AHawks89 Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 Anyways, I just came across this: Jeff Teague had his coming out party with the Atlanta Hawks during the second round of the playoffs. With regular starting point guard Kirk Hinrich unavailable with a hamstring injury, Teague was thrust into the starting lineup and more than capitalized on the opportunity. Teague's play in that series very nearly provided a silver lining for Hawks fans who otherwise would have been bummed about yet another second round loss. His play left myself wondering if I could actually believe what I was seeing therefore I instituted a cooling off period of sorts and purposely put his review off until near the end. After revisiting the Bulls series for a second time I don't feel much different than I did as the series was coming to an end. Teague played at a high enough level to be certain that he can be a starting caliber point guard in this league. In fact his head to head match up with Derek Rose has myself questioning whether or not he can compete at an even higher level. While watching that series live and after re-watching it again later I keep coming back to the conclusion that Teague was the best player on the floor for the Hawks and I don't even think it was that close. That is quite a jump for a player that averaged just 13.8 minutes and 5.2 points per game during the regular season. Why Teague was saddled as the third point guard behind Hinrich and Jamal Crawford is only truly known by Larry Drew and his coaching staff. His elevated play in the playoffs does nothing but raise the question even more. How good was Teague in the playoffs? After playing only garbage time minutes against Orlando, Teague was on the floor for more than 39 minutes in five of the six games against the Bulls. The only exception being the final game of the series where he suffered a wrist injury that limited him to just 22 minutes. In those games he scored in double figures five times while topping 20 points three times. All the while shooting 51 percent from the floor in the playoffs. Keep in mind that most of those minutes came with him being matched up against the league's MVP Derrick Rose. This wasn't a case of a player with fresh legs feasting on some aging vet point guard. Teague went straight up with the best in the league and held his own. If anything the performance gave me a renowned hope for the coming season should it actually happen. My personal preferred situation would have Teague filling the starting point guard role with Kirk Hinrich assuming the sixth man position as an able bodied back up at either guard position. Larry Drew could also elect to go with both Teague and Hinrich in the back court for stretches during a game which in theory would significantly improve the Hawks perimeter defense. Those scenarios are all predicated on Jamal Crawford not returning to Atlanta. No matter who is on the opening day roster for the Hawks, Jeff Teague has earned his shot. For two seasons now he has sat on the sidelines for two different coaches and many times it wasn't clear as to why. Credit him for being a professional and not complaining or asking for a more defined role. When the team needed him the most he stepped up and played better than anyone could have reasonably imagined. Atlanta simply can't keep Jeff Teague on the sidelines any longer. Link. I was wondering if anyone can possibly make a video of Jeff Teague highlights throughout the 2010-2011 season, more specifically the Chicago Bulls series. It would be great to look back at Jeff Teagues high lights from the playoffs. It will give us somethign to look forward till next season, and look at the great potential that we have in our PG for the future. :kingchris: Any videos would be great! Thanks, AHawks89 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNorthCydeRises Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 (edited) The closest vid to a Jeff Teague I've seen, is one that showed what he and Rose did in the playofs. The thing I liked about what Teague did during the playoffs, is that when he had a mismatch ( whether it be Bogans or Korver on him ), he immediately tried to score on them by taking the ball to the hole. He didn't rely on the jumper much, he simply played to his strength as a player. I loved what he did in that 3rd quarter of Game 5. When we were in the open court, he looked to push the ball down their throat and score, or set people up. I've long said that his game is more like Spud Webb's, than any other NBA player that you can compare him to. In the open floor, there are very few people who can stay with him. JJ and Teague are made to play with each other, because JJ will have no problem passing to Teague when the opponent tries to double him, and Teague will take the ball into the paint. If he can get the floater to fall, he and JJ will be a very good guard combination. And they show just that in this clip from Game 5, where Teague scored 11 points in the quarter. Edited July 17, 2011 by northcyde 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gray Mule Posted July 18, 2011 Report Share Posted July 18, 2011 Thanks for the videos. I neded that! :clapping: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHawks89 Posted July 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2011 Yeah, the first video is the only one I've seen so far. I'm surprised there are not better ones out there. I agree with everything you've said. I can't wait to see this kid get more minutes next season. Appreciate the other video. :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Squawker Posted July 18, 2011 Report Share Posted July 18, 2011 A good highlight video would be nice. Gametime where are you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member hawkman Posted July 18, 2011 Premium Member Report Share Posted July 18, 2011 I have to agree with Northcyde here. Teague was arguably the best player on the floor for the Hawks until he hurt his wrist. He was a game changer out there and I think next season, if there is one, is his time. He's not complete or done developing yet, but he's proven he can start for this team and produce if given the opportunity. I know some people downplay his performance, but he played the way he played in the most important games of the season against the league MVP. He's ready LD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IHeartAtlanta Posted July 19, 2011 Report Share Posted July 19, 2011 i just made a new one...i just have to upload it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHawks89 Posted July 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2011 Sweet man, appreciate that! Can ya post video in here once you're done? :thankyou: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IHeartAtlanta Posted July 19, 2011 Report Share Posted July 19, 2011 Sweet man, appreciate that! Can ya post video in here once you're done? :thankyou: Will Do...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IHeartAtlanta Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7dccfYfbP8 My B On Taking So Long... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHawks89 Posted July 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 Thanks man, nice video. It's all good, no problem at all. Great video, appreciate it. :thankyou: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warcore Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 awesome video. Thanks 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now