ESPN Insider Article

[benhillboy]

"Now Time To Give The Hawks Some Credit"

Oh, now it's time. Better late than never. Anybody got the link to this?

[Admin]

"Now Time To Give The Hawks Some Credit"

Oh, now it's time. Better late than never. Anybody got the link to this?

Sure, here's the link to it.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2014/story/_/id/10856248/nba-playoffs-how-hawks-winning-series-not-pacers-losing-it?src=mobile

[Admin]

I'm gonna go one better though and give you the text from it as well.

So much attention has been focused on what's wrong with the Indiana Pacers that it's easy to forget that the Atlanta Hawks are more than scenery in the playoff series they lead 3-2 after claiming Game 5 on Monday night in Indiana. Amid the consternation over the Pacers, it's about time the Hawks get some credit for their playoff performance. They're winning this series as much as Indiana is losing it.

Atlanta's five-out, 3-point-heavy offense is both ideal for an underdog and the perfect antidote to Indiana's league-leading defense. Coach Mike Budenholzer has encouraged his charges to let it fly from downtown, and they have responded by attempting at least 27 3s in all five games -- more than the Pacers attempted in any of the first four games before trying 30 triples in an effort to come back from the 30-point deficit they faced in the second half Monday.

The Hawks built that lead by catching fire from beyond the arc in the second quarter. Their nine 3-pointers tied an NBA playoff record for a quarter, and second-year forward Mike Scott (who made all five of his 3-point attempts) was one shy of Antoine Walker's playoff-quarter record for an individual player. In the period, Atlanta scored 41 points on 22 possessions, treating Indiana defenders like turnstiles.

Although the Hawks haven't been that hot the entire series, they have made 59 3-pointers through five games, 14 more than any other playoff team. (Remarkably, Indiana is second with 45.) That's one off the NBA record for triples in a five-game series (the 2007 Golden State Warriors had 60 against the Utah Jazz in a series they lost) and on pace to surpass records for series of six games (70 by the Houston Rockets against the Oklahoma City Thunder last year) and seven games (77, shared by the 1995 Orlando Magic against the Pacers and the 2006 Phoenix Suns against the Los Angeles Clippers).

And remember, Atlanta is doing this against a Pacers defense that has prioritized taking away the 3-ball. Indiana's defense tied for the third-fewest 3s allowed during the regular season, and perimeter defense wasn't a major factor during the team's swoon in the second half of the season -- the Pacers ranked eighth-best in opponent 3-pointers after the All-Star break. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Pacers allowed double-digit 3s in consecutive games just once during the regular season -- in the first two games -- before doing so in every game this series.

The Hawks have managed to turn that strength into a weakness by stretching Indiana's defense to its breaking point. Roy Hibbert's mobility has been the obvious issue, and he's an easy target after putting up zero points and zero rebounds in Game 5. But the Pacers started well with Hibbert on the floor, and were outscored by 13 points in the 24 minutes he didn't play in the first three quarters, so their problems go far beyond their 7-footer.

When Pacers coach Frank Vogel went super-small out of desperation in the fourth quarter, playing undersized Chris Copeland and David West together, Budenholzer found new ways to manufacture spacing. As illustrated in the screen shot below, he put Kyle Korver far beyond the arc on the same side as Paul Millsap in the post, dramatically increasing the distance Korver's defender had to cover to double-team Millsap down low. The strategy yielded three scores in five possessions, including a Korver 3 from 27 feet, to help keep Indiana's comeback effort at bay.



Perhaps the Pacers will find an answer in time to save their season. Perhaps Atlanta's matchup advantages won't translate in future series if the Hawks do advance. Already, however, the Hawks have outplayed reasonable expectations. Among ESPN's panel, only Ethan Sherwood Strauss (Pacers in seven) had Atlanta winning three games. And Atlanta, trying to become the team with the worst regular-season record to advance since the playoffs expanded to 16 teams, deserves credit for outplaying that record in this series.

[benhillboy]

Cool, not as in-depth as I hoped, but decent. It's downright hilarious watching all these "experts" (I don't see how you guys like the TNT panel, they're disgusting) keep trying to find ways to justify why Indy is failing. How about the team they're playing against, geniuses?! Every clown I hear mentions Hibbert, Vogel, and the Pacers 10 times before the token "and no disrespect to the Hawks" or "take nothing away from the Hawks". Morons.

[Dnice]

Usually I'm not the where's the props guy, but like Aretha said, "just a little bit".

[DJlaysitup]

Well at least we got a little respect from the print side of ESPN...still...on Pardon the Int. Kornheiser just called us a terrible team and Wilbon said we were a "little" bit better than Milwaukee.

Who cares about them though.

[cam1218]

Well at least we got a little respect from the print side of ESPN...still...on Pardon the Int. Kornheiser just called us a terrible team and Wilbon said we were a "little" bit better than Milwaukee.

Who cares about them though.

Screw them. Kornheiser is a terrible commentator and Wilbon is a "little" better than spoiled ground beef.

[benhillboy]

Well at least we got a little respect from the print side of ESPN...still...on Pardon the Int. Kornheiser just called us a terrible team and Wilbon said we were a "little" bit better than Milwaukee.

Who cares about them though.

Yeah I used to love their show, but the older and more intelligent I got, the dumber they get. Theyre fans of the Jets, Knicks, Cubs, and Nationals, wtf do they know about anything other than ridiculous sensationalized media stories.

95% of "analysts" and "journalists" simply don't pay attention to Atlanta Sports, and the other 5 are likely pressured to disregard it. Sucks for them, I've been enjoying my city's Sports thoroughly for a while now, last Falcons season notwithstanding.

I give Bomani a pass on not knowing about the Hawks, he's easily the most intelligent person over there and it ain't even close.

Edited April 29, 2014 by benhillboy

[capstone21]

This shows Buds excellent ability to coach. Looking at matchups and making adjustments....love it