). And do we even need to go there with the misfires of this franchise over the last five decades? And as a side note, we'll get to see one of their biggest misfires on full display in the Finals, starting next week (see Paul, Christopher). Hell, the only local pro teams who managed to win a title until the mid-'90s (and none since) were the Chiefs and Knights, and both of those leagues eventually folded. In the sports world, Atlanta was regarded as a joke, a running punchline by comedians, and a city not to take seriously in terms of winning or hosting anything of significance. And with no Georgia Dome being around until 1992, that was largely the case. Sure, we managed to get a Final Four here or an All-Star game there in the '70s when the Omni and AFCS was still kind of new but afterwards? Get real. Unless you was a big pro wrestling fan and loved Dusty Rhodes fighting Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen (see 1987 Wargames), you had to look elsewhere for big time events. Despite this backdrop, the city still managed to host what was widely regarded as being one of the most exclusive events in the world; the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. It wasn't just that it was the Olympics, it was the Centennial Olympics that our city got that the entire world expected Athens, Greece to host. That put the city on the map not only nationally but on an international scale never seen before. And for whatever reason warranted or not, neither party felt that Atlanta 'deserved' to host such a prestigious event; like pundits today feeling as if the Hawks not 'deserving' to be in the Finals and crafting new and creative ways for the Bucks to win the ECFs. That perception started long before Muhammed Ali lit the torch (BTW, I worked for ACOG and was only 30 feet away from him when it happened). Ask any international sports columnist and many of them are still salty about the '96 Summer Games to this very day. Even the ones in the US hold a personal grudge against the city and has stopped at nothing to crack on Atlanta whenever something goes sideways (see SBLI, the 1996/1999 World Series). Add that to the fact that this is one of the largest transient cities in the world where most folks move here with their hometown sports allegiances in tow while the locals carry an SEC mentality in terms of winning or staying home because they knew that the local teams would royally eff things up in the playoffs (see Braves, Atlanta) and it gave a different narrative to lazy national columnists who are used to lemmings packing the place to see a bad product in say, Chicago, NYC, or Cleveland. It never occurs to them that the sole reason why their buildings sold out while ours didn't is because those teams have banners hanging up in the rafters (flags fly forever). Those banners always give fans hope that lightning can strike once again no matter how many games in a row their team just lost. There simply is no track record of that down here, so generations of fans got to see the local teams get rick-rolled every year while Jordan, Lebron, Derek Jeter, Tom Brady, et al win rings and followed their teams instead. Case in point, this explains why the ratings for the NBA Finals are always high here despite the Hawks never going that far in their entire Atlanta existence (hopefully, that changes within the week)...

I forgot the name of the guy but he was a wideout for Denver years ago who is on one of ESPN's daytime talk shows. He admitted earlier this morning that they, the pundits and experts, had it wrong about the Hawks all along. They're not some mediocre crew who barely got in the playoffs and lucked their way into the ECFs. They're one of the hottest teams in the league and have proven to be mentioned amongst the best. Ask Jim Rome about the Hawks. He tried to warn the Sixers and their fans after the Knicks got rick-rolled in their own building. His remarks after Game 1 of the ECFs are some of the best I've ever heard coming from a national guy. Ignore the white noise coming from the doubters and h8ers who are still butthurt over their favorites having to schedule vacation cruises a month too soon. The swelling will go down in a little while...

Flags. Fly. Forever. Send him those three words. In fact, send them to anyone who has the gall to somehow believe that the Hawks winning the world title taints the O'Brian trophy...

For all of the reasons that were listed, this has been the most enjoyable season I've spent as a sports fan in a very long time. Even when the Braves won it all back in '95, there was an expectation throughout the city that they do so, with the season being approached in a businessman-like manner. Add in the strike and well, it was what it was. As Diesel mentioned, this team is built of sterner stuff than any Hawks team I've ever seen in my lifetime. More want-to and heart than the Joe Johnson teams. More firepower and depth than the Steve Smith/Dikembe/Mookie Blaylock teams. More overall talent than the Roundfield/Fast Eddie/John Drew teams. And more clutch in them than dare I say, any squad of the Nique era. It seems almost blasphemous to think that this team is indeed the best they've had since arriving from Missouri but just ask yourself these simple questions: Does any of those squads pull off a gotta have it-Game 4 in like manner without Joe Johnson, Nique, Roundfield, or Steve Smith? Does any of those teams pull off a Game 7 against the top seed in the East on the road with their top two perimeter defenders out? Does any of those teams have the filthy confidence to say that they're going to send an opponent home on their court, much less in front of a national television audience? And does any of those teams suffer the amount of injuries to key players from the jump, fall under .500, and yet find a way to get off the deck? No? Well... I said back in April that this team would not be one that the 'Big-3' of the East (notice the air quotes around that) would want to see in the postseason. Yet, the pundits believed that this team was cut from the same cloth as their predecessors from years' past. That once the bright lights were turned on, they'd instantly cower under the pressure and drape towels over their heads in defeat like they've always done. But they are now painfully finding out what some of us saw months ago. Everything about this franchise, from its reputation, its perception, the fanbase, and future outlook is about to change. In fact, everything has changed...

This right here. These are the same kind of conversations we had back in 2015 before the bottom fell out in the ECFs against the Lebrons. The only difference now is the Hawks have better depth and a star player that most of them never liked in the first place. So their narrative of the Hawks forever being the team who was 'duped' in that deal (you know the names) and being mid-card for life has been detonated, destroyed, and put in the scrap heap. And when you're so used to waxing poetic about (insert superstar/big market team here) before collecting your bonus after the NBA Finals for a job well done, change is not necessarily part of the plan...

It's still a mismatch, Fran. Just not the one you had in mind. You'll learn soon enough, just like all the rest...

I've been saying this. If Cam gets more consistent with his shot, oh boy. Yeah, I know, Luca is great and all but what a steep price Dallas may end up paying for a guy who's been in as many second-round playoff games as I have...

This was the first minutes of live Hawks playoffs that I've watched this season. And Mrs. Dejay wasn't happy about that after Capela got hurt...

That's what I'm seeing right now watching this recording. They fully expected the Hawks to lay down because Trae wasn't playing. But when things didn't go as planned, well...

Understood but something was lacking in that team tonight. I'm watching a replay of it now (thank God for my 'sources')...

So I'll cop. I did watch the last four minutes of this one. Sue me. Let me get this straight. They kept Trae out of the ballgame and still blew the doors off when everyone and their grandparents bet the farm on the Bucks? I thought that Milwaukee was made of sterner stuff. They ought to be ashamed of themselves for that putrid performance. I'll gladly take it of course but oh boy. They truly thought that they could roll out the basketball tonight, win by 27, then finish them in five. I have a deep suspicion that they'll deeply regret mailing it in when they find themselves down in the series and wondering why. Oh well, that's a them problem. So much for the Bucks being a superior team and having some supposed 'gear' that the Hawks can't reach; they can be had if the Hawks play like thots. And if Trae comes back remotely effective and healthy, with Bogdanovic looking better, well...

So I'm the hype man on the mic? Lol...

I don't get one? Not fair...

I was trying to leave that part out...

Hell, John Collins channeling Coach D'Amato on the net. Wait a minute... Hey Alexa, cue up the Any Given Sunday speech... 'Okay...'

These darn air filters in here. Mrs. Dejay told me to change them out before the summer. If there ever was another Bruce Leroy moment left in this team, this is it. Everyone else is fully expecting a coronation in Milwaukee at the end of Game 5 after Sunday night. But so did Philly fans, especially after being up 18 in Game 4. They're on the trade machine, trying to move everyone but Embiid on their roster for Lilliard or Bradley Beal right now...

Yup. This might be one of my worst takes yet (maybe not as bad as me stating that SAR, Big Dog, and Theo Ratliff would be the best frontcourt in the East but close) but I still feel confident that they can get it done. Let's keep playing the game and the cards we've been dealt. It worked for this guy...

I do, too. We've gotten this far...

Use all of your chances until all of your chances have been spent. Yeah, I borrowed that phrase from Rogue One but it's a good point nonetheless. I'm not giving up on them yet; we've gone this far down the rabbit hole so why not see how the endgame is played out? Besides, where else would you rather be than in the ECFs right now, even while down 2-1? You'd rather spend this June debating about some college player in the Draft that only three of us have heard of as we've done the last 20 years on this board? Wasting even more time talking about what fantasy move is feasible to bring in Kawhi, Siakam, or Zach Lavine? Call me myopic but count me out of that thread for the time being. Until the Bucks win two more, this season isn't over yet...

Agreed. While they would've been home (not at State Farm, AT HOME) weeks ago had Bogdanovic not been in the lineup, his injury has severely affected his play in this series. He starts Game 4, but gets a short hook for Reddish if he's still ineffective tonight. If anything, Reddish could help prevent one of Giannis' sidekicks (see Middleton, Khris) from going hibachi-mode in a quarter, unlike what Match Light did out there. And yes, OO has to play more minutes; this pretty much goes without saying. All of this is assuming that Trae plays tonight and is effective. You can delete this whole thread if otherwise. Man, what a bad time to have key injuries on your team. With a healthy Hunter, Reddish, Dunn, and Bogdanovic, they're likely up 2-1 right now but oh well. Everyone has had to play through them and no one wants to here anyone cry about not having anyone available right now (although the ref doing his best Danny Davis impersonation on Trae doesn't help (ask your parents about that one, kids). That being said, the Hawks are still in this series. Folks were quickly writing them off after losing Game 3 to the Sixers and falling behind 2-1 so I'm not giving up on them now. Not this deep in the playoffs; not in only the second ECFs I've seen them play in my lifetime. That's why Gallo is breaking his neck out on the court right now; at his age, there's absolutely no guarantee that he sees another opportunity like this again. We've seen Sho'nuff get the glow in Game 3; let's see if Bruce Leroy has one more Hulk-up moment left in him...

The only way I see Cam getting on the floor is if Bogdanovic is too injured to go, Snell is ineffective, and Hill goes Match Light-mode (i.e. the man he's defending suddenly gets hot)...

Up 20 in the 4th, with less than three minutes remaining, with Holliday, Giannis, and Middleton on the bench...