Entertaining game: SEA vs ATL observations

[TheNorthCydeRises]

This was the first game that I had a chance to attend live this year. What an interesting game. Of course, if we make our free throws and hit open jumpers, we might have scored 120 points. If JJ is on in that first half, we had a shot to blow that game wide open. Instead, we had to keep coming back in that game, just to stay in it. The Hawks found themselves in one of those run and gun games where everybody had to execute on the offensive end, while play some solid defense, to stay in the game.

And the game went back and forth so much, that you didn't know who would win until the very end. Overall, it was a very entertaining game that we definitely could've won. And I'm glad to see most of our fans give the Hawks a standing ovation at the end of that game, for the great effort they put forth.

Observations:

JJ - He's willing to keep shooting, even when he has an off night. That's either the mark of a true gunner, or a guy who understands that he's the superstar engine that makes the team run. I think at one time, he was 7 - 19 from the field, but kept firing away because he had open looks. What impressed me the most about him Saturday night, was the way he took up the slack on the defensive boards. He really helped in limiting the 2nd chance points that Seattle could've had. If he didn't rebound the way he did, Seattle may easily win that game in regulation.

The major weakness in JJ's game, is getting to the FT line. He's so good as a jumpshooter, that he doesn't try to get to the line even when his shot is off. The true superstars in this league find a way to score, even if it's from the FT line. Once JJ fully understands that, he may be a top 5 player in this league.

Smoove - Becoming more and more comfortable in being that consistent offensive threat. It does concern me that he takes the 3 point shot when open, even when he's off. He shot 3 - 10 from 3, but before he made those 2 in OT, he was 1 - 8. Even with that, he's rapidly maturing as a player. He even took the ball to the hole on occasion and forced the defense to either play him, or get out of his way. When that kid gets you 24 and 7, you have to be elated.

Childress - What a smart ballplayer he is. The more you see this kid play in person, the more you realize that the Hawks CAN'T be without him during this time of team maturation. He knocked down open shots. He stayed aggressive all night. He even got to the line. But the most important thing, is that he harrassed Ray Allen all night, and forced him to take very tough shots.

ZaZa - Probably played as good of an offensive game I've ever seen him play in the 1st half. He was the reason why we stayed in the game, when JJ and Smoove were off. And you can tell that his defense, especially when going to help others out, has improved.

Lue - Played a good, under control game. And even Lue's defense has gotten better. Woody had to play Lue heavy minutes, because Seattle didn't have any trouble scoring the basketball against us. So Lue did exactly what he's supposed to do . . score himself, and get the ball to others in great position to score. Good job TY.

Shelden - Shelden would be more of a scorer on this team if the Hawks ran plays for him. But they don't. So the only thing he can do to contribute, is defend and rebound. But he definitely had his hands full with Chris Wilcox. Wilcox was a demon on the boards. Shelden did hold his own in the 20 or so minutes he played. And you can see the impact he has on the overall team defense. When he's in the game, this team rotates beautifully from side to side to shut off driving lanes.

Bozeman - I'll say this about Boze. Seeing him in person made me fully realize why Salim and Ivey isn't playing. Boze can handle the ball and bring it up court with relative ease. And he can defend very well . . if he's guarding a smaller guard and if he's not guarding a superstar 2-guard. He did a great job on Ridnhour, but Ray lit him up. It got to the point where Boze had to get off of Ray, and just let bigger guys like JJ and Chill try to handle Ray. But Boze can guard the smaller PGs in this league.

Ray Allen - What an excellent player he is. This was my first time ever seeing Ray play live and in person. That guy needs maybe 12 inches of space to get his shot off. And he's much quicker than what I thought he was. And the left-hand shot he hit over Smoove to win the game was just incredible. If he shoots that right-handed, Smoove blocks that shot, and the Hawks win. But because he went opposite hand, it barely got over Smoove's fingertips and fell through the hole.

Rashard Lewis - single-handedly kept the Sonics above water in that 1st half. You would've thought that Lewis was the all-star on the team, and not Ray. Smoove plays a lot like Lewis in the fact that neither of those guys look to use their size to post people up. They both would rather shoot the 15 foot and beyond jumper.

It's going to be REAL INTERESTING to see this team, when they are at full strength. This is definitely the type of game in which we could've used Marvin and Speedy in. Right now, this team can still play just about any style of ball we want. It'll just be interesting to see just how good we are on a nightly basis, come mid-December/early January.

[Popeye]

Thx, man this is one of the best game recaps i ve seen on here.

[Weez]

good recap (echoing earlier sentiments).

couple of things:

Quote:

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That's either the mark of a true gunner, or a guy who understands that he's the superstar engine that makes the team run. I think at one time, he was 7 - 19 from the field, but kept firing away because he had open looks

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~~ this happened in the Cavs game as well. Though JJ's stat line ended up looking quite nifty (shooting % included), those watching the game on tv (with the privy of in-game stats) would have realized that he was shooting a 'terrible' percentage prior to the 4th quarter/OT.

Simply put ~ he's willing to put the team on his shoulders and live/die with his shot selection. Certainly one would hope that others would step up (or that JJ would get to the line more when his shot's not falling) ~ regardless, it's certainly a trend worth keeping an eye on (hello 82 games.com).

JChill ~ the embodiment of why 'fantasy sports' does not equate 1:1 with 'real-life'.

Finally...Smoove. The games that I've gotten to see this year he's been more aggressive in taking the ball to the hole...however, he often misses those 'touch' shots, esp. fingerroles and the like. Here's hoping that he avoid becoming discouraged and continues to attack/learns to take the 'hard foul' and still finish.