Larry's strategy is genius!

[JackB1]

I think this "let Dwight beat us all by himself" strategy is genius!

I hope we continue to do this, because until Orlando shows they have an answer, it will keep working and here is why:

1-If you force Dwight to do it all himself, it will keep all the 3point shooters out of rythym and make it harder for Orlando to

score in big chunks and make runs.

2-Dwight will get frustrated that his teammates aren't contributing

3-Dwight will tire by the 4th quarter from doing all the work...especially if we keep throwing bodies at him

4-Dwight may end up in foul trouble in the 4th and that will force his "cold" teammates to score

5-Putting all this pressure on Dwight to score may slow him down a little on defense...especially if we get out in transition

6-Horford played very well at the #4 and Orlando may have Howard guard him if it continues

[LastDon]

Drew's no genius..Dwight is putting up astronomical numbers similiar to last season playoff series..Drew is still reluctant like Woody to use Jeff Teague..More praise should be givin to Otis Smith for gutting the Magic of hawk killer Vincent Carter and bigger wings such as Matt Barnes and Pietrus who make Joe look like the over paid player he is... THANKS OTIS!!!

[JackB1]

Drew's no genius..Dwight is putting up astronomical numbers similiar to last season playoff series..Drew is still reluctant like Woody to use Jeff Teague..More praise should be givin to Otis Smith for gutting the Magic of hawk killer Vincent Carter and bigger wings such as Matt Barnes and Pietrus who make Joe look like the over paid player he is... THANKS OTIS!!!

I didn't say Drew was a genius...I said this strategy was genious. I don't know if he conceived it or it just kind of fell into place, but I say let's milk it until it runs dry!

I agree, I think Teague needs to play more and zero playing minutes in game one sends a message loud and clear to the youngster....."I don't really believe in you, despite everything I said."

Teague can be a valuable asset in this series, especially when Nelson gets hot.

Edited April 19, 2011 by JackB1

[macdaddy]

Genius is a little strong but its definitely a smart approach. What made it look like genius is we were hitting a lot of shots. I'll call him a genius if we find a way to win when jumpers aren't falling. When was the last game that we saw these shooting % from our 6 scorers all in the same game?:

9-16 Joe

6-10 Hinrich

7-14 Jamal

6-12 Josh

7-14 Horf

2-3 Marv

[AHawks89]

6-Horford played very well at the #4 and Orlando may have Howard guard him if it continues

That's funny because everyone played well.

[Guest]

The strategy is "Genius" compared to what we did during last year's playoff. Switching on screens so we have a clear out for Jameer on Horford or Bibby getting posted up by Rashard or doubling Dwight and leaving Peitrus or Barnes wide open for 3........I sure don't miss seeing those things.

[LastDon]

I didn't say Drew was a genius...I said this strategy was genious. I don't know if he conceived it or it just kind of fell into place, but I say let's milk it until it runs dry!

I agree, I think Teague needs to play more and zero playing minutes in game one sends a message loud and clear to the youngster....."I don't really believe in you, despite everything I said."

Teague can be a valuable asset in this series, especially when Nelson gets hot.

I wasn't all that impressed with his Strategy..He still tries to play Pachulia on Howard which is a proven mismatch for the magic..he continues to play Crawford on Nelson which has help the magic go on runs in every game this approach was used..Not playing Nephew and Teague was unwarranted..Josh Powell on Howard was stupid.. AND WHERE IS OUR OTHER CENTER WE GOT FROM THE WIZARDS IS HE EVEN ON THE ACTIVE PLAYOFF ROSTER? hot shooting saved us from Drew's poor coaching..might not be so lucky in game two?

[plskeepbibby]

Drew's no genius..Dwight is putting up astronomical numbers similiar to last season playoff series..Drew is still reluctant like Woody to use Jeff Teague..More praise should be givin to Otis Smith for gutting the Magic of hawk killer Vincent Carter and bigger wings such as Matt Barnes and Pietrus who make Joe look like the over paid player he is... THANKS OTIS!!!

Why are we still complaining about not using Jeff Teague. We won the damn game.

[Jody23]

I would'nt call it genius, just common sense. Good defensive teams rarely, if ever double team anybody and they force you to beat them the hard way, everything being contested. Boston beat Orlando in the playoffs last year by playing Dwight single coverage. Yes, he got his numbers, but the other guys were prevented from getting the open looks that Dwight's prescense usally creates. The Hawks would have performed much better against the Magic in last years playoffs had they not been stuck on the foolish notion that Al has to play center and that you have to double Dwight. I think the Hawks performance against the Magic in the regular season and in game one should be making it abundantly clear that size does matter, especially when it comes to defense and rebounding and that regardless what a box score says, the increased playing time of Collins and this new found success against the Magic isn't a coincidence. Collins' size makes a huge difference and if the Hawks advance, his size will make a huge difference in the next round.

[niremetal]

Why are we still complaining about not using Jeff Teague. We won the damn game.

For real. In the playoffs, complaining about a player not getting enough minutes only makes sense if that decision harmed the team in some way. Considering that Jamal was hot from the floor, Hinrich was playing lockdown D, and we ended up winning the game comfortably, complaining about Teague not getting minutes is kinda pointless.

Now if Jamal is cold from the field, Nelson is shredding him, and we leave Jamal out there instead of putting Teague in, then I'd say "ok, yeah, he shoulda tried putting Teague in there." But in the playoffs, you don't give players minutes just for the sake of getting them minutes. No coach thinks like that during the playoffs.

Edited April 19, 2011 by niremetal

[LastDon]

Why are we still complaining about not using Jeff Teague. We won the damn game.

U obviously didn't see the monster 3rd quarter that Nelson had wit Hinrich on the bench..the hawks were reeling and barely won the game..

[LastDon]

Where is Hilton Amstrong wasn't he part of the reason we gave up the 18th pick in the draft in the trade against wizards? That was jus dumb on Drew's part..we need all centers active in a series against the magic..Pachulia could've been used as a backup power forward..I'm not being negative I jus got love for our squad and I feel like they are being mishandled..

[plskeepbibby]

U obviously didn't see the monster 3rd quarter that Nelson had wit Hinrich on the bench..the hawks were reeling and barely won the game..

No I watched the game... I just think complaining about Jeff Teague not playing in game 1 of the playoffs is complaining for the sake of complaining Drew didn't use Teague all year what made you think he was going to game 1. As long as we win I could care less who Plays well or who is on the floor. One of the best hawks wins in years and people on here still nitpick...

[Guest]

Where is Hilton Amstrong wasn't he part of the reason we gave up the 18th pick in the draft in the trade against wizards? That was jus dumb on Drew's part..we need all centers active in a series against the magic..Pachulia could've been used as a backup power forward..I'm not being negative I jus got love for our squad and I feel like they are being mishandled..

Hilton hasn't played any meaningful minutes for us all year and you expect LD to play him in important games? Zaza has always been our backcup center, we all know he will have his fits guarding D12 but what he does at center is what we need him to do - be physical, active and irritate D12.

The 18th pick has less to do with Hilton than it was about getting rid of Bibby and upgrading the PG position - nice try though.

Edited April 19, 2011 by jaybird

[LastDon]

No I watched the game... I just think complaining about Jeff Teague not playing in game 1 of the playoffs is complaining for the sake of complaining Drew didn't use Teague all year what made you think he was going to game 1. As long as we win I could care less who Plays well or who is on the floor. One of the best hawks wins in years and people on here still nitpick...

I agree it was a good win against a depleted Magic team..but even a series win shouldn't let Larry Drew off the hook..CONFERENCE FINALS OR FIRED! HUBBY BROWN AND OTHERS IN THE NATIONAL MEDIA ALL AGREE THE HAWKS ARE MUCH BETTER THAN A 44 WIN TEAM..WE WOULD BE MUCH BETTER WITH RICK ADELMAN OR MIKE BROWN..

[tbhawksfan]

Liked the idea of Adelman for a while, but if LD's Hawks beat the magic and advance without humiliation, gotta keep LD

[LastDon]

The strategy is "Genius" compared to what we did during last year's playoff. Switching on screens so we have a clear out for Jameer on Horford or Bibby getting posted up by Rashard or doubling Dwight and leaving Peitrus or Barnes wide open for 3........I sure don't miss seeing those things.

THEY AREN'T THE SAME MAGIC AND WE CLEARLY HAVE A BETTER TEAM THIS SEASON..PEOPLE SHOULD HOLD OFF ON ALL THIS PRAISE FOR LD..HOT SHOOTING SAVED THE HAWKS AND THE TWO GUYS THAT TOOK SHOTS FOR THE MAGIC WERE VERY EFFICIENT..WE HAVE A LOT OF CONCERNS GOING INTO GAME TWO..

[plskeepbibby]

I agree it was a good win against a depleted Magic team..but even a series win shouldn't let Larry Drew off the hook..CONFERENCE FINALS OR FIRED! HUBBY BROWN AND OTHERS IN THE NATIONAL MEDIA ALL AGREE THE HAWKS ARE MUCH BETTER THAN A 44 WIN TEAM..WE WOULD BE MUCH BETTER WITH RICK ADELMAN OR MIKE BROWN..

Mike Brown???? Lol that guy is garbage.....

[Diesel]

I didn't say Drew was a genius...I said this strategy was genious. I don't know if he conceived it or it just kind of fell into place, but I say let's milk it until it runs dry!

I agree, I think Teague needs to play more and zero playing minutes in game one sends a message loud and clear to the youngster....."I don't really believe in you, despite everything I said."

Teague can be a valuable asset in this series, especially when Nelson gets hot.

I think Boston used the same strategy last year. Except, I don't think they constantly let Dwight go one on one. It's true that Orlando doesn't have the same team from last year. Supposedly, they got better players. Vince was on his last leg and Hedu has always been their high post threat. I think what they really missed however, was Lewis' defense and having a BU for Dwight. Like I said in another post, this game comes down to our guard play. Joe earns his money now.

[Diesel]

The strategy is "Genius" compared to what we did during last year's playoff. Switching on screens so we have a clear out for Jameer on Horford or Bibby getting posted up by Rashard or doubling Dwight and leaving Peitrus or Barnes wide open for 3........I sure don't miss seeing those things.

I remember after Drew was hired, he made the point that we will not switch. We have seen how that confuses SVG. What it really shows is that Orlando's offense is built on the fact that they play In-Out basketball. Just like in the Jordan Rules years when the Pistons used to frustrate MJ and let him do all the scoring and watch his team grow cold, the same happens to Dwight. All the matchups are to his advantage.. but if we make the bell everytime he scores, he will wear down. It's no longer Physical wear down, it's definitely a mental weardown. Everytime his cold teammates miss a shot, he will become more and more frustrated.

Let's go Hawks.!