Do We Have A Chance against against the big 3?

[Deeman]

I'm talking about Cle,Bos, and Orl. I mean all of those teams owned us last year. Bibby has trouble guarding Mo Williams. Horford can't guard Shaq or Big Z. Oh yea they still got LBJ who no one can stop. Lets see about Orlando, VC is a Hawks killer, they got Jameer back, and Dwight owns Al Horford. Now Boston, Rondo is turning into a stud, and they got Sheed and Marquis Daniels coming off the bench. I mean do the other teams in the East really matter?

[gsuteke]

Over 82 games probably not. However, that doesn't matter. What if one of those teams suffers the same type of injuries the Hawks had last year in the playoffs this year while facing Atlanta in the 2nd round?

What if Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford get hot at the same time?

Sure Atlanta can beat any of them in a best of 7 series.

[frosgrim]

I'm taking a wait and see attitude with all of the top 3s.

Each has their own flaws:

Cleveland- has to integrate Shaq into LBJ's offense

Orlando- has to integrate Carter and its not shown that Carter knows how to play with a true post player

Boston- Still don't know when KG comes back. Ray Allen started to show his age last year. In terms of Rondo, those trade rumors make you say, hmm.

Of the big 3, Boston is the one that has the best chance of falling back to earth. Age and injury will hit them at somepoint. I really feel that Hawks are on the edge of moving up to an elite team. They just need another piece off the bench (Joe Smith), and better coaching.

[y2kenta]

I'm talking about Cle,Bos, and Orl. I mean all of those teams owned us last year. Bibby has trouble guarding Mo Williams. Horford can't guard Shaq or Big Z. Oh yea they still got LBJ who no one can stop. Lets see about Orlando, VC is a Hawks killer, they got Jameer back, and Dwight owns Al Horford. Now Boston, Rondo is turning into a stud, and they got Sheed and Marquis Daniels coming off the bench. I mean do the other teams in the East really matter?

ACTUALLY....

ORLANDO - Dwight has never really owned Horford / Dwight rebounds on anybody but he has never had huge nights against Al + Josh ? The big factor is tha tCarter has always been a Hawks killer, but I think a healthy Joe will water that down this year...But the big thing about ORL is that they kept Peitrus and added Barnes and those guys are big time hustle guys that defend very well...(1-3)

BOSTON - Rasheed has never done anything big against the Hawks because our guys usually play him well / Hawks have matched up well against the Celtics since 07-08 Playoffs / Hawks just never pulled out those down-to-the-wire games against / Last season alone: Losses by 1, 3, 6 and the only bad loss to BOS was by 12 (without Marvin and Joe was slumped)...The guys that were consistently the key factors in those past matchups were Powe, Posey, and Big baby Davis (all of which may no longer be Celtics come start of this season) - Look for Hawks to have some success against BOS this year...(3-1)

CLEVELAND - They added Shaq which pretty much "officiates" the Hawks right out of any game against them unless the Hawks shoot 65% for the game and nail about 17 threes / Shaq + LBJ guarantees them to get a call from the refs on every offensive possession vs the Hawks and LBJ + Shaq will only combine for 1 foul - "You know I aint lying" - LMAO!!! (0-all season)

[xhawk]

ORLANDO - Dwight has never really owned Horford / Dwight rebounds on anybody but he has never had huge nights against Al + Josh ? The big factor is tha tCarter has always been a Hawks killer, but I think a healthy Joe will water that down this year...But the big thing about ORL is that they kept Peitrus and added Barnes and those guys are big time hustle guys that defend very well...(1-3)

We might do better against Orlando due to the Rashard Lewis suspension.

Edit:

Actually we don't play them during the first ten games...but maybe it will be a distraction OR their chemistry might be hurt OR Carter will be fatigued because he has to pick up the minutes early in the season.

Edited August 7, 2009 by xhawk

[jy23]

I've said b4 that all 3 of those teams added big names but that doesnt mean that they're going to be any better.

Orlando: As mentioned by frosgrim Carter has never played with a true post player and he's a guy who definately needs the ball to be effective. Howard may see the ball even less than he did last year and we saw how he acts when that happens. He'll probably get fed alot by his point but we just don't know how carter is going to react with this team. Barnes will be the bigger addition when it comes to playing against us, in my opinion.

Boston: Age, lost of depth, KGs injury, etc....................................

Cleveland: Shaq is going to be a problem for Al or ZaZa or any other guy we add to the roster BUT he may also cause a problem with the way that they play offense. He's going to clog up driving lanes alot more than Big Z did. Z just stood out on the perimeter most times and shot jumpers, giving LBJ room to do whateva he wants, not going to happen with Shaq on the court. They will no longer be able to grab offensive boards as easy because we won't have our big floating around the perimeter trying to guard jumpshots. All that said I still think that they beat us in a 7 game series no question unless our offense just gets CRAZY HOT and LBJs jumper just goes cold. Could happen, doubtful, but you never know

[Final_quest]

Always a chance. I actually think the odds are one of the big 3 will tumble for the reasons already stated by other posters. Would we fill the void if that happens is another question. Would it become the big 2? Could another team like the Bulls rise up?

I think we would need a trade deadline deal. Not sure who, but most likely it would have to be a big. Any ideas of possibilities? Stoudemire? Boozer? Kaman?

[frosgrim]

Always a chance. I actually think the odds are one of the big 3 will tumble for the reasons already stated by other posters. Would we fill the void if that happens is another question. Would it become the big 2? Could another team like the Bulls rise up?

I think we would need a trade deadline deal. Not sure who, but most likely it would have to be a big. Any ideas of possibilities? Stoudemire? Boozer? Kaman?

The Bulls are an interesting team. I don't really know what to make of them. They could rise up like the Hawks did after a tough 1st round series vs. Boston. Rose certainly is a dynamic player.

But, they lost Gordon who was their best scorer. Can Salmons really fill that role? They still can make a big trade if they want as well.

The Wizards seem to have added a lot of offense but they are going to be awful on D. I put them as a #6-8 seed in the East; assuming they stay healthy.

The rest of the East doesn't look like its gotten much better.

Some random thoughts:

Frankly, I would love for Iverson to sign with the Heat. That would destroy that team's chemistry. I have no idea how Wade, Iverson, Beasly, and O'Neil can share the rock enough to keep them all happy. Especially when 3/4 of that lineup is looking to set their FA numbers.

The rest of the East just doesn't seem like they are a top 4 seed threat. I suppose NJ could rise up to challenge for 4 or 5 seed. But, as long as the Hawks stay healthy, they are better than the Nets.

[BusBoyIsBack]

Boston and Cleveland we have not shot against.

Orlando I like our chances with them losing Hedo and with Rashard out for the first 10 games.

If they don't do well in those first 10 games and try to adjust to getting chemistry together with VC on the team and no Rashard Lewis, we may have a window of opportunity to get ahead of them in the division and try to hold them off for the rest of the season

[EazyRoc]

Boston and Cleveland we have not shot against.

Orlando I like our chances with them losing Hedo and with Rashard out for the first 10 games.

If they don't do well in those first 10 games and try to adjust to getting chemistry together with VC on the team and no Rashard Lewis, we may have a window of opportunity to get ahead of them in the division and try to hold them off for the rest of the season

We can beat Boston. They are the same team we took to 7 games without a few key pieces, but with the addition of Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels. Neither of them separates them so far to where we can't beat them.

[benhillboy]

y2kenta seems to have it about right. As far as Boston, no matter how old, I would give the advantage 200% of the time to a team with 4 H.O.F.ers and an All-Star player/ coach over a squad with nothing remotely close to those credentials. I think Rasheed, like always, is as good and focused as his coach. Although I'm not a Doc fan by any means, he does wear a chunky ringpiece.

Edited August 8, 2009 by benhillboy

[benhillboy]

On another note jy21, is that a new Hawks logo? Looks official. Hopefully it is, as the uniforms, colors, and Phillips floor need severe refreshening with some true-school yellow instead of dead blue.

[pimp]

We can beat Boston. They are the same team we took to 7 games without a few key pieces, but with the addition of Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels. Neither of them separates them so far to where we can't beat them.

I don't know about that.. they swept all 4 games season, and beat us 2 times without KG

Big Baby scored 19 each points and both games Garnett missed

Thier frontcourt is just too deep. for us to handle . KG, Perkins, Wallace, (Davis, Powe) if they resign will dominate the Hawks on the boards.

They out rebounded the Hawks all 4 games.

[pimp]

ACTUALLY....

ORLANDO - Dwight has never really owned Horford / Dwight rebounds on anybody but he has never had huge nights against Al + Josh ?

Look at the 2 games Howard had in Atlanta .

21 PTS AND 23 REBOUNDS , 5 ast 4 blks

23 PTS AND 19 REBOUNDS

I think those count as huge nights.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

BOSTON - Rasheed has never done anything big against the Hawks because our guys usually play him well

What Rasheed does, is give Josh Smith fits. He not only can defend Smith when he posts up or when he tries to drive, he talks junk to him at times and almost dares him to shoot from the outside ( ala what KG tries to do to people . . KG also does this to Smith )

Smith's last 7 games vs Detroit and Rasheed

4 - 17 ( 13 pts )

5 - 10 ( 13 pts )

4 - 15 ( 14 pts )

12 - 21 ( 30 pts ) . . . Smoove's outside shot was going in

3 - 13 ( 11 pts )

5 - 12 ( 10 pts )

6 - 17 ( 19 pts )

Rasheed is a defensvie addition to Boston's rotation, even if his offense is going down the drain.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

I've said b4 that all 3 of those teams added big names but that doesnt mean that they're going to be any better.

Orlando: As mentioned by frosgrim Carter has never played with a true post player and he's a guy who definately needs the ball to be effective. Howard may see the ball even less than he did last year and we saw how he acts when that happens. He'll probably get fed alot by his point but we just don't know how carter is going to react with this team. Barnes will be the bigger addition when it comes to playing against us, in my opinion.

Boston: Age, lost of depth, KGs injury, etc....................................

Cleveland: Shaq is going to be a problem for Al or ZaZa or any other guy we add to the roster BUT he may also cause a problem with the way that they play offense. He's going to clog up driving lanes alot more than Big Z did. Z just stood out on the perimeter most times and shot jumpers, giving LBJ room to do whateva he wants, not going to happen with Shaq on the court. They will no longer be able to grab offensive boards as easy because we won't have our big floating around the perimeter trying to guard jumpshots. All that said I still think that they beat us in a 7 game series no question unless our offense just gets CRAZY HOT and LBJs jumper just goes cold. Could happen, doubtful, but you never know

Carter needs the ball to be effective? Kind of like how JJ needs the ball to be effective? And Kobe? And Lebron? And any other star caliber player? Don't get it twisted man. Carter is on the same level as JJ, when it comes to an NBA player. Some may argue that he's better than JJ. Hedo was a vastly overrated player that Raptor fans will quickly learn to despise. Don't be surprised if Vince leads the Magic in assists next year . . . from the SG spot . . . just like how JJ does for us. He won't have any problem at all playing with Howard. And he'll have no problem getting Howard the ball either.

2 of 3 things need to happen, in order for the Hawks to be able to challenge the Big 3 ( discounting a major injury to one or more star players on those squads ):

1) JJ needs to play like a top 10 player in the league, and have more GREAT nights than highly inconsistent nights.

2) 2 of the 3 out of Smith, Marvin, and Horford must become highly efficient players that the other team must account for

3) Crawford must shoot at or above 45% FG, and be a killer on the road.

Without 2 of those things happening, we're basically the Utah of the East. Not a bad team by any standards. But nowhere near a championship contender either.

[MaceCase]

People are overestimating the Lewis suspension. The magic have way too much depth at SF/PF not to mention talent at other positions to offset his loss. Any chance at the top three begins with our team getting better and more consistent on offense and defense plus maybe the chance that Boston pulls a San Antonio and plays for health in the post season rather than seeding. I doubt Cleveland will falter considering Shaq rarely affected Wade's slashing so I don't see that to be the case for LBJ.

[jy23]

Carter needs the ball to be effective? Kind of like how JJ needs the ball to be effective? And Kobe? And Lebron? And any other star caliber player? Don't get it twisted man. Carter is on the same level as JJ, when it comes to an NBA player. Some may argue that he's better than JJ. Hedo was a vastly overrated player that Raptor fans will quickly learn to despise. Don't be surprised if Vince leads the Magic in assists next year . . . from the SG spot . . . just like how JJ does for us. He won't have any problem at all playing with Howard. And he'll have no problem getting Howard the ball either.

2 of 3 things need to happen, in order for the Hawks to be able to challenge the Big 3 ( discounting a major injury to one or more star players on those squads ):

1) JJ needs to play like a top 10 player in the league, and have more GREAT nights than highly inconsistent nights.

2) 2 of the 3 out of Smith, Marvin, and Horford must become highly efficient players that the other team must account for

3) Crawford must shoot at or above 45% FG, and be a killer on the road.

Without 2 of those things happening, we're basically the Utah of the East. Not a bad team by any standards. But nowhere near a championship contender either.

Who said that he wasn't? Did u read the post? I said and i quote " we just don't know how carter is going to react with this team"! When has he ever had a post guy to play along with? Toronto? New Jersey? Yes, Kobe LBJ JJ, hell lets throw in MJ while we're at it, they all need the ball to be effective. Hence........what post guy did Mike have on his team EVER who demanded the ball in the post, or LBJ or JJ.....Kobe had Shaq when he was younger and still HATED the situation. We're talking about 2s and 3s here, we're not talking about a Magic or someone like that who plays to get others involved. Having a great player in the post completely changes the game, it could work and make them a great team but we jsut don't know exactly how its going to work out. Carter could come in as the vet who just cares about winning the ship and defers to everyone else on the team, OR he could come in as a guy who's been forgotten about the last couple of years and now that he's back in the spotlight could try and light it up. The first one is more likely to happen but who knows?

[LordOfNYork]

Regular season games you have a chance to beat Boston, Cleveland, and Orlando in a few games....

Post season, a 7 game series against Boston (3+ all-stars, championship ring with same core, rising PG): NO

A 7 game series against Cleveland (3 all-stars, most dominant player in the league, best record at home, Shaq): NO

A 7 game series against Orlando (3 all-stars, finals appearance, rising PG, dominant superstar Big): NO

The Hawks: Schizophrenic team, sometimes play well at home, boring all-star reserve, defensive-only coach with a team that hasn't bought in, bonehead PF who thinks he's a guard...

Big 3 play very well at home and Hawks are just poor. They just don't match up well...

[EazyRoc]

Regular season games you have a chance to beat Boston, Cleveland, and Orlando in a few games....

Post season, a 7 game series against Boston (3+ all-stars, championship ring with same core, rising PG): NO

A 7 game series against Cleveland (3 all-stars, most dominant player in the league, best record at home, Shaq): NO

A 7 game series against Orlando (3 all-stars, finals appearance, rising PG, dominant superstar Big): NO

The Hawks: Schizophrenic team, sometimes play well at home, boring all-star reserve, defensive-only coach with a team that hasn't bought in, bonehead PF who thinks he's a guard...

Big 3 play very well at home and Hawks are just poor. They just don't match up well...

Uhm, didn't we almost beat them 2 years ago ? With a younger, depthless team ? I understand being cynical, but you're not even being realistic. Who's your team ? Because it's certainly not the Hawks. You're worse than Hotlanta 1981, at least some of what he says is rooted in reality. It seems your only purpose is to come around and knock the Hawks.

Edited August 9, 2009 by EazyRoc